Club 520 PodcastClub 520 - DeMar DeRozan on Kobe Bryant relationship, losing to LeBron, getting traded for Kawhi
We’re back with Season 2, Episode 95 of Club 520 where Jeff Teague and the guys are joined by DeMar DeRozan, discussing everything that’s gone on in DeMar’s Hall of Fame career so far. The guys discuss playing at USC, getting drafted by the Toronto Raptors, having Kobe Bryant as his role model, playing LeBron James in the NBA Playoff, getting traded for Kawhi Leonard, being a staple in the Drew League Pro-Am, and much more that you won’t want to miss! #Volume #Club
The volume A right, we back at the episode of Club five twenty podcasts. I'm the house, Miami is DJ well special guests in the building. To my left, we're gonna introduce my Man's last But to my far left we got my dog. BI should be hearing out the prailes. How you were nasty, cool and nasty. Let's get to it another one.
I already know it's about to be episode. My boy got the.
Tower long getting a little hot liquor, a little.
Spotsy, and my little you got the all white song. I know you watched the show. My Man's normally keep the all black forces with the white lacens. Y'all rocked them out in Cali. Man with the white lace, All black with the white lace. Nasty, I'm gonna take care of you, bro, all.
Black forces and white saying you just.
Had a good game too at the worst name, I should have sent him then for the Drew, for the Drew. That's wow, you got on the perfect outfit. That's one of my typical outfits.
Stinking right there. That's the beautiful I got.
You know what them fourteen thirteen thirteen. That's easy, that's like, that's on the way all the way. We'll get to Addy after this period for sure. To about right, my dog young not your young team.
How you are, man, I'm chilling, bro, I'm so excited. We got an old non draftee in here. You know, we got draft at the same time. I don't know how he's still playing, but don't worry about it. I'm so proud of it though. Man, we go way back. So I'm geek to have be a part of this episode for show.
For Shure Man legend in the building, one of the coaches to touch a basketball professional score, six time All Star, future Hall of Famer. We got the man to Martin Rossan in the building. Appreciate you sliding on this big dog Man, appreciate it.
I ain't gonna lie.
I've been You're my partner, and tell you, like all the homies be like, man, you gotta go, you gotta go on the show. You gotta go on the show, you know. So I'm hyped to be on here. Man to me, I call this like the hoops drink chance, you know what I mean.
Always check it out.
We always be laughing, sending sending everything to the group chat. So I'm na have to be on it for show.
Sure, man, glad I have you man crazy order story and might put it in the chat. We got to start therapy here with the with the with the with the bag man.
When p Miller founding, when person found he put you right on the TV show right away. Bro, How was that though?
Bro?
How did that even come about?
Man? Bro?
It was?
It was the most random moment ever because at the time I was playing on AU team, so everybody who with the P Miller Ballers, we was on another A team before that, and that was like our last year. I think we had just one like Nationals and was breaking up sponsorship and everything. So we was we was all just trying to figure out what we was going to do next. Then all of a sudden, you know, we got word like Master p wanted to have an AU team. You know, He's gonna have tryouts at at this high school show up. So in my mind I'm thinking, like, all right, this is just his team. He not actually gonna be there, you know what I mean. So we all show up to the high school pee walking. Then Romeo walk in with him, like all right, we got practiced three man weave, four man we five man weave, and we hoop, so we're doing that. So we just thinking it's gonna be a moment just that. So he was like, you know, all right, same time next week. So it became a consistent thing like oh damn, we about to were about to play for p oh shit, he coaching too, Like you know, we were about to rock out and all of a sudden before we start playing. He always used to invite us to the house. So we used to go to his house practice in the backyard, lifting weights at his house.
In the gym.
Just crazy shit that damn nobody, especially for me at the time, like I'm fourteen, coming from like Compton. Were going to the house. He got a tennis court, pool, wait room, got everything you need. Then at the same time we watching him record make albums at the time, rome doing the Romeo Show, So it was like it was a trip at that time, knowing like we about to play for this team and he about to be a coach. Was any other top Dogs on your team with you? Yeah, Brandon was on that team. We had a we had a kid named Yeah on that Okay, we had remember baby Shack, he played on our on our team, so we had a lot of talent. We had a lot of guys and you know, we we we just rocked out after that.
That's hard, b I had a That ship was funny as fun It was a trip bro trusted. We had our own bus going to.
Games like we was like we was like on some like A and one type ship.
No fact, were pulling up the whole gym wade like it was. It was.
It was in the spotlight early, which is.
Crazy because I met him at a B C D camp. He probably don't remember. I was just a young star, buddy, and don't even worry about it. I was just trying to make my way. I had no scholarship offer, so I'm trying to do anything I could do to get a scholarship. Me and him are on the same team at ABCD, can't. I'm gunning. I'm going to be a senior. I'm trying to get some offers here. You're younger. I'm having a moment. I'm playing good, shining, doing my thing. I get a couple offers after the first day, like well, I got like forty but whatever, so I'm having a good day. The next day, he tapped me on the shoulder. It's master p I'm thinking he about to be like, yeah, you nice, so you know. I'm like, he like, hey, my man, that kid right there can play. Give him a chance, play with him. He tell me a play to do, like drive to the middle, throw it up. He gonna go get it. I swear to god I did that. I threw it up when we dunked it, I ain't get the ball no more.
Every I swear everything. I love Bro every play for Bro. Hey, he was killing I'm like, damn, who is this dude? And they like he played for Pete Miller. I'm like, Damn, I don't know nothing. I'm like, but they'll be cool with master P like saying ice cream.
Look, but that's what I knew. I seen him right there. And then the scene when we get drafted, I'm like, oh, yeah, it's different.
Did you play the Pete Millers?
Yeah? I played him. You know. It's crazy fight up now.
It was the time I was playing in him so much, right, And I don't think I ever talked about this. Romeo was trying to go to high school with me at Countin High right, we were.
Trying to I've never told this story. Bro.
I'm glad it's here.
So wrong.
Ron was trying to figure out how to go to school with me at Counton High. So we ended up saying, like we're going to get the whole team Pete Miller's. We made them all blue. Everybody had blue p Miller. So rome was like, you know, really trying to figure out how you can go to Contain High.
So we meet him with the school.
They was like, man, he'd just show off the games, he get the work once a week, do the work all that. So we end up having like a practice, like he came to my high school, had a practice. I'm talking about every gang member outside of the gym. Everything we go hoop. As soon as we come out the gym, the principal was like, yeah, he's not gonna be able to come here. It was like he was really trying to go to high school with me, you know what I mean, Like we was really like about to sponsor this school to wear Pete Miller's and everything, but it ended up not working out and everything. But that was a crazy It was a crazy time because especially at that time, like you're talking about little Romeo going to Conte Hide that shu don't even sound right?
Yeah too much, Yeah, doing the beach somewhere. She really liked that though.
Yeah he could hoop, he can hoop for like, he definitely you know, cal hoop, you know what I mean, he definitely surprised if it was something you stick with, you know, you know, it all come down the size at the end of the day.
His little brother nice though. Yeah, he don't want. He didn't want.
Yeah, Mercy, Mercy, he gonna be the one to He going to Houston next year, but he definitely gonna be the one.
Yeah.
And what's so crazy is people forget like he made it to the crazy but he used to hoop. What it's every day Like he will come in who play for real? Damn they're about to fight you everything Like he playing like bully ball, shooting threes like he used to hoo with us all the time.
That's t bro, that's fire. It's the cold moment that you got to brace early, bro, like the pick they got, Yeah, they got to do rags and that's a fire album cover look like, but that was that was at a video shoot, bro, that's even harder.
