April 22, 2025 • 47 mins
On a very special episode of Hawks And Friends, DC heads to Atlanta legend Dominique Wilkins's house, where the Human Highlight Film tells stories from his Hall of Fame career, including his most memorable dunks, going toe to toe nearly every night with NBA legends like Michael Jordan & Larry Bird, and his only regret from his time as a Hawk. Then, DC and Nique hit the court to talk basketball fundamentals, being a coach & role model for kids, and the mentality he played with each game.
Timeline:
00:00 Intro
02:21 Young Nique gets discovered
04:30 Impact of Coaches
06:30 How the game has evolved
09:20 Toughest matchups of his career
12:30 Mentality on the court
13:30 Most memorable dunks
15:05 Biggest regret of his career
16:21 Nique on his statue
19:30 Working out with Pistol Pete
21:00 Players he learned from the most
23:45 Craziest fan interaction
25:00 Best trash talker
26:00 How much could he score in today's NBA
27:47 Nique's assessment of the current Hawks
30:43 Welcome to my crib
34:12 Nique & DC hit the court
35:40 Nique coaches DC
36:50 Being a role model
38:40 Playing with & against his son's friends
40:45 DC tries to dunk
42:42 Dunk contest memories
43:25 In-game mentality
46:53 Post game
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, you got this, you got you got it?
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Do there. I'm trying. I'm trying to get around you
got the silhouette that we ain't playing.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Hey, listen man, America.
Speaker 4 (00:18):
We're here again on another beautiful day on the Hawks
and Friends podcast. Man, and I'm just trying to keep
my composure because we don't get a chance to be
shoulder to shoulders with legends, shoulder the shoulders with icons.
Man and listen, man, Today's guest needs no introduction. Okay,
(00:39):
a Hall of Famer, an icon, a legend. Everybody makes
some noise for Dominique.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Wilcind Appreciate it, appreciated, Appreciate what's happy. It's good to
see you outside of the Hawks arena. Man. I'm telling you, man,
you're not as amped up today as you are at therena.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
No, Man, because you know, I really be into it.
I really be into it. You know what I'm saying, like.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
That you amped up, but you ain't aft like I'm.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Amped up because I'm a fan. When I'm at that arena.
I paid for them to hear my frustration.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
I feel you.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
You feel what I'm saying, No cap because they represent us.
I am really from Atlanta.
Speaker 5 (01:16):
But you have been representing Atlanta for quite some times, man,
and we want to say thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
You're welcome. Man, I appreciate it. You know, Atlanta basically
made me Hawaiian, right, you know when I came out
of high school, right, Actually, I moved to Atlanta first
before I went to the University of Georgia, and Georgia
kind of got me out of the situation that I
was in in North Carolina, which was a pretty intense,
dangerous situation, right, And this was the first city that
(01:44):
I came to.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Man, and take it back to the eighties, Man, the
NBA Draft.
Speaker 5 (01:49):
Eighty, first round, third overall pick, Like, how did that feel?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Because you know, I had a dream to be in
the NBA. But it's people that actually lived our dreams.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
So we be living through people.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
So when we say that, and when people say that
to me, I really understand. And when we see y'all
on the court, everybody had a dream of being an NBA.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Star, oh, you know, and that was our dream growing
up because I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, right, And
at the time, Baltimore had the highest crib rate in
America at that time, and I left home when I
was sixteen and got discovered on the playground the next
day in North Carolina. That's where my high school career started.
And the guy asked me. He said, hey, son, you
(02:30):
live here. I'm like, I'm not sure yet. Right well,
he said where you're going to leave from here? I'm like,
I'm not sure. And he looked at me. He said,
come go with me. I don't know why. I followed
and he showed me his house, showed me a kitchen,
showed me in the bedroom. He said, you can have
all this. The only trade off is you have to
play for my high school team. He was the high
school coach in the North Carolina. Look like okay, And
(02:54):
that's how my career started. We were seventy six and
one in three years in the state of North Carolina
high school. How many championship back to back, back to back,
back to back.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Champions I don't know how they feed.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I don't know how you know in North Carolina. And
that type of record was heard because I came at
the same time with James Worthy. We had so many
We had Mitchell Wiggans, we had lots of lot they
had a lot of guys come out of North of course,
you had Mike, Mike come out of North Carolina, and
you had Jimmy and Black. It was so many guys
that played, uh in basketball in the state of North
(03:30):
Carolina back especially in North Carolina. Dude, you know Wake Forest.
For my high school teammate went to Wake Forest. So
we had a lot of guys. Man, And so to
have that type of record in high school in that state,
that's basketball mecca.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
And for somebody to pull over to say, for somebody
to stop their car, get out and say, man, I
want you to play for me. You got talent because
my parents didn't even stop, didn't even watch me.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
But you know, the funny thing is his players was
playing on playground that day and I just went out
started playing with them, you know, after I got off
the bus and he walked up and you know, and
always the rest was history. After that meeting, I'm telling
you what, he might be the greatest coach that I
ever had outside of Mike Fotello, that I've had my career.
(04:19):
He was He refused to let us lose the city,
and so we had a different That team had a
heart of a life.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
So speak on like having like coaches because people don't
understand roles are important.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Let me explain something about coaching. Coaches are put there
to help you develop, teach you how to play the game.
And you know, sometimes coaches use the best players as
an example to push all the other players correct. Both
All the coaches I ever had always jumped on me
(04:54):
harder than anybody else because the first of all they
know I could take it too. Is that if they
could stuff like that to me, get on my case
and sometimes even be little you, sometimes nobody else can
say anything. And so and that's the way all the
coaches taught, taught and developed me. And that's how I
learned how to play the game from a fundamental standpoint,
(05:14):
from a toughness standpoint. One thing I hate when guys,
when you know, if a coach get on you too hard,
shut down you clam got to build aggression. I mean,
this is what we signed up for, you know. So
it's a lot come with being the king when you're
the leader team, because you got to be able to
(05:36):
take the heroics as well as you are the target criticists.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
You are the target.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Yeah, and you know what, that's what I love That's
what any great player will tell you, from Michael to
Magic to Bird. And I played against them. These guys
was monsters. The pressure buildings and they the pressure makes
us who we are and the only way you can
measure your greatness. And you got to play against the
great And.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
I'm glad you said it because I feel like it
ain't no pressure in today's basketball if you look at it,
because O G Man, when y'all was playing from the
eighties and the nineties, even the early.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Two thousands, you still seen it like it's they call foles.
