Hey, this is Ryan Hollins and you are listening to NB a rookie like man, And I'm gonna let you know, man, this is one of my funniest episodes on the show Man. I sat down with my guy Cure Rich and on the run out here Tom Richards in one Landfa Chard And for those who don't know, Man, keep me and q Rich actually go back. We have an intriguing relationship. Man. It all started off. I was a young guy. I was at u C l A at the time Q was in the league, and I remember these are one of my first experiences going into the gym, not just any gym, playing in l A, the mecca of all gems. With all of the current NBA players. You had two three courts full of NBA stars going. I mean, Shaq will pop in, uh Baron Davis, Prime, Baron Davis, Paul Pierce, who had all these guys, Sean Mary and Joe Johnson. You had a gym full of guys, Ricky Davis, these guys in their prime, you know, number all stars would come in and I remember this one time I go in the gym CUsing and they keep in mind, Hugh Rich is a a l a legend. I tried to legend in for three for the cue man. Keep that in mind, all right. I knew him from his Clipper days and click, Hugh Rich has a bit of a reputation of a man. Don't mess with q Rich, all right, don't mess with it. That's not the guy. You don't want to pick an argument with that guy. And my first time in this gym, q Rich is holding his own he's doing his thing, and he's going head up with Paul Pierce, and he and Paul Pierce proceed to get into it, and it got very, very loud. And not only this is old school basketball. I missed this basketball where guys played and competed and nothing got crazy, nobody fought, but the level of competition that spurred into the gym. We were all stopping our game from our court to look over on that court and going, oh my goodness, Paul All he's going at it with que and Paul is a bad man. He's an all start at the time, Cute Rich is a monster, and we're like, man, we don't know if if Paul wants a piece of this one man. We love Paul, this is our guy. We don't know if he wants a piece of this. But this ended up being a heavy weight about so needless to say, but I knew Paul because Paul would come to gym real tim. I didn't know Q. But I was like, Man, I don't fear nobody. I might have a little bit of fear. I might be scared of this dude right here. This dude is nuts. You didn't want no piece of que Ricy from Chicago. You'll know what he's capable up bad. He's in l a and he's letting the whole gym have it. So you know, I know Q. I kind of see him, don't interact with him. I'm scared of cute you know. So years later go by, As a matter of fact, his whole NBA career goes by. My whole NBA career goes by. We are at the Big Three, And as we're sitting there at the Big Three, I'm walking and um, I'm seeing a lot of my my former guys man at the Big Three. That's what's beautiful about that Big Three experience. And I've running a cute rich And when I'm wanting to cute rich man, I'm a little nervous man. Because he got the reputation. We bring it up and we started talking and I go, man, man, I was scared of you dog, you like you like. It was like Mike Tyson is pride walking around. He was like a pit bull off the leach Man nobody. Hey, you gotta cute. You got it all right, you know. And we started talking. Man. I was like, man, this guy is cool. Was the other side of the pillow. Man, this is a good dude right here. And we chopped it up, man, And you know, we definitely had a mutual respect for him. I was with him, and I was like, man, this guy's a whole lot nicer man, a whole lot of friendlier, didn't I thought, Because I saw him in I saw him in war mode. I saw Chicago que. That's what we like to call. I saw Chicago que. I saw war mode. And then q Rich came along as this time, I'm getting into broadcasting and q Rich. Q was actually coming out of People don't know he worked um in the front office for the Detroit Pistons. He did an excellent job there, and people don't know that about cute. So I am working for the Clippers. I'm doing like a pre and post working for the team and doing my broadcasting thing, and Q comes in. And when Q comes into the game, because he's gonna do something for his freedom post, he's just kind of wandering around the Meetia room and I'm like, how they got q rich just meandering around the rule Man, this is crazy. He's got this suiting tire all because he's gonna he's gonna come on the show. He's gonna do a segment with us, man, And he was just started. I guess he decided to kind of flirt with broadcasting. You'll try this out, you know. And um, I remember just sitting down and telling them like, hey, man, the food is over here. We're gonna go here. You're gonna come meet up here and follow me. You with me back, because I'm like, man, this dude is a legend right here, especially you know, with the Clippers in the l A and we're just sitting there and we're chopping it up and we're talking. Man. And for those who don't know, for us former players that go out into the media world, there's no template, you know, to do it. And if you weren't NBA All Star whatever, they just treat you. You You just somebody else on the other side. So we're here off and we're talking. This is before Knuckleheads, before