Look, no bull ship, I used to miss school to go to a video shoots. Whoever had a video if he had a video rum. I would miss school, be at the video shoot all day.
Because we heard you. It's just a side bar. We heard you rap today they ain't play that.
Ship said you definitely got bars, So it might have started from there.
So for sure, Man, But like crazy basketball origin man going crazy in high school?
Was it a no brainer you was going to USC Man? Yeah, because I didn't want to leave home. It's crazy. I took a visit. I took a couple of visits with the North Carolina, Florida State cal somewhere else. I took like unofficials. But when I went to Florida State at the time, that's when all the hurricanes and ship was going on. So I'm out there, I'm like, Man, ain't no way in hell I'm leaving home.
I can't. I can't.
You know what I mean, If this ship happened, I'm terrified. So once once I've seen that happen, I was like, man, I'm staying home regardless. Then I started looking at it on some real ship. I started looking at it like, man, if I go to the NBA, it's a good chance I'm not going to play home. So let me get let me enjoy playing home one last time and ship I do that and get my ascent to Canada, like you know what I mean, Like I didn't think I'd go that far, but you know what I mean. But I wanted to stay home for the most part, just for the simple factor, like I wanted to be home one last time for sure.
I mean, you went to USA. It was crazy. You almost went to USA. I never the year before, but.
Oj Mayo went and when I went on my visit, OJ happened to be there. They forgot I was on the visit.
Yeah, you know how that goes.
It was just like, oh, yeah, you come on, we get you too. My pop was like, yeah, that ain't the place for you, but nah, it was fun. I ain't gonna lie. Keep it a real. It's a beautiful scener some nice US season. It's a nice campus, man, they have it set up for you.
And you went.
Yeah, But I wasn't tripping on nothing because I was home, you know what I mean. Like, I didn't even trip on whatever it was you could show me, because at the end of the day, I was home. I was in my comfort already, so I wasn't even tripping on what you could show me. I'm looking at it like, let me do this six seven months and I'm going anyway.
Okay, so you alread had to project it in your mind.
I was out. I was.
I was going, that's hard, yeah, respectful, like the number three player in the country.
So yeah, I was.
He was on that list.
Yeah I was. I was.
I was going, what was you battling with in high school? Because I was a year older, so I'm not even sure.
So our class was crazy because we had Tyreekrek was was the man, Brandon was the man, Drew Holiday was a man. So we had a solid class of like from that wing position of dudes that was dogs, you know what I mean.
So it's three that's in Cali right there there there.
You know what I mean. So just in our state a loan like it was, it was, it was. It was a lot going on just from that competitive standpoint. So I mean, we had we had plenty other dudes like Scottie Hopson.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, we had We had a lot of dudes man that that that had a chance that.
You know, either injuries or whatever it may be. But at the time high school it was, it was it was a dog fight. Yeah, I thought Scotty was going to the me too, me too.
Oh dangn And for us, we always big up in the end, especially Naptown hoops because we had a lot of cuz the time. But like we look at it now, you talk about them areas, y'all. Y'all had the real ones that O six, O seven eight class nothing but all pros.
And yeah, think about the year before it was James Harden.
It was like Russell Russ like we had like some some some dogs. We had a couple of years where it was like it was it was you look at it, It's come on, you can't deny it. Like out of California, even just southern California at the time, it was crazy.
Did you ever come across them though? Like in high school?
Yeah, against I played against Drew. I've been playing against Drew ever since I was eleven twelve years old. He was the first. He was the first person I ever played with. How I learned the word Amberdextrius, I learned it from Drew Holliday. Okay, somebody was like man. He he used both hands like how he played now is how he played when he when he.
Was eleven years old.
Dang yill, smart, crafty, defensive, like defensively all over the floor.
He was the same exact way.
He cold the cold.
So it's like all those guys played against him since we was eleven twelve years old. For sure, man Clay Clay play was my high school class. Oh a, so you know we had a we had a we have some dogs facts for sure.
Digital thing one year in usc How was it playing in college? I mean, you know what I'm saying. I know it's a little bit of a different place, especially from high school and that you how was that playing in college?
And how was it playing at the crib in college?
I ain't gonna lie. My first two months in college I struggled because it was like, you know, you go from being a star, being able to do whatever you want, however you want, whenever you want to where it's like now you gotta you gotta learn the structure of a discipline from another level of you know, coach telling you to, you know, run the offense for twenty five seconds before somebody shoot, you know what I mean. Like, So it was a struggle in my first two months. But after that, once I got it and started clicking. For me, it was it was. It was simple, it was easy, start killing. It was cool, just out of family there, you know, ship, I will, I will playing a game, and twenty minutes after the game, I'm right back in.
Compting, like you know what I mean, like it was, it was, it was that every day for me.
And you play with my dog, My dog man really like he helped me through that whole even before we play the game. I remember came to my dorm room and just you know, embraced me. You know what I mean, that's that's that's that's the o.
G Man, real one dog, tell you a real one for sure. Facts he told us you it was a dog.
He was like, Man, I had oj the year before then I had the mark came. He was like, man, I just played with some dogs. Well and I was like, yeah, for sure you.
Did, my dog man. That's a good dude, man, for sure. Man. I got to ask you a question of how true this is?
You play the part in the US getting their own pe Kobe's yes, m yes.
And it more so came from the relations ship I had with Cold I think you know when I was like fifteen sixteen, You remember when they used to have like Steve Nash camp YEP for Kobe Camp, Paul Periods Camp. Yeah, Mari, I think it was a Mari Mark camp.
Yeah.
So it just started from, you know, my relationship with Cob. I think it's a picture that that started to go around. I was a cold camp. Cob was talking to me. I was sitting like front row. Clay was in the picture. Were like fifteen, sixteen years old, and you know, ever since then, like me and Cob had just like a bond one me being from LA and the connection kind of just grew from there. Me wearing the shoes and you know, I think when the Kobe once came out, he gave me a pair and I started just rocking them from there, like Kobe twos. Then you can go back to, you know, google me in high school my senior year I had I was the first ones with with.
The Nike. I d Kobe's damn every colorway.
It was to a point like all through high school, people tell you like I had so many Kobe's. After every game I was throw him in the crowd. Uh he clowned you know, so it was like it was you out of pocket high school. That's fire hard, Like you know this was, so it was like, you know, it started from there. Then you know when got the s C at the time, I think the Kobe Fords was it was Kobe Fords.
Was out, and you know it just ran away with it from here.
But you're gonna tie your shoes though, never have like how you That's why I know he is trench baby. Listen, he hooped without his shoes tied brow just like this, That's what I'm talking.
But but the thing, you know why though, what like I played a new shoe every game, so you know how like most guys gotta break their shoe and everything, so I like the tight fit. So I gotta put on a new shoe every game. So I don't I don't need the time. And it all started and forget. I got some Jordan Nines when I was like eleven years old. I got I have had some Jordan I never told this story. Either have some Jordan Nyn's and I got them for like Christmas or some shit. So I wanted to wear them in a game. So my mom dad was like, man, these your school shoes. This for school. I'm like, no, I want to look clean in the game. So it's like all right, you messing on messing them up, that's on you. So I never wanted to tie my shoe to put a crease in them. Never, So I was like, man, I'm just playing these motherfuckers like I'm just walking around. So it started from that moment of me never tying my shoe. I was like eleven years old. I didn't want to fucking my Jordan Yns.
You just hoop and the motherfucker giving you thirty five forty and he ain't tied shit.
With elite footwork. That's the crazy.
Are the best fits of basketball history and your shoes ain't tied, and that's crazy.
