NBA Rookie Life with Ryan HollinsJames Johnson on facing LeBron as a Rookie, and Fighting Jon Jones
Ryan talks with 14-year NBA veteran, James Johnson about coming into the league with the Bulls, playing with peak Derrick Rose, facing LeBron in the playoffs as a rookie and fighting UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones after he retires from the NBA.
NBA Rookie Life is a production of iHeartMedia and the NBA
How's everybody doing. I want to welcome you into a man A cool episode, I would say, a special episode. They all special, but a really cool episode for myself of NBA rookie life. If I'm not mistaken, I think i'm his first podcast, the first, you know, one of the first. Okay, So I'm gonna say this is exclusive content right here. He was the ACC Freshman of the Year, a two time All Conference selection going into his fifteenth Yeah, you heard, fifteen seasons in the NBA. Do you know how rare that is? And one of the most explosive athletes I've ever seen play the game. He was the sixteenth pick in the two thousand and nine draft. The ladies and gentlemen, nothing other than my guy, James Johnson. JJ was good with you, man, y'all?
What alright? Man? What an induction? Baby? I appreciate you, man.
No, man, Hey, hey, I appreciate you, man. And you know what's funny about you JJ. You might not know this, but you will come out of way and coach the late great Jeff Cable coach Caple and we like you know you always like kind of size guys up. I remember you. You were a rookie then, and we knew about the other guys and we was like, hey, he was like, hey, that one over there, he'll put one on your head. Don't mess with him. He's like that. We're like, hey, can you know the league? When we came into the league, JJ, like you had to prove yourself. It was more like even it was a mental game before you could even get on the court. And it was like, nah, he liked that. And I remember watching you just slowly like make your name in the league because you didn't come in with the glitz and the glamour. You were a high pig, but you had to earn your way. Man, I'm telling you, man, you've always had that respect. And now fast forward and fifteen years in the league, Man, you have put it down. Brother.
Nah, yeah, I appreciate you speaking on that. Lou All Dang, Joe Kim, Noah, Kurt Iyrich, Brad Miller, like you know what I mean, John Salmon's coming in the league with those guys, my old hass. It was there was no plan, you know, So it was uh experience and learning learning that you can't just get from just you know, being on the outside.
I guess facts. And you know it's when you bring up John Salmons, Bro. John Salmons, in my mind, one of the most underrated players to have played, like he has so much game, bro, but like he's not a name you always pop up, like he was unguardable in certain moments once he got rolling, like Salmon's had game bro.
And like I said, I was getting zero minutes with those guys ahead to be man. So like you said, you had to earn your name, you had to get your respect. And you know that that was the name of the game back then. So different now, but you know, the game done gotten so much more talent. It's just out of this world.
Man, absolutely, And I felt like for you, the longevity speaks so much because you know, I want to say, within the last five years, five six years almost, it was just a youth movement. You know, teams have been willing to go young. So it shows your presence, It shows that you. You know, we don't everybody know you paid your dues, but man, you have made your name in this league. But I want to rewind. Man, I want to go back to you because it's his NBA NBA Rookie Life, Rookie year. Man and even more so the draft come coming out awake? What was draft day like for you? What were the projections? Were you a green room guy? You know? Were you? Were you kind of you know, I listen, I was a fiftieth pick. I had a chip on my shoulder. It was forty nine dudes I had on my hit list. You know, what was your mindset coming into the league, because I know you earned your name, bro, Like I watched him.
Really, it was just all the workouts, man, going against guys like Earl Clark. He was damn man, every one of my workouts. You know, we became brothers after that. You know that old nine draft class was crazy. Man, I can keep naming on it. You know, we're in one of the errors that changed this game, I believe. So you know, I knew it was a lot of work it had. I was just grinding.
Man.
The green room had called, but they said he was only allowed to bring four.
So I was like, I got to hold on, who are you in your mind trying.
To exactly I got? I got too many brothers I got, you know what I mean? Like, I was like, man, we just throw our own party. So that's what we did. After the draft. When my name was called, it was crazy because it could have been I think it was Jerrold Henderson. He went to Charlotte and when he when he called Joe Henderson, my little brother could have swore they said my name. So he popped the Chris style bottle one time. Everybody looking at that like, yo, that's not him, you know. But luckily my name did get called. Blessed uh and sixteenth pick, you know, headed to the bulls. You know, it was crazy because I was in Shot, I was in Shy, I was in Shining, Wyoming and de Rose's best friend Randall, Yeah, he happened to get a scholarship at a junior college out there, so you know, I was just hooping with them. Guys knew who d Rose was obviously, seeing him in high school, you know, seeing him at Memphis obviously, and then be able to go team up with him Filey or whatever it was.
It was crazy, man, You're talking about crazy. And you know what, like, what was the mindset like because a lot of people don't notice. So, you know, here's a league in the net show. For the most part, if you are drafted high, you're drafted the worst of the team. So you're gonna have to take your lumps. You're gonna be first or second team picked, but you're gonna take your lumps. If you fall in the middle area, you're gonna go to a solid team, you might not get the minutes. So a lot of where you land can make or break some guy's career. And for a lot of guys, you know, a JJ like some man the NBA we came into you didn't just play bro like. You had to earn it, or you had supervets, you had OG's that played or you know, you know, we've been in situations I just said, you maybe have been better or more talented than the guy, but he know how to do his job on the court, and coach is gonna go with those veterans. So you really had to earn your weight or pull your weight in the league.
And to try to figure out terminology plays. You know, back then the playbook was crazy. Yes, the playbook was great. So you got to know the players. You really had to talk on defense, know your defensive rotations, or you're not getting any minutes. You know, you know how that goes in for a young guy like me that those were the tough parts because you know, I usually just rolled the ball out and just hold. So yeah, so learn from those guys how to how to put it together like that, you know, definitely, like I said, went a long way. But to earn your spot back then, it was it was hell.
Was there a was there a moment through those you know, those rookie year, those first early seasons where uh, something that sticks out in your mind where you kind of learned the lesson or you know, a a dang and Jane don't come out here not knowing the plays or something, or somewhere where og kind of took you under the wing and taught you a lesson that helped you stick through, uh, you know through the league. You know you're talking about you're talking about Brad Miller, those super ogs right there right.
I mean a lot of those guys got percentages or whatever. And the reason why I'm still here, you know what I mean, just little lessons, little dimes that they drop or whatever, just you know, went along way with me. A lot of things that I understood and comprehended. And then there's a lot of a lot of things like just doing something, saying something just to get you out of the way. You know, you got to be careful for that. There's always that, there's always that you. You were danger to his minutes, you're danger to his lifestyle, you know. So you know you got to watch both. You got to know who's helping you and who's, you know, trying to knock you off that track.
