Joakim Noah Reflects on D-Rose's Retirement & Mutombo's Legacy | ALL THE SMOKE - All The Smoke

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
What up, y'all? All the Smoke is hitting the road.
Will be in New York October seventh and in Philly
October ninth. Make sure you guys come and kick it
with us. We'll have Larry Johnson and some friends in
New York and then we'll have a million dollars worth
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the Smoke Productions dot com slash tour. Use promo code
training at checkout for a buy one, get one free

(00:20):
promo offer. Offer won't last long. We'll see y'all there.

(00:47):
Welcome back All the Smoke, one half of All the Smoke.
My brother Jack love you. Sitting in the dentist chair
right now. He had to get some teeth pooled before
he said his mouth started to smelling like dump drug juice.
So wish out this episode out to you, bro. I'm excited, man,
this is I've been trying to track this person down
for a long time. Played against him for many years,

(01:08):
never really talked, just competed against each other, and I
always liked how hard he played. But then just kind
of started to see him live his life through social medium,
Like I knew how fucked with this dude, so long
time overdue. Glad to finally sit down with you. Welcome
to the show, Joe, Kim Noah Man, thank you, bro,
Thanks for having me. Yes, no doubt, I'm glad we were
able to make this work. Man, Let's get to it. Unfortunately,

(01:29):
the world lost a giant this week. Did Kimba Matumbo
rest in peace and in love to his family. Your
dad and him had the same agent. You've known him
for a long time. Mentor on and off the court.
Tough love kind of gave you the blueprint to your
post career, if you would say so. Speak to obviously
how instrumental he was in your life and just you

(01:50):
know what he meant.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
To you did Kemba's somebody who meant a lot to
a lot of people. So I want to choose my
words like wisely, what a special you know in the
basketball community, it's tough, but just all around the world.
Just the patience that he had for people is what
resonates the most. I remember going to Georgetown camp as

(02:11):
a kid and getting to see him like early on
in his NBA career and just always gave everybody the
time of day. And you know, his whole thing was
just about never forget where you're from.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
You know.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
I think that's something that resonates for people all around,
you know, just the guys from Kenshasa. He started playing
basketball at eighteen years old.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Crazy.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
He got to Georgetown University to be to be a
medical student, a doctor. Coach Thompson sees him on campus,
He's like, yo, you need to get your big ass
in the gym. And you know what, and it was
just what an honor to be around that guy. Got
to spend a lot of time with him afterwards, you know,

(02:54):
with the bal just being able to invest in a
basketball league, with the NBA on the continent, just to
be around him. Just what a special guy, you know.
And I'll never forget the kember always.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
You know.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
I used to call that's my you know, it's you know,
and I would come in just you know, t shirts,
sweatpants like and he was like, if you if you
around me, if you around me, just don't be dressing
like that. You need to you know, this is this
is business now tighten up. So that that's the energy

(03:26):
that the Kembit, the Kemba had And it wasn't just basketball,
It's like all around the world just people. Just really
he deserved that love that he gets.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Rest in peace. Yeah, definitely. Obviously more news hit. About
a week and a half ago, one of your brothers
decided to call it a career. Derrick Rose one of
the most special athletes, uh, we've ever seen in this game.
He put fear in the hearts of the best of

(03:57):
the best in our league. Bro and you and you
were right there with it. You got Chicago one year
before him. He was your rook How did your guys
relationship start? And I know it turned into a real
brotherhood because I think I saw you officiated his his
his way. We'll get to that, but tell me how
all of it started.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
It was just a real blessing to be around Pooh.
You know what do you call him?

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Pooh Pooh?

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah? Okay, you know it's you know, as special as
they come in terms of, you know, a real introvert
at heart, somebody who could score thirty on you. But
it just was scared of the postgame interview. He just
didn't want he didn't want no part of the media.
You know. He just was always true to himself. And

(04:44):
you know, somebody who had an unbelievable talent, but just
stayed real throughout and I think, you know, I wouldn't
even you know, when you're a second year player. He
came in the year after before, I wouldn't call him
my you know what I'm saying. He didn't have to,
you know, give out all the gear.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
And he didn't have to do nothing of the difference
he was.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
He was that nice. You know, he was that nice.
He didn't have to just come into you at the hotel.
You have no rookie duties, you know, other people exactly.
I think our relationship grew, you know, obviously you want
to win a championship so bad, but our relationship really
grew smoking herb after he got hurt, you know. So

(05:28):
he got hurt, and I think that you know, he
was at the height of his thing, just you know,
signed a huge deal with the Bulls, sign a huge
deal with a Didas, but you know, had to sit
out that year, and I think it was a real
lonely time for him. Obviously. You know, I want to
give a big shout out to his friends, his brothers,

(05:48):
who you know, he keeps the same people from the beginning,
you know, real tight circle. But yeah, our relationship really
grew on the road, you know, putting putting that towel
under the in the in the bathroom.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Come on, man, now you're talking real ship, and these
people don't know, Like bro smoking weed was a real
job if you were smoking in the league, because it
was just you get in trouble. So we had to
get the towels. We had some people like to turn
the shower on and get too fucking hot in there.
But I always had the candles the intents. I bread
up the plugging glades too, so my.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Ship was smelling nice. You were organized.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
Come on, man, I'm a sophisticated smoker, but it was
a real job. And then on top of that, we're
taking these drinks to try to flush our systems. Like
what was that? I mean, I love, no one's ever
really opened up on the show like that to really
let me know we can go there. So let's let's
motherfucking go there.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
Brow this is this is all the smoke, right, this
is all the smoke, So let's.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Go let's talk. So I mean you were saying putting
the towels under the door and just fellowshipping.

Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yes, So you know that's that was some real bonding times.
You know when the guys would come in, I'm the best,
and I think our relationship really grew off that, you know.
You know, it's it's weird that, you know, it was
the height of his of his thing, and how how
lonely you can be, and you know, you're around your

(07:07):
teammates more than you're around your family, and you know,
but you know, even though we weren't really supposed to
smoke or anything like that, it was so important. It
was so important to just be able to just detach.
You know, this is this is big business is supposed
to exactly, So to be able to share that and
like really get to know each other. I mean it

(07:28):
wasn't nothing fancy. We're in the bathroom talking shit, smoking
a blunt, you know. So you know, I really cherished
those times, and I think that our brotherhood really grew
off that. And he was also somebody who always had
my back.

Speaker 1 (07:42):
You know.

Speaker 2 (07:42):
There was probably times where the bulls are like, oh,
we could probably get some better for Jokim, and he
was probably like, you know, I know, Pool was like, nah,
that's that's my guy. And I think similar, you know.
And when Pool was one of the most beloved figures
and when he got hurt. You know, I think a
lot of people turn their backs on him in his

(08:03):
own city. So to be able to be able to
support him through that, and I'm not I don't pretend
to be the only person who was, but who was
out there on the court with him and who had
to deal with that, I cherished that time. I think
it just all those tough times also made our relationships stronger.
And then you know, being able to mediate his officiate

(08:26):
his wedding.

Speaker 1 (08:27):
That's dope, bro. I've seen that ship. I'm like, yeah,
look at this, this is incredible. Where was it that?
Where were you guys at?

Speaker 2 (08:33):
I was out here Beverly Hills Hotel.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
Okay, that was some fly ship, bro, It was fly.

Speaker 2 (08:37):
But I'll tell you what, that was the most uncomfortable
ship I ever had.

Speaker 1 (08:44):
Nervous.

Speaker 2 (08:44):
I was nervous as hell, like a wedding.

Speaker 1 (08:46):
Did you smoke one first?

Speaker 2 (08:48):
I smoke one after I had I had to come right,
you know, I'm trying to you know, first time doing it.
It was my first time doing it, probably my last time.

Speaker 1 (08:58):
You know, this is it's a big business.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
You know, when when when Elena, you know, Mama Rose
and they were like, okay, you wanna you're doing this.
We need you for the don't fuck it up right.
You know, this is a big moment for my guys,
So I wanted to be right. You might. I didn't
even smoke one before.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
Man, I waited till I should maybe just hit it
two or three times. I got this ship. So what
was he? I mean, I've got a chance, not as
long as you did, but I got a chance to
play with Covid, And I think there was a misconception
on just who he was as a person off the
court or even in the locker room. Covid with someone
you could talk shit too. He's gonna talk back to you,
he's gonna rap, he's gonna He's just a cool, down
to earth duke. We've never really got a chance to

(09:37):
see that side of d Is he like that or
is he just kind of always cool?

Speaker 2 (09:40):
Laughing?

