Point God is a production of I Heart Radio. I was I was kind of I was kind of in awe of Kobe Bryant at that time, but we scrimmaged game. Game is high. Kobe said, this is a bad motherfucker. We backed the Point Gods Show by Slick Studios, presented by I Heart Radio with yours truly, Baron Davis, a K A E Diddy, a k A Boom disser, Hey k A too easy. I am the host, I am humbled. This is amazing opportunity. This show is to dive deep into the essays, originality, the poise, the mind, the life of some of my favorite point guards that have ever played the game. And when I say point God, it's God given talent. It is the admiration and the respect for the completion of mind, body and soul to master a game on so many levels. Right. And you guys may, like you know, everybody like who they like. But I like my point Gods because my point Gods have stories. They transcend the pioneer, right, and they keep developing and keep growing. Ladies and gentlemen, I know you're all ready for our next guests. I'm ready for our next guests. Born out of Detroit, Michigan. Let's see if y'all can figure this out, We're gonna do it. We're gonna run it again. Born out of Detroit, Michigan, was four eight by the time he started high school at Ferndale. That's a clue. I just gave your clue. One of the first four year starters in his high school history. As a senior, he havas twenty five point seven assists and was named Oakland County's best player. That's another clue. And here's the one. Here's the clue. There. In there was the McDonald's All American Game and it was a roundball Classic. Now, the round ball, like the McDonald's, was the big commercial thing. The roundball Classic is when you really have the Didas and the night Bankey guys and the reeboking whomever, all a due, all the dogs pretty much got invited to the round Ball Classic because it was like the underground. And in you had Jamal mcglory. There, you had Kobe Bryant rest in peace, We love you, Kobe. You have the great Rip Hamiltons. You had Shaneen Hollyway, one of the top point guards in the country. You have my big bro Jason Hart one of the top point guards out of California. Tim Thomas out of out of Jersey, probably the number one player in the country. Yes, all these high school all American juggernauts and some crazy happened. I think they were you know that. I can't remember where the game was. I believe it was in Detroit. And I love Detroit, you know why, because Detroit was like, hold on, where the where is the Detroit homies at? And this stude was killing in high school that it was such a commotion that, you know, the Roundball Classic was like you know what and shout out to the Roundball Classic. They was like, man, it's a local kid that probably don't get the national pub but he cold, he cold, and Detroit is saying like, yo, he aired Alan iverson you know what I mean, he to show like you know what I'm saying, y'all see in social media. He he getting down, Like how Sharif Cooper was getting down? He getting down? How How how Jaylen House begetting down? He getting you know what I mean, all these young dudes that's coming up, you know, he he gets down. They led him in the game. I mean, I I and If you ask me, because I'm a storyteller. I tell you he showed up at halftime, but they led him in the game. He showed up the day of the game. Kobe Rip, Hamilton's, Jamal mcglory, Tim Thomash, Holloway, Jason Hart, Rashan Phillips who everybody in Detroit now, And boy, oh boy, did he turn it out. I'll tell you what he turned it out that he walked away with the m v P. I just gave up the goods. Bro, we can keep going on. I gotta bring this dog, my dog in so we can just get through, you know what I mean, We can get through the college life, because we're gonna talk about the upset. You know, ladies and gentlemen. You know a dude that I respect, I respect his my and I respect you know. We called him the basketball Yoda, right. He is four or five years out telling you what is gonna happen in free agency? Who should be drafted? Right? I mean, as far as a basketball insider, you know, this is my guy. This is all I mean. If he don't say it, I ain't rolling. If he don't stamp it, I ain't rolling. And that's just the way you playing big admiration, big love, ladies and gentlemen as welcome the shot feelings point god, what's up? What's up? My dog? Who is having you? And you are a story teller and a half bro? Bro? You know, hey, bro, I gotta get your roles as you feel me. I was sitting here like, man, this is a pretty good movie. Man, I remember you. To me, I'm like, yeah, it is. It is, you know I look at I look at your life like a movie. Yeah, it's it's something that I mean, just like hearing it like it's crazy to hear it because it's like, man, that's like it sounds scripted almost like it's it's I mean, I really appreciate those flowers, man, Like that means a lot. Bro, I really appreciate. Man. Let's get into it, like talk about that, you know what I mean growing up in Detroit, right, because I love Detroit. You feel what I'm saying. Detroit got the swag, they got the hard you know what I mean. Detroit gotta describe Detroit right and describe Detroit game and describe YO game coming up as a Detroit point guard. Yeah, Detroit is um, it's a city, it's a very hard nosed, gritty, survival, respectful, credibility, the type of place. You know, you gotta you gotta really, you gotta really walk a straight line in Detroit. You you you gotta walk a straight line in Detroit. I mean, it's it's so rich in history. Um, just not only from a basketball standpoint, but just just from from from an economic boost. You know, back in the day they call it the Motor City is because that's where the cars were being built and there was a huge boost in economy. So it's a worker city, you know, so everybody, uh, you know, it's tough minded, it gritty, and it it kind of translated into the style of basketball player that was moded from Detroit. You think of Derrick Coleman, you know, and you think of Steve Smith, you think a Spencer Haywood, you Chris Webber, you know, like the list goes on. And the one thing that all of the Detroit players have, it's one thing that we all have in the same fabric. Jalen Rhodes as well, is that we're all gritty. Yeah, there's with the grittiness about a Detroit basketball