Who would you say maybe was the most instrumental or I kind of like, look like, shoot, I had a cup brother Knight, Kevin Burlerson. Shoot, I didn't pay for a meal coming into training camp. Kevin Burlson, I was staying in a hotel. He like, now you're staying with me, young fella. Like you and me like, is there an og that kind of took you under the wing in your time?
It's crazy? But like like you said, I want to get back to what you said that when you go sixteenth, you're going to a solid team. I went to it. I went to a team that just got done playing Boston in the playoffs. They're running it back and then we go against Cleveland in the playoffs. You know, so you know they had a chip onit, Sholder as well, that's right, that was bron Cleveland. Oh, I got punched on so bad that's a different story. But but yeah, it's crazy, but not crazy to me, I guess. But the og who really took me in my rookie year was just narrow Pargo Pargo, yes, sir, And he's from the shot, so it was you know what I mean, it was only fitting like first Mills, Like I never had to pay for nothing with him at all. Oh, so you know it's.
Crazy now, JJ, let me me has this. We got to dive into it. Me and you walked in completely different type of rookies. I was skinny, trying to gain weight. A lot of cats in it back then. They they had to try me. I had a couple of practice fights. Me and I gonna talk about, you know, behind the scenes, JJ, you really do this. You really do this. So I'm gonna ask for a little context on you know, the black belt, the training, how that kind of came about with basketball and you know, as a rookie, was that something that you did or something you developed during the league. You know, with all due respect, you know, shout out to the late great Mam, but you know, a couple of guys get popped and then they like, oh, let me hit the boxing training. You know, I remember your hey JJ, your life about this. So I had a I can't make it up. I can't make this out. I go to San Antonio, you know, one of my later years for a training camp or whatever, right, And I kid you not, Bro, like San Antonio. In the middle of like August or whatever, you got Minu in that bad boy hooping retire hooping with the training camp guys, Bro, he retired. Timmy D came in for like a boxing workout. All of a sudden, these little trainers come in, Hey, you want to hop into work out. I'm like, Bro, I'm trying to make the team. I'm in the work I'm tired of and Tim is in there. You know, Tim is hitting the bag, and you know I compete against Tim and timms retired. But I'm like, Bro, that's Timmy D. You know. So I'm hitting the bag and I'm like, I'm trying to make small talk with Timmy. He's so competitive. Bro. I'm like, hey, Tim, you know, while you hitting the bag, what's the training you know? Does this help the footwork or something like that? He said for guys like you, And I'm like, oh, like Tim, bro for it's funny, how competitive those guys are some you know, some ball players take up the boxing training because nobody want to get stuck on TV. Bro, you're gonna you know, you know what I'm saying, You're gonna have that live with you for a very long time. But back to you, was that something you came up with how to help basketball wise? That's something you would refer to other young athletes. And I feel like for me, I just jiu jitsu training then like you JJ, but I feel like I was more calm in situations where I might try to make myself up here biggerround, like, I'm calm. I know how to handle myself. So talk to me about about that deal.
Yeah. No, my father he grew up doing it, became a master, and then after that, my whole family it was you had no choice. That was almost family business.
Hold on, your father was a master. What does that mean? You can't casually say master.
Yeah he's a master, so eighth degree, eighth degree black belt. So yeah, so he been trading for yeah, facts, get it, he get it done. But yeah, from then on out, from then on, that was the whole family. The whole family had to get in it. Being martial LARTs it was like you could do whatever you want, but this was like the you have to do, Like you didn't have to blame six three six, Yeah, been in a lot, you know, so yeah, you didn't have to play basketball, football, you didn't do any of that. You just had to be in martial arts in our family. Yeah, and then you know, we started traveling, competing, getting our weight classes, competing in that, and uh, things was looking up. I thought I was going to do that. Honestly, I thought.
What age did you start?
Was this?
Like I mean like four five years old enough?
Like I was like four or five when we started, you know, throwing kicks, playing around with it, and then you gradually, you know what I mean, the discipline starts getting more and more. You know. So yeah, I was a younger, but all my brothers, like my older brothers, they they was already fighting and things like that. So you know, it was it was already like those are who I looked up to when I was growing up, my big bros obviously, so you know, seeing them do it, that was like my Spider Man's or my you know, my my superhero. Yeah. We didn't have no TV. You know, It's not like how my kids get spider mad at all these I didn't have all them Like my heroes was my bros. And I got to see them fight flip all day.
Dang, was there a point like, you know, it was funny my pop should always be like was wold? Bro? Like my pops was only six five. My mom like, you know, five eleven, but my dad knew. He was like he's going to be seven feet he's gonna be seven feet. No, that he's gonna be seven. Like was there a point like, hey, hey, hey, pops, we think James is gonna be you know, like six ' nine six eight, Like you know, this might not be the future, or like did that come out of nowhere?
Now? My my older brothers is six four six five, you know, so you know I think they at least knew that.
Yeah.
I mean I didn't really start getting toller until college. I was like six five, six ' five coming out of coming out of high school.
Oh you was league then, bro? Hold on, hold on, JJ, you grew four inches in college.
Man, I swear bro it was. I was six four six five in in high school. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was the workout. I started drinking protein shakes. You know that. I had none of that back in the g B. It's like gatorade shakes and all that. Who knows?
So were you always not to put it like this? Like were you always league? Was it like, oh man, he's league now?
Yo?
He grew four inchests like you going from you know, playing the one and two or you know maybe the three that hey, you he going you know two through four, two through five depended on it.
I swear like nine O nine if fighting was at where it was at and O nine, I probably wouldn't even went to wake four us shout out Timmy D, Timmy D two shout out Timmy D. Yeah, I probably wouldn't went straight to fighting.
For wow, man, I had no idea.
I'm good, I'm good at basket, I'm good at basketball. I'm better at that or was better if you will?
Okay, So how did this translate? Because did everybody know? Because I remember like being told like no job j J. They were like, hey, when you going to the game, like you know it, something happened, don't bump him. He's really about all that, and like like yo, everybody's cool. We playing, but like not like he could really hurt you, like, you know, like being on that, but like you know, just you know, be cool because he's really about all that, you know, not that not that you was running around trying to bully catching it. I've never that's the thing. I've never seen you. And I think obviously from the training that's the discipline. But like, hey, you know, he might give you a warning, but don't you know, don't don't follow through. That's not that's not the But how did that help you kind of coming into the league. Did guys know that or did did you know? At some point if you hoop and you compete, you know you're going to be tried.
In this situation, right you have to be otherwise we ain't the competitors that we think, you know. But for me, it's more like what you're saying. I don't think a lot of people get it because they're not in it. But the commnent, the calmness you get knowing that you have a skill set is uh same as going into a game or anything else you do, you know what I mean? Like a doctor doing surgery, more practice he gets, the more knowledge he has on it, he's going to be calm in those situations, and that's pretty much what it is for me. Like at the end of the day, we're all fraternity. If it goes to that level, you know, I'm sure you're gonna take it there as well.