Speaker 1 (09:41):
But he's always kind of reserved.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
I mean, I think he's somebody who he he waits
until you know, he needs to be comfortable, Okay, you
know he's ah, he's a real introvert at heart, you know,
so quiet. But I remember a rookie year like Brandon
Jennings scored fifty five. So guys in the on the
on the plane of talking about, yo, Brandon James got
fifty five, he might get Rookie of the Year, and

(10:04):
Poo's not saying shit. And like two years later, you know,
we're having one of those smoke sessions and he's like, yo,
I remember when guys were talking about Brandon Jennings getting
the getting the Rookie of the year. I'm not gonna lie.
That's that put that fire in there. And he didn't
say a word the whole time, Right, that's the kind
of guy he is. Like even my when I ended

(10:27):
up retiring with the Bulls. You know, the Bulls were
they brought in the guys, but they were giving me
like that cheap the cheap liquor at the for the party.
You know who put the money down right away for me.
You know he but he'll do shit like that, but
just not say nothing. You know, he doesn't want credit
for anything, but just you know, class sag. I think

(10:49):
you know what he represented for that city. Every time
we you know, we laced them up. We felt like
we had a chance. And you know there's something different
about free agency, and you know, coming in and again
your first checks together and I mean, I'm going all
over the place. But Rookie year, rookie year, and he

(11:12):
gets the Rookie of the Year. He got all his
homies with him. We go out to the club. They
don't let him in. They can't let him in the
club because he's too young. Too young. He is the
most famous person in the city, right, you know. So
it's just like moments memories like that. That with the
MVP MVP Ye're like m VP year, MVP year was

(11:37):
I mean, you know, hope is a is a really
powerful emotion, you know, and like when you play with
talent like that and you feel like you can win
any game, it's a special feeling. You know, you train
that much harder. And that's what he represented, not just
for us, but for the whole city, you know, And

(11:57):
you know, it was it was Miami. It was Lebron
to the heat and we really felt like, you know,
we were the squad that could get them, you know,
especially when we had that guy on our side. So
it was just having Pool on our side before he
got hurt was just it was superpower, superpower. You know.
It was like almostly he had the turbo button and

(12:19):
nobody else had the turbo button cheat.

Speaker 1 (12:23):
Is there one game that stands out or a play
that stands out where you're just like God? I mean
you got to see it in practice and the game
every single day. Then you got to vibe with him
off the court, like, is there one time you're just
like God?

Speaker 2 (12:35):
Damn?

Speaker 1 (12:36):
Or it maybe several times? Wore he said that.

Speaker 2 (12:38):
I mean it was it was every night. I mean,
the thing, the thing that was crazy. Just like you said, though,
I saw a lot of the top guys show fear
around him because they wanted to be friends with him,
They wanted to be cool with him, and he didn't
want none of that. You know. He was like, Okay,
these are my colors. I'm not trying to be friends

(12:58):
with none of you guys. None of you guys. He's like,
these are my teammates and that's it. But I saw
I saw a lot of the top guys who are
dominating the game who came they didn't want no problems
with that guy, No problem. I think there shout out.

Speaker 1 (13:17):
Got the hoop with Obama before We're just coming off
the Kamala sit down, tremendous honor. How was it hooping
with Obama?

Speaker 2 (13:23):
Before we even talk about Obama. Just I want to
give you guys your flowers because that's a beautiful thing.
And you know, we're talking about stories about when we
couldn't even smoke as players. Now you know, the biggest
sports podcast right now, all the smoke. You know, you
guys are really moving the culture forward. And you know
you can talk about HERB and you're over here, you know,

(13:45):
doing interviews with the next president of the United States.
You know, it just shows how far we've come as
a culture, especially when it comes to this HERB stuff.
So you know, big shout out to you guys for
what you guys are doing and and just the piff
the thing is just it's so important. Like you're playing
in front of twenty thousan twenty five thousand games over
at ten o'clock, Like what you expect me to go

(14:07):
to sleep at eleven?

Speaker 1 (14:09):
But they don't understand the schedule. I mean, you think
about it. I mean back to backs. You're in Portland
one night and you got a you know, a back
to back in San Antonio. You get to San Antonio
at one, you get to the room at two, Like
it's I mean, everyone has their vice. I just I
didn't judge nobody on their advice, but mind just happened
to be smoking. I know, if I smoked some, I'm
gonna go to sleep, you know what I mean. So

(14:30):
it's just like it was crazy how hard they made
it for that to happen. But I remember when I
retired in seventeen, myself and Al Harrington like we wanted
to kind of make it our goal to keep putting
it in their ear. We would fly out to New
York and talk to the MVPA, we would talk to
the NBA and just kind of just keep it on
their minds until they both got doctors and they said
the PA's doctor came back with the positive sides of it,

(14:52):
and the NBA doctor still kind of had the was
on the other side of No, it's still bad, and
they had to come meet to the middle. And then
you know, obviously the bubble, you know, when the world
stopped for COVID and they brought the bubble back, and
I'm just thinking in my head, I'm like, bro, if
they test these dudes before they come back in the bubble,
there's eighty percent of the dudes are going to be
not playing. So you know, I think the NBA kind

(15:14):
of knew what they were dealing with. Let it slide,
and then from here on out, you know, they haven't smoked.
But like I said, I started smoking at fourteen, bro,
and it just I knew I had a wild childhood.
So it calmed me down, help me sleep, help me focus.
But that's what I used instead of I wasn't someone
who was going to take pills. I socially drink, but
like we was something that was always just that's what

(15:36):
I needed, and I was able to like be I guess,
a functional smoker, someone who smoked for the game. I'll
smoke before the game, go play the game, and then
smoke when I get done, you know what I mean.
And it was just kind of it. It saved me.
Although I had some I veered off the plane a
couple of times and got into some shit, Like I
can only imagine how much more shit it would have
been if I didn't have the weed at least kind
of somewhat calm down, help me down.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't even call it a vice at
that point. Is you know something that a tool that
can just help us just relax, you know, and in
this madness, so shout out to you guys from making
that possible.

Speaker 1 (16:08):
And I shout out to you for being the first
person that really kind of was really telling me because
I've had some other motherfuckers that I smoked a lot
of we with during during the years, and they didn't
want to really, so I ain't gonna push it, but
I appreciate you opening.

Speaker 2 (16:22):
And we were smoking spice and all this garbage for that.

Speaker 1 (16:26):
Spice was horrible. What was that like, ten eleven, twelve?
What was that back around twenty ten? Is was it?
At the time? It was nasty words.

Speaker 2 (16:34):
Nasty shout out to Brad Miller bringing that nasty ass spice,
shout out to the big duck bringing that nasty Indiana spice.
It was over the locker room.

Speaker 1 (16:45):
Spice was bad. I see, I had a bad Internet.
It wasn't me, but I've seen some bad shit happen
on that. But anyway, Yeah, but we're past it. We
don't have to worry about it no more. Man, I'm
showing you the bags of our repertoire before you came
and shot. We're gonna celebrate once we get downe. But again,
let's talk, you know, let's talk Obama. You got a

(17:05):
chance too. Yeah, what was his game like and what
kind of person is he?

Speaker 2 (17:08):
I thought it was just it was special, man. You know,
you get to play ball. I think it was his
fiftieth birthday, you know, president of the United States, and
I got to bring my mother and got to you know,
it was a big year.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
How did it happen? You got they called you.

Speaker 2 (17:24):
Up to I got that email. It was a different
it was a different kind of email, a different it
was very presidential. I'm like, mom, Mom was at that.
My mom checked this out. It said plus one. My
mom was like, I'm coming, I'm coming. But it was
really special just you're around the top guys and you
have that moment, you get to have a real moment

(17:46):
with the President of the United States, like as a human.
You know, the guys like comes. He represents America, but
he also you know, represents the Islands of Hawaii, represents Africa.
You know, he's also in this deal with the with
the NBA Africa. So it was a pretty surreal moment
just to be able to you know, all the guys

(18:07):
from his cabinet. They're off from Chicago, so you know,
we're at the height of our thing. Top one of
the top teams in the league. Obviously, poo just got MVP.

Speaker 1 (18:18):
And who went over there with you from your team.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
Just me and Pooh. But they also made it clear
like don't you know I remember he was he was
talking about my jump shot a lot, and it was
like the guys were just like laughing a little bit
too hard.

Speaker 1 (18:33):
Like don't get it sucked up. I was like, yo,
like all right.

Speaker 2 (18:36):
So he got the ball and I remember like I
ran like I was closed out on him, like I'm
not letting you shoot. You're not getting nothing. He just
needed to feel that a little bit. So that was
my That was my moment on the basketball court.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
I think some people think sh it's sweet, you know,
until you get up out like you guys are a
lot bigger than you look on TV or faster strong.
You're like, yeah, no, I don't care if you're the president, bro,
you're not gonna be talking shit off camera. Before we started,
I mentioned that I just had a son a month
ago and you're expecting, and I just saw the way
you lit up fatherhood to you. You have a boy

(19:14):
on the way, you said.

