The Draymond Green Show - DeMar DeRozan

Published Jul 28, 2022, 12:00 PM

DeMar DeRozan joins ‘The Draymond Green Show’ to discuss the impact of himself and LeBron James playing at The Drew League, how he overcame his doubters after his San Antonio Spurs seasons, how his mental health played was affected in free agency before joining the Bulls, what the next steps are for himself, Zach LaVine, and the Bulls, and what it’s like playing in the same building and on the same team as Michael Jordan did. #Herd

The volume. The Draymond Green Show is presented by a fan duel sports book. There's no better place to bet the action than on FanDuel sports Book during the football season. It's easy to use, it's safe and secure. You get payouts in as fast as two hours. There's so many bet types. My favorite same game parlay bets. There's live betting, player props, futures. If you're new, just download the FanDuel sports Book app to get started now sign up. Please use the promode code column C O L I. An fan duel sports book makes it easy. What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. We have here today, brother of my UM, someone who I want to go medal with and that you may have seen me speak with before UM, and I hope you enjoyed that, and I hope you enjoy this, and I think this would be a little bit different. Honestly, I have all of these notes here to talk about and go off. But the reality is is I think what you're gonna enjoy most about this is this is gonna be a dope conversation with me and my brother. Five time All Star, three time All NBA Chicago Bulls star DeMar de Rosan. What's something I appreciate you? Man? You know, have you on me on the show I'm coming. I don't care what it's about. You can start a cooking show tomorrow, I'll be on it. So I appreciate that, brother, UM Number one, I want to say thank you because I don't never take this for granted. Although we will chop it up any day, talk on the phone any day. I think the thing that most people don't realize is like how much fun I have doing this, But when you're with someone like I talked to this dude probably three or four times a week all year, and you know, when you're when you're allowed to do something that you love with the people you love, enshare that with you. I don't take that for granted. So getting into this, um number one, like, let's let's go right into this. What. I had a chance last weekend to watch you and Braun play in the Drew League, and for me, I enjoyed the hell out of it. And the reason I enjoyed it was because you missed that atmosphere like I missed the atmosphere of going into a high school gym and playing basketball or watching a back sketball game. Now you take that to to another level and I'm going into a high school gym watching you and Lebron James play a basketball game. What what was that like? And I know you playing the Drew often, but I can't imagine the energy that I felt that day. I can't imagine that it's always like that, nah. I mean I made it a conscious effort to come back this all season, said I was gonna try to play in the Drew every weekend, you know. The last couple of years, you know, especially with the pandemic, it was a summer it wasn't no Drew. Um. The following summer was kind of sporadic all over the place. Um. You know, so that basketball element, you know, for the community hasn't been there, you know. I think for me, I was just trying to get back on top of working on my game. But just give those the kids that hasn't had the opportunity to see, you know, basketball up close and personal, you know. And for me, it was just a conscious effort of being there. And it was one day, uh one the previous weekend, Brian had hit me after I played in it, and it was like I'm trying to come down there and play with you. So I'm like, you know, in the moment, I'm like, hell, yeah, that's dope, you know, not just for me, just for the community, you know. And he was with it, you know. I told him, Man, come on, let's do it. You know. Um he gave me the night before I put out a little tweak, you know, and woke up the next day and it was it was one of those moments that you can't duplicate. Like I remember when Cold came and played in the drew. That was kind of one of the most epic moments of how he did that. But it wasn't even supposed to have been a game played that day. So this time around where brin coming, it was a game supposed to be played. I've been playing in it. Um in the wake up that that morning and see the line around the drew Lee stretched around the corner. It just took it back to that old school early two thousands, feel like you said, being in the high school gym and just to see the kids out there, being able to see Lebron James come in Compton, like you cannot beat that, you know. In the atmosphere was was one of the kind of was special. Um. I'm I was honored to be a part of it. And you know, I gotta give credit to bron for even you know, you're talking about a guy that's the goat in our league going into his twentieth season, you know, going out there playing like what we grew up watching, you know what I mean, it was, it was. It was amazing feeling. You know, I had a great time just being out there, you know, um playing with him obviously, and you know, you just look around. It was a couple of moments when I just look around you see kids, you know, just the smile and excitement on their face, like that's something that's going that they're gonna remember forever, you know, And that's what it's all about. I spoke about this on UM maybe two episodes ago UM on the podcast, and and I was speaking about number one, some some of the talking heads come out and and want to dissect the game. Number one, We're not dissecting the summer a Drew League game. Now, We're not even gonna go Summer league. That's NBA summer. We're not dissecting a Drew League game. But what I said on that episode was what what it was for me. And again, I'm not from Compton. I'm not from l A. I don't play in l A. I live here, but and so this isn't my community. Now in saying that you from here, I got other folks from here. I embraced the community because this community has been great to me. Although I haven't played here, I'm not from here, so I embraced this community. But as someone who's not a local here, what I saw was, like you just said, kids that will never in their life have the opportunity to watch you play, have the opportunity of the to watch Lebron James play, and and like I could feel that, like you could see that, you could see the reactions on their faces and to allow the city to touch him growing up for me, and I'm sure it's the same way for you. Maybe possibly a little different for you because it's bigger around you as opposed to me growing up and sagging off. NBA players were like surreal to me, Yeah, no question, they weren't real people, like somebody you watched play basketball on TV and like, wow, that's incredible, Like I want to do that one day, But no clue how to get there. What I saw from those kids was like they got to touch you, They got to touch Lebron James. How big is that for the community and continuing to move Compton forward and continuing to make Compton a better place than it was when you arrived. And Gus, that's what it's all about. And that was even a conversation I had with Brian was saying, you know, this was for the city. You know, the last couple of years, no passing of Kobe, you know, we lost Nipsey Hustle, Um, it's been you know, the city has kind of been extremely heavy with losing a lot of legends that the community look up to, and guys just outside of sports that moved this whole community