player. Don't matter who it is. It let's just take up in the hood. Bro. Yeah, hey man, lord have mercy, yo, yo, yo, we gotta tap in real quick. Let's hear quick war from our sponsors. Yeah, man, I grew up. I grew up on East State Fair in seventy five. So if you say anybody from Detroit East State Fair in seventy five, they're gonna be like, whoa you made it out of that? You know? Um, I grew up there, like my whole my whole entire childhood, all the way through high school through college. I grew up there, and I just felt like as a player, I was just I was very gritty, I was very hungry, and there there was a fire that burned, that burned inside of me. Um from a from a little kid. And it's still like nobody could put that fire out. That was one of the reasons why I was small. I was small. You know that? Did you did you hoop like when you was growing up? Like when you started I mean, because you are pretty much almost had to always be the point guard. Like did you play with older players? Like was it a dude a legend in your hood that you was like, yo, I gotta steal when he got you know what I mean? Yes, that's that's a great question. And and Steve Smith was the person that I tried to mimic because I was able to see him a lot because he went to Detroit Persian My parents graduated from Detroit Persian Um, and Steve Smith was an east Side legend, you know. And my father had a community center back then, so Steve Smith used to come to my father's community center. So I saw Steve Smith with my own eyes at seven, eight nine years old, working out, and I'm like, so I had I had the smitty move, I had that in my bag, and he was playing the point. He was playing point at six seven you played point. A lot of people forget Steve Smith played point guard in high school and and a little bit at Michigan. Steve Smith was so good, so good, Oh my gosh, ridiculous, ridiculous. He was really good, bro. So I got a chance to watch guys like Steve Smith, Chris webber Um, and then you know what, Isaiah Thomas playing with the Pistons as a kid. I was able to idolize and watch Isaiah Thomas as a kid. So those were the kind of guys that I kind of tried to mimic their games, and and and and kind of building on that. That makes sense, man, because like for me, it's like like magic. You know, it's like you're a kid, you watching Magic, you win the championships. You're a kid, You're watching Isaiah and Yah is winning championships. When you talk about you know, talking about like you coming up right, and it's like, man, you got you got Jalen Rose, you got you're Steve Smith, you got Isaiah, Steve Smith, and then jay Len Rose coming, you know, and it's like and then here you come, right? What was that mentality like in high school? Like when did it click for you that you you you love what you do? You know what I mean? Yeah, I think I was. I think it was in my younger days beat Um I played. We had a league called pal Um. It was called the Police Athletic League that we would play down. I was ten years old and one of my friends on the team was David Webber, which was Chris Webber's younger brother. Went off to play at Central Michigan, and he was David was a really good player in his own right. You know, David was a year younger than me. Chris Webber used to come to our games every Saturday. Chris Webber was like he was like fifteen sixteen, so he was kind of Chris was like a mythic figure, you know, and I was able to be around him. So Chris Webber tells me one Saturday, I was averaging like forty ten years old. Chris Webber comes to me. He's like sixteen years old, fifteens, like six eight, he's huge. I'm like this little bitty kid, and he tells me you're gonna be special. Um. So Chris Webber telling me that I was gonna be special at ten years old. I think that's when I knew I took that. I took that from Chris Webber. He kind of injected that confidence in me, and I just ran with it. That's fire man, because like Chris Webber, and Chris Webber was so cool though too, Like that was he's so cool. Now talk about like, you know, high school come around. You your high school player of the year. Yeah right, yeah? Are you getting recruited? Like like, tell me about this damn uh magic groundball because I only read about it, right, So I'm back in l A Like, damn dude, like this is crazy. So I made this whole story up about you, dog. So even before we played you at u C l A, I had this whole mythology about you. Anyway, But tell me what happened and and and you know, and one like player of the Year. I think that was like a pivotal moment and and uh yeah it was. You know. Going into high school, I was small. You know, I was able to start as a freshman. Um I had six seniors, but I was kind of bread to play the position, so um I was able to you know, help my team when you know, two district titles and conference titles. By time my senior year came around, I had growded like five eight, five nine. But I still wasn't being recruited, you know, b D. Back then, being small was a strike against you. And also being a great score from the point guard position wasn't. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, they they wanted you know, because I think we faced this in l A too. Yeah. They wanted you to play basic ball, yes, and if you were little, they wanted you to play like Jack Vaughan. Yeah, like passing, get out of the way like Jack Vaughan. You know, because Jack Vaughan, Doug Gottlieb, all them dudes they were yeah, and so like Jay Hart was like really like one of them dudes was like I got d and I can get you know what I mean, I can get busy, but I'm gonna run the team, you know what I mean. He was like a general. But they wasn't looking for like little guards that it was you know what it was. It was so many fucking tags, bro, you know what I mean. He can't do this, he can't do that, he can't and it's like you some of the sorriest dudes, right and you know, it was like some of the sorriest dudes playing the NBA and and if and I always used to think, like imagine if you just had everybody out here who had game, you know what I mean? Right right, that and that and that's what I kind of that that hit me hard. You know, coming out of high school. College coaches wasn't there wasn't knocking on my doors. Like man, he's five eight, he's a buck fifty. He