The Ringer NBA Show - Podcast Spotlight—Winging It With Vince Carter and Annie Finberg

Episode Date: March 7, 2020

Here are some highlights from our podcast 'Winging It With Vince Carter.' On this special preview, Vince and Annie Finberg talk to an array of guests from around the NBA, including Lamar Odom, Markelle Fultz, and Kyle Lowry. You can find 'Winging It' on the Ringer Podcast Network wherever you find podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it's Bill Simmons. We wanted to run a special episode with some of our favorite segments from the last few episodes of winging it with Vince Carter and Annie Finberg. This is a podcast that's actually on its own feed. We think it's really good. We just thought we'd throw it on this ringer NBA feed because obviously you love the NBA if you listen to the Ringer NBA show. We thought we'd throw it up over the weekend. Maybe you didn't know about the Vince Carter pod. Maybe you didn't realize that he has the kind of guess that he has.

This first one that we're going to play, this is from an interview that he did this week with Markell Fultz. So here it is. To start your time with Orlando right now, we've seen obviously a lot of growth out of you just in your short time with the magic. But talk about when you found out you were getting traded and just your excitement to join possibly a new organization. Definitely. So when I found that I was getting traded, I was actually in L.A. during rehab, you know, going, this is when I found out I had TOS. So I was attacking that for full head steam. and it was right before trade deadline, so I didn't really know what was going to happen,

but I wasn't really worried about it. You know, I said a prayer that morning just, you know, wishing for the best, you know, wherever happened. I just wanted an opportunity and it ended up happening. And it was to Orlando, and I was extremely happy. You know, as soon as I found out, I was thankful for everything that Philly done for me, but, you know, it was the next step in my journey. And I felt like it was a, you know, a clean slate and a new opportunity.

So as soon as I found out, I got pulled out of my rehab. And, you know, I was immediately on the phone with John and Jeff. And they were extremely excited. And I think, you know, the first thing they said to me was, you know, take your time. And as soon as I heard that, that was like, you know, another click in my head, you know. And then that put a smile on my face, you know, because I didn't know what it was like. I never been traded before. I never knew, you know, how it happened, what goes on if they were going to try to have me play right away.

So that was the first thing I was going through my head as soon as I heard I got traded. But when they said that, you know, it just put a smile on my mind. facing and it made me work even harder that day in rehab. It was probably my best day of rehab because I was just decided for the journey and the steps. So from that day forward, you know, I was just locked in on getting healthy and couldn't wait to get to Orlando to meet them. I can imagine with that, with hearing that, that helps your transition. Now it's like very little pressure. Now I can concentrate on my body. I don't have to worry about all of the other stuff while trying to heal if you would as well. So I can imagine.

imagine you stepping in there now is like, okay, basketball will be there. We've had this conversation before, which we'll talk about later, but basketball will be there, fix you first, and then everything, and I can see confidence in your game now because of it. Yeah, exactly. And again, that was probably the biggest thing and the best thing that I heard as soon as I got on the phone, I was the first thing they said. And it wasn't just with the, you know, the front office, it was from coach to, you know, my teammates to, you know, the training staff. everybody was on the same page. Nobody wanted to rush me,

no, everybody wanted me, you know, make sure my body was right first. And for me, that was, like, huge because, one, I love the game so much that I might have tried to rush some things to try to get back. And just hearing that, it made me have to sit back and relax

and be like, kill, make sure you're doing everything you need to do before you go back out there because, you know, everybody wants to see me do well and they want me to take my time. So it just made everything a lot easier. I'm assuming that you saying that,

during your time in Philly, did you feel like you were constantly kind of, even on your own timeline, but being rushed to get ready, being rushed to come back, being rushed to be the player that, you know, they wanted you to be? Definitely. And I put a lot of it on just me being a competitor than I am and the love that I have for the game, you know, being drafted number one, you know, it's a lot of expectation that comes with that. But it wasn't more so the people's expectation that they had on me. It was the ones that I set for myself.

