Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
Stephen A. interviews and trains one-on-one with top NBA shooting coach and popular TikTok basketball influencer Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews.
Ladies and gentlemen. I'm in a gymnasium. Now. I know I'm not.
Dressed for the part, because Devin, I ain't here to play. I'm not here to play. It's not what I do these days. Okay, I talk about folks that play, all right. But I had to talk to this next brother, and I had to come to his spot because the nickname is Lee through Shooter, that's what everybody knows him as. And the people that he's worked with, we see their numbers increasing, and he'll tell us all about that.
But clearly I had.
The pleasure of meeting him, got a lot of love for him, a lot of respect for the work that he's been doing for years now.
And now he's all over Instagram, all over.
Social media, dropping trick shots from fifty feet away, damn near twenty five thirty yards away.
I don't know what the hell is say about it.
All I know is that what we've seen is real and he's worthy of this interview. His name is mister Chris Matthews, the Lee through Shooter himself. What's up, big time? How were you man?
How's everything doing? Good man?
Thank you for coming here. I man, this is a dream come true. You're one of the people that I've always wont you know, to speak with in this type of way. So thank you for showing up.
Man.
Please just well deserved, well deserved. I mean when they call you Lethrough shooter. First of all, when did that nick name that name that that nickname of yours? When did that come about? How long ago? Wu did that take place?
Yeah? So I grew up in the DC area. You know.
Growing up in DC, we had to play at the park. We didn't really playing indoors as much as our kids do now. So outside my dad used to call me lethal, but not shooter. So when I started my social media I didn't know what the name myself on on IG So I was like, man, let me just call myself lethal shooter because my dad used always call me lethal when I was at the park hooping all the old heads, you know, getting getting my nose bus getting my teeth knocked out of my mouth. My Daddy'd be like, man, you Lethrough, keep going, keep knocking down lethal. So that's the name that stuck with me to this day. How do you like it?
I mean, now that it is stuck and it's fit and whatever, what does it meant to you because obviously people look at you now and they don't have any problem with that nick name because they see what you do in the basketball court.
It means a lot, you know what, I mean to have a name that's a unique type of name as well, and especially a positive name. So at first, when I first started my brand, people try to tie a lethrough shooter to a gunplay. And then people start realizing all the posts that I do, everything I do is positive, and that's what my brand is based on. Being staying locked in and just teaching people to give it up is never an option. So for people to know who I am as lethal shooter, it's a blessing.
Let's get into the mechanics and just basketball for a second.
On this perspective, what do you Is it really just.
About scentages when you look at a guy and just getting the ball in the hole or is there some other elements, some other ingredients that makes for somebody ultimately becoming quote unquote a lethrough shooter.
Yeah, that's a really good question.
So last year I had the honor to be with Grayson Allen for the full season, and it's not just going to gym just throwing up shots.
I'm very technical, especially with footwork.
I'm not the type of shooting coach that try to make a lot of changes, But if a lot of changes are needed, I will make those changes. And a good example is when I was full time with Grant Williams.
When he was with the Celtics. Okay, that I made a lot of changes.
I changed his hand placement, I changed the way he goes into his jump shot.
I changed his footwork.
Now this is Grant Williams before he football blocked former teammate and at it go ahead.
Yeah, so I was with him for a full season.
But that full season when he finished I think top three in the NBA, I.
Changed the whole shot.
Okay, But Grayson Island when I was with him, I didn't need to change a lot. We just changed small things. So the way that I train different people is not the same. So if I train a Jalen Brown or Grayson Aland or Cotavis Cober Pope or Michael Porter Junior, I don't do the same concepts because they're all different people, if that makes sense.
So how do you determine what is good for one client compared to another in terms.
Of the shooter.
Is it their technique? Is it the speed with which they get rid of the ball? You brought up footwork and what have you. It does it? How much do their positioning?
For example, you could be a shooting guard you got one responsibility, and point guard you got another, small full powerful you got another responsibility, et cetera, et cetera. What goes into you deciding what kind of changes you need to make with a particular athlete.