could score a ton of points, but that won't work at the Division one level, like they kept telling my father, just won't work. Um. But for me, I just you know, again, that fire that burned inside of me. Me coming from Detroit, I just knew that wherever I was gonna go, I was gonna make it happen. So this so here's the story. How did you hear about the round Ball? Yeah? So I end up signing to go to University Detroit, which was cool, a college that I loved as a kid, Like I used to watch the Universe. You a D was like r U c l A in Detroit. It was like you know what I mean, Like that that was r U c l A in Detroit. So going to you a D was a huge accomplishment for our city, you know. So so going there was was I was excited about that. But it was crazy that my college coach, Perry Watson, who recruited the Fat five at Michigan, he was at University Detroit at the time. And yeah, legend, p w a legend. He called me and was like, hey, um, I think I may be able to uh get you in the Magic round Ball Classic. And I'm like I like, I'm like, what, Like, no way, no way you can get me in this game. Like I'm like Kobe Bryant and Tim Thomas is playing this game there's no way to play in this game. I'm not like, he's like Mateen Cleaves, who was the number one point guard in the nation in nineties six. Mike Bibby was number two, and Jay Hart was number three, and Shaheen was not like they were one to three, four, like like one five. It was like the top five point guards in the country. But my team got injured. So they were like, well, who's the next best point guard in the state of Michigan. They was like, well, it's Rashan Phillips. But he's only like five eight, so you know, so it was like, yeah, yeah, here we go. We go right, So yo, you know what time it is. You know, this show wouldn't be where it is if it wasn't for our sponsors. Let him have it. So they called me and was like, hey, can you come to practice? Can you practice with us um to see if you faire? I'm like to see if I'm fair? Like, who the hell you think? To see if I'm fair? What do that even mean? I'm like, I'm like, all right, So I go to the first practice, right to go to the first practice, and this is the first time that I meet Kobe Bryant, Okay, So this is I gotta tell this story. Man is the first time, this is the first time I encountered a great Kobe Bryant. Yes, So you know, we had Slam Magazine. It was magazines back then. We were coming out with no social media. So the Slam in the Street and Smith that was our Instagram. That was our So if you get punks, I mean, it's like you'll stop going on all the way up. Yeah, and Kobe was everywhere, right, Kobe was on every magazine pictures. I'm looking at pictures of him in high school, like, damn, like, d is he really six six? He only he only looked six for you know. I'm like, you know, we're trying to gauge, like you trying to measure him. I'm like, he looked like about six four. But man, I walked in the gym. I walked in the gym and everybody was getting dressed and I I'm walking in. I see ed Hold up, I seen him. Time is six ten him. Thomas was huge. I'm like, I'm like, damn, man, like this is a big boyugs up so um as where in the gym. There's double doors at that Calahan Hall and the last dude to walk in was Kobe Bryant. So he bust open the door and he's like walking in line, and it froze me. Bro, it froze me. It was the first time that I was froze. And I was like, damn, Like Kobe had this globe, like he had like this glow and I'm like he was six six. I was like, damn, like that's him, you know what I'm saying. So I was, I was kind of I was crying at that time. But we scrimmaged. We got the scrimmage um and as we spread and what was back then, like when he walked into gym, did he say something. He didn't say nothing to me until the scrimmage. So let me tell you, so, Kobe never speaks to me, Bro. It was like he was so locked in. Right. So we're doing the three man weaves and we're doing three on three on two, two on one. Kobe's like dunking in and like he's moving like Jordan's right. So he never says nothing to me, walks right past me, never looks at me. He's he's you know, he's like giving everybody else Dad, let's go and let's go let's go. Let's go Rip you know him, and RiPP was who never said unto me. So I'm like, damn, like he won't even speak to me. Right, So so here we go. We gotta scrimmage. So I get in with the second unit b D. So they throw me out there right and we're down like twelve. Like Kobe's torturing everybody like, we're down like twelve, and they're like they sucked me in and I get in. We're down like twelve. We just scrimmages, but they had like they was keeping the score. We're down like twelve, ten or twelve. Kobe stays in here like I'm in, I'm staying. I'm staying. I'm staying right. So he stays in against the second unit. He got something against the hell bro. So so um, we get the plan. I get this, I get the boogie in right, I'm I'm I get the boodie. I'm coming off the ball screen. They're trying to trap me. I'm splitting it. I'm throwing the jamal before I get the D three. I give it a dude. I get like a little crossover, a little heavy, yeah, the sick cross with the pool. Right game is tied. Kobe say this is a bad motherfucker. As he he say, he poised down, he says, hey, yo, yo, this motherfucker bad yo. Guard him And from then on the respect was there. Yeah. So Kobe, Kobe was that type of dude where you had to earn his respect, not the type of duty was yeah, not for sure. Yeah, he he he wanted to fag like he he wanted to me like, Kobe just had like a ball, he just wanted to pick a ball with everybody, you know what I mean. Yes, And it was almost like, you know, it's almost like this this bully mentality, you know what I mean, Like this bully mentali and people don't see it like you, in order to be great, you gotta be a bully, you know what I mean. You gotta be over aggressive. And it's like but when they come and you get to wiggling and you get to mixing, you know, you were like, let me reassess my bully nice. You know. So that moment right there for me was a turning point in my career because the number one player in the country that skipped college to go pro had basically validated me in front of everybody, and and that's when I knew that I belong. That's what's up. And then we get to