any of that was kind of out and happening. And Q does a segment there and everything works out, and we keep in touch and we connect, and you know, that relationship is growing. And I was approached about a show that was coming out through Turner Sports, UM and Yahoo connected and they were gonna have you know, kind of breaking down the NBA. You fly out to Atlanta and I had locked in to do the show with NBA TV. I was doing ESPN at time of doing Fox. I was just just any and everywhere at the moment, and within the show you kind of paired off in partners. I think Gary Payton was a part of it, if I'm not mistaken, but Kenya Martin may have been a part of it. Vincent Goodwill, rise gold on what a a lot of people there, And at the last second we look up, I don't have a partner. They're calling Q Rich. So the next thing you know, me and Q Rinch was just gotten into broadcasting, had partnered up on this show. It called about to be a turn of Sports. So we fly out to Atlanta and we do the show man, and our relationship continue to build. Man, we became not just friends with brothers because every single day we're kicking it, we're talking in b a but man, me and a dude, we were spending a lot of time together, and I think to see somebody that has a love for their family, who is real behind the scenes, who's organic, who treats everybody the same, whether the you're the janitor in the arena, you're the owner of the whole building. Q Quentin Richards is gonna treat you the exact same. Man. So this guy has been my brother from day one. So for me to have him on NBA Rookie Life and having to see behim the chance of being an l a kid, to see him as a rookie and all this come full circle, man, and sit down with him. I'm telling you right now we are in store for an amazing, amazing episode. After the break, we're talking with Q rich about rookie news from this week and the rising Stars player pool in this week's Hottest Highlights. How is everybody doing? We want to welcome you into NBA Rookie Life with Brian how islands Man and listen, this is a very special episode. This ain't my homie, this ain't my dog. This is my brother here right now. Listen. He is an NBA three point champion eight many of those, the National Freshman of the Year, Conference USA Player of the Year, two time first Team All Conference USA, and Mickey Deed's Mickey D's All American Man. None other than heads have knuckle heads. Old man, my dog. Quitza Richard said, Que, what's up with your boy? Hey, Man, appreciate you having me, Bro, appreciate you having nah Man first to appreciate you for coming through. Man. Now, q we want to do something fun with you. We know your great analysts and we want you to break down a little play man our guys. Harry Easton had a sequence last night and we got a battery in this pact. Boy he got has a crazy motor. Yeah, he got a crazy motor. Let's see now, you man, I know you do a great job with the magic. I'm I'm a rockets guy. Okay, forgive me, so I gotta bring you come on show with some love. We didn't apolo few times now on this you gotta rock with it. Yeah, I want you to to break down this place from Tar Easton Man, this is one of the most grindingness, gritty, hustling places we've seen. Man running this clip and tell me what you seek you all right, he's playing jobs, getty switched out. Oh get a good block. That's athletic, just just being in the right place. Oh say gonna oh effort, effort, Bro, He's like one on three, one on four, Bro, this is this is this right here, just tells you rebounding and it's all about warning and one that batter than the other person and just effort. Okay, see missed it again Like I've always been lead that like Ryan, you know me, y'all love dudes, gonna go that extra amount of just play. He has a motor. This dude is gonna play hard regardless. You can put him in, you could bring call him up to the part he wanted them dudes. Bro, it could be you need you got nine, you need one. He's gonna be coming from the store something. He got his gear on here, come out there, and he about to play hard as ever. You know what I'm saying about to get you about thirteen fourteen boys, But that play right there, that was just I wanted batter than any of y'all in the blue shirts, and I could prove and he did and ended up with an and one. Like how many total rebounds and you get on that whole player, how many he get credited for? I think he got at least four or five on the possession. He had twelve offensive rebounds, so he's up there. I think he tried to come with Hakim Elijah. He had twelve offensive rebounds. And listen, my man just got the news that you know, we'll we'll see if he makes it into the Rookie Challenge or not. But he got the news that he wasn't in and Q, I know you love that. This is how he responds. You know a lot of dudes soap. This is how he responded. Listen, this is always the right sponsor. Come out and go, Craig. I don't care if it's whatever you're getting snubbed for. Always take it out on the court. Man. Don't don't do no sucking stuff talking about who did and hating on nobody because they ain't do it to you. They ain't the voters and all that. Man, come out and who let your game speak for itself. You ain't gotta