The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Draymond Green Show w/ Baron Davis: Rajon Rondo on Celtics & Lakers Championship runs, LeBron & KG stories

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

In today’s episode, Sixteen-year NBA veteran and two-time champion Rajon Rondo joins the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis to discuss the current Boston Celtics squad (6:45), how he developed his basketball IQ, and his experiences playing with Kevin Garnett & LeBron James (14:00). Rondo also expresses his ambition to become a head coach in the NBA one day (33:00). He reflects on playing alongside a young Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jrue Holiday on the New Orleans Pelicans (42:00). Additionally, he shares his thoughts on why the NBA seems to be moving away from having veteran players on teams and his time with Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks (01:05:00). (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) #Volume #Herd  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. With my dog, BD. We got a special, we got a special episode for y'all. And even before BD came and made this show special, I would always talk about this guy as someone who considered themselves and think of themselves as a good basketball man, someone who I like consider, like that I look to as like one of the most brilliant basketball minds that the game has ever seen.

And I spoke about one to have them on the podcast. he's a two-time champion, 16-year NBA vet, four-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA all-defense first team, two-time NBA all-defense second team, led the league in assists for three seasons, was the stills leader once. One of the best point guards to play the game,

and when you keep it too real, they try to say that you're not what you really are, one of the best point guards we've ever seen Grace this game. Never. No, another than the one and only.

Ray John Rondo, welcome to the show. Man, appreciate that, man. Appreciate that love. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Man. What up, BD? I got to piggyback off that intro, man. I got to ask some sauce. You know,

he is the maestro, the mass scientist, the Einstein, basically the Baskiot of dictatorship. You feel what I'm saying? Like the way you orchestrate, you know, just your style, bro, your style, you're a one-on-one, you're an original. You know what I mean?

I've been a fan of you since Kentucky. You know, when you got in the league, you know, you was one of the dudes I hate it the most because when hate comes admiration, you feel what I'm saying? And I just like, I just always watch you play, you know what I mean? because like the way you orchestrated the game, the way you painted was just like, I love the way you painted. And as an artist, it was just a joy to watch. So Hall of Famer, I appreciate you being on the show as well, my dog.

I appreciate y'all, man. Like that type of love gives me chills, man, to hear it from the peers, and especially guys I respect that most. So I appreciate that. Appreciate the love, appreciate the honesty. And let's get it. Yes, sir.

Yes, sir, we appreciate you coming on. Hey, but let's, we all are just in our own several places, just finished watching this Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers game. Don't, what's your thoughts on these two teams? You know, you had the street going with Cleveland 15 and O. They're going into the defendant champs' house. You, who's a champion yourself, you know how it is coming off a championship season. Maybe you drop a couple games here and there just not locked in.

Right. And, you know, so then everybody moves on to the next hot thing. Yeah. That is the Cleveland Cavaliers. And then, you know, you see what happened today. What do you make of what just happened in these two teams as this season player? There's levels to it. You know what I mean?

The champs knew what time it was. At the crib, there wasn't allowed anybody to come in their crib and, you know, make it hard for them. Kudos to the Celtics. Like, they're being prepared. The only team that's figured it out so far. So other than that, I'm not surprised, you know, they're the team that knocked them off. BD, what's your thoughts on that game? The more I watch Cleveland, the more I like them.

I just think that they got to just figure out how to make Boston play to their game and their pace. And it's going to be really predicated on, I think, Darius Garland and the way Allen play, Jared Allen. You know, like, they're going to be the cornerstones of that team, and they're going to be the ones

that's going to really take a lot of pressure off Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mowgli. but I mean, great matchup. When you look at versatility, like intensity, but, you know, Boston is a bus, so they're hard to guard, bro. No, for sure. And tonight what they did show you was like at no point in the game were they ever fazed.

And that's having that chip. It's like, oh, they come in here and they think they're going to come in here and do this. Like, these are the games that you get serious for. Right. When you're defending the title, you know what I'm saying? and that's a game that they got serious for. Now, if you're the Cavs, I think one thing that,

like you look at how the cast finished the game, they finish the game with one big. Their best lineups have two bigs, you know? Ty Jerome finished the game because of what he brings offensively. They don't necessarily trust the Okoros and the Dean weighs offensively against a team like Boston. You know?

So when you look at those couple of things, things, I think you have to take a step back and you quickly realize not to overreact. But that Cavaliers team is going to quickly realize like, oh, okay, we just saw that now. That was something different. How we take the next step is how can we, how we react to to playing a team like that. So I think overall it's a great matchup though, that NBA Cup series. Yeah, yeah. That environment, that atmosphere, you have a good test for it.

don't obviously being the great that you were there. I feel like at one point while you were there, and KG and all those guys had left, you were for sure the best point guard in the league. And top two or three best players in the league while you're there, and then you left, and it wasn't all love. Do you still get the feeling there and get the love there of like, that's home for you or do they not necessarily give you that?

No, they've always given you. me that even after when we're in a chip with the Lakers. They still welcome me home. A lot of the workers that were there when I was, you know, back in the day that's still there. So it's all a little family. A lot of great people that work in that organization for sure. Man, you are

one of the few players to win a championship of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. Well, many afters, Lakers, I'm the only one is the guy who won

many after those Lakers in Boston. So you're the only one. So you're the only one. No. When they were the Minneapolis, Lakers, yeah. Got it.

It's two of us. All right. All right. So, Los Angeles, Boston Championship versus a Los Angeles championship. Can you compare it to?

You can't compare it. You know, you can't compare it, honestly, because the 2020, we were in the bubble, so we didn't get a parade. So I've only had one parade, and that was the most, amazing thing that's happened to me in basketball.