the game. This is crazy though, So what was game day like? So? So was it? So obviously you made this right? So I made the team. So I gotta give love to Jason Hart. Okay, so this is how it happened, though, I really shout. I truly believe that Jason Hart is the reason why I had the game that I had, So I'm gonna break it down. So the day of the game, Um, I still don't know if I'm playing b D. So they called me early in the morning. The game was like at one o'clock, right, so they they I was standing in the hotel with the team, so I got to hang out with the fellas. That's how we all got cool. But they still didn't know if I was gonna play. So it's like nine o'clock in the morning, they go to shoot around. I didn't participate in shoot around, so I'm like, damn, I'm not gonna play. But I'm like my family all of Detroit want to come to the game. And so it's like eleven thirty, twelve o'clock We're going on a bus to the to the Palace of Alburn Hills. They still haven't told me I'm playing. I feel like I'm just like a walk on, Like what do you get? You got geared though, I got my gut, Like, I'm just like but they haven't told me nothing, something like damn, Like like, bro, I want to just sit on the side. So we get to the arena and there the dudes are getting dressed and the coach says like, hold up real quick, hold up, not yet, so I'm not gonna play. So I'm like, damn. So he come back. So they run out to go into the landline. They go out. I hear the roar. I hear the roar of the crowds. This is true story, bro. They go out, Jason Hart like, no, bro, you playing? He like, I'm making sure that you're gonna play. Um. Me and Jay Hart established a great friendship over that four days. He like, you're gonna play? And I'm like how he got? How do you know if I'm gonna play? Right? He the same age as me. He got. They was like you playing? Bro. So they go out and the they go out and I can hear the roar from the tunnel right, So I'm like looking through the tunnel like damn, like I'm mad, like I'm hurt. The coach come running through the tunnel, he like, get dressed. You playing, And I was like okay, and he was like and and and and you're starting to like out of the So I'm I hurry up and get dressed. I don't have any I don't have any shoes. I didn't have the game shoes because they didn't give me the game shoes. I was wearing my own shoes through the practice. They didn't give me, like the Adidas shoes and all that. So the so the coach runs in like what side you wear? I said, I I wear a ten and a half. He said all we got is eleven and threw me the shoes. Beat shoes big as hell. If you go back to the film on YouTube, my feet, Yeah up, yo, bed I got these big ass clown Adidas on. I got like four pair of socks because the shoes were so big. My my team cleans getting me his jersey because he's not playing. So my team was a big dude. They they put back, they put tape on the back, and they throw me these big ass shorts. Somebody there with these bigg as shorts, these big ass shoes tape on my back, and I'm starting. I can't make this ship up. Cry as fucked. It was like, bro, like that, I'm about to go out here and lay an egg my shoes. I can't slide with shahin Holloway, but these big as shoes on. Dude, you're in the shoes. That's a that's a foot that's a foot too big. It was eleven and a half half. Oh my god. And these Adidas were like biggest hell. They were like big ass clowns. They was like boats, and they was heavy. It was heavy as hell. So you know, the game gets going dobd and my adrenaline kicked in when and when I started, I found out that Jason Hard was the person who said let him start in front of me because this is his hometown. So I've always been forever indebted to Jay Hard because because he moved over so I can play front of my hometown. That's hues. Another point God, another point God, and and and to me, this show is all about like those stories. You know what I mean. But it's like you know your story as you know, um, how do I say? Man? It's like you're so authentic, right, It's such an authentic story, right, Um, And you're such an opportunist, right, can you just like just from a point guard perspective, talk about when opportunity presents itself, what does a point god need to be ready for? Right? Because you got on the eleven and a half shoes, you were a ten and a half. You got him a team Cleves Jersey. He built like a damn football player. You know what I mean. He's six three, a U five A five nine. You got insurance on it. You know, my teen Cleaves goddamn got a waste like Buster Douglas. My team got a big as you know. Talk about that man, and and and before we before we closed this first part, this first part episode with the shot, I want, I want to talk, I want I want to end on you knowledge. Yeah. So when the opportunity presented itself for me, Barn I saw, I saw my life flash before me right before that started lineup. I saw like a movie. It flashed to my childhood of saying Isaiah Thomas counting down five four, three to one, hitting the game winning shot. It flashed to me spending long hours in the gym with my pops. I saw. I saw the moment that this was the opportunity for me to show the world. I felt like the world was watching me at that moment. So there was no way that I was going to allow any situation to take away that opportunity for me. I wasn't gonna allow it to happen. My shoes was too big. I had every excuse to fail. I had every excuse to fail, but I had one reason to succeed. And I went on and won the MVP of the game, and my team won the game, and at the end of the game, Kobe Bryant gave an interview to Dick Bytel and said that I don't even want to talk about me like this game shows that people like Rashot Phillips, they're out there, and it makes us. It's a reality check to guys like myself who are in the lights and a guy like Rasha who's in the dark. When you put him under the lights, he's just as good as everybody out here. And that for me was all that I needed to push forward. Mm hmm, I'm amazing, man. I couldn't have said it better. Ladies and gentlemen, guess what we'll be back for part two at a point gud Rasha Phillips, because there's more. This is just the story. The next part is the legacy. Thank you all for tuning in. Point Guy is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Point