and give you imagination and give you that inspiration. I want to keep pushing forward, you know, So that moment there was an opportunity for us to capitalized on and like you said, you've seen it in these kids face that that's gonna do something for them. That's the way beyond just basketball. Give you a sense of motivation, confidence, um, inspiration and want to be something bigger and better than what you see in that moment. I remember when I was a kid. You know, no, no disrespect, But to me, my first NBA player that I've seen that I thought was everything that I could touch with Derrick Martin. Most people don't even know who Derrick Martin is, but I remember seeing him at my grandfather's house when I was a kid, and just knowing he was in the NBA was the only motivation I needed to keep pushing forward. You know what I mean, You're telling me, Lebron James just came down here to play in right across the street is the projects right down the street, Like is the neighborhood I grew up in. Like I could go on and own what's around that community. So to see this this man come up there and play, damn, it's about, you know, critiquing it. Like you said, It's bigger than that. It's bigger than basketball. It's being an inspiration and motivation to that community to have light and to keep pushing forward. And that was a positive day. That's that's gonna be remembered forever. I'll be one percent honest. After I watched that, I'm like, yo, I think I need to play in the drew, but I haven't. I haven't played at a pro am game and probably six or seven years. And I think for me when I did used to play, I used to play back in Michigan. And the reason I played in the Shy League before, and the reason I don't play in some really he or like pro am games or whatever it is in the summer, it's because I get too serious, like I don't. It's either it's either I'm gonna be like dialed in and serious as hell, or I can't take the game serious. And if I can't take the game serious, then I don't like being out there. But I then watched you get into it with do with with the taxi Kobe is on. That's the only that's the only way I remember him that he had on the taxi Kobe's and by the way, kind of pissed me off a little bit. You was over there on the sideline talking and he just sitting there mug and when he didn't get back in the game. I don't know, bro, but I ain't appreciated that ship. Kind of pissed me off a little bit. But in saying that, it feels like to me and once I saw that get serious out there, yeah, I mean, that's that's the game we grew up on. You know what I mean, Like that's how I looked at the game. Where when you go to the park or you're going to the gym, like it's not playtime, you know what I mean. And no matter if I'm playing in NBA or if I'm playing Drew League, or if there's nobody watching, that's that's you know, the passion I have towards the game. And that's how if you that way, that's that's that's what it's called for. I don't care who you playing again, you know what I mean. But that's the beauty of the game in itself. To be able to bring that side out of you, to be a complete competitor. I don't know nobody who isn't a competitor that don't show that fire of that passion, you know what I mean. That's just the beauty of the game. Absolutely. Um, do you think there's something that I can do other players can do? But do you think that there is something to where these leagues can be used? Um, shy Ley Drew League. I think Baltimore has a league, Seattle Jamal's League. They just restarted the Moneyball League back in Michigan. What can be done with the NBA and partnering with these leagues. Because you get Seattle, you get Jamal, you get de jont Jordan Pool went up there and play once, Tony Roden who was an NBA player, You get Zach Lavine, Paolo and now you get you get all of these pros to Miami rug you get all these pros. What can the NBA do with these leagues that can help these communities that they're man because all of these communities like, yeah, Seattle is nice, but Seattle got uh the slums too. It's nice city. We all know, l A got slums, Miami's nice, they got slums, Baltimore cool city slums. What can the NBA do with these leagues and helping reach these communities, Because I think there's something could be done, but I don't know exactly what that thing. I think even before you even include the NBA, I think it's on us. Just like last week, it was just a text message from I got from bron about playing in the Drulie, and look what we did in a matter of a couple of days. You know, it's it's it's nothing. But even I think even that night, I think I've seen Trey Young put something up on the story saying, you know, to to Hooper's just going out there playing for the love of the game and bringing out, you know, the fans. That's all it takes, you know what I mean. It's just one call, one text message of the way to be able to start this, you know code following that we had thinking about when the NBA didn't setting it up during the lockout, that was all on us, you know what I mean. That was just players coming together saying, hey, let's do this this weekend. Hey let's do this. And I think the more we do that and the more attention we put towards that, again, there's so much that could be done in those communities, bro. Because I'm I get home that day after playing in Julie and I'm like, this is on ESPN, NBA TV, popping up on my app on ESPN, on the phone, it was even on the NBA app. It's crazy, you know what I mean. Just I had people texting me at the game about the game, and I'm sitting there like, but how are you in this gym somewhere like, how are you talking about I didn't realize it was on the NBA app until I left I started seeing like screenshots and stuff and then Stelli who you know, It's like, bro, this is on the NBA app. This is crazy the NBA app. Bro, Like it's amazing. So think about the power we have to be able to help these communities. So it's on us. It's it's just helping out one another. Even even if we set up here and saying, all right, let's get five guys from l A to play against five guys from Seattle, you know what I mean, Like just making an annual thing. You know, once a year. Ain't gonna be something every week. You just do something once once the summer, you know what I mean. We go to Seattle, play against Jamal and x amount of people and bring out somebody a special, a special other player that's from somewhere else, you know what I mean, and and compete like it's all on us, you know. And then you know how things work. When you start to do like that, other opportunities and bigger opportunities come that want to be a part of that to be able to help. So I think you just start with us. That's a beautiful thing. By the way, Adam, I hope you're listening to this, I think the NBA has found a way. And I gotta give Adam a lot of credit and what he's done since he's taken over as commissioner to dominate every month of the year except August. There's your there's your August, Adam. Get some guys. Guys can play these games in these cities. It's charity, it's for these communities. It's giving back. It's what the NBA stands for. That's what the NBA is all about. There's your August, Adam. That's how we take over all. That's an amazing pitch right there, for sure. But I think, I think, I think that will be great. But I'm watching this game and people are hitting me, like, yo, are they gonna lose. I'm like, it's no chance they're losing this game. At any point of during that game, did you feel like that at all? At all? Not at all. I didn't think so. And you know what, when they hit me, I said, it's