You know, I had so many goals that I had for myself in my first year that, you know, I kind of just, I wanted to be on the floor, you know, and I feel like I could have impact the game in other ways. You know, it's not always about, you know, shooting the ball and stuff like that. But it was a lot that went into it, you know, it has to go with your opportunities that you have and, you know, the skill that you do while you're in your opportunity. So I feel like the injury that I had, it didn't allow me to perform to the best of my ability in the situation that I was in. So it was, it was tough for me because, you know, it was things that I wanted to do. but in a situation I was in, I wasn't able to do it. So I had to sit back and realize that, you know,

I got to get myself right before I can, you know, try to be successful in a situation. And that's what I just had to do. Well, I was thankful that you allowed me the opportunity for us to have a conversation and be an outlet for you amongst everyone else that you have. And, you know, I remember one of the questions I asked you, and I don't know if you remember it, you know, and as I mentioned it earlier, I said, you know, I asked you what pick were you?

And you answered it, the number one pick. I said, get yourself together, get your confidence together to show the world and yourself why they believed in you as the number one pick. And I remember you seeing, you're like, all right, you know, we had our other conversation. And I was just kind of happy to kind of see, like, you know, whether you had doubt or not at that moment, it turned the light on. It's like, you know what? All right, let me focus on me first. And I felt like that's the energy I got from you. So with that being said, was there a point that you were really down and out and felt like maybe I'm not who they think I am?

Did you ever get to that point? I didn't get to that point of not thinking I wasn't the number one. Exactly. It was more so it was frustrating because I knew that something was going on with me. But again, my pride and my competitive nature wanted me to stay on the floor and try to compete through all of it. and it just wasn't what was best for me. You know, the best thing for me was get your body right. And me growing up my whole life, you know, I've had injuries,

but I've always played through them, you know. And at this point in time, you know, it's a business, and you've got to make sure you're straight first. And I'm thankful for everything I went through because the one thing I learned is no matter if it's your pinky, your big toe, you know, your knee, just communicating how you feel and how your body is is a huge thing. And that's the most important thing,

Because at the end of the day, you know, you got to invest in yourself. And that's the only thing that's going to keep you going on the court. And I learned that early. So, again, what you said, it clicked in my head, you know. I didn't really have a lot of people thinking about that. It helped me, you know, just immediately start thinking about my body and taking care of my body a different way. What did it mean to you to have, you know, a future Hall of Famer, what were you a 20-year player at that point in the league? To hear him, like, you know, kind of remind you of who you are and, you know, who you're going to be.

be everything it was everything because at the time um i i kind of didn't have you know it was everything going on on the internet and everybody talking how they were talking but i didn't ever doubt myself it just it helped me realize that keel you you know you're special to have the opportunity for god again to bless me to have you know a great a great guy and um somebody who's played that long in a league come to me and just talk to me he didn't have to do that so um it was just like a sign to me to just lock in you know he's saying it for a reason um and i'm I looked at that and I reflected and it worked out. Yeah, he's a pretty good dude.

I mean, and it's something I just felt like, and I talked to some of the guys in the organization, Mark Eversley, I'm a very good friend. I was like, you know, if you were cool with it, I just wanted to chat and just get it out there on the table, whatever you had to say. You know, sometimes it's like you have people around you that you're always willing to talk to, but sometimes it's cool when you feel comfortable and you can get it out on the table to someone else that's just a listener. go for it. And I was like, hey, I extended my hand in friendship and, hey, let's chat, let's talk. You know, I'll be real with them, but yet supportive and just give him my opinions on some things. And like I say, if I can help just get that light bulb on to kind of turn the corner, I'm all for it. Like I said, I didn't want anything from it, but to see what we're seeing now. Like his athleticism, his confidence, his game back to where you're like, oh, okay.

Yeah, that's why they drafted them number one with this potential, you know. So it's just great to see more. than anything. All right, this second excerpt we're going to listen to. Vince and Annie talked to Kyle Lowry about what it was actually like to win the title. I was particularly interested in this one because I can't remember many players that completely altered their destiny over the course of 24 hours like he did in that game seven. But here is that.

Start with your championship that you just won back last year at the end of the season. You guys had a very historic run. the championship. Obviously, you guys were counted out quite a few times, looked like you were maybe going to lose a couple of the different series, and you won the championship. So just talk about that a little bit and just how it really fell at the end of the night to win that championship. I think, you know, going through that process of the playoffs, right, that first round, like we lose game one. Everybody's like, oh, here we go again, which is fine. And we put ourselves in that whole last, like, six out of seven years. We always lose game ones. And it was like,

damn, is it that again? But we literally went in the film room and Nick, that was like one of his three times that whole season yelling at us. I'm talking about he was, man, he was going off. He was like, DJ Augustine, looking like Island Iris in 90s.

