Rod Strickland | Ep 217 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode

The OG himself, one of the best point gods to come out of NYC, Rod Strickland joins the boys on today's episode of ALL THE SMOKE. Strickland opens up about his time in the NBA, his regrets and more. Plus, he talks about coaching college at LIU Brooklyn, growing up in the Bronx, NYC's best point guards of all-time, Kyrie Irving's greatness, and today's NBA.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
M mm hmmm mm hm mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome back all the smoke, New York City Jackets, cold
as a motherfucker and there was some extra lotion on it.
Keep the ash away, man today we got a good
one man, one of the ogs in the game, someone
I've always looked up to. H from afar uh Man,
Rod Strickland.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Appreciate having appreciate you, my guy.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
So currently head coach at l I U in Brooklyn.

Speaker 4 (00:48):
How did that come about it? How's that been going?

Speaker 3 (00:51):
It was weird because it came kind of overnight.

Speaker 5 (00:54):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
You know, I was working for the NBA G League, uh,
kind of managing team McKnight, and I was loving it.
I was there for what two maybe two two.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
An avenue out there on the West Coast.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yes, well, I first was here in New York in
the New York office every day, and then as the
team transitioned to the West Coast, I went with them,
and so I was there every day, but traveling recruiting,
you know, just kind of running the program. And I
just got a call out the blue and it was
kind of like if l I you would you be
interested in Long Island University and coaching had been in

(01:30):
the back of my mind. But I went to the
NBA office because I wanted to eventually go to a
front office RG. You know that that was my that
was the idea of going there. And so but once
I got that opportunity, you know, I kind of tried
to work in like a five year period and kind
of like, Okay, what am I Where am I going
to be in five years? And you know, I wasn't

(01:52):
for sure if I was going to get that opportunity,
you know, as a GM, so I didn't know, you know,
how far that could take me. So I knew I
had this coortunity for five six years, so I said,
let me, let me go ahead and explore this opportunity,
had a conversation, sat down with the president, and I
just kind of jumped on it. But I mean it
happened within like a week. Wee can have period, right,

(02:15):
So it was wild because when it happened, I got
hired like July first. You know, that's unprecedented. You know,
all the recruiting is gone, everything, No one gets hired
at that time. So I just kind of jumped in
the fire. You know, I hadn't been the head coach,
but I said I'm gonna go for it, and so
you know, I took the job. You know, it was

(02:37):
funny because I had to stand in front of these
like I took the job, Like I said, a week
we were talking about it, you know, how we were
going to bring it out. It actually got out early
and we wanted it to get out. So then I
had to get in front of it. So I had
to go in front of these young kids that were
already on the team with a coach, like just one
day pop. Now I'm standing in front of them, your

(02:58):
new coach. Right, So that was weird and awkward for me,
but probably more for those young guys. So, h that
was an experience. And then I had to jump in.
I had to get a staff, uh and you know
I had to get on the ground running. But you know,
it's a process, you know, going from I'm like an
executive in the NBA to like actually being a head coach.

(03:21):
You know, I was an assistant coach in college obviously,
but I had never done that and we know that
next seat is a beast, so you know I had
to undergo that process. Uh. You know I had a
struggle first year. Uh, you know, I had a lot
of young guys, and it was tough on them because
the top six guys left, you.

Speaker 4 (03:43):
Know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
So now I'm playing with guys or or or that
probably wouldn't have played much. So now I'm there, you know,
I'm rod Strictland. I'm pushing them like that's like a ghost,
you know. So like it was even unfair for them. Uh.
And and we struggled. Uh And so a lot of
those guys left. I brought in some new guys, and

(04:04):
you know, we've you know, we've had a little struggle
this year. Uh. You know, I played a road schedule
in December, Like we was on the road the whole December,
you know, playing against U C. L A and uh,
Miami and Rutgers.

Speaker 5 (04:19):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
But the guys are fighting, you know now with two
and one in conference. We just took a bad loss.

Speaker 4 (04:24):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
You know, but we've we've had injuries. Uh. You know,
like for the first month and a half, we played
with eight nine players in practice, so you know, you
have to drive, run, can't get up and down.

Speaker 4 (04:36):
You know.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
Then we got healthy.

Speaker 6 (04:37):
One of the coaches, I went out there a little
bit a little half court, a little half court on offense,
you know, but I'm but you know, I'm enjoying it.

Speaker 3 (04:50):
You know, it's a challenge, it's a process. You know,
the kids are being developed and getting better. You know,
we got to keep growing. You know, this is a process.
It's not gonna be overnight. If you're not patient, you
got to stay over there and let me just figure
this out. But it's a process and it's gonna take time.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
So I get a chance to coach in the summer.
I coach my kids AU team. And something I've known
about this younger this next group is communication is key.
Like we used to have coaches that would yell, cut screen, whatever,
and we just did our thing.

Speaker 4 (05:20):
These kids aren't like that.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
What is the biggest difference you feel like in the Hoopers? Jesus,
I feel like they're highly skilled, but I feel like
some of them, because it's so much one on one,
they lack the IQ of the game, Like if they
don't have the ball in their hands, they have a
hard time playing basketball.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, so that's where I kind of confused, right, The
skill in IQ kind of got to go to be
you know what I mean. And I think so I
don't know what it is. I think it's kind of
lacking the skill in the IQ because I think so
I'll say for me, like I know when I was

(05:54):
raised as a gaucho, Dave mccollins was my AU coach,
and I know when I stepped on the court, I
learned from day one that it wasn't about me, right.
So I learned from day one, I'll never forget if
you get if the biggest rebound and he runs the floor,
you better give him the ball, right. And there were
just some things that were instilled in me that never

(06:15):
made it about me. So I played with the gallachols.
I grew up from ten to whatever he is, and
I was always one of the best. So I was
the first, best, second best, whatever. But even when everyone
felt I was the best, I never knew that, right
because my coach never dealt with me like that.

Speaker 4 (06:30):
Right.

Speaker 3 (06:30):
And if I didn't come perform, others performed, and then
you had to take a seatback, So now you had
to figure it out and come back and play. So
me going up the ladder, I never thought I was
the guy. I always was trying to figure it out.
We give it too soon now, right, And then sometimes
I don't think young people understand that you got to
be able to make others better, to be better, and

(06:53):
so we give them too much too soon, and we
tell them there everything. And I've seen it, right, I've
seen it as even as as working with the G
League with Team mckknight, just going around and watching it.
And I've been in college basketball, so I've seen it.
And you know, I can tell it when I said,
when you know, you got the surroundings, you got the
people around you, and everybody's kind of pumping you up

(07:16):
and they want it to be easy. They want to
put you in the best situations and cater it to you. Well,
you got to go through adversity. I went through adversity
in my whole basketball life period because I always kind
of felt like I wasn't good enough. Now I got
to prove myself and so I kept growing. And I
think sometimes we give it to these young kids too soon.
Think about it in fourth fifth grade, they think they prosed,

(07:38):
Like they'll tell you a pro Now, just think about
that from a young immature mind, like you don't know
no better and you can get full of yourself easy.
Well that makes it even worse. But we didn't have well,
I know my parents, my mother and father didn't come
see me play till I was I think in eighth
ninth grade, and then they sporadically came. So even when

(08:00):
I failed, I had to go back home and no
one said anything to me. So I had to figure
it out myself. So if I was embarrassed, I got
to figure out. Man, I don't want to be embarrassed
no more, so let me go back out there. So
it's a whole different agenda in mindset, and even adults,
you know, think about it. Well. I know when I
was coming up, the adults that we had that were
teaching us, they were all about trying to show like

(08:23):
how good they were. Like I wanted, I'm gonna show up,
I'm the best coach. But now you got all these
other entities and some money thing, So now the agenda
and everything is just different.

Speaker 4 (08:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:33):
Absolutely, you spoke to five six years kind of your
playing here, I mean, do you see yourself college, NBA?
And if you do, is it coaching, is it management
or still kind of figuring that out.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
I always felt like it's basketball period. Like I love basketball,
and I think I've had so much experiences, you know,
I think if you look at my resume, like as
a player, as a college coach, won a national title.
You know, I've been around the top players, whether it's Memphis, Kentucky,
team McKnight.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
You know.

Speaker 3 (09:05):
Now I'm a coach now, So I feel like I
feel like I'm geared to do anything in basketball just
because of the experience and the knowledge and you know,
just yeah, the experience for the most part, So like
I think I can touch anything. So I just I
just want to keep being a part of basketball, to
keep growing. You know, I feel like I'm you know,

(09:27):
I'm fifty seven years old, and I'm lucky because I'm
still growing. Like I'm still having opportunities. That's not easy,
and I think I've set myself up, even through the
adversity and everything, I've set myself up to have opportunities.
And I don't even know if I knew I would
have these opportunities.

Speaker 4 (09:44):
That speaks to the person you are, though. I mean
we say that a lot too.

Speaker 7 (09:48):
You know, we wasn't the guys in the league similar
to you, that was all over the commercials, that was
winning all awards, but the people we all allowed us
to be able to still get blessed and be in
this space. Now you know what I'm saying, So that
says a lot about the person.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
And I don't mean to cut you up, but you
know what, I think people understand authenticity, right even if
you mess up, even if things go I think they
knew who my core is regardless.

Speaker 7 (10:12):
You know Mitchell Projects, the Bronx seventies and eighties, watching
Doctor j wal Frasier.

Speaker 4 (10:19):
What was that like growing up?