no chance because my team, please has this saying. He always say a pro is a pro and a joe is a joe at the end of the day, no disrespecting nobody, but the pro is a pro. For a reason. So I'm watching the game and they're like, Yo, they're gonna win and gonna win. I said, now, I'm gonna tell you how this is gonna go. They're gonna shut their water off, They're not gonna be able to get a stop down the stretch, and them boys gonna fold down the stretch because that pressure gonna grow. And sure enough, y'all a stretched where y'alls put like ten eleven stops in the road together. You saw the intensity to pick up. What it reminded me of was like an All Star game, where like the first half guys going through it and then the third quarter it picks up in the fourth quarter of intensity through the route. And that's what it reminded me of. But so y'all pick up the intensity. You and Brian take over on the offensive end. But I'm gonna tell you one sign when I knew, like, yeah, they ain't ready for the moment. The big white kid not show what his name was, Um he had he played great game, busting y'all did not miss the free throw the whole game. He missed six straight free throws in the fourth quarter. I'm like, ah, this pressure getting to these boys. Now, and I don't think people understand, like, there's pressure on you going into that game, there's pressure on bron going into that game. I don't think people understand that, not at all. They don't. They don't understand the magnitude of that, you know what I mean. Think about it. If we lost, we gotta live with that in here, that whole narrative, you know what I mean. And you know the amount of games I've been in obviously stuff with him, it's like, you know, the moment we understand the time on the clock, you know how it going a game where you know, a four minutes come on? Yeah, we know. It's kind of like the two minute ruling football. Tom Brady know exactly what he's gonna you know what I mean. So it came down to that moment, and at the same time, I'm glad it went that way because it made it more exciting for the people, you know what I mean, Like that's what what was dope? Yeah, we could have went out there and one by forty, but it's just gonna turn into you know, people just trying to dunk throw lives. Whatever it was. I loved that it turned out that way. It was it was. It was very theatrical, and you know, an action movie ain't good if it ain't got no Olans in it. So hey, that's just what it is that far. Yeah, I like that now and moving forward, I wanted to speak about that at length. It's like I said, I thought, I thought that was such a huge moment for basketball. I thought that was a huge moment for the city. I thought that was a huge moment for the culture. And I appreciated that. And I want people to understand that wasn't there, what that was, what it looked like, and hear it from you, because I can say all I want, I didn't play you know what I'm saying, So to hear that from you, I want people to understand. And and I also want to say thank you, um because what it what it to both of you, all you and Bronze. What it did for me was it woke up something in me and like that thing has not been awakening me in years. So I appreciate that because that is a part of the game that I think we all start to get older and we're like, I'm not playing it no more Summer League, I'm not playing it no more pick up. I'm not like I'm gonna just work out and get my body ready and rest. And it woke up something in me that I needed. And think about you saying that, and how many other our colleagues where he felt the same way, you know what I mean, Like it was no way in hell I would have missed that game, you know what I mean, just for the motivation to get Like, come on, man, we none of us too good to not be able to go who you know what I mean. It's like, this is what we do think about it. Man. I remember going playing outside when it was it was pouring down raining with nobody out there, you know what I mean, just to play basketball. And it's like, as long as we got this opportunity to be able to play, we should just have fun and get back to that element of enjoying the game, you know what I mean. I think he got so caught up in it being such a business aspect of something, and it's like, Yo, it was a time where we played this thing every single day with no complaint and didn't get a dollar from it, you know what I mean. We didn't have a highlight to go back and watch from it, you know what I mean. But we did it every single day. So that was what was the cool part of just you know, showing that Brian and his twenty of year still coming out here playing like he's sixteen, you know, not worried about a misshot or somebody picking him up or getting cross over the same with me, you know what I mean. It's like, that's the beauty of it. Even the guys we played against, you don't think they went home total a girlfriend or did whatever, and and it felt great about themselves being able to compete against two great players. That's what it's all about. Man, no doubt. So you headed into your four team, which is absolutely the same. Congratulations, that's an incredible compliment. Bank after your after your twelve, A lot of doubt, a lot of oh man, he don't shoot the three, the mid range is is a losing shot, blah blah blah. Now and saying that everybody said the mid range was are losing shot. And then that's the only shot you shot you see taking in the playoffs, but they say all regular season and is losing shot. But a lot of doubt, um, which I don't understand for someone that's accomplished so much, that's proven so much over and over and over again, but you faced a ton of doubt. Um, free agency to me didn't go for you how I think it should have went. Um, the interests around the league for a superstar on the market, it wasn't what it should have been. I feel like you you channel that and you and you go into Chicago your first year, second team All NBA All Star Again, what what was what was last year like for you? Re establishing the mar de rosen See this is this is a dope thing that you know, people out there don't know. We We've had these conversations. We know it's been plenty of times you you called me throughout this season, was like hell, yeah, fuck you. You know what I mean. It was never surprising to you. Um. So it's this obviously my first time speaking up on the topic, which is I think it's would be very insightful. I think, you know, for me, my three years in San Antonio was such a you know, it was it was such a question mark for me of trying to figure out the next phase of myself, you know, being in the place for so long, obviously Toronto and feeling like, you know, the franchise all of a sudden you get knocked down back to humble beginnings and have to figure yourself out as a player. You know, doubt, doubt come in, Questions come in, especially when all you see is a certain type of narrative that followed you can't do this, this, this, this, this, this on down the line, you know, and it and it it takes a toll on you. You know, because you know me, I'm not the most out spoken person to go back and forth on debating myself with somebody else. So it put me in the mindset of, you know, how can I figure this thing out within me and change the narrative in time? You know, it used to be moments where overnight I wish I could do something right now to change this whole night narrative. But I told myself my whole time in San Antonio, whenever I get my next opportunity, I'm gonna make it makes sense. While I was in this position for three years being in San Antonio, and that summer come up going