It's like the game has gotten soft.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Well, you know, you could get away with a lot more.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I mean, and they shoot from from full court.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
The fowls are you know, it is what it is, right,
But this is the thing, big guys, right, if you
stayed on the perimeter, I'm gonna use a guy like
Miles Turner, if you stayed on that perimeter as a
big guy like he does, and a lot of the
big guys, and if you miss four or five of
those threes, you coming out, You coming out again, you know,
(06:47):
even as small forward. And if I wasn't making those shots,
coach said, hey, step in, get to the free throw line,
get to the post, take somebody else the dribble. So
we was able to mix up our offense, right, you know,
because when you see highlights of me, what do you say, right,
slam dunk slam dogs, slam dugs. Well, it's very difficult
to get over twenty six thousand points on duns. I
(07:09):
was a creative score everything. And you see talky talk now. Yeah,
I mean because you know, the mid range game, post game,
getting to the free throw line, jump shot. I had
all that back then. So it's like a lot of
times people think that this is a new invention right now,
It's been there. We took a lot more hypercentate shots.
It's just a fact because I hear a lot of
(07:31):
times people say, well, the mid range shot is obsolete.
It's just a dumb comment because it's the most hypercentate
shot outside of an air or a dunking. A few
great shooters like Curry and a lot of these guys,
and looking all these guys, great shoot shooters like that.
Them guys can make those shots. But got a lot
of guys taking that shot that shouldn't be taking.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
You can develop a good mid range shot.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, you know, you dangerous Kawhi Leonard right, you know,
uh even Steph you look at Durrant uh Derosan right,
it rarely ever takes a three by Luca, Luca, all
them guys who can score right, all shoot mid ring shots.
Hurt well again, guys like that kind of you know,
(08:16):
revolutionize the mid range shot, right because you know it
went away for a long time, everybody trying to shoot three,
and then it came back. But them guys really showed
the analytical guys that y'all are dead wrong, right because
this mid ring shot. I can still get thirty right now.
I mean I've had games where I had fifty two,
(08:37):
fifty four and had one three and people say, oh,
it's possible. It's impossible for you to get fifty seven
points and three quarters. You didn't shoot three budgets on
them all day. What that says though, as I shot
a lot of free throws, right, that's where my that's
what my three came and ones. And so my whole
objective was to get to the line, and that's and
(09:00):
you have to attack people, and that's what we did.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
So looking at these matchups, because Michael stopped a lot
of great, great teams, that could have possibly been champions.
If you're looking at the matches right now, like what
was your toughest match up?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Oh man, you know, Chicago was always tough. Chicago was
always to New York, Philadelphia, you know, Indiana and Milwaukee.
I mean Philadelphia, they had a super team back then,
so everybody was tough. But you know, I never feared
(09:40):
anybody I ever played against. One guy made me nervous.
Who out of New York. His name was Bernard King.
If you don't know who he.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Is, gotta look Bernard. What happened?
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Now? What happened?
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Because he's getting forty and nothing you can do about it? Nothing.
I mean, I couldn't sleep the night before I played.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Against stud in forty all the top.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yeah, and when I I said, look, I know he
gonna get forty, so you know what, I'm gonna get forty.
We just called it.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
So everybody got that that. Michael Jordan felt like they sped.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Michael and I the only two foes in the NBA history,
the average over thirty against each other.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
For a whole career, every time y'all played each other.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
And I didn't think about if somebody brought it to
my Titch and I look back on those game I'm like, whoa,
he had forty seven. I might have forty two. I
might have forty five, he might have forty he had
sixty one. I had, you know, forty and all those games.
Was like that, man, because he brought out the best
of me, and I know I brought out the best
in him. You know, we love competing against one another,
(10:38):
and that's one of the things.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
It ain't no competing no more.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I had to guard Larry Bird, I had to guard
Doctor j I had to guard Worthy English Dantley a
guire every night. We didn't We couldn't duck each other
because I was not gonna go over there and play
the power forwards this and they had a license to
kick you. But I'm not dealing with them guys. So
at six eight and a half, you know, I'm going
against some guys who are six eleven six ten small forwards.
(11:05):
But that's that's the way it was. We didn't think
twice about it was like, hey.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Now they picking yeah, I'm like, hey man, I'm like
I'm like, I'm not I'm like bringing on you know,
you know, because you know, most of the time that
I played against Boston.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
You know, Kevin McHale has seven football was guarding me.
You had to go out there and bus matter. It
didn't matter, you know the size, right. We never because
this is the thing you the most great scores will
tell you. And you know Bird and Jordan the prime
example of this. We never worried about the guy who
(11:38):
was guarding us. We worry about the guy who was
double team because we knew we can beat this guy,
but only guy where and see people ask me sometimes,
you know, how do you beat a double team? You
go before it gets to you, right, you know it's coming.
But if you get by this guy first the double.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Team comes, it's too late and is now somebody open.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
And that's how I used to get a lot of
my points because I knew the double team comes. Now,
if the double team comes quick, you know, you give
the ball up because you're always gonna come back.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
So nowadays you don't really too much. See it's just
a lot of the elements of the game. It's just changed.