Speaker 3 (10:20):
Man? It was great. It was a fun time. Like
it was all about basketball. You know. When I stepped
foot out of my apartment building, come downstairs, go through
the park and there's Mitchell gym, and then there's a
park there, park there, park up the street, and it
was all about basketball. And I walked in that gym

(10:40):
and my first NBA player sighting is eight tiny archiball.
He's in my gym with a little basket, his own
basket on the side, you know, the little basket where
you got to shoot it straight in And that was
his basket. So I get to walk in there and
be inspired by that. And then I had older brothers,

(11:00):
my brothers Byron and Steve, like I looked up to them,
and even the older guys around the neighborhood I wanted
to be like them, you know, they was they were
they were, they were hooping and competitive. And then I
had my guys that I grew up with, but everything
was about basketball, right, It was nothing else I didn't
have to worry about. You know, I had a father

(11:21):
who didn't play, so but I looked up to my
brothers and they were like hoopers. So that's what I
inspired to be.

Speaker 7 (11:30):
We had a camera on on our show and we
was talking about, you know, the top twenty five in
why Hoopers, point Guards and Zabash tail If. I had
a lot to say. I can't wait to get them
on the show, but I have I definitely have you
in my top five point guard in New York. Talk
about so much talent and all the stars that you
know New York was able to produce.

Speaker 3 (11:49):
Yeah, well see, I'm wonder them.

Speaker 4 (11:50):
Man.

Speaker 3 (11:51):
I respect New York so much, and I respect the
B ball aspect because I was raised in it, you know,
on the playgrounds, and it ain't just about the pros.
I mean those those street ballers and everything. Those guys
I had to play against every day, like they challenged me.
So I got my competitive edge because of that. So
I look at the whole big picture of New York City.

(12:12):
We've had a lot of great guards, and I just
think we, you know, got to show some humility, you
know what I mean, Like I look at you. We
had Lenny Wilkins, Bob Coosey, right, they're a little before me.
I don't know a whole lot, but I know, you know,
but I know we got Nate Escape, who's top fifty,
top seventy five, So let's not forget that, you know

(12:34):
what I mean. And then you got for me, you've
got the great Pearl Washington, who are idolized and kind
of patterned in and out throwing the ball out in transition,
the sliding around the defender, that's Pearl Washington, you know.
And then you got you know, obviously you've got Action Jackson,
Mark Jackson, you got Kenny Smith, you got guy's named

(12:56):
Kenny Hutchison, and Ed Davender. You know, Boo Harvey came
up with me. And then you walk into the steph
Marlberry's Kenny Anderson's and skipped him aloud. Then I turned
on the TV one day and watching Iowa Iowa State,
and I see Jamar Tinsley, who was that He's nice, right,
you know, then you got Kimber and call it. You know,

(13:18):
all these guys and I hope I'm sham guard. Yes,
so like for me, man, like, I respect it because
I've been inspired, whether it was someone before me or
after me. I'll never forget when we were with the
Knicks and me and Mark Jackson, I think we had
an exhibition game in Atlanta and Kenny was playing. We
were like little kids with Kenny Anderson and he was
a college kid, you know, watching you know, he come

(13:40):
out of practice. We talking, But like I get excited
about that, like if I saw Steph or Kenny or Skip,
like I'm excited about I don't measure myself up there.
And I'm sorry Shabastons and all that too, but I
you know, like I don't. I could care less, right,
I could kill the toughest guard, and just the toughest
guard when I look at it, to be like quite honest,

(14:03):
stepping on the court, the toughest guard was Steph Marlber,
Like I just if you look at his resume, you
know what I'm saying, Like, let's let's let's honest, you.

Speaker 4 (14:13):
Know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (14:14):
Uh, But you know they got Mark Jackson, who's like
odds behind his back, you know, Kenny Smith, a champion
skipped him aloo like rayfauld asted. Come on, man Skip
Skip went from this B ball uh street ball right,
and he could have bought into all that, right, but
he figured a route.

Speaker 4 (14:34):
He wanted to show that street balls can play in
the NBA.

Speaker 3 (14:37):
But that that that has to you have to give
him a lit for that. He went this route and
got to become an NBA player and became to be
an NBA player, and man Skip was killing like like
he teams in the championship like you know he was
he was something yeah uh. And then you got Shamguard
who has a signature move like who wouldn't want you

(14:59):
know what I mean. So there's so many things about
New York guards and Sebastian like his high school career was.
I just think young fella got little survivors remorse and
we all do. And I think he'll mature and understand that.
You know, sometimes you got to reflect and you got
to figure out what you did wrong and why that

(15:19):
happened to you. And I think in time, you know
that'll happen. That you are growing and that's why when
I listen to him. I'm not listening to who he's
talking about. I'm listening to him and what he's saying,
and listening to him you can understand so little survivor's remorse.

Speaker 4 (15:34):
You know, what does Gauchos mean to you?

Speaker 3 (15:37):
Everything jump started everything for me because that was the
first time that I go outside of New York City.
And now I become you know, worldwide and worldly and
see different things and play against different players more importantly,
and the Gaucho is obviously big time important. But my
coach of the Gaucho's Dave mccollins. You know he's the

(15:59):
one because I'm coming from Mitchell Projects. We were the
Mitchell Bullets and he went to the Gauchos. I don't
know the whole story, but he wound up coaching the
Gauchos one night and lou Domita gave him the opportunity
to be a coach and he told him he couldn't
be a coach unless he takes us with him. So
we were like the first generation of the young guys.

(16:20):
Because Gaucho's had like a I guess junior and senior team.
So he brought along this ten year old team you know,
and then you know, the rest is history. But the
Gauchos is a big part of my basketball history. Dave
mccollins is probably more important because he taught me how
to play basketball.

Speaker 7 (16:39):
I think a high percentage of NBA players got that experience,
got to experience gauchos.

Speaker 4 (16:44):
You know, just just like going to the rucky.

Speaker 7 (16:46):
You gotta play rutty, you gotta play gauchos if you
are real hooper, you know what I'm saying, especially in
the summer time.

Speaker 4 (16:52):
Okill Academy.

Speaker 7 (16:53):
I was honored to be able to go there for
my senior year and become a McDonald's All American. You
are basically the trend set of Coach Smith. Shout out
to Coach Smith. He said, everything changed when you showed up.
And so for me and a lot of everybody else
that came after you, we owe it to you because
Okill saved our life. If I went to went to
OKI on my senior year, I'd have been dead in jail,

(17:14):
wouldn't graduated high school. And uh and I went there
for one year just to get my life together then,
and and that place does a lot for guys who
have the opportunity to go far in basketball, but don't
but can't see too much from now, you know what
I mean. And it gets you there and it keeps
you focused. So uh, I appreciate you for going down
there and starting that, starting that for us to open

(17:35):
them doors. But talk about okay and the experience you
had and what was the decision in going down there,
because for me, I didn't want to go.

Speaker 4 (17:42):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 7 (17:43):
No girls, uniforms, Yeah, uniforms, all that, no tree Like
I wasn't going, but I.

Speaker 4 (17:50):
Saw the bigger picture.

Speaker 3 (17:52):
Yeah, And that's when like Sebastian talk about culture, like
that's culture. You know what I'm saying. I think sometimes
you got to look at when you start talking. It's
a different way because like you said, from that, look
at everyone who's gone to o'kill. Sometimes I don't think
I'll get enough credit for that, right, you know what
I mean? That's culture. But Okill I had just won

(18:12):
the state championship with Truman High School. UH won the
city and state got MVP, made the last shot of
the game to win it, UH, and I was looking
forward to going back to Truman.

Speaker 4 (18:25):
UH.

Speaker 3 (18:26):
I had a backcourt mate named Arno Bernard, who I
swear to this day, I talked to him. I said,
that's one of my biggest regrets. I wanted to go
back to Truman and play with him because I probably
could have won another state championship. Uh, but my high
school coach left, Steve Lappis, he got a head coaching
I mean assistant coaches in job at Villanova. I think

(18:47):
Villanova thought they.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
Were gonna get me, you know by association.

Speaker 3 (18:51):
Yeah, so he he became the head coach there. And
so this is the ironic part, and this is my pettiness,
right because I hold grudget. So I was at Rice
High School my first year, my freshman year, so going
into my second year, I wanted to play varsity. So
back then you could play freshman, you know, when you're

(19:12):
ninth grade of freshman, tenth grade varsity. That was Catholic
high school rules. So I wanted to play varsity in
my tenth year and they wouldn't let me. So they
moved me up one day because I told them I
was going to leave, went up there, played well. Then
the next day they basically said I couldn't do it.
So I transferred to Truman for my sophomore year and

(19:34):
then I was there for my junior year. So now
as I'm leaving, the head coach was at Rice gets
the job of Truman. So now I'm like, I don't
want to play for him, you know. So it was
funny because I had to convince my mom's because Steve
Lappis told me about OK Hill, and my mother, you know,
she don't know nothing about that. I'm from the Bronx.

(19:55):
She an't trying to send me way out to Virginia.
So I was up like all night, like, ma, I
gotta go, I gotta go. And then she said, Okay,
let's go talk to the coach. So we went to
Truman and spoke to the head coach and he was
kind of arrogant, right, So I was like perfect And
when we went out, when we got out of there,

(20:15):
she was like, dude, you gotta do you know? And
I went to Old Hill Academy, just got on the plane,
went to Old Hill, never forget, got off the plane,
straight to the gym uh and went to work.

Speaker 4 (20:26):
How did that? How did that process happened? Like to
connect with Okhill?

Speaker 3 (20:30):
That's the Steve Lappis like, I don't know, you know,
when you're young. You don't know all so I'm sure
there's more story to it. They need to do an
Olk Hill story one day. But I'm sure there's more
to it. But you know, I just know I was
I was headed Old Hill.

Speaker 7 (20:45):
Yeah that was my au. Coach Josh passioner Da had
to connect with it. Yeah, but at my symbol, I
want to state championship. Yeah, junior year wanted to go back,
but it wouldn't have benefited.

Speaker 3 (20:55):
But the funny thing, you know, Uh, Coach Smith wasn't
a head coach when I was there. Who was the
sister called Larry Davids Okay, and I couldn't stand him. Yeah,
so I'll never forget like you can have Coach Smith.
Coach Smith was my head coach because I wouldn't.