So I ask the client to show me everything that they like to work Already, I've already studied them on synergy. I understand what they need to work on as well. So once they showed me, I'll do it myself. So when they're with me, I'll do it and I'll shoot out of it. So a good example, which is a really good question. A Jalen Brown shoots different shots in the Grayson Allen Grayson Allen has the luxury of playing with the Kevin Durant, but unfortunately Jalen Brown or his team, he is Kevin Durant. So if Jalen Brown, a lot of our workouts were stuff off the dribble to shoot. But last season, as you saw shooting catch and shoots the balance was better. You know what I'm saying, The follow three was better because those are things that we had to take into consideration to get the shooting percentage better when you have to take so many shots. So somebody said, well, well, Jaylen Brown didn't shoot forty two percent from three last year, but he doesn't have the luxury of a Grayson Allen to have two superstars with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant kicking him the ball.
Where Grayson last year shot forty six percent.
So I do change different ways on how I train that person to fit within that system.
And another good example was like last.
Year, if you look at Katavis called well Pope, and the year before that when they won a championship, he was alone side Michael Porter. So the year they won a championship, I had Michael Porter and Contavi's called Pope the same year. But the thing that they were doing wrong was they weren't using each other and complimenting each other on the same side. They were just watching your kich this the whole time. But as a shooter, you can't do that. If you sit and just watch somebody, you'll throw yourself out of rhythm.
So what you have to do.
You need to move.
You need to move, and when you're when you're moving, what it does is it keeps you in sync with your teammates. You know, and as a shooter, you need to always be alert because as a shooter, when you're not alert, you're not receptive to the game. So I was telling these guys, let's compliment each other. You get what I'm saying. So a KCP, if you catch it and Michael Porter is open and you know you have a wide upus shot, still kick it to him.
And then when he hits the shot, congratulate him. Michael Porter.
If you're if you drive and kick and you might have a lay up or something and you see KCP open, kick it to them. Because what it does is it builds a good energy of shooters when you're connected to your teammate.
I don't disagree with what you're saying.
I'm wondering, however, how challenging is it for you to give that kind of advice when you're their shooting coach, but you ain't their head coach. That kind of dictates and get fluid is what kind of paper they get, you see? So if I'm Mike Malone and Lee through Shooter is giving KCP a piece of advice that I might disagree with.
How does that work out?
If I'm doc Rivers in Milwaukee and Lee through Shooter is giving somebody like a Damian Lillard or Chris Middleton, assuming he's healthy enough to be on a damn court, don't get me started with him. If you're giving them some kind of advice like that, how how do you make sure that what you're advising doesn't conflict with what kind of guidance or advice they're receiving from the actual coach who determines their playing.
That's a really good question.
So nine point nine out of ten, when I'm training a client, I let the coaches sit in on the workouts. So last year when I had Jalen Brown, Tony Dobbins was in on the workouts just a few days ago. One of the teams I just helped, the shooting coach was there. So what I do is, I'm not just going in there if you're the Bucks. Is a good example because when I had Bobby Porters, he was top three in the NBA.
I was with a full field season.
I would never go in and tell him something different than what the coach does, because the coach is gonna sit and see the workout.
So I'll ask.
Them, hey, is it okay for Bobby Ports to shoot a mid range jump shot? Yes, because there are some teams that tell elite shooters we don't want any mid range jump shots.
And today, especially if you're playing for a guy like Mike D'Antoni, yeah, the three all layup and he would actually bent you if you shot a two point shot.
And that's a good example because I've had clients where their team said, if you have a mid range jump shot.
Do not take it. Either shoot a three or go all the way to the rim.
So what I'll do is I'll ask the player, hey, is it possible that you can talk to your coaches and let them know that if you get a rhythm inside the mid range, it can help on the outside. So I've had players I'm not going to say their names, but they went to the coaches and say, hey, I know you want me to take the three, but when i'm pump faking the guy's running off, I.
Need to take a rhythm dribble to make an easier shot.