You don't really see a double team.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
You know, do team. The double teams is like you
play an area, so if he comes to the area,
you got help. It was a lot of one on
one defense back then. Of course you need to help
with certain guys, with certain guys of the just because,
like I said, my first eight games, I felt like
I played against eight Hall of famers as a rook
and I finally had to get over it because I said,
I know I had to play against these gods, but
(12:38):
I'm gonna let them know I'm a guide too. And
that was my mentality because you had to have that
mentality them guys, you're going to the doctor Jay's and
Choires and Worthy and all them. Because the Worthy and
I we all came out in seventy nine out of
high school were actually our high school senior class across
the nation got voted as the greatest senior class ever
talk because of the level of professional athletes that that created. Yeah,
(13:05):
we had a lot of guys in that class to
go to pros.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
And to speak of that class, like the aggression and knowing,
like the highlight factor was real back there.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
So even knowing that, you know nowadays it's like the
highlight countdown. It's cool, you done saw it before, but
it was like you it was demanded, like you had
to go out there and make the highlight like speaking
of your iconic dunks, what's the iconic dunk that you
remember and remember who you did it?
Speaker 1 (13:33):
An't there's a lot of them, man. I think one
of the ones that and it's been a lot, well.
I think the one that they show a lot of
is the one against Bob Lanail in Milwaukee where the
clock was running down and I'm on the posts. They
throw it to me, I will go to the middle.
They cut me off. I went back baseline that jump
(13:55):
and Bob Lanail, who was six eleven, covered the rim.
I think he crossed his arms when he covered the rim,
and I turned an air. He was coming down, I
was still going up and I dunked it on him
right before the buzzer. And that was one of my
favorite dunks. Because most of my dunks in traffic. That
was my favorite. You know, the dunks had against Boston
(14:17):
were a shot and hit the rim and I caught
it over like three or four guys. I mean, those
type of plays kind of changes the momentum in the game. So,
I mean a lot of my favorite dunks, believe it
or not, it was in high school. In high school,
I was looking in the rim. In high school, I
was was really the one where you you gliding all
(14:39):
across the court. Or in high school, man, you know,
our point guard was a wonderful point guard, and it
was every game on the jumpall we were trying to
get an alley. Every game we got the tip, we had
a design where we run wide and he just throw
up there either corner of the backboard we would go
(15:01):
get it.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Is there a moment in your career that you wish
you could have done differently?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
No, I you know, the only thing that I regret
that I didn't do is bring a championship here in Atlanta.
I think that's the only I think that's the only
thing I regret. But as far as if I would
do anything differently, no, because what I did and the
way I did it helped build character, personality, respect, and
(15:34):
so you know, winning a ring a lot of times
people don't understand it ain't always about winning the ring.
It's about competing to the highest level. Because I look
at this, my ring was giving me the ability to
play something that I love, that's my ring. And so
you know, it's only one team that wins every year.
A lot of great players have never felt that, you know,
(15:57):
So you know, that's that's the nature of the beast.
That's that's the where it is. But would I change anything, No,
maybe one thing the money they make now.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
But it's different, it's different. He bucket two nine piece straight.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yeah, I changed that. Oh man, I can't even fathom that. Yeah,
it's crazy. That's crazy.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
Now, me and you enter the same part of the
building of the ring, you know, and and you got
a statue. You gotta you got something that's out there.
That's that's very you know what I'm saying, inspired it
to the city.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Like you said, like, even though we ain't got no rings,
it's you the energy, the compassion, the aggression, that the
fight that you wanted to go out there and represent us.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
We feel that and we were thankful for that.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
That is our ring.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
It's the love that you showed our city.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
That's our ring. Do you ever go into the front
to even see the statue and just take it all in.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Let me tell your funny story. First of all, let
me say this, What he captured in that statue is
everything about who I am. And so when I saw
it for the first time, man, I was blown away.
I was so emotional. I couldn't even shed a tear.
That's how I was that choked up about it, because
it's not just about basketball. When you receive something, that's
(17:16):
what you've done in that city, how you connected with people,
relationships or everything. So you know, when it went up,
I remember a couple of times I went down, I
drove by it. So one day I stopped by there.
I put a lawn chair that I had a beer,
looked up as a big fellow, we come along, you know,
and that that really felt good, man, because it was
(17:40):
a moment in my life that I never dreamed of,
you know, and even to this day, man, it's still surreal.
So you know, I was talking to Steve Conan gim
and I'm sorry, President CEO. I said, I rode by
the Statue of the Day and it looks a little
ashy there. It's still and I went back a couple
(18:07):
weeks later it was shine shot. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah shot.
So it's just fun, you know, for people to see
me go down and interact because sometimes I walk by
there and I see people stop by and they look
at me and it's that is that you? I said, yeah,
most people think it is. Yeah, yeah, it looked like
(18:28):
but it's just it's just a pleasure to see people
admire you know, no.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Man, it's just it's just amazing, man, just to see you.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
You know what I'm saying, Just get to smell your
flowers while you still here, because.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Like you said, it's not about the ring, it's about
the love.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
You know how many times I say that, You know,
I said, don't wait till someone's gone. You give them
their roses, give them their flowers, white they hear and
appreciate what they've done. You know. I remember when I
first came in the league and I said to Doctor
Ja the first time I played, I say, you know,
I grew up im late and everything you've ever done,
I just wanted to be that next next doctor. And
(19:05):
I just wanted to let you know how much you
meant to my life and directly you really helped me
elevate my game to a different level. And he said
to me, he said, I know they're calling you the
next doctor, but it's only one dominique with on Doctor J.
But today you can start learning. And I remember he
had a great game against me, and I wasn't upset,
but I said, that's the doctor, that's my idolo. You know,
(19:26):
but once I got over that, you know, it was
nothing but competing with us.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
When did you realize I am Dominique Wilkin.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
When did you realize, like, you know what, I have
to start making my own marking game because I'm here now.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I knew before I came in the league, to be
honest with you, because before I came to the NBA,
I used to work out. A lot of people didn't
know this because you couldn't do it at the time,
but I did it. I worked out with Pete Marriage
and Marius Lucas, so I got one of the most
skilled guys in history who was for his time in
Pete Marriage, and I got toughest guy and one of
the tough guys to play the game, and Mariice Lucas
(20:03):
the enforcer. So when I came to the NBA, I
wasn't wrong. I'm ready to go. But the thing about
coming to the NBA in those days is as the
top three picks in the draft, you still got to
pay your dues due something I could have averaged twenty
twenty five plus my first year. But the old heads,
as you'll said, el Bus, you know I had I
(20:26):
had Dan Roundfield, Eddie Johnson, the tree violence, young fellow.