Speaker 4 (21:11):
Listen to yeah.

Speaker 3 (21:13):
Yeah, so coach would have to like tell Rod like
I mean, it was seriously like that. I didn't like
him at all. Coach Smith is the guy though, that's
my guy. If it one for him, I wouldn't.

Speaker 2 (21:26):
Tell him to run this play not that play.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
Yeah it was it was yeah.

Speaker 7 (21:34):
Yeah, Coach Smit is the guy and it makes sense
why he took over and had some give me your
okay'll starting five all time tough. That's super tough.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
That's tough. You know, Uh, that's tough. I'm not even
putting me in.

Speaker 7 (21:49):
They don't do it. Then, all right, you got to
it's foreign names that have to be on the list.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
Well it's called mellow Is Durant. I'll put myself. But
it's hard after that because I gotta think now, like
I don't know, you got to give me some name.
I can't like think I know those three right away.
And I got like, I love Rondo, Like I'm the
biggest Rondo fan ever.

Speaker 7 (22:12):
You only can go Rondo to me at okill Ron Mercer.
They was crazy stuff.

Speaker 3 (22:22):
So and then I don't know stack play. Well, that's hard.
That's like talking about New York, you know what I mean.
And I hate getting into that because I forget guys.
And I'm like, you know what I mean, so many yourself,
Like it's just so many.

Speaker 7 (22:37):
I put myself. I put myself like seven to eight.
I'm real with myself, you know what I'm saying myself,
like seven eight, yeah, come off, Yeah, to put yourself
in the top, because because you got to look, it's
just heat. One of those two of those teams went
undefeata okill and.

Speaker 4 (22:54):
That was Curtis Steak was in junior borrow on them.

Speaker 7 (22:56):
They went underfeed. You know what I'm saying. So you
know I'm like that too. They had a lot of success.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
Okay, but you're talking about players though we told individually.

Speaker 7 (23:04):
Yeah yeah, yeah, Dupaus made Sweet sixteen twice two times.
I waited sixteen two time All American. I know a
couple of people went to the par but was I'm
pretty sure it was different from when Quinn Richdon and
Bobby Simmonson and was there.

Speaker 4 (23:25):
What was it like at your time at DEPA.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
Man, the Paul was Chicago like when I was. The
Paul was big time, Like you know, I go back
and I think about it, like we could rival with
the bulls, like you know, the Paul was it. I
don't think people remember that. Uh, but the Paul was.
It was a great time man like that. That was
the moment I realized I can hoop, Like I mean,

(23:50):
who get to the next level. I'll never forget. Oh no,
it might have been the fifth sixth game we playing Georgetown. Uh,
and I go in the lane and show it. Use
the next hand, lay up the big and you know,
Al McGuire was like a star is born, and I
was like, wow, you know how you ready to go
back and watch the game. So I'm sitting there and

(24:12):
that's when I because I never forget joy maya God blessed.
Just past he brought me in my roommate in Terrence Green,
and he was telling us how we could be, you know,
like the best combo that's been here. Like he was
pumping us up. And I remember walking out of there,
but I didn't get it right because I was weird,
like I didn't like look at myself like everybody else

(24:34):
looked at me. And so when he said that, I
still felt I had work to do. But then when
I heard Al maguire say that, and I was like, okay,
you know, let's do it. And it was just a
great time. We went there a couple of sweet sixteens,
well a few, but I'll never forget this my last
not my last game, but my sophomore year we played

(24:56):
against LSU. This was like the turning point for me.
We play LSU and it's a guy named Daryl Joe.
I'll never forget his name. I always wish he played
in the NBA because he embarrassed me so much, like defensively,
he was like a defensive guy. He was bumping me,
bullying me, like made me look real bad, like soft.

(25:17):
And I'll never forget that from that day, from that game.
The next year, I ate weights like I was like,
I'm never letting that happen again ever. But I wanted
to play against him again so bad, like to this day.
Like you know, that's like the one thing because it
was on national TV. He walked out of there, talk
shit in papers, you know and all that, but that

(25:40):
was that that moment, you know what I mean. So
De Paul was special?

Speaker 4 (25:44):
Can basketball?

Speaker 3 (25:46):
I can? I can? I don't know, like but I can't.

Speaker 7 (25:49):
Well I'm the reason why I'm asking because I'm thinking
you have to with all that ball control.

Speaker 3 (25:53):
Yeah, well no, it wasn't that. Like it's so funny, man,
you know, I watched so much. Was Doctor J. Like
I was the biggest. It was Doctor J. Magic if
they played against each other, I was Doctor J. Other
than that, I'm Magic Johnson. But I always watched and
George Garfin you know, the flips and all that, and
I always had that in my in my head and

(26:15):
I always wanted to be like that and magic with
the pass and all that. So I kind of just
study those guys and then you know, back then, right,
you don't have trainers that are telling you what to do,
how to move, like what foot to move. You didn't
have that, So your imagination. So I go out there

(26:35):
and now I'm on the basket just throwing the ball
up different angles. Now I get in like pickup games
and I'm trying different things, you know, And so what
I saw on TV, I used my imagination and I
made in mind. But it wasn't like you know, people
talk about can you teach all that? I don't know
if you can teach all that, I think I think

(26:57):
a lot of you look at Kyrie, I think a
lot out of that is imagination. You got to have
a certain imagination. If you listen to him talk like
that's different. It's another little level.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
So Kyrie Irving being your god. Some what impresses you
the most about his game on.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
The court, I mean his imagination, Like that's I always
like tell young people that, like you gotta watch things
and then you got it, like that's that's the Those
are the best players, you know. But his skill set.
I mean, I don't know if we've ever you know,
I have to go to Isaiah Thomas, But have we
ever seen someone that can handle the ball like that?

(27:36):
And then it's a little different because like, like I
was a ball handler off of instincts, So I come
at you real hard that I can react, but he's
playing with you didn't react, you know what I mean.
Like that's different. You know, so it's kind of street ball,
and but he's but it's a method to the madness,
you know what I mean. It ain't just he's not

(27:57):
just doing that, you know. And if you listen to
him talk, you know, his mind is crazy and his
mind is just different. His imagination, I mean, if you
listen to talk about anything, his thought process is different.

Speaker 2 (28:10):
How did the friendship with his father come about?

Speaker 3 (28:13):
I mean, you know Dedrick since third grade? Okay, you
know what I mean, like third grade and we grew
up through the gauchos and all that.

Speaker 4 (28:22):
You know.

Speaker 7 (28:23):
Yeah, did you ever spend time with like Kyrie as
like as a pro in recent years, like working out on.

Speaker 3 (28:29):
Moves and that's that's like like he was born and
embedded with that, you know, through Pops and you know,
like he was there. No, that's all Kyrie is.

Speaker 7 (28:44):
Well maybe maybe I'm saying that because he got so
much of you in his game and you being his godfather,
it's hard not to see.

Speaker 3 (28:51):
Well you see it, you can't. I mean, there's inspirations
like I talk about tiny and all that, like give
a chance to see to be able to know someone
was done what you're trying to do. And there's video,
you know what I mean, So like there's there's that.
I think people forget about that part of it right right,
you don't actually have to be there right to inspire

(29:13):
or to help somebody, you know what I mean. When
I was coaching in college with with you know, the
d Rose and the John Wallas, it wasn't about being
on the court, you know. It was like the conversations
or what they saw like so it ain't always you
know what I mean, what.

Speaker 4 (29:25):
Did you see?

Speaker 2 (29:26):
I mean speaking of those two, what did you see
out of those two at that young college age that
that that you knew it at that time?

Speaker 3 (29:32):
You like, you know, like people, I don't know, I
think people take too much credit for people's success, you
know what I mean, Like they walked in there like
that that's why, you know what I mean? They walked
like you don't they you know, sometimes we all I
did this and that. They walked in like that. A
lot of times it's the conversation, right, It's helping them

(29:53):
get from that point to the next point. How do
you get out of college?

Speaker 4 (29:56):
Right?

Speaker 3 (29:57):
And I remember telling them like, this will be the
hardest part of your basketball life because you know you
got caw somebody who's on you. But you're not gonna
get that in the league. But if you can deal
with that now, you know what I mean. So it's
more conversation getting them from point A to point B.
Like de Rose and nobody teach him, at least from college.
John wall Ain't nobody teaching him that Tyreek Evans, you know,

(30:20):
like that's.

Speaker 2 (30:21):
Tyreek Evans cold. I just seen someone in another day.
I don't know how he cast out the league. He
was cold and being strong too. He came and got
Rookie of the Year and just maybe it was being
in Sacramento washed him out. The euro step, Uh, you
remember you're in the nineties and getting called for travel.

Speaker 4 (30:39):
They wasn't really ready for you audience.

Speaker 3 (30:41):
Well, we euro stepped and they hit it. I don't
even think it's I mean I could. I got a
video of that of US euro Step you know, uh
you know signing times. Man, it's just errors, like people
don't know what they don't know, you know, have to
like what in about for me, probably in about five

(31:03):
ten years for y'all, probably fifteen twenty years, they're gonna
forget about off you know what I'm saying, Like they
don't you know.

Speaker 4 (31:10):
They don't care about history now because they don't.

Speaker 3 (31:12):
Think like that. Like we watched I knew all the
old players. I knew what they did, you know, the
Pete marriage is all them, like I knew, But they don't.
It's what's going on now, and they put whoever's doing
what they're doing now. But if you go back all
this stuff, you'll see it.

Speaker 2 (31:28):
The game was a lot different when you first came
in the game with the hand checks in the you know,
the freedom of or the lack of freedom of movement.

Speaker 4 (31:36):
What do you feel like you could have.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
Done with the rules where they allowed kind of freedom
of movement, especially with how creative you were.