It's so crazy because it's been so many games. I would be in a corner in front of the visit visitor bench. You will, you will hear niggas say this, niggas shoes ain't tied, like you wouldn't hear it, Like like it's niggas, I said here, disrespectful all the time.
Bro, I'm about to I'll never forget San Antonio. You was in San Antonio. This is when I first noticed it. Like you've probably been, like you said, you've been doing it forever. But I first noticed it because I was like, I'm gonna ask Mark for his jersey. I was like super proud for I'm ask some nigga for the jersey. But I was like, man, he oh, nah, I'm a fan asked for his jersey and I look down.
So I'm gonna ask for some kobees too, I said. Nigga ain't got shoes up.
I said, man, he's not about to play to night. This nigga proceeds to get like thirty five. I never laced this shop, I said, man.
I told the people on the bell, like wig, you know, he just gave you thirty five.
He ain't tied his shoes any durable though you always play.
You tell your shoes like you do construction, and still they work for corner.
Look at me.
I tied my shoes all the way up. What ship was tied in the brill.
Was flopping down on the ground tide certainly right now, that's crazy.
I was doing this ship all right.
Man.
That's the trick. Don't like your shoes. Like your shoes, man, I don't. It ain't for everybody.
And I'll be seeing some niggas hurt their ankle and they tied how they show up all tight like I.
Never ye, Nigga's lame. Don't worry, bro, I can't relate. But that's crazy. Like you said, man, you kill usc Did you get drafted and then you go to Canada Like you didn't want to go to Floida because that was too far.
You go to a whole other country.
Yeah. I think I needed it though, because I was so stuck on being home and scared to leave home that I needed that to kind of get me in an element of you know, a lot of my ways I follow now was from me going to Canada my first year of being by myself, nobody able to come, none of my cousins, nobody had a passport, nobody even knew who the passport was. Like, I didn't get a passport, and so two days before I got drafted, like so let alone my family got one. So I'm up there just by myself, and all I could do was just focus on who you know what I mean, Like I didn't have no distractions. I didn't have to worry about people in and out. So it was it was. It was beneficial for me, it was. And I had great vets too at the time, you know what I mean, Like Jared Jack helped me out a lot.
That was my that was my that was my roll.
Dog like he was the first person introduced me to a lot of ways on how to dress wintertime, with to eat you know what I mean, all that, you know, So it gave me a chance just to lock in. So I was I was definitely grateful for that because you know, if I would anywhere else, who knows what would have happened.
Facts, damn, I didn't even think about that. Yeah, your first winter, boy, it was different.
Oh no, it was different because winter hit. I just remember getting off the plane one time, it's snowing. I got chucks on the park, you know what I mean. By the time I get in the car, my whole angle fro, you know what I mean. Like I'm like, I didn't know what to wear, how to wear win awear, you know what I mean. Like, so everything was like a new learning experience for me that I needed.
You know what, I meant to play with one of the gods, Cal Lorry.
Yeah, I was a couple of years later. Yeah that's Cal. Like I talked to Cal every fucking day all day. He called me early Cal. When Kyle came to Toronto, it was interesting because I didn't. I didn't have a relationship with him at all. Like we played for a whole year together and I never even said a word to him. Damn we didn't talk. It was like literally no word. We're talking about coming practice. It wasn't no like dap up. But none of that ship like like it wasn't it wasn't nothing like he he He was a type that I was still stuck in the mindset of having like a complementality, like, man.
Who is this nigga? Like what do he? You know? He Philly, you know what I mean?
He coming in with his aggressive manner, doing whatever it is he doing, getting on like man.
Who he too good for niggas? Like I ain't talking to him.
But one thing like I noticed over time was like he really put into work and cared about you know, the craft, you know what I mean. It was like no no funny games when it it was all it was all strictly business. And like that next year, I respected that more than anything that it made me want to be like closer to him, you know what I mean, because he a ride and die for you on that court. You know that's how that's how the respect came and ship next day. Yeah, like next thing, you know, like like that that became our roll though, like you know what I mean to where like we we we had shipped to a t in the game to where like he and no, like I come out beginning the game, I'm like, yo, I'm going for a first quarter.
I'm getting to it. It's I bet I get the second half.
Like we played off each other so much like that because we was you know, from the friendship and understanding, like we just wanted to win that bad.
And what's so crazy is like y'all historically like built a franchise up there. You know, you had Vincent teammate up there, but which'll did and the Raptors Jersey is up there starting the test of time.
Yeah for sure, And that just one thing I definitely like, you know, hold my hat too, because it's like you know, we we you know when I first got there and nobody gave a shit about it about it, you know what I mean. People would come to Toronto knowing they was getting to win, like that was automatic. I like to have a time every time, like every time, like it was a thing like bro like it was it was, it was it was a thing. Like I remember, we used to play either Saturday or Sundays. We used to have early games on the weekend, like a twelve o'clock twelve thirty game, and we were so bad. We used to be like, man, we could get whoever we playing because we know they without the night before. Damn, you know what I mean. That's how bad. That's where we had to start from and fight a way out of that. So you know, I definitely probably myself on just you know, changing and shifting the culture to have it like a you know, a winning mentality there for sure.
Yeah, yeah, I start smacking shit boy.
Yeah, I remember that group. I used to want to be on that. Yea, I've seen so bad. It was you a mirror.
Uh.
Y'all had like this cool ass team, like y'all was fresh as fuck. Y'all always remember one game y'all had on Jordan Six's.
I'm like, shit, I won't play on this team.
They look like they young. We smacked y'all, we get the hell out of them. But I was like, they look cool, like they look like they have a good time.
Man.
I was like, damn, I want to play on this team. And then to see y'all go from nat to all sudden like, oh, we about to go Toronto. We gotta play this nigga, Kyle are about to be taking charges.
We got to send the double for debo. Bro. You know, he get to this mill round just about to get crazy.
And so to see y'all take it from there to like I'm having fun looking at y'all like, y'all you had fun.
Yeah, they real contenders. It's crazy.
Sure what year did the city really get lit?
Though?
So we're you know, Drake and everybody pulling up to the game.
Drake, Drake will always come, but he was you got to think about early on. That's when he just started to blow up too, you know what I mean. So I think when it really started taking off was that first year we went to the place we played, Brooklyn. I think that was like twenty thirteen, twenty fourteen. You know, we we end up started having like the Jurassic Park outside. That was hard, all the fans standing outside. We just started, like, you know, they started like this whole rebranding outside ind and we just took care of everything on the floor. So I want to say around thirteen fourteen when it really really took off.
And you could tell, like they had that one like the logo on the floor that was like three D. Yeah, yeah, I had the Camo jerseys and shit, ye really.
They really started to change and rebrand everything, you know what I mean, team wise and brand wise, and you know, we kind of took off with it. And you know, obviously like when when Drake got behind it, and you know, we everything kind of just fell in line, honestly. You know with the winning, you know, winning always saw saw of everything. But you know, we I think we just started to gain anybody respect because at that time when we played Brooklyn in playoffs, that's when they had Joe Johnson, Paul KG, Darren Williams, like they had a squad. We took them to seven games. That was my first playoff series and most of the team, like we were young. So to take them to seven that lose by ship at one point, you know, we that gave that gave us a swagger we needed.
Years.
They was I ain't gonna lie. Was tough to play bro y'all was y'all was cold, like man.