God is a production of I Heart Radio. I was I was kind of I was kind of in awe of Kobe Bryant at that time, but we scrimmaged game. Game is high. Kobe said, this is a bad motherfucker. We backed the Point Gods Show by Slick Studios, presented by I Heart Radio with yours truly, Baron Davis, a K A E Diddy, a k A Boom disser, Hey k A too easy. I am the host, I am humbled. This is amazing opportunity. This show is to dive deep into the essays, originality, the poise, the mind, the life of some of my favorite point guards that have ever played the game. And when I say point God, it's God given talent. It is the admiration and the respect for the completion of mind, body and soul to master a game on so many levels. Right. And you guys may, like you know, everybody like who they like. But I like my point Gods because my point Gods have stories. They transcend the pioneer, right, and they keep developing and keep growing. Ladies and gentlemen, I know you're all ready for our next guests. I'm ready for our next guests. Born out of Detroit, Michigan. Let's see if y'all can figure this out, We're gonna do it. We're gonna run it again. Born out of Detroit, Michigan, was four eight by the time he started high school at Ferndale. That's a clue. I just gave your clue. One of the first four year starters in his high school history. As a senior, he havas twenty five point seven assists and was named Oakland County's best player. That's another clue. And here's the one. Here's the clue. There. In there was the McDonald's All American Game and it was a roundball Classic. Now, the round ball, like the McDonald's, was the big commercial thing. The roundball Classic is when you really have the Didas and the night Bankey guys and the reeboking whomever, all a due, all the dogs pretty much got invited to the round Ball Classic because it was like the underground. And in you had Jamal mcglory. There, you had Kobe Bryant rest in peace, We love you, Kobe. You have the great Rip Hamiltons. You had Shaneen Hollyway, one of the top point guards in the country. You have my big bro Jason Hart one of the top point guards out of California. Tim Thomas out of out of Jersey, probably the number one player in the country. Yes, all these high school all American juggernauts and some crazy happened. I think they were you know that. I can't remember where the game was. I believe it was in Detroit. And I love Detroit, you know why, because Detroit was like, hold on, where the where is the Detroit homies at? And this stude was killing in high school that it was such a commotion that, you know, the Roundball Classic was like you know what and shout out to the Roundball Classic. They was like, man, it's a local kid that probably don't get the national pub but he cold, he cold, and Detroit is saying like, yo, he aired Alan iverson you know what I mean, he to show like you know what I'm saying, y'all see in social media. He he getting down, Like how Sharif Cooper was getting down? He getting down? How How how Jaylen House begetting down? He getting you know what I mean, all these young dudes that's coming up, you know, he he gets down. They led him in the game. I mean, I I and If you ask me, because I'm a storyteller. I tell you he showed up at halftime, but they led him in the game. He showed up the day of the game. Kobe Rip, Hamilton's, Jamal mcglory, Tim Thomash, Holloway, Jason Hart, Rashan Phillips who everybody in Detroit now, And boy, oh boy, did he turn it out. I'll tell you what he turned it out that he walked away with the m v P. I just gave up the goods. Bro, we can keep going on. I gotta bring this dog, my dog in so we can just get through, you know what I mean, We can get through the college life, because we're gonna talk about the upset. You know, ladies and gentlemen. You know a dude that I respect, I respect his my and I respect you know. We called him the basketball Yoda, right. He is four or five years out telling you what is gonna happen in free agency? Who should be drafted? Right? I mean, as far as a basketball insider, you know, this is my guy. This is all I mean. If he don't say it, I ain't rolling. If he don't stamp it, I ain't rolling. And that's just the way you playing big admiration, big love, ladies and gentlemen as welcome the shot feelings point god, what's up? What's up? My dog? Who is having you? And you are a story teller and a half bro? Bro? You know, hey, bro, I gotta get your roles as you feel me. I was sitting here like, man, this is a pretty good movie. Man, I remember you. To me, I'm like, yeah, it is. It is, you know I look at I look at your life like a movie. Yeah, it's it's something that I mean, just like hearing it like it's crazy to hear it because it's like, man, that's like it sounds scripted almost like it's it's I mean, I really appreciate those flowers, man, Like that means a lot. Bro, I really appreciate. Man. Let's get into it, like talk about that, you know what I mean growing up in Detroit, right, because I love Detroit. You feel what I'm saying. Detroit got the swag, they got the hard you know what I mean. Detroit gotta describe Detroit right and describe Detroit game and describe YO game coming up as a Detroit point guard. Yeah, Detroit is um, it's a city, it's a very hard nosed, gritty, survival, respectful, credibility, the type of place. You know, you gotta you gotta really, you gotta really walk a straight line in Detroit. You you you gotta walk a straight line in Detroit. I mean, it's it's so rich in history. Um, just not only from a basketball standpoint, but just just from from from an economic boost. You know, back in the day they call it the Motor City is because that's where the cars were being built and there was a huge boost in economy. So it's a worker city, you know, so everybody, uh, you know, it's tough minded, it gritty, and it it kind of translated into the style of basketball player that was moded from Detroit. You think of Derrick Coleman, you know, and you think of Steve Smith, you think a Spencer Haywood, you Chris Webber, you know, like the list goes on. And the one thing that all of the Detroit players have, it's one thing that we all have in the same fabric. Jalen Rhodes as well, is that we're all gritty. Yeah, there's with the grittiness about a Detroit basketball