You know, just that type of love and reaction, how to, you know, to see a fan, you've seen it this year, but to be a part of it, to get on a duckboat, going to tour, it was amazing. So that's the only opportunity I got to have a parade. But at that particular time, when I won in 2020, you know, my son was in the bubble with me. So that made that moment, you know, that was more special than you went into that 20. Oh, that's the picture behind you, right? Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yep, that's a good idea. That's fine. That picture was hard, bro. That's one of the most. iconic championship pitches in the history. I had no idea. He must have been watching. So speaking of the bubble,

when people try to say, ah, it's a bubble championship is this. As someone who's won a championship in the bubble, someone who's won a championship not in the bubble, how do you compare the two from that aspect of not traveling or being in the bubble, the different challenges or lack there are, or, you know.

To me, I enjoy the bubble because you get to see the guy every day that you walk in past, you know, you get to see the enemy. And there's no distractions, you know, I mean, there's no outside, you know, there's no hotel flights, everybody's in one room, there's no excuses, it's checkball, you know, fan, no, there's no advantages. Yeah. Because it's my best, you know, my five against your best five and figure it out. And you've got to obviously seven games to figure it out.

But I love that, that concept of, you know, that concept. we go right to the room, then we go to film. We was able to learn a lot more during that time. Then I would say if we were able to, like, go home, practice, have other distractions. Don't think about the game. But in the bubble, that's all you're thinking about. Obviously, you know, in real life and playoffs, when you go on the road,

you go home, you think about the game. But, like, when you're in a bubble, everything, you can go to your boy's room. You can talk about it, like, and you've got to figure it out on the fly. And you see your enemy. That's not, you know, for me. He might bump and two more elevator. Okay, cool.

Right. You know what I mean? Like, we had to. That's crazy. You know, we're in the same place, you know what I mean? We had a couple of meetings where, you know, things we weren't going to play. So, like, we all, we saw each other all the time. And I love, you know, I love that feeling.

That's crazy, too, because when you play someone at meaningful playoffs, there's naturally a beef created. Like, it's naturally a, bro, I don't really like you. Like, and you're, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're like, man. Like, what's like, I don't like you.

bro, it's naturally created. And y'all may see each other somewhere years down the road and be like, man, bro, that was fun and that was crazy. But right after, like, during that, it's a beef created and the years following that, it's like, it's a beef, but I don't like you, man. Like, because you all are going after the same day. And it's intense.

Yeah, I love it. You know, it was fun to be a part of that. That's a whole different mind game. Don't that's why I love you and respect you, bro. bro, because people don't even understand that mind game, bro, like, that's, it's guys, and you know this. It's guys you played against in that moment that didn't understand you were playing that mind game.

Like, yeah, bro. Like, come on, man, what we doing? I was talking about how me and Brown was looking at the game. Like, it was Boston and Miami. And I was like, I got, who was at the time? Stephen, Brad Stephen. He was like, he got spoiled. So I was like, we were, like, mentally,

we were preparing, like, to go to war and figure out, okay, I got to beat this coach. And we knew we had each other's back, whichever route we took, you know what I mean? So that's why we were very confident. We was going to win that bad boy. Even before the bubble, we felt like we were the ones. You know what I mean?

We had a hell of a season. That's crazy. Man, talk about your mentality, just like the brands you wanted. Like, how did you cook that up? You know what I mean? Like, who did you like growing up? And like, you know, who didn't you want to be like?

And who didn't know what I mean? Craig Thin Bitty. I didn't watch basketball growing up. Wow. That's crazy. I didn't watch basketball growing up. I thought I was going to be an NFL player. You know what I mean?

I played football. I was always outside. I was active. I didn't do no, no TV watching. I didn't watch no local team. I didn't watch the Louisville Cardinal. That's why it wasn't a big difference.

That's crazy. Because I didn't grow up a fan anything. So when I picked up the game and I felt like, okay, I was good enough to do it. I like and do it as a goal. You know what I didn't grow up being like, I want to be in a play a girl. No, not like my son's dreams are.

To me, I was just a kid. just having fun and enjoying sports being active. When it came to that decision, like I said, I was exposed to a different lifestyle. I introduced Derek Anderson. He kind of took me on his wing as a mentor. So I'm like, that's how you're living or this is what you're doing every day? Waking up? Okay, cool.

Then let me work out a bit harder. Then I got introduced to Mike Bibby. Went out to Sacramento for a couple of days. Worked out. I'm like, damn, this is the life. Okay, cool. Let me get to it. And after that, I kind of put my hard head on, my hard head on and just worked. I was like, I got to figure out how to get this, you know,

this type of lifestyle. these vacations. I mean, it's all the means to come with it. So that was the goal of mine. That's how I did it. How did you know what was right, though,

to not watch the game at all. It didn't end up with all the passes and see the floor, the way you see the floor, which is different than just about anybody see the floor. How did you figure that out? It sounds crazy.

I love the game. I played the game. Like I said, I always play with older kids. You know what I was the youngest on the court. I'm older brother to play, you know, not getting picked up from whatever just hooping.

And then we play more and up. my boys talk about all the time. We walk in different neighborhoods. We play anywhere, everywhere around the city, and we just hoop. But as far as knowledge of the game, my high school coach, shout out of Doug Bibby. He started breaking a game down to him as a freshman. And I was like, okay, I was, you know, I was frustrated. I hate seeing myself on tape.

And I was like, but the tapes was telling the truth. I mean, it was giving me the answer to the test. So I locked into that. And I was like, okay, what can I be greater? You know what I always wanted to have to answer the test. Like my older brother taught me everything he knew mathematically. So I wanted to be the first to go to the board. You get answers.

That's how it wasn't basketball. Okay, the coach is telling me since the film was the answer. So now I go on the court, I know what you're doing before you know what you're doing in the sense because of your habits. So I just studied and learned then locked in that way and just kept it going. And just learned it again. And I loved it. I got that line with my sponge.