Just play the game, don't try to do too much.
Ain't too time yet. But once I got their blessing, uh,
because that very next year, I remember Dan Roundfield said,
now it's time for you to be the captain. You
earned it. So you had to earn their respect. You know,
they didn't they didn't hand you the keys.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
That early, right, right?
Speaker 4 (20:50):
Okay, So, so speaking of of of being in the game, like,
was there any time where you you got knowledge from
a individual that you was inspired by, you know, especially
like once you come in you actually meet somebody you've
seen on TV, you know, Doctor J.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
That was just that was authentic. That was just so
happened to be there. What is somebody like you were
truly like, I want to meet this guy.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Well he was the one. He was the one. The
guys I really learned from when I first came. It
was doctor J.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
It was.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Maurice Lucas Magic. I started playing something ball with them
before I came in and made George Iceman, Gervin them,
the guys, Moses Malan them, the guys that I learned
a lot from. Guy, these these were these were not
just superstars. These were legendary guys right still playing the game.
And so I learned a lot from them, and I said,
(21:45):
I want to be as good or better than those guys.
And the only way again, the only way you do
that you got to play against the greatest if you
want to be the glader.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
And and it's crazy that you said that you played
against the greatest, but not only did you play against
the greatest.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Your career is long, jeviy, And you can attest to
this in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Nine years.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
That's cool, that's good, that's that's alright.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
You played long enough were you're gonna stab it and
make you some money once you can a double digits
ten the better twelve, thirteen, fourteen, like you good, Like
they're trying to get every little juice about you.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yeah, you know, I could have played two or three
more years if I wanted to. I could have got
to nineteen twenty years, right, But at that time, it
was it was changing. It was about really kind of
nurturing the young guy, you know, and fascinating because I
remember Chuck Daily said to me when I was in
Orlando at the end of my career and I had
(22:41):
I was starting averaging like nineteen twenty points and like
eight nine rebounds. But I was but I was only
playing like eighteen minutes a night stilled, and I remember
he came to me, said, we're gonna start Matt Harpman.
Could we need more scoring, right? And I said, Chuck,
let me say that. See, you don't have to blow smoker.
(23:01):
I said, don't insult my intelligence. Right, right, I was
leading the league in points per minute, right, I said,
if you want to start the young guys, hey, I'm
not no problem with that. I understand things are changing. Cool,
but don't don't don't come with me with that.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
Come on, really, it's going point in twenty minutes. Yeah,
you're gonna score every minute.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Like, guys, this is this is what I've done. So
if it's about development, I'm cool with that, but let
me know the front this is what it is, right,
it's about the business too, instead of you know, insulting
your intelligence, you know, correct. Yeah, So I saw the
change and I said, you know what, maybe I'm gonna
retire and go into the front office. And that's what
(23:43):
I did.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
More.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
Now, you've been in the game for for quite some time, Like,
what is the most craziest fan interaction that you because
today's fans ain't fan.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
No, no, listen. They had a guy in Detroit, Leana Barber.
I can't even tell you the stuff he said to
Some of the stuff he said to us behind the bench,
and he sat right behind our bench on two big bodyguards.
And some of the stuff is that you can't say
on air. It's not it's not clean enough for television.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
But people don't know that fans back then was trash talking.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
He didn't get thrown out because it wasn't for us.
It was entertainment. You know, we didn't. We didn't get upset,
get fans thrown out. We just didn't do it, not
unless a fan came out of stands and did something
this right, but talking all they did to motivate.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Us, right, because he's supposed to make you bring the dog.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Out because that shows you your toughness too, kind of
like shut. I don't get that fan thrown out. He
obviously a fan of mine because he's he came to
see me play. He's talking crazy and because this is
what motivates him. But you know what, there's something that
same fan Leaner Barber after the game was asked me
for my shoes all the time. So it was never personal.
(24:55):
It was he was supporting his team, you know. So
it was a lot of fans around the legal like that.
I mean, we loved it, we embraced it.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Who was the best trash talk as a player?
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Oh man, A lot of My brother was one of them. Cherild, Yeah,
I remember he told me, he said, big brother, you
ain't scoring no more tonight. I said, little bru, I
got forty. I don't want to score no more. I'm done.
A matter of fact, Coach, take me out. I don't
even want to play no more.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Well, you had to be taken out because you too good,
versus you asked the coach, why are you taking it out?
Speaker 1 (25:22):
I mean I said that because he was talking trash.
But it was a lot Chuck person Indiana Pacers, Oh
my god, It's almost like we fought every game matter
fist fight or show me make something every game every game. Yeah,
and then you got Larry Bird. Larry Bird. If you
wasn't ready, he took your heart.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
You know.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Larry was great. It was a lot. It was quite
a few guys that talked like that, but Larry and
Chuck was some of the best. Larry was number one
because everything he said he did it. He backed it up.
He backed it up.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
That's bad.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
He's bad. And that's why again, I don't I hate
when people asked. I had a guy ask me, did
I think I could score fifteen points a game in
today's game? Could you? I said, is that a trick question?
I said, which quarter?
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Hmm?
Speaker 1 (26:12):
I like, are you serious? Right? And I said, I
averaged thirty in the hand check era. I said, what
do you think I'd do if you can't touch me?
I'm like, come on, man, really text, but we all
like physical contact. Man. I wanted to bump and grind
down around the basket. Because the thing about when you
can feel a guy, you know how to play him.
