We’re back with Season 2, Episode 110 of Club 520, where Jeff Teague and the guys sit down with Derrick Rose for his first appearance since announcing his retirement from the NBA after his career with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and more. Jeff and D-Rose talk about playing against each other in AAU basketball as kids, becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history, and being teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves. #Volume #Club
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All right, we're back.
Another episode of Club five to twenty Podcasts. I'm the host Miams DJ Wells. We got a legend, legend, legend, legend, and to build a class at seven crazy how it all lined up.
We're here for a reason. We're gonna introduce him last though.
To my far left, we got my dog Bis should be hearing out the prail les how you a nasty, cool and nasty baby. Let's get to it. You got your one PTO that year. I appreciate you. Shout out to b Swift, legend holding it down for forty two. Dug my dog here, but I'm glad you pulled back up to work. My boy, I'm back, I'm bag. Let's get to it.
Bro, you were always know what I'm saying.
I know you've been a lot of places, especially you know what I'm saying from the shot those shoes over here, you see the black forces with the white class. When you know what I'm saying, You at the crib and you see those what's the first thing to come to your mind?
I'll show you jack jacking something. Watch out, bro, I don't steal I heal your wallet. The white laces is crazy. So you'll call me a skamer. You said you showing it? You alrea'y talking about the nagery. You might might be a lineage on a right, my dog young not show young tig how you are man.
I'm chilling, man, I'm geeked. Know how I feel about seven and now we got my dog.
In the building.
It's about to be a great Now. I'm gonna let you do the honestly introducing me. But I'm like, listen, it's very rarely to everybody. We had that one person on our list when we start this podcast, like who we wanted on this show. It was this man right here, legend our con youngest m v P wanted the best to do it. Your favorite Hooper's favorite Hooper we got d Rose Derrick Rose in the building. Appreciate you pulling up, big dogs, love man.
Man have to pull up west Ship. You know what I'm saying. You know what it is. Listen Like I said, but we all be fanned out different souff.
But when we found out that Rock with the show, but that meant a lot to us about for real, for real bro.
Yeah, of course me, my son and my team, uh Random and Maddie. They told me about it to the squad. Of course, right when the idea came up, I had to pull up. And with it being so close to Chicago.
So the niggas got your cater, bro listen door days to beat up.
I usually I'll usually holder somebody something, but we was like, freaking I told you, boy, you might be a cater first boy fall shout to chaff y'all went crazy for this episode. Man, I gotta say something before we really start. But my dog Mike, All Mike is our guy behind the scenes. But they know freaking Mike the podcast. He told me, I don't get excited about too many Yes, Bro, I said.
What freak might put on the whole outfit and he took his food off.
He put the freshoes on.
He Wilent, You're different. I respect them. You can't even say that niggas and rolls.
Shout out to freaking Miif for hold it down. Man, But listen, man, we are honored that you were here.
Man. Man, we just got to start with it. My heart felt over.
This is crazy, man, I want to say, Man, shout out to you and the team.
Man.
One of the best rollosts I have ever seen. Wow for rel Fred, just the way that she went through everything. And we were joking with you about this. We were just like De roll such a legend. He the only person who could send another de Rosa and nobody think nohing knowlse of it, Like, ain't nobody have.
Anybody what what?
Like?
No, that's de row Bro. It's the reason for that.
I'm glad it came with a note ats in trouble.
I was nervous at the card.
So it's crazy because the week before I have bought my wife and roses and put them on there, so they died or whatever. So she sent me a picture of them. I'm like, damn, she didn't buy her all rolls up. I was like, I would have got them, and she was like fool read the note.
I was like, oh, so it was love bro. Me and my team we decided to like just come up with something different, you know, like, uh, we did that within like two weeks, randoming Maddie around Maddie, Uh, standing up late, going over ship to the day before, stand up to three o'clock in the morning to send out the post, making sure you got your eyes cross your t's. But this whole ship was about like just giving back or just flipping everything on his head, where normally when you do do something like this, uh, you receive the flowers. But I didn't get here by myself, you know what I'm saying. I got here with Rando. I've been knowing him since sixth grade. I've been on Mattie since for ten plus years now. And my team it's the same thing. It's sixth grade and that's something that we built. We're building the empire right now, but just doing the right way, trying to do it with class and just showing a lot of love and support to all the fans.
We definitely appreciate that. I know, you know, for you can speak on this. You know what I'm saying, Class all seven, you know, what I'm saying, career, you know this time, how was that Like that moment you was like all right, you know, I'm gonna see what the other side might be for a second. See, my retirement was a little different. It was kind of because of injury, but I just knew my time was up. I wanted to ask you, like, when did you know you were done playing? Like what made you feel like, yeah, I'm gonna hang it up? Because I feel like, to me watching you, annoying you, I'm like, man, he could play forever. I just think you had that ability. I just wonder, like, what made you want to hang it up?
Bruh, I've been thinking about it for a while, bro. But well I was just telling you in the room, or telling y'all in the room about like, uh.
Like give me your all.
To your kids, Like my younger kids, they don't mention the game at all. They don't say they don't ask about are we going to the game? They don't say nothing, bro. So with PJ, I have to talk to him a little bit different. So before I even talked to everybody, we in the room, it's me and him just talking. And before then I'm thinking the whole time. My damn, I'm gonna have this conversation with him, right. So we're talking and he brings up Kanye then and we was just in the room talking bell mellow. So I'm like, ah, it's time. I'm like, come downstairs. He comes downstairs. I'm like, bro, how you think he got better? He was like, he's working out with a trainer. I'm like, who else in the Gym's his dad?
Like his dad? Huh? Like his dad present? I'm like, you think Melloone't got nothing to do with that?
He was like yeah. But after I kept talking. At first, when I told him, of course devastated, hurt. But after I kept talking to him, he was excited because he's seen, like, man, now I get this individual time with my dad and like my son, he know exactly where he's at right now, like this moment, he knows exactly where he's at. So for me to tell him that in the family, be like sad at first and be excited.
And since that day it's been nothing beloved. But I knew right.
Like sometime since since like last year, I'm going through it. You know, you go through the rehabs. You're the only one that's going through that shit, bro, Like nobody else, your family members, nobody else's staff, nobody going through it with you. So I'm like, man, you have the question of like what the fuck am I doing? Like you know what I'm saying, give him all Like it's cool. But I want to be able to elevate too, show growth. And that's one of the reasons why I came on here because I wanted to tell my stories and to be able to articulate myself and show people to growth from when I first came to the league to now with me being a grown as well.
That's real broact And like you said, like the influence, especially at this age is so impressionable with kids growing up so fast, being exposed to so much. And we were talking like in a room like you know what I'm saying, shout out to pop tea, like having yall energy early on having like you said, it does make a difference. No facts, facts, but I wanted to make sure that we clarify that, like you decided to retire, not that anything else like situation with Memphis, if you won't speak on.
It, yeah, I mean even with that, I really didn't want to speak on it. But people thought that like they weighed me. That's just the process of them trying to, I guess, do business or figure out the numbers on the back end, in which that has nothing to do with me. But what I can control this what I did. I reached out to Zach Pryor, I reached out to my team, reached out to everyone prior and told them, reached out to Adidas so that everybody's on the same accord. And yeah, just doing good business. That's something that I always did throughout my whole career. Even though I fucked up in the beginning by having some lessons I had to learn. I got through that, and I'm all always been optimistic, bro, as long as I got my breath. Bro, I'm always gonna give my I know I got a chance, and I feel like that way about anybody around me, So like, yeah, give them all, and you know, just paying attention to where I'm at this time for sure.