Give me everything you got from all the grace I play with. I'm taking a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and then implementing the guys I play with that. So I love to play with the cousins in the 80s because I was getting what I got from dirt, Kevin, you know what I mean, Shaq, you know, Jamain O'Neill. I was able to get a lot of great information. And like I said, I always just wanted to soak as much as I could from all of them. The NFL season's rolling along.

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Void in Ontario. Bet must win to receive reward. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng.com slash FT Ball. Like when you came into the league, it's almost like your game went to a whole, like you was cold in college.

When you came to a league. You know, there you all. Is that what it was? Come on, man. Listen, we had, we had... Let me bring, bro. Y'all had a win. Listen, we had like four McDonald's, no, three McDonald-A-L-Americans.

And we bring in a bar down to court... Running plays. Five pads. I'm like, what we do? And we can get up the court and go. I mean, we had some players, but like I said, you know, he didn't need the hit or there. I'm where I am today.

I'm thinking for it. But, like, yeah, we was ready to go. And I needed just the space and let me go. You know what I mean? Take some mistakes. So... But that, that, that, that, I didn't let me do that at first though.

That's what I was saying. Yeah, that's what I was saying. You came in with a chip on your shoulder. I was disrespected. And on top of that, you had vets. You know what I mean? You had like superstar vets that like you got to have that. You know what I'm saying?

To get their respect. Like, talk about that, man. But the crazy thing people ask me that, but I didn't, man, I didn't grow up a fan of none of them. They all of this day. But I didn't grow up a fan of nobody. Like, you know, the big ticket, I know who the big ticket was, you know what I mean, he played Minnesota. I didn't have cable, we didn't watch TV, you know, they never had TV. That's wild.

I didn't watch, I seen he got games. I didn't really watch Ray in Seattle, so I don't, I didn't know them. So I wasn't, I was never in awe of anybody. It was just like, shit, okay, cool, this is what they do well, this is what I do well. So, and knowing that KG was like, he wanted me to stay, I was that shit, you know what I mean? Like, I'm going to earn their respect, but most more importantly, I didn't do what I want to be the grade. You know, you heard this shit about they came win with a young point guard, me and Perk got all the disrespect. So I was like, okay, cool, it's motivation.

I was supposed to be a bus, 21st pick. You know what I mean? So I got traded to footballs and, you know, thank goodness. That's, you know, the way the world works and how life works. So other than that, I was always motivated and I always wanted to prove people wrong. And I love to shut the motherfucker up. You know what I mean? That's why I love going on the road and playing.

That's the best thing. It's the best feelings. That's a fact. Shutting that crowd up. Yeah, man. Watch out. I heard this story before where. your rookie year

you got obviously Ray KG. No, no, not my rookie year. Second year. Second year. Second year. You got Ray KG, truth. Yeah. At that point, you're still the young fella. You know what I'm saying? They scars. You're still the young fella.

And I heard there was a point very early in that season where you had to stop and like all three at one time, checked them and tried to fight them. Hell no. I ain't. trying to fight all three of them in one time? Like, like, just more so, like, letting them know, like,

I understand who y'all are. Like, not necessarily like, yo, I'm trying to fight y'all at once. But, like, I understand who y'all are. But there's a level of respect to be had here, too. No, it was, it was no, it was never no scenes like that between us, really. You know, the stuff you hear about maybe, you know, me and Ray or whatever, other than that. But, like, nah, Casey was from the first time we played,

you know, we came in early because we were focused on winning championships. We came in, like, maybe three weeks before, training camp started. First pickup, he's yelling, screen, screen, screen. I'm like, damn, you know what I mean? It's night, day difference. He in the paint. So now I feel more comfortable being able to get into the ball. I ain't got to do this when I got a nigga behind me talking,

you know what's going on communication wise. So we've always had a great rapport. I mean, you know, we butt heads just like damn, I remember with all my team, but at the same time that's all love. And for him, he was the one that held me accountable. When I fucked up, he was like, hey, you know, I felt like, that ain't it. Or if he'd be like, you know what? You got a

point. Stand on that. I mean, so it's kind of Like, he would still teach me the ropes, but also holding me accountable and not letting me get away with the bullshit. Other times I may have gotten away with certain things. Oh, that's fine. So, so KG, you would say KG is your vet? No, I went to all universities. Paul Pierce University, Rayall University, and Ticket University. So, yeah, I got traveling all of them.

It was fun. What was Paul Pierce University like? Oh, Paul Pierce's a star. Man, you see the show? Yeah. You're a wild boy. But see, the first off of you're dealing with a boy. Paul, man, he was tough. Like I said, first year, Paul left. He got hurt and he got out of us.

He took all back to LA. So it was, it was a brief interaction in my first year. But then, like said, he got around Kevin. But I feel like they all messed well. And one thing they did great was they was, oh, it was sacrifice. You know what I mean? And that was like, egos were the side or what and about who got the biggest contract. And to me, KG sacrificed the most. I think he had made the most at the time. You know what I mean? So he always took the backseat, let them to get their shit off. Then he'd be like, hey, bring that bitch down here. You know, I mean, so that's when he really would chop it to me. But other than that, he was willing to sacrifice set screens, no matter what, you know what,

I mean, standing pick a roll longer. That was just type of one of my greatest, the best team I probably would play with it for sure. Wow, that's crazy. So just as a leader, KG, in a different strategy. I mean, his mindset, the way he approaches the game, his focus, like his discipline, his day-to-day routine. It's like him, and I would say, Brian are like the most strict on teammates I've ever played with that do everything.

always the same. Like it's a hell of experience to like to see that and be a teammate of that. Man, Doe, we got on and you mentioned you had an exam today. Like exam, you say you're going back to school. Talk to us about that. What inspires you to go back? At this point, you've had a successful career. You've made money. Your focus is your son and helping him reach his dreams. But yet you back in school taking classes to get your degree. What drove you? you to do that and how is it going? I was going. Well, I'm back at the University of Kentucky, getting my degree in human communications.