He went off whenever, and it was like, all right, all right, let's figure it out. We had great veterans, right? We had vets. It was like, all right. myself, Hawaii, Danny, Mark,

Serge, he's like, all right, let's figure it out, right? That's more veterans than most teams have around the league.

And I'm going to say this just while we're on that subject, having veterans, people don't know the benefit of having veterans anymore. And I'm not saying that, you know,

in our G League, and we have our two-A's in our G-Leaks, and, you know, I understand they want to give everybody opportunities, but if you look at all the teams that have wanted,

you know, us, The Warriors, Warriors, Cleveland, the Warriors, look at their teams, you know, vets. You know, RJ was on a couple of them. Sean Liveston, Iggy, Zaza, you know, you got those guys that were Boget, you know, you got those guys that were on those teams. Don't get rattled easy. Yeah. And so throughout that process, right, you lose game one, you know, all right.

But then after that game, you know, we went four in a row. kind of put our kind of defense and we kind of got serious and in no disrespect but our Philadelphia series was like that was the battle when y'all had the Phillies series like it was like Rocky and Mr. T like just rumbling and rumbling and back and forth and back and forth and you know they they won a game on our home court and they won another one then we won on their home court and it was best of three and you know we get to you know you know We go back to Philly. They beat us in a game six and, you know, going to game seven at your home.

You don't know that's what you play for, but any type of something goes wrong is over. And, you know, we happened to, we were up, missed a free throw. Jimmy got the rebound. Coast Coast, we are out of position, make a layup. So everybody's like, oh, man, like, damn. And, you know, everyone knows what happens next. Goa. It really was crazy.

He literally caught the ball. He ran, you know, when we did Ring Night, if you look, have you ever seen our Ring Night presentation for him, they replayed the whole play. But they did his footsteps. Right. So they did all his footprints from like start to finish. And it, boop, bo, bo, bo, and he ran all the way back and to the corner.

And when he shot it, it was like, I mean, I hate to read, but like it was like your shot, but he shot it high. Like yours was going to the left. He would go into the right. You know, he probably, you'd rather go left and he was going right. He was like, I just wanted to get to my spot. And when I talked to him about, he just, and it just was like, for everybody, it was slow motion. And then when it hit the rim four times or three times, it really was.

Let me ask this question from there because I think back, and it was funny, I talked to Doug Smith a couple days ago. But the play, was it set up for him to catch the ball where he caught it? It was for him to catch it a little bit more to the right. He had to come and get it. Right, right, right. Because, you know, in that situation, you ain't trying to, Mark ain't going to throw it back. For sure.

He's going to throw it to, like, here. Yeah. Put it in his chest. And he wanted to catch more in the middle floor where he has more space. And you can't get double to you. Right. And that's. It was ISO.

It was so crazy because the play was drawn up for me the same way to catch the ball up top. Tyrone Hill denies it there, which makes me cut to the basis. I caught it. Yeah, exactly. It's crazy. So I can't remember who was. on Mark at the time. So Mark seven feet, though.

Who threw the ball in on yours? The guard. Yeah. So. Del Curry, maybe? Yeah, so I'm assuming it was a guard, and we had a seven-footer throwing the ball. So it's a little bit different, right? Mark throws it in.

And he goes, and it looked like he just ran around the curly kneel. And trying to find some space. And he just, when he said, he told me, he said, yeah, I just wanted to shoot as high as possible. And when I tell you, it bounced on that rim. And I'm standing on, and I happen to be on the, like, I can see, me and him, on this side. I could see him and it hit in the rim and I'm like, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

And I just ran and grabbed the ball and I just ran straight to it. Like, it was a magical moment. Like, it was like this might be meant for us to do something special, right? Then we go to Milwaukee and then we lose game one. I mean, coming off an emotional high like that. We had the game. I don't care if you're young or vets. That was unreal.

And I know it's like, okay, that's done. It was two days. Focusing on the set. Yeah, that's what I'm saying? Focusing on the set. That's tough to do. And you know it and go through the playoffs. Right.

It's literally, all right, done with Philly. Throw the book away. Yeah. Go back, let's go to Milwaukee. All right. You got one day to prepare, two days to prepare. And we had to, you know, game one. We were playing well.