Now listen, man, we're gonna talk about the career we got to talk about the first time y'all met.
You know what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying. We got to talk about that. I'll be waiting for this quick thirty.
Listen, first time man, right just before I was even like getting thirty because I did kill them.
No word, get that. We get to that. We'll get to that. We get to that. But I seen him in eighth grade, going to eighth grade.
He played for a team called Ferrari and it was a team called Houston Hoops. We in the gas station and they like you good, but they just talking to us, like he not you nice?
This dude nice? But you ever seen Derrick Rose? I'm like, who that? And your name?
Like your name sound fake, like Derrick Rose, Like you don't hear nobody's last name road like instead of jay Len Rose.
I was like, he called, like they call him the Rose he called.
So we go to the game, y'all happened to be playing a team from Memphis. It was just a Memphis Magic boom. You remember that, right, Memphis Magic.
That's crazy. I remember that. I do.
And I'm like, they threw the first play, they threw you alive, and you went, you ain't dunky, You just finger rolled it in And I said, oh, ship, ain't nobody else doing that? And they had one dude, they might have beat y'all. Yeah, I would say they might have beat you. I had one dude that was cooking. I can't remember the Georgia Georgia tech. I forgot his name, Mae Miller. Yeah there, Yes, he had a good game. He had a good game, but I'll never forget. I was like, yeah, that nigga different, like this nigga killing, but that nigga moving faster, jumping harder than everybody. And my dad was like, we're gonna be reading about him. You know, my dad, yo, can be reading about him. He ain't supposed to be on this team.
He was like, he you know, he older?
Gave you to me.
I'm like, what the fuck? They like, yo? You you a couple of months older than him? What the fuck? Happy belated too? Yeah for sure?
Way about Mike Bruh and USA. We played sixteen or seventeen USA.
Yeah, he my roommate his he. I had to look at his I D. His I D was on the table right he left the room. I'm like, he's so good, bro, I gotta see if you your I looked at his I D.
Bro he was younger. Who Mike younger than us?
Bro?
Cold Bro, I'm like you this cold shout out to Mike man, fact, keep your head up, nigga.
That's when I first met he played for I'm not mad him, but that's first on my scene.
Yeah, but my first time I played against you. So we had tone sticking you and you had braids. Then you have gone thirty bro, and tone our coach he uh tone the guy that was sticking you, his dad was the coach and he will not get tone off of him. So we're like, Bro, this whole game, Jeff waring them out, Bro hitting the three step back tone, lader movement, fucked up, got all that, Bruh. By the end, did we beat We ended up beating him, But he had a great game, and I'm like, bro, I got a watch, dude.
Bro.
But and in our class, when you ran up against niggas like that, you knew like uh it challenged you in a way, though, Bro, When like I was when we were talking the room about o Ja, yes, sir, when I seen for the first time bru that, he changed my whole perspective of the game and like made me feel like I wasn't working hard enough and my whole chase for the ship was like chasing him. So the old nigga you put that bathroom in my back for sure. Juice juice for show.
Nah, that nigga was different.
I'll never forget when y'all got to because we went to ab CD that year last year and you had got hurt.
But the magic. You know.
I don't forget ship. I don't ship the matchup with y'all. But I'm from Indiana, so I know I seen you. I'm like, Oh, they don't know this nigga about to kill that nigga.
So I'm like rooting.
It's like, I don't know why I'm rooting for you, but I'm rooting for you. Like, kill him and you get hurt, so everybody like he hurt, he's scary's scared. Then I see y'all in Vegas, I'm like, yeah, that nigga ain't scared. Niggas tripping. They was going at it, bro, They was having a game. It was one of the best games I seen him at Eric against O J and Bill.
That shit's crazy. We chased him, bro.
We used to go to tournaments looking for him, Like really chased oj my nigga. That's that could be a whole chapter of my ship, chasing him, going to tournaments. Stay in the game, but it's really it's us too, by our coaches on bullshit too. We hit we were them the same ship. I'm quiet, of course I'm in the cut, but I'm on that too, nigga, like like we we wanted that matchup, especially since we played them like in seven or eight, seven or eight and he he was on the whole other level and I'm never forgot that, Like that's my baseline right there, Like yeah, like I went back to Shah, I stayed.
In the gym, my nigga.
I I think my junior year we was coached to playing them, but that Tyreek and all them was it was in some tournament and the ship ended up like not happening, and that Vegas one that we and we had e J I'm like, come on, I was playing. I had nobody else that was really like a D one player at that time on my team like that, So he had three or four guys, but like play against the Vegas on that stage and to know that everybody like the alarms and ship was going on that ship was nuts.
But it was crazy, he said.
We talked about we were talking to about our seven him and like that's the craziest back where played them.
That's crazy. How'd you feel about him joining the team?
Would you? Like? I love my niggas, but like we played.
I played on the team with full of winners. Bro We won even though we was undersized and all that, we won a lot of games.
So when we got him.
They like, hell yeah, like we got another dude that can go and e J. We needed that because I was scoring my brother. In high school, I played more organized ship. I was playing the three like my freshman year, so I don't really have the ball in my hands because my man right there, Iran, he had the He was the point that push you to the three juice, my nig we had like a system. So like even when I came in, I played JV because the head coach was like, nah, like we you gonna listen, You're gonna buy by the rules. You you ain't bigger than the system. And I went to the school only because ranking. So I'm like all right, like, but we won and I fucked around with the niggas. I'm like, all right, like, it's love we winning and we low key we had a beat y'all varsity niggas. Anyway, if y'all put it when we used to practice and shit, that's how we felt.
So it was all love.
But the system was the big man get majority of the shots, and everybody else fine with whatever they gotta do, like find your way throughout the game. Until like my my brother started coaching and he like, man, I'm gonna put you at the point. That was like my sophomore junior year, put me at the point. I started going back to school and they started to like let me play with the ball a little bit more. So I'm like, all right, I'm running up the court. They I don't got to plan the system, noring, I'm getting libs and all that, and now I'm pushing the point and everybody else following me. So it opened up my game for real. But at that school it was strictly just But I fucked with it though, because Semeon groomed me into like all of the guys that went there and groomed us into like really being young men, learning like discipline, learning that you just can't funk off, even though we were like knuckleheads and all that shit, but like knowing that, man, we have a we have a bond that's bigger than justice basketball shit, and that's something that we hold on to this day. We have picnics to this day at our school, and that's rare for like a public school to still be having picnics, to going on and all that shit.
What made you choose twenty five and sent me.
On, Bean Wilson, I didn't choose it. All this shit chose me. Bro everything that I've ever been in, I lived in the unknown my whole life. All this shit just came to me. I never wanted none of this so fame, none of that, even hooping, my current or my basketball dream. I didn't know about salaries and none of that until like my my sophomore year, it clicked. Like that may sound crazy, nigga, think about that your sophomore year. It clicked like damn, I could change my family life with this. All the way until my sophomore year, I had your that's a pure love for the game. I didn't look at nigga salaries. I didn't look at NBA games like that. I ain't look at nigga outside. I'm hooping. I'm somewhere playing because I had a pure love sophomore year hit. I'm like, damn, I'm sending the wrong man. I'm arguing with my mom at the time and all that. You know, mom got that little ship in high school, you look like and I'm arguing with her. Then they clicked, like, man, I could change this ship if I go to the league early. I'm looking at KD. Now, I'm like, if KD leave, I'm gone. They changed the rule, change the rule, change the rule. So I'm like, damn, I gotta do a year. I have to do the year. But I was, I ain't pay attention to none of that ship until my sophomore year.