(26:36):
I already know how you can play because if I
can feel you, I got you if I can because
if I can make you commit one way, I'm going opposite.
And people said, well, what do you mean by that?
I said, a lot of times, when you guys catch
the bought, the first thing you do is dribble. Well,
what you do when you can feel a guy, you
commit one way to the other. If you feel and
move to your right, you know you drop and go
(26:57):
left and those are all the things we love that
high school college to prepare us for the pros. So
all that stuff say up and under drop step you
know power, We learned that at very early age. The
thing is is how can you put pressure consistently on
the team. If you don't attack right, you have to
(27:18):
attack My whole thing with this is my strategy. If
I'm playing against another great player on the other side
of it, right, if I can get two fouls on
him early, now I create an advantage for myself because
now he's not gonna play me as hard. He's to
get that third file right. And so you create that
advantage early. Now you get going. Now the ball is
going in the basket. You know, your level of confidence
(27:40):
is elevated, and you know you're trying to get that
third file on before you get to halftime.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
I feel like we get our coaching on.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
And since we're in our coaching and this is Hawks
and friends, what you think no Hawks got to do
by me?
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Well, first of all, we got to stay healthy, man,
I mean injury, have been hit with that injury rebug,
and you know we got guys out right now. But
you know I got to give it to these guys. Man,
they still fighting, right, we got to fight fighting. They
playing hard, you know, and each night it's a different
guy to step up. Your last last game was Trey
(28:18):
hitting the big shot, that big fourth quarter said he had.
But you know, you look at rechter Shire. He played well.
Then night, Dyce and Daniels played well. And that's what
you got to have when you're decimated, you know, with injuries,
you gotta do it collectively. It's hard to do it
with one guy.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
Yes, And that's crazy because as collective as the city,
we all want to say thank you again for bringing
that energy and that love.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
And that's why you got a statue.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
You ain't.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Nobody got no statue.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
You know what, it's only one jersey. I felt good
and throughout my career. And I'm not just saying this.
It's a Hawk jersey. When I was with Boston and
LA Clippers and saying I didn't feel right. I didn't
look right in th jerseys.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Ain't look right in them colors.
Speaker 5 (29:01):
Man, Only this red and yellow matter, man, That's right,
that's right, boss Fade, he eat in the head.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
Oh gee, it's an honor, man. Don't let this be
your last.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Oh no, we can do it anytime.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Man need your crib. They got a picasso.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
You gotta pool, and he gotta and he got a gazebo.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
And don't nobody be over.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Here, right and that tiny house. When I want to
get away from my grandkids, I go over there.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
You got a tighty house and get away from his house.
He got a house to get away from his original house.
He tied in that house.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Hey man, it's a it's a blessing and an honor man.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
And you know, like you said, we just want to
continue to give you your flowers while you can hear
and will appreciate you. And we're thankful for everything that
you've done for the city. And we're glad that you
came and did it for Ice city.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
That's why I woll this jersey. Let you know it's
still here. That's crazy that you could do something so
long ago and he still.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
You know what's funny, I'm thirty three. You know you
can get my jersey. I can't. I can't get it.
Why they said they had to order, which is a
good problem.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Yeah, I'm about the same thing you created it.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
No, but no that then the Hawks will always make
sure that I have a jersey for the families and grandkids.
And I have two great grand kids. I'm a great uncle.
Oh man, you're too young for grade on that what
you say.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
My mama had me with you forty five. My daddy
was sixty one.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Oh, g okay, yeah it makes sense.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
My dadd had graduated high school before you.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Sure you're right?
Speaker 3 (30:34):
Hey, o g alta man, you know what's up? Man?
Hey man, it's a great episode of Hawks and Free.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Yeah, this is this is my area.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
You got to have a path.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
No, you know, only time I really come in the
house and I'm eat right or go to sleep right
these two rooms to get away. Man, this is my
this is my human door.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
That's why I can't wait for my house is done.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
I can get my I got my paths down on here.
You know why these are here, right, because when you
smoke in here, you can't burn my chest.
Speaker 5 (31:03):
But oh, okay, this is need some of the couple
of my ch I thought there was just like, you know,
keep the plastic on the firm.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
It's something like that.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Okay, it's a book.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
I don't want to buy, you know, burning holes in
my chest. But you know, both of these areas like
it's like my you just cigar bar.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
You drink.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
Yeah, you know, I got a little see this one,
this one like more family oriented when even when the
family wanted to get out.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
But this one, I had my bending meeting.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Yeah, yeah, just I have a lot of meetings out here. Yeah,
you know, we do a lot of podcasts from time
to time out here. But I wanted just to look
more like a low cabin.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Yeah, wrong with that.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
And then you know, I have my own my own,
your own, Yeah, I got my own bourbon burning. I'm
gonna give you about it.
Speaker 6 (31:55):
Give me bis to that was yours, walk around, grand.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I built the floor myself. I did the floor myself.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
So you're telling me you got down here and you
and you grew it, leveled it, saying until you realize
you needed somebody professional to finish.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
No, no, I finished it for I did this whole floor.
I did this, I did this backsplash here, that whole
wall there.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
That's fine.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
And the only thing I had because we had shingles
at the top. I got to get rid of the
shing so I had somebody that can do the roof,
but the floor stuff like this all that.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Then I came in put.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Heating in the air and then I put you know, cigar, uh.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
So you do you do?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
So you you be reconstruct the houses too.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
I ain't gonna say all that.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
I mean, anybodyn do a floor.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
That's that's the start is on. You need a floor
before you get a bail. I'm really handy.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
Yeah, I like that. I'm a country by myself.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
I built a lot, even a little boards on my
tiny house. I built those I put those boards on,
that's all right. And actually we took my old fence
down with my uncle and I built the.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Fen Ya built the fen too. You dug it up.