It was was so crazy because that next year that's when them niggas was nice. I think we were we were the only ones beating y'all. Y'all would beat us. I remember getting to the playoffs. I remember because that next year, I'll never forget them. Niggas was nice and we all we I think we would beat them, Lisa three out of four times. So I remember going to the playoffs. We played the Wizards, and we was like, we're gonna beat the Wizards. We want to play Atlanta because we match up well with them, beat them, blah blah blah. But we end up getting swept by the Wizards. That's what y'alla. But yeah, we was like them niggas was nice, but we knew we could beat them. Like that's that was our mindset. Before we played the playoff game. We was like, all right, we got the Wizards first, lets line up so we could play Atlanta second round.
We get into the conference final.
I remember I had made a defense for y'all. I was like, we're gonna trap him on everything we gonna make. We knew Kyle can shoot, we knew Cay can score, but we was like, t ross the rest of them, they gonna have to fucking hoop. But we already knew we was gonna beat whoever we was playing the first round, don't even know who we played. We played Brooklyn and we swept them, and we like, we're gonna play Toronto. We I didn't think John was gonna beat them. Listen, I didn't either. We got swept. We got crazy, bro, we got ours beat.
That is crazy.
I didn't.
We marked Toronto on that game. We was like, we're gonna play Toronto.
We did. We did the same ship.
Yeah, but we had The thing that was fucked up is that we knew if we played in Toronto, like I knew, like we played in Toronto, they might get us one of them games, because Toronto was tough to play at that time. Like and the way I was, my life was set up times. Toronto was one of my favorite cities. That was number two at the Miami. So I was like, I know, I ain't gonna be ship one of them guys. But then this might become Dinnis might play that game.
You might come to play.
But but then when they got swept with D C wasn't my ship. I mean DC was cool, but it was I can focus in DC a little bit. I couldn't focus in Toronto games.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was one of my weaker weaker cities.
Yeah, for sure.
It was so crazy as both y'all had popping teams at the time. But the problem was there was this person in the East, hard person to get around at that time.
That yeah, Bro, I mean, I mean, I know J T said it plenty of times. I said it plenty of times, but yeah, that motherfucker was impossible to me. That's just what it was like, you know what I mean, Like it just it just you know ship it was. It was no other way around it.
You don't think y'all could have had more peace and could have gotta done.
Bro, No, you can do it.
I'm be honest. I'm being honest. Like, no, Bro, Bro was just like at that time, like it's unbelievable. I always I have arguments with people because it's like they asked me what bron was the best, and it's like, my that Miami bron in that second Cleveland bron Y.
That's my first time when he first went back to Cleveland, that nigga was Bro.
It was it was bro. It was he controlled everything from top to bottom. Man, Like it was when you stepped on that floor, it was like it was it was tough.
Bro. You gotta he wanted the Greats for a reason. You know what. I Listen, man, I've never won a playoff game against them.
We know.
I've been in fourth series with this man. I got swept four times.
It's crazy.
I got a couple wins.
One time we was up thirty. I swear always up third. That's played for the Pacers, the only way I played for the player. We up thirty. Game three, I'm like, I finally beat this dude.
Bro.
He walking in half. Tom said, we're good, We're good, Yard. I keep their head up. They were down eight in the third quarter. I looked at them.
Myself, it's.
Gonna beat us Spring. I'm doing everything about power. Look, Paul, shoot the ball man, take us home.
I just want one win. I knew he wasn't gonna beat him, but damn, I just want.
To Speaking about Lebron being tough, who's one of your tough matchups one on one.
Outside of you, of course, outside of Bron, Like just one on one h ooh he had that two yeah kill bro.
D Wade. M hmm.
But I think somebody that was like, really really tough that I like, I couldn't like like I had to go head to head with was was Joe, Joe Johnson, Daniel Johnson. Like I remember, my first Playoff series was Verse Joe, and I got like every bit of io Joe, especially at the time.
I'm young, and you know, ship.
Part of the part of the way I play now is because of Joe, of how how slow he played and he was in his body getting to the buck getting to a spot, getting to the bucket, you know what I.
Mean, Like, damn, I'll see that now. Yeah, you feel me like a lot of a lot of like a lot of that ship.
How I play now I get from fucking Joe, all that methodic driven getting to a spot, like bodying all that. I got that ship from Joe because I never forget my first Playoff game. I went home that it was an early game. I went home that that evening and I was I was in pain. It felt like I got jumped by ten niggas, just like banging with them the whole game, you know what I mean, Because that's how physical he was.
And just getting to a spot. So Joe was always tough, Like Joe, Joe definitely was tough for me.
Did you always have that mini in your game? Was that always your go to the MIDI because you didn't be the best mini to me? Six rip Himmelson.
You know my my.
Rookie year, Alex Alex English was my one of the assistant coaches. People who don't know those jerseys. So this a little like just a just just a little like you know, fun fact like people don't know. I used to always like sit and listen to Alex talk, and you know, you look him up. He was top fifty greatest of all time. And he used to show me how he used to score at the elbow all the time by just one dribble pull up, shooting over mother, one dribble right, one dribble left, whatever it may be, I'm shooting over these like And I was so amazed by how simple he kept the game and was able just to get buckets. And that always stuck with me. And he was just always once you master this and get great at these positions on the floor where no matter what shot you shoot, knowing that nobody could block it, you're gonna become unstoppable. And that ship always stuck with me, and I always paid attention to that, like, man, whatever I do, I gotta make sure I get I gotta get this anything within a three. I gotta get that ship together. And that's how I looked at it.
And that ship is more than that ship is my bucket. Every time every time you shoot that ship, bro, I'm like, that's good. You started faking everything. He's still gonna hit that ship is amazing, Brocause what's so amazing about it?
They tried to take that shot out the game and like for you to still like master that shot like it was a year.
Like it was a year where like they came to me and said, you have to shoot more threes, like you gotta do this and this, And it was like I'm like why, Like I really like it was a year when I was a straight dickhead when it came to that, I'm like why, Like nobody can stop me doing this?
Why do you want me to stop doing this? You know what I mean? Analytics? I hate it.
Like when when that analytics shit started coming in a game, it used to make me so mad because not just for myself, even early on in my career, I used to look at it like, Yo, what you're telling people that what you're telling these youngest that's coming up that need to learn the fundamentals of the game. You know what I mean, it's inside out, not outside in how the game is played, like understand because yes, you feel me Like yeah, So it's like it's like that's my philosophy to where it's like, yo, it's bigger than just me how I view the game, to where it's like I want people to understand, like this is the art of basketball. This is the art of what the game was built on. Like everybody can't be a Steph Curry, and that's fine. Steph is Steph for a reason. Everybody can't be everybody can't, but everybody can master spots when it comes to this game and build off that. Everybody's not gonna be shooting thirty thirty five footers every every time that you do it the best.
Though, Bro averaging, Damn, they're a dub over dub all midies. That's crazy. Bro, you didn't don't have no three. Bro when I played too bad. Let's take a track.
Let me.
Freak thump me.
Bro, don't shoot threes.
Don't shoot threes and cold though ship is unstoppable.
I want to talk about Shoo three. I've seen him.
Want to beat the Paters a couple of years ago off of NICs Ass three.
Oh yeah, but I'm saying he got it now.
Yeah, But I never wanted to like abuse it, like like I seen Jordan's say some Ship a long time ago. It's like I never wanted to get comfortable with the three because it takes my aggressiveness in the mid range and get into the basket away, you know what I mean. It's easy to fall a victim, especially with me, like I try to be I try to practice perfection when I go out there and play in a sense of like I'm not gonna shoot bad shots, and I'm like I have a goal in my head always shoot above fifty percent no matter what, you know what I mean, Like I never want to be forty percent shoot Like, I really try to master my spot so when when in game it becomes it becomes natural to me.