We know we had the game and they, Brooke Lopez got hot. Yes, he did. Got crazy and making threes and this and that and all times. of stuff, right? And so we lost game one. Everybody's thought, oh, they wasted, you know, my good game. They wasted, oh, he's not going to have a good game like that. But honestly, then we lose game two. They came out in like steamrollers. If you watch Milwaukee now, even now to this day, they are the best first quarter basketball team in NBA. It's not even close. They are probably, they're probably like a plus 10, 15 in the first quarter. I don't know what the number is, but

they're just that good in the first quarter and then at home. And after we lost game, too, It was funny because I don't know people can know Kauai. But like, if you can get wild in your show, it'd be great. But he's just really that guy. Like, so the reporter was like, so what do you go from here? So I don't know about y'all, but I'm going to Toronto. We're game three. All right, this next thing we're going to play you is after Kobe Bryant tragically passed away,

Vince and Annie reminisced remembered, did the whole thing about Kobe, who Vince, he joined the league. I think two years after Kobe joined the league and they played against each other a bunch of times they're in the same orbits. Here's what they said about that. Outside of the retirement stuff, is there anything that Kobe taught you both on and off the court that you continue to take with you? I mean, he always talks about his mama mentality and just, you know, I think that's one thing, you know, that I have appreciation. Like I said, he was, like I said, Stone Cold Killer in his career, during his career.

and talking to our owner, Tony Ressler, and he's like, hey, Kobe was pretty much the same way in the business world as well. So for me, it's just... Oh, so he was a killer in the business world. Yeah, he was trying to go in to get it. And I didn't either, you know, especially talking to him, like, how happy is,

but, like, he's just, that's just a mentality he has. And if it worked for 20 years on the basketball court, why not keep that same approach? So that's one thing that I have an appreciation for is just kind of just having the mentality, having to go-getter mentality and how I appreciate with him doing that. And, you know, it's always my, what's going to be my approach. Like, I'm approaching life after basketball now, like I did as a youngster trying to

become a professional basketball player. Right. Full force, you know, just go get it. Don't accept anything, but what you're trying to accomplish. He's definitely talked about that. You know, every video you talk about his, you see now it's about that. And I have a great appreciation for, greater appreciation for it and going to stick to it. Let's talk about AAU.

But also, have you seen the video that's going around on Twitter where... Just recently? Yeah. High school? So basically, and you can tell the story after I kind of intro it, but Kobe's high school coach told him that you, and I don't think this was true, that you once played through a game with a broken arm and it got him all fired up. to playing the game? I did play with a broken honor.

Oh, so you did? Yeah, it wasn't state championship. So he said it wasn't state championship? It was that year. So tell us what actually happened there? No, I played in Myrtle Beach, Beach Ball Classic. I was on a fast break and this little kid, little white kid, runs me down. Like, I'm going to dunk it by myself.

As I jump up, he runs me down. He clips the back of my leg and I flipped over. Flip backwards but sideways and I kind of landed on my, right, right hand and I'm not going to even get continued but the the bone sticks up on your wrist right there broke that yeah and it was it was like back here somewhere like moved up my arm and at first was like oh man it hurts like you know you don't know and then you're playing so I played left-handed I played left-handed the rest of the game it was painful did you win yeah one okay and the funny thing about that story so I

I played, and I think played that game. I might have played one more game. They were like, hey, no, we're not going to let you do this because of, you know, you have all these college opportunities. We want you to heal correctly, blah, blah, blah. Mind you, I was going to play football that year as well, the quarterback. So at that time, when I got to the doctor because I kept playing, and he's like, you're going to have to choose. You can't play both. Right.

It's like, all right, I'll choose a sport. I chose basketball. But the funny thing about that night after the game, we won the game, we're in our hotel room, all of my teammates or whatever, and sitting all of a sudden you hear like a knock at the door. And it was kind of one of those hesitant. It wasn't like a knock. It was like a, okay, they're not there or whatever. I opened the door. There was the kid who ran up under me at the door.