Speaker 2 (19:15):
I got my son on the way. Two more months,
two more months.

Speaker 1 (19:17):
You already have two daughters.

Speaker 2 (19:19):
I got one daughter, I got one son, you know,
seven and five. I got Alex who's sixteen as well,
from from my wife. But shout out to Lais. You know,
she got two more months left.

Speaker 1 (19:33):
It's it's no joke, you know.

Speaker 2 (19:35):
You know, usually you know, you're on the road playing ball.
So okay, I'm retired now, so I have a little
more time to be here. Whatever it takes. If I
got to be the Uber driver, I'm the Uber driver.
If I got to take out the garbage, I'm taking
out the garbage. You know, whatever it takes. But you know,
I really hope, I really hope that this. You know,

(19:55):
my girl six's one, so I really hope that we
might she might have a Wemby and she might have
a Wemby in there, you know, So I hope. I
just hope that he loves hoop. My question was really
to you because I see your twins are killing it. Yeah,
so it was just more how did you kind of

(20:16):
get them to play ball?

Speaker 1 (20:19):
It was a journey, you know. The twins started being
able to move around with me maybe my last four
or five years, so they got to be you know,
Coobe was Uncle Cole. As soon as he met them,
he started giving them shoes. So he was around that.
He was around CP Blake and Lop City. He was
around that Golden State Warriors team I finished with KDS,
Steph and and that whole crew. So they always liked it.

(20:41):
But they were kids, so they love video games. So
they could shoot the ball and knew the game, but
they didn't want to work on their games. So I
wasn't in my homeboy G you know, you have talks
about this like I'm not gonna they don't want to do.
I'm not gonna push them. It's not gonna they have
to love it more than I love it. So I
kind of just let him slide by until they kind
of started seeing I coached started coaching them when they're
about eight when I retired, and they went from the

(21:02):
best player to kind of the middle of the pack,
and I'd just be like, you guys, see like yeah, okay,
and so sometimes we shoot. And then their tenth birthday,
I took him to go see Code for a surprise
birthday and he trained them, and I kind of think
that lit the fire. Then about twelve and a half thirteen,
they're like, all right, Dad, We're ready. So they're fifteen now, bro,
And just when I tell you, like, it's just the

(21:23):
most joy in my life when I just see them
continuing to get better and they love doing it like
their doll. They work out constantly now, so they fell
in love with the with the journey, you know what
I mean. So it's just been fun. So I definitely
hope you get that appreciate you get to get to
get that ride and see what it's like.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
It's dope, man, because I'm seeing a lot of the
guys kids are one of them getting really good. So
is it the access of having the top trainers around,
you know, the inspiration of having like, you know, the
superstar players coming and say what's up? You know, there's
so many. I'm a third generation athlete. My grandfather Will
as a soccer player on a professional level in France

(22:04):
and Team Sedon champion. You know, Pops is the man,
last French guy to win the French Open, win a
Grand Slam, only African to ever even be a top
ten player, you know, So the journey, his journey was
always interesting and I was blessed to see his work

(22:24):
at THIC, you know, even though it was a different sport.
You know, Pops would make me run before school. That
was that was his thing, Like all right, you're gonna
do something that's different because you know, I'm playing basketball,
I'm from New York. You know, it's like all right,
after a certain amount of time, it's like all right,
silver spoon, this silver spoon that like yo, okay, like
you guys got me fucked up, Like I gotta work

(22:47):
at THIC. I'm gonna work hard. You're gonna see real work.

Speaker 1 (22:50):
I don't want to When did that kick in? Because
that was my when I'm thinking, like I grew up
on food stamps, holy shoes live you know, let family
live with us. We live with family life. Twins grew
up behind gates private school and have twenty pair of shoes,
you know, like when did so? My my always concerned
is like how am I going to make sure they
understand first and pemos, it's not how everyone lives, but
how am I get that dog in that fight in them?
So I just had to keep being creative and find

(23:12):
ways and they have it now. But when did that
light turn off for you to be like now, fuck
that this? Like you said, shit ain't sweet.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
It's funny. I think that me and Pooh's relationship came
off that question because he was interested in that for
his Oh really, so he was always interested like how
how did you become? How you are? You know, having
with your background, with your background, it's an interesting thing.
But I'll say this, seeing the way that he trained,

(23:42):
being able to see his training habits, but also like
going back to Africa. You know, every year we went back,
and it gave me perspective like, Okay, you are really blessed,
and let's not forget, like okay, you let you get
to live in America, like simple things hot water, you know,

(24:02):
air conditioning, you know, wood floor, indoor courts, you know,
high school's playing against you. It's like, yo, we have everything.
So going back to Africa, there's none of those things,
you know. So going back to Cameroon was definitely the
biggest blessing my dad ever gave me because it gave
me that perspective. And you know, before every game, that's

(24:26):
where my mind went. It was just like my roots.
Even though I never lived there, I got it. I
got to feel it enough as a kid where I
was like, okay, this is where I'm from. I'm never
going to forget who I am and where I'm from.
I think it just gave me my strength to just
you know, push myself that much harder. And and also,
like you know, people, people talk a lot of shit

(24:46):
in New York. So for me, it was like, all right,
I gotta let them know you're gonna respect me as
a teammate because of how hard I go, and I
felt like I had to. I showed that every single time.

Speaker 1 (24:58):
I still loved that. I love that. We were going
to to touch on the b AL a little bit later,
but since you spoke about, you know, what going back
to Africa meant to you and getting to your roots,
how did the b AL come about it? And for
those who don't know what the b AL, can you
briefly explain what that is? So?

Speaker 2 (25:12):
The BA is the Basketball Africa League. It's it's a
partnership with the NBA. It's the NBA league in Africa.
You know, since retirement, this has been the biggest blessing
of my life. You invested in it, right, I'm an investor.
I'm an investor with Louel dang as well. Obama's an investor,
and the Kemba was an investor in it, and you know,

(25:33):
just got to be around. First of all, the NBA
is not going to let this fail. So just to
be around that kind of high level energy, that high
level that business, To be around the business like that,
I think was really special. And you know, I just
remember being at the height of my basketball career and

(25:54):
I would go back to Cameroon and they would be like, so,
so what do we do. That's a really tough question
for somebody. I don't care if you're an All Star
or at the height of your thing, Like, how are
you supposed to answer a whole basketball ecosystem for a country?
That was really tough. So when I had the opportunity,

(26:15):
I built a court and I'm gonna do. Gallo Fall,
who is the president of BAAL but who was a
scout for the Dallas Mavericks at the time. We were
always very close and he ended up coming to talk
to the kids on my court in twenty ten. I
don't really remember his words. I just remember that the

(26:36):
opportunity was it was somewhere along the lines that the
opportunities were going to be different in the future, and
I just remember him talking and I'm you know, we
see guys come and talk to the kids all the time,
but I remember just being in tears and just the
power of his words and just the way he spoke
about it and just like him getting on a plane

(26:57):
like it's complicated. You just from seneg got to Cameroon.
You have to go through other countries and he ended
up coming for us. And as soon as this opportunity came,
you know, he called me and he was like, Yo,
do you want to be an investor in in this league?
I was I didn't even I didn't even ask what
year was that? Uh, this was four years ago, so

(27:20):
right after the Yeah, so you had to be a
retired player. And you know, there's been the most amazing
journey just being able to travel all these countries in
Africa and you know, rest in peace to Cambi just
being around him and seeing how how much joy he
had and just you know as a trailblazer and all
the work that he had to do to be able

(27:41):
to you know, his with his voice like saying like
you know, like squatch, in ten years, this is going
to be a unicorn, this is going to be a
ten X. Don't worry joke, don't worry, you know, just
the pride that he had and being able to build it.
Like just it's a business that's in investing in people
in Africa, investing in the people. You know, so many

(28:05):
people think about Africa as just it's like, you know,
the chembis from Congo. This is like the most exploited
land in the world. People go there for the minerals
and bounce you know, it's it's really real. So to
be able to be a part of something where you're
actually pouring back in the people. Like when you talk

(28:25):
to these kids out there and you talk to them,
it's not like how it's not like talking to the
kids out here. You know, these kids have no attention
spans out here. You talk to them for five minutes
high at school, but their eyes open hungry. You build
a court. I build a court in Cameroon this summer.
We had six hundred kids go through that court. You

(28:49):
might have one hundred and fifty kids on one court
at a time. You throw a bounce pass, you gotta
wait for forty people. You gotta wait forty kids before
you can throw another pass. And I mean that's what
that's what they're up against right and just to see
the the fight in these kids. Man, it just it
makes me go back every time. And now that we

(29:09):
have the NBA platform, like, I really feel like the
sky's the limits.