take nobody off that list. To be able to say that you belong, you ain't gotta say take this person off and just just show that you belong. Young fella, all y'all that I like, don't talk about nobody else. Just go out there and do your thing. And when you do your thing, it's gonna show up and it's gonna shine enough. I want to ask you, man, you do a good job breaking down the league. You know you work with the Orlando Magic. Do a great job there also, man um, is there anybody from this Rising Stars Challenge that you're looking out for? Anybody's surprised you? What are you looking for? And you got you got your guy Polo Jail and during in there a j Griffin, Jane and Ivy our guy Walker Kessler who killed it and you interview you actually interviewed a lot of these guys for the draft. Shout out your New Era by the way, Keethan Murray and junem Hard Jabart Smith Jr. That's my guy where a partner New Era partners you know, shout out you know this so high Jeremy so Hugh, Mr Rodman himself and Jaylen Williams. Anybody's surprised you on that list. I don't want to say surprised. I can say who who who the guys that excite me, man, like all those guys excite me and I like them the well, Actually, I will say the surprise to me was so so hungham one jaws, the double team that leaks so hand open, click maker pay coming underneath, how he is nice like I, I didn't know, like you know, somebody dying in here, So I didn't know if he was a gimmick or whatever. I didn't pay I've seen him at Baylor, but I didn't pay close attention to him at all like that, but I had to. I had a call about two or three of the games in the row. I had an NBA Hooper Vision game, then the Clippers game back to back, and I was just like, yo, buddy is a hybrid defender. He's got a multiple the fix the positions and not only that, like offensively, he gotta he gotta, he got a little to box with him. He could do some stuff. Was like, yo, he is nice hyde motor Like I said, pop got a nice when I want to see what he turns. So I will say he was a surprise for me, but uh, everybody know the rookie of her Polo man stuff that Carol Hello the back up home and was putting on and show Paolo that bad boy down here in Orlando. I get to see way too often that man. He listened, He got all of it. He got everything he can he can. And the thing that's most impressive about him at sixteen, like because he'll legit six teen, is that his his handle, his handle. He could go get a bucket on his own. You could put him out there and don't run nothing, and he gonna go get a bucket. And like when I say individual one on one game, like he giving people the business his pull up mid range game way one with you than he is way years ahead of them to him being a rookie, and like he hitting it on good defensive player because he bigger than them. And then just like how that ball handing ability and be able to do what he is and then he he gets the line, bro, Like that's what lets you know he's a he's a bucket. When you know guys that could get to the free throw line. He's had games with thirteen fourteen free throws. He averages at least seven or six or eight or something. Like he's one of the He's got to be like the top bookie and free throw shooting and attempts at least and then he shoots free throws well, shoots at a high percentage. But who else do I like? Man out there, Ivy k oh No, that's Jay Navy. I like a lot of Detroit But I'm gonna tell you probably probably been in him here. Boy, he definitely gonna be first if it won for polo, he might be a Rookie of the Year for real, that boy co I like him, I like, I like everything, but he got the size, athleticism, his shock gonna keep getting better. You know, he's shooting threes right now, but it's gonna get ways better as he you know, spend more time in the league. But it Santa Clara's Jalen Williams just saw him last night. Half listen, bro, listen bro. I got he wanted the kids. I got to interview him at the at the draft shoutout that he had to he had the Dion Sanders who uh little cross ring dangling boy had a flat Gucci suit on the whole suits Guchi. I see young fella new money. But listen, gas nice we got the crazy like seven four or seven five wingspan, and he out there nice. He like he could. I feel like he could. He could initiate offense. But they got obviously they got guards in shade and and um giddy. But to me, that boy could play one through three and then you know, some four of you wanted them to because out here big guard, this gifted. That's why, Okay, see sneaky for the future. That's why they're sneaky for the future. They got a lot of big They got big and that got wings that, like you said, initiate offense. They got three folk guys you can run it with. Jalen Williams is gonna be nice. Bro. I feel like he's gonna have a bright, bright future. Kid is tough. I didn't. I didn't got to see them play a lot between you know, doing the Magic Games, Hooper Vision and Bolivish Lie. I got to see this kid. I'm impressed. Coming up next, you Richard sharing some of his favorite rookie moments. Stay toned man, you we gotta get into it. Man, you were the eighteen pick in the two thousand draft. Man. Good evening and welcome to the two thousand NBA Draft