into free agency, like you said, it didn't go as playing. You know, it was that kind of brought so much doubt in for me and put me in a dark place because I started the question like you know, all right, where where am I going? Now? What player am I going to be? You know what I mean? Like, so many of these questions started to creep in, and you know a lot of people don't didn't realize, you know, I know big names always kind of signed in the first day or two. You know, I think I would A couple of days into free agency was still such a question mark. You know, I was I gonna go somewhere for the one year deal? Was this? Was I gonna take the minimum? This? This and the narrative of it was was such a It put me in a place, honestly, like and I remember through that whole time. It was three four days in a row. I didn't leave out the room. I didn't see the sunset. I didn't see the sun come up set in the room. And just being like it put I was. I was depressed. It put me in a depressed mindset because I didn't know what the funk was gonna happen. You know, was I gonna come to l a that that fell through, that that didn't happen? Was this was this? You see You've seeing guys signed other places. Everybody hitting me, like, man, what you're gonna do what you're gonna do. And it was certain moments where I had no clue what I was gonna do, you know. And um, when the Chicago thing came around and I made that happen, it was such a relief at the same time, and it angered me and put me in a in a in a very frustrating mentor of like fund this, I'm about to I'm about to I'm about to demolish anything you gotta say about me. I'm not gonna say nothing. I'm just work my ass off and I'm approved, not just for myself, for anybody who feels like they get counted out, they get doubted or get told that they can't do something. My whole career is kind of being based off that. But I never let it, you know, bring me completely down. It knocked me down, but I got back up. And for me that moment of going to Chicago, I just told myself, this is a new opportunity. I'm gonna make the most out of it, and every every type of every way, you know, And I remember ship every time I did something, You'll call me every time it's like keep going, keep going, you know what I mean? It was it was those conversations of like, you know, my peers see it and they understand in it, you know what I mean going I remember when I signed with Chicago is the worst free agent signing. It was like that's what you feel, like, that's what you feel about me. So it was like it was it was it was a vengeance out not just for myself, but just for anybody that get put in that situation because it's so easy to fall victim to the bullshit that they put on you. Absolutely that that that is so false. You know, you can lose confidence, you can you can doubt yourself, you can feel like maybe they're right when it's like, no, I don't care how much older I'm getting. It's all about how much you put in, how much you love, and how much you're willing to sacrifice to keep getting better. And that was my whole approach my mentality going into last season. Such a beautiful thing to watch and you you spoken a couple of things, uh depression, your mental that I want to get into. But it's very interesting to me because, like you said, I feel like I've lived this with you all years, from from last year free agency and talking to you every day like, Yo, you're good. Yo, what about this? What about that? To then the conversation turning like yo, come to the Warriors, and you're like, fuck, no, I'm not coming there. I'm not coming to play with like bro, but you come to the Warriors. We can win the championship if you come to the Warriors. He didn't come. We still want the championship, but he didn't come. However, I had to throw that one out there. Um, like you said. The thing that really pissed me off most and aside from our relationship, that made me call every day every time you did something was like and you just hit on it, are you gonna take a minimum? People were like are you going to take a minimum? I mean even when I called talking about you should come to the Warriors, and I was talking about no minimum. A minimum that's baffling to me for someone who's still athletic, still score the basketball, don't get in no trouble, true professional, in a bucket a minimum. The disrespect for me just didn't sit well. And the disrespect was coming from people who never done it, ain't gonna do it, can't do it, won't do it, and and most importantly don't know it. I'm so sick of people that don't know basketball that pick up a stat sheet and look at the stat sheet and say, oh, man, right. They don't look at the stat sheet for you and say, oh, he had twenty seven points, but he didn't shoot no threes. He's a bad player. That's what was spirited for me, like, oh, no, you gotta destroy everybody until then, watch you come out and do that. To watch you spend more than half of the season top three in m v P race, that's a different thing. And and to get the Bulls back to the playoffs regardless of the injury. See, the thing that made your season so great to me was Zach was in and out of the line up due to injury. Boots was in or COVID stuff. Everybody dealt with that. Boots was in and out of the lineup, injury, COVID stuff. Caruso missed a bunch of the season, Alonzo missed majority of the season, and the one constant were you, And I thought that that was very special. I thought you looked like the Mark de Rosen again. And what most people don't know that's coming off the hills of your father passed away. It's a different thing to deal with. How could you channel that right? And especially with the l A thing right, like you if you get to stay home in l A moms is here everything just a little better. That seems like it's gonna happen, and it don't another thing? Right? How do How were you able to channel all of that into being in the Mark de rosen Man, You know I'd be lying to you to tell you that and have days where you know it just got extremely heavy. You know you kind of just shut down and take a moment to yourself to kind of regroup. But I always just told myself my my favorite saying to myself was always make something bad that happened makes sense down the line, whatever that may be. That's all all I used to tell myself, let me make this this negative makes sense down the line. And I always told myself whenever body got down, whenever I felt a certain type of way, So everything I rather if it was being a trying to be a better son, to be a better father, be a better friend, be a better basketball player, it was always trying to find different elements of just trying to be better to make sense of the negative that I'm going through. You know, and um, I just stuck to it. Bro I ain't gonna lie. I just stuck to it. I had days here and there, but I just stuck to it. And every time I got that opportunity, and I trust everything I put, I put into it, and I and I knew nobody suffered like I did. You know what I mean, because when I never screamed out, I never lashed out, you know, I never wanted nobody to feel sorry for me. I never throw a pity party nothing, you know what I mean. Nothing. So it was always me telling myself, no one suffered like I suffered, so everything else is gonna be easy in That's just how I took the approach, you know what I mean. That's and that goes for anybody that feels like they're going through something. You're not alone, but it's always a way you can channel that that emotion, that that that negative feeling that you may carry into something positive as long as you make it make sense, you know