No, you you can tell that you like love your craft though, Like I was the one I ain't gonna lie. I played around with my craft. I had a good time. Like ship, I'm a hoop. I just loop naturally. That's what we do in Indiana. It wouldn't like, hey, go to the gym. It's like ship. I just naturally can hoop like I could tell like when I I even like I watch you on YouTube with Dribble too much.
I watched that.
I'm like, yeah, I wish I would have Like I ain't trained with nobody. I trained with my niggas trying to rebound quick like you know, ain't read the.
First job you want the first stretch for it. I was you get my own rebel down Georgia.
He's with George Hill in high school. Man, Georgia will average thirty yeight he everage fat.
No let the SiGe for you. That was been like this too. This is about the orn. It's still crazy, man.
But one of my favorite parts about your game is like, obviously you go crazy in the league, but to see you go back home and play in the drew every summer and like really get to it, like y'all really be battling that also congrassed by the wait you know what I'm saying, But for whole fans, like like we love basketball, to see you hoop in the summer, like for y'all to really pull up there and really go crazy, that ship is fire man.
You know it's crazy for me, Bro, It's like It's a sentimental thing because you know, my dad used to take me to Julie when I was like when I was young, even before I started playing to where. I just remember when day he picked me up. I mean we left the house one day and he's like, man, bring bring your basketball shit. He took me to Juliet I was fourteen, fifteen years old, said go out there and play grown ass men. I'm like, what I guess my dad told everybody, all the growning don't take it easy on me, go out there, give him the work. And I had to compete, but it gave me a mental edge when I go out there and play with them. When I go play people my age, it's like fuck that these these motherfuckers can't fuck with me. I'm playing against grown men that they kids sitting on the sideline, you know what I mean. So it was always something that was like made me feel good because it gave me like an internal confidence that I could do this. Then it's in a hood too, like all the hood motherfucker's coming out here and all the old heads and they and they respecting you and taking you in. So me getting in a position of being somebody that people look up to like it's like mandatory for me to do it, because it's like, you never know that one kid that's sitting in here, I could be his hope, just to want to make it out, you know what I mean. It's motherfuckers in here who probably never even been to the Stables Center, you know what I mean being able to see a basketball game. They can come out here for free and watch me play like it's something I take serious too, you know what I mean. I remember, I remember I brought one of my old teammates. I think it was Jared Jay. I think I brought him playing to Julieu one one time with me years ago. In the middle of the game, I think we was about to get in I'm about to get a fight with somebody and all this. Jack leaned over and said, why are you taking this ship so serious? And to me, it's like, Yo, this ship is serious to me. You know, it's like it's like my rep on the line for here, Like I don't play around with this so like that's why when you see me playing it, like I take I take that ship.
That's that's why I ain't never play I take it. It's heavy, like even even out of the day, like I'm hooping out of the day.
It's like, you know, niggas on the other team talking shit, and it's like, you know, I don't look at it like nigga, you know who the fuck I am? Like, yeah, talk your ship, but I'm I'm gonna show you why I come here all the time, you know for sure.
Man, It's crazy because like y'all don't have some moments in there, but one I don't think get spoken enough.
I think it was maybe last year before that, bro, you and Brian Yeah on the NBA ad.
Bro.
Yeah, we all watched the Kobe We all watched. But to see that happen in the progression of the drill for y'all had that moment, that's hard. It inspires people outside, like everybody looked at like we can't wait to see that.
Yeah, and that it was crazy, Like even shout out to Bron doing that. You know, he definitely a real one for that because you know, he hit me like it was the middle of the night, probably like it was like a week before I had I had played in and Brian had hit me. Was like, man, what's up when you're playing and Drew again, I'm like next week, I'm like fucking come fuck me, like come fuck with me. So all right, man, I'm gonna come fuck with you. So I'm thinking like he probably forget that, he got busy. It was like a night before that. The following week, it's like we're time to get blah blah blah. Alright, bet I'm pulling up and I think I had tweeted like Debo and like the Crown or whatever. Pulled up and just to see how like electrified the city was. Bro, just to see like little like my thing. I'm big on looking in the crowd and seeing like kids reaction, you know what I mean, seeing those like like like like they've just seen a ghost. Like to me, that's the ship that makes it feel like, Yo, this ship is always bigger than basketball because these these kids carrying this shit like forever, you know what I mean, Like they're gonna remember this moment. And for Bro to do that, man, that shit was like that shit was amazing, you know what I mean, especially like, you know, shit twenty years in years, four years, how big is to come out there in the in the hood and who and the game was cracking too, Like it was like they took us down to the wire like they was out there talking shit all that. So, man, that shit was a probably you know, my second favorite fame favorite mote moment outside of when Cole play Cob always gonna be my number one whenever.
But what when Brian did that ship man? That ship that was some real ship man.
Let me ask you this then, because I remember I said that I said something out of pocket about Cold, because I said what I say.
James, Remember said James Harden was better.
I said, James Harden scored a little better than Cold was out of pocket.
No, like James Harden scored that most. I've told somebody this multiple times. The run James had, it's crazy. Come on, bro, The run James had was fucking like that ain't even a video game.
Was crazy.
That ship was like some fucking like space jam. Yeah.
I mean, because like if you didn't watch the game, you just knew when you checked the box score it was gonna be something fucking crazy.
Forty forty forty five.
Fifteen to sist ten rebounds Like that run he had, Bro, that ship was fucking incredible, and how he did it. The ship looked like it was with no effort.
That's what I was saying.
You see what I'm saying, So I got what you was coming from from. From from that standpoint, I think people react people's people is just so sensitive when it comes to like certain people, certain ship. You really just sit and think. Bro, that run James had BRO was the most incredible ship like we we I ever seen.
Like it was crazy.
He would just literally come down court by by by three five step three by by by hes he it was it was fire like come on like it was incredible.
And don't forget Nigga was winning fifty games in the West, in the West, and that's crazy who he was going against.
Bro.
He had to go against that prime warrior situation and he was still going crazy.
Going Bro, that's the only thing I said. But I got killed for that. But I think Kobe is phenomenal. Like it's nothing like I know to love you and respect you for coch but I just at that moment, I'm like, what I had to play against James Bro that but that that ship was different.
Yeah, Bro, that's the thing.
Like it just like listen, you said, Kobe is my goat all that everything, but it's like it's real, is real?
The ship James was doing. I don't think we ever see that. All you want, we.
They try to they try to erase it with with Luca. Obviously we know Luca, he liked it. But I'm like, nah, bro, James had to do that against teams in the West one it was I mean.
Them teams in the Rockets weren't that great. It was a lot of James, Harden and everybody else just kind of saying the corners of these series that man was on.
When I see when I seen somebody reguards to him and stand behind him.
Stand behind gas, behind their back, I said, I don't know what the is going on right here?
This is bad basketball.
But he that special where you can't even't know what to do. Yeah, like you gotta go. I don't. I'm trying something totally different. I'm just staying behind you. That's crazy.
Speaking on COVID, did you pull some of your feetwork from him?
Yeah, I definitely got a lot of that came through through conversations with him of just breaking down like he was a big soccer fan, so he used to always, you know, incorporate how soccer players move, how to use their footwork to get leverage, quickness, and he always used to tell me to watch you know, certain players like you know, I came obviously the way he moved, but also like the smaller guards, like like a fucking like Andre Miller for example, you know what I mean, legend not the fastest, not can't jump the highest then that, but he knew how to maneuver in small places to be able to get a shot off or get to the bucket and everything.
So I used to I used to start.