Another rule that you help a lot of people get paid with the rolls rule, pioneer my boy, Like I said, you look at that, and now look at everybody else's benefiting for you.
Love. Yeah, I mean, that's that's one.
That's the only thing I care about, bro, even the wave or the vibration that I'm in right now, like I call it DZY seven twenty, like DZ stand ford, don't forget about the zealous youth, and zealous means pursuit of a great cause or great energy. So don't forget about the use and pursuit of a great cause. So like getting back and I feel like that was one of our ways of like getting back, you know, like me and my team, not only my team, but the fans, because at that time, I'm I'm doing this shit, but I'm not knowing why I'm creating.
You know what I'm saying.
I'm not going out to clubs, I'm not going to dinners. I'm not doing your typical shit because I'm thinking that you like you have to be a machine. I ain't enjoyed none of that bro until like my fourth year, So that rule was not only for me, It's for everybody my next you know what I'm saying, Like.
You're like before the view, could you're explain that real for I'm saying.
You know what I'm saying some of our lazier followers who didn't pay attention to that rule.
You know what I'm saying.
The rule is that you get thirty percent of the cup, meaning that you get an extra thirty to forty million if you hit the bench marks that's in your rookie year contract.
So All Star.
Team, any award, going to the All Star Game, both benchmarks will give you thirty percent more than a cup. And yeah, at that time, I know what I was doing, but I'm very grateful and very very thankful that like the league allowed me to do that.
In facts, Jason tay them all them boys first, they thank you.
For showing mellow by everybody.
Yes, I see, I see Jason. Jason Tatum told me that straight up fuck with d Rostar. You remember he remembery talking him like, Bro, he want to artograph, he wanted he.
Want a jerk. Bro. He was real like, brod bro is the greatest.
Bro.
I was like, not to jump so far. We still got to talk about the rest of his high school and stuff. But like when people will see him when he was on the team together, Bro, I used to tell him, like, Bro, you have a colt following. This ship is crazy like and he would come out and he's so humble and chill and I just joke all day.
I played. I play too much. I'll be like yo, like y'all want my autograph and ship? They just be like, who.
Like this ship work?
So for the first time before we get back to the hoop and stuff, but the first time I knew, like, all right, I'm messing with a different type of like status. Everybody asked you to go out in Miami. Uh, we went out. You was in Minnesota. I begged you, we out begged you to go out.
I'm come he was on it. You had you.
You know how you step on the back of your shoes and ship, so you was standing on the back of your shoes.
You're like, man, nah, I can't go. Bro.
I'm like, no, man, come on and please please, then come on. It's gona be cool in the white goat. We gonna we're gonna cover you up everything. Like I ain't even that, bro, I'm just telling you I don't really like going out. Finally you got tired of you like, all right, I'm gonna go.
We walk in there.
We walking the club, were walking in the beginning part and somebody said.
Derek de Rose.
I said ship, I swear God, like two hundred people came. I said, oh Ship. I looked at Wig. I said ship.
We don't get this guy little hold up. Were getting the.
Club, and the dude was like, damn, we just gonna put y'all back here. They just started standing outside the section.
He looked at me.
He was like, I'm gonna go. We's in that mother fucker ten minutes. I'm just gonna go.
Fuck.
So imagine that Brian won't nothing like it's let my fuck, it's weird even doing like doing this, so like putting myself in like weird quagmire situations. You feel what I'm saying. Formally, I typically wouldn't I wouldn't pod or nothing like that, but I fuck with y'all ship, and in order to grow, you gotta put yourself in those uncomfortable situations, so like coming here or even talking like, y'all don't know how much this means to me.
You know what I'm saying.
I love you come in and express this ship and express like, uh, just how I feel where I'm at at this time.
So I appreciate your niggas, now have you here, but I to have.
You here I always use anytime somebody playing the patients and listen off the radar and I'll be hitting niggas with the ruby Rose, the Rose, the roues, whoever it for.
So I got a rose JT.
If you want to autograph, I got.
What the illness, But listen, Like I said, we got so much to talk about, but I want to bring it back to your days. It's teammates, man, Yeah, obviously I playing to get each other growing up.
How was it that the first time I look up Minisoda, Man, I love Bro.
I mean, let me let me talk, because Bro, everybody that probably met up no bull and ship, they just know that he a good dude, and his energy that he brings to the locker room is uh. You can't compare it to nobody brother like he Uh, the vibration he brings. He's always talking ship, even though it made rub people different that didn't grow up that way, niggas that grew up that way that you need that in the locker room. You need motherfucker's joking playing. But when it's time to go, he was always ready and I knew you can who do too though, So uh just having them around, having uh uh TIBs, fuck with him having uh cat he used to fuck with cats so much, but saying motherfuckers needed to hear. You were saying truthful ship. You know what I'm saying, and when motherfuckers were scared to say it. I'm new to the team, so I'm just trying to get the vibe on the team. You saying exactly what motherfuckers needed to hear, and people respected that.
So it was always love.
Just having Jeff around It surprised me too, when like you start coming over to the crib because you know, niggas normally don't hang out with each other, Like, yeah, it's like on some fake ship. So like having you start coming over. Then you came over the night that I don't believe in coincidences either. You came over the night that I had fifty in my brother's knows that my brother was in the kitchen and drinking and ship.
No, I mean, I don't know if you'll want to talk about that right now. Gotta yeah, I wasn't what it's crazy all that ship? Why yo, that would be no.
But I'll mean that's a little layer of the story because you still got so many years Becuz he he gave me a chance. I played against him, and I kind of I'm musa speak on the Minnesota moment, but I want to talk about the Bulls moment when we played him in the pay of.
The playoffs and he spared me.
So before we get to the fifty, I'm gonna tell you when he could have had fifty at night another time.
Oh, you talking in the.
Playoffs Mother's Day and him first, I remember, forget Bro, we having the first quarter, were going back and forth it's a duel, and I'm like, in my head, I'm out here dueling with the MVP. What the fucking But I'm talking shit. It's the first game in Atlanta. So I'm like, yeah, motherfucker life. And he like he ain't saying nothing. He just like like looking at me, like I'm guarding he go by. He dunk one time. I said, oh shit, crowd go. I'm like, damn, Atlenta yah, y'all the trip for me, Like what the fuck? Going back and forth. Second quarter we had like thirteen fourteen second quarter. I think I scored two points. He scored like another nine. I'm like, damn, go to the locker room. I'm like, Jamal, you can switch off on him. I was like, hell no, you keep going. You're doing good. Man, Like you guarding them.
I'm like, I forgot that. At thirty.
They're like, don't worry about it, keep going, playing good. Get to the third quarter. I'm looking like, man, I ain't scoring no more. This motherfuck is still going. It's starting to blow us out. He gets what you had, like forty four yeah, forty four yeah. So it's like what it was like five six minutes left in the fourth Mall said the same. I let you got that nigga looked at I never forget. I'm like I had like twenty one. I'm like looking at him. I'm still trying to guard him hard. And you know how a nigga kind of like relax, like not tell you relax, but kind of like it's over.
Bro. The nigga kind of like come getting me tips.
I said, fuck him. I look at the score, but I said he ain't want to get fitty. I said game four no, fuck that.
I was so mad. I said he spared me.
I was like I went to the locker room and Smooth was like, man, you know, it's just one game.
Dog.