So all of my teammates, they were pissed and they wanted to kind of. all of them you know it's one of those and our center at the time Desmond he was still my friend today he was just at a couple of games recently he was like yeah who is

he's like I was like you know as I'm looking through the people I'm like I think that's the kid that you know whatever so as the door opens you see him but in the background was his other teammates for like backup just in case we beat him up like it was funny but it was like all right it makes it's like hey I just want to say sorry, I didn't, you know, I hope you heal

and I wasn't trying to do anything, you know, harm you and nothing malice, blah, blah, blah. I don't remember much. I was outside, like, you know, cool, whatever, door closes and we kind of had a conversation about it, funny, you know, whatever, it's like, man, he showed up. But, I mean, if that happens to me and I'm going to someone else's hotel, I'm not going by myself either, just in case these black dudes

jump on top of me, you know what I'm saying? So it was a cool story. And then I took my visit to Carolina right after that, Because I was in South Carolina, so I was just going to take one of my, I think my unofficial visit. Yes, I think it was an unofficial visit there. So I'm in there with a big old cast, me and my high school coach. And so then Kobe's high school coach told Kobe and the rest of their team about the story and maybe lied about it a little bit. Just add a little detail to it to motivate him to win this game.

Yeah. So, hey, whatever works. Yeah. Whatever works. You've had your, you, as much as he has on you, you've had your hand on his career. And here's what's crazy. Think about this. Like, he didn't look that up on social media.

Right. Because there was no such thing. You know, how do you hear that story? And they're in Pennsylvania. Right. That took place in South Carolina. I'm in Florida. So it's like, it's crazy how that story got out.

But no, like, we played against a bunch of teams from different places. Jermaine O'Neill was in that tournament. Tim Thomas was in that tournament. There's a couple of other guys who, you know, who we know, who became pro. pros was in that tournament. So somehow that story got to them. It's cool. So this was before you guys played AAU together or after?

That would have been, it would have been that summer because that's my junior year. Yeah. So he's like, oh, you're the guy with a broken wrist. So tell us about your AAU days and kind of what Kobe was like back in his teenage years. Well, leading up to it, I played Team Florida a lot. And at the time, the best players in Florida were not playing. AAU because in that time, football was dominant in the state of Florida. It was a football state. So typically on high school basketball teams in Florida, you had four guys probably playing

football and they would come over late. So I guess that was kind of the case or whatever. And so I played a few and just was like, all right, I want to play and win. Like we were, mind you, Team Mack was on a few of those teams, on the younger team. Didn't know it at the time we were cousins. But he was on those younger team. I go to five-star camp a couple of times met Tim Thomas and we became very good friends. He and the coach Jim Salmon and hit it off. And he's like, well, hey, if you're not playing on any team, we'd love to have you. Tim's like, yeah, come play with us. Like, you can stay at my house. You can stay. We got places for you to stay. So I play in a couple tournaments, whatever, whatever. Next thing you need to know,

like, well, if you, they call me Sunshine at the time, you know, Florida State from Florida Sunshine. And then it went from Sunshine to when I got back, like, it became VI, short for Vince. Like, everybody had a nickname at some point. They were like, well, hey, if you're available, come on back. So I started playing a couple tournaments and then we started going to the bigger tournaments. I want to say it was the first big tournament. We played the first game without Kobe, if I'm not mistaken.

And then he comes the second game. and or maybe he didn't play much the first game and I think his dad was like hey come on man this is my kid he can play and whatever so we incorporate him at the point guard and he comes in lanky and shooting he started he's coming to half court shooting from half court

and he was shooting air balls and he'd come the next time he shoot it he hit the rim the next time he'd make him like he would make a few of them we were like I mean we had Tim who was 16 super athletic, you know, I was athletic or whatever, and Kobe was athletic, and Rip was just running around, doing what he does shooting.

Like, it was just, we had we were beating people by 50, 60, 70 points. So, you know, I mean, taking a couple threes of half-quart, wasn't that bad, it's just like, all right, bro, you're dripping now. So these were in-game. In-game. In-game. In-game. We'd get the rebound and get a block or he'd get a steal and just half-court shot,

and he'd make a few. But there was, weren't like showbolden, he was confident enough to where he felt like he could knock those shots down. Our team was so gifted. Tim Thomas was 610, 611, who could play the point guard? You know, I played some point with my team. So everybody was capable of just ball handling and everybody could get their own shot and break guys down and nobody wanted to guard rip off of screens, i.e., if you ask anybody in the NBA who had to guard him, say they hated guard him. It's just, we're so talented. And that's just the big, big names. We also had a couple of

guys who actually played ACC. Donald Hand was a point guard at Virginia. During my time, maybe my last year, so he was very capable. He was very good. We had some other guys that were local who were just studs. I mean, New York, New Jersey basketball is crazy. Already. So we were very talented. I mean, we played against team. We were beating teams that had like Elton Brand, who was on a few. of those teams. They were all young. So we just, it was just, we beat people.