what I mean. That's that was just my mentor that was just my approaching. To this day, I still take the same approach. It's beautiful and it's inspiring. Your father passed away and you continue on, and I think, you know, we've all seen death around us. I've seen death around me as long as I can remember. And to me, I always say, people hit you up for a week, you know, people around for a week or two like how are you doing? Then they just go away, as if the problem don't go away. How are you like that that don't go away? You don't get another father, how are you like how are you dealing with that? Because you're still dealing with that, that don't change. I think I think when I lost my dad, it opened me up the except being, you know, in a sense, vulnerable, vulnerable, accepting, accepting life in a different, you know light, because you know, you start to realize, you know, not the same everybody saying nothing is promise, but you get a different sense of it, you know, when something of that magnitude hit you, you know, and you know, my dad told me everything. My dad was, you know everything. He was the only man I feared, you know what I mean. That's that's deep. He was the only man I feared. And when I say fear, it was never nothing in a negative light, but it was always I don't want to let you down, you know what I mean? Like, damn, I don't want to let my dad down. Are damn I I don't want him to you know, no, I did this. I don't want I don't I don't want him to be mad at me. I want this. I want this. So it pushed me to a level of, you know, always consistently being focused as much as I can so I can make my dad proud, you know what I mean, just because you know, he looked at me in a certain light as being his you know, his youngest son, you know, and I always wanted to honor that as much as I could. So losing him it kind of, you know, gave me a different sense of empathy um towards life and start the value and look at things with more of a acceptance of understanding that you know, this thing is short, you know. And and you don't give your all or put your all into being a good friend, a good person, whatever it may be, what you're doing it for, you know. And and that's one thing that he helped me with now. And and let me know, when you go through something, it's okay. It's okay to go through something or have a bad stretch of something, or or be be in a stuck place, because that's not gonna last forever. What's gonna last forever, Well, for the lifetime, it's me not being able to see my father, you know what I mean. So a bad week ain't gonna last, a bad month ain't gonna last. It's just as long as you're working on yourself and you're trying to better yourself. In those moments, it's okay to not be okay, to be okay. But you know what I mean. Now, that's one thing that opened me up and helped me kinda thrive to be a better you know, individual for real, no doubt. You just said something that I and I responded. I said, that's deep, and I want to touch on that that's the only man that I feared and that his that his home with me for a very specific reason. Number one, my grandfather when he passed away, Like that's who I that. That was the man that I feared, and it's I never found that again in my life, right, And so I felt like, because I never found that again in my life, there's some issues that arose in my life that could have been prevented and would have been prevented had I had that man still in my life that I feared my mom to this day, I still feel my mom like I sometimes get nervous when she called, like when she would call when I was younger, and I'll be like, oh man, I'm in trouble. I still sometimes get that feeling like, oh man, she's about to get at me. There are things that I may would have done in this life right now currently today, like my daily life, that I don't do because I know how upset she would be. She would never let me live it down. She disowned me as a son. And it's not that I would do something that then that I won't do now because I'm afraid of her, but also from the standpoint of letting her down. And and it keeps that sense of what's acceptable and what's not because we in this world we live in, some things that are accepted accepted aren't really acceptable. And my mom don't play that and and it it holds me in a certain area. How like, how can you find that again? Because I think for me, it took me a long time to find it and I never found it again, like, oh I'm afraid of this man. You just find I found different people that I could trust that will hold me accountable in certain areas, my wife being one of them that has helped elevate me. How have you found yourself adjusting that? Like, bro, exactly what you said. When I lost my dad, I lost myself for a while. That's crazy you said that because I haven't had a conversation with somebody who put it in the same terms that you just put it in. You hit it on the head because when I lost my dad, I lost myself for a long time. Like you know, I put myself in a in a in a lot of ship where if he was here, I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I never want to put myself in you know what I mean. And you know, we we've had conversations to where you had to tell me something from a brother, from a brother's standpoint that I sat there and listen. I've never been in that situation, you know what I mean. I've never had to deal with another person or me being acceptance of another man telling me about myself. And we we had conversations where we had brother brother conversation. I heard you out, you know what I mean, losing my dad. That's kind of what going back to what I was saying before, it. That's what kind of open you up to be able to be accepting of a real friend. You know what I mean, be accepting of of someone who close to you, allowing them to help you. You know what I mean, because I always felt like I didn't need help because this, this is the only person I I need to hear something from. My dad came the other man tell me nothing. It's my dad many you know what I mean, from from top to bottom, so nobody else could tell me nothing. So when I lost them, you know you you you, you began to be in search of those elements that can help replace which you feel like you lost. You know what I mean. That started and I think that's why our bond is so close how it is, because we was able to do that. That's something I probably never even told you, but now you know. You know what I mean. It just be dope ship like that. So where's it really becomes a blessing? When you lose somebody something else replace it in whatever way you may need it, you know what I mean. But you hit it on the head, bro. When you lose something that stop that stops so much other stuff from happening because you care about that one person thought or what they may say to you. You know, I lost that and I lost myself for a long time after that, for a long time. So um, at the same time, you know, that's the beauty of life. You know, you you constantly growing. You know, nobody was never nobody ever hit The selling is a forever thing that you have to figure out, you know what I mean. Nobody got the complete answer. So yeah, that's crazy you said that. Bro, that's that's a beautiful thing. And I think it's a good segue. You've been very outspoken about mental health for years. Um, before, for lack of a better term, before it was cool to speak on mental health like it's cool now, not that it's a cool thing, it's cool, it's accepted. Um. You spoke out about it when it wasn't accepted, when it was like, oh man, yeah, you're just using that, uh you know to get by or you know that's