I was like, nah ma Hedmnar had fifty. He's like, nigge think you can stop him, even play shit like only pas and Nigga got hurt, Like you did good, nigga.
Shut up. You're right, JA woke tough ast series it was, But you spared me? Why you spare me? I didn't spare you, bro.
You know at that time, I wasn't even thinking about I don't be thinking about scoring like that. I'd be really in the game, bro, like every because my mindset was if I didn't score like we was gonna fall back. So I wasn't even keeping up with the numbers like that. When I was playing, I just knew I had to affect the game in a positive way.
This when I really was like, fuck you, you hit a floater, right, I could tested this ship out, this monfucker. I was playing hard as hell. Y'all, don't play defense. I'm playing hard as hell. I'm like, he can't embarrass me. He hit a floater, threw it up and caught that bit.
I said, hold on, he caught it.
After that, Louis I said, I said, he's playing around funny Joe.
He getting ready for Miami. Okay, cool? Cool.
I was hot like I was thirty a hot. My brother like, bro, you're getting your chance. It's all good. You ain't playing bad. I'm like, bro, he embarrassing me. Bro Like, like, Bro, he embarrassed everybody the MTP. Then I thought about it. I was like, you're right, I'm good. I'm just try to score now. But I remember that your career too, though.
Bro.
Yeah, having against him, bro, like, just to even have some good moments against him at that time, they helped my career. But I took that to say I seen you could have got fifty. Then I seen you get fifty. So that's where I was going with.
I'm like, damn, I seen where he could have had fifty. I was a part of that.
And then to be a part of that moment to see you actually get fifty and for you to say, yeah, I'm going forward tonight, I'll never forget. You said you playing to night. I was like, nah, I I ain't fucking with it. He said, oh, I'm going forward. I said, what you going for? I started.
I was like, what you're going for?
He's like, nah, I'm going for it. I was like, what I'm getting it? I'm getting fifty.
It's crazy. Damn. I went to Josh Cochi getting fifty tonight take.
Jumbo and nobody's playing, and I was like, damn, he gonna get fifty. And you know Rudy Gobert, nim defensive player of the Year, all that ship. I'm like, we're gonna have to kill these niggas man that first quarter. Now you I hurt my ankle. I'm jumping up and down.
Ran. I never forget.
Ryan was like, you could play, worry about that ship, learn about this ship and he just started going crazy in the whole game, like we just watching and I'm just like this dude is amazing. And it was like, you know me playing before you got hurt and stuff. I'm like this, this is him, like he always got this and see him going crazy. Then you hit Rudy with the move, finished the lay. Then they started getting emotional, like the nigga, everybody on the team just like, damn, bro, he worked so hard. I'm like that, we're about doing the game. Then he got emotional, and then I look at the nigga because I know, I'm like, I fuck with the cigare ear day.
I'm like, no, this means some ship, Like I start. Fuck man, I'm a nigga, bro, I don't. I'm from the west side of that. Bro. I ain't about to be crying for no nigga scoring no points. They want fucking to hit me out the fuck.
Work by did the game go over, I'm like, ship, I'm about to be a party in locker room. Fuck this, I'm gonna turn this mother fuck up. He do the interview. I didn't even hear it, but I remember he was emotional. I remember seeing it on TV. Went on back there I'm like, give me my phone. I remember I record that shit he walked in, they throw the water on it. Then I send it to your girl. Like it's gotta be a moment, y'all. Never forget like I was. That ship was hard.
I was like, why that game though, Po, Why that game? What made you?
You know what I mean? I don't know.
It was just I just felt something right when he told me he wasn't playing. I seen Jimmy one't playing. I'm like, all right, that's what. It's just the opportunity, and every every nigga in the league that's not playing wish they could have that opportunity. In fact, everybody, bro, shit, you look at niggas that's not that in the league. You look at it right now. Just give me that one chance. I could go out there and I could at least shoot fifteen to twenty field goals and see what's gonna happen. Yeah, and once I get rolling, you really gonna see what's what's gonna happen, you know what I'm saying. I just felt like that moment was like just my moment, especially going through everything that like I went through, went through the little shit, I was still going through like injuries and yeah, like I said, Bro, I'm just living in it. Bro, Like the ship that be going on, I can't really explain because I'm in it. But all I could do is like prep myself for the moments. Like when I was in basketball, I was prepping myself for that moment. Now that I'm switching over to this, like my.
Sh'S gonna be like y'all ship one day, six seven cameras and.
Bro, you know, oh yeah, you gonna do a part.
Not the part I'm trying to get into directing, bro, oh yeah, better, but directing telling like real stories.
That's book.
But I mean y'all, like everything that y'all saw though the commercial or the video that's me Maddie and that's random. All of us came together, got that ship together along with Carlisle and Mark, along with the other guys that was a part of the team. Like but we created that that moment, so you know, prepping ourselves for something huge for sure.
You know we're there to support. Shouts to the team as well.
Can I say one thing before we get back to the because this is my nigga, I'm just high. I ain't gonna lie, but I'll never forget this. When I was like this nigga different, like y'all know me, I'm they know me. No, it's all good.
It's good. They know I'm wild, y'all know me.
I became a man in Atlanta, so my perspective was a little different.
Like shit, I was going out, my team was going out. Everything. So when I came to Indiana, did I get the Minnesota?
My mind still like, man, all right, we had a good practice, we had some game, we hoped, but like where were gone?
You know?
So I remember one night John Lucas called me. I'm like, I'm thinking. Luke called me, like, yo, where we at? He called me like, man, you should come in the gym. I'm like, nigga, no, right, you talking about going on gym?
Man. I was like, bro, I'm here for all that. He like, man, you tripping, bro, come in here.
I come in there, and he like, he like text me like he rows in here, and I come in. I remember with your whole family, you had your daughter in the stroller. Your girl was sitting on there on the stroller. You were shooting and you had shot damn there five hundred shots. And I remember because you had to end up hurting your elbow.
Yeah, So I'm like, how many shots this nigga?
Shoot?
Jay look like he gonna be ready? What's the fuck?
He gonna be ready? And I'm like, and we about to play in the playoff. He's about to play in Houston. This is when you first came to the team, like, hes gonna be ready, don't trip, he gonna be ready. I'm like, well, Ship, he shooting fire and shot I funk, gonna shoot fifty from the thirties.
Getting them up. So I'm laughing, and Ship I'm colder.
I'm joking and Ship and were getting the playoffs and I'm like, I'm going to Tips, like, man, this nigga gotta play like he was having me getting the game he killed. I'm like, no, no, he gotta come on, man, he gotta get in the game. Earlier, TIBs like, no, fuck, who do we take out? I'm like, I don't give a fuck, take him take him out?
He like, how do I tell him? Like, nigga, Tips is shoot, He's like everybody in all.
Then that nigga just starts saying fuck it, come on, I swear, come on. Yeah, I watched this nigga buildings. Bro, he was that's fire and the next year with you shot forty from three forty.
But you assistant with that too.
Though, right when I got to the team, you probably remember you, Hey, that's you for that bread.
I have money. You don't understand it though.
When you like I, the league ain't nothing but specialists right in facts. So when you are aren't labeled with shoot like that, that shit can last for like a long time until you beat that ship.
You got to you gotta beat that, you know what I'm saying. Allegation, Come on, man.
So for motherfuckers that know how to shoot, niggas from Indiana, they know how to shoot when they one years old teaching they.
Formed, They and their crib elbow all that. All y'all shots the same.