Unfair. Yeah. We were beating people in a hurry. It was out of control early. This last piece we're going to play from winging it is Vince and Annie talked to Lamar Otum about all kinds of stuff. Here's one piece from that. I mean, Mark Cuban, he ain't have no reason to be jealous of me, but I didn't know if it

was the cameras because I was still shooting a reality show. And this was my first time dealing with the owner that, doing interviews before the game. So I didn't really understand, you know, his approach, you know, with dealing with me. But he knew that the cameras were going to be there. And, you know, I asked him, of course, to have the cameras in the locker room. He had to say, he had to approve of that. I mean, I think we both probably could have handled it better.

I just wish, you know, I wish I was more understanding. I mean, I understand that he putting his product out. I mean, he paid me well. That was hard to adjust to. Was it just you that he had? this weird relationship with or is he kind of just like that? I don't know him. No, I mean, Mark Cuban?

Yeah. Well, he said, well, before you answer, he's saying like he wasn't used to the type of ownership owner-owner that he is. Like, he is. So what I'm saying is that him? Engage. Yeah, I mean, I could rather, I would probably rather him do it conservatively. Do the media?

Yeah. You know what I mean? To be like, okay, we need L.O. to play better. But not on live stage. Like, you tell he's like, when you play like Cuban, like, you know where our bench is. cursing me out on the first row. When I'm on live stage, it was just, it was hard for me just to like,

get used to that, period. Yeah, just humble myself down to that degree where my owner is, at the time, I felt like he wasn't for me. Right. But of course he is for me, but he didn't make it. And I don't, if I can remember,

he didn't really, like, pull me to the side and just say, Lamar, don't worry about me. That's just who I am. If he had gave me one of the, those and maybe it'd have been easier. You know what I mean? Okay. Okay.

Got you. Now I got you. I just know that you enter your, you know, your team winning and losing. And the way I'm playing, I'm not helping them win games. And of course, in sports, that's not one guy you want to make as your enemy. Right. It's a very powerful young man. And I just wish I could have just adapted a little bit.

I wish the New York City Street kid could have just came out and just wiped it off. But there was a very vulnerable time of my life. Do you think he was going with like the tough love aspect, like maybe trying to light a fire under you or something? I'm going to say cute. That's like Mark is all in for his team. And it's whether it's at a player to motivate, like sometimes he's like, come on, man. And you'd be like, whoa, he'd be like, you can do it. Like, you're like, you chill.

Like that's him. And if you don't know him, you're not used to that. Yeah. That can get you. Like the first year, like dealing with that, you're like, bro, what's up with man? What's crazy is that I play for Pat Riley. Okay, and so when I signed with the heat, I thought my name was motherfucker. You know what I'm saying?

Like, motherfucker, huh? You calling me? Like, it was no, because he let me know where he was coming from from the day I met the day that I signed my name on a piece of paper. He let me know how tough it was going to be to play on that team and to be led by him. I don't know. You know, because, you know, Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban. they come back as extra laid back and then so to go from that to playing back right away, it was tough.

But I just wish I would have handled it a little bit different. You talked about an incident that you and Mark had on the bench in your book. There's a quote you said, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Vince Carter saved me from catching a charge in any like the locker room. Oh, in disgrace. Toad the locker room. Yeah, we were playing in.

Memphis. Grizzlies. And it was another bad start of a game for me to rev me up. He nudged me, but he did it with his foot. So he kind of like just... Come on, man, let's go, let's go. Yeah, and my shin. And I was just like...

Mind you, I'm sitting like... Yeah, he said like right next to him. He sitting there. He sitting there. And I just like, I mean, just so much went through my head. Like, I'm a young black man. I mean, you know, I'd rather you just... I don't know.

I just think he could have handled that. a little differently. Yeah. You know, I respect him. I mean, he's a great businessman. I just think that was the wrong move. And I probably was like two seconds off his ass. It probably would have been like a LaTrell-Spraywell moment.