I would say I try to make a lot of checklists. And certain goals of mine, I always want to check them out. And right now, I'm unfortunate to say my life is kind of a completed checklist, so I had to add more goals. And that was one that, like I said, I left school sophomore year in Kentucky. I decided to go pro, obviously. And then my goodness advisor, shout out to Mike Stone. He'd been telling me to come back years after years.

And I'm like, I'll get there when I get a chance. So me retiring, I had a lot of downtime. And I can't sit around and be the Uber dad all day long because the kids got to go to school. So I'm like, shit, why they're going to school, I could be learning and growing too. And I was like, you know, I want to graduate before my daughter graduates college. So we'll probably graduate actually at the same time next year, next spring. So I'm looking forward to doing that. That's a great.

I love learning. I love learning. I want to continue to grow, you know. Do you got a daughter about to graduate college? No, no, she's graduating high school. I was about to say, man. Nah, hell not. I ain't talking about it.

I'm like, man. I'm like, oh, no, you, my dog. You know.

I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I can start getting to her old. No, she's 17. She's a senior here in Kentucky

and a lawyer. Yeah. Going to Bamma body box. So, yeah. Man, congratulations. So,

with, with school, you know, and now getting your degree, like, what's life like after basketball, what's some of the things you went to, you know, now that you retire? It's been peaceful, man. You know, I'm a newlywed. I got married about five months ago. So, you know, I'm just enjoying life.

Appreciate it, you know what I'm saying? I only built, moving to the crib, like I said, educate myself. It's been a lot of time with the family's being, like I said, an A-U coach. Just living life, man. Like I said, learning. I'm actually been messing with with your boy, Duff. out there in Milwaukee a little bit, just kind of learning from them.

I think for an internship. Yeah. Oh, hell, though. Hey, go. Hey, Ron. Go ahead, Bidoo. Hey, man. Oh, shit.

Hey, who, hit the button, doc. Bring Ron, shoot Rondo right to the top. Man, would you go please save your coach, man? I thought she was over there full time. You need to go. Hey, you need to go. Say. I got the kiddos, man.

Nah, man. They, you know, a couple of these calls these year, man, they ain't helped them. They'd have been a big one about three of them. Hey, Jaymond, even Rondo won't go. Even Rondo won't go. Even Rondo won't go. You come on, man, you can't have a coach all in the videos,

all in the commercials. Hey, man, that's my first win. that boy got my first chip man but so y'all did that though you did that but listen it's my philosophy though beat I get that a lot though but my thing is

if you got the talent why don't you do that he can't play for you I didn't make it as use for him but I'm like there were times in the huddle where he'd be like look if y'all on the same page y'all do y'all things

so it wasn't like totally maybe he's used to you know people being able to manipulate and do their own thing but he's had some great teams name came short, obviously, but I felt like it was always on us in regards. That's a talent. And then for me personally, you know, with the guidance from everybody around me,

I was like, we can figure this out both times before you beat us full times. Yeah, I mean, you're a genius. You know what I'm fun. You know what I mean? Not everybody is DNA to learn. Some people have, like, incredible star power and incredible basketball playing capabilities. but there's like two levels of learning, then trying to learn the entire DNA.

You know what I mean? And think like a coach, be more than a coach. And I think like you need that coach to be able to like at least push you in that direction. You got that gift, bro. You got a wizard bag. You know what I mean?

Like you was a baby wizard already. You already had that. You know what I mean? KG had that. But a lot of times the coach got to be able to set that, you know, Let's set that buffet and say, look, these are all the other things that you can be capable of. No, you mentioned you said, I got to kiddos.

So does that mean you were never full-time coach until, like, your kids graduate? No, what I want to do was be here from my daughter senior. So that was the big instance. Like, you know what I mean, my son, he just turned 13 a couple of days ago. So I'm okay with him. You know what I haven't enough. But like I said, I just want to be there for my daughter's senior all the prom, you know, the homecoming. and she loves the party.

So I got to be here. You got that, you got that prom party here. That's going to be, who. That's going up. That's going up. She's prepped me enough for us. I'm going to be. Coaching is ultimately what you want to do, though?

1,000%. And I want to mess with the front office, too. You know what I mean? I want to do some internship. I'm going to call Danny eventually. You know, one of my guys that bleed him from day one. So it's like the guy that's in the front office, want to get around and pick their brain.

I see it from that side, but I definitely love teaching the game. And I would love to win this, you know, from both gym and a coach. You know, moving to another franchise that you won a championship with. You got a young coach, got who you played many of your years in the NBA with, possibly college. Y'all probably played against each other in college. You got young JJ Reddick, young in the coaching world, taking over to Lakers. What do you make of the job he's done? and what do you ultimately think he becomes as a head coach

of the Los Angeles Lakers? I think he's doing a hell of a job. You know, obviously getting 80 back to what we know he's capable of playing of. You know, first and foremost, you know, you want your best player to be at all the time of high, believing in you, very confident. And then you hear the comments in the media. You know, obviously everything is going to translate to wins,

but at the same time, he's got the captains there, you know, Brian. Obviously, they have a great report already. So just having that grace and understanding, You know what I mean? He's able to coach him as well, I think. You know, you've seen a couple times where they're so with Jay Zey might have getting on Brian, which, you know, he's not combative in that matter, but he's able to be coachable.

And with him able to do that stand his ground, the players see that. And I think that's allowing him to be like, okay, we believe in this guy. Yeah. I look forward to the day you're ready to make that jump because don't give me the assistant coach stuff. Don't, don't give me to, oh, like, you need to go through this. You need to go through that. and you don't have the experience, don't get me that. Nah, I don't want to hear that.

Because what they do know is, Rondo is one of the greatest basketball minds to grace the NBA. Rondo is an NBA champion already. Right? Rondo is an all-star. Rondo is all defense. And you know he got the mind.