at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. What was that like? And take me through draft day? What was draft day like? Like? Who are you with? Were you a green room guy? Who who went to the draft with you? Who? Who was around? Talk me through that experience, man? And it wasn't like, Man, I'm I'm about to be number one in this bad boy? Were you? Man? I came out to draft with a chip on my shoulder. Dog you know me, you always go my head. I had a chip on my shoulder. But take me through that day? Who were you with? Who'd you walk in with? Feelings? Emotions? Man? Were you cocky? Q? Back then? When you chill? Q? What? What? What's going on? Man? Let me get the story. So, first of all, fortunately I was blessed enough to be a green room guy. Did go to the actual draft. I drafted back then, this was before it was just in New York City every year I used to move around, so this particularly years in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center. So I went out there. My family took my step mom, pop, sister, bros. You know, then a couple of my uh you know, my best friends then my best friends to this day. Now did you pay for anybody at NBA paid for that. No, no, no, that's you know, we're footing that bill. Fortunately, I had great representation, so I wasn't sing like I didn't have already got you know, shout out to Jeff Wexler had already secured me and deep miles Upper Day. You know, card deal, nice nice card deals that were you know, sustained us over the summer and um, you know had us situated. So you know, we had a couple of deals in place, so we were able to take care of our family. We had you know, everybody come down the mass had his mom and his his fam come down, so you know, we're down there. We were in were in Minnesota. We're about to kick it, have a good time. But for me, you know, I wasn't expected to be the you know, the top pick or anything like that. For me, it was it was definitely a lot more murky for than than the minds. He was expected to go on the top three or four pigs, four short no letters, you know really literally no later than three or four whatever. But for me, I was in that I was in that range where it's like you could go as high as like ten or you can go as low as like twenty two. So hold on, bro, you and d Miles knew each other even before the draft, before all this, I mean played you together Chicago Warrior with Illinois Warriors. So you know, she demuses from East St. Louis. So he was one of the guys was downstayed our AU coach Larry Butler. You know, he was always looking around trying to add to our team, and he met him at one of his spotlight events and then you know he next to you know, he joined, He brought him down to join the team. So you know, East St. Louis from Chicago's like three three hours or more. And so when he would come to play on the team and be he would stayed to stay at my house, you know, because it wasn't like he was going back before we had a weekend tournament. So like, yeah, men, I met Darius and he's in eighth grade. I was a sophomore junior. Hold on man who was on this team. Were crewed up, bro. I mean, it depends on which year, but over the years, you know, uh, Bobby Simmons, Corey mcgetty, Frank Williams, uh, you know, we we was we was like that. And then my boy, you know that our main court was the guys that you know really did out that are my best friends, like you know, Cordell Henry, Dennis Gates, Rid Thompson, Brian Ward who's now coach. Dennis Gates is now coaching in college, and um, you know, we were really the court of the team. But we added, you know, added in some track of different guys over the years. We yeah, wars there will be Larry Butler headed down. For a long time. We was, we was, we was all letting in the shop. But yeah, so we we That's when me and d Males man. Man, That's that was the crazy thing about us, you know, developing this relationship and you know, I'll go to college and I'm still coming back to the program and seeing them play at different places. And then you know, he goes and when he when his time, I go to my sophomore year. I could have left my freshman year, but I come back and that turned out to be Darius the senior year. And the course of that senior year. Man, like I remember, he came to DePaul to visit, you know, school, and I'm just hosting. I'm sitting here looking at him like, bro, no way, Like all right, we got his little high hundred and fifty bucks for the weekend, what we're about to do, But no way, bro, like you out of you. I'm telling him about it. At this point, he's at east Side High and he's St. Louis and man, he's posting quadruple doubles Queen tuble doubles and like he's going crazy out there. And he was like he was a one man show, playing like every position and the same thing you saw when you got to the league. Imagine just putting that in high school. He was the six nine stupid crazy wings being crossing people, dunking on people, blocking shots on the steel three on one, thank you, Darius Files and Miles getting it back on the turnover and Miles scores again, Miles and Miles again, Darius, Miles just doing everything. So it was like when I told him, I was like, Bro, you got no no like. And I