I started paying attention to like a lot of of the D and them players in a sense that you know, probably don't have the big notoriety as everybody else, you know what I mean. And took a lot of stuff from him. Another person who helped me with my fullwork shit was like Sam could sell you know what I mean. When I was fifteen, like used to be around Sam, and Sam always used to preach to me about certain ways how to shoot the turn around, how to get your feet leverage a certain type of way, you know what I mean. Learn from him, and learn from fucking Catino Mowgli how to get your shots, you know what I mean. It's certain players that I took so much from, like incorporated. But Cole wasn't one to put the like the the notion in it too. You know you master this, Like basically, he always used to tell me, learn how to play in a phone booth.
You know what I mean?
If you could be if you know how to master how to create shots from a phone booth, you're good, you know what I mean. So he used to talk a lot of fucking codes. He used to take some time to figure out. But when I figure it out and the light bulb off, I know I had something.
Yeah, they don't just spoken enough. How good your footwork is?
Bro?
So I had to ask.
And that's the fire part. When you hear players like you and your caliber speaking like you. When you hear people like yeah, it's cool to but like now, but you always speak on the players like okay, everybody may not speak on his name, but like I learned something from this player that's pivotal to my game.
That's like Tony Parker. His footwork was crazy. It's crazy, but it's like my hole on and off the court.
No, no, it's just just on the court. On the court, shout to TP.
I learned from all the motherfuckers, man, Like I really became like a student of the game and just watch motherfuckers rather if it was a slow motherfucker fast mouth quick and just try to take take ship from him from him and try to incorporate it, you know, into my game.
You one of the best scores, like you, like we're talking about phone booth scores, like you mellow on those guys, Kobe, Like y'all can get y'all shot off at any point, Like I always say that, Like that's why I said when we was gonna play, gonna send doubles. But it was like, it don't matter where you at on the floor. I know you can get a shot off, like that's you know, but you it's never a shot clock violation. Like with me, I used to get shot ced like you. I'm like, he ain't getting no shot clock violets. You know how to get a shot off, That's that's like tough to do. That's what I think about you, James. Same thing with Melo cole kd y'all le scores. Like when I hear people talking about one of the least scores in the league, your name should be talking about a lot more.
I appreciate that because you know it's definitely one thing, like you know that you know, they get overlooked for whatever reason, you know what I mean. I heard somebody on the podcast say some ship I wouldn't to score and all this, and it's just like, you know, it's like, come on, how many points you up? It's only probably I think thirty people in the history basketball got more points than me.
So it's like, come on, balance me, like you know what I mean.
So it's like, you know, it's it's one of those things like when it comes to it, like you just check the facts on.
It, you know what I mean, when it comes to that, and that's crazy thing to say about you. Yeah, I put that up. That's why I'm he's buckets around, you know what it is. That's the crazy ship to say about Broun. It's like, Broun don't really score, bro, he got the most buckets ever. How you're gonna say the nigga not to score. He got the most buckets ever.
Bro.
People just say that just it's just show me how stupid they are, you know what I mean, Like, come on, man, you get buckets, bro, that's you got buckets your whole career.
Though it ain't like it's just ain't like you always that's the ship that throws me off, like y'all like like it's something new, like you always got buckets. Like it's kind of funny when I because when I heard somebody said on the podcast, I was like, huh, like come on if you would to say, yo, he don't pass like you don't get assists like that.
I'm like, when you're gonna look at the status, it's like, how bro, you know how people play in this league? And he so he topped in the league like.
Like it didn't even want like I couldn't even like comment on it.
I just thought it was like it was beyond funny to me, Like it's just like I guess anybody with a microphone can say whatever whatever they want to these day.
That was crazy your bucket.
I gotta ask, how was that transition going from Toronto to San Antonio?
Man, it was.
Tough because obviously everybody know like I wanted to be there. I wanted I wanted to stay there everything you know, ship, you know, that was that was home. So you know, getting traded the way with down, you know, that part hurt more than anything. Then you know, when I finally calmed down and realized, like, shit, I'm going to San Antonio. Damn what they say about City Born blah blah blah. It's like, yeah, I'm playing for Pop. It's her like fucking coach Pop, Like you know what I mean? And what's crazy? When I got traded, I didn't talk to nobody for like fucking two weeks. I wouldn't answer my phone. I was mad as shit, like I'm I was. I was in my feelings. I was like, man, I was, I was. I was hurt and I ain't gonna lie. But Pop had called me out the blue and just was like, look, we didn't trade you.
We traded for you.
Like and when I let let that sink in, I'm like, god, damn, he got a fucking point like all right, Like and just to like be underneath Pop, to hear like the game from him, the way he just took me in and accepted me more than just a basketball player, like to help with the transition, Like I like, I cherished that shit forever, man, because it was something I needed in my career at the time, because I'm looking you know, I'm looking at the game one way my whole time, and you know, my nine years in Toronto, I'm thinking, just, you know, just go out there, shoot the ball thirty times, try to get a win.
If I don't, if I don't, if I shoot bad, at least I try.
With Pop, it was more so like how can you make everybody else around you better and with that make it easier on myself. So Pop always used to tell me, give me three and a half quarters of playing this way, the rest is you. And with that it made the game more fun because now I'm getting everybody involved, making it easier doing this. But when it was time to win, it was like, go win the game, you know what I mean. And it gave me a different outlook on just how to incorporate use the game, use your teammates, get everybody involved, and find the rhythm of the game that way. Like my first my first shoot around with Pop, I remember he said, man, tomorrow, you the point guard. I ain't never played point guard day in my career, and it's like he telling me I'm the point guard. But I think that whole week, I think I averaged like like damn near thirteen fourteen assists, you know what I mean.
But he'd do shit like that to challenge you to show you that you can do it, you know what I mean, and that that was something definitely needed for sure.
You heard a lot of good reviews from players about coach Propert. Then it's so dope to see now like he got wimby. Yes, like we know he's gonna be for sure anyway, but he got popped. Like he's the next superstar for sure.
For sure, he definitely gonna learn. I mean, you see it now, even just how he was playing the Olympics, like the way he played in the championship game, you know what I mean, Like he's still a kid, bro, But I guarantee you he was on the phone with Pop that night this you know what I mean, Pop giving him some type of you know, inside and knowledge on how to carry that. Now, watch how he beat this year.
It's about to get spooky. And he got feet on there. Yeah spoky, bros. Yeah, this shit looked like a video game. Nah, bro, Like I've never like we played them this year. I swear I had a drive to the lane. He I'm on one side of the key, he on the other side. I stopped for the layup and pulled it back out. He was on the other side of the key. He wasn't even like but I just knew he had the recovery length to be able to fucking block whatever I throw up. Crazy, I'm talking about you. You just looking in an eye, Bro, you gonna know like he he gonna be one of.
The ones for sure. Oh yeah, we never seen nothing like him? No, hell no like KD.
What I seen KD I was I've never seen nothing like seven can do all that stuff. He four or five inches tall and KD.
What a handle.
That's crazy.
Obviously you are student in the game. Who are some of the young players in the league that you know what I'm saying? Take a notice or take a liking too.
That's a hell of a question because I think you know, like how young are you talking? Like? Whatever?
Whoever, let's do John, Okay, Like those guys, I think they're gonna carry this lead to you know where it needs to be. You know what I mean when you look at the job the Lucas, it's all those guys they like beyond special man, Like you know, I'd be glad. I'd be glad when you know John get back healthy, he get back on the floor, because you know, the game is that much more exciting when those when those players are healthy, you know what I mean, Like, you know, I hate that he wasn't out there to do, you know, to be a part of you know, all this, Like it's it's amazing to see just being a fan of like all these guys that come in to lead that you know, you see him as kids one year and the next year fucking you know, they hold swag change you see, you know what I mean, They carrying their.