Oh yeah, stuck the wood down.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
You know. I got my nail gun the whole the
whole thing.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
You know. That's engineering.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
That's the engineering, right.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
See. People don't know that, that's engineer.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Always been a hand of man. I come from a
family that the men of the family always work. You
got to work inside that out right.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
So yeah, I got to get dirty.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Yeah. Yeah. The only thing I gonna like when my
kids they come here, they take basketball and they throw
them all over the yard and I gotta come pick
up im.
Speaker 7 (33:27):
About to say I thought that was a boat, I
would say, you don't do no fish. Oh no, no, no,
you know fish? Oh well yeah, yeah yeah, Okay, I
bash fish. Okay, been bass fished. My dad father from
North Carolina. That's all they did hunt. I used to
hunt too. I used to steal. My grandfather had a
gun to shoot sixteen times.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
It was silent. I used to go shoot at the barn.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Boy.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
See, I thought I was good. I ain't good. I'm
gonna keep that Burby right here.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
This is my championship troph Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what. Hey,
that is excellent buron.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
And you know I don't drink, but I'm gonna drink that.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
You know, I'm not much of a drinking Usually it's
for other people. I kind of experiment a little bit,
but not I'm not a big time. Well you know,
I'm getting ready to replace this whole floor because I've
had it here for a minute and it's starting to fade.
So CBA Sports, from which I partner with, this is
what we do. We do outdoor courts, right, we do
indoor courts. And yeah, you got this, you got to
(34:27):
you got it that.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Yeah, I'm trying.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I'm trying to get around.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
You got the silhouette that.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
We ain't playing what hey wow, that the boss thing
I was talking about.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Man, hey, that's funny. That's funny. So yeah, so we
we we have a court building company. Actually I have
my own signatuship floor coming out right.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
You know, how would they because I refer them to me?
Speaker 1 (34:53):
So I got you this. What if you want to court,
just call me and they get over and look at
your property.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I need one matter matter of fact, I want this
same silhouette. Matter of fact, I want this same court.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
You know what with the hawks. Make sure you get
my information and I'll send the guy to hell cause
they'll come out and look at your property, see where
you want it? And I got up now and see
this is also a tennis court too, right because you
because you have you have you have have rebounders here
these are rebounders.
Speaker 5 (35:26):
Right, and then you have the these right here rebounder
just the rebound for for not oh for the tents, I.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Mean the actually like if you want here shooting by yourself,
you can you know this is this is this is
your reading.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
So what's what's what's what's your technique of a perfect
jump shot?
Speaker 1 (35:42):
Well, I don't know what it is now, but back
then it's just keep it just going straight up and down,
getting balanced, you know what I mean. I'm pigeon told
so you know like this, go straight up and down.
Let me see. Yeah, you gotta have fun, baby, you
gotta have fun. I'm old man. I can't shoot it
like I used to. Or bye, that's good looking shot.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
That's a good looking shot. Now, Coach told me that
I wan't gonna be.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
But I'm gonna tell you though. I'm gonna tell you though.
The first thing I would tell you know right, start
right here. See most kids the shot they take the
three three? You two, you know what, see the ball
go down? Take an easy shot, you know what I mean?
Take like two of them, and then you step out.
Knock down like two of those. There you go. Now
(36:29):
you step out or go in the corner with it, whatever,
you come through it. Now you don't see that ball
go down? Right?
Speaker 5 (36:34):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
I've coached both my sons, both of them.
Speaker 5 (36:37):
See what look and my daughter is it Isn't that
like a blessing for you to give off some game
to your loved one, especially that you know that they
can use.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
I think we have a social responsibility to give back
what we've learned right. And when I hear people say, oh, well,
I'm not a role model. I don't like being, but
you are. When you put in that position, you have
an obligation to give it back, right. You know. That's
why if you ever see me with bodyguards all that stuff,
(37:07):
huh huh, how can you connect to people if people
can can't even touch it, interact me to touch it?
I mean. So that's why I get expect from places
I go, especially in the city of Atlanta, because I'm oneer.
If you guys, that's how I like.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
When I'm moving in the city. I understand.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
When I'm out certain times you may need that.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
But when I'm in the city, man, I don't need
no security. I know how to move around.
Speaker 5 (37:31):
He need, nigga, would I'm outside?
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Yeah, I'm telling I go to grocery all that stuff,
and people are like, hey, nigga, how you doing because
they see me so much?
Speaker 2 (37:39):
How you doing?
Speaker 3 (37:39):
So?
Speaker 5 (37:39):
You know, I don't have to have all that run right, right,
And that's how you stay connected with the earth, with
with with life.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
You already know what's going on.
Speaker 5 (37:47):
Because I'm a I'm are because I do this, I'm
still a human being.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
You know what I'm saying, And that's why people that's
why people love you, because then you do that. Man,
you got you got a little jump shot there.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
But I try to do a little some something.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
What's he once he told me, I won't gonna be none.
I put the jump, I put it die, I put
everything and die.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
And so my son is my youngest son, six eleven
right right. He used to come out here, him and
his friends all the time, and they kept the gold
and all they wanted to do is dunk. I said, man,
put the gold up doing I said, if you want
to learn how to play the game, put it up
ten feet. Well, daddy's just me and the fellas. I like,
put the go up. I mean, I'm screaming at him
(38:27):
all the time. Now he finally realized why.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Because he doesn't he doesn't try anything.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
I see him. And actually it was a little bit
lower than this, like, come on, son, you know. So
the funniest thing. So as he got taller, you know,
I think he was six eight at the time, a
couple of his friends come over and he asked me
to come out and play with him. I said, I
don't know, I'll be out in the minute. Son. So
(38:57):
I saw him on the court from the window and
he kept looking back, can see.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
If I was seeing you come, I see you know what.
I gotta come. I gotta go, I gotta come.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
So it was me and him against two of his guys.
And these kids were like six eight, both of them
six eight, and you know, and one of the guys said,
don't worry about his pop this god Jacob.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
I like what you tried.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Oh man, I started. I was winning a little kid
out right, and so he tried to go by me.