And if you look at the elites, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry.
What are they master the mid range jump shot?
So to me, when I'm training to client and all he has to do is slang up threes, it's hard to be an efficient three point shooter that way. Same with Grace not last year. The reason why he led the NBA three a percentage because he was knocking down the mid range shots. So what I'll do is I'll talk to the coaching staff. I have my player talk to the coaching staff so we're all on the same page because it's not about me, it's about the team. So if the coach does say, hey, we don't want them to take the mid range, so cool. We have to make the training based on what the coach wants.
Educate my viewers and my listeners about your background, your basketball background, and what have you. I know you played college ball, I know you're played high school ball. I don't give a damn that you didn't play pro ball. I've seen plenty of people that. I mean, we got coaches and general managers and presidents of basketball operations that never played the lick of basketball. Nobody's complaining about them. So I'm certainly not throwing any shade your way, but I want you to educate the audience about your background that led to you being who you are today.
Yeah.
So I've been blessed to play elite high school basketball my whole life. In high school, I played for National Christian Academy, where I played with Kevin Durant for two years.
We won the championship.
I was a McDonald All American nominee Jordan nominee. I went to play prep school at Lutheran, which we were number one and the entire nay.
I was a number one shooting guard in prep school.
I went to go play at Washington State, as you know, for Tony Bennett, one of the best coaches I ever had. We went to the Sweet sixteen. I didn't play as much, but what a lot of people don't understand is it's not about always playing a lot of minutes in those types of systems. It's about soaking up the journey and learning. And from there, I went to Saint Bonaventure, where I broke all the records at Saint Bonaventure, all the three point records. I was number one in the conference and three pointers made Number one in field goal percentage, I was top five in the nation and three point three pointers made. And these are things that people know about me. And I actually did play pro for eight years overseas. These are things I won, like seven Cups overseas, I've won MVPs. But the NBA isn't for everybody. I was injury prone. My body is not really good with endurance. So what happened was when I was in South America, my lung collapsed. Yeah, so I almost died. I was shut down for like five months, and still to this day, even when I'm doing content for not to put brands out there. When I'm doing insane content, I have to take a break because my lungs and everything isn't the same. So that's what people have to understand about me, and not saying I didn't make it to the NBA because I had poldaria DMA. But my lungs did collapse and my lungs aren't the same. That's why I don't play in certain type of games and do stuff to push myself. But from there, I was blessed to just understand that God put me on earth to be a shooting coach.
You know what I mean?
I'm really big on not chasing things where you're just being redundant. I'm not gonna be a thirty five year old man still thinking I'm about to go to the NBA, if that makes sense. So I said, I'm gonna change my life.
To be a coach.
Well, listen, guess what, man. I tried to play college broad It wasn't successful. I could only dreamed about playing in Port War. It didn't get that close. I don't give a damn what any of y'all say. You gotta learn to tell me you kiss your ass.
That's all right, you're doing.
Well now, I'm doing well. So what we ain't played? Get over it? Okay, But let me ask you this. With all of that being said, you're also doing work for Nike, now right, Yes, tell everybody about that real quick.
Yeah.
So I'm blessed with a lot of people. Don't know because when people see my content, you know, I know, you know I want to tell him kss my ass online sometime I do because somebody's falls get my nerve.
Good. I felt good. I didn't know we could say on it.
But I do be needing it sometimes because I think sometimes online people think I'm just a content creator, but I'm actually a full time trainer for Nike and Jordan Brand, So I'm.
Blessed to be How long has that been the case?
Five years?
But what people see online they see, you know, my insane content, but they don't know, you know, I'm the director of NIKEI Academy, which is the number one camp in the world, you know what I mean. I'm the scout for Nike where I go around and watch all of our young talent.
You know.
In the last month, I've trained Brandon McCrory babbab which is number one, and it's a blessing to be able to help help these type of players to reach the next level.
But this is what people don't know about me. You know.
On Friday for Jordan Brand, I'm training one of the top high schools and I'm flying to New York.