He watched more film. And if you know anything about the NBA and the end of workers, you know Rondo watched more film than the coaches watch already as a player. So I just don't want to hear when Doe is ready to take that leap and he's looking for a job.

Carl, he's not looking for our assistant coach job. He's looking for a head job because JJ's doing it. He's showing you that it's possible. And we know how smart Roddo is. So I don't want to hear it. Give me some pieces. We're going to crap.

You know, that's all I need. I got a blueprint. Give me the pieces. And also staying on topic and speaking of the Lakers, obviously you play with AD again, who you had ball in New Orleans. And when you're with the Lakers, AD has his best time with the Lakers.

No surprise there. But also playing with Brian. You spoke a little bit about it earlier, but just talk to me about like going through the season as A, two alphas, B, two guys who, I mean, who knows which one of y'all are smarter. even who's smarter is, number one,

like the level of y'all brain, like from a basketball standpoint, there is no one A or one. It's just here. How was that experience with your resume and the respect that you have? Because Brian know you got a basketball mind. And you're coming into the squad.

What was that experience like along the way, going through the season? As you know, you're growing to win a championship. You don't win a championship in June. You won the championship in January, you know, and growing through that. What was that experience like for y'all, too, as the savantes that y'all are? It was a great moment. You know, we played together before, but it was a time where, you know, I knew my role at the time.

You know what I mean? So, you know, we're two hours, but at the same time, I pride myself on being a star role player. You know what I mean? Like, I knew my role. I wasn't a big dog or any team that I played for us. So for me, I fell in line. I knew what it was. You know what I mean?

there wasn't no ego beating the chest. It was like, okay, I'm not having an opinion, which he always respected it along with the coaching staff. So it was always a hell of a line of respect that we have for each other. At the end of the day, he's playing, you know, 40 minutes. I'm playing 26 maybe, you know what I mean? So, you know, like I said, in the day, it's all about winning. And I was always trying to do the best to figure out the five that should be on the floor

or, you know, who should be in rotation and the game, whatever team or the staff needed me to be at that particular time, that's the role I try to play. Because in the bubble, I was out for six weeks. I broke my thumb. Yeah. So the dope thing was Frank Vogel, shot out the homie again,

he allowed me to get into all the coaches' zones. So I'm understanding again from, I'm on the championship coaches down, basically, the six months I'm rehabbing in LA, then I come back, you know, when we play Houston, and how we were able to adjust from not playing the big to seven-footers, Jabel,

and Dwight at all in Houston series, and then we're playing them against Yolkid. So it was like, being able to be in that locker room, being able to be in those meetings while I was gone, I was still able to stay in tune and tacked with the team and understand.

and they knew when I came back it was up from there because like I said, it was always the greater good of the team that we were always striving to be. Speaking of Javelle and Dwight,

they've been very outspoken about that team being broken up too soon. What was your take on that? Do you think the Lakers ultimately moved on too soon or where y'all could have done more or do you think that's just what it was?

That team was going to win the championship and it kind of capped there? No, I definitely don't make it cap. there. Okay. You know, I mean, you win a championship. You feel like you have the blueprint. And you got to run it back to see if anybody has figured out before you did,

you know, crack the cold. So I feel like we were a really deep team. Like I said, we're able to just, been through seven-game series. You know, we've been battle tested. So, you know, I think we're able to hit the button next year and figure out how to win it again. Like I said, everybody's feeling good. Brian's still playing now.

You know what I mean? And he was coming off one of the best season like that. That confidence is going back into the bubble. But you have the same type of guys going to war with you. you know, it's this a psychological thing that you understand versus a couple guys that ain't here. And a lot of teams, you know, that's what comes to the front office

or where they come to play. It's like you feel like you can't plug and play with certain guys, but that year nobody was breaking the bank. You know what I mean? Like, I don't know what it was, but, you know, it is. Maybe he's either there. They got me another two years.

So, hey. I wasn't even going to play out of that. You mentioned LeBron still playing. Just talk about, you know, you play with him twice, you know, in your career. Like, what does impress you the most about him, especially what he's doing now? Man, I told you, I've never seen nobody take care of the body like him.

Rest and diet. I mean, the little cliché things, like, all the things he does. I mean, the way he lifts, the way he goes at the weight room, he attacks the weight room, you know, the way he attacks his own court, off-the-court workouts. Like, he's professional. And, again, if you spend that money on your body and you, you know, and when no one's looking or no one's watching, you're still doing the right thing, you're able to stay and have a longevity

a career like he's having. Not dropping the four triple doubles in a row things like that. I mean, obviously, he's arguably the greatest player of all the time. So for me, I just seen it every day in his regimen. You know what I mean, he was very disciplined and he goes over and beyond what, you know, the average or even some of the great NBA players

have done that I've seen. Not only that, the skill, you know what I mean, the knowledge, you know, and the know-how, you know what I mean, just makes him super uppercive. per echelon. You know what I mean? It's that discipline that take you to another level. Because these young guys

coming in, more athletic, more explosive, and he's still able to manipulate the game, get to a spot. And I feel like he's out smart and everybody. Obviously him and Steph doing the same thing. You know what I mean? Drey Mons doing the same thing. So the game comes easier. And then I know you pride

yourself on defense. You know what I mean? My boy, Draymond, I'm campaigning for him for defense of clarity. Right. You know, let everybody know. That's my dog. I'm rocking with him, right? For your criteria of defense of player a year,

what would the main qualifications be to be considered for that accolade? I'm starting to like analytics, but I'm a game watcher as well. You know what I'm a field guy. So a lot of things come to play. Obviously, statistical categories, bus mindings on the floor, being able to switch one through five.

how you affect the ball, maybe not even, you know, being around the ball, you're still affecting it. I mean, the way it's your communication. There's a lot of factors for me. So there's not a lot of guys that can do that.