Speaker 1 (29:13):
No one has planning the flag as far as professional
sports in Africa, right, Like soccer is probably the biggest,
most watched. But this is an opportunity. I mean one
point three if there's four times bigger than the United States.
So if this catches fire, I think the King might
have been underselling the ten X, you know. I mean,
this can be a monster if it, you know, continues
to go to the right direction.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Thank you man. You know that's that's the goal. You know,
these are the fastest growing youth populations in the world.
You know, the numbers don't lie. If they get if
they get their courts and the education and everything that
comes with what we know about the game, the sky's
the limit. And I'm really proud to be a part
of that.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
What do you think the game looks like if it
continues to your vision, your team's vision, that the league's vision.
Where do you feed the like in ten fifteen years?

Speaker 2 (30:02):
The next step is definitely pushing the grassroots. We need
we need. We need more African stars, you know. But
when you look at Joel and b and what he's doing,
Joel started playing basketball at sixteen, seventeen years old. Like,
imagine if you lower the hoops out there where the
kids can go out there and do their thing. Imagine

(30:25):
if there's investment in coaching and they start getting there's
enough courts where oh you're getting individual workouts now too,
or oh, the guys want to make trick, want to
do trips to Africa and you know, teach a couple
of coaches for a month. You know, That's really what
I'm trying to push because I think I feel like
a lot of the guys want to do it, and

(30:45):
now we have a platform where you know, you can
learn the continent is so special.

Speaker 1 (30:51):
Let's take all the smoke out there next summer and
do a camp and everything and turn it out.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
That would be so dope.

Speaker 1 (30:57):
Let's do that, make that happen. I'll smuggle the piff,
my guy. What about some of the other giants in
Africa before the history?

Speaker 2 (31:12):
Yeah, common, yeah, what are your thoughts on the history?
I think that's a great question. You know, first of all,
I'm sure I really want to touch on what Lou did,
because what Lou did this summer was was so special,
you know, just being able to well, I want to
give him his flowers because it also connects with like

(31:35):
Minute Bull, they're from the same area. But just just okay,
the guy gets to represent South Sudan is the youngest
country in the world. It's got Soudan got its independence
I think fifteen years ago. Sudan is also where Manu
Bull's from minud Bowl was giving his checks to buy

(31:56):
weapons to so that the people in the villa could
protect themselves from from a genocide. Like I'm just getting
goosebumps like that. I mean, it's like we're talking about
all this stuff and it's just like this is the
pioneers of Africa, Like this is what we're talking about.
You know, this is a whole other level of of

(32:19):
human rights. And you know, so that's that's loose, that's
loose people, you know. And then for him to be
able to you know, you hear the stories of Manewball
and how much people loved him and appreciated him, his
sons in the league, like but you know that was

(32:40):
his his fight was weapons to protect his people and
and now to be able to see, you know what
the next general, the next couple of generations later to
have a Luel Dang who build courts in his country
and be able to represent his country on the biggest
stage play against the US, make it a real game

(33:03):
where they are competing their asses off. That was not
for just for Southsidan. That was for the whole continent.
Because now these young kids are looking at guys that
look like they like Yo, that guy looks like me,
to believe it, and you know you're talking about the
inspiration for your kids. You know, that's what Luel's being
able to provide for a whole continent. So like what

(33:27):
Luell did this summer in the Olympics, like you just
got to give him his flowers because you know, as
a as a obviously he was my teammate, but for everybody,
I just always wanted to give him. He deserves his
flowers the work he put in. Shout out Royal Ivy.
You know they brought in their high school coach who
ended up coaching on the national team. It's just like

(33:49):
real visionary shit. You know, it's not just oh, I
have an idea, like I'm smoking one, Like have an idea.
It's like, all right, I'm getting on a fifteen hour flight.
I'm comfortable as hell. I made a lot of money
playing here. But you know what, I'm going back. I'm
doing what I gotta do because I have a vision.
And and you get to see it. You got you
get to see the product where they're playing against the

(34:11):
US and it's a war out there. I mean, now
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (34:15):
Yeah, it's a battle. It's a battle. That's dope. So
when you hear and this is not even I mean,
obviously Gilbert is an evil genius, my guy, but burnt
out when you but you hear when you hear like
kind of the jokes about what they were saying they
got baskets and you know, in the fact they shoot
on peach baskets and dirt no shoes. Is that ha ha?

(34:38):
Or is that like knowing the grind? Is that fucked
up to you?

Speaker 2 (34:42):
I think it was an important moment because there is
a lot of ha ha going on.

Speaker 1 (34:46):
You know.

Speaker 2 (34:46):
It's like, look, I grew up. I'm blessed. I grew
up in Paris, I grew up in New York City.
I got to travel in Africa. So for me, it
was never because you know these are this is my
people too, like my mom's Swedish. I come from a
lot of different places. But the reality is, yeah, there

(35:07):
is a disconnect between black people in the inner city
out here and Africa. And I think that that was
a great lesson to be able to connect some of
the dots. And you're like, look, you guys are pioneers
and what you guys are doing, Like you know, your
podcast is called all the Smoke. You had the president,

(35:31):
the future president do your thing last a couple of
days ago, like ten years ago. You couldn't even think
about no shit like this. So we're on the same shit, like,
you know, our thing is trying to bridge the gap,
like we're trying to bridge bridge it. You know what,
who brought his high school kids and he was like, yo,

(35:52):
let's go to Senegal, Let's go to Africa. He got
all the kids passports. You know he did that with
his own money. It wasn't you know, he did that
with his own money because he wanted to bring the kids.
It was right after my wedding. It was the most
powerful trip I've ever done. You know, you got kids
who don't leave their blocks, don't leave their their neighborhood

(36:13):
to be able to get that perspective and go into
Africa and realize what you have. You know, it was
a basketball trip, so the kids meet through basketball in
a culture exchange. But the Tripbute was so much bigger
than just basketball. It was life changing. You go to
the slave castles, you know, you get to connect, you
get to have new friends, You get to see where

(36:35):
these guys, where these kids are playing. You're playing in
one hundred and ten degree weather. Perspective, Man, yo, you
got to indoor gym. You got to indoor gym. You
get to get go play in front of your little girlfriend,
your all your family. Like, don't take that shit for granted.
Every African that comes across the pond because he's a tall,
you know, raw goofy, like he can't really play that well,

(36:57):
you know, but you know whatever, we take him because
he can block shots. Like he's leaving. There's a lot
of sacrifice. There's a lot of huge sacrifice that goes
into that. So it's like understanding where people are coming
from and like leaving your culture, leaving your people to
come and try to live out your dreams. So that's
what we're trying to do. When we're building the infrastructures

(37:19):
and all this stuff in Africa, it's like you don't
have to leave, you can you get you can play
in front of your family.

Speaker 1 (37:24):
You know, obviously it's continuing to grow, but are there
resources that are that are needed or is everything kind
of planted and it now just has to grow.

Speaker 2 (37:32):
I think it's just chipping away every day, you know.
I think that the I think that there's a huge
value in just like the people on this side like yo,
this at some point, like we can say whatever you want,
that's the roots, that's the origins, that's that's home. Like

(37:53):
you know, I know that that might sound weird to
some people, but you know what, it's the truth. So
to be able to connect with your roots, I think
it's something that you know, both sides can definitely learn
from and take in. You know, because you get to
go you get to go to Africa, you get to
see the roots and where you know what it looked
like it's at one point. And you can also teach basketball,

(38:17):
you know. I think that's the next step is like
bringing in guys who can teach the game and the
more we do that, that's when we get the diamonds
in the dirt.

Speaker 1 (38:28):
Favorite places in Africa to travel, favorite cities or favorite
thing to do out there when when outside of basketball.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
My favorite thing to do when I go to Africa,
I really enjoy going to Yong Day because that's where
where Yo Day and Cameroon. So Yong Day is for me,
is my great grandfather's land. It's where my great grandfather
is buried. It's where my grandfather is buried. It's where
I'll be buried. It's where my father will be buried.

(38:56):
It's where my grandmother build a school, all on the
same land where I build my basketball court. So when
I go back, these are my childhood memories. We're also
an hour drive away from from the beach and KB,
you know it's Clay. Actually, Klay Thompson did a camp
shout out to Slay Thomas this summer. Right this past summer,

(39:17):
he came to Cameroon. He put in some work with
the Clay real quick.

Speaker 1 (39:20):
I don't want to. I want you to finish. Did
you guys, you and really know each other?

Speaker 2 (39:24):
Not really?

Speaker 1 (39:24):
He's how fucking cool is he's?

Speaker 2 (39:27):
I mean, I don't know him that well, but we
connected on some reggae.

Speaker 1 (39:30):
You guys, he's he's a vibe dude.

Speaker 2 (39:33):
He's a vibe dude. I can tell you he's a Yeah.