was like, I'm gonna introduce you to the agents that I'm meeting with now. And that was how we ended up going with the same agent. We both had, Jeff Webs for our entire career. Still I got now to this day, that's like family. You know what I'm saying. It ain't forget agent and all of that's like family for for me. You know what I'm saying. Jeff is like like a big brother slash like big brother figured it then then helped us and helped me to so much game, Bro. But back to the draft, Jeff is dead with a David. At the time, we were SFAX. So David Folks was like the big guy at the company, and you know, he had all the other agents and Jeff was one of the guys, but he was Jeff was always our our agent. You know. David Folks was never he was you know, I guess, the big big guy the company. But our personal guy was always Jeff. So that's you know, that's that's that's my man. So were there and the whole time, you know, I'm knowing. The other thing that was crazy for me. I worked out for the Celtics had like two or three picks. I don't know how many picks they had, but they had some picks, multiple are back to back picks in that draft for something. And they worked out for them three times, Bro, leading up to the Jai. You know, he had to work outs. I worked out for him three different times. We get to the night before the draft. They're trying to have me come have him do like a meeting and do another workout with them Patino and Jim O'Brien, and all I'm like, man, not was this was this Anton Walker, Derek Derek Derrick Anderson who was Celtics was this, Well yeah, no, d A was never that. That was Kentucky. But yeah, uh he was Twine Cybertwine is definitely that. I'm a young boy, you know they had Yeah, Cybertlin was the man at this point Slides five get to walk at Hill check Nick. But it still was like, no, we're not going to do another workout the night before, so you know, we get that. Man. But the but, the whole, the whole, everything was dope. Bro, you wake up, you'd be like you stupid, dumb nervous because it's it's like finally it's now it's today, and it's like, you know, you got your little suit, your clothes. You gotta do a couple of things, but then it's time to like put on your suit, go get on. You gotta get on. Know, we had to get on the bus. They're gonna bust Us all over together and you know, you get on the bus all other draft picks, draftees, they s you black and who else? Who's the other big names of the draft? Nah, the big name was Kmart Kmark was the number one overall picks. With the first pick in the two thousand NBA draft, the New Jersey Nets select Kenyan Martin from the university and since but he he had just went crazy, was National Player of the Year and Cincinnati his senior year and that was when he had hurt his leg in a tournament, but he still was the overall consensus. He was to dude him. You had strow Mouth Swift, who was a high he was like three or something. And Mike Miller was the number five pick in one Rookie of the Year that year. Uh, Mike Red was actually second round and he was like, you know, one of the one of the biggest names out of our draft. But then you had you had Young Mall. You had Maul Crawford who only played like ten games at Michigan. Mall was in it. Mall was was a Mall was like at the time he was an anomaly because he had only played ten games or something. Like that in college at Michigan and then he left school and so they had it was like, you know, all of that, we don't know, and we don't have a lot of tape. So he actually was one of the guys that went to the NBA combine in Chicago and played you already know everybody, and so he went from kind of like in the middle to the unknown ground to like he ended up getting picked either seven or eight, I can't remember him and Chris Man got traded. So whichever pick Jamal was, Chris Man, did you play in Chicago or no? No, no, for those who don't know. For pre draft, a lot of guys go there to prove themselves and if you proved yourself and your stock was high enough, you didn't go play. So Q didn't play. I super random. I skipped it too, bro, I kid you not. I had to work. I skipped it too. It worked out for me, but I skipped it to a lot of guys don't play. I wasn't even the top pick, but it still wasn't like I felt, you know, my Jeff and all of us felt that I had done enough not to have to participate in that. Even though I wasn't a top pick overall, like that situation. But so we get that, man, we get that you're kicking it with everybody, and it's kind of like, you know, then you gotta go do take pictures and do different things, and you know all of that stuff. So all of that stuff is cool. Man, then you you actually gotta go sit at the table. You sit down at your m you see where everybody's sitting. There was dope. Man. The mouse table was literally right next to man, Like, we got pictures to this day on T shirts and stuff and me holding the camp cord and slapping five with him while he right here. This is before it starts. And so man, it's like the dope thing for you know, the mouse came up the board quick. I can't think he was four? Was he three or four? He was one of the next KG bro next KG right, So but we knew that was happening, and it was