an excuse or this that another. Um. How has your journey been with your mental health and going through the things you spoke about, and specifically you spoke about being depressed and already having mental health struggles. Did that help you with the current thing that sent you into that depression for sure, because before you accept and understand what depression really is, you you hide from it and you're kind of worse than yourself unnoyingly, you know, and you you you find certain ways you know you can't understand, like why I'm so mad, why I'm so frustrated, why I'm taking this while I'm lashing out on this, while I'm taking something that happened out happened yesterday out on this person that have nothing to do with yes to day's issue. You know what I mean? Before I was that person to where I used to push everybody away, I didn't want to talk. But once you identify it, you start to understand why you're feeling that way. You will catch onto it and you kind of write down your thoughts and your feelings. Or while you're feeling like that or we're triggered it, um get a better understanding on that so you don't worsen the feeling, you know what I mean. Or you may just call up somebody you're close to and have a conversation about it and get it off your chest. Now you would go on about your day and not feel so down as you usually be, you know, So for me, It just helped me identify and find inspiration to other people's story as well. When you look at somebody that could be going through something that way worse then what I just thought my problem was, you know what I mean. And it's like I'm tripping on having a flat tire when this person, you know, just lost somebody close to UM to a sickness or something, you know what I mean. So you kind of balancing out, and it's all about understanding, under understanding the feeling, understanding yourself, and understanding what triggers what triggers you, you know, And I didn't have nothing that understanding before, where you just hide and run from your problems and you just stacking, You just stacked, calling them annoyingly until you just lash out and explode. How did you get to the point to where you were able to identify depression, to where you were able to UM identify mental health struggles? Did you see someone? Was it something you study? How did you get to that point? Um? I think I just I end up crashing. I just end up crashing, like I just hit a wall. And when I hit that wall, I think I was just so down and out and I just wanted to understand where this feeling coming from. You know, you start the backtrack and understand you know why I find, you know, comfort and darkness sometimes. And this, this is one thing I learned learned the therapy. We was talking about my dad one one moment and um, I gotta I got a tattoo. I got a tattoo on me from from Batman. What Ban said basically, you know I was born in darkness. You know that quote, right, And it was something I found out about me being having such a comfort what darkness was. When I was young, my dad always used to lock me in the closet and I used to kick the door like screaming, panicking everything to one day he threw me in the closet was dark and I didn't kick, I didn't knock on the door, I didn't tell him let me out anything, to where in that moment he never put me in the closet again, because in that moment, I realized darkness ain't nothing to me. So it became such a comfort to where it becomes such a systematic I forgot what they called it, uh systematic disssitation of a feeling, and it's systematic, the system what was it I gotta, I gotta find a word. It's systematic dissisitation. Basically, when you put yourself through something so much to where it don't even affect you anymore. And him putting me in a dark closet so many times it was nothing to me, So I became so comfortable comfortable with darkness that I I I put that with chaos to where I'm carrying chaos like it's nothing. But that's not good for your mind as a kid growing up, you know what I mean, thinking about where we come from. You see so much violence, so much, it becomes such a norm. When this ship ain't normal, This ship shouldn't be normal, you know what I mean. We wouldn't we wouldn't let our kids watch a certain movie because it's have a certain amount of you know what I mean. When you live through that, it becomes such a norm that that isn't right. So when I finally crashed and hit the wall, you know, you backtrack on all these things that you thought was nothing, that you carried into your adulthood. Think about it. We come from nothing. All of a sudden, you're giving this money. Now we have a lot of money. Now we don't know what to do with the money. Now we gotta now we think now it's everybody got a hand out. Now, everybody get mad when you want to give him something. Everybody, everybody you inherit everyone problems before you even deal or understand what your own problems is or that you've been carrying. So for me, it was one of those things that I crashed and burned and I kind of just took a a layout on everything that I've been through. Then I just got to a point where like why should I feel away expressing myself knowing I went through all this ship before I even got here, I would never feel less of a man. I made it out of Compton, California. Like why nobody could make me feel soft or anything? And I was just that moment where where it hit me to where I gotta say something because I'm carrying so much on my emotions on my shoulders that I know so many other people carry thinking about how many people we know high behind the money, the glamour, the false persona of this whole ship and don't even know themselves until it's too late. And for me, I never wanted to be that person. I always told myself when I retired. I don't want to be that old, grumpy ex basketball player with a lot of money. I always told myself that I don't want to be that old motherfucker that just sits up mad at everybody but got a bunch of money because I didn't figure out or indulge in and be vulnerable and understand myself to help other people. I always told myself that once I came up with being being oppressed, was I just want to when I retire, I want to be happy, like I just want to sit back and be happy and enjoy everything that I went through and start a new chapter of my life and and and and joy that next journey, you know. And that's just my perception of of you know, me coming out of being depressed. You're currently working on a project around mental health. Can you share what that project is, why you wanted to do it, and what you hope to get out of it. Yeah, came up with a project and basically having one on one conversations such as this, but more with an intimate said um more so, you know, imagine if the cameras wasn't here, nobody was here, just a blunt, in depth conversation that we may have think about thinking about the conversations we had on the phone, if those are recorded, how how that could inspire or help someone else that's going through something similar, you know what I mean. And it's basically one of those you know, blunt conversation that you would have when nobody else around, but you know, and and and being open and obviously you know our relationship and the conversations that the phone conversation we had putting that you know, on Front Street to be able to show our vulnerability and the things that we go through and show how imperfect we are. But at the same time, we're striving to be better every single day. And that's what it's about because people look at us in such a light of superheroes, and sometimes we gotta break