But I just you know, Hey, JJ, I don't know if you remember this, we go at all off rails.
I always tell people this story that shout out Joey Graham twin and we were in Cleveland, and I know you probably I know you already know what I'm about to bring up, Bro, And that's one of the strongest dudes I've ever seen. Bro. So the strongest I've been probably was in Cleveland. Me and staying away Coach. We lifted every day. We hitting it Bro before practice. After practice, I'm benching with the chains like we're just making stuff up. So pie the strongest I get, bro, kid you not, Bro, I'm lifting every day. I'm a skinny dude. So the heaviest I get brod kid you Now, I'm like, I'm doing like three fifteen with the chains for five. I'm feeling strong like that. I never Joey Graham comes off the court grabs the waight. Yeah, yeah, I was sitting there like, nah, Bro, like this, that's not fair. That's not fair. I'm working out. He doing cardio heat hitting that. I bring that out because he's the strongest dude I've ever seen. We were playing against y'all, JJ and you and Joey go knows and knows. I've never seen this in my life, and I'm like, Joey strong, JJ's about all that. I've never seen. No referees, no teammates, no coaches went to enter. It was like, nah, lit that whatever happens, y'all caught off. Did nothing happen. But I remember it was like like the shock on everybody's face, like, nah, I don't know, you know, everybody run out one. No security guards in that one, Like, look they happened to go there. They're gonna figure it out, you know. But I was like, I never I never forget that one.
Yeah, that was that was a crazy one. Like I said, there's competitors in this and if you're not, if you're not, you were to make it here. But the ending on that story it was crazy is after that game, the next game we had to go play twin. I was like, man, the bro tried something. I don't got to like both of them you know it being cool like it was never like I said, was never nothing after that shout out of respect.
Yes, yes, great dudes, man, great, great dude. But we You definitely am not saying these dudes don't compete now, but like you are, you definitely have practice fights. JJ. You probably didn't. I did, you know, I had to prove myself. But like or you were on the verge of that because the game was so physical. You know, the spacing wasn't there. It was a lot of size. You've wrestling for rebounds. It was. It was definitely a different, uh you know, ball game. But like you said, in the spirit of competition.
You were the spirit of competition. Had Taj Gibson getting Brad Miller breakfast every morning sweat you know, we be on the road. I don't even think Brad Miller ate half those breakfast day were on the road. He had He had the same breakfast delivered to his room every day. Todd had over over the elbow to the face. It was different back then, like.
Hold on, hold over he elbow. Brad made him go get breakfast every day.
Yo. Not only that, but made him run a bleaches too. I think we was in London. We I think we was in London. We was about to play London for the International Games. Obviously lou all dang from out there. So we're practicing. We're in a practice to make a crazy move and some footwork, Brad jump on a pump fake and when he was coming down, you know, you know how it was back in the day, man, You know what I'm saying. Man, there was chip toos every day practice type, you know, but Bom kind of like chipped his tool finished layer. Yo. We started practice me and had to run bleaches you know how to do it. You know. It was a rookie thing like I wasn't gonna leave him out by himself, even when he was getting the breakfast, even when he was getting the breakfast. Our ride, you know, like that was my man, still my man, still my man, the greatest guy.
Man.
But that's how deep it was. Like there was no take it personal, none of that. It was no sensitive. If you took some times off a car, you got your car, popcorn, man, you knew what you did.
Was there anybody that or kind of you know they say to welcome to the league moment, somebody that you just struggled to God, or somebody you figured out in practice in the game was like, oh god, you know, like I ain't look I'm a defender, but I ain't got it today or I got to learn. Was there any situation that you knew that kind of stuck out.
For you, man, I would have to say Cleveland. When we was in Cleveland. I was with Chicago Bulls. Brown was in Cleveland. This was old nine h ten season. We're in the playoffs, and I don't think I really had any welcome to the league moments until this. You know, I wasn't really playing a lot during the season. I wasn't really playing a lot during the season, so it was like I ain't really get to, you know, really tested out all the games, all eighty two games. I started late. So this was like lou All, Dan went down, James, you got brawn. It's the playoffs. You ain't in enough shape, in enough shape. I'm telling you, I was not enough shape to guard this man. All this action right here the ice. So you know that they don't show you the first one. The first one I think I went and blocked. I think I went and blocked that. The first one I went and blocked. So you know. That's why I went up again. This is the second one. This is the second one, and he dropped me off on the tenth floor, went to the eleven for me bro blockers out of five.
Nice trait, like curs, Oh this suck.
That was nasty. That was really the welcome to the League moment. And it was on commercial after commercial after commercial. I couldn't. Yeah, every everything I did, they bleeped out my name, obviously, but I knew it was me getting punched like that. My family knew it, man, So it was it was a welcome the League moment. You know, I'm just blessed to be able to be on that same court with him at that time too. He was a monster, still a monster, but you know.
What it is context here with a lot of people don't know game plan discipline. Bron likes to go left, so you're doing your job shading him to the left. He goes to the right. Obviously, learning moment because you're going to get that like you so have. Let it be like, oh, let's race to the rim. I'm going You said you got the one before, I'm going to get that right.
And you know I'm a rookie win in the playoffs. All I hear is we get to the next round is round we get touched. I'm like, yeah, we get what if we go to the Laker? Okay, you know I'm out there competing, jumping for everything, but I swear I was going to go get that again. He just took it up. It was crazy.
Yeah. Yeah, And I think you know another thing too. At that time, the challenge with Bron was that he didn't have footwork. He didn't know how to post up, he didn't know how to work off the mid post. So a lot of people were like, oh okay, like cause a lot of things he did Brin was legit point guard. You was you fighting through pick and rolls, You guarding him on the perimeter. You know, don't let him get down. He'll pick him up early in transition. So I remember watching that clip going mm okay, like he got on the mid block, like normally you wouldn't see him in those situations. So like there's a level where you're doing your job, and I think there's a level where he worked on that. Also.
Yeah, absolutely, yo, if he used to turn spinning on the block and you used to be like, okay, thank you, he's settled now. He turned to spind on the It's.
Over for you for sure.
You know that's that's who bron is though, like and that's what I'm saying since nine till present day. I got to go bump against that, so you know what I mean, kobe them like that. That was that real bump man.
That was crazy who was in that same essence, Because like you said, you've had to go pound for pound. And I always say, to win a championship, this is my phrase, y'all can still if you want the wingers king, you know, the greatest wing players go out and win thosechampionships. You gotta have that big, dominant wing for the most part. Who else is a guy that maybe is like a difficult cover like you got respect for, like dog, like I'm guessing, like I remember when I would guard Power Gasol. I'm like, bro, he got left there, right hand hooked, like I'm guessing. I'm just trying to be physical with him, trying to make stuff hard. But if he's rolling, I can't stop him. He actually taller than me too, and bigger. Shoutout pal Gasol just got went into the Hall of Fame, by the way. But was there anybody like got le bro like like I like from a respect standpoint of like, yo, this this dude is a headache.