Speaker 1 (39:38):
Shout out, Clay, shout out. How was that? I think?

Speaker 2 (39:42):
You know, I wasn't there. I wasn't there when he came.
But try to set him up. My dad has a
little boat out there. I saw he was doing work
with the kids. So I was like, Yo, take the clay,
take the boat. He took tom boat out. He took
the boat out, but I heard the waves were crazy.
So they went out and they were like, now we
out bring back out here. That was cool. Rwanda. Kigali

(40:12):
is a very special place. You know. Kali is a place.
I mean, it's just it's great because there's just so
much interesting things to learn, you know. You know, we
do a lot of going to Kigali. I went there
with the ba l for the first time just to
see how clean and organize the country is. It is
just like everything they tell you about Africa. It's the

(40:34):
complete opposite. You know, this is the most organized country.
Everybody got health care, education, I mean, it's just next
level and you know, all you hear about when you
think of Rwanda as a genocide that happened there is
and but what their reconciliation story and the way they

(40:56):
were able to bounce back from from that kind of pain.
You know, I think there's a lesson there that, you know,
we can really learn from on this side. You know,
just how do we how do we come together after
so much pain? You know, So, I mean, this is
the kind of the lessons and what we can learn

(41:19):
from from Africa is it's it's hard to put in
the words, but I'm just blessed to be with this platform.
I'm able to travel all around and not just go
where my where my family's from. But there's just so
much to see. You know. You you go up to
the you go up in the north, it's Morocco, it's Algeria,
you go you go to the you got the Pyramids,

(41:41):
and then you go to South Africa. It's like the
music is crazy, you know, it's the Zulu warrior energy.
It's like, oh you give me, like damn. This ship
kind of reminds me of New York, Like it's just
the tough and like you'll go to the club and
you'll be like the's going on. Man, This is crazy
out here. So it's just Africa special, man, that's what's up.

(42:03):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (42:04):
Gainesville, Florida. I heard that place as special. You were
there in a in a in a heavy time and
we will get to the back to back championships. But Tebow,
Cam Newton, Aaron hernandez uh what was that dot called
on Netflix about the football team Swamp Kings. I mean
you were you you were in the swamp. Talk to

(42:25):
us about your experience at Florida. Obviously the back to
back championships, but just life in that ecosystem because there
was a lot of professional athletes the time you were there.

Speaker 2 (42:35):
No, Gainesville, that time was as special as it come.
You know, it's your first time leaving home, being away
from your family, and you know we had there was
all those guys that you mentioned where we all lived
in the same dorm in the same place. You know.
The stories are like where do I start? Where do

(42:58):
I start? But I actually watched the documentary not long ago,
and there was a moment in that documentary where one
of the kids got caught smoking a joint and they
kicked him off the team and he went home and
he got killed and urban Meyer touched on it and
he was like, you know what, I have to live

(43:20):
with that as the leader of this shit. I have
to live with that knowing that I kicked off a
kid and this happened. So he was like, never again,
will that happen to any of my kids. I will
never kick one of my if I recruit them, they're
staying with me. And I think that it gave them

(43:40):
a bond that you know, it allowed them to go
all the way and win a championship. It's deep, you
know we were able to obviously, you know my roommate
was Al Horford and Corey Brewer and Toryren Green, Lee Humphrey,

(44:01):
see Rich Walter Hodge, like these guys are still some
of my closest friends today. And it was so we
win the championship after sophomore year, and this is my
first time where people were like, yo, you could be
a top pick. You know, it's time for you to go.
It's time for you to go to the NBA. And

(44:22):
I love those guys so much and I love what
we had so much that we ended up going back
to school another.

Speaker 1 (44:28):
Year because you al who else could have left all
through you guys.

Speaker 2 (44:34):
And we ended up staying another year because you know,
you can't. Chemistry is just something you can't. You can't deny.
You can't deny when when you're open, you're getting the ball.
You know, your guys tendencies just you just love hooping
with the guys so much and the brotherhood just becomes

(44:56):
it's like second nature, you know. And I'm really proud
of that that, you know it was. It was not
about the money, and we showed it. You know a
lot of people say, oh, it's not about the money, no,
but you know what, let's run it back. There was
no nil shit. We were paying money, We were paying
the Lloyd's of London the insurance to stay. You know,

(45:18):
that's what those years meant to us. You know, you
can there was real sacrifice in it, and I think
you know you can't. Those years were as special as
they come.

Speaker 1 (45:29):
Obviously, you know, back to back champs and in the bonds.
But you know, we went to school right over the
hill in Westwood at U c. L A. And although
I had a ton of fun playing basketball, I probably
had more fun not playing basketball. What were those Knights like?
Any stories you could share? I don't want to get
nobody in trouble. I mean we mentioned some heavy names.
You ever see t b out there smoking the joint?

(45:51):
What's happening? Like, would you see out there that you
can speak on?

Speaker 2 (45:56):
It was wild? T Bow was not wild at all. No,
he was. It's what made him him though. You know
he was probably like on Fridays, he was probably reading
his Bible and he was serious. He was We had
a class together. He was always doing the extra credit.
You know. I was like, yo, like you're a square bro,

(46:16):
like extra credit. But you know, but like talk about
like his competitive spirit. You couldn't You couldn't deny that,
you know, especially Okay, you're going to school in the South,
you know, that was a real that was crazy to me.
It's like, you know, you're going down University Avenue and

(46:36):
that's like the main main road on campus and you
got the black kids on one side and you got
the white kids on one side party and it's just
like nobody mixed. And that to me that it was
just like we were able because of the sports thing
to crossover. It bridged a little bit more, you know,
And that's the power of sports and what we do

(46:59):
on the platform that we have is like you win,
it becomes so much bigger than rich, poor, black, white,
all that stuff. You know, you're able to do something
that's bigger than bigger than you, bigger than you.

Speaker 1 (47:12):
Before we started, you told us about uh, you got
arrested out there though, because you had a little dube.

Speaker 2 (47:17):
In your pocket. That's right.

Speaker 1 (47:19):
This is after your first year in Chicago.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
So it's my brook after my rookie year. You know,
I'm feeling myself. I'm I'm feeling myself. I'm like, I'm
going back to school, you know, I have it back
to school, and I'm in the club, having a good time.
I'm smoking in the club, and I got a little
doobie left in my pocket, and I guess somebody saw

(47:42):
because as soon as I got out there, as soon
as I got out the club, I got arrested. I
mean that was a pretty tough moment because you know,
you you turn on the TV, then you see your
name on the ticker arrested for we you know, we
actually just it was the day before we found out
we got the number one pick. So it was like

(48:03):
there was such a high around the bulls we had
the number one pick, and then it's like, I fuck
it up with getting arrested with a fucking half a
joint in my pocket, and it was it was, it
was tough. And then I realized. I was like, yo,
the cops were just like they were rough in me.
They were tough too, And I was like, whoa what?
Like I just went back to back championships and you

(48:25):
guys are arresting me over half a joint? Like, what
the fuck is going on? And I found out later
that after our second championship somebody who was drinking, driving
drunk and a cop got killed. Oh really, so they
were the cops were high alert, high alert. They were pissed,
and they made they made an example out of me,

(48:46):
you know what. And I got in the program, and
you know, that was my introduction to the program. You know,
shout out Dirk, Cliff, out Cliff. You know.

Speaker 1 (48:56):
It was like explained to explain people to the if
you don't know what the NBA a drug program is,
I don't even like to call a drug weed program.
What is it? What you gotta do?

Speaker 2 (49:05):
Well, you just get pissed tested all the time, and
you got a guy just looking at your dick and
like making sure that the watchers it's the worst. It's
the worst. It doesn't get worse than that, like honestly,
like that's one thing.

Speaker 1 (49:22):
I don't wish that on any man, to be a
drug test got person. The way they stare at you
like it's almost like they enjoyed it. It was weird.
It was weird energy brom trying to say it was
so weird. And I did that bitch a lot.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
Bro.

Speaker 1 (49:39):
I was in there two times with it fail and
I admitted I told on myself two times, like I
got my and got my ship because we have to
carry the drink around. Oh so you snitch on yourself, yeah, twice,
but they got me out, so you know, you only
get three strikes. Already had two, so I'm just like, fuck,
but I made They were the homies, Cliff and Dirk Fellas.

Speaker 2 (49:56):
I'm coming home, I'm coming home.

Speaker 1 (50:00):
You know, you got to have the drink. So we
got we go to gen C and ask like, hey, what,
you know what, what's the best way to flush weed?
I was just up front with them, and you know
me at the time of playing for the Lakers and
some of the biggest teams are like, what the fuck,
but what's the best what's that I'm about to get
drug tested by the league. What's the best drink? And
it was never on the shelves. There was always something
let me always underneath the cabinet by the register. And

(50:22):
I used to buy them ships by like the Costco boat.
But it was like a real job smoking because we
had to, you know, I had to sometimes I have
to do cardio after the game or steam room and
eat clean and just always sweat that ship out you
and then always have your drink.