Speaker 3 (31:42):
I mean I always I always talk about that. I
mean the game is wide open. You can't touch anyone,
So me being an aggressive driver, like I'm gonna run
up your chest and I'm gonna I'm a free bake game.
But I'm gonna make baskets with the contact because that's
what I've grown to be. And then with the IQ,

(32:03):
if I get in the middle, I'm gonna make the
right reads.

Speaker 4 (32:06):
You know.

Speaker 3 (32:07):
And we talk about three point shooting. You work on
that and you don't have to always be that. Everybody
thinks you have to be that, but you can make
an impact John Mors and now the super three point shooters, right,
So you can make an impact, you know, IQ knowing
how to run a team score time. You know, we
forgot about all that. But I just think my skill

(32:27):
set of just IQ and the fact that I'm going
to penetrate like I'm getting by you, and once I
get I'm getting by you. So once I get by you,
I have the ability to make that right play.

Speaker 4 (32:40):
Yeah, makes me even more dangerous.

Speaker 7 (32:42):
Nineteenth picking eighty eight drafted by the Knicks, d to
the Knicks, Danny Mann and Rick miss Richmond, Dan.

Speaker 4 (32:49):
Marley, my guy, that was a nice class. Talk about
the year.

Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yeah, decent class. No, I mean I got drafted by
the Knicks team home team, but I wasn't excited and
I didn't know, like I was told I was gonna
go somewhere between seven and fifteen. And the Seattle SuperSonics
told my agent that if I was at fifteen, they
were taking me. So you know, I was nervous because

(33:16):
my my college coach, Jordy Meyer, called me and told
me I was dropping in draft. So I think it
was Boston and the Lakers. They always had the last
two picks, so one of them called them, and so
I'm like nervous because you know, you get to that
point you could slip to the second round. I never
expected the next to draft me. And then they drafted
uh uh. You know they had Mark from the prior year,

(33:39):
so I'm thinking, I'm looking at the board and I'm like,
I'm going late. So when they picked me, I was
surprised and I got booed like in New York, which
is crazy.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
Not to catch you up that Mark say he was
mad they drafted him. We had Mark on the show.
Did he didn he say? Was he yeah like that?

Speaker 4 (33:54):
Yeah? He wasn't fuck with it.

Speaker 3 (33:55):
Yeah he wouldn't say that back then. Mark is my guy.
But yeah, I wouldn't. I wouldn't like that, you know
what I mean. I'm a rookie and he was. But
I wish it was too early for that time. Like
they would put me and Mark in the game. They
would put us in the game at times, and we
would turn the guarden out, you know, but at that time,

(34:17):
two point guards, they weren't doing that. They weren't ready
for that. I wish we could have done that more
because we would have been really good. But that was
a clash, like that was hard, right, and me and
Mark always held respect for each other. And Mark could
tell you this. I tried to fight Mark one day practice.
We talk about it, We laugh about it all the time.
Like I was mad one day. I just was frustrated,

(34:39):
and every time he tried to come off the balls screen,
I was just hitting them like I just was, you know.
But we talk about it all the time. But Mark
is my guy, got utmost respectful and what he did
was he was professional, and I struggled with that right,
So that was kind of a difference, you know what
I mean. But I like Mark, Mark the way he
carried himself. Uh, you know, Mark has the ability to

(35:02):
make everyone think they're better than they are, you know
what I mean, Like like, yeah, you see what he
did as a culture at Golden State, but he also
did that as a player. So I got like the
utmost from my guy.

Speaker 5 (35:15):
Then the next like try like two point guards again
before that with like tiny Archibald who was firing ice.

Speaker 3 (35:22):
No, you're talking about Fraser and Pearl Pearl more so, Yeah,
they didn't try they did.

Speaker 4 (35:27):
That was it? That was it?

Speaker 3 (35:29):
Yeah, they won the championship like that was that was
the deal?

Speaker 4 (35:32):
That won't work? But did they keep trying to repeat that?

Speaker 3 (35:36):
Like no, they didn't. They wouldn't. They didn't know that
was it? Like that was a you know, like outline.
That was just different, you know. And I think Clyve
was about six four. I think I think he was
somewhere around there, which makes it a little different, you
know what I mean? You know what I mean, made a.

Speaker 4 (35:56):
Little difference point guard and shooting guard.

Speaker 7 (35:59):
Yeah, I made a little Differently. What was the state
of the league when you arrived. M J was becoming
a star. Commercial flights, people smoking newports on the plane.

Speaker 3 (36:08):
With no no me too much. Let you do that,
you know what, you know what you might be right, right,
my bad. Some resident that.

Speaker 4 (36:29):
Ain't what you might be?

Speaker 5 (36:32):
What's going on?

Speaker 4 (36:34):
When we was flying in Indiana to road games, Donny
Washington the back of the Yes, yes, the whole team.
You want to play squares.

Speaker 3 (36:45):
In the air. So I'll take that back. You might be.
I'm gonna tell you why you're right. So when I
first got in the league, you know, there was beers
in the locker roll, so we would we would grab
a six pas and going to shower after the game.

Speaker 4 (37:03):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (37:07):
You know, if it's after game we're in New York,
I can go out, you know, and I think Doug
West had a car accident and down or d u
I something uh, And then they shut that down, which rightfully,
but you know, on the plane and everything at that time,
I don't just you right though, you're right.

Speaker 8 (37:25):
Yeah, cigarettes, we got a little residuce, Yeah, little flipp
thing on the arm, you can flip the little I like.

Speaker 3 (37:35):
I don't know about that. I ain't gonna gonna take
that one.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
Hip hop be mentioned in a lot of different songs.
I'm I'm seeing you, not saying you read you a
couple of lyrics. Guarantee me guaranteed to make him jump
like Strickly, I'm not a rapper, bro wou tang straight
to the whole like Rod Strickland. It was taking a
toe d m X rest in peace, my man Kelly
from Garvin Rod Strickland Wu Tang and the plot is
sticking in on a point like Rod Strickland onyx uh.

(38:08):
I mean as a hooper, it's the ultimate. You know,
they mirror each other, hooping, hooping and music mirror each other.
So what was it like when you started getting shout outs?

Speaker 3 (38:18):
It's crazy, Like if you really go look at it,
it's a lot of them. It's a lot. And when
I understood that, I was like, wow, like that's big time.
And then the ultimate one is you know the Wu
tang like ending the song. You know, that's forever and
that's a big time song. So definitely, like aren't it

(38:40):
blessed and all that, you know, the Wu Tang and
then one of the greatest songs like with your name.

Speaker 4 (38:47):
Are you related to the street stuff? I'm in the
street bar of Strickland.

Speaker 3 (38:52):
No, John Strickland, Yeah, yeah, he was, Yeah, he was nice.
He was funny as I don't know what too, but nah,
it was nice. Yes, he was IQ, yeah.

Speaker 7 (39:04):
Exactly, c exactly, traded from New York to San Antonio
two years in. I had my own experience, but I
know it was different. What was your experience like in
San Antonio with Dave Robinson and that Brown?

Speaker 3 (39:16):
How can I say that because I got to take
a lot of heat on that. I mean, they're different.
You know, Dave Sean were kind of upstanding individuals and
I probably was the wild child, you know, I know
that very well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But like
we had a really good team. We were off to

(39:36):
a really good start, and then I got into an
incident and broke my hand and that kind of was
the downfall, you know. I think everything was kind of
going downhill from there. But I enjoyed, you know, like again,
there's things if you can go back, right, Like I
could have made more of that situation and opportunity, but

(39:58):
I guess just wasn't mature up for that. But but
playing with Dave Robinson was ridiculous, right because you guard
whoever they get by you, they got a problem, you know.
So and then we were fast paced, getting the ball
up and down. So it was I mean, as as
a basketball on the court, it was It was great. Uh,

(40:19):
but you know it got soured quickly. Yeah, Bob Bass
was there. He couldn't stand me. I couldn't stand him. Uh,
And you know, things just went by the way.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
You reflect not real quick Jack, before we got on camera,
and then obviously now and obviously if you could change things,
when did you kind of look in the mirror and
realize that some of the issues were because of you?

Speaker 8 (40:41):
Was a post career during career, definitely post career, post career,
definitely post career, because I was a hooper, right, and
I always knew I can get on the court hoop,
So sometimes that was like an excuse or escapegoat, and
that kind of hurt me because whatever happened on our side,

(41:02):
I always felt I was good enough.

Speaker 3 (41:03):
As soon as I get on the court, I'm gonna
shut y'all up, you know. And that was like a
gift and a curse. And then I always tell people
like your habits from when you're young to old, like
they carry with you, right. So I was one of
those guys, like when we were playing as youngsters, my

(41:25):
friends had to come get me out the apartment to
come to the game, or I was oversleeping or you know,
I was in high school. I was late, right, I
was chewing in high school. And you know, I'll say
this now, like I'll go to school at twelve and afternoon,
you know what I mean? Like in game days, I like,
I just had these super bad habits. Right, So people

(41:46):
think once you get some money or you become a pro,
like you're supposed to automatically learn how to be professionals.
I didn't know how to be professional, but I know
how to who and so that hurt my career, you know, even.
I mean, I think I could have been a three,
four or five time All Star, but I think because
of those habits and the way people looked at me,

(42:08):
coaches the league like that hamper. Like we talked about,
I made All NBA's second team, let the league and assist.
So that means you're telling me I was top ten
in the league, but I wasn't an All Star. So
but that, you know, it's like looking back and understanding,
like I feel I should have been that, but I
feel I could have been that if I would have

(42:29):
done it like I should have done it. So that's
the survivor's remorse, like we talk about.

Speaker 4 (42:36):
So yeah, yeah, san Antonio was great for me.

Speaker 7 (42:41):
I played with David Robinson's last year, so I can
imagine what you've seen a young day.

Speaker 4 (42:46):
I played with.