Their own aura.
So you know, my favorite players is obviously like John Luca fucking you know, I don't know if JT is Jason still a fucking and.
That's one of my favorites.
And from Compton Listen, I don't know him personally like that, but the times I didn't play it. I remember I played against ant this year and like the dog he got in him. I remember jump ball, He's still right next to me. He he guarded me. I'm like, yo, Like he take on all these fucking challenges and I respect that from a young and like that, you know what I mean, Like like you see the dog in him and obviously you see it with the Olympic team and.
What he gonna be come next season. Is like that ship.
I know what playing in the Olympics do for a player like that, shit takes you to a whole another level mentally, physically, emotionally, like you feel like you that especially being around them those other eleven guys. So like those like definitely and one of my favorites. So I think those guys gonna carry the league to where it needs to be for sure.
Man, you know what I'm saying. Obviously, you know a new situation is summer Congress on that as well. Appreciate you're playing with another young dog as well. I don't know if it's too young the Fox.
Yeah, I mean that was part of the reason, you know, even making making that decision the Fox. In my career.
Man, they do that fast listen, fastest ship, fastest ship. Like he put me on the bench.
Man. See, that's the first time I said, you know, I think I want to come off the bench.
Man.
They want to come against man. I was like, yeah, I think we'll come off the bench. I was like, yeah, Minnesota, I think you could probably start Jones.
Nah, yeah, I think that situation, you know, I came. It came out of nowhere after you know, season was over, when free agency hit. You know, I know it was a bunch of other options, but you know, when I just sat back and like realized, like, you know, what the team needed, what they had, what they was fighting for, and how bad they want to win, you know, it just fit the mold that you know, I want to be a part of. And you know, just being able to play with those guys, you know, I'm looking forward to it. You know, a monk, sir, hurry. You know, it's it's a lot of it's a lot of those guys that that that's special, you know, and and I really want to be a part of that. I feel like, you know I could, I definitely can help. When did your game start transitioning? Because to me, I could be wrong, but I feel like when you first came to the league, he was a high flyer.
I was, yeah, and then you turned it. I'm not saying you dumbed your game down, but you brought to like ship, I'm gonna shoot these minies and when what you're that like, I'm abo to stop dunking on niggas because I'm trying to I ain't trying to be like Jeff T and these be all fucked up wanted to keep going years and years.
You know what I mean? What's what's crazy? Twenty thirteen? No shame he trying to dunk on everybody. Jeff had hots my life like motherfucker, you.
Know what I'm saying. But he didn't want to stop. He didn't know he was a jabblwalking through his whole career.
What's up?
What's crazy? That's a great question. Twenty thirteen. I had tored my growing I like off the bone. It was like six six, seven games in the season. I just trying to turn the corner with the ball slipped toward my whole groun, and like I was so worried because I'm like, man, we're finally getting good. I think the year before I had made All Star. So I'm like, man, funk I'm trying to do. I didn't want to be a one time All Star type of nigga, you know, like like.
To tell your story. I know niggas gonne share the shark, tell your side of the story.
This is about the ad.
Y'all.
Come on, man, tell your story.
Bro.
I'm bad, jam bad, Bro, my bad. I ain't I didn't even think about it, bro.
Listen. That was funny, that's good. I didn't want to be a one time All Star.
At the time, I was so thirsty, like I was so mad at getting hurt to where it was like six seven game in the season. So when I tore my growing, I'm thinking they talked about surgery and all this shit. So I'm like, man, hell no, I ain't trying to miss the season all this shit, so I'm doing it whatever I possibly can to see how fast I could get back. So I ended up doing like the PRP shit, you know, rehab. I think I missed twenty two games. So I kind of rushed myself back, thinking like, fuck it, I can still make All Star. We still was winning, let me, let me get back out here and started killing. So when I started back playing, I wasn't right for that next probably like two years.
Nobody knew.
I never said nothing, so that made me scared to jump run fast, and that's when I started paying attention to theygas like fucking Joe Johnson, fucking I remember. I remember during that time, I sat there and watched those two years of Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards. I said, oh, I swear to god, I watched Jordans every game Jordan played in a Wizard jersey.
I'm like, yo, this.
They said both his knees was fucked up, he couldn't move, blah blah blah. So I'm I'm watching him from the standpoint of like, how is he doing? What he doing? He's still averaging twenty plus, still getting forty, but he not yoused. He not athletic no more. He not the old Jordan. So I watched so much in him. So when I came back and started playing, I try to play more that way to where I started to kind of like master playing that way. And by the time I got more healthy, my athletic ability and all that was in case of emergency.
So he's listening. He was watching niggas jump off the rope and w w he watching the real field.
I want to enjoy my life. I like wrestling and ship. He watching m J. I don't thought m J was done looking at.
Different I'm done. I'm looking like Jordan. He looking at the footwork.
Crazy now.
But I wanted to talk about because I always want I'm bro. I'm a fan bro for real. So I watched everybody talk so highly of you, like Kobe White, no younger Dayling Terry talk about how the leader you was in Chicago, and it's like damn to hear him speak about you like that, Like, bro, Tuck is under his wing. He talks the ropes and didn't see like Kobe White, you know, had an up and down for and then you get there and all sudden you see him start growing and becoming basically to me, he's gonna be one another star.
I see, I see him being an All Star. This shit no question for me.
Bro.
It got to a point to when I start realizing, like you know, I'm I'm getting older, especially when motherfucker started calling me old head.
Damn shit, you know what I mean.
That's why I started like I was dodging that ship for for a long time, like niggas calling me o g oh yeah, like until like I just finally like accepted it in a sense to where it's like, y'all, I really fuck with these young dudes, bro, because it's like I really won't. I really want to see everybody be successful and win, you know what I mean, Like think about it, bro, Like sometimes I have moments where I just sit up here and be like I'm from compting. I damned there made three hundred million dollars from playing basketball, damn, you know what I.
Mean, Like like they're like that ship. Let me.
It's like it's like when I have those moments and think about it, it's like, how how much of everything I learned, the fails, the success, and everything that I could give to these young guys that probably don't know it, you know what I mean, the good the bad on and off the court. And I really I really put my all into all my teammates that I play with, all these young dudes, because you know, I remember being so blind when I was young, not knowing you know shit, I remember I was a motherfucker going to the hotel room, order fucking chicken tenders and wings and call it a night to where it's like evens even now, it's like I take all these young dudes to go eat at these restaurants so they can see and understand something different. It ain't just hotel food that you can eat, you know what I mean? Like I try to like expose them to so much more that the world have to offer. Don't just be stuck in this one place. And you know, once you free up a motherfucking mind to that aspect. It helps them with the confidence to help them with the preparation. Especially with me, It's like all these all these young niggas everybody I play with, see me after a game if we on the road, first thing I do, I get on the phone with my kids.
I'm talking to my kids, hearing about my kids. They doing this. I'm showing them the responsibilities.
I still take take care of it on a daily base and still be the first one on the bus, still be the first one in the meeting, first one in the gym, doing all this. And it's like any any logical person who sees that will understand, like, damn, that's that's thinking about it. Bro, I'm going to six year sixteens crazy like still doing it to this level. Like, you gotta be consistent. So I try to give the game to all these youngins as best as I can. Bro, You not every single day.
You're doing a hell of a job.
Bro.
To see I'm just what I'm watching them as players grow, and it's like, and they giving you that credit, It's like, damn, BRO figured it out. But then to see your game though, like to see you when we first in the league to where you are now, You're like, yeah, he put in the work and that time, and like you said, three hundred million, they pay off, Bro, that work and to see I know what you're gonna do in Sack with that same group, with them young guys who they got a great team, You're gonna do the same thing. I see him having another great year and making some noise in the West, for sure.