I mean, you've got to be able to play in the playoffs. He's got to be able to have impact on the game without even scoring. And that's what I think, a guy like myself, got like what Draymond does, put you up there for defense fans of the year.

Jesus always argued about the MVP and the MVP is just the offensive category. and defensive player in a year never gets held with the same weighted value as an MVP. I wanted to get your take on that too. Yeah,

1,000%. Like it's always usually big because they're rim protectors. But, I mean, there's so many different ways. And it's not just steals because how many times are you giving up points when you're gambling, you know what I mean? So it's just like, skills can be,

you can be on the worst team in the league, you can make all first team all defense. But you probably get, probably lead the league in back doors or, you know, gamble, points scored off a gamble. So it depends on how you look at it. You know what I mean? I don't know.

It's a different factor for me. You know, speaking of you playing with the Celtics, playing with the Lakers. One part of your career that I'm even, I'm extremely interested in hearing about, is your years with the Pelicans or year with the Pelicans where you had AD playing at MVP level. You had to market.

playing at top five MVP level. You were that shot. You, you, you, Drew, y'all got Drew? Yeah, Drew, right, we had Drew. Yeah, right. You get 20 assists some nights, 22 assists, 24 assists, and watching you do that. Let me tell you about that team, though. And, of course, y'all knocked us off.

But that beginning of that year, Alvin Gentry was the coach, Chris Finn was the office coordinator. And at first, it didn't work. Me, Cus, Drew 80 on the court, it didn't work. I needed a ball. They needed a ball in a certain sense. So I was on the bench for a while. And then once Cuzz got hurt, that's when I got inserted.

But before then, what I loved doing my job was I wasn't playing. So I was like, okay, cool. I had Cuss, 80, which is two guys I love playing with. Like I said, I was giving everything that I got poured down to me from all the great bets, my part of course. Then I had one of my favorite teammates all the time, Drew Haudy on the court. So I was like, okay, I took a backseat role. Like, let me try to.

coach this. So instead of Cuzz and 80, because at first they both try to score 50. I'm like, because they manipulate the game by scoring 25, let 80 get to 50. You go for 20, and 20. You know what I mean? Like go crazy a different way. Both y'all getting 50 won't allow us to win games because now you fight. Now, if you become the facilitator, now he's running the delay, he's running stuff out of elbow action, making, playmaking, because that's what he was, that's what he was really good at that particular time. He's going to have a big slow guy on him, and 80's going to have, the agile wings.

So it was like, then he had Drew Hardy. So them learning how to play three men together, manipulate the game when we was on a roll. He got hurt towards Achilles. And that's when I got inserted. I was like, okay, cool, who are my weapons? So I took her, well, I took, you know, heat of Nico Meritage, each one more, you know, guys made me better.

Shotmakers, AD, live threat, Drew Hardy. The pistol action that people run, me and Drew, that action, the small, small guard, pick up, step up. man, we plan to pick up the first couple of days and then it was, he stepped up, I'm like, what the hell is this? I think he came, I forgot where he got it from, but it might have been y'all. But he got it in perspective that it was, I mean,

and I was the past, I was able to, I was there able to hit that pass easy. So it was like, stuff like that, like said, that team chemistry, where he was able to go into Portland with that mindset, you know, even before the playoffs started, Drew and I was like, who you want. It was either between Damon and CJ or James and Chris Paul.

And we had, like, said, it was either way, like we didn't really care what the smoke was, but it was smoke either way we went. Yeah. Then we went to Portland, obviously, to Gary Bennis, and then we ran into them,

and we just didn't have enough, man. Yeah. We didn't have enough. I was that. I mean, with the Marcus, with the Marcus out, it wouldn't have been different.

I mean, we would have won, but. I got, I got, no, no, no,

no, y'all, you all, you wouldn't. Listen, I'm going to tell you this is the true story. Um,

never told the story. So I'm trying to get, the first player of the game, I'm trying to get 80 to bowl you. trying to get him to bow you set the top off the drill. Didn't happen. You end up bowing us. And I'm just like, fuck.

They hit that. That was the first strike. Like, it was on. Like I said, y'all took him in this 4-1 or whatever. But, yeah, I was trying to get him to get you from the jump. But if I had cuss, when they had a tip, because he would have done. He would have done for sure. Come with a brother.

You know what I mean? That's like, that's like, we might have got to. Like, I said, we're trying to go through Katie. I'm trying to go through everybody. front line. Of course, they got to deal with their boys running around, but if we can get y'all to up out of there, get y'all to anchor. Yeah, that's for sure. You know,

it's crazy. If AD would have did that, it probably would have caught me so far off guard. Like, I wouldn't have been expecting it. It'd woke you up. Oh, man. He'll walk him up. I'm sitting here right now trying to think how I would have reacted to it.

I don't know how I would have reacted, right? You would have got him back. He might have stole off on him, and now you got three games. And we're on the next round. Jay would have definitely got him back. He would have slammed him something. He was like, I probably would react to right in the moment. Who knows what I would.

I don't know what I would have been. Man. Thank you, AD. I appreciate you, brother. Man. And, you know, obviously your career, we've talked about that. I think that's beautiful. but my nephew, he's 13,

his name is T.J. Walton, Trap, Trap, son. He's 14 now. Well, he's about to turn 14 in a couple days. T.J. and your son, they're right around the same age. So I followed the scene. T.J. had been training with me since he was like seven or eight years old. Okay. So I'm well invested.

Like, that's my nephew. I'm like, like, travel allows me. me to be like a second father to him. Like, that's how close me and Trave are. And Trav went overseas as soon as TJ was born. So when TJ was born and he was like literally baby, Travis' wife, like if she needed somebody to do some, T.J., I go to T.J., like, and travel's overseas.