Speaker 7 (42:47):
Him last year and he still was to help us
win the championship. So that was experienced me. But I
understand the culture. Shockup, I was the same guy you
we was. Yeah, I wasn't didn't know how to be
a professional around a whole bunch of people that's doing
stuff right instead of and I want to do it
my way. Yes, you know what I mean. So, but
I can't say I learned how to be a professional there.
If I didn't have those two years of san Antonio,

(43:08):
I don't think I would have lasted fourteen years. Yeah,
Game seven, turnover for Portland. Entire game and over time
he tried to go behind the head.

Speaker 3 (43:21):
Talking about.

Speaker 4 (43:25):
They take us back to that moment.

Speaker 3 (43:27):
Wow, Wow, that moment was crazy. That moment was crazy
because like if I break it down, like we could
have beat them and then we would have been playing
the Sons. I think it was, and we were kind
of dominating the Sons that year. You know, kJ was
a beast, but again you had David Robinson back there,
so that was a big time play. Uh, and it

(43:49):
was getting caught up in the moment right in New York,
Like you know, I was wonning them out and I
just got caught up, you know, and so and I
knew that because I got you know, they killed me
about that. But then there's some people tried to give
me grace and I couldn't even take the grase because
I'm like, that's on me because I'm point guard. If

(44:10):
you don't get the ball to the man, that's on you.
Like I've always believed that. And I know Sean Elliott
likes to veer out for the shot, yeah right, But
I also know he can go in. But I know
he likes to do that. So I get the ball
and I make I remember spinning or turning and seeing
him and you know, my instincts is you go to
the basket. But that wasn't the moment to turn your

(44:32):
back and make a play, you know what I'm saying.
So as soon as it left my hand and felt awkward. Right,
So the bad part was the bad part about it
was they stole it. They go down and I made
a file, a breakaway and my last file. So they

(44:56):
get shots the ball and out the game, I can't
redeem myself. And that was the worst one. I'm to
the walk from filing out to the bench right looking
at everybody, and then from the locking room to the
plane going past everybody, and then from the plane when

(45:17):
it landed to the car. It was the longest walks ever.
You know, you can feel everybody like you looking at
everybody and like it's like they're talking in your head
and they're looking at it like idiot, are you dumby?
Like you can almost no, no, for real, that's like

(45:38):
that's what I felt. But it was a bad play,
Like it was a hard I remember Isaiah Magic and
it was killing me about it. And and this is
a lesson for like young people like I ate that
because it came from magic and I got So what I'm.

Speaker 7 (45:51):
Gonna say, vich yeah nice. Everybody know he was nice.
Y'all had a little on the court situation where you
gave him a four arm shiver. That's what they want
to say it. Now, can you explain what happened actually
happened that day?

Speaker 3 (46:11):
I was hot, like no, because I wasn't guarding him,
but he was doing little stuff, you know, like he
was talking. But then you know, that little bumps. Yeah,
and I just was like one bump too many and
no because he I think he scored or whatever. But
I mean, if you watch the play, blatantly just you know,
bump me. And that whole time after that going down court,

(46:34):
I had nothing on my mind, like I'm getting him. No,
I was, it was nothing else, it was nothing. I
was going straight. You could say I was straight to him,
you know, you know back then that's how it was. Yeah,
it was back then. Though. It was different though, because
you had to always like those little things. If you
didn't take care of them, you were in trouble.

Speaker 4 (46:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (46:56):
Right, that was just the league back then, right, I
mean and Isai one time was on the floor and
you know me and Stockton, you know, I like back
back in the day, like you had to you couldn't
let that happen. Like those were like little things that
give other people the edge, right if they know you
can do that, like more than now. Couldn't let it

(47:18):
like it.

Speaker 7 (47:19):
And people say that about Chris Paul, how he was
philically dirty. All the point guards, John Stockman, all the
point guards was like that physical and play like that,
try to get that edge.

Speaker 3 (47:28):
And I used to say dirty, but I don't even
know that. I'm like Stockton was doing what he needed
to do. Like even Isaiah Isaiah, you know, and I
know he doesn't like to take the bad boy image,
but Isaiah, it was tough, you know, choke and fight ready,
you know, and you had to be ready to you
had to match that or that was their advantage. Like

(47:49):
that's like I look at like Isaiah and I had
them on. I was doing a podcast at one time
and I was talking to him and like I was like,
embrace the bad boy image, right because y'all were able
to intimidate people that ain't got nothing to do with y'all.
That's them, you know if they let you do that.
Like okay, fine, Like you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (48:08):
Like, who are some of the matchups you enjoyed during
your run?

Speaker 1 (48:12):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (48:12):
Nobody enjoyed it, but.

Speaker 4 (48:17):
Yeah, like you know.

Speaker 3 (48:20):
Tim Hardaway, kJ had GP and stocked in you know
you guys like Nick Van Axle who can embarrass you?
Uh you had my mood. Like there's so many I
hate to like, like you know, Sam could get hot.
You know Mark with Mark is so interesting because Mark

(48:40):
and Stockton could be the dudes that had like ten
and ten and dominate you and you don't even know it,
you know what I mean? Uh, I know I'm missing
some guys, but those are you know. Then you had
the younger guys coming in, like the Ais and the
Steps and all them, but they kind of on that
other side of it. Uh. But it was a lot.
There's a lot of guys. There's a lot of guys.

Speaker 2 (49:02):
So after San Antonio you had to Portland some turnover there.
What was the Pacific Northwest?

Speaker 3 (49:07):
Like?

Speaker 4 (49:07):
For you?

Speaker 3 (49:08):
It was good. I enjoyed it, but I think I
came in on the back end of you know, that
championship run. I came in that next year and like
we had a hell of a lineup to start the season.
I was coming off the bench. They signed me and
told me, you know, I was coming off the bench.
So but off the bench it was me, Mario Eli,

(49:31):
Mark Bryant, and I want to say Cliff Robinson. And
they had their regular start in five.

Speaker 2 (49:36):
So who was it starting five at that time?

Speaker 3 (49:38):
So it was TP Clyde, Jerome, Curtsey, Duckworth. I might
be missing somebody. Williams buck Way there you go. Yeah,
I cannot forget buck I'm tripping my bad buck. So
so that was a hell of a nine. And then
Clyde got hurt ear because I think we started out
like six and oh or something like that, and Clyde

(49:58):
got hurt and that just he's done that, you know,
Clyde Drexler.

Speaker 4 (50:02):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (50:03):
And so then Clyde left, Uh, he went to Houston.
But I enjoyed Portland, you know, I enjoyed Pautland. We
made the playoffs, didn't really go that far, but I
enjoyed it.

Speaker 4 (50:15):
How good was Clyde Dressler?

Speaker 3 (50:17):
Ridiculous with one hand.

Speaker 7 (50:19):
Didn't go right the whole game.

Speaker 3 (50:23):
Yeah, but I think they I think they underestimated IQ,
you know, his passing and even because he was a
good a great post of guard too, just ceiling guys
and angles and he was, like I think, as great
as he was, I don't think people really understand his IQ.

Speaker 4 (50:40):
I liked Clyde a lot.

Speaker 2 (50:42):
Washington Wizards with the young c Web and Juwan Howard.

Speaker 4 (50:47):
What was that like, man.

Speaker 3 (50:50):
To get there with those young guys.

Speaker 4 (50:52):
Uh, not to catch you out. What year in your
career was that for you?

Speaker 3 (50:57):
I think that was like ninety seven, So my nine.

Speaker 2 (51:01):
Year or something like that you season by this time.

Speaker 3 (51:03):
Right it was ninety seven right?

Speaker 4 (51:05):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (51:06):
Uh No, Sea Webb and Drawn Howard is like super energy.
I mean you that I'll never forget. We played against
Steph KG. That was the craziest, like like that environment,
like the tip off, you can feel intention, you know,
Steph ready to come at me, kJ ready to go.

(51:28):
Uh but nah, Sea Web see Web is incredible. Like
I don't think he gets enough credit, right for whatever reason,
it's weird. I don't know why. But like you don't
hear much about see Webb. See Web was special. I
mean like special. You know we had seawb but I
was twenty ten five six. You know, steals blocks like

(51:55):
he did everything past the ball too, And it became
noticeable when we got rid of them or when they
traded them, right because now you know you cut off
the head. You know, we run ball screens, you know,
throw the ball anywhere, you know, and then he had
to growl and he just had the intensity. And you
know Jay Howard the same way.

Speaker 4 (52:17):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (52:17):
But we didn't we didn't stick together long enough. What's
unseld was the GM. The old school couldn't really understand
the mishaps of what have you. It's it's it's uh,
it's funny now because I look at the league now
and it's more of a players league now. So back then,

(52:38):
it was like rule with the hand and really didn't
understand how to maneuver with younger generation, younger guys. Uh.
But the DC one is like, I wish we could
have stayed together Ben Wallace there yet. Ben Wallace was
a rookie. So Ben Wallace walked in the gym. We

(53:01):
were so we were practicing at Booie State. That's what
we practiced at when I first got no wizards or
the bullets, so.

Speaker 7 (53:09):
It was damn sure some residue and we were ping.

Speaker 3 (53:21):
So it's funny. It was like the preseason and we
just playing pick up. And I don't know all the
dynamics how he got there or whatever, but I just
remember being in the gym and you know, I think
I'm the layup king. I don't think no one's blocking
my shot. I still yeah, but I'm in there and
and this dude keeps blocking my shot. I'm like, is he?

(53:42):
And it was Ben Wallace? And and the funny thing is,
throughout my career, like he used to do that to me.
Like when he was with the Pistols, He's it's like
he tied me, you know. Yeah, but uh yeah, so
Ben was Ben was ridiculous and Ben was no nonsense.
Don't mess with that.

Speaker 7 (54:01):
Yeah, that's person and it's big get bigger by the second.

Speaker 3 (54:08):
He's the coolest dude ever, Yes, but don't take him there.

Speaker 4 (54:13):
A ship.