Speaker 2 (50:35):
That's that's you know. Those that just brought me back.
I'm getting like, I'm just like I'm sweating and stuff.
It was just it was it was fucking stressful.

Speaker 1 (50:43):
Imagine just being able to smoke freely now.

Speaker 2 (50:45):
Shout out to the guys.

Speaker 1 (50:46):
Man, shout out to the guys.

Speaker 2 (50:50):
They living there, They let you, guys are living a
good life.

Speaker 1 (50:53):
I heard there was a room or somewhere and not
to cut you off. In Brooklyn, there was there was
like a smoking bus. I don't know if anyone can
confirm that in the in the comments if you ever
see this, but I heard, and I'm just like, I
can't imagine there was a smoking bus.

Speaker 2 (51:05):
Shout out to the guys smoking good. Just know it
was tough that that high hit different when you know
that drug test come at any moment, man, So shout
out to you guys. You guys are living a good life.
It was a lot more stress stressful ten years ago.

Speaker 1 (51:20):
Yeah, hell yeah. Ricky in Chicago, who are your vets?
Ninth pick by the Chicago Bulls?

Speaker 2 (51:27):
My my vets. I had Ben Wallace, OG, I had
O G. Ben Wallace who used to wear a headband
on his arm.

Speaker 1 (51:36):
That's how big his arms were.

Speaker 2 (51:38):
But that had been on his arm that we had.
Shout out. Then later on shout out to shout out
to Brad Miller.

Speaker 1 (51:47):
That's we had it for all Star.

Speaker 2 (51:49):
I know, I know you guys are cool, and I
want to give give Duck his flowers because you know,
I wasn't a post up player. I didn't you know,
I was an energy guy. But Duck, you know, Duck
was the type of guy who would come out the
game and put a dip in his mouth. You know,
like there's levels to this. This ship a dip in

(52:11):
your mouth during the game and still get buckets.

Speaker 1 (52:15):
Hey, Brad had gang too. I don't think people give
him enough credit. Brad had gang.

Speaker 2 (52:20):
A lot of games. Yeah, and you know it was
for me. It was just I'll never forget it was
after practice. I had a shitty practice. I didn't really
have a real role. I wasn't getting minutes like that.
He got his big dip in his mouth. I don't
understand half the shit he's saying. He's at the top
of the KINI He's like, Joe King, listen, you're never

(52:41):
going to be a post player. Doug, what are you
doing down there? He's like, just come up here, get
the ball at the elbow, dribble hand off if they
if they overplay, throw the back door pass. He's like,
it's going to open up your game. Just trust me.
That changed my life.

Speaker 1 (52:58):
That became that became your game.

Speaker 2 (53:00):
It changed. It changed my life. You know, people like, okay,
you're retiring now. People forget that. People have that, They
forget yo. I had seasons where I had five dimes
a game, like, you know, I don't want to toot
my own horn. That's a lot of.

Speaker 1 (53:12):
Fucking dimes, especially for a center.

Speaker 2 (53:14):
Thank you. And that all came from just a OG.
You know, it didn't come from a coach. It came
from a OG being there and taking the time with
a young player and and really giving me, teaching me game.
So I want to give my og Brad Miller Flower

(53:36):
v Rad.

Speaker 1 (53:37):
Yeah, we had him in an All Star in Indiana.
It's my god, we smoked a lot of week I'm
sure you smoked a lot of weed together. Year two,
first playoffs since nine. You played the defending champs, the
Boston Celtics, Crazy game seven series, most overtime, most overtimes
ever in the playoff series, rookie d Rose against Rondo

(54:00):
Gordon KG was injured, but he was still talking shit
from the side. Yeah, what was that talk to me
about that? That series and that energy around it.

Speaker 2 (54:08):
Honestly, that series changed my whole career. You know, you
think that what you think you're doing something with the
regular season and it's a long season. Guys are talking
about money, and guys are talking about what's next. When
the playoffs hit, there's none of that ship like, it's
back to competition. That's ros's form to be able to

(54:29):
be in that position of being able to play against
the defending champs who had a crazy Game one. I
played well Game one. It just it's it's set the tone.
What Ben Gordon did that series. Shout out Ben Gordon like,
oh the ray Allen, Ben Gordon going at it. It
was me and me and Kendrick Perkins talking mad, mad shit.

(54:54):
You know, that series set the tone. I was like,
I was like okay. After that, I was like, I'm
in weight room every day in the summer. You know,
I'm not playing around anymore. I want this feeling. I
want to win a championship. And you know this. That's
why when I see the young guys when they make
the playoffs, I know that's a good thing because they're
going into it takes. They're going into that that off season.

Speaker 1 (55:18):
Like oh yeah, a different point of view.

Speaker 2 (55:20):
It's a different perspective. Yeah. So yeah, that that series
was That series changed changed the whole career.

Speaker 1 (55:28):
That's dope. When you look back on those Bulls teams,
you guys were at the top of the East a
lot of times, but there was that dude over there
in Cleveland and then Miami.

Speaker 2 (55:37):
Yeah, that guy.

Speaker 1 (55:40):
You said some funny shit, then you say some shit
like who wants to No one's ever talked about going
on vacation in Cleveland. Do you regret anything that you
said about Cleveland?

Speaker 2 (55:55):
You like it.

Speaker 1 (55:55):
You think Cleveland's cool.

Speaker 2 (55:57):
I mean I never heard anybody say I'm going to
Cleveland on vacation.

Speaker 1 (56:01):
Hm, what's so good about Cleveland?

Speaker 2 (56:08):
I was pissed.

Speaker 1 (56:09):
Well, oh shit talked to us about some of those battles.

Speaker 2 (56:13):
The toughest thing about that one was that was after
I think game one game Yeah, that was after game one.
So you say that about Cleveland, you still got to
play in Cleveland the next day, so you can't imagine
how real. And you got Shock in there, you gotta
I was, you know, I'm going ahead to head with Shack.

(56:33):
Thank god it was older Shack. When you when you're
playing for a championship, you got you gotta go through
the best. And Lebron James was the best. And sometimes
during you know, you could see how my heart was
in it a two thousand percent, like there was no faking,
and Lebron was so talented and so good. Sometimes I

(56:56):
felt like it was you know, he would get he
would start dance, and it was just like it, it's
me off, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm trying
to win. It never happened. I'm still processing, you know,
you know, like yeah, we're competitors. Man, at the end

(57:16):
of the day, this is the business of competition. And
you know, people still talk to me about the Cleveland
thing and they think it's funny. But I think there
was a lot of hurt. But it was real hurt,
Like you know what, like, yeah, you beat us, you know,
so it's like fuck you and your whole city. You know,

(57:39):
Like that's basically what it was. And it look, I'm
saying that in the most respectful way. Like I'm saying
in the most respectful way. You got to give the
guys flowers. The guys all time great, greatest I've ever
played against. I'm always going to shout out Michael Jordan,
but you know, you get to play with your son
this year. You know, I get got to give Brin

(58:01):
his flowers. Absolutely respect to him. That's what's up.

Speaker 1 (58:04):
I heard you got a good story about Stack talking
crazy to the rest.

Speaker 2 (58:08):
Oh man, you're gonna like this one. It was I
think it was my second year in the league, and
it was early and you know, we're at the free
throw line. The game was done. Bulls win free throws
the end of the game, and Catfish Tony Brothers. But

(58:31):
I called him Catfish because he looked like a cat fish.
Simple he started talking it with like a pit bull.

Speaker 1 (58:40):
We'll go ahead.

Speaker 2 (58:43):
Anyway, his whole career we called him catfish, so shout
out to Catfish. But he started him and Stack start
like talking ship. But you know, Tony liked to talk.
He used to like to talk shit. But he'll still
give you a tech type type of guy. But Stack
was just I guess he got Stack on a bad
day and normal one and Stack went in talking about

(59:10):
how much more money he had that it was just
like he violated him so crazy. I was like, oh
my god, I never saw a ref get violated the
way that Stack did Catfish. So if Stack, I just
want you to know, at that moment right there, it
was shocking. This is twenty years ago. I'm still shocked

(59:30):
about what you did. You didn't have to do like that.

Speaker 1 (59:35):
Oh shit, he said the way he did Catfish. Oh shit,
current NBA Nicks, you got your old coach TIBs over there.
They just made the trade for Julius Randall and Karl
Anthony town. Steven Chando was in that trade as well.
Thoughts on the Knicks and and and TIBs and with

(59:58):
what should what should we expect for them this year.