Paul Pierce, Carmelo, Anthony, you know, Kobe Derk, like those guys where you cover them and you could test you You really just hope they missed it. You know, there's nothing too much you could do with all the all the weapons they had for real. But Paul was Paul and Mellow was you know, for me it was the same size, me, same abilities, The footwork was different. They knew how to get their shots off better than it was. Just those were the covers for me, the wings and then d Wade shoutout him too, Hall of Fame, what even even having to go on him? It was those were dark Knights man.
Yeah, shot and I think the one thing to JJ from being a defender. You know, those guys were so physical. You know, they made contact, you'll get and found trouble or they'll watch they're watching your feet, so you know, normally, ideally I'm sending you to the baseline and sending you to your weak hand. They got ripped through moves, counters, d Way gonna shot fifty nine times, you know, you know, like that you couldn't guard those guys just straight up. But if I could get physical with you, shade you to a shot, you know, like it's a rat. But no, I trust not. I understand bro.
Right now, the game is almost designed to help the ones like that. Now, you know, on defense and things like that, that rotation wasn't the same or back then, you know.
All right, stay tuned. We know Dereck Rose doesn't say much, but we're gonna find out what he did say about his Electric MVP season. Stay tuned on NBA Rookie Life. All right, JJ, we brought you down. It's time to bring your backup. Shout out to the NBA Rookie Life film role. We're gonna go into the film room. We threw out some early film because the stories was popping from you, JJ. So like we said, we brought you down, Bron, caught you cool. Congratulations Bron. You know that's that's you know in some people's eyes, that goat right there. But let's go to your top ten dunk to you done cost somebody's dogs. So talk to me about these dunks. What your mindset if any of them? As we watch as a stick out for you, you know, but it's it's like, Bro, I don't think people realize, like I don't even think these videos do the way you were jumping bro in person, it looks fake, like, Yo, what the heck cause a lot of guys with your side don't have that bounce.
I appreciate you, man.
Man, And let's check out this game winner from you. JJ. Walk me through this play, man? What what what happened on this play? Uh? Yeah, yeah, you're not down the nice, nice little game winner man, sawn Man, puts it up, Put up the knicks.
You're in sucking up.
I don't think your three ball gets enough credit. JJ.
Yeah, you know that's a that's a tough one.
Man.
You know how the game the game in your role, you know, it plays a big, big factor in your game. We was up by twenty, I believe or fifteen before it got to this point. So this was and John Simon is happening to be with me on this team as well, so I got fortunate enough to play with him twice.
Did you know this ball was coming back around?
Listen, listen. I want I want to say that, but I really believe that he threw that to uh Francisco. He threw that to Francisco. I think that it got deflected right to me. And you know when you, I think, and you could you can shoot better.
I feel like man shot out I I T and because man, it's unfortunate. I wish. I wish those two how to stay together, bro and just kind of figure things out in sack. But man, what do you remember about I T. I don't think people realized, like pound for pound, like the stuff he was doing on the court, man, and then you know, you stepping in hitting the game winner. I played and I came to sack. I think a little bit after that, man, But what was going on with that shot? And then afterwards taught me talk to me about those two. Man, what was the feeling like?
It was crazy. I think that was my first three point of the year for real. That went in. So yeah, I started going on a little roll after that. You know, the slump was crazy for a while. It started to get to man, I might gotta go work on my footwork on the block. I couldn't even be a three and D guy at that time. So fortunately that went in and then it started rolling for me after that.
What about team? Because man, What don't people know about those two? Man? Like I said, just you think back to certain combos like dang you everybody was so young. But if those two stayed together or co work.
Man, I mean, even just the healthy DeMarcus, it was the best in the league, my opinion, the best in the league at that. That's position size on the game.
Even with Dwight Howard in the league at the time, you're giving them the best.
I was giving them the best. Dwight Howard, great player, great guy. No no, no way, was not close. You know, I'm talking about the things. I'm talking about the things the Marcus was doing, not not the you know, we was on a losing team, young team, a young team. Things like that. Dwight, you know, you got Nelson, you had some guys with him that, you know, set the table pretty much. The Marcus hitting threes, crossing coast to coast, punching on people. Yeah, yeah, block work. You know what I mean. There was nothing. His game didn't have, nothing, his game didn't have it was crazy. And to watch him work too against the best, Like I'm seeing a young de Marcus like I was already in the league. You know what I mean, I'm seeing him going from the Jordan classic game to now he's playing his sack and destroying. I'm like, yo was yo, it was some of it was some of go work him Tyreek Evans, they was paaralwell together for real.
Yeah yeah, nah man. And he's one of those guys like Tuck. I couldn't guard Cuss like for real, I'll consider myself a defender. I take pride. I had to get physical wait him. I had to, you know, like I think when he was younger, I got physical with him kind of like gave him like a bit of a hard time. And then like later on, he just he was patient with the basketball. So he gonna he gonna take you under that ram, set you up for that spin. As soon as you get you lock in to take away the hook that the big spin is coming, you get dunked on. He throwing up that you know.
The little exact one foot two feet. He got it, bro, he had all of it. I t his work ethic was always unmatched, But he wasn't the I that he was in Boston. And that's what that's what we're saying. If it would have got to unfold a little bit more, you know, he fighting minutes with Jimmy. Jimmy for that another another good player. So you know, it was kind of a mix of inconsistent minutes, inconsistent playing. So that's what you was getting while I was there. I was there for only a year, so that that's what I got out of it.
So no, for sure, for sure, and sometimes it's it's hard to see, you know, and like when you're a smaller player. The front office liked, man, do we want to invest in this guy like this? That's why I had so much respect for what I t did you know? You're right? He used to come off the bench.
Right all the time. But but work ethic would still remained the same, and uh, his attitude remained the same. He kept a chip on his shoulder. That's another thing, like you can still be a great teammate but still not be heavy in the situation that you know you can be better or do better. So facts he did a great job of balancing those two for sure.
And that's the league too. Man, there is a mix of like, you know, JJ, You know, we come to the league with like, man, I want to be the next Kobe, next Tim Duncan, and you come down to earth and be like, yo, bro, play a role as a shot blocker off the bench. Hey go, your job is to defend and do this and when the ball comes you hit shots. But you come in feeling like you those are always the goals.
I mean, you come in the best player on the team that you just came from college wise to you just another player on this team. It's hard to it's hard to manage that, manage your emotions with that. And uh, I feel like that's that got a hold of me as well, like being the best player on my team or one of the best players on my team to go into the bulls, not playing, getting getting in games when someone gets hurt. But you never want to play like that. You know, you take your opportunities when they come, but you never want to play like that. And just trying to handle that man the right way and keep it, keep your work ethic the same, and understanding that when you don't go to the gym because you mad at them, only only hurt in yourself.