player. Don't matter who it is. It let's just take up in the hood. Bro. Yeah, hey man, lord have mercy, yo, yo, yo, we gotta tap in real quick. Let's hear quick war from our sponsors. Yeah, man, I grew up. I grew up on East State Fair in seventy five. So if you say anybody from Detroit East State Fair in seventy five, they're gonna be like, whoa you made it out of that? You know? Um, I grew up there, like my whole my whole entire childhood, all the way through high school through college. I grew up there, and I just felt like as a player, I was just I was very gritty, I was very hungry, and there there was a fire that burned, that burned inside of me. Um from a from a little kid. And it's still like nobody could put that fire out. That was one of the reasons why I was small. I was small. You know that? Did you did you hoop like when you was growing up? Like when you started I mean, because you are pretty much almost had to always be the point guard. Like did you play with older players? Like was it a dude a legend in your hood that you was like, yo, I gotta steal when he got you know what I mean? Yes, that's that's a great question. And and Steve Smith was the person that I tried to mimic because I was able to see him a lot because he went to Detroit Persian My parents graduated from Detroit Persian Um, and Steve Smith was an east Side legend, you know. And my father had a community center back then, so Steve Smith used to come to my father's community center. So I saw Steve Smith with my own eyes at seven, eight nine years old, working out, and I'm like, so I had I had the smitty move, I had that in my bag, and he was playing the point. He was playing point at six seven you played point. A lot of people forget Steve Smith played point guard in high school and and a little bit at Michigan. Steve Smith was so good, so good, Oh my gosh, ridiculous, ridiculous. He was really good, bro. So I got a chance to watch guys like Steve Smith, Chris webber Um, and then you know what, Isaiah Thomas playing with the Pistons as a kid. I was able to idolize and watch Isaiah Thomas as a kid. So those were the kind of guys that I kind of tried to mimic their games, and and and and kind of building on that. That makes sense, man, because like for me, it's like like magic. You know, it's like you're a kid, you watching Magic, you win the championships. You're a kid, You're watching Isaiah and Yah is winning championships. When you talk about you know, talking about like you coming up right, and it's like, man, you got you got Jalen Rose, you got you're Steve Smith, you got Isaiah, Steve Smith, and then jay Len Rose coming, you know, and it's like and then here you come, right? What was that mentality like in high school? Like when did it click for you that you you you love what you do? You know what I mean? Yeah, I think I was. I think it was in my younger days beat Um I played. We had a league called pal Um. It was called the Police Athletic League that we would play down. I was ten years old and one of my friends on the team was David Webber, which was Chris Webber's younger brother. Went off to play at Central Michigan, and he was David was a really good player in his own right. You know, David was a year younger than me. Chris Webber used to come to our games every Saturday. Chris Webber was like he was like fifteen sixteen, so he was kind of Chris was like a mythic figure, you know, and I was able to be around him. So Chris Webber tells me one Saturday, I was averaging like forty ten years old. Chris Webber comes to me. He's like sixteen years old, fifteens, like six eight, he's huge. I'm like this little bitty kid, and he tells me you're gonna be special. Um. So Chris Webber telling me that I was gonna be special at ten years old. I think that's when I knew I took that. I took that from Chris Webber. He kind of injected that confidence in me, and I just ran with it. That's fire man, because like Chris Webber, and Chris Webber was so cool though too, Like that was he's so cool. Now talk about like, you know, high school come around. You your high school player of the year. Yeah right, yeah? Are you getting recruited? Like like, tell me about this damn uh magic groundball because I only read about it, right, So I'm back in l A Like, damn dude, like this is crazy. So I made this whole story up about you, dog. So even before we played you at u C l A, I had this whole mythology about you. Anyway, But tell me what happened and and and you know, and one like player of the Year. I think that was like a pivotal moment and and uh yeah it was. You know. Going into high school, I was small. You know, I was able to start as a freshman. Um I had six seniors, but I was kind of bread to play the position, so um I was able to you know, help my team when you know, two district titles and conference titles. By time my senior year came around, I had growded like five eight, five nine. But I still wasn't being recruited, you know, b D. Back then, being small was a strike against you. And also being a great score from the point guard position wasn't. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, they they wanted you know, because I think we faced this in l A too. Yeah. They wanted you to play basic ball, yes, and if you were little, they wanted you to play like Jack Vaughan. Yeah, like passing, get out of the way like Jack Vaughan. You know, because Jack Vaughan, Doug Gottlieb, all them dudes they were yeah, and so like Jay Hart was like really like one of them dudes was like I got d and I can get you know what I mean, I can get busy, but I'm gonna run the team, you know what I mean. He was like a general. But they wasn't looking for like little guards that it was you know what it was. It was so many fucking tags, bro, you know what I mean. He can't do this, he can't do that, he can't and it's like you some of the sorriest dudes, right and you know, it was like some of the sorriest dudes playing the NBA and and if and I always used to think, like imagine if you just had everybody out here who had game, you know what I mean? Right right, that and that and that's what I kind of that that hit me hard. You know, coming out of high school. College coaches wasn't there wasn't knocking on my doors. Like man, he's five eight, he's a buck fifty. He