Then I'm flying to Chicago.
I'm doing all these things, but everything isn't posted. This is what people don't know about me, if that makes sense, Like it is, the only thing is I use social media for what it's forward to entertain, if that makes sense. But I do sometimes show people the back end of my life. So I wish people really knew what I really did on the back end.
I need to show them now. They gonna know now, you know.
But listen, before we get into anything else, I gotta ask you this question. With that being said, you know shooters, Yeah, you shooting coach, yep, the shooting coach, the elite shooting coach in the country right now, if not the world, as far as I'm concerned, Who's the best shooter that has ever played the game of basketball?
Right?
Who is that person? Chris Well? I want to say myself. You know, in life, you always want to say yourself.
You know what I mean?
That's like, okay, but I'm talking about NBA players right right right.
I was about to get to that go ahead, but I gotta give it to Steph Curry. You know what Steph Curry does off the dribble, What he does going left, going right, step back left, step back right, off one leg. I've never seen anybody in my life never shoot the basketball the way he's shooting the basketball. And I tell you this, I look up to reality. I look up the Regi Miller, I look up the Craig Cards. Because I tell you one thing, I wouldn't be the shooter. I am if I didn't grow up watching them type of shooters. But what Steph Curry is doing off the dribble as a shooter and how far he can shoot? I don't think in my life I've ever seen anybody do this in my life, So I have to give it to Steph Curry.
Am I wrong and surmising that?
I think Klay Thompson is a top five shooter of all time.
I think so, But I think the power of social media. He has one bad game and not saying it was just one bad game, but it was a bad game. He went over ten in probably one of the biggest games maybe in his career. But the thing about social media is monkey see monkey do. When everybody keeps saying over tune over ten, people keep it going, people keep it going. But to me, Klay Thompson is top five of all time.
I think he's top five as well. What about Larry Bird? Where would you put him?
Uh?
See?
Larry Bird to me, wasn't just a shooter. I feel like he was an overall basketball.
He was.
But if we were just a shooter, you think I'm just asking him. No, No, I say he was he was an overall all around BASKETBA player. The only reason I asked that is because some of the old hats always come up to me Bird Bird, like man Bird.
Larry Bird, all of this stuff mentioned it Larry Bird.
And I used to say this when people used to bring up Lebron and because Lebron obviously it's small for six ' eight to sixty, as versatile as he is, but primarily if you would listen to them as anything, it would be a point guard, an off card to be a small.
I would say.
I would always say, give me Lebron James all day, any day, for forty six minutes, give me Larry Bird for the last two That's how I felt because of his ability to shoot on the perimeter, unreal and free throws. Those two categories is what I would have given him over Lebron James. But there's no way I'm taking them over Lebron James. And the same applies with KD. By the way, I think about KD that way as well, give me again what KD. I wouldn't even need Larry Bird for the last two minutes because I think Bird KAD could do that too. But what do you think about Larry Bird as a shooter.
Shit, I gotta say at least top eight if his only job was to shoot. I don't think kids understand what he was able to do. You get what I'm saying, And I respect Kay Thompson don't getting messed up. But he wasn't doing what Larry Bird was doing. But if Larry Bird came intoday's world and all he had to do was just be a shooter, he'd be higher than eight.
You get where I'm coming from. But he had to do everything.
The kids don't realize that the load that he was taking is the same as Lebron, and it was worse because they was hitting him more, and they hit Lebron these days. But if if Larry Berg was just a shooter, I would say top eight.
A lot of people say, particularly the old school players, is great and undeniably great as Steph Curry has been if he had played in an earlier era. I've had Hall of Famous say to me, he wouldn't average twenty a game, they said, because we would have beat him up. We would have hit his elbows, we would have hit his wrists. We would showed them, we'd have tripped him up. We didn't need them we'd have took away some of the legs, et cetera, et cetera. Physically speaking, I'm not even talking about shooting right now, per se. Physically speaking, what do you believe one has to have in order to be a great shooter?