Man, Oh, it's funny you say that. That happens with a lot of young guys. You mad from the road trip, you mad from sudden and then you you yeah, you fight that battle the wrong way. I've seen that so many times.
Man, come to practice lacking or slacking, whatever you want to call it, and then uh, thinking you're hurting the team.
Now the team gonna move on for sure, for sure.
So you know, man, just make sure that you stay down on the grind for really, do do your work every day and regardless of what happens.
You know, now, JJ, going into your fifteen season, Dog, you have you've seen some of the league's best, not just competing against them. We talking about Brown earlier, but up close. You got to see that d Rose MVP season. Dog, I want to hear. I need this, I need the d Rose story. You said you knew some of your something y'all had some of the same partners, you know, coming out. Talk to me about behind the scenes when you knew d Rose was like that. And I think a lot of people people forget, like he destroyed the league, Bro, that is your all Star Chicago d Rose. That's why all these m VP controversies they have, like he should have been unanimous. But like every game he destroyed, Bro, it was consistent cooking, big time playoffs, big big time play You saw it up close, Man, tell me when you knew he was on when you was like, dude, this this guy is different, Like, forget the highlights, this is just this was every night, bro, this was automatic, Like we could play a whole season of games of these type of clips.
Now it was bro, I had courtside seats the best show in the world every night he played. You. You know what I'm saying. I had. I had the best seats to the best show in the world while that was playing. Man, it was crazy the things he would do. You couldn't take your eyes off the game, you couldn't take it. But but what made me know that he was different had nothing to do with any of the game highlights or anything. It was practice. How he would never take a practice off, How him and Kurt Howard would go at it every day, you know, him working on his game, wanted to get better on defense, wanted to get better, helping his teammates get better. You know, it was just That's when I knew he knew he was the man as well, Like he wanted to understand the right way on how to control and lead a team before he even try to lead it. He let his game do all that talking. And then you know, once everybody started to follow, then he started to learning lead different way. But the man would have forty and not say a word until we get on the plane and then we just talking laughing. Normally it would never be about basketball. Crazy. Yeah, he was different.
We didn't need to show that clip. We need to show that clip of that guy in the week shot. We could skip that one. Yeah, we can skip that one man.
Rotation. Hey, at least you went and jumped, because you know he was. He was climbing the ladder of folks back in that time too. He was climbing the ladder and how he controlled his body in the air was so crazy. Always wanted to go out the best player on the team. If the best player on the team was his position, he's gone. He ain't high, and he ain't You ain't ducking him. None of that.
Is there a play that sticks out in your mind? I was just like, man like Derek Rose is different. Bro with like a game winner or something, or just like you know, a prime matchup like you know that just stuck out.
It was never no matchup that stuck out to us. You would see the opponent his eyes they look shock. When he got on the it was. You know what I mean I'm talking about after the end of the Lakers game, We're walking back to the to our locker room. You know, I just see Kobe walk by. God Rest, So I see Kobe walk by talk about your bad I.
Was like, yeah, what yo, you got that stamp by the Mama bro Like nah.
Hey you got it, Yeah you got it. Never never took it to the head, never repeated it, never let know it. I'm probably the first one telling the world that he probably never told anybody that. That's what kind of guy d Rose is. He's just different, man. It's character different, great guy man, godly guy man, cool man.
And that's that's the thing. Like you're right, like just just went cool, calm about his business. And I'm glad you brought that up. JJ. I'm not going to say the teammate's name. I saw Rose Adis a few times. Dog, I saw a few like hey, slid slide over there, or like hey, JJ, I know you've seen this. We go through the we go through the Scotland report on the board. You got him, you got him, you got him. We in transition and you you running them, my man, I mean the five man running back on defense.
Like yo, who's going yo? Yo would be the first one to say, hey, no man in transition, Yeah, I don see some go through a whole shoot around and get to the game and have that itis.
Absolutely shout out to de Rose. And like you said, I think the exciting thing is who he was behind the scenes. That that's what always was excited. He was just a good dude behind the scenes, stand up. God didn't say much. And you know today, you know, don't get me wrong, us athletes, we get paid off our flair, we get paid off our personality. Now you know what I'm saying. But he just want to hoop, bro, that he just want the hoop.
That's it. He just loves hoop. And the way he changed his game to fit this era, that that that's the whole telling right there. He made the adjustments after after injury after injury, made adjustments to his to fit the game. And he's still in the league, still doing this thing. Whatever he gets in the game. Please believe they still got that d Rose effect. Believe that like, oh they checking in d Rose, that still exists.
For sure, for sure, for sure. I saw that that's a good point. I saw that this year. Love it. Man, Let's go next. Man. You brought him up earlier. Man, Shout out d Wade, shout out d Way Hall of Fame. Man, you got a chance to play with d Wade. We're gonna look at his one leg back in twenty he had a one leg game winner.
Yeah, game winner against against Golden State. I remember that.
Talk to me about this game winner as we pull it up, and I just want to know, like about d Wade, like a lot of people, like he plays so hard, bro, when your nickname is crash, like, he plays so hard. I want. The thing for me that was tough about d Wade is when I come out in the pick and roll. I've never had a guard attack me so hard, like it was like we're playing to close out, you know, like you know, throw the ball cloth like it was a real drill. I've never been attacked so much from a from a guard. But talk to me about d Wade who he is, and kind of walked me through this game winner, man, And I think this is cool seeing this from him.
Absolutely just the just the player to come off. We knew, we knew it was d Wade. You know, you knew it was his night he was shooting the ball, but he drove the ball and he pissed it out the d Waders and you know, I think they talked about something before that happened or whatnot. D Waders when it was back threw it back to uh Wade. I don't know how Wade has the mindset, you know, I do know that's why he's a Hall of Famer, But to know to throw it off him because he's already in the air, to make the ball come back to you so you can still get a jumper off. Is d Wade five check as well?
Waiters back to Dwayne shoots now, I couldn't get it off.
That fires ups.
And the thing I love about d Wade that people know a lot of people don't understand, like he wasn't the most polished player, like he made himself. He's a dog bro. Like d Wade made himself into what he is. He just competes. He his competitive level, and I know there's a lot of you know, I don't I don't want to do to comparison. I'm not comparing him to Harden, to Ai, to any of those guys. But like his competitive nature, you couldn't compete with d Wade. He giving it to you on both ends. So, man, what do you think about that?
Like?
What people what don't people know about how great that he is because you got to see it in the locker room, you got to see it in practice, you got to see it, like, hey man, it's a lot of dudes when they call that name, who up d Wade, Like, give me the ball, come on, I'll make it happen.
I think I think people see it more than they do every year with the Miami Heat. That's that's the culture he built. That's that's the that's the epitome of a Miami Heat player right there. You know how hard he played, how hard he worked, the things he did to get to all his accomplishments is the way that they run things there to this day, and that's why you see so much success coming out of players out of Miami.