Like my career probably would have been like nobody would have probably would have wanted to deal with me after what I was thinking about doing to him. What did you see Vince? And like, how did this go down? You know, because it was so I think it was probably built up from how he was treating me. So I'm thinking like, damn, will he do that to Jake? Would he did that to dirt? Probably not.

And the thing about it is what caught him off guard, I remember vividly is like when it happened, you know, sometimes when you're like, I can't believe it happened. So let me just see somebody's face for confirmation. Yeah. And it's like. And my face was like, oh. So just to close the loop on the story, he nudges you with his foot and you're like, you see Lamar react and maybe about to do something.

And what do you do, Vince? Well, it was just kind of sitting there, you know, whatever, whatever. And, you know, he said what he had to say back. Like, basically, have you lost your mind? Are you serious? Don't put your feet on him. You know, like how it is. And, you know, they're going back and forth saying their, you know, displeasures.

And then all of a sudden he went from 6-1 to 6-10. I was like, who up. He stood up. And I was like, you know. Well, just think about it like this, Vince, if you were playing, let's say, with Tim Thomas. Right. He was a big dude, strong dude. Right.

And he was having a bad game. and this is your friend and you're having a bad game and he's like, oh Vince, come on. And kicks you, you'd be like, you wild with that. The fuck are you doing, man? Right, right, right, right.

Not that. I'd rather him be like, yo, come on, man. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, push my shoulder or whatever. Yeah. I just thought it was erratic, but I forgave him. And, you know, I hope he could forgive me for sharing that story.

But, you know, sometimes, but I don't want to hurt anything that he's built or hurt any relationship or any of the players that he has now or for them to look at him different. Right. I'm going to add to this. I don't know if you remember, you know,

right after this. So, you know, whatever is all is done, it came out the next day that L.O. and Dirt got into a fight at halftime. So that's what kind of swooned it out later on because, like, we flew back, ha, ha, ha, how about it? You know, what was done is done. But then it was like people start, the whisperer was talking about, like,

He and Dirt got into him like, all right, you know, so we can laugh about it and it was easier to move on. It helped everything instead of it coming out as the two of them. Obviously, going to come to him and try to pit the two together. So I think it ended the end of the day, it worked out by people not knowing what was up. Vince basically saved Mark Cuban for getting fucked up that day. I mean, if you want to just keep it all, you just like, Joe, hello, chill. Man, like that ain't worth it. Not that one.

Not him. But they're like, like any big brother would do at that time. We'll backtrack really quick. We'll go back to your time with the Lakers. I'm sure those were some of the glory years for you. Obviously, two championships. Humble in, too, those times with the Lakers. It was humbled myself to win a championship.

What about that first time? Like when you're going through the playoffs, but you were the first one? 2009. So you're in the finals. And you know, I mean, you got that squad, y'all playing. Lights out. Yeah. I'm sure.

I already know. Y'all felt like there's nobody that can beat y'all. At that point, I knew nobody was going to beat us because this is why I like to see, I think Dwight Howard and his professional journey

is coming a long way. And I really mean it's because I remember before the first game, he was like joking around with Andrew Bynum. And he probably don't remember it, but, you know, I can remember it. And at this time, I'm thinking he's probably going to be like, mean, and get out of my way.

I'm dunking on you. I'm blocking your shot. I need that. Get out of here. And he was joking around with Andrew Bainer. And so when I seen it, I was like, you know, we got the mom going on our team. Like, they don't have them. They don't stand a chance.

So when I see him now, like so focused, willing to do anything to win basketball games, come off the bench, block shots, rebound, knock you over, dunking off the rebound. You don't got to give me the ball for. first, give me the scraps. I'm like, okay, I think he gets it. And if he keeps playing like that, I think he's probably one of the reasons why I favor the Lakers to win the championship. I mean, because they got everything.

The way LeBron is playing right now, you got... A.D., playing out of this world. You got three rim protectors. You got three rim protectors. So you're going to have to beat them from the outside, which really doesn't happen a lot unless you, you know, Golden State Warriors. the old Golden State Warriors.

How do you compare that Laker team the first year that you won, either this year's Lakers team or other kind of super teams in the past? I know we had a special team, I mean, special player in Powell. The triangle offense is really intricate. It's not easy to get.

Right. And I remember the first game that I played with Powell Gasol, I felt like I played with him like I've been playing with him because he's one of the only players that you could put in the post, give it to him, and then he turns into the point guard. And he see everything from the post.