could score a ton of points, but that won't work at the Division one level, like they kept telling my father, just won't work. Um. But for me, I just you know, again, that fire that burned inside of me. Me coming from Detroit, I just knew that wherever I was gonna go, I was gonna make it happen. So this so here's the story. How did you hear about the round Ball? Yeah? So I end up signing to go to University Detroit, which was cool, a college that I loved as a kid, Like I used to watch the Universe. You a D was like r U c l A in Detroit. It was like you know what I mean, Like that that was r U c l A in Detroit. So going to you a D was a huge accomplishment for our city, you know. So so going there was was I was excited about that. But it was crazy that my college coach, Perry Watson, who recruited the Fat five at Michigan, he was at University Detroit at the time. And yeah, legend, p w a legend. He called me and was like, hey, um, I think I may be able to uh get you in the Magic round Ball Classic. And I'm like I like, I'm like, what, Like, no way, no way you can get me in this game. Like I'm like Kobe Bryant and Tim Thomas is playing this game there's no way to play in this game. I'm not like, he's like Mateen Cleaves, who was the number one point guard in the nation in nineties six. Mike Bibby was number two, and Jay Hart was number three, and Shaheen was not like they were one to three, four, like like one five. It was like the top five point guards in the country. But my team got injured. So they were like, well, who's the next best point guard in the state of Michigan. They was like, well, it's Rashan Phillips. But he's only like five eight, so you know, so it was like, yeah, yeah, here we go. We go right, So yo, you know what time it is. You know, this show wouldn't be where it is if it wasn't for our sponsors. Let him have it. So they called me and was like, hey, can you come to practice? Can you practice with us um to see if you faire? I'm like to see if I'm fair? Like, who the hell you think? To see if I'm fair? What do that even mean? I'm like, I'm like, all right, So I go to the first practice, right to go to the first practice, and this is the first time that I meet Kobe Bryant, Okay, So this is I gotta tell this story. Man is the first time, this is the first time I encountered a great Kobe Bryant. Yes, So you know, we had Slam Magazine. It was magazines back then. We were coming out with no social media. So the Slam in the Street and Smith that was our Instagram. That was our So if you get punks, I mean, it's like you'll stop going on all the way up. Yeah, and Kobe was everywhere, right, Kobe was on every magazine pictures. I'm looking at pictures of him in high school, like, damn, like, d is he really six six? He only he only looked six for you know. I'm like, you know, we're trying to gauge, like you trying to measure him. I'm like, he looked like about six four. But man, I walked in the gym. I walked in the gym and everybody was getting dressed and I I'm walking in. I see ed Hold up, I seen him. Time is six ten him. Thomas was huge. I'm like, I'm like, damn, man, like this is a big boyugs up so um as where in the gym. There's double doors at that Calahan Hall and the last dude to walk in was Kobe Bryant. So he bust open the door and he's like walking in line, and it froze me. Bro, it froze me. It was the first time that I was froze. And I was like, damn, Like Kobe had this globe, like he had like this glow and I'm like he was six six. I was like, damn, like that's him, you know what I'm saying. So I was, I was kind of I was crying at that time. But we scrimmaged. We got the scrimmage um and as we spread and what was back then, like when he walked into gym, did he say something. He didn't say nothing to me until the scrimmage. So let me tell you, so, Kobe never speaks to me, Bro. It was like he was so locked in. Right. So we're doing the three man weaves and we're doing three on three on two, two on one. Kobe's like dunking in and like he's moving like Jordan's right. So he never says nothing to me, walks right past me, never looks at me. He's he's you know, he's like giving everybody else Dad, let's go and let's go let's go. Let's go Rip you know him, and RiPP was who never said unto me. So I'm like, damn, like he won't even speak to me. Right, So so here we go. We gotta scrimmage. So I get in with the second unit b D. So they throw me out there right and we're down like twelve. Like Kobe's torturing everybody like, we're down like twelve, and they're like they sucked me in and I get in. We're down like twelve. We just scrimmages, but they had like they was keeping the score. We're down like twelve, ten or twelve. Kobe stays in here like I'm in, I'm staying. I'm staying. I'm staying right. So he stays in against the second unit. He got something against the hell bro. So so um, we get the plan. I get this, I get the boogie in right, I'm I'm I get the boodie. I'm coming off the ball screen. They're trying to trap me. I'm splitting it. I'm throwing the jamal before I get the D three. I give it a dude. I get like a little crossover, a little heavy, yeah, the sick cross with the pool. Right game is tied. Kobe say this is a bad motherfucker. As he he say, he poised down, he says, hey, yo, yo, this motherfucker bad yo. Guard him And from then on the respect was there. Yeah. So Kobe, Kobe was that type of dude where you had to earn his respect, not the type of duty was yeah, not for sure. Yeah, he he he wanted to fag like he he wanted to me like, Kobe just had like a ball, he just wanted to pick a ball with everybody, you know what I mean. Yes, And it was almost like, you know, it's almost like this this bully mentality, you know what I mean, Like this bully mentali and people don't see it like you, in order to be great, you gotta be a bully, you know what I mean. You gotta be over aggressive. And it's like but when they come and you get to wiggling and you get to mixing, you know, you were like, let me reassess my bully nice. You know. So that moment right there for me was a turning point in my career because the number one player in the country that skipped college to go pro had basically validated me in front of everybody, and and that's when I knew that I belong. That's what's up. And then we get to