It's crazy more years in the league, Bro, like for sixteen, but we can see you playing another five six years level Like, that's the dope part about it and everything that we learned. I think the best part that we get to meet people and you see the difference of people who pouring too that team. That's the points it showing people more this outside of that. Those are the ones you see that get the respect they get to their careers and others kind of more sage. It's like, all right, the kind of fall by the wayside. So it all makes sense, man, it all makes sense for me.
Like, Bro, I always told myself, like, fuck the media, fuck with people p and a gotta say after games and all this. I always took the heart like if my my peers respect me, all that matters. You feel me like that's the only thing that matters as long as I could walk in the gym and motherfuckers know, like, man, like I fuck with d R D. Man, he gonna compete or you gotta bring it like that's that's what matters to me the most.
You got that for sure.
Off basketball a little bit, man, I want to ask you about Kendrick Ryan Man, what you're thinking about the he came back, He put the city back, I mean the head man.
I know, Drake your guy, but yeah, but I think you know, even not my guy.
But I think for me being on the inside, it's never like it's not a surprise for me, right, I mean, like it's it's like like I see Bro or talk to Bro, like it's it's a normal thing, you know. So it's like when you know a person and it's like he he probably somewhere sitting in the room with sage lit right now, not knowing what the fuck is going on on the outside world of things, you know what I mean, because he just he in tune or whatever it is.
He like he living his life, you know what I mean.
So like as a fan, you know, you you hype to see it, But from my standpoint, you know, like, no, bro, that's that's that's bro. So it's like when you see him, it's kind of like you know, you see j T go who in a Big Three, and it's like you're really not surprised, you know he yeah, you know what I like. So it's really not a surprise if you go see him fucking going out there killing motherfucker's in the Big Three, it's like.
Did you know he was gonna be a star or had a feeling before, because of course you heard he always was like different in ahead of his time and and kind of like was a visionary with how he approached and looked looked at things, you know what I mean, And he always had that and a lot of times I think as as just like a man.
You see the growth and the failures that he he took and had to accept and grow from, not just fuck it just being about the rap part of it, you know personally, you know, and you see the growth in an individual, and you know, like we all know he nice when it comes to you know, rapping, but you know you've seen the growth from it, and you know he put it in his art, you know what I mean. I know a lot of people you know, want to hear more from him all that, but to him, it's like, you know, he put his life, he put his life out there for us to understand, and sometimes niggas got to go through ship to be able to put, you know, our life out there and speak about some ship. So to me, it's just like, you know, it's cool to see him out there, but it's more so like cool just to see him, you know, and.
And in the in the hill space mentally, you know what I mean.
Is that first album Top five.
The first one one?
Yeah, yeah, good, but that even that, it's like that's such a storyline of you know what I mean, you inside like so you do, but it's like that album.
Like the breakdown of it, it's like you walk Street.
So it's like like vision and ship like when I hear it, like I know exactly, like it's certain ship he even say where it's like I may get it more than everybody else, you know what I mean.
But it's like it's definitely in my definitely my tip five.
What was that like though at that concert, Like yeah, like you all y'all on stage, y'all on the whole cality together.
I mean, it was one of those things. I know, people get so caught up and looking at the whole beef part of it and everything.
It's bigger than that though.
It's so much bigger than that, because like it's a lot of those dudes I know had problems with another dude, this hood, didn't get along with this hood, or or it was it was some type of tension or friction, or you haven't seen these sets of people around, this set of people in X amount of time, and for it to be a moment to be able to share be shared in LA in the forum, to bring out all of artists from like you know, from home, to do that with no problem, no issues. Everybody get in there with no arguments, no fights, no scuffles lead there, everybody get home. It was like it was just a different type of fucking like appreciation for one another, you know what I mean. I know it's so easy to get caught up in the whole beef part of it and all that, but for us, it's just like it's bigger than that, you know what I mean.
Music, if music could bring us together, it.
Just show you how powerful we are as people that if we just put all the fucking egos and all that sensitive ship to the side, like we really could come together and do something special, you know what I mean?
That was a moment too man like not even.
To do that.
Brow lights get niggas that can go crazy in the city like there to Toronto, bro, but that ain't speak even.
That, Like just how great the I know it's so easy when people get caught up in the size and all that.
But it's like, I don't think Drake.
Still the phasing ship that Drake then did over what the last fifteen years, nothing nothing could ever take.
That away, you see what?
Like I know, like I said, it's always easy when I look at it from be honest with you, I look at all this ship like I really come from, like the hood I come from, like niggas losing their life over some dumb shit over dice games, Like I didn't have an uncle get killed by that was a blood that got killed by a crypt. Another uncle that was a crypt that got killed by blood and like it, and it fucked up my whole like childhood upbringing to where it's like y'all letting songs divide and create and make people so sensitive to where it's like to me it's like, come on, man, like we it's like watching a fucking action packed movie.
Nobody really, you know what I mean.
To me, I hated how it started because they're just two totally different artists. To me, I didn't I get Drake, and really it's just Kendrick, like you said, it really comes from kind of more respected.
Yeah, but it's like, I think you can't just never discredit like Drake. Drake. Drake is like Drake. You was in the city when Drake.
Really, yeah, I see, yeah, I've seen from from the beginning to to so where is it the star?
You know, Like, I don't think it will ever be another Drake. That's just that's just what it is, you know.
And ain't nobody ever fought against that many people bro.
Drake him, Kendrick him.
To the end of the day, it just comes down to being that, like both of them the big dogs at what they do, and why about that being respected?
Everybody got spared one day. But that's list.
Hey, in my neighborhood, the two toughest niggas have to get down. One gotta lose. That don't make them less than the other one, you know what I mean, It's just be more respected because ain't nobody else gonna get down with one of these one of them niggas.
That's just so. That's that's my view.
Everybody who don't come from the streets or understand the street part of it may not look at it like that. It may getting their feelings or be sensitive about certain ship. For me, I look at all this ship, like bro, ain't nobody hurt this ship?
Is this?
This is it was good watching fucking the matrix. See I told you about Lebron and Brownie. This is the matrix.
Man, let's get up before Now that's hard. I think it's dope and ship right.
What you think about like seeing bron I got the upmost respectful bron but be able to see his son in the league with them play on the same team that.
You know how the league work. Yeah, it's gonna be a moment where Bronni and Broun in the game, but the same time he's starting. I ain't say he's starting, but it's gonna be a moment.
I told everybody it's gonna be a highlight or little bron You're gonna throw brown alive and the ships gonna go crazy.
That's gonna be everywhere. You know it's gonna happen though, right for sure, that's.
What I'm hoping. I'm watching a game with me too. I'm gonna lie, I'm gonna recorded.
I don't want it to be against the Kings, but it's definitely a moment like come on, bro, like damn with everybody.
None of us never seen no ship like that, so for to be an opportunity for that to happen. Ship, if I had a son, I want like if my son, if my son, now, if my my son two years old, so you cook, But if I had my son was in that position, I will I will want the same thing.
For sure. They do nothing.
I gotta start having kids at fourteen that we ain't pushing that.
But if you're trying to leave, what a good circle, man. We're about to get the fuck up out of here. Man, biged out. We appreciate you sliding on this man, best of luck this season. Were definitely gonna be watching the Kings.
Be here. Tell the people that can grasp and march at.
Shop Club five twenty dot com. Baby, were out of here.
Thanks, you know what it is. Club five twenty The volume