Is it great conditioning? Is it strong legs?
Is it having, you know, just being in sync with what your rhythm is, what your spots are. What is it that makes for a great shooting in that riga?
Man, that's a really good question. So let's go to somebody like Bobby Porters. When I was with him for that year full time. When I first moved to Arkansas with him, his thighs wasn't as strong as they needed to be. He's big and strong, but the body wasn't cut the way it wanted. So I told him, can we speak to the way coach to get his thighs strong and to build up his his core, because as an elite shooter, you have to have strong legs and you have to have a strong core because what happens is over time, what happens in the game.
The people who are in shape, they're shooting short.
They can't get the ball on the ground, they can't do certain things and their brain goes dead. But the people who are in the best shape, the people will get up the most reps, game reps. I see a lot of people that take shots, and you know when people want to post for the ground the NBA guys in the summer to show they're working out some of the shots they're shooting.
It's like, damn, bro, that.
Was that, Damn Ben Simmons.
That's what you do.
You ain't naming names, but I'm gonna that damn Ben Simmons just to go out there pretty well.
I caught them Zoolando, real models, you know what I'm saying. You can see him on the basketball court.
He looked the party looked real good, you understand, and you're going like this, what.
The hell is he really really doing the work on his game?
That's what?
Go ahead.
I'm sorry.
I just couldn't let that go.
But go ahead.
Well you said the name, damn right.
What I was saying, not you, I don't.
But to be an elite shooter, every workout that you shoot, you have to shoot the shots that you're going to shoot in the game. And another good example is with Grant Williams. When I met Grant Williams respectfully. He was such a hard tank, and I said, bro, I love that your body's nice and strong, but some of this stuff we have to take down just a little bit, because well, you can't be a cock diesel shooter, if that makes sense.
Now, how long ago was this?
You said dis to gram Grant Wims. I was with him full time for the Celtics when he was top three to NB.
Okay, the reason I'm asking that is because that ain't the damn play I'm seeing right now. What's the last time you worked with you?
About two and a half three years?
Man, get your ass back with Chris matter with you, Grant Williams. Get your ass back here because you running people over the NBA. Get your ass back in this gym.
I'm sorry, but that is huge.
If anybody out there wants to be an elite shooter, your condition is important, Your thighs are important, your core is important, but most importantly your mind. If you want to be an elite shooter, you have to have the mindset of a killer.
You can't allow somebody to get to you.
And a good example, if somebody tap your elbow, are you going to complain to the for You're gonna focus on the next shot. If somebody talks about your mom or tries to disrespect you, are you gonna focus on them.
We're gonna focus on the next shot. And I'm gonna give you a good example.
I don't think he was top tier like Klay Thompson shooting the three, But when Michael Jordan started taking more jump shots to evolve as he got older, people were doing stuff to him, but you couldn't bother him, if that makes sense, And that's what it takes to be an elite shooter. But in today's basketball, I feel like a lot of people that I watch NBA wise, they can be great shooters, but they get bothered too fast. And when I say bothered, they're always complaining to the refs, They're always complaining to the coaches.
They're always complaining.
If somebody taps them as they're running back on the court, they're talking to the defender. You gotta be dialed in, you gotta be focused, you gotta stay locked in if you want.
To be elite.
And I'm gonna challenge you on something because you just said something that I think I gotta make sure, I gotta I.
Gotta get clarity on this.
Did you just say that somebody people used to try to bother Michael.
Jordan's Did Jordan tell you that?
Because let me tell you.
Something that's not true. They was scared the death of them.
They were scared.
If anything, they were trying to be nice to him, so he wouldn't drop fifty on them.
Right, I mean a wizard.
Look, bro, even when he came to the Wizards, remember that preseason game where he dropped forty five and everybody was going crazy, like the old man dropping dropping for in his forties dropping forty five with the hell he's scared of living hell out of him.
They were scared.
Man, he scared them so much they still walk around scared about I'm dead serious.
But let me I digress. Let me get back to this.
So conditioning yes, leg strength yes, core strength yes.