I have not one person growing up to tell me my shot, like how to fix my mechanics or show me mechanics for my jump shot. I figured this shit out solely by myself. No basketball camps couldn't afford it, none of that. It's solely me being in the park by myself testing out ship and all that stick or you know, after experimenting and that shit stuck. But so to like go to a team and to be cool with a motherfucker, to be in a shooting game with him and don't take it personal if they beat you. I'm not crazy because I want to take it. Like you know what I'm saying, But it takes uh to go one on one or to the challenge of motherfucking one and to push yourself in practice when you ain't know nothing about it.
I'm shooting with you. You don't know damn feelings. All yeah, you get what I'm saying. Walking around shooting, playing talking to people. I'm trying to make every mother.
I'm gonna teach your show your I want to show your ass. I'm in forty this. I'm probab to stop shooting because I was like this nigga started to beat me.
Man quit But I'm just like, he adn't take he was taking a light because he's playing. He always playing, all right, But if Tims ain't on that, he ain't on that.
That story of my life.
I just want to God br so like to to actually challenge a motherfucker that's a shooter. I took pride it up even though you didn't know about this, but now I've seen it. Then when the next year. I'll never forget. I started, like we started starting together at the beginning of the year, and I'm like, I'm going on fast work. I'm starting the ball to him in the corner and he fired, and I'm like this Nigga really a shooter. Like he running the lane, min You like Nigga the MVP. He great with the ball, like I should be running the lane.
Nigga.
He like, get it, get it, get it, taking off to the corner and firing threes, and I'm laughing. I'm like this nigga shooter, Like what is Nigga spotting up forty? Shooting forty from the three? And I'll never forget. I was like, Nigga shooting forty. He was like, you know, he a student of the game, Like Nigga gotta be a shoot to three man.
They paying niggas shoot the three, and I.
Remember shoot was sweet.
He was like I remember everything. Bro.
He was like, I'm a I'm aa shoot forty. He was like, I'm going to get that bag, bro. Then I'm done, sir. And I was like, nah, you're gonna leave. I'm in my head like he about to leave. Minnesotau ain't the way, he's starting over me.
At the time, niggas was telling.
Me in the crowd get him off the I'm like, damn, that's my nigga.
I gotta help me. He got so bad, my nigga.
I started telling niggas like, do you want to start because it's easier, nigga, you gonna go off the bench, bro. But I give him credit, Nigga, I'll never forget. He told me like, and then we got to get back to where it started. But then he told me, he was like, teem, you gotta find your niche cause nigga, you know, we ain't gonna be starters the whole time, Like coming off the bench, they gonna pay, they need somebody to kill off the bench. They gonna find a new row. And now I never he did not want to start. I remember with the team. I said, Tims, I am sick of hearing these When you start him, he was like, who am gonna start him over?
I'm like, nigga me.
He was like, you're getting paid. I'm like, I don't give a fuck. I think I'll play better off the bench. He was like no, no, and I was starting together and he was like, I could do that. Who we take out and we start trying to figure it out whatever. But I just remember when you said that. So when you left, I went to Ryan, I said I wanna come off the bench because I was like, I'm about to do exactly what he did. I was like, I want to come off the bench because you told me, like, Bro, we ain't gonna be starters for the rest of our career. Bro, you gotta figure it out and we about to fill these new roles. I was like, I'm about to take his role. And I started doing everything he did. I started stretching. I ain't do none of that ship, phone, roller ball, and ship. I'm like that nigga, he figured it out. Fuck that I'm doing that. Ship did quite work out, but.
It was too late. Was broke down.
I was as I had your knee and that was it.
Yeah, well I had ankles.
I had certainly on my ankle, Yeah, but then I had my patella was gone.
I ain't got I'm bone on bone now it's over with. It's over, and ad ain't worth a quarters. It was gone last year.
It was it was gone my last year in Minnesota.
So I was bone on bone.
But I was just playing and then the last piece of piece of my Pateller tour. And when I was in Milwaukee, Uh.
It was over with that bone on bone.
That's something. It was over once you go there for sure. Just doing that as well.
Huh yeah, how are you doing that? How are you doing that?
He's different, Bro, Shout out to him. Shout out to him. Man, listen, you have so many crazy accomplishments. Man, we got to speak on something.
Man.
Obviously we got to start one of the crazy ones.
MVP, youngest MVP ever having one the craziest season the NBA in the conference where Lebron James was like, how was that season for you? Because obviously you know what I'm saying. You came in the league going crazy. How how crazy was that particular season for you?
Bro?
It was a blur. It was a blur. I remember at that time. My whole mindset was like keep it moving. So you know, in hindsight, you always wish that you would cherished some.
Of the days a little bit more. But like me looking in the past and shit, but.
What I was telling y'all at that time, I didn't enjoy anything, Bro. I didn't go out to eat with my family or friends like that, No movies like that, none of that, bro, no concerts because I was totally locked in too thinking that I had to follow like Kobe was doing, thinking cold as, not enjoying itself, not going on vacas, not doing any of that. So I felt tricked, like in a way whenever at the time I felt that way, Like my fourth year I ended up going to the Philippines. When I saw him like relaxed, I'm like, oh, you motherfucker was tricking me this hole time. I dedicated three three years of thinking you didn't do ship, bro, and to see you actually out here just chilling like it kind of fucked me up. But like I couldn't take it personally because even though I was like admiring them like that, so uh, that year it was just fun, man, something that you can't explain, like my being in shy at the going number one and being the point guard of the team. Like you got the rocking your hand and you got your guys like my guys being around to sixth grade on the baseline.
Yeah talking or you know what I'm saying.
So the whole time, like that's something that yeah, but we did it right though. Men in fact, we made sure that the ups and downs that we had in Chicago, no matter what it was, we could go back there and still like do business or whatever it is with them.
So it was a blast over for sure.
Man, both of you said just being you know what I'm saying, point guard, the man in your city, playing for your hometown, Like, what's that feeling like, Like we talked about it, but what's that feeling growing up in Chicago? Like all right, I saw MJ hitters. Now they look at me like that. It's pressure. That's why it's a lot of pressure. I can imagine.
A lot.
I got to talk for Chicago because a lot of people when they talk about Chicago, they always mentioned like the badt shit, So I got to mix it up. MJ wouldn't be MJ if he was if he played anywhere else but Chicago for his pro career, he would have been a great player anywhere else, but in Chicago. He became the black Cat. He became MJ in Chicago just off the strength of the culture that's in Chicago, and it's coaches everywhere, like with the basketball coach is just strong, and that the expectation of like what you're gonna do. We've seen you. We see niggas like you back in the sixties. Are you supposed to have been like elevated the game or doing something? They're like, what's next? MJ one them three? I guarantee you.
He had people in this corner like, there's no way they're gonna let you win. You just went on vac. Niggas, you ain't gonna let you come back and win three more. I bet you can't. That's what niggas in shot telling them, I bet you can't. They talk to the wrong one. I bet you he what one? I bet you can't win another one. But tell you, guys, look, I'm gigging them up.
That's yeah, yeah, gigging them up, just off the strength. But that's what I meant by the culture though, like being there, that's what I felt. Even though people my guys never came up to me and was like, man, you gotta kill this motherfucker this game. I felt it. Though they ain't have to say nothing. They'll say little ship. They all be in the kitchen or something. Man, what try I heard what cropped throwing the party to night, not saying it to me, but they just talking but making sure that I hear like what going on me?
I was that nigga I'm going out to kill from.
I'm listening to.
Even though they ain't bringing it to me, they they staying it so that I just could hear it.