like boom were you know, we all celebrated me and him dapthed of shook up. You know what I'm saying. He'd go up there shakes David Stern's hand in the two thousand in the NBA draft, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Darius Miles of East St. Louis High School. I remember when that happened because I remember because this was the crazy part about it. The Clippers drafted him right, so then you know all of that happened, and um, you know when that's happening like the way we did it, because they knew that the man is gonna be one of the earliest picks on my agent. Jeff, he's sitting with you know, he sitting with him at the time when he first get picked. Right, So he gets picked, they passed out all the hats and everything, everybody plumbing hats and they do all of that right. So then he moves on and they take him behind the scenes. You know, you got as soon as you get drafted, you go hit that little that little circuit where you're taking pictures, doing interviews, calling people, blah blah blah. Your team call you back to all of that. So then he as he does that, Jeff gets up and come to sit with me now, because now I'm gonna be his guy. Is taking next now. The whole time when he comes over, Jeff had on the Clippers had when he said when he sat out, he took the hat off and just set it on the table. Right, So now the Clippers had it sitting on the table. So we're sitting there, bro that mind you you gotta understand in my mind, right even though they're saying all of this middle ground, is that, like, Bro, I felt I had did what I had done what I've done in college over the two years average nineteen and ten both years. Now, the second year didn't look the same this telling you didn't look the same as the first year, because clearly I was national freshman year, was conference player. I want all these with like they it was like okay, we they know, like this boy crazy right here right, so not ain't not about to do the same thing that it's not about to you know what I'm saying, I'm about to play against doubles and triples and all this sex and reality. I should have left. But whatever. So when I get to even before that, after a thought, the Claire and I go to the workouts, I'm seeing these people I'm doing what I'm doing what I do. So I'm like cool, I'm like cool, I feel good. They are working. I'm calling Jeff like man, yeah, and I'm like many now, like you know what I'm saying, then, it's like when we get to the draft, bro, draft day, you hear a name at the name getting called. So for me, where were your where was your expectation of the highest you could have gone? Man, I'm thinking I thought for sure the Celtics was gonna take me at one of them picks they had. I can't remember exactly what picks they had in that draft, but they had, like I want to say, it was almost like back to back picks. So they had more. They had some two picks. It was like three different teams. I felt I could go too, but I thought for sure. My thing was always set on being a lot of repick. You know what I'm saying. That was something for me, like like the first round was for sure for me, that wasn't a you know what I'm saying to me, I knew I had earned it. I knew I was for sure that that wasn't a question. I knew that I deserved really top ten, that was what that was where I felt I belonged who the other like small forwards in your competition, you remember, man, there was a lot of guys. You had Mike Millo, you had Damar Johnson, you had Damar Johnson. You had Desmond Mason, you had Morris Peterson, you had he Do Blue, you had uh yeah, Mope is probably the only one who didn't get taken before me. Everybody else got taken before me. And so you're sitting here looking bro like Corney, Alexander got taken from sitting here looking like bro, all of these names. And I'm talking about some of these dudes. I didn't literally got the lace up with other dudes I saw in conference, playing in other places, and this I'm just sitting here, like so you know the competitive in Chicago, they're sitting there. I got the cam cord, but it's bubbling. But then it was weird because I had to do a balancing that because while I was getting steamed and I was becoming like angry, right like when I look around my table, bro, my sister was starting to cry. My pops was uneasy, like what's going on? Man? Like why they ain't like who he looking at? Like he's started like now my pops don't really know basketball. He's just like, why they ain't calling my son yet? Like you know what saying? That's what he war on. So now they concerned they know me they know me, So now I gotta keep like I had to keep a happy face on and I'm playing I'm I'm playing a role, but I'm I'm over here pissed. So it's a pitch, keep going, pitts, keep going. So then when they got like like I'm gonna say they got like the sixteen or something, when they when they finally like when my agent got the about the yeah this, and then you know, the cameras come certain the table. So now it's like it's like, you know what I'm saying, I was playing photo, so the camera before you get picked, the cameras are already there. They come cert the table like literally right before you get picked, and like they come in the