What about shoulders? What about the arms? How you squared up to the.
Basket all yea. So everybody's different.
So with a Grayson Allen, I would love for him to be squared up all the time. For Jalen Brown when he's wide open, I would love for him to be squared up.
But it's some people like Bobby porters.
How big his thighs are, it's hard for him to square all the way up to the basket. So I was figuring out different angles that he's turned a certain way that it's still lined up with the shot. Because at first, when he was playing with the Knicks, before I started training him, his he was turned to slanted and that's why his ball kept going left, if that makes sense. So it's not really something special on you know, everybody needs to be squared, everybody needs you a certain way. I changed the training to the person's body. And a good example is when I had Danny Green. I was his coach for the Corner three. He led the NBA that year. This is the Corner three. So but the thing with people know about Danny Green respectfully, he's a little boat legged.
So the one thing.
Bow legged, you're being quite nice.
So the one thing I.
Was noticing was when he was catching the ball in the corner, his rhythm was off because of high his legs was. So I gave him this certain type of rhythm before he caught the basketball, so not to be funny, so his legs won't affect the corner shot.
And it worked, It worked, It worked.
How the hell you see all of this?
I mean, I mean you're watching film, spent the time instead of watching the movies, You're watching these guys in film, And so how do you figure all of this out? And how long does it.
Take you to do that? I could do it really fast to see what the problem is. I can't change a person shot really fast. It takes time. It takes consistent, consistency. And that's why I don't train everybody. So I'm not one of those trainers. If you really get to know me where you see online where if you just come in town, I train you one time and I say I'm your trainer. The only way you train with me. You got to put in the work. You got to train for an entire summer. You gotta be dedicated to your craft. And it takes an entire summer for me to really get the muscle memory a certain type of way.
You know, folks, I.
Have to admit to you, Chris Man, I'm kind of lucky, you know, because you know, I'm fifty seven years old and just turned fifty seven. I think I look pretty damn good be fifty, okay, but you know I got a nephew. I got, you know, some of his friends. I got other people you know, talking shit, you know, and make me want to go on the court and bust their ass. Excuse my language, you know. And I'm the kind of person that I would do that.
Yeah.
So, but I get on the court and here's the problem.
I might bust them up for thirty minutes, and I got to sit down for thirty days, right that brother ready to go thirty minutes. That's when you know age and has kicked in, right. But I showed up and I saw you gonna start weekend like this. I knock and some of them down with you know. I just feel like, you know, I need to get back. I mean, my knees still ain't great, but I need to get back into gym. Chris and and I you know, I've never had anyone work on my shop before.
Do you think you can help me be a better shoot?
Well, I think I'm one of the best in the world if you're willing to work out right now, I mean.
I'm just saying it. For certain people, there's no hope.
I mean, certain people are just so awful there's no hope for them whatsoever. You hope everybody, I'm a good hands hands.
If you're serious about working on your game, right, I mean, you gotta suit on.
I don't know, but if you're I brought some sweat bro' this.
But here's the whole point before we do this. Though, Okay, you're gonna run me into the ground. You know you're gonna have man gasping for in two minutes or something like that. You're gonna give a brother a break. You got in the gatorade and water around or something like that. You're gonna help a brother out.
I don't think I'm gonna give you no breaks. We're gonna push you. We're gonna push you if you if you want to be the best. That's why you're here. I didn't know you wanted to train though you told me we was just doing it. But if you want to train, I can train you. But we ain't taking no breaks.
Talking about going to you know, working on the formula.
You said, you said, we gotta go at your nephew. We gotta go to young guys. We gotta get you right.
In my sleep, I could be my sleep. I'm not even worried about that.
It's just that I'm just saying I want to I want to work on my shot in a way where it ain't gonna leave me once I leave this gym.
All right, you in good hands. Let's do this.
Let's do this, let's leave it. Let's do about to make me, You about to make me.
I'm serious, let's do it. I didn't know he was gonna train, but let's do this. I'll try it, I'll try it.