I'm like, all right, so is this nigga fuck r forty of me?
But everybody always speaking on like you being the hardest person that they had to go out like who is you O?
Person like that? You was like, damn, what's crazy killing? But I got to sleep for him.
I had a problem down damn there with everybody bro, especially in TIB's system defensive system, where like at that time we icing everything. He if one person go over the top basketball terms, he beat you and over the top of the pick and roll like he now you're chasing them like behind them and shit if that happened, he like it was just hard. But I'm a pure point so I hate point guards that feel like they are about to control the whole game. So scoring, if you scoring, I don't care about scoring like that, even though like the NBA forced me into scoring. I never was the leading score on any of my elementary time, probably was the leading scorer, but high school somebody else was college CD I was, so I never was the leading score I just found my spots and I found the way to make it look good.
But I'm a pure.
Point at hard So I hate point guards that don't care about scoring like a rondough like this nigga, like they could fall into just the system of just playing the right way. Like no, I'm in the least try to get in your head. People don't. Yeah, scoring ain't really that much to me because I winning the game is more than me. I heard one of my O g's, Kurt Heinrich, say like after somebody gave him like forty or fifty, he's saying this ship out like out loud, but I'm just hearing them. Were walking in the hallway we won, and he was like, ha, that motherfucker just scored fifty points for no reason. Yeah, that ship hit home. Well, Like that's why after I scored that fifty, I was so happy that one nigga like you got the win, bro, like fifty or sick of whatever it is if you ain't getting that. Dup At the end, raced up the fact.
That wasn't jed in high school, I mean college. In college, I was I get some cool dro that fucking Jenny like for.
By the league though he adjusted community from but everybody liked that in the high school college you getting to it.
That's how you got to the league. That's what these young kids.
They don't be looking at these players or thinking like, oh, you were bum because you on the bench.
Bro, did you see this player? He was in high school of college. That's how he got seen. Bro, you know what I'm saying.
For sure, man, you brought one of my favorite college players of all time. My boy cdyall, y'all was going gray, I have to see y'all man. Yeah, no, that's the fact. See the what we got, and I gotta tell this short story CD. So he tried to hold me right. So it's me, him and Tone in the gym. We're there for summer uh, summer school. We shouldn't have course shots for hundred one hundred dollars a shot though at the time we both flig and we don't got it like that. So every shot, really, you know, that's a shot in college. So uh, he hit a shot and I shot right behind him, and he said that my foot was on the line, and he tried to stand on me like you know his voice.
You know yeah, And I'm like I am bag. I'm like, no, nigga, no, you got no one no matter of fact. He shot the shot and his foot was on the line and I made him shoot over and he was surprised that I said something, and he sucked with me for saying something.
Like damn, you don't let me hold you. And I'm like, no, nigga, I ain't going for.
Check.
I gotta tell another story. So this when I really knew that I made the right decision. So once again, summer school were there. Joey Dorsey ended up going to against the boot concert video sheet.
Shout on sure he was in the.
Right to the legend, man, all right to the legend.
He missed the run, right, he missed the whole run. I'm thinking nothing of it. I get to uh the house. Joy come to the crib. He thinking everything cool, Cee. I ain't talking to him at all. He started cursing Joey out so bad, bro, like, man, you let them mother fucking team down. That's some whole ass talking to him crazy. And you know, Joy big, I'm thinking that they're about to fight because it's my first own nor I'm like, yeah, I just got here, joy respected it started crying.
Bro, I said, I made the right choice. Yeah, these niggas care about winning.
Bro, Like you mad at the nigga for there's some summer ship, you know what I'm saying. But and there was some ship that we were running, not col we we set that ship up or he set it up and the nigga didn't show up. And once I've seen that, I'm like, this is gonna be a good ass year. Yeah, older niggas, that's on the same page.
I'm like, yeah, the hell of a run, the hell of a year. Bro.
Like, do you remember anything from that game? That Championship game?
Shot? Shot real? That was a tough shot.
The only thing I yeah, the fireworks, bro, After you leave the court, the shit be burning you, bro, or while as you walking off, I wanted to fight somebody.
That's the only thing I remember walking as a loser.
The fireworks you see on TV that shit come down. A lot of people be getting burned in that ship.
I didn't know that the ship was burning me, and that ship was making me so mad as I walked off the court, knowing that I blew the game. That was the only thing I remember for real, because after that it was straight lead.
Yeah, what was like when you was like, you know, I seen a video documentary you on, you know, Chicago getting the first pick or Miami or whatever. What was it like that feeling when you've seen Chicago got that first pick?
Like damn.
So yeah, we were in LA at the time, and right when I seen that, they were like one of the last ones. I kind of knew then, like what it was, even though people didn't in the room didn't say it. I'm like, damn, Chicago seven percent chance. I'm like, we gonna end up winning that shit, And yeah, that's going back to the crib, Like, yeah, everybody got the experience that one time, at least one time. Yeah, Like, don't you know how everybody was saying you should play New York at least one time as a as a hooper just to feel an atmosphere. I feel the same way about people playing at home. If you could, you might as well, like at least get that experience. You know, I leaned on you.
You don't even know, but I left Indiana to come to Minnesota, right, So when you came on the team, I'm like, damn, because I hate no shade to Minnesota. I love Minnesota cool, but I hated leaving the crib, you know what I mean, Like, damn, it was everything I wanted.
I'm at the.
Crib, my homeboys, everybody be at the game after I lead the game, even my family all that. So when I came, when you came to Minnesota, it was like, it's somebody I'm about to lean on because he experienced what I experienced, like he had to lead a crib before. So like that's why I started, Like you probably ain't know, I started gravitating Tod you like, bro, you won't shoot you want to do that?
And you like cause I just want to.
Get like, damn, how did that nigga get like through leaving Chicago? Like you was every Like I was nowhere near what you was Indiana, but you are the Chicago Like I was good, but I played one year, he was their MVP, high expectations, showed it up. I'm like, man, how he get through leaving the crib? So I just wanted to like, I'm like, man, how he worked? What is mental like? And then I start seeing you read books and ship and it's everything that I never even thought, like I'm thinking you like like not like me, but I knew you was like, damn you from the Midwest. He probably joking clown and clowning and you joking clown. You were super like dedicated to ship. And I was just like, all right, let me not fuck up his dedication because I'm type of that, hey, bro, you try to get some bullshit. And he was just like and he kind of like made me start like appreciating the craft again because I was kind of like, damn, I got paid, I'm cool, my family straight.
But then I seen you.
I'm like, and he's super cool, Like he got paid, he don't even gotta be doing this really, but he appreciating the craft, and it made me like start like, hold on, let me stop playing. Let me like remember why I love hooping.
Bro.
Going into the league though, nah, nigga, I was like everybody else this ship. It takes time, Bro, takes growth, Bro to get I went through what I went through. I tried leaving two times, Like so you get to a point where like I could keep doing the same shit or I could change. So after I went through my case, I made a vow that for seven years that I was just gonna like try to change my image, you know what I'm saying, by just just being me, just staying out of sight, out of mind. And it went from seven to now I'm on year like eleven of me just like finding enjoyy bro, you know what i mean, Like basketball, goat me that. But even coming here, I'm always looking for something for inspiration. So like coming here seeing what y'all got going on, watching from a far, like huge fan of the Jeff of course, seeing how he's adapting to like this new world and new business venture that he's in. So the questions that I asked you all in there, that's why I asked you know what I'm saying, because but that's what y'all hit, you know what I mean.