Speaker 2 (01:00:00):
I mean, I think they're up there. You know, obviously
when the Knicks are good, it's a whole other thing.
You know. It's like, probably my biggest regret is just
not being able to get a chance in the Garden
in the you know, nothing better. So but I'm from
New York, so I see the energy around and how
excited people are about their team. You know, it's tough

(01:00:24):
to see Julius Randa leaf because he was a real
dog out there. I just love what the energy that
he brought, the way he played.

Speaker 1 (01:00:32):
And he was one of kind of the first All
Star to come to New York in a minute, you
know what I mean. Sure, So yeah, definitely shout out
to Julius.

Speaker 2 (01:00:39):
Shout out to Julius, and then just just Jalen Brunson. Though.
It's like the stability, the stability that he brought to
not just the organization but to the whole city. It
was like calm everybody, calmed down. It I got this.
We're going to play at my pace like nobody's gonna
rush me. And I think, you know, you go to

(01:01:02):
the Garden now and it's just like, you know, they're
playing at his pace and Tricky Ricky has shout out
to his pops, you know who was you know, one
of the assistant coaches with Tims with the Bulls. He
was my guy. And just to see him and just
see the pride that he gets to watch his son
play on the biggest stage. I mean, he's walking around there.

(01:01:22):
He's walking around there like his shit don't stink.

Speaker 1 (01:01:24):
Hard to tell me. It's hard to tell him right now,
I already know already shout out to the Brunson's nothing
but love for them, and you know they got a
real shot to win the chip this year. Your tenure
with the Knicks didn't go as great as you planned.
And I heard when you went back for the first
time a few years ago, you're a little nervous. But
how was what happened on your way out of New

(01:01:46):
York And how was it going back for the first time.

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
Well, you know, last time I got to be a
part of the organization. The last time I was with
the Knicks, I got in a fight with the coach
with horna scheck, you know, argument or hands, argument close,
got close, Yeah, I mean it got really close.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
And Doc Rivers almost had one of those you know, it's.

Speaker 2 (01:02:11):
Not a good feeling to be in that position because
you know, you just don't know if you're ever going
to get to play. You know, you had the height
of your you know. I mean, look, I wasn't but
could still throw it all away. But you see, like
this could be over. You know, I had to come
back from you could you fight a coach like you
might not come back. It's just the reality of the thing.

(01:02:32):
And it was a really tough moment. And you know,
I didn't get to play, and I didn't know how
it was. You know, I could if I could just
like even go to the garden and just enjoy a game,
you know, I don't want to take away from from
the guys or and it was just it was a
real blessing to be able to go there. You know,

(01:02:54):
I've been going there since I was a kid, right,
so I grew up in Knicks fan and they showed love.
Though they showed love. It was nice, man, It was
nice to be back in there. Yeah, shout out to
the Knicks.

Speaker 1 (01:03:07):
How when you were there in your tenure, you know,
obviously I think the front office has kind of cleaned
up and they're definitely on the right track. Now, how
dysfunctional you were coming from a solid situation in Chicago.
How dysfunctional was the front office at the time, and
just kind of the moves and the coaching situations. How
was that while you were there?

Speaker 2 (01:03:23):
You know, I wouldn't even blame it on the coaches.
I think it was just everybody. I actually loved the guys.
We had a great team of like great group of guys.
We just we just weren't good, you know, so plain
and simple. Uh, it was that it was injuries. Uh,
it was. I wouldn't even only put it on the

(01:03:44):
front I wouldn't put it on the front office. It
was just you know, when you're playing, when you play
New York and things are good, New York is the microscope.
When it's good, it's great. But when you're on that
microscope and you sucked, it's nasty out there. So I
got to live that. It's unfortunate, but that's what happened.

Speaker 1 (01:04:05):
That's part of life. You said you wanted to be
a little bit of Lottie in a little bit of
the Kimbe. That's kind of from a defensive standpoint, great
Lotti from ahead of the curve where the game kind
of is now where bigger players are making plays with
the ball. As we mentioned earlier, you had a couple
of season where you're at five assists. What was it

(01:04:26):
like kind of being one of those guys that you know,
we're in the in the in the transition of big
is being able to pass the ball and make plays
instead of just being on the block.

Speaker 2 (01:04:36):
Well, it's also having a coach that believes in you.
You know, as crazy as as Tibbs was, you have
to understand, like the year that he came to Chicago's
was his first year as a head coach, so it
was his first time really.

Speaker 1 (01:04:50):
Getting coming off the bench from Boston.

Speaker 2 (01:04:52):
Coming off the championship run in Boston, and he was
the defensive guy, so now he had he had the keys.
It was my contract year. So TIB's whole thing was,
you know, if you want this contract, you know you
got it. You're not going anywhere this summer. You're working
out with me. So if you know there's not a
lot of head coaches that work out there, guys, Tibbs

(01:05:17):
was that guy. He was working you out, he was
making sure you're doing runs. Was it too much? Absolutely?
Was he wildent? Yes? He was. But you know what
one thing about Tibbs is it was going to be
organized and you were going to come prepare it. And
you know what, when the game, when shit gets real,
that's all you want from your coach. And you look,

(01:05:40):
when who got hurt is when I really had an
opportunity to have the ball in my hands and be
able to make plays. And Tibbs gave me that opportunity.

Speaker 1 (01:05:52):
Twenty fourteen Defensive Player of the Year, Your man Matumbo
actually presents you with the award? What is that mean
to you?

Speaker 2 (01:06:04):
It was? It was bittersweet because I lost my mentor,
I lost my childhood coach a couple of days before.
So I was just I was mourning. I didn't you know,
it was tough to be able to block that one
up that was like a father figure to me. And
the Kembe came in. I had no idea that he

(01:06:25):
was going to present me with the award, and it
just it just gave me a little bit of peace
of mind in that in that tough moment. And like
I said, man, the Kembe had the biggest heart, you know,
and he touched on He touched on a lot of people,
a lot of people around the world are giving him
his flowers and condolences to his family, but we really

(01:06:49):
lost a giant among giants. And for him to be
the person who gave me my award, you know, at
the height of my thing, Like, you know, I couldn't
be more proud to have him be that guy special
moment to share with them special moments.

Speaker 1 (01:07:08):
Foundation in Chicago curbing gun violence. Talk to us a
little bit about that and what that is.

Speaker 2 (01:07:12):
So, you know, I just having played in Chicago for
ten years, those were the best moments of my career,
and you know, I always wanted to do something in
the community and give back. I think that I was
raised that way. You know, my father was that way,
and you know I started a foundation with my mother
where we started a basketball league called One City shout

(01:07:35):
out to Kobe Williams, who you know works for Cure
of Violence, and brought in all these guys from around
the city, different groups, and we have twenty eight violence
prevention groups playing basketball against each other on Saturdays, sages
sixteen to twenty five. Okay, so we have the guys
we were able. After my career, I went to go

(01:07:57):
see the governor and you know, I told him like, look,
I've been I've been investing a lot of my own money,
you know, through my sponsors and all this in your city.
You know, can you can you help me build this league?
So he gave me some money, and you know we're
able to pay our participants. We use the basketball and

(01:08:20):
the money as the hook to bring him in the gym.
And you know, these are guys who might be going
going at it in the streets, but now you've got
to see each other every Saturday. We got the worst
workshops going. We got uh job education, certain jobs. So
it's like it's moving step by step and I'm really
proud of the league that we're building. We got four

(01:08:41):
hundred participants and you know, we just want to keep growing.

Speaker 1 (01:08:44):
So he said something about t A getting involved.

Speaker 2 (01:08:46):
Shout out to TA. He's our commissioner, commissioner one city.
Don't get it twisted. We got Tony Allen. And when
Tony talks to the kids, man, it just hits difference
because he's he grew up in that. So to have
Tony involved and it just shows a lot about who
he is too. You know, it's not this is not

(01:09:08):
Joe Keem's thing. This is this is our thing. He's
the commissioner. We make decisions together. We want to get
one in Memphis asap. And you know, I couldn't be
more proud. You know, obviously, like we met through, you know,
we built, we build our relationship through because we were
going at it in that Boston series and to be
able to like work together now so dope, you know.

(01:09:30):
So shout out to Tony Allen, the commissioner of One City.

Speaker 1 (01:09:33):
To Yay, to yay. I'm gonna tell you some power forwards.
Give me a couple of words on each of them.

Speaker 2 (01:09:38):
Dirk Nowitzky too easy. It's too easy. It's too easy
for him. You know. I saw him last year. I
have a funny. He was like he couldn't he could
barely wh he couldn't walk. He's like, man, I'm like,
what's wrong?

Speaker 1 (01:09:52):
Bro?