Dang, that's a good point. That's a good point, man. When your best I know it sounds cliche, bro, but when your best player, the role players, the older guys, we're gonna do our job, we're gonna play. But when your best player dive on the floor, you ain't got a choice.
And he wanted more. And let's not forget he wonted before bron too, so.
For sure, for sure winner. You know they be like winning no matter. I know winning is also situational. But when you got that team and you gonna win, it says such. When I was on the Clippers, we had a team to win it. With all due respect, I'm gonna say what it is. We didn't win because it's hard.
It's hard.
It's hard.
It's the hardest thing you ever going to do in this game of basketball.
He'll understand that. Bro. You go into a game seven and you got to see a team seven seven games, Bro, or you gotta win. You gotta win four against some get some dogs, against the coaching staff, against the city. Man.
Bro, the playoffs are different, yeah's way different. And to win it like how he did too, Like he'd be an analytics worst nightmare with how many midis and bank shots he took throughout that. That serious facts, it's crazy.
Facts, all right? Next next up, man, you you got to see we talked about the past. You get I know you see the future. JJ. You got a piece of that boy, Luca. Man, you got to play with with that boy, Luca, And I know we hadn't seen the best from him. I know that Mark I played down in Dallas. You played there. It's gonna he gonna he's gonna die, trying to make sure he has the team around him, the same way he did Dirk. But talk to me about Luca, Man, what don't we know about him? Give me I don't know if you have a story where you realize, Man, this is a bad dude right here. This ain't a normal because JJ you the same side, same right. He might be low key not to be like this. He might be bigger, just as strong like, but he he plays that's the point.
Man, and he plays it with such poise and moves on his own pace. Like the only way I can really explained Luca. He's a puppet master man. Like he can he can move guys and directions and things like that, pieces on the court that you don't see yet, and then all of a sudden somebody would be open or he's going to walk into a layup, you know what I mean. He's just talented and a lot of things. But you see play soccer, kick the balls, set the ball in his foot from a whole quart away, head butt the ball and like he's just you could tell you've been around that basketball for his whole life. Man, he just got it on it.
That's nasty man, JJ, that's really interesting what you said. You know he can manipulate the pieces on the court. I know I've seen that from Brian. I know Magic would do that. Give me is there an example of that? So if I don't know what that means, you know, is the example of you know where he he is putting guys in the position I know James Harden has done. Shout out James Harden. Would give me an example for those who may not know what that means.
I mean, like as far as he will take the screen, snake the screen, if you know what that means, you dribble, you know, sideways almost like Chris Paul always or most of the time does. All right, so he snakes the screen. When he snakes the screen, he might take another dribble because he knows that you're not gonna have the discipline to stay where you are and you're gonna help. So then when he goes up to shoot the jumper, you're gonna go try to block, and then you're gonna get a week side block or a backside block and then he just throws it to your man. Yes, you know he'll get all the way to the corner. But one time in Indiana, I mean I was. I was playing with the Pacers last year, so we was playing Dallas in Indiana and he was in the corner stuck with nowhere to go. I think he was on like one foot damn there out of bounds, and he threw it around the basket and it almost like Kurt it curved to like around players. It sounds for courage around players and went right into his teammates. And I forget who it was. It was a Bullock. When the bullocks hands wide open three, I was like wow. I think he looked back at Tyre's Halliburn and me and Tyre's Aliburn was both like yo.
I think with JJ when people don't realize too. With Luca is like like the dog that he has. You know. You know when we came in, if we saw your player, with all due respect, we saw European player, we was gonna try humph, nah, he's not tough, And it was like are you before you came into the league, It was like, I gotta try you first talk about his toughness or like the way like this guy like like it almost throws you off, like, hey, he want to scrap like this this dude is different. I'm not I'm not advocating fighting, but like he's nos and knows what you like. You're not gonna intimidate.
It, right. I mean, if you ever got to be around the play against or play with Gordon Dragons, that's that's the same thing. I think. It's all them Slovenians, man, you know what I mean. I just think that they brought up the same way, like don't back down. To play with that aggressive is to play with that fight, you know what I mean. So it's just I just think it's their culture period. But I haven't met a week Slovenia yet, you know what I mean. But he's with he's with all that. He's gonna hold himself down, and uh, that's what you respect the most, regardless regardless whether he's really gonna do it or not.
We did j It's different you saying it to me saying it because you know he gradual Dragons. I know we got into it, but it was all in the spirit of competition. Man. He was just that dude that dude would do anything to win. That dude would do any thing to win. Like they're gonna rassle it with the big man. You're gonna dive out of flowns. He's gonna that dude dragons would do anything to handle. Shout out to him, man, always, that's all respect standpoint.
Man, Like I'm saying, may be at that point to make you really ready to fight for sure, and their game is just gonna stay consistent. They're not gonna and it will flop and it will Yeah, they're not gonna wait. None of that game is gonna be messed up for how you feel.
So for sure you were there in Brooklyn. I know things didn't go as playing, But man, talk to me about that experience, because I know sometimes you get on teams in the NBA and you're like, bro, this is not the real NBA, Like you had Katie, Kyrie and Hard and I know it didn't work. I don't want to hear about none of that, none of that negative energy. I want to hear some hoop energy. Man. What what was it like being with those guys during that time. I wish it had to work. It would have been so good for the game. But man, what was that like JJ, I mean.
The knowledge, the knowledge from from all those guys that, as the experienced standpoint, was was crazy. The way that we can be in a film session and you know what I mean, everybody's chopping it, trying to get get things right, get things in order, fixing defense, telling them, telling the other guys what they see, and James is telling Katie what they you know what I mean. And on top of that, we had Nash, so you're so, you know, another player who gets it and understands the game, but now extremely prolific. Man, those guys man, their work efict, but they target on working out is crazy. You know, you can go go with your trainer and he would have whatever set up for you, you know, but they really go there to target something and they'll stay there however long it takes for them to feel comfortable, you know, doing that in a game for real. And when it's in the game and they do it, it's just it's crazy. The sixty point game that Kyrie even had in Orlando, I'm talking about you. If he missed you, you were surprised like he was, like, damn, he misses. I'm talking about everything going in it was crazy and not just you know his isold game is crazy, So it's not just damn he made another jumper. It was yeah, he saw somebody first before he made that jump, or he did something crazy before he got that late. So it was the amount of conditioning you gotta be in to really do that every possession to know that you might have a chance or have a possession where you might go three or four, five straight, six straight. And these dudes do that ship without breaking a sweat. It's like, you know, you say you're jiu jitsu, so you get you get with when I say, technique overwhelms strength all day. So that's what it is to them. I feel like it's just perfecting that technique or doing that master and a technique so much that they don't exert a lot of energy doing that.