ourselves down and show that we're the saying as you you know, and and that goes a long way. When you could see us in that light and have conversation with you know, you got a hell of a story and fun basketball before he even got there, the story of the trials, of ups and downs, of the things you've been through that made you who you are, give a better understanding of you know, when when I you know It tripped me out when I watch you play and people look at why dream acting like that it's something in him with If he didn't have that, he wouldn't be where he asked today. You see what I'm saying, And you should be more intrigued and want to understand what's that that brains that fire out of out of out of him because maybe you have it too, but you just don't know how to unlock it. Are you so ashamed because you care what somebody else think? You don't want to unlock that passion that you have towards something, you know what I mean? You limiting yourself like that's how I look at people. And being able to have and sit down over at dinner table and in in you know, dissect one another. You know, goes a long way, you know, because I know when I look think about when we grew up, you you couldn't see interviews of your favorite players, you know what I mean, the only time you've seen them as on TV or if they speak after the game or some but imagine we we've seen our favorite players say yo, I went through this, not this this how I got through it? You know, really break themselves down to be vulnerable, you know what I mean. Like, I remember I used to I used to see like certain players. I mean when I first heard Nick van ex To talk, right, I just he sounds like that because you're watched it for years, but you don't know how you talk. I'm like, damn, he talked like that. Man, He's not from l A, you know what I mean. So I look at it from the standpoint of when we break ourselves down and have real life conversation, bro, that goes so far because they just see us hoop every single day throughout the season, talk about basketball throughout the season, where it's like, you know, we were human beings. We all have a fucking incredible story that we could share, and I just want to put that on the front street. To be able to do that with some of my favorite players that not even players, people that I find inspiration from, you know, in in all angles. So that's what the show is gonna be all about. And I think it's gonna be dope, you know, especially with the Obviously You're gonna be one, but you know the other people that I have in mind sitting down talking with, it's gonna be special. I'm excited to do it um. Like I said number one, I just never take these opportunities for granted, just to shit and chop it up, um, but also to like you said, to indulge in those conversations, and more important league for people to see you, like to see you in a light that they haven't seen because like to them, you're super quiet what you are, but when you have a relationship with somebody, you're not um. And so it's almost like coming out of your shell. And I think it's so on point, like you're going into your fourteenth year but you're only thirty two years old, and he's saying, ay, just me, I'm going into your eleven. I did my bid. It's cool, but I felt like this, you know, and and it's all I'm literally sitting here talking to you right now, and it's all tying together for me because I feel like this year has been such a year of growth for you, and so I'm sitting here looking at it now and it's time tying together from me. It's like Pops free agency go crazy. And I I felt like and watching you this year on the court, you were coming out of a shell, like you stepped into I'm really one of them guys. Now I'm really good in this league. That's a different thing. Like you've been really good for a long time. You stepped into this year like no, I'm one of them. And I don't think people have been trying to put you there. People have been trying to put you in like this this subcategory of like good players. And we know, like there's that category in the league of like guys that's really good but not quite And I feel like you you finally, like I know I'm gonna show y'all that I am here and now you're coming with the project, and like I feel like it's all time together for you in the and and like you're coming out of your shell. And I think it's a beautiful thing to see. Yeah, yeah, it's dope. I mean, I'm just a firm believer in just time into you know what I mean. Like I know a lot of people say I don't do this, I don't do this, but I'm just I just always believe in just like the universe putting what's necessary in front of you to accomplish something, you know what I mean. I've never I've never been the one to force anything, you know what I mean? The same way. If you look at how I play, I treat my life the same way. You ain't gonna force me do anything I don't want to do. You know what I mean. I'm gonna take my time. I'm gonna get to my spot. I'm gonna make it happen when they need to happen, how I need to happen. Uh facts Before we get out of here, Um, I want to end us on a couple of basketball questions. I know that conversation got a little heavy, hope everyone enjoyed it, but spoke on you Zach. Congratulations. Is that incredible contract? Caruso voots Alonzo, that's who I view as the core file and y'all to be healthy and hold this year? What is that next? What? What needs to happen outside of health for y'all to take that next step now getting in the playoff, like I think everybody thought y'all was really serious contender in the Eastern Conference and then all the injuries and stuff started happening. What needs to happen for y'all to take that next step to get the Chicago Bulls franchise back to where we know that franchise once was. I think for us you know, um as a group, as a core, you know, um, many of us wasn't together much. But at the same time, the experience and you know, the second half of the season, we gotta know what that feel like going in and training camp. You know, we we we kind of fell apart. We lost ourselves obviously through health but regardless, you know it. You know, I think I told when the young guys have to All Star break, I said, this is the moment when you you see what teams are serious. Um And he didn't know what I meant by that. And for us to you know, hit the wall that we hit, you know, show that, No, we wasn't ready for adversity. You know, we had so much success so early to where you can lose sight of how hard the ship really is to really compete, you know, in a couple of guys, you know, even Zack, you know, he messed the game in the playoffs, but that was his first playoff run and him not being healthy. I know that frustrated him. UM So him having that extra fire in him understanding how hard it was just to get to the playoffs. UM. Thank for us, it's just the understanding and knowing that this ship is completely hard. Like that is hard, like nothing is gonna come easy. This ship is a grind every single day, and that that that mindset you gotta carry. You can't be satisfied with a two game win, street, five game, whatever it may be. Ship is a long journey and it's hard, and we gotta treat it like that every single day. Think about y'all. I look at you all, and I that your team this year maybe one of my favorite teams of in history simply because which I was faced up against. Nobody. Everybody doubted y'all. Clay came back for being out the amount of time he was out, but every time y'all were out there and play that ship was extremely hard. And for me as a basketball like junkie, that's how I look at it. Like these