So I appreciate you, well, was it a VT that when you got to the league that kind of embraced you?
Every almost every vet, bro, every vet, every teammate I had. I appreciate it. That's how I looked at this, every one of them. Because when it comes to like the basketball shit, when I was in it, I'm like, even though I don't want the fame, I still wanted people to like appreciate, like the work that I put in or like like the way that I played so ice to be on teams when niggas and they tell me they from Booze from Alaska. I'm thinking about market market. Yeah, market, that's a market. Okay, Like damn, I never knew you know what I mean, all you from overseas, then they watching you too, I mean they watching me all right, bet, like you know what I'm saying.
Ways, show love to everybody.
And I had great vets to gray vets b like show me about health, like Luau was the first one. Should I have seen eat like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at halftime? And now that's a custom in the league. That's before you go on the buzz And I mean like brunch, all that shit is a is just there now, But before it was there, you had like ogs that really you saw stretching before every game like a Nazi Muhammad, like Joe Kim, how he took.
Care of his body.
Like a lot of guys were really pros bro say the least sixteen seventeen years. Yeah, didn't get in the game at all, but they get ready, they get activated like they're about to play thirty.
Minutes and to just chill.
So I've seen that, and I'm like, man, whenever I do get in that position, I'm gonna try to handle that the same way. But only how you get there is you got to kill your ego. And that's not like a one time thing. That's like a continuous, fucking everyday thing. You know what I'm saying. What motherfuckers think it's just one time. No, that's just the first challenge. This shit just gonna keep popping up, especially if you call your man you feel like you accomplish something, you know what I mean.
It's a thin balance. It's a balance. You got to balance the shit out.
So being aware of that, being mindful of it, Like that's when he met me. That's what the stage that I was in.
When I seen you, Like, I ain't gonna lie everybody know me, I'll be like I don't want no kids. Yeah, but when I see you with your son, like being in Minnesota and like seeing him shoot the bat eye.
This just random shit.
I remember because I used to be watching like that's hard y'all try to shoot the ball into the rack, correct, Yeah, And I'm like, y'all thinggas know, y'all not about to hit that right, I'm like, I'm looking like they ain't gonna hit that, and y'all would continuously do it. And I remember one time he hit it, yes, and I was like, I fucker hit that ship. I'm surprised. To y'all, I'm not going to bed. But that's my version of the crate for him. Put the crate up, bro, We're gonna we're gonna make a basketball rim out of anything on this motherfucker.
Just being creative.
And I want you to be able to be on this court at this stage and feel comfortable around twenty to ten, ten thousand people looking at you. Just be yourself because a lot of kids I see, like a lot of kids that get on that stage free'ze up, scared than the motherfucker. I'm like, Noah, I don't want my kids going to do that. Through that man, I'm putting them in positions to make them uncomfortable, like I'm putting myself in positions. But for them, I wish I had a dad or yeah, something I wish I had, So I got to present the opportunity for them.
I was watching that ship.
Man, he over there tossing that ball, So it was like three days in a row. I'm like, yeah, he ain't gonna, ain't gonna that. That ain't gonna like sh I'm over there like that.
Like that. It's dope.
It's hard a lot of these days. I'm glad you ain't trying to but a lot of these niggas trying to live through their kids on the hoop world, especially a lot of these as you Dad. So I was gonna ask you, like, how do you balance that dad life? And you know, making sure he stay on the straight arrow on the hool store, you know, pushing itself to his maxibility.
I mean, I'm pushing, but at the same time, it's more like discipline with him right now. But it's about knowing your worth too, because he's in the stage and.
A lot of a lot of little hoopers need to hear this.
Like, uh, knowing your worth, Like if a company come to you for an nil deal or something like that, and like you don't know your worth, you'll take any deal, but you got to look at like what do you see your brand or what you see yourself associated with? Like he had a deal to come to him in which I thought that he shouldn't have took. But I can't say that to him. I asked him about it. Hey, you think it's right. So who do you see yourself as associated with this brand?
That brand?
He started thinking about it like I gotta make you think. I gotta provoke a thought, you know what I'm saying, Like just to see where your head, that where you think at least put it on your mind that if you see yourself being an MVP type caliber, whoever you associate yourself with got to be on that same level too. So like the hoop inside, I let him just play bro. I'm not on him. I make him do his push ups and sit ups and shit like that. But it's really just school and making sure that his mental rate. Like a lot of kids, he quiet, So a lot of kids be like going through shit by themselves and our kids. I want to be able to make sure that I'm there well, not only like my kids, but my family.
You know what I'm saying. It's interesting here you setting what I'm saying with you.
He coached your ALBA made you know what I'm saying, kids that now, like you said, it's a different situation now growing up in high school, being good at having some type of impression they getting deals. It's like, all right, that might be cool now, but you don't know what you're getting yourself into.
Ain't nobody getting deals with the high school nott He loving shit?
Yeah, loving, But like it's like coaching kids, like you're right, it's a lot of the mental stuff, like what they go through outside of basketball. You just want to make sure that they're in a comfortable spoor. They in a good place. But like you doing that with your kids, and that's dope. I wanted to know, Like when you watch them play, because I seen him hit a game a game winner.
Yeah you know you too.
I'm like, damn, like I remember him like you said, I remember shooting on the on the little rack or whatever. So to see him here in game winners, do you see his skilled up? Like skill level going up? And you like, ship, man, I'm starting to see it, do you now?
Man?
Like I said, that's why I'm taking this step that I'm taking down, bro, But I have to be there, yeah for my fans, Like uh uh, it's all about the discipline, bro, Like I don't know how many times, like as a as a I'm talking as a dad, not a father, because it's a difference, Like my kids call me dad I love, and they call me dad not father.
Don't sound right, Jackson ship don't sound right to me.
So like that time that I'm putting in, giving every one of my kids that equal time, you know what I'm saying.
But with him, since he's the.
Oldest, I have to be a little bit more strict on him as far as making sure he gets up on time for school, taking out the garbage, a little chori shit. But it creates your character, you know what I'm saying. Oh man, So I'm seeing like it carries over to where if you're not disciplined in something that you're passionate about back in basketball, how you think you're gonna be disciplined in the other areas. You know, if you're not disciplined about something that you love other areas is gonna fall too that you're gonna crumble at some point, you know what I'm saying. In fact, so I'm like, bro dedicate yourself to this, and I guarantee you it's gonna pay off. But he listened though, Like that's half the battle too, and which I love about him. I could talk to him. He got his own individuality too. So once I see that, I don't want to tamper with that, because I see that if I do, you're gonna try to make You're gonna try to follow me or follow in my footstep. You're your own person, You are PJ ro, you are your own entity. Right, how you feel about this? I asked him, how you feel? Brow what you think? He'll tell me the honest truth. All this is how we're gonna think about it, just like we were talking about with the deal. He was mad that I was telling him that shit about the deal because he knew that I was telling them right, Like what Like I was asking them questions, and the question I was the answers. He was like, not elaborating on him, Like yeah, he said a certain company name. I don't want to say the name, say their name. I'm like, so, how like that don't add up? Pe see what I'm saying. He started to hear what I'm saying. He heard what I was saying, but start crying. I'm like, bro, I'm not here to chastise you or make you feel like you made the wrong decision. I'm just showing you that you have worth. They're coming because you have worth. Now you decide what that worth is going to be a lot of kids these days. They don't know what the worth. They don't even know that they got work along telling the motherfucker that they love them with some of it, hitting them, patting them on the back for letting for doing something right. So me expressing to him where I'm at right now, telling him like man, PJ, I'm doing this for me, my nigga, not doing this for you no more.