M nah man man. Unfortunately, man, I wish it had worked out there. Obviously a lot of people are not gonna look at just hey was the team healthy, did it have a chance to you know, build and ideal way? But man, that was that was gonna be a dynasty you know moving forward? I don't and I think like I hate like it's always like it's his fault. It's like, it don't got to be somebody's fault sometimes sometimes just like we said, JJ the winning the NBA, so many things have to go right on top of you know, you got to be healthy, you got to be playing well. You have to have synergy, you have to have culture, like you talking about d Wade being the culture like and like, it is tough to win. I'm at that scale. I don't care how much talent you have, man, but it was fun to watch and unfortunately you could not see it work. But you know, shout out you. I'm sure there was levels where you were sitting there like, man, like, how am I When you had that much experience in the league, You're like, man, this is different, bro.
You know you know, like I got I got a lot of experience in this league. And Patty Mills, Paul millsap Marcus they was all there as well that we all have a ton of experience in league. But when you sit hear James talk, James Harden talk about the game and what we're trying to get out of this game or win something like, it's easy just to shut up and you know what I mean and listen. At this point, you ain't the smartest guy in the room, you know, so it's easy to listen at Katie. He hardly speaks, you know, he lets his game do talking about when he does, you know, all eyes on him and everybody paying attention to it. So same with Kyrie's. It's just that culture with guys that all have different It's like three it's like three teachers with three different curriculums trying to teach basketball. Yeah exactly, Yeah, he's supposed to dunk that, but I take the jelly, you know what I'm saying. So those hard those are hard to correlate to a great team. Like those were Hall of Fame players obviously, but like I said, the curriculums were different to win.
And sometimes it takes time. You know, it is rare that you throw that thing together in the season and it just works. Like you know what a lot of people don't understand. Like when Kawhi went to Toronto, they wanted because they already had culture, so they didn't need Cowhid to be anything. When Katie went to uh, you know, Golden State, like they had culture and it was like just Katie, just rock, don't don't worry about that. We already know we're gonna do you know, like like that culture being said, I just don't think that, you know, they had time to set the culture. But I think it was definitely fun to watch them. Oh man, I don't know if you noticed, but there's a reason that's Tyrese Halliburton is really good and James Johnson is gonna let us know coming up next on NBA.
Rooky Life.
Before we get you out of here. JJ, You've been amazing, bro. I know we've been, you know, trying to do this for a while. I really appreciate you. But like I said, stak dinner on me.
Man, for the record, this is the first podcast ever, so you know, I was honored.
Band for for real. Nah, Man, I'm blessed to have you on here. Man. We all already so much insight. Man, I'm salivating. We were going a while and the you know, the knowledge you drive. We talked about the future, were talking about luc in the future. You're talking about that young boy Halliburton dog this year. This year, I think it's more so like it was like, Okay, I'm here, it's my team. I think he let everybody know I'm one of those guys I'm sure you got to see it long before I did. Talk to me about this forty point sixteen assists to night calibert gets around hard news inside and scores the way that he commands a game. I didn't understand it. JJ, I got to see it. I'm I was a believer, but I'm really a believer and I see how he does it too. Talk to me about about Holliburn Dog. You got to mentor this guy. You got to see him every day and y'all them young boy snuck up on some people this.
Year, said m Yeah, it's going to continue for a long time. Man, this is a group. This is a group of guys that I'm telling you. Off days you would thought we had practice. Now you walking to gym, You walking to gym on the off day, you would thought we had practice. How all these guys is there working on their game getting better. But to go back the tyres is man, he's probably the biggest student of the game that I've ever been around. Like somebody who nothing but watches film on how to get his teammates better, how who are playing against next himself get himself better? You know. And it's constant, and you could tell by every game, those mistakes would not be made again. You know, turnovers is gonna happen whatever, he's a guard, but to not make a defensive mistake, not wanting to make a defensive mistake and things like that. But shout out to him. I think I think that, like I said, he's gonna be He's up there with the Jaws, the Heroes, the Lucas, the Desions. He's definitely there.
Man out to Haliburton for three Halliburton got it, yeah, man, And like you said, it's scary. You know you're talking about Luca, lebron Hard and those guys manipulating the game. Like I watched him like say, I gotta get Miles going, I gotta get my shooters going. I gotta you know, pushing. And then it was like, no, we don't have it time to Like I watched him manipulate the game like I saw it. What you're what you're saying, or let me get this corner pass going, let me push it, like he has a fit like a feel of the game. Shout out to his Pops are doing a great job. And think Pops is a coach and something right that definitely knows the game. What else would he be saying, Man, what's what's that feel? Cause it's like some guys need their shots to be successful. I feel like he his feel is there.
His way of not running away for confrontation is I think what makes him such a great leader, because you know, everybody wants the damn ball. There's only one book, you know. So he's getting he's getting this guy saying I need this and I'm oving. He's getting this guy saying I need this and I'm moving. I need this, and so you know, he'll let it be fast and let him know like Yo, get to the corner faster, or Yo, I miss you. I miss you that time, but be there again, because I'm gonna hit you if you're there. You know what I'm saying, Like it's not like it's not like, oh man, I miss you, all right, I miss you. Shut up, Like no, it's not none of that. Like all right, if he was there, that's the right place to be be there again. If I don't have to lay up again, you know what I mean, you might be there. You might be the one more. And for him to average so many assists, how fast he kicks the ball ahead, it's crazy because It's not like he's kicking it to someone who's making a layup or one two layup. He's throwing that thing and transition to runners, giving them an opportunity to attack. Get a bucket. You know, you don't see too much of that most of the time. A guard like that, especially especially young guys. They want to bring the ball up, dribble, move it, cut, come back out, get it again. You know how I gave.
That's real rap JJ. A lot of people can go get you a thirty assists game. But I'm not gonna say you're gonna lose because of it. I'm not gonna say no names. But it's the right play versus the stat play exactly.
I like that right play versu stat play. A guard who's going to kick it ahead, it makes guys want to run.
Yes, he's gonna take one.
Dribble, throw ahead. He might not take no dribbles, throw it ahead, And I swear it's not because he's tired.
You see what I'm talking about. It's not because.
You're not going to take And when he gets beat on defense, bro, that's I think that's what makes me the most. When he gets beat on defense, he clips it like, it's not no. You know that when you're in that, when you're in that stage or that uh level of where he's at, you know not not too many film sessions are gonna be about you, so you know, hold yourself accountable, let your team hold you accountable. And I think that he does a great job with that. You come to the huddle, Yo, reece, why you let touch and such? He's like, yo, I know, bro, it's not gonna happen it again. And I promise you.
He'll be there.
Regards whether God get the bucket, regards whether guy get the ice sold bucket against him, whatever, he will be there, you know what I'm saying. So something like you could rely on you can count on him, and I think it's contagious. And he had other guys doing that as well. So when someone say they're gonna be there next time, that was it, Like, there's no need to argue you say you're gonna be there.