Speaker 2 (54:21):
Thoughts recently, and it warmed my heart to see the
Fast five back together. Man, how important is that for
the culture for basketball, for Michigan to stop bullshit?

Speaker 4 (54:30):
And like, what did you think when you saw that?

Speaker 3 (54:32):
No?

Speaker 4 (54:32):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (54:32):
I love it because I know those guys, you know
what I mean. So to have them all back together,
like it's it's so interesting because you know, you look
at the college, you look at how it is now,
and you just look back and you say, like for

(54:52):
them to go through that, like you know.

Speaker 2 (54:55):
And the freedom is now, the freedom now in I
ls now and.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
Always say, like the young guys always get the the
the raw end of the stick, right, but it's always
the adults. Like if you look back at any of that,
who started that? Where did that come from?

Speaker 4 (55:14):
You know?

Speaker 3 (55:15):
And man, that's greatness? How do you like ban greatness?
For basically what adults did not understanding. How did banner that? Like,
that's crazy? I mean they changed. I mean now we
talk about culture again, that's culture. Like they changed. They
had a whole like revolution.

Speaker 7 (55:36):
That don't happen with jan that coach. Yeah right, they
could have been brought to that. That don't happen if
Jawan is not coaching.

Speaker 5 (55:43):
You know what I'm saying. You know Foster Harbor, wasn't
he the one who went to WHEB was like, I'm
gonna get you back on this campus.

Speaker 4 (55:52):
You had to come through the football because he was
at the games.

Speaker 3 (55:56):
Yeah. No, I love seeing that because Jay Howard and you.

Speaker 7 (55:59):
Know where Jimmy and ray Man, my guys. They deserved that.
I came out with all them guys. He came out
with all the guys. They deserved that. I said that, right, Yeah,
I should have a statue outside the.

Speaker 4 (56:14):
All five of him.

Speaker 3 (56:17):
No, they definitely got it on him.

Speaker 2 (56:20):
The ball Heads, Yeah, swept by the nineties and in
ninety seven by the sixty nine win Bulls.

Speaker 4 (56:28):
What was Mike like in his focus in that team
at that time?

Speaker 3 (56:31):
Mike and Mike like Mike and Mike. I remember, I
don't know if he gave us a fifty piece I think,
or maybe forty something. And I'll never forget Calbuccini being
like destroyed and he walked into another room like after
the game. I was like, man, get out of there,
Man come on in here, and man good.

Speaker 4 (56:49):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
But you know Mike and Mike Mike is Mike Mike.
Mike was able to dominate, uh when he needed to
and how he wanted to. And you know, Mike was
a mismatch. We know that, we know that problem. It
was a mismatch. And then you had the great Scottie Pippen,
who probably doesn't get enough credit as well.

Speaker 5 (57:09):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (57:10):
And then even Ron Harper because you think about before
when Ron Hopper was in Cleveland. I don't know if people.

Speaker 4 (57:17):
Need to lead the League of Steels or something like that.

Speaker 1 (57:21):
He might.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
He would have never gotten injured. He would have run
telling you was yeah and even tough. Yeah yeah. But uh,
just think about those three as defenders, you know, as
a six three guards like you know, because all they
would do is start gapping you. Right, No, I'm not
a jump shooter, so now they're gapping you. So I

(57:44):
had to try to get him in transition you know.
So yeah, they were they were great. M J was
really like that on d Oh definitely, and they let him.

Speaker 2 (57:55):
Get away with it, like at the end of the
game that handslaps.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
But as a defendant, no doubt about it. He was
a great defender, absolutely, because.

Speaker 4 (58:05):
You see a lot of superstars that don't take that
pride on defense.

Speaker 3 (58:08):
You know, he definitely him pipping and hot. That's what
I say. If you've got those three on the perimeter,
that's tough. It's tough.

Speaker 7 (58:18):
Final year's a lot of stops boiling Miami, Minnesota, Orlando, Toronto,
play t mac KG.

Speaker 3 (58:24):
Talk about No, no, no, those are like shit, go ahead, I'm.

Speaker 4 (58:34):
Any bright spots in any of those stops. No.

Speaker 3 (58:36):
I enjoyed them all, you know. But it was just
so as I talked about, like, if you put my
numbers in the nineties, right, I think I would put
him with all the point guards. Whether it's a little
lower or whatever. But it's seventeen almost nine four rebounds,
almost two steals. But those other years kind of brought
everything down. So that's why I look at those years,

(58:59):
right and uh, And we talked off camera the unprofessionalism
led up to those last five years, you know what
I mean, Because now the last five years, if you
look at it, I had to sit out and wait
for teams to like lose enough to say all right,
let's go get right, you know. So there was no

(59:21):
plan for me. Right, I'm a feeling so now the
minutes go down and you know everything. So when I
look at those five years, obviously great, like all those
organizations were great, But when I look at it, like
those were the years that kind of like messed up
the numbers, you know what.

Speaker 7 (59:40):
I mean, I kind of think of like like basically
back then about I thought, like back then about I said,
today's decisions going to affect the future life.

Speaker 4 (59:48):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 7 (59:49):
I have thought about that, then I would have made
the decisions I power to played in the All Star too.
So I see what you're saying. Those mistakes made the
beginning of the year thinking of that, it affected.

Speaker 3 (59:56):
At the end absolutely, yeah, because if I was, you know, professional,
like I may have stayed with other teams. Right, So
when you're with other teams, you already got a roll, right,
you know, but now you flip flopping the teams like
you don't have a role. You just there to really
fill in, you know what I mean, so that you know,
now you're playing fifteen minutes, you know, so you go

(01:00:19):
from averaging your career average is being sixteen point eight
eight to thirteen, you know, and then it looks different.
And I don't think people can get the real feel
of what you did right because they they're going by
the end numbers. But like I said, if you take
those five years out and you go even if you

(01:00:40):
want to go to twelve, the first twelve, but I
know if you go to nineties for the ten years
and you stack them up to whoever they're gonna be,
they're gonna be somewhere in the picture.

Speaker 4 (01:00:50):
They definitely standing there.

Speaker 2 (01:00:51):
Also, seventeen year career, thirteen years sober, which to me
is just as impressive as that long run.

Speaker 4 (01:00:57):
You're on the record saying, do you.

Speaker 3 (01:00:58):
Know that.

Speaker 2 (01:01:02):
You know you're on the record saying if you didn't drink,
you felt like you had an opportunity to be a
Hall of Famer. Can you explain what that is like?
Because we all have vices, you know what I mean?
He and I had our vice and it was it
was smoking. And then you know, every every every day
we did it we was, you know, on the brink
of possibly getting kicked out and now it's it's allowed.
So what you know, it takes us back through that
mindset and and and you know, pulling yourself out of

(01:01:24):
that darkness.

Speaker 3 (01:01:25):
Like like honestly like and and I talk about the
professional part, you know, being laid or just that attitude,
and then you know, obviously drinking and hanging out and
all that, like your decision making wud comes bad. Right,
So it ain't even just on the court, you know.

(01:01:45):
And I'll reflect back you know, my family, my kids, uh,
friendships like everything you know. Uh, and then as a professional,
uh you know, because what you don't really understand is
that as you're drinking and you're hanging out and you're
having the ball like you're kind of you're putting together

(01:02:07):
a map for people like you kind of how can
I say it? What's the word I want to use? Well,
for the lack of like a word. Right now, you're
showing people who you are, right or you're putting this
image into people's minds that you don't even understand. Years

(01:02:27):
late later years they're gonna hold that against you and
you don't understand that, right, So the funny thing about
like me, stop drinking or stop drinking. What I realized
and John Lucas told me is he said, you're gonna
have He said three things. I can only remember two,
but he said, you're gonna have people don't want you

(01:02:49):
to change, right because they're so used to having fun
with you. And then you're gonna have people who are
never going to accept or let you change. And the
second one, the latter one, I found out the hard way, right,
because you know how you can be around people and
you can think they're with you or they're your people,
but then when it's time to put you in situations

(01:03:14):
to kind of put you in power or put you
in position, they'll minimize you. And they'll minimize you because
they they think this is who you are, so you
can't be trusted or they don't value you or whatever
it might be. Your friend might even love you, but
they feel like you know. And the crazy part about that,

(01:03:37):
I had to get away from them to get to
where I'm at now. So y'all know, Christy chin right
best and best person my family, but she single handedly
grabbed me and helped me get to where I'm at now.
Sound just like her right, and she value me and

(01:03:57):
she put me around people because she knew who I
really was right where they think I'm the Rod or
whatever they think I am. She knew who I was
and she knew I had more up here than you think.
So she put me in front of people and helped
me understand how to deal with people, right, because I'm
one of those like I'm one of those non trusting people,

(01:04:19):
like I don't you know, I think everybody has a
gender sometimes right, there's phoniness, right, and then when I
feel that I can't. But I had to learn how
to get out of that. You get out, get out
your own way.

Speaker 4 (01:04:32):
How hard was it?

Speaker 2 (01:04:32):
Because it's something and I had to do post career
to almost reinvent yourself. Like you said, you got pulled
out of an area where they expected you to. You know,
your reputation whether earned you know earned, is you know,
good or bad, it's earned, you know what I mean.
So to be able to reinvent yourself in a new
space was that tough?

Speaker 4 (01:04:48):
Was it gratifying?

Speaker 2 (01:04:49):
Because I found it gratifying when people would look at
me and they hear me talk or they're like, oh,
I didn't know that was you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:04:55):
So I had to humble myself, right, and I had
to understand well, the first thing I had to realize
what it was. It wasn't them, it was me.