area and you kind of like, okay, like what I'm saying. When we both declared for the draft, right the Miles moved to Chicago. We got an apartment downtown. We worked out the entire predraft living together. You wouldn't deep miles stayed together for the draft. We lived together before the entire predraft. We moved to Chicago, got an apartment in the city downtown. We worked out three two times a day. We had Tim gro visit trainer. We had Chip England. Chip England was the famous shooting coach there was. I think I don't know, I think he's an okay, see now, but he was with the Spurs forever. He helped out with he rebuilt Battier and Grand Hills shots and then you know, he were in Nonfest. We be for shooting the d n TG so whole whole time. You know, sometimes we would fly to so we had a couple of workouts together. But you know, like he would go, I would go. We would come back talk about what's going on, and we'd all be like, man, I had to be crazy, even though it wasn't really realistic, Like but we always said, be crazy. We get to play for the same team, we get drafted back, same teaple. He was like, the way we're set up, he knew he was top five. I wanted to be top ten. It didn't make sense. I'm like, you don't even realistic. So but like when that happened, bro, like when I got you know what I'm saying, that was like the biggest relief right there, Like first day calling your name and then it's like okay, cool, like I'm over here with black. And then earlier in that draft they had picked they had the Clippers had three picks, so d was the first pick. The tenth pick they picked Keion Dooling. I know k d s and some thirteen years old we met playing Hey you, and we didn't be in the Adida's camp. We had played against each other, Hey you our team senior year, we played each other in the Colakota Shootout and um in St. Louis on the national stage ranked high schools. Played like we know each other from that standpoint, then before we went to college, me and Kian made we played on the gold Middle USA team. The bay Hound coach me, Kian, Michael Ray Bobby. So I know k cool. Like I'm about to walk into my rookie year with two dudes that I really know, and this was the kicker though I already got Kian and d MOUs right. Swear to you as I'm as I'm making my way from the table where they call your name, you put on the hat, you hugging your family in five and then I let back for me making it from the table to the walkway. As I'm walking the rimp to get up to the stage to shake David Stern's hand, They're announcing the trade. The trade is we trade the Clippers trade. Who did they trade? I forget who the Clippers traded, but they got back Derek Strong and Corey mcghetty. And I say, I'm like, I said, this is crazy. I'm like, so now my mind, I'm like, I got d MOUs Corey, who I've known. I've known Corey mcghetty's from six in sixth grade. First game we'll played each other with Church League. Sixth grade, I played against Corty and was he was he buffing the sixth grade six four already chisel sixth grade? Sixth grade already chisen, already on his way to being Corey simple free spa on fifty mcghetti. You know what I'm saying, Like whetic climbs, jumping the snares quickly brings it into the front exclusive and so for me it was like, it was like that was crazy. So as soon as we get like I thought, I lead the stage and do I do the shaking their hand to the quick interview, and I'm just like, it's spending. When I get in the back to do the whole circauit the first person I see it's d Mass He running up like gee, it's about to be on. It's crazy, like we out of here, and it's like that was the only that that saved the whole night for me. That made because like all of that together it was like I can't lose, Like you know what I'm saying, Like I know people like d Steve he was getting drafted to the Jazz and hell when he drafted and he still malone and stopped him was still dudes like that old Like it was like, Bro, you could have got sent to a way different situation, Like whatever you're about to go through and experience, you're about to do it with some dudes just down with you and they all experiencing you're about the experience it together for the first time. So I had comfort in that, like man, I got I got my partners. Then it was like even what was there? Like l O was a young dude who I had met l with Adida's camp before. I didn't know him, but like he was he was the same age as me, literally twenty years old, and so he's another young dude. This all we all starting this out. So I felt confident in that. Now the difference was like we was the only team ever liked that. At this point, there was that had the quarter. Five six dudes that was like all under twenty and then one like you know, we had an eighteen year old, four twenty year olds and a twenty one year old and that was like Eldon brand Lamar Olden Court, mcghetty, me, Darius Males and Keian Duland. And it was like you look around the NBA. That happened nowhere. And for those who don't know, now it's common in the NBA. You could be a lot where you could be a top I picked back then and not play. You could be a top come over the bench, not played. Developed Those old geez ran the NBA. It's a