I want to throw this out to about holliward Man. He's petty, and I don't say petty is a bad thing. All the greats are petty. Kobe will remember something you said five years ago. He will remember you from an open run Lebron James. Remember a Twitter comment from somebody Hall of Burdon is petty. He sees every These dudes see everything at that level. Talk to me about what you saw from him, and shout out to Pat Bad. Pat Bad one of the Brian and this dudes we know about how he kind of met that challenge because Pat gonna test you, He's gonna see what you want. And and Reese met that. Dad, Hey, shout out my guy. Wally's Herbia like, oh, why ain't gonna pretend all star? No, no, no, no, talk to me about the petty man, the petty yeah, no, Joe, he's confident because his work ethic.
Man, he's confident because his work ethic. I don't it is. Those are the matchups that we might not be seeing the same. And Pat Bev we've seen four years ago, five years ago when Pat Bev got that first team ring to it. You know that Tony Allen first team, first team, defenit first team or defense. You know he got that ring to him. So doing anything remotely nice on Bro is going it is going to make your game elevate off ript. Either you do the Pat Bev and you get away with it, or you get a cross on him and you get a jumper off it automatically make your move look ten times. It's almost like slow motion because you know, you know who you did that on, you know what I mean. So so I think that was the challenge for him. It was take the challenge because nobody wants to dribble around Pat bev facts and not.
You know, Pat know he get away with a lot of fouling. Then when he did he actually get a called. He gonna yell and complain and then think about it. Fat get away with so much. I like to say, filing without filing, right.
Yeah, you know he set the tone. He set the tone, been doing it for so long. The rest you play shout out to them too.
Yeah yeah, no man, and shout out before we get out of here. We gotta ask it. Man, do you plan on if the NBA, you know, hangs up? You know, for me, I work on my weightlifting. I like the weightlifting with the kids. You plan on getting back in the fighting man? Uh?
You know?
And hold on And also two part two parter. First off, I heard a legend that you could kick the rim. I heard the legend that you could kick the rim. Is that true? And what you're getting the fighting at the basketball.
Back of my gi, I would kick the rim. I'm at basketball off the rim all the time. That would be like I saw my I saw my uncle do it, my mom's brother do I saw him do it. And after that, when I was I was as shorty man, I probably was like eleven years old, ten years old, I saw him do it. After that, it was just I wanted to do that. And then once I got I got it in high school. I think for the first time there it was like a tenth grade and then after that there's been something I was able to do. And so whenever a ball got stuck in the rim, I used to just jump up and kick him out and facts. But as far as that, as far as that fighting, as far as that fighting, as far as that fighting goes, it's something I really would would love to do. Like still to this day, I'm training and enjoying that, you know, trying to get conditioning and something different than running lines. So it's not something I don't do anymore. But as far as that, it's something that I would take very serious. And uh, I think it would be a great sign for it.
Since we're here, who's your favorite fighter and why? And maybe who's an upcoming guy? Like a guilty pleasure like you like, Hey, I rock with Buddy, He next up? You know y'all might not knowing, but he next up?
I rock with Jones obviously. Man, he's just the dog in that man Jones bones, and just you know, he's the He's an all around fighter to me. Something that like when you look at his technique, it's so sharp, like just a technique alone will cut you.
You know, can you compare him to a ballplayer? If he's a ball play, would you compare him to as far as technique wise?
Ballplayer technique wise? Drew Holiday? Oh, I give it, Drew Holiday. Drew Holliday all around. You ain't posting Drew Holiday up. I don't care if you're six eight to sixty out. He's all around playing Drew Holiday. So yeah, I could probably compare him to Drew upcoming, upcoming man. The fighting game that gotten so packed, you know, it's hard to like really weave out the best right now, and so much YouTube content and other content out there's like it's hard to determine it, you know, unless you see him face to face if they really got if they really got that fight in them.
Okay, okay, that's fair, a little bit of hot take ish right here, but we throw it out. They want to know, could you get in the ring and be successful? You had six months or more? Will give you a year? Part what you want to train to go against John Jones?
I would need a year? Rip?
Why year? Why? Why year? I don't know nothing about nothing? Why why year?
My stand up game is great? But we all know Jones is a collegiate wrestler. You know, uh, really good on the ground and that's not my forte. You know. I can get on the ground, I can rumble a little bit, roll a little bit, I mean, but to his level, I'm not there. I would definitely need a year to work on counters and defenses against it, just so we can stay on our feet.
Now, what's I'm no, I'm not getting me him to it? You talking to science of it? Whats So? What's your strength? Would you say? It would be the striking your wingspan?
No. I like fighting close. I don't even like to use the space for I like being in close. I feel like I generate more power and close than to make a wide swing or a long swing. I feel like that takes forever.
I'm glad you my dog man, no good. I know when I comes to the city, I'm good. You know. You know. It's funny. I think like before you went to Dallas or somewhere, I was on TV somewhere and I was like, I saw, I saw look at just getting beat up his son. What was going on? I was like, they needed James Johnson over there, man, Like I said.
I was like, hey that.
I was like, that's unaccepted because you know, like when you play with a start, they can't get touched. Like you know, what I do is that we want to fight or anything. But just hey, I literally said, you down like they need to ja.
I said, that can't happen as teammates. You don't want to get touched as the opposition. You want them to guys to hit the floor as many ties as possible. I give it, you know what it is for sure, for sure. But like I said, that man Luga, that man is tough. He handled his own for real.
Yeah yeah, yeah, all right with JJ man, godly man, it's been a blessing, bro. We're gonna have to do it again.
Selfishly.
I'm gonna hold you to another commitment. We have to just rock out and just talk some hoop. A huge blessing to the audience and everybody of you. That our first time, your first time, all right, I can with me, man utmost respect for your career moving forward. I know you. It's even more you know set and shoot selfishly. Man. I know you're gonna be rocking out somewhere. But jj where can we support you your next causes, any foundations you wear, follow you, Twitter, Instagram, the whole joint. Where can we support you? Jjon.
We're pretty healthy right now. Everything is moving along pretty well right now. I just appreciate the time, brother, That's all I wanted. Man, come on, chop basketball with you. Old stories that you know my teammates don't get at this time. They love to hear them, but they don't understand.
Bull shoot man, fun fun stuff. Man. I'm sure that those young guys appreciate you pouring into a man because what you're doing is rare. But I know a lot of people are appreciating your value, man, and these young guys can soak up the game like you talked about yourself learning from a young John Simon's and those guys you know, Kurt hiring Rich and those boys taking you aside and teaching you and you giving the game back. Man. That's what it's about, dude.
That's all it's about. I appreciate you, though, brother.
Man shate you guys for hanging. Like we said, James said this was his first And if you like the content we're bringing you, you want to get a little more. Maybe there's a guest you want to hear from. Shout us out let us know, but don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, and spread the words so we can give you guys some more cool stuff here on NBA Rookie Life with Ryan Hollins. I appreciate you, guys, and guess what I see you next week.