Speaker 4 (01:05:05):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:05:05):
I had to get out of that, you know, because
I want to be mad or whoever, and I really
shouldn't be mad because whatever happened, I exposed that to them.
So once I got past that, and then again, you know,
Chris believing in me and understanding that I'm probably smarter
or you know, not like they think I Am going

(01:05:26):
to put me around people so that they can see me.
But then I had to open up. I'll never forget.
I was on NBA TV with Dennis Guy and we
were doing it and before the broadcast started, I was like, man,
I'm nervous, like you know, because I get anxieties, like
I've just been like that all my life, you know,

(01:05:47):
in front of people and all that. I've gotten better,
but I've I've dealt with that forever. And I told
him that. He said, Man, I'm glad you told me that.
He said that, that says it all. He said. He
actually say, you need to tell people that because that
tells who you are. Because he said you the guy
will come in the room and go in the corner,
you know. And I had to realize that too, Like

(01:06:10):
I'm being me, but I don't know what kind of
energy I'm giving off to everyone else. So when I
walk in the room and I'm like, they may think
come stand off ish, but I just might be to
myself right, and there's no disrespect or anything. And I
had to learn that too, right, And I had to
that was a big part. But still being myself because

(01:06:32):
I don't like what I don't like and I don't
want to be around. I'm one of them, like I
feel like you know that we always talk about like
and I get people like you got to be professional,
you know, so shake his hand, you know if you don't,
even if you don't like him. But I'm one of
them that, no, I think it's good that if I
don't like you, let's just walk past each other, Like
let's not play that game, you know what I mean.

(01:06:55):
So I'm gonna tell you a funny story. I don't
know if it's funny, but me telling you who I am,
I never forget. I'm with Team McKnight and we're at
the Golden State Warriors arena with the G League team.

Speaker 4 (01:07:09):
In Santa Cruz.

Speaker 3 (01:07:11):
No, we're at there ring. We're actually playing in their
round one game, right, it was like our last game,
what's the what's the Golden State owner?

Speaker 4 (01:07:19):
Then Goober like him like them, So I.

Speaker 3 (01:07:24):
Never forget this him and what's my guy from Duke? Uh.
They're walking right and this is against probably what I
normally do, but they walk in we're in the stadium,
but I'm in the stadium, so we're walking past, and
I felt like it's almost like I say hello, So
I never forget shaking Joe Lake. You know how you doing.

(01:07:45):
I'm Rod Strickland Man. Dude grabbed my hand and almost
moved it away and was like, I know you are
God damn, that's why. That's why, you know what I mean.
But I never forget that. I'll never forget that.

Speaker 9 (01:07:59):
On just some bad energy really, you know, and you know,
like I'm like if you only knew, right, like like
I'm telling you, yeah, I know you are, and walk
and walked past you.

Speaker 3 (01:08:13):
I'm like that you a GM or something one of
the teams. But it was just the craziest energy, and
you know that's why.

Speaker 4 (01:08:23):
Yeah, it really kind of.

Speaker 3 (01:08:27):
You know.

Speaker 7 (01:08:29):
This nigga be called taking me off the cliff a
whole bunch of times.

Speaker 4 (01:08:32):
All these motherfuckers, I'll be ready to.

Speaker 3 (01:08:35):
But it was it was the craziest thing. Like it
was the craziest thing. And I'm like, you know, like, man, man,
if you was like, wow, that's interesting.

Speaker 2 (01:08:45):
Mm hmmmmmm.

Speaker 4 (01:08:46):
That is crazy.

Speaker 2 (01:08:48):
Who is right outside of coaching in basketball, because we've
talked about a lot of basketball outside yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:08:55):
Man, Like, I'm simple, man, I try to stay in
my lane out the way, uh you know, I got
my guys. I kind of stick to the to the
I don't know, I just I don't know, man, I
stick to myself, you know, I try to you know,

(01:09:16):
as far as this coaching, I'm trying to become the
best coach I can be, trying to improve this program.
But then outside of that, man, I'm probably just walking
my lane. Like I don't even know how that there's
not much to it, you know, I think I've done
so much in the past, Like I'm real chill, you know,
I'm I'm particularly where I'm at the places I'm in

(01:09:38):
because again, just like what I just told you, like
I never want to be in the environment that like
I'm not really welcoming, like I want to be in
spaces that you know, people kind of a plowed you
appreciate you rather than you just there to be there.
Uh you know. I even like even social media. I

(01:09:58):
tried to dip and dad with that. That's a rough one.

Speaker 4 (01:10:01):
That's just crazy.

Speaker 7 (01:10:03):
To give you your credit. You take on the role
as being og. Sometimes there's been some conversation that you
reach out to me that you to help me with
that we didn't have. So you know, whatever whatever role
you plan in life, it's beneficial.

Speaker 3 (01:10:13):
To a lot of people appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:10:14):
But you also know it's it's it's people who've been
through shit and experience and looked in that mirror and
understand their flaws in the past and not still blame
it everyone else to me, not to paw us on it,
but we have the best advice because we've been there
at the highest level and we know we fucked money off,
and we know we fucked situations off and did a

(01:10:35):
lot of shit. But now it's just like when people
look at the way I talked to my sons or
coach the kids, because other like my family and they're
just like wow, it's like, not don't.

Speaker 4 (01:10:43):
Do this because I did it. You know what I
mean that I did this.

Speaker 2 (01:10:46):
You don't have to do it so just to be
able to come back and get but it's first, you
gotta be able to look at yourself in the mirror
and see your soul and realize, like, yo, my I
had a lot of mind, not to not to harp
on it, you know, but to a point like I
had a lot.

Speaker 4 (01:10:58):
To do with this situation. That situation. It was fucked up, definitely,
but I had a lot to do with it.

Speaker 2 (01:11:03):
To be able to see your fault, move past and
forgive yourself and then try to, you know, give your
blessings to the next generation.

Speaker 3 (01:11:10):
That's your superpowers. I tell people, like, that's that's your superpower,
because everybody can't do it right. Everybody can't talk and
have that conversation and be authentic with it.

Speaker 4 (01:11:19):
You know.

Speaker 3 (01:11:20):
My son, my oldest son, he's with me now, and
I tell him because he has some bad experiences in
college with some coaches and the way they dealt with him,
the way they treated him, And I told him, man, like,
that's your superpower, Like talk about it. You put them
on blasts, like talk about it, right, because that'll relieve you.

(01:11:40):
And also but you've given you'd be surprised how many
people have gone through that, right. One thing I've learned
just from experience is that, like, you can stand in
front of seven, eight, ten, twelve people and they're judging you,
and they got so much baggage. So like I'm always
you looking at me, staring at you, right, because I

(01:12:02):
know you ain't perfect, right, So I'm cool with my flaws.
I know what they are, and I've worked on it
and I'm growing and still growing. So when I walk
in front of people like, man, it is what it is,
you know, keep it over there, you know what I'm saying.
But I understand that. And even when you know, we

(01:12:22):
talk about social media people like I always we got
this thing where we always judging the person that's being
talked about. But a lot of times I'm judging the
person who's talking.

Speaker 4 (01:12:34):
It says a lot about you.

Speaker 3 (01:12:35):
Yeah, because I'm trying to figure out why you why
you're saying that right when you're blurting certain things out,
you know, sometimes I say insecurity or that's some stuff
going on with you. So that's why I don't receive
all that energy, you know, because it's like, you know,
even like listening to Sebastian right instead of me like
all on him. Now, I get it, but that ain't

(01:12:56):
about me. So you don't even have to name me
because that ain't really about you, know what I'm saying.
Your journey. You got to figure that out, you.

Speaker 2 (01:13:05):
Know, with the journey you've been on as a as
a as a young man, and a player, and and
and a coach and in management. Can you see now
when you're in management or coaching outside ship affecting people
on the court. Can you see it? Can you feel it?

Speaker 3 (01:13:25):
Oh, it definitely happens. It definitely happens. But so it's crazy.
I think my super pause was it didn't affect me
on the court.

Speaker 4 (01:13:32):
You didn't allow it to affect you affect me.

Speaker 3 (01:13:33):
Once I got on the court, that was like everything
is done away and I used to go back, I'll
get in trouble and my home crowd is boring me,
like when I come in to the game. But my
mom was never like I got nervous or shook on that.
I was always like I'm gonna do something related forget
about it, you know. So that was I got up
but I don't know if that was great for me.

Speaker 4 (01:13:55):
Yeah, compartmentalized ship.

Speaker 3 (01:13:58):
It can definitely affect you.

Speaker 4 (01:13:59):
But I'm no.

Speaker 2 (01:14:00):
But I'm saying as someone older now who's been through it,
have you had to pull people like younger g leaguers
or players to the side, like, hey, what's going on
your good house home house?

Speaker 3 (01:14:11):
This? Oh no, No, that's definitely definitely absolutely has happened
a lot, and it definitely affects, especially to young people,
especially now. So you think about it when we came out,
like people just talked around the city whatever, you didn't
hear it? No, you know, every now and then someone
to confront you and then you say, but you didn't.

(01:14:32):
You know, you get a newspaper article too. But now
when when you're going through stuff, like the whole world
is on you.

Speaker 2 (01:14:40):
Com and it's looking for you. You used to have
to look for it. Now it's looking for you.

Speaker 3 (01:14:43):
The whole world is on you. Like. That's that's why
I say the social media is tough because once you
get involved in it and you put yourself out there
and you have to take everyone's energy. Like I'm a blocker.
As soon as I feel something like something, I'm.

Speaker 4 (01:14:57):
Gonna cut you out first, then blocking.

Speaker 7 (01:15:03):
I'm gonna bullshit with you a couple of days and
joke on you and stay about your life a couple
of days, then.

Speaker 4 (01:15:09):
Make you feel stupid. They're lucky. I'm gonna spend your
time with you.

Speaker 8 (01:15:11):
That's a lot state of.

Speaker 2 (01:15:15):
The point guard. I feel like the days of true
point garden. Whether you know, making your team better is
how you make yourself better. I kind of feel like,
you know, we're in a straight scoring point guard mode.
I mean, I think you know there's a handful of
guys that still you know, throw them passes around cps,
kind of the last of a dying breede. But what
are your thoughts on just the point guard and how
it's like, I don't know if you want to call

(01:15:37):
the vault or just may be changed.