I'm quitting because of me. I'm tired of it.
I'm doing this solely to be around y'all, taking you to school, I'm picking you up.
I'm doing this. I'm doing that. You appreciate this ship. You may not understanding.
Now that's my whole little saying that you ain't gonna understand it, but later on you're gonna respect it.
I say that all the time, but you ain't. Motherfucker kids trifling.
Home.
I have a line of told mothers bro, y'all keep his room, trifle these mice and ship. O, come fuck your roaches and ship. You got a lot to them. You gotta kind of cash for sure, y'all said all the bullshit.
Look appearance, anything to make them listen. Bro, for sure.
You gotta trick him a little bit like That's what man, by being a dad, like sparking, like sparking that engine.
Sometimes. You got a.
Lot of kids now they don't know how. They ain't gonna know because of the the conditions and living circumstances that you gather me in, because of what you went through.
I went through this.
I'm putting you in this type of environment so that you don't got to go back to that. If they do go back to it, you will fail. You any you a failure if you let them go back. Yeah, you feel what I'm saying. So I'm creating this for you and to see you thrive. And that's all. That's the stage. I'm man, just bossing up Brow what it's all about.
Bron for sure. Listen, man, we are blessed, blessed, blessed. Man.
We appreciate you pulling up. I know how much this means for you, Bro, and how much this means to us. Like we said, we got this opportunity. Shot to the team for making this happen. Man, we were at static. Man, we are really happy that you pulled up on this. Man means the world to us for show.
Bro Bro, No, no, for sure, I gotta say something for you leave.
I'm so geeked, bro, Like I'm a fan, Like I know we graduated seven whatever, so like when I was in college, you was a rookie and you going against Rondo and them in the self six in the playoffs and stuff, and I'm watching, I'm like, damn, it's some I know him, like I competed against him. I see him to see you do that ship and then like to get to know you over the years and then see what kind of person as you, kind of father you are, how dope you are as a person cool and like for you to have all the accolades and all all the.
Shit that you've got, and how humble you was. Like, Bro, you.
Would put me in spaces and we'd be in rooms and you are like you the one, and you like this nigga crazy, I'm taking over the floor. But everybody want to be around you, and that shit is dope. You don't meet too many people who just like who got the resume or the person that you are and let you be you like lor you ain't had to let me start, Bro, you know what I'm saying, Like you, I'm not saying I earn. I ain't saying I earned the start, bro, But we being honest.
Bro. I'm just a realistic person. Bro.
Like you might have went through some stuff, you went to New York and whatever, whatever, and then you came to the team. But when you started hooping, nigga, you was averaging sixteen off the bench.
I was averaging ten.
But still at that time, I was fully aware of where I was at.
At that time, I didn't want to start. Tims used to try to come to me. I'm like, no, I know you didn't want to start, but I was like please, Opposite.
The whole reason I'm telling Tim, tell the man is probably going to you like you need to start.
Like no, I'm like, tell.
Him, what's so crazy is in a different situation that's goes differently and most of the time, and that's the typical NBA typically got them going against each other, but you're pushing each other.
And that's why I worked out.
And now the niggas just didn't want to start because they was hurting this feelings.
It was about it was it was. It was about that nigga. That's what I came. I was.
I was I was fucking zero the lit my last day after we went to the Prince House. Right, we went to the Prince House. Right, we had a little showing that I'm gonna let you'll get out of here me Wig. So if you to know Wigs to love Wig and he's live, he's me and him very similar, entire a lot of stuff.
And then doctor just put it out.
So I didn't say that. He said that, So then the no Wig, it is the no Gorgy. So it's me, Gorgy and Wig at a table.
Right.
We don't smile for ship. We don't do ship. We mean like, people don't know this side of me. Only the teammates know our joking ships like the fan don't know. They think I'm mass So I don't smile about ship. But Wig don't smell about ship. Gorgy he's the nicest person in the world, but they don't know. Like he don't smile. Man our table empty, nobody want our table.
I'm talking about man his table.
Nigga to Prince Jersey walking by, not one person had a just press the way I think my mama might have one. This Nigga, Prince Jersey bro had to be the highest selling ship in the NBA that it had to be Bro. I know, Bro, they was walking by. I was like, damn, damn, not a damn Damn. I'm like, wig damn. We just got a Max. I'm like, fuck, Bro, you might want he. I gotta leave, Bro. They don't fuck with me, y'all. I'm like, they don't know. It was not even just so I gotta leave, like they're not fucking with me no more. It was Cat and then d Ro. This Jersey was more than Cats. I was like, yeah, he's not gonna be back, like you know what I mean, Like Cat not fucking with that.
I'm keeping it up being Bro. I'm keeping up being Bro. I was like, y'all know, stop, Okay, I'm Bro Guy. I love Cat. Bro, Cat coolest half.
I think Cat one of the coldest players to ever play. When I seen that ship, you had to be there, Bro. We act the Prince House Bro with Prince Jerseys. I'm watching him like this is d roll ship. Like, I'm like, this is ship, you know.
What I mean.
I'm I'm I'm a real nigga. Really I realized it. Yeah, he went it six me. I'm like, yeah, yeah, this his team that was.
One of the best collabs that they did.
I was was that the first time they ever did that.
I don't know.
That was fired up to bro Ma. Mama called me like, get that prince dressing. Baby, It's gonna be a lot for you. I'm like, up there, I said, can you sign this? It's how much of people house? He signed it for me? He was like, yeah, I signed it, and somebody took that bitch. Yeah you signed and put it in the locker.
Nigga. I came back, it was gone.
It was one of the quick Yeah right now, I can. I know so many was asking for that ship. I was, I want to ask another one. I'm like, mother right after this interview.
With that jersey before for that mother right now he had all them Jersey, I said, Yeah, that was a hell of experience.
That was.
That was dope. That was his house was crazy. That's one of the craziest homes I ever been to. I don't still respect him. He's a legend and I'm talking about in the house the rules, No, nigga, don't touch. I can't touch as if he's still there. I've never saw that one nigga be gentle around. That was like, don't shoot on that goal Like I was like.
Damn, they said that they used to hold to I love to meet him like that.
But the same food me and you, like you can't bring no meat, no other ship in the crib. They still respect him. I never saw nothing like it. Damn, that's not.
All we got. I gotta ask. We brought up the jerseys.
How does it feel to still see you know what I'm saying, like people wear your jersey? Because I know, like we always talk about the jerseys like that, like that baby Blue Nuggets Mellow jersey, but that number one boy jersey.
Man, that's like a hood legend jersey.
Like everybody in the world, even you go to the Fright House of the Crazy White Boys playing Beer Paul, they got a de bro jersey. How does it feel for that, like to that universal moments like everybody like, no matter where my boy, we.
Fucking with that jersey.
As far as right now, I'm living in gratitude, appreciative, you know what I'm saying. And not to make y'all this episode serious like this, because I know y'all normally got like some humor ship.
But now you bro straight, bro straight, some people need to hear.
Yeah, But yeah, just living in gratitude, bro, And that's one of the reasons why I think wanted to come here and show loveious west Ship.
Like I said, for sure man. Man, Like I said, we appreciate you. We appreciate you giving us this moment. Man, it means a life for both sides.
Man. We can't wait to see what you do next.
You know, got the team gonna keep creating, man, We're definitely gonna push and support that before we get out of here.
Be here and telling people that can grasp and march at.
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