motherfucker's knew this ship was gonna be hard, and they embraced it and accepted every single day. And that's the beauty of this game, because everybody gets to a point where, damn the ship hard. A game or two they fold. Every single one of your game was extremely hard and to that ship was over and a lot of teams lose sight of that. You know, you play fifty six games like this Ship hard and fucking you know what I mean, you Series Tide three three, This Ship hard man, fucking they got it, you know what I mean. It's like, that's the beauty of this game is those who accept it being hard and wanted to be be tough because I want to I want to prove to myself I could get over this ship. And that's what it was. And I think y'all was very indicative of that. And I think when you get a group of guys to buy in that way, get outcomes like that, no matter what what somebody say, y'all, the favorites are not, you know what I mean, It's just those teams that win it for sure, I think. Um, I think honestly, that's why I have so much gratitude, or half so much gratitude. Um, it's because it was hard and like the things you just said, it wasn't supposed to happen. And as hard as it was, you could see teams get to that point and break. Yeah. Like and although it was still very hard for us, and like I feel like I feel like this playoff run, I went through everything I could possibly go through. I went through great times. I went through awful times I went through in the middle, but it was something different about this one and the challenge that it was. Like, so if you put it in context, like the first championship we won, after that regular season, I knew like, yeo, we got the best team, but you didn't know how to win a championship then, you know. So that's that one. Two thousand and seventeen and two thousand and eighteen, it was literally just a matter of getting to the day that we can win. Once we got to that date, I knew we went. This year was different with all the doubt, like you said, with Clay coming back, he comes back, to day he come back, I go down, the day I come back, Stepp go down. It's like, this ain't supposed I started to think this ain't supposed to happen for us, you know, like, this ain't it's not the year. I even told one of my homeboys, like I'm gonna probably see you right after the first round because I just don't see it happening. And so it was. It was. It was a very special year, and hard as it was, it made it the most special because it was the hardest one we had to go through. Chicago. Every time I played there, I hear that music and that starting line up, and it does something to me. I feel like Michael Jordan about to run out of the tunnel. Do y'all get that sense? And playing there and getting that every single day? Or is it not? Like yeah, no question that it trips me out even just driving there, Bro, Like parking outside, I remember just seeing all of highlights Jordan's back in the day parking outside, you know. Like so for me, every time I go there, Bro, I feel it like I'm not even gonna lie like you just you just feel like you gotta you gotta bring it every single night, especially for those fans. Man, And it's it's crazy. I was telling somebody. I think I was telling my Um. I forgot who was telling my partners this The other day, I said, UM, the moment where I really realized, like, you gotta bring it every single night in that arena. I've never spoken this like on nothing media. And then I think it was four or five games into the season. Um, We're playing the Knicks and I took the game winner air balled and I just felt like I just felt the whole vibe of everything, like what the fuck, Like what what was that? Like? You know what I mean? Like I felt like I felt like I disrespected the area of what what these fans is used to seeing from obviously m j Hen game winners, and you know, you live for those moments and being that moment for the first time my fourth fifth season in the game and I take that shot, it was like I told myself I would never be in that situation again to let that same feeling happened for these fans. I swear to god, bro, I never told that. It was that game to where it was like every shot I've taken a clutch, I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make it count every single time. So you look back at all the moments that I had and that arena, it was more so like, Yo, this is the ghost of like I'm trying to inherit, the ghost of Michael shooting his fate away with the clock running down like that. I carried that to heart after that moment because you felt it from the fans. You felt it on social media when it was like yeah, you're taking that, you know what I mean? You just it was like nah, like nah. So That's how I carried it every time I'm walking there. You see you know, you see Scotti, Michael, you see Bob Love, you see you see these jerseys up there, and it's like and you hear his music when you come out. It's the same. You know what I mean, it's the same thing. You got to live up to it. You got to, you got to. So there you have it. You were wondering where those game winners still from my man? By the way, don't get so cocky and give us the one lad game winner again. Man, put that back in your bag. Man. But in speaking of game winners, and I think this is a great way for us to end. I'm in this with a trivia question actually on clutch shot making. I'm gonna give you the first one. You have the most clutch shots made since two thousand twelve with sixty four. Who are the next four since two thousand and twelve? So that's my rookie year, Yeah, Steph, actually number two with sixty two. By the way, how many I got sixty four, Steph? For those of you that don't know, By the way, clutch shots is in the last five minutes of a game. I've I've seen it, Steph, Steph Dame Dame has sixty one. How many of you said it is? There's there's four more after you just the next four. There's two more. Give you a hint. They play on the same team, Katie carry and wait, hold on, Hulda hunt on. Oh it gotta be Brian and Rust. Russ got sixty one as well. Brian got fifty five. Yeah, I think this is a very interesting thing because two of these guys on this list, one sitting right here and Rust. The disrespect is unbelievable. And all you gotta do you can check stats like this, like this is a real stat, like guys hitting in the fourth quarter. Guys don't do that. Then you can check the tape to which most of area. That's another topic everybody can't check to take We know that, but this is a very interesting stat for y'all learn, like, stop chasing these disrespectful hits. Man. You got real people, real hoopers, real legends, real Hall of famers doing this. Appreciate it because it don't last. Don't last, and it's not an accident. It's not it's not a coincidence, and it's not an accident. This man wake up every day four o'clock and the more working out. I ain't doing that. I'm gonna workout that now. But I honestly and I want to say thank you for coming on, Bro. It is an honor and a pleasure to sit here and talk with you because I, like I said, I know not many people can say they get a conversation like this from you, and I don't take that for granted. To everybody out there listening, I hope you enjoyed it. We thank you, brother, from the bottom of my heart. Jackson producer. We've been at this thing for almost a year and it's been great, and it's been great because of guys like yourself coming on and and opening up and and and sharing your story beca ultimately that's what the fans want to hear. So thank you, Bro Man, Thank you Bro. Absolutely that's a rot. Peace would have a privy. Levi B.