whole different NBA now else. Like you said, no, seriously, we've never seen anything like that at that time. Yeah, that's what was crazy. I mean, do you think about it, Like Jeff Weldman, right, he's the general, he's the president of everything here in Orlando right now, he was our like assistant general manager. They drafted us in that team, right, And I was, you know, I worked for the imagining. I was talking to him one day, this is about two years ago when he first kind of got to Orlando, and he was like, what was so crazy about our Clippers teams is that you just said it the whole core unit. Everybody was on the first or second year in a rookie contract. We could have erased you, like, if you're being technical, we could have. We could have had Shack and Kobe at Max and now they wouldn't have came to a clip, but like we could have when he got any other superstars and offered them to mat like day, that's why nobody wanted to go to the clip because they didn't pay anybody. It was it was a laughable thought to even poach that idea to go get a Max player to go with these young guys, Like no, no, never, no chances. Let's let me break down what these things where I know we can support you any foundations thing. For one, Knuckleheads podcast shot a Knucklehead we know that. Uh NBA Hooper Vision shot at NBA Hooper Vision. Uh new era, the stuff you're doing with New Era? Uh listen, Clipper Vision Okay, the team where it started to come back and do a Clipper vision on top of Hooper Vision with the NBA. You can do a Clipper vision with the Clippers. Um where else, Man, where can people find you a compete to people support you? Man? Geet give us that run down man broadcast part of the broadcast team with the Magic Man Dante marketelling my main man, send me up, throwing lives all day, making my job as easy as possible. So you know, I'm just having fun man, To be real with you, I mean, like I'll tell you all the time round on the pide, we get to be kids in the Candy story, interviewing the guys that we either idolized when we grew up with a you know, idolizing when we played, and now idolizing while we're not playing and watching these guys now. So for me, man, it's just like it's it's literally doing something that we would do regardless. You know what I'm saying, Like when we sit and we're hanging out, we watch every game. We watched lead Pass every night. I called d or call you call anybody Corey or any one of my teammates, Like you you watching games if you're not calling games, like we really love basketball. So you know what I'm saying that it don't matter whether it's w n B A, whether it's women's college, whether it's men's college, whether it's NBA, whether it's G League, whether it was the Big Three, whether it's whatever. Like when they play the overseas games with the with the when, but now your kid, I'm watching that. I just love to watch basketball, Like when my boy d Wright when it played in China, I was watching his links and doing that and the see games like you know what I'm saying, Like I'm I love hoop bro. So to be able to have a job that this all based on watching and enjoying basketball and then giving my thoughts or my takes on it and stuff like that because I played the game and play, you know, at the highest level. So it's it's just like it's it's it's a kid of the Kenny Store. Man. Can't believe like you could have told me at twelve years old, Like in my letter to my younger self, I could have never told myself to like, yo, after you who you're gonna be you know what I'm saying, being paid to talk about basketball and really like the kicking and like you know what I'm saying, You're gonna have a podcast with your best friend since six seven eighth grade. Then you're gonna be able to do a show with on the NBA on the NBA League Pass platform with with your pros, d Write and Nate rob who really like your bros. You like these your little bros in the league, and you get to do this with them and all of these different things. I get to be on Clipper Vision with Corey mcgetti, who I knew since sixth grade, or Coatino, who we won a championship within the Big Three. So it's just like all of these things, just like things could be a lot harder, Bro, And I'm I'm super super grateful and appreciative for for what I have going on. And then not to mention it, half the bulk of everything I do is right here at the crib, right here, like like to walk out the door and then my kids right there. I ain't taking time away from them and being gone and traveling and so it's just man for me, I'm just it's a huge blessing and I'm extremely appreciative and thankful for it. Bro. They're serious, but my brother, it was a blessing having you on the show. We appreciate you, man. You dropped some serious gyms today. Will have to do it again soon man, and I appreciate your breakdown. Man and like those listening to go check out what Q is doing. Appreciate you, Bro, you already know it, Bro. Appreciate you triple ate in the building. Wow. I have to thank you guys for listening to NBA Rookie Life with Ryan Hollins. I couldnot I'm repeated, I cannot do this without you. Do not forget the rate review. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.