He hit me in the chest. My son said, oh
hit a brick wall.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
You go learn today.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Hey, I heard for two weeks. That was the last.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
That was it. That.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
That wasn't that my That wasn't in my for t
right as every day. Yeah, it wasn't in my wheelhouse.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
So I'm just gonna do some games.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
It was fun while I lasted, because I knew he
wanted he wanted He just wanted that experience. Wanted me
to come out.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
He wanted that experience.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
Tell us, you know and say this friend and dad
out there playing me and daddy bust y'all. Yeah, yeah,
you gotta pull that gold up. But you know, first
of all, it's a god given talent, a gift of
being able to elevate, you know. But somebody dunk for
the first time, make sure to go with at a
height that you can reach it. You know, uh, you know,
(40:19):
I believe my first dunk was thirteen years old.
Speaker 5 (40:23):
I as a dunk ten for before. I don't think
I can do it again. I mean, I don't say
came to my vocabulary. I can't see practice makes perfect,
you know. I don't practice the dunk.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
You know, I just noticed that shirt.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
Man. Yeah, I won't play.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
That's my shirt.
Speaker 2 (40:38):
I don't play. Man. We represent right here in atlanda
man we getting in blood represented all right.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
They want to see it. See what you got, See
what you got.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
It's all about which which dunk you want me to do?
What wal off the back boy? I'm crazy. I don't
better go crazy.
Speaker 5 (40:58):
Okay, they want off the back ball, all the black boy,
all the back boy up too half for myself, you.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Know, definitely. That was one of my slam dunk contests,
winning dunkstads.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
See but this now, now I gotta all time.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
And baby, it's all time.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
It's all about time.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
That's all about about how you know that.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I ain't know that back boy had a little seamen on.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Oh yeah, that's it. There you go, there you go.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
Dunk contest.
Speaker 5 (41:28):
Now that got so hey, oh man, they doing they
be doing stuff. Looking at it, I'll be like, you
ain't doing nothing.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
And you know what if they now McLoone is doing
it again this year right for a three peak. Right,
it's amazing because you got a guy coming out of G.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
League something the little shot. Yeah, he been doing the thing.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
If I'm an NBA player, man, I'm Paris and Barish
League got beat me and bears, no sir.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
Okay, So think about it like this, right? How you
how you looking at it? How do you see that?
Right now?
Speaker 5 (42:04):
You don't have to make it to the NBA. They
got so many that's what it's saying. They got so
many avenues.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
You right, coach, I probably won the NBA player, but
I'm an nil europe League player. You never taught me that.
I only thought NBA was the only way.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
You know what, if you're an NBA player, you work
all your life to get to this level. Right. It
ain't nobody at this level, right, and this that's why
I'll pay you. I'm sure, Michael Jordan, Magine all testing
ain't come and beat me right, No, not happening, because
it's pride, right, you know, pride. It's all about pride, man.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
You know.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
Hell, we were going at the toughest guys right to
do the contest right, you know, and you had to
bring it.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
You know.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
My first dunk contest was Doctor J. Larry Nance uh Griffith.
I mean these are legendary dunk because the dunk right.
And again I didn't do very well in a dunk
contest because I am stargazing because the Doctor J. That
was my guy, you know. And so once I got
over that, that next year, I said, I'm not gonna
just be in the dunk contest.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
I gotta I got, I gotta show myself.
Speaker 1 (43:18):
I'm gonna win it right, and I want it that
next year year. So you know that was my mentality.
I played the game of one speed. That was all out.
That's the only way I knew how to play. No,
I wasn't gonna come that train. Now I get out
on the break. Ain't nobody beat me down for And
you look at guys like myself, James Worthy, how fast
(43:41):
we ran the lanes.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
I think suicide. All that came about. Ain't nobody suicide.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
We ran the fast break. We wasn't gonna stop at
the three point line. We get into that rack, especially
early in the game.
Speaker 2 (43:52):
I see, I see too many people right here.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
So when you want a fast break and it's nobody
between you and the basket, especially early in the game.
Now late in the game, the game close, you need
to be of course, but early in the game you
un You get that too easy too. Now you're seeing
the ball go in the basket, but this way we
see it, you don't start pressing.
Speaker 5 (44:13):
We seeing three four people in the three point line,
one person at the post, and you like, and you
got one person on the side like he ain't.
Speaker 2 (44:19):
On him to come over here with the You.
Speaker 5 (44:22):
Like, ain't no move y'all, ain't making no y'all, ain't
set on no plays.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
A classic way of running a fast break is when
you get it, you get it to that point guard
right and you feel the lanes. You go wide and
then you cut in, so you got a choice either side.
Now if they don't get it, you go through and
you cross right. Now the big guy come down and
you have what they call a second day break, so
the ball never stops.
Speaker 5 (44:45):
So check this out right, Just like you said, if
you would have missed through four five shots back then,
you getting out the game.
Speaker 2 (44:50):
Oh they got sinners coming up the court with the ball.
How when we start doing that?
Speaker 1 (44:57):
But see, the thing is the object of the game,
the get the ball up the floor as quickly as
possible by any means necessary. So yeah, I brought the
ball up the floor a lot, but I was pushing it.
But most time I wanted to be the one to
finish the play and I started, So I get that
ball to Doc rivers buk where and I just fell
those lanes because I know it's coming back to me.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
But how how you gonna get a rebound? So bringing
the ball.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
And dunks and one plays the rim because we were
willing to run. We ran the ball form makes and missus.
Speaker 5 (45:30):
So we'll never get second Darby's chances, second Darvin chances.
If our center is bringing the ball up, who Wh're
gonna get the rebound?
Speaker 1 (45:37):
The guard? Yeah, but you know again, it was just
a different way of playing back then. I was trying
to be very efficient. And how you do that you
gotta attack.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
I gotta attack.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
See the ball, going back, get to the free throw line,
and like, well, you see in the mid range. I
was doing all that mid range stuff way back then.