the game. This is crazy though, So what was game day like? So? So was it? So obviously you made this right? So I made the team. So I gotta give love to Jason Hart. Okay, so this is how it happened, though, I really shout. I truly believe that Jason Hart is the reason why I had the game that I had, So I'm gonna break it down. So the day of the game, Um, I still don't know if I'm playing b D. So they called me early in the morning. The game was like at one o'clock, right, so they they I was standing in the hotel with the team, so I got to hang out with the fellas. That's how we all got cool. But they still didn't know if I was gonna play. So it's like nine o'clock in the morning, they go to shoot around. I didn't participate in shoot around, so I'm like, damn, I'm not gonna play. But I'm like my family all of Detroit want to come to the game. And so it's like eleven thirty, twelve o'clock We're going on a bus to the to the Palace of Alburn Hills. They still haven't told me I'm playing. I feel like I'm just like a walk on, Like what do you get? You got geared though, I got my gut, Like, I'm just like but they haven't told me nothing, something like damn, Like like, bro, I want to just sit on the side. So we get to the arena and there the dudes are getting dressed and the coach says like, hold up real quick, hold up, not yet, so I'm not gonna play. So I'm like, damn. So he come back. So they run out to go into the landline. They go out. I hear the roar. I hear the roar of the crowds. This is true story, bro. They go out, Jason Hart like, no, bro, you playing? He like, I'm making sure that you're gonna play. Um. Me and Jay Hart established a great friendship over that four days. He like, you're gonna play? And I'm like how he got? How do you know if I'm gonna play? Right? He the same age as me. He got. They was like you playing? Bro. So they go out and the they go out and I can hear the roar from the tunnel right, So I'm like looking through the tunnel like damn, like I'm mad, like I'm hurt. The coach come running through the tunnel, he like, get dressed. You playing, And I was like okay, and he was like and and and and you're starting to like out of the So I'm I hurry up and get dressed. I don't have any I don't have any shoes. I didn't have the game shoes because they didn't give me the game shoes. I was wearing my own shoes through the practice. They didn't give me, like the Adidas shoes and all that. So the so the coach runs in like what side you wear? I said, I I wear a ten and a half. He said all we got is eleven and threw me the shoes. Beat shoes big as hell. If you go back to the film on YouTube, my feet, Yeah up, yo, bed I got these big ass clown Adidas on. I got like four pair of socks because the shoes were so big. My my team cleans getting me his jersey because he's not playing. So my team was a big dude. They they put back, they put tape on the back, and they throw me these big ass shorts. Somebody there with these bigg as shorts, these big ass shoes tape on my back, and I'm starting. I can't make this ship up. Cry as fucked. It was like, bro, like that, I'm about to go out here and lay an egg my shoes. I can't slide with shahin Holloway, but these big as shoes on. Dude, you're in the shoes. That's a that's a foot that's a foot too big. It was eleven and a half half. Oh my god. And these Adidas were like biggest hell. They were like big ass clowns. They was like boats, and they was heavy. It was heavy as hell. So you know, the game gets going dobd and my adrenaline kicked in when and when I started, I found out that Jason Hard was the person who said let him start in front of me because this is his hometown. So I've always been forever indebted to Jay Hard because because he moved over so I can play front of my hometown. That's hues. Another point God, another point God, and and and to me, this show is all about like those stories. You know what I mean. But it's like you know your story as you know, um, how do I say? Man? It's like you're so authentic, right, It's such an authentic story, right, Um, And you're such an opportunist, right, can you just like just from a point guard perspective, talk about when opportunity presents itself, what does a point god need to be ready for? Right? Because you got on the eleven and a half shoes, you were a ten and a half. You got him a team Cleves Jersey. He built like a damn football player. You know what I mean. He's six three, a U five A five nine. You got insurance on it. You know, my teen Cleaves goddamn got a waste like Buster Douglas. My team got a big as you know. Talk about that man, and and and before we before we closed this first part, this first part episode with the shot, I want, I want to talk, I want I want to end on you knowledge. Yeah. So when the opportunity presented itself for me, Barn I saw, I saw my life flash before me right before that started lineup. I saw like a movie. It flashed to my childhood of saying Isaiah Thomas counting down five four, three to one, hitting the game winning shot. It flashed to me spending long hours in the gym with my pops. I saw. I saw the moment that this was the opportunity for me to show the world. I felt like the world was watching me at that moment. So there was no way that I was going to allow any situation to take away that opportunity for me. I wasn't gonna allow it to happen. My shoes was too big. I had every excuse to fail. I had every excuse to fail, but I had one reason to succeed. And I went on and won the MVP of the game, and my team won the game, and at the end of the game, Kobe Bryant gave an interview to Dick Bytel and said that I don't even want to talk about me like this game shows that people like Rashot Phillips, they're out there, and it makes us. It's a reality check to guys like myself who are in the lights and a guy like Rasha who's in the dark. When you put him under the lights, he's just as good as everybody out here. And that for me was all that I needed to push forward. Mm hmm, I'm amazing, man. I couldn't have said it better. Ladies and gentlemen, guess what we'll be back for part two at a point gud Rasha Phillips, because there's more. This is just the story. The next part is the legacy. Thank you all for tuning in. Point Guy is a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.