So our relationship is different. I pay attention to the scene. Yeah, young fella, he got some game. Hey, nice. What is it like going through this journey with him now from your perspective of how you grew up was just going to the park, going here, going in a hooping. And now I always talk about nowadays, your son is actually the prototypical NBA player. It's an NBA player son or like the days of a Rajan Rondo coming from Louisville or Barron Davis coming from Englewood, a Draymond Green coming from Saginaw, Michigan. Those days are over.

that kid now who had a dream to make it out, he's way too far behind because Ray John Rondo's son has been getting the training since he was eight years old, seven years old by his dad. He know what to do with the body. He know what to do with the nutrition. So the kid in the hood of Saginaw or Louisville or Eagle, they're so far behind now that they can't make it anymore.

What do you make of just being on this journey with him? What's it like training with him? and just as you see it from your vantage point now. Steve, what I pride myself on, even with my foundation work, you know what I mean? Like, I feel like what I'm from the city, like we don't have a lot of big time celebrities and have a lot of famous people.

So for me, my team, my A.U teams, I got some of them kids, you know what I mean? So I feel like I want kids my program to use me as a resource to get to where they want to be. I mean, just being able to be exposed to certain things while I take them on trips. I might take them in the locker room a couple years. I'll be back to them to the Dallas Maverick locker room.

know, just to dream big. And my son has these, has these things. So for me, it's trying to try to keep him humble and understand, like, you know, what it takes to work and what it takes to get to this level that is, isn't just given to you. Bigger obstacles. And for him, like you said, the way we grew up was different. I was able to play basketball nonstop left and right. He has to pretty much schedule his workouts when he plays because you can't just, you know,

nowadays since COVID, kids, you can't go down the street and play basketball. So you've got to kind of organize for them to play this random pickup. And that's what we've done the last couple of months. But again, like you said, I've had resources to do that. Like, other kids don't. So the kids aren't being able to play basketball with just some random kids at age. They don't, how do they get better or how they judge where they're going to be? And then obviously it takes them long to get to the goal.

But with him, we just work, man. Like I said, I try to teach him their different responsibilities, not on and off the court. He's a great student. And like I said, just, you know, value and I understand and respect to each opponent. You know, you got a big target. You know, what I love to do is I love the targets. You know, I went by gun for the targets. And again, people's going to be gunner for him, but you put the work in, you can't cheat the game.

And he's learning that. He's young. I don't want him to, like I said, he's playing football, too. You know what I mean? I want him to play all different sports because you don't, I don't want him to burn out. And I thought, again, since I was maybe 14, 15, I thought I was going pro in football. And then I switched over, had a better relationship with my high school basketball coach. And then I started love for that.

And then that's where I went that around. So he's pretty good on a couple different sports. So I don't want to box himself in. But if you want to play basketball, I'm cool. I don't even learn how to manage his money. That's it. My son, 10, and he play football. You know, I've been trying to crack the cold with him, you know, in basketball.

But I think right now, you know, at 10 years old, he like, all right, football is my thing. But I'm just trying to like, hey, bro, all the great football players play basketball. Right, right. Like, as a dad, you know, the pushback early, like, how do you, you know, like, how do you set them up for, but that structure for basketball. You know what I mean? I feel like football easy because he just throw them out there and they're going to figure it out.

But basketball is different, you know? Yeah, it's definitely different. Simpler just kind of just watching the games with him, simply like, I never forced him. He started off swimming, you know, he did piano. So just giving him different things and stuff they did tennis. So we kind of just, you know, thank God we have to have these, like resources that I was able to expose him to different things

that he wanted to possibly play. And obviously come to the games with me being in the bubble that kind of just persuade them. They're kind of like, okay. Getting to hang out in the locker room, see LeBron, you know, talk to certain guys from the game. So I feel like he's just kind of naturally fell in love with it. Yeah, he's nice, dog.

He's nice, man. We got so much work to do, man. They got so much work to do. Hey, Rondo Jr. is nice. Montaella's Jr. is nice, too. Hey, all the juniors, the junior, juniors? Uh-oh. That's the next up.

That's the next up, man. It's various. Do you ever, as someone with a junior, I go back and forth sometimes like, man, shit, I love that he's DJ. Like, I love, like, and, you know, that he go by DJ. He don't really go by Drema, right?

But I love that he's a junior. But sometimes I go back and forth, like, damn, did I do him a disservice? Do you ever have those thoughts? Like, man, I named my son of junior. I do. I do go from time to time. I love it.

I wouldn't change it, but we call him Pierre. You know, he wants to have his own identity, which I completely understand. He goes by P-O-P-R, so, you know, I'll let him do his own thing. I just let him get an Instagram, so I let him pick his own name. He just put his junior on there. So what's his name? It's still, I give it. I can't give it out yet.

Perfect. Yeah, don't give it out over here. I'll ask you that offline. Don't give it out of here, for sure. I asked you that off the line. Flooded. He's going to be like, man, we ain't trying to flood him. We ain't trying to flood it.

Nah, soon, though. Hey, now, yeah, we're soon going to flood it. But, you so. I ain't got much left, but I must mention something I heard over the summer. You know, I got married August 14, 2020. I know you just got Mary. Sixth, three, four. Congratulations.

Shout out to Diane Valentine. Shout out to Miss Valentine. Yes, sir. She knows how to do it. I'll tell you. Listen here. Thank you. Diamond Valentine.

Y'all inspired us. And then we went, you know, we had to stay without, you know what I mean? So. She told me, she said, Draymond, I, by the way, I saw her, I was at the private suite about to fly out of L.A. I saw her landing back a week after your wedding. And she's like, we just got back. I was like, y'all just got back. I saw everybody over at the wedding.

A week ago, she's like, yeah, Draymond, like, you got to close this stuff out. You got to do this. You got to do that. She was like, but I'm going to tell you, Drayvon, Ray John made sure y'all didn't outdo them. No, she, hey, she's still sending me invoices. I said, lady, look at my mind. Yes, sir. We had a time, y'all.