Speaker 2 (01:09:53):
He goes, man, I should have never played that last
That last year fucked me up. And he was like
it was twenty and I was like, damn. He's like,
how many years did you play? I was like, yeah,
I played thirteen, but it was really twelve. And he's
like the way you played basketball and the way I
played basketball, it's different sport. Yeah, different sport.

Speaker 1 (01:10:13):
He was special.

Speaker 2 (01:10:15):
Kevin Garnett KG dog Dog talked a lot of shit,
but I think that just the intensity of the game
was always better when he was when he was on
the court.

Speaker 1 (01:10:32):
Tim Duncan.

Speaker 2 (01:10:34):
The big, fun fundamentals, quiet but competitive as hell too.
You could just tell he's just somebody who just he
wasn't drinking after the game, he wasn't partying, he wasn't
you know, smoking mad doobies. That you could just tell
he was just he was somebody. It was probably easy
for him to go to sleep at eleven after the game.

(01:10:56):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:10:57):
That's what I think was one of those special ones.

Speaker 2 (01:11:00):
He was one of those.

Speaker 1 (01:11:01):
Anthony Davis.

Speaker 2 (01:11:03):
Anthony Davis just just all around talent. I mean he
really has the full, full, full game. You know, handles shot,
you know he can he can win just with his defense,
but he can also get buckets. I mean, he can
really do it all.

Speaker 1 (01:11:21):
Give me five guys. You think you've seen that had
an unorthodox jumper.

Speaker 2 (01:11:25):
New Bull had a weird jumper. The Ken Bay wasn't.
It wasn't the prettiest. Give me some Sewn Marion, Sean Marion.
Shout out to Sean Marion, but I mean he got
it done though.

Speaker 1 (01:11:39):
You know Reggie Miller wasn't pretty.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
Oh Reggie's pretty enough, Like we're not gonna, we can't,
we can't put him in like the ugliest jumpers not
come on.

Speaker 1 (01:11:50):
Michael kid Gil Chris.

Speaker 2 (01:11:52):
It was crazy. That was crazy. That was crazy, Ken
Karen Martin and he was nice, was wet and three.
We're not saying yeah, but you know what, there was

(01:12:12):
something about like having an ugly jumper that was so
demoralized if it goes when it goes in and you
look at the bench on the other team and they're like, oh,
like fuck.

Speaker 1 (01:12:27):
You shoot him down. Ship that's best food spot in
New York.

Speaker 2 (01:12:33):
I'm a big Chinese food guy.

Speaker 1 (01:12:34):
Okay, give us a spot. We West, we West, we West,
uh Downtown.

Speaker 2 (01:12:40):
Downtown we West? Come on, you can't we West top?
What big general child chicken guy.

Speaker 1 (01:12:48):
One album you could listen to front to back with
no skips.

Speaker 2 (01:12:51):
Illmatic, Illmatic, and then give Bob his flowers to survive.
We Catch a Fire, all the Bob albums you don't
even have to skip.

Speaker 1 (01:13:06):
You plus five for a good dinner in a smoke session,
dead or alive.

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
Five people We're gonna start with Bob. You know the gong,
thinking of the gong, you know, for sure give give
Bob Marley. Uh, he's number one, for sure, number two.
I would put Pack in there. I'd love to hear
his stories. I'm sure he would have a lot to

(01:13:33):
say with all his bullshit that's going on right now.

Speaker 1 (01:13:35):
Talk to him.

Speaker 2 (01:13:36):
This African revolutionary, he was the president of Brekin Fesso
told my son Cara, putting him up, yeah, I would
put him two more. I would put Madiba Nelson Mandela
up there. I would love to hear what he has to.

Speaker 1 (01:13:59):
Say, especially with a little tree in him.

Speaker 2 (01:14:02):
That would be crazy. And then King Selassie not familiar,
king of kings, you know, write that name down, King
King Selassie I ethiop the king of king. When Marcus
Garvey said that somebody will come in from the east,
the king will rise from the east. This is what

(01:14:23):
the all the rosters know, you know. And then Marcus
Garvey did the prophecy, he said the prophecy, and then
we got Selassie. He's the only Ethiopia is the only
country that never got that never got conquered. Ethiopia. He's
the king of the King of Kings, King Selassie. Yeah,

(01:14:46):
that's my five.

Speaker 1 (01:14:47):
That's dope. Have you ever pop smoke? If you're a
smoke with j Pops.

Speaker 2 (01:14:51):
He's not a smoker. Unfortunately. He's a big dream. He's
a drink guy. He's a drink guy. But yeah, I mean,
you know he he all he fought for it. So
Pops was like fighting for the guys who was getting
in trouble, especially in France. It just wasn't his thing.
I'm like, Dad, you don't even smoke, Like, why are
you always talking about weed on TV and stuff? But

(01:15:13):
he always he was for the people. He was for us.
So shout out to Pops man.

Speaker 1 (01:15:18):
Last question. One guess on all the smoke, but you
got to help us get on. And there's only been
outside of you. There's been one other person I've been
chasing and he's your homie. And I'm not asking even
big just put it in here, just like man, I fuck.
I went through his career, he got a bunch of weight,
we smoked and then he got me off the seattle.

Speaker 2 (01:15:36):
He's a cool dude. You should go fuck with him
that you don't even have to say who it is.
I'm gonna do my best. Comes to la a lot,
but he's definitely yeah, you know he's I will say
this being around him was one of the biggest blessings
of my career. As great as he was as a Hooper,

(01:15:57):
he's an even better Humanston And you know, big shout
out to Pool. You deserve all your flowers, and you know,
the next step in your career, the next step in
your life is going to be even bigger because there's
so much more than just a Hooper.

Speaker 1 (01:16:12):
Hell of a run, bro. Yeah, man, that's a wrap. Man.
I appreciate your time. It was really a pleasure, Bro,
to get a chance to get to know you on
a deeper level. Man here, but like we said, we
got our official coffee table books. I want to give
you this.

Speaker 2 (01:16:23):
Oh man, that's what's up man.

Speaker 1 (01:16:24):
We also got some merk from my guy Ray.

Speaker 2 (01:16:27):
We got you.

Speaker 1 (01:16:31):
Okay, so this is some of New York. So I'm
gonna show off your merk. So it's just some of
this is some hats you give away or rock and
then we're going to New York next week. Okay, the
official New York hat. New York wants all the smoke. Yeah,
got you all the hell yeah with it.

Speaker 2 (01:16:52):
This is the best one right here, this ship right here,
Look at this man.

Speaker 1 (01:16:56):
We got your Chicago tour shirt. He's in you all
the O. You think he's in New York. I don't
means this. Come on, man, come on man, what we
got oh ship? New York wants all the smoke?

Speaker 2 (01:17:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:17:12):
Yeah, so we got you laced with some gear, a
couple of different colors and sizes. Oh more, bro, here
you go you guys lights bro.

Speaker 2 (01:17:20):
Oh man, come shining. Bro. We can't we can't leave
you over. This is like the book is amazing, but
the lighters, bro, like come on, like yo, tell yeahre
appreciate your respect, bro.

Speaker 1 (01:17:33):
Thank you man. That's the rack New York seven board
because you and l D member kill Larry.

Speaker 2 (01:17:40):
John Drin.

Speaker 1 (01:17:43):
Let's go ask where we should go and y'all flooded it. Man,
So we appreciate the love.

Speaker 2 (01:17:48):
It's like that, y'all coming out and showing us love.

Speaker 1 (01:17:51):
We appreciate y'all were calling on all our fans for
this one. Jack, This is special man. Over five years
of working two hundred episodes.

Speaker 3 (01:18:00):
Releasing October eighth, is the All the Smoke Coffee table
book been working hard on it. We're super excited. We
used guys to see it. But October eighth, we're releasing our.

Speaker 2 (01:18:08):
First All the Smoke Coffee table Book.

Speaker 1 (01:18:10):
Three hundred pages, have never before seen pictures, untold stories,
and highlights of our five year journey with All the Smoke.

Speaker 2 (01:18:16):
But before it releases, you can get yours on pre
sale now.

Speaker 3 (01:18:20):
Just go to our ig bio, our searching Amazon All
the Smoke Book, and we might have some surprises in
the book for you, so.

Speaker 1 (01:18:26):
You don't have to wait till October eighth to get
yours pre order. Years now, so we can run up
on that best sellers list. Man, we need you guys
to help. Man, we ain't asked too many favors, were
asking it for a favor now, Man, Perfect Holiday Book,
Birthday Book, Coffee table Book, Dennis Book, Jim Book. Put
that book anywhere. Man, it's versus Till All the Smoke
Coffee Table Book. So go get your book now. It's
available on Amazon or in the link in our bio

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Joakim Noah Reflects on D-Rose's Retirement & Mutombo's Legacy | ALL THE SMOKE

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Joakim Noah Reflects on D-Rose's Retirement & Mutombo's Legacy | ALL THE SMOKE