Speaker 3 (01:15:38):
It's changed. It's changed, and I think like Rondo and
CP were the last of that, but it's just changed.
The game has changed, right, everybody's shooting three pointers, so
you have to be you know, you can't, man, I
don't even know if you can get a look if
you can't shoot a three.

Speaker 4 (01:15:54):
So that's not even the point guard.

Speaker 3 (01:15:56):
That's across the board, across but even as a guard,
everybody's looking at shooting percent. So that's what's dominating, you know,
the kyries and steps.

Speaker 4 (01:16:06):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (01:16:06):
You know, even Joel Morant to me is a PG,
but he's still scored. You know. But the game changes,
like it'll circle back, Like I even think like eventually.

Speaker 4 (01:16:18):
The big will come back.

Speaker 3 (01:16:19):
I think. You know, this game evolved.

Speaker 4 (01:16:22):
And it's the copycat league.

Speaker 2 (01:16:23):
So if Denver wins a couple of championships, you got
to find someone that with the big front line.

Speaker 4 (01:16:27):
Now you got to go back to the big front lines.

Speaker 3 (01:16:29):
And I missed the days of where different teams did
different things. Yeah, you know, now everything.

Speaker 1 (01:16:36):
Is just.

Speaker 2 (01:16:38):
And your sleep is what it is. You got a
chance to play against Mike uh plague a little bit
in his code. You know, obviously Lebron is having his run.
How do you look at asking to rank? But how
do you look at when you think greatest player to
ever do it?

Speaker 4 (01:16:55):
Like? What comes to mind for you?

Speaker 3 (01:16:57):
Uh? I guess domination right?

Speaker 1 (01:17:01):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (01:17:02):
And when you talk about those three, you know I
don't in my opinion, you know, Mike is the most dominant,
you know. Uh, six championships set out two years could.

Speaker 4 (01:17:15):
Have been eight.

Speaker 3 (01:17:17):
You know what I mean, to be able to to
win three then sit out and more. Then I don't
think people understand this, And I don't know if this
is like a good thing. But like I listen to
people talk about Mike sometimes and it kind of I
don't know, it makes me uncomfortable the way they talk

(01:17:38):
about it, right, because I almost feel like people were
scared of Mike, right, I know, like like but and
I'm not saying that, I don't want this to come
off the wrong way. I'm kind of probably giving them
credit for that, right, you know what I mean? Like
he was able to put fear in people. You know
what I'm saying, Like that that's a lot right.

Speaker 4 (01:18:01):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (01:18:02):
You know Kobe and Lebron obviously people know who they
are and respect them and everything. But like the way
people talk about Mike, you know what I mean, Like
to me, to me, that says a lot like coming
you know what I mean. Yeah, but you know Kobe's greatness,
you know, he was he was a reflection of He's

(01:18:24):
a mirror of MJ. You know. And then Lebron you
have to give him something different because he was different.
He became a combination of Jordan's and Kobe and magic.
Uh and then his size athleticism, So like, I don't know,
you have to like there's so many different characteristics. That's

(01:18:47):
why whoever you feel is is But like I look
at MJ, and I just look at the domination and
because I was in his eraror I know the impact
he made, chills he gave people, which is crazy, but uh,
you know, but like if you say Lebron is Lebron's
had the best career if you just go numbers wise.

Speaker 7 (01:19:11):
I say that all the time joined the better player,
Lebron had a better career if you.

Speaker 3 (01:19:15):
Go numbers wise, it's ridiculous. So you know, and then
you got that little dude, Stephs. I mean it's like
he builds the case every year and he revolutionized changed
the game. Like that's when you change the game. That's

(01:19:35):
why is a mirror of MJ. So I always go
to MJ, you know. And then Lebron is a different being.
MJ is a different being and Steph is a different
like they are different. They changed, They changed.

Speaker 4 (01:19:50):
Things, definite. AI did the same thing basically for the game.

Speaker 3 (01:19:53):
A little different, though AI a little different. AI changed
the AI changed the culture. And obviously he was a
great player. But I think Steph na is different because
Steph now has young people shooting three pointers now in
the fourth grade, and he's changed the game to what
it is now. That's different in my opinion.

Speaker 2 (01:20:16):
Yeah, you know, it's crazy from a standpoint, Like when
I work my boys out, we start in the paint,
get your touch, get you feel. That's so we all
used to start. But now kids are starting, they put
their shoes on and start shooting shots from half court
like this, Like Steph really changed just the outlook of
basketball and house play.

Speaker 3 (01:20:32):
And and and just want to like magic change, Like
you gotta give these guys different the game change. That's
why I think Magic should be in this conversation. Definitely, definitely,
no one ever saw nine point guard. You know, that's
just never happened.

Speaker 2 (01:20:47):
Lakers in my top five, so do I let's talk
about our top five.

Speaker 4 (01:20:51):
So it was I, who's your top five?

Speaker 7 (01:20:53):
I go first, Okay, Jordan, Kobe Brawn, Shack, Tim Duncan,
m M excuse me, magic, Tim Duncan.

Speaker 4 (01:21:04):
So no shot you got by b.

Speaker 3 (01:21:08):
I have m J Magic Bird, m J Magic Bird, Lebron.
Then if I got to put a big I'm going
king can't go wrong with respect to Jabal, But I
like always like to talk in terms of like what

(01:21:30):
I really witnessed.

Speaker 4 (01:21:31):
You know, mm hmm. That's why I picked him, because
I said, first.

Speaker 2 (01:21:35):
Hand, mine is what m J. And then you can
put two or three whoever you want, cole Bron, magic
and shot. So I got four lakers of mine too,
So we got the same one besides Tim and Shack. Yeah,
I ain't mad at that man, Quick hitters. We appreciate
your time today. First thing to come to mind, let
us know one piece of advice you would give young hoopers.

Speaker 3 (01:21:55):
Study the game. Understand the game. I know that the
game is over sooner than you think. Take full advantage
of the opportunities. Be graceful, Be humble. You know, I
call it kind of cocky humble, but you gotta believe
in yourself. But you also got to be humble enough
to take information.

Speaker 4 (01:22:15):
Got to play the game.

Speaker 7 (01:22:17):
Yeah, you had a childhood crush Pam Grid.

Speaker 4 (01:22:27):
She believe.

Speaker 3 (01:22:33):
Damn Pam Pam Grid.

Speaker 4 (01:22:35):
Top three ball handlers of all time in your opinion.

Speaker 3 (01:22:38):
Just off the top, because that's something I gotta really
think about. But I'm gonna say Kyrie, I gotta say Isaiah,
and I'm gonna put Jamal Crawford.

Speaker 7 (01:22:47):
Oh I thought I thought you about saying the other
Jamal because he and my time. Oh well, I've seen
him do some stuff in game. One thing you wish
you were better at.

Speaker 3 (01:22:59):
That's a tough. One thing I wish I was better at.
I'm stumped.

Speaker 2 (01:23:09):
Ask you that one thing I was didn't think. One
thing I wish I was better at is expressing my feelings.

Speaker 4 (01:23:17):
That's counseling, right there, y'all.

Speaker 2 (01:23:20):
Counseling. That's counseling. Communication, expressing my feeling communication.

Speaker 3 (01:23:25):
Oh no, that's a tough one.

Speaker 7 (01:23:29):
Helping people understand me, helping people understand you. I got
to get better at helping people understand me. If that
makes sense. It doesn't, but I hear you that makes
sense because I'm so much understood understood.

Speaker 4 (01:23:49):
That's why I said, because knew what it makes sense.
That was my disclaimer. One album of song to play.

Speaker 3 (01:23:55):
Over your career highlights anything jay z anything hole anything,
jay z h. I did it my way? What's that?

Speaker 4 (01:24:06):
I did my.

Speaker 2 (01:24:11):
Best food in New York or best like a duck
off spot?

Speaker 3 (01:24:15):
Right now, I'll just say Brooklyn chop house.

Speaker 4 (01:24:17):
What's that? What kind of food is that?

Speaker 1 (01:24:19):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (01:24:19):
Stay yeah, fire, Yeah it's downtown and then well they
both downtown.

Speaker 4 (01:24:28):
One is lower, but put on the production card to
try that out.

Speaker 7 (01:24:33):
One guess you can see on all the smoke who
would it be? But you have to help us get
your answer on the shop. So basically it's got to
be answer this questions. Motherfuckers ain't been feeling the the void.

Speaker 3 (01:24:45):
But that's what I'm about to tell you. I have
a hard time. I don't mess with.

Speaker 4 (01:24:48):
Them up nobody. This question might not apply to.

Speaker 3 (01:24:52):
Me hard but somebody I'd like to see on christ
chiin christ.

Speaker 2 (01:25:03):
It's a good Callack, No, that's she raised all of
us straight up.

Speaker 3 (01:25:06):
No, that's a super calls.

Speaker 2 (01:25:10):
She probably love it to Yeah, Chris, I think she
does so much and she just knows if you know, you.

Speaker 4 (01:25:15):
Know, yeah, like that little lady.

Speaker 7 (01:25:18):
She's everywhere, but like the heart of the guys, like
I said, the heart of the NBA. If you ask
any one of us about Christian Chan, we all light up,
we all speak hoighy about it.

Speaker 2 (01:25:28):
She's like she's like everybody's mom. Yes, period. Well, Rob Man,
we appreciate your time again. Always been a big fan
and getting a chance to kind of peel back some
layers was dope.

Speaker 4 (01:25:38):
Man, So thank you for your time. Good luck the
rest of the season. Man.

Speaker 2 (01:25:42):
Definitely, that's a wrap All the Smoke. You can catch
us on All the Smoke production YouTube. Is that where
we're at now.

Speaker 4 (01:25:49):
Our own ship?

Speaker 1 (01:25:51):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:25:51):
Yeah, we'll catch you out next week, man,