We had a mother in time, y'all. Blessers, y'all. I'm already knowing. I saw videos from y'all wedding, which was like, yo, that weather looked lit. Y'all sat the tone, though.

She showed us y'all wedding. I was like, ooh, listen, she's amazing, y'all. She's an amazing woman. A couple of my teammates hit me like, who did this? I'm like,

all right now. It's Valentine. The crazy thing is, though, she's so great I managed in the budget, who killed me. was my wife. That part.

Diane, she's so strict on, she keeps coming back to me looking like, like she keep coming back to me with this look on her face, like, and she keep coming back with this look. And the whole time is Hazel. And Hayes, she's killing me. And Diane, she's like,

Drayman, I know I told you the budget is, but I know you said the budget is this and we said we work in it, but she wanted to do this and she wanted, but the things were so great, bro. I couldn't say no. How can you say no?

How could you say no? It's one time, it. Ain't ever doing it again? Like, it's it. It's hard to say no. I mean, they, they like this. It's like great mental for,

like I said, she's been there, done it all. Like, great lady, I mean, she's a monster. Great romance. She's incredible. Hey, fellas, listen, if you all out there getting married,

I know some of y'all are. If you want to see this, If you want to see the video or some pictures of a wedding, we got two of them for y'all to see. Man, what? We voucher. And I've been to some weddings that are with some of the highest name, wedding planners,

craziest budget. And man, the weddings look like nothing. Right. And they're not that fun. It's taste, bro. You got to have taste. So I'm just telling y'all young fellas.

Y'all out there get there. We're great holly. Netflix, man. I'm telling you, it was crazy. It was a movie. And looking back on it, both of us should have. Yeah, for sure. It was a movie.

I'm telling you, if you want to have a good time and a great looking wedding and a memory for a lifetime, if you want your stuff to be bland and bleak, they don't mess with Diane because your stuff going to look right, it's going to feel right, it's going to be right. If you out there just looking for the big name, go on with some. That ain't it. Man, stop hanging with rich people because they food be nasty. That's why I had to cut my rich friends off. That food be nasty as hell, Rhonda.

You know what I get over there. You already lied. Some islands and shit, man. Give me some food. Homer. Hey, I got one more before we get out of here. When you look at the game of where it is now, And like, you know the trend of where it's going as opposed to where it was when you first came in, say, your first five to seven years in the league.

The overall IQ of basketball, do you see the IQ back then being higher or the IQ where it is today with guys today being higher? That's a great question. You know, you're still in it. You know, I've been out three years, but, you know, it hasn't been too long at the same time. I feel like maybe guys back then focused more, I guess. You know, a lot more distractions now off the court, you know, social media. Like, you know, back then it wasn't, we didn't have social media. So we kind of pretty much more locked in and sense of even like there's certain teams for me.

Like after we lost or not if we lost, but we were the Celtics. After every game, we'd be in a training room would be, you know, Ray, the big three, myself and a couple of other guys, always talking game playing strategy, you know, how we lost, why we lost, why we lost, while we won, why we won. I mean, it's type of vice versa. So that was this kind of the thing, like, and it carried over, like, a lot of different teams I played for, but that was the one that stood out the most.

Like, we were always intact and we were always communicating and figuring out right away how we could have made adjustments throughout the game. Yeah. Do you think that is all a byproduct of how many adults was in the room then and how many young guys, like there's no vets now? No, that's what it is. And it was a important point in my career. I think maybe you're like maybe 12 or 10, 11 for me.

And all my homies were gone. It was like, they're in the lead. I want the vets no more. Like I said, they don't appreciate them teaching how to be a man, how to do, you know, handle conductments on off the court, not just to be yes, man. So for me, that was a big way to call for me. Like, they ain't playing with y'all, y'all old fellas,

because they try and get you out of it so they can have people. To me, I thought they could control or people that can manipulate more to just say yes, everything they tell them what to do versus how to be pro, what to do to do the right. things and when to insert this or when to ask questions. So it was just, you know, my difference of opinion and thinking that that wasn't, you know, the idea they should have kept me in the locker room. Man, I felt like they, they pushed the vets out for younger coaches that was the same age.

Being up. Thinking that they can do the same thing. But it's just a difference and a level of respect when somebody get out there and can really get down. People see you playing the finals. people see you play in the playoffs. You've got legacy. And so when you replace that with coaching, you know what I mean?

You don't get the sauce. You don't get the ism. And you don't get the growth. You know what I mean? Let me add one more thing, B, not to cut you off, but that's what, to me,

like I speak for, that's what Sam Cousel came in for. You know what I mean? Like he was playing, T. Lou came in. Like, those guys, the bridge connectors, the guy that would ever teach me,

okay, this is cool, this ain't cool, that kind of what I told you what Kayee did for me. So, like, those point guards, to step on Marberries, like, they brought those bets in for me to show me the ropes. And I took a, like I said, a lot of them from everybody.

And they was in my area. You know, I mean, they was giving me the game. Let me get it. All of them. I buy with all my teammates. I mean, I said, Eddie House, you know, Posey. I mean, I just, I got all the game and I just try to soak it up. That's what's up, man.

Shout out to you, man. Hall of Famer, Point God. You know what I mean? You want of the realest. You want of the realest to do it, man. I'm going to be out of L.A. soon. Get on the show.

Get on the show. Get alive with it. Come on. Come on now. No doubt. That's love. Man, basketball savant champion. Much love and respect, man.

Appreciate you, brother. Have a good. Stay healthy, my dog. Yes, sir. Thank you, bro. My God. Congrats on school, too. Yes, sir.

Appreciate it. I'm almost done. Let's go. All right. All right. All right. Go take Doc job, too. Ah.

I'm getting the game. from man my god the volume