So really, he was perfect for the triangle offense because we just started off dumping it to him, and then he's just hitting all the cutters. And then got you so off balance because he's hitting the cutter here, hitting the cut of here. Then he's going to take. Jump hook. And then left, right.

Fade away. I knew Powell's for real because I could remember him always, you know, playing against Kevin Garnett and them going like neck to neck every time. And Kevin Garnett is one of the players I've always been impressed with the most in the NBA. You know, his engine and his knowledge of the game is incredible, his commitment to defense. His commitment to, you know, shutting his man down and going at him. I think it was the first year. So 2008, February 5th, 2008 was his first game as a Laker. So we won the championship in 2009.

2008, 2009. Yeah, so that's the first year. That's his first year. That's his first year? That's his first year? So 2008 finals against the Boston Celtics. So he played in that. Oh, no.

Oh, he played. So he played. Okay, yeah. So the same thing. Because we got the same result. With him in that short period of time, he like put us over the. The hump, and this was before all the super teams were put together. I mean, at that time, with me, pal, and I think at that time we lost the boss,

and I think me, Powell and Kobe would like to go to. And then we added Andrew with Powell down low, and that kind of like just made us bigger and stronger down low. Could you play in small four, yeah? Yeah, and I just kind of like put us over the hump. Of all your years in the NBA were the Laker years, were those some of the the best memories you have. That's when I won the most.

You know what I mean? When I got, when I was drafted by the Clippers, they had a wild team back then. Yeah. That's the clipper team. At that. I remember. At that point of my career, that's when I, you know, just was able to roll a ball out and play. Tyrone Nesby.

Yeah, but I think because of the way I played and how unconventional it was for a guy my size to be able to handle the ball, like, probably like a point guard at that time. and, you know, the B-6-9, 6-10. And it had too many of them. Yeah, it was used to it. Outside of magic, obviously. Yeah, besides magic. But I kind of came with my New York playground style of play at that size.

I don't think it's probably, I don't want to big myself up, but I don't really think it's, at that time it was never really. It wasn't too many guys who were like, Tim Thomas had it. He didn't use it like you did. You know what I'm saying? I mean, there were times I played the point guard position and I started. at point guard, even when I was with Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. I just imagine, like, that's crazy.

Yeah, there was some games I started at that point guard. I think, matter of fact, I think the game where you had that, I think I might have started at the point guard that game. Unreal. Didn't you dunk on old old candy that game too? I mean, you know. Yeah, but I mean, I don't really think people were like really used to seeing a basketball a player played it way that I played.

So he was like what Ben Simmons is doing now before. Yeah. Yeah. I could shoot it, you know. I can shoot it from deep. Yeah. I just, I mean, I was blessed, really. If I would have put the effort to being good or being great and, you know, not letting my

disease of addiction get in my way, there's no doubt in my mind. I probably felt short because I would say falling short, not. making a Hall of Fame is probably falling short for me for how talented I was. I'm really just lucky enough to, you know, be here. Even though that, you know, that day that I fell into a coma, I didn't do drugs that night. So I heard you talk about that in an interview that you didn't do drugs the night that you went into a coma. How do your doctors think that that happened? I don't know if, I don't know if they were slipped it to me or slipped it to me intravenously, but I swear to God, I didn't do drugs that night. So you could imagine for me,

extra confusing, not knowing how you got there. It was hurtful, thinking to myself, you know, why would this man do that to me? When I woke up, I couldn't walk or talk. So, you know, a lot of the ballplayers, you know, when I seen Vince, oh, what's up, it's love. I mean, because they know where my heart is at and they know the type of dude that I am. And so, you know, when dudes show me love, I know where it's coming from, it's genuine. But, I mean, I didn't do drugs at night. So, you know, I could have, I could be bitter behind it and say, you know, why have to happen to me.

But I mean, you know, every loss is not a loss. You could take the L as a lesson. My lesson to that was like, don't go to, don't hang out in brothels. You know what I'm saying? Like, surround yourself with good people at all times. And I guess that's what I'm trying to do now. All right. Thanks so much for listening.

Remember, you can listen to Wingate with Vince Carter and Annie Finberg on Spotify, on Apple wherever you get your podcast, check that out. Thanks for listening to this little sneak preview and enjoy the ringer NBA show. Go Southics.