Speaker 2 (45:59):
How how you feel about people doing this? Because I
see this a lot. I see this a lot.
Speaker 5 (46:08):
Guard or or power forward, whichever want to beat they man,
you can tell that ain't in their contract to shoot
too many shots.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
They got a freezeout.
Speaker 6 (46:15):
I already know what you're saying, and here ain't go
you know what I'm gonna get you God, but that
gets on my nerves. Me crazy with big guys to
see him get right here and they passed the ball,
pass the ball. If you did that back and there's
a big guy would have passed up ball back out
when you right here again, especially early in the game,
right you might not see a lot of playing times
(46:37):
because you're giving up an easy giving up maybe.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
For you know, he ain't gonna who he ain't gonna
make it.
Speaker 1 (46:43):
Because this is a hypercentage shot. But I see so
many guys remors right there and you do this throw
it out. That's the that's bizarre to me because even
as a smaller guy, I'm not a center. I was
small for it. If I got the ball in here.
It ain't coming out. I'm trying to get this guy
in foul trouble and get it easy too. You know.
(47:05):
The thing you don't see. I had to jump honk right,
you know, I get the ball here, right, I get
a step using this using to throw it out, but
just hold the guy, bab gotta jump hunk. Or if
I get it right, and that's like I said, kill
here for a second. Let me tell you something, right,
if I go this way and you go with me
right right, then go there. So if I'm gonna go
(47:26):
with me, you're gone. You gone, right, You're done, You're gone,
you know. Or if you guard me right, I take
you step up, I rip through, then I'll come through right.
Or I go the opposite way you got. Then I
go this way right then I throw it off the
glass and then right. You know, that's that's the things
we were taught, you know,
Yeah, you got this, you got you got it?
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Do there. I'm trying. I'm trying to get around you
got the silhouette that we ain't playing.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Hey, listen man, America.
Speaker 4 (00:18):
We're here again on another beautiful day on the Hawks
and Friends podcast. Man, and I'm just trying to keep
my composure because we don't get a chance to be
shoulder to shoulders with legends, shoulder the shoulders with icons.
Man and listen, man, Today's guest needs no introduction. Okay,
(00:39):
a Hall of Famer, an icon, a legend. Everybody makes
some noise for Dominique.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Wilcind Appreciate it, appreciated, Appreciate what's happy. It's good to
see you outside of the Hawks arena. Man. I'm telling you, man,
you're not as amped up today as you are at therena.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
No, Man, because you know, I really be into it.
I really be into it. You know what I'm saying, like.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
That you amped up, but you ain't aft like I'm.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Amped up because I'm a fan. When I'm at that arena.
I paid for them to hear my frustration.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
I feel you.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
You feel what I'm saying, No cap because they represent us.
I am really from Atlanta.
Speaker 5 (01:16):
But you have been representing Atlanta for quite some times, man,
and we want to say thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
You're welcome. Man, I appreciate it. You know, Atlanta basically
made me Hawaiian, right, you know when I came out
of high school, right, Actually, I moved to Atlanta first
before I went to the University of Georgia, and Georgia
kind of got me out of the situation that I
was in in North Carolina, which was a pretty intense,
dangerous situation, right, And this was the first city that
(01:44):
I came to.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Man, and take it back to the eighties, Man, the
NBA Draft.
Speaker 5 (01:49):
Eighty, first round, third overall pick, Like, how did that feel?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Because you know, I had a dream to be in
the NBA. But it's people that actually lived our dreams.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
So we be living through people.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
So when we say that, and when people say that
to me, I really understand. And when we see y'all
on the court, everybody had a dream of being an NBA.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Star, oh, you know, and that was our dream growing
up because I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, right, And
at the time, Baltimore had the highest crib rate in
America at that time, and I left home when I
was sixteen and got discovered on the playground the next
day in North Carolina. That's where my high school career started.
And the guy asked me. He said, hey, son, you
(02:30):
live here. I'm like, I'm not sure yet. Right well,
he said where you're going to leave from here? I'm like,
I'm not sure. And he looked at me. He said,
come go with me. I don't know why. I followed
and he showed me his house, showed me a kitchen,
showed me in the bedroom. He said, you can have
all this. The only trade off is you have to
play for my high school team. He was the high
school coach in the North Carolina. Look like okay, And
(02:54):
that's how my career started. We were seventy six and
one in three years in the state of North Carolina
high school. How many championship back to back, back to back,
back to back.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Champions I don't know how they feed.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I don't know how you know in North Carolina. And
that type of record was heard because I came at
the same time with James Worthy. We had so many
We had Mitchell Wiggans, we had lots of lot they
had a lot of guys come out of North of course,
you had Mike, Mike come out of North Carolina, and
you had Jimmy and Black. It was so many guys
that played, uh in basketball in the state of North
(03:30):
Carolina back especially in North Carolina. Dude, you know Wake Forest.
For my high school teammate went to Wake Forest. So
we had a lot of guys. Man, And so to
have that type of record in high school in that state,
that's basketball mecca.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
And for somebody to pull over to say, for somebody
to stop their car, get out and say, man, I
want you to play for me. You got talent because
my parents didn't even stop, didn't even watch me.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
But you know, the funny thing is his players was
playing on playground that day and I just went out
started playing with them, you know, after I got off
the bus and he walked up and you know, and
always the rest was history. After that meeting, I'm telling
you what, he might be the greatest coach that I
ever had outside of Mike Fotello, that I've had my career.
(04:19):
He was He refused to let us lose the city,
and so we had a different That team had a
heart of a life.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
So speak on like having like coaches because people don't
understand roles are important.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Let me explain something about coaching. Coaches are put there
to help you develop, teach you how to play the game.
And you know, sometimes coaches use the best players as
an example to push all the other players correct. Both
All the coaches I ever had always jumped on me
(04:54):
harder than anybody else because the first of all they
know I could take it too. Is that if they
could stuff like that to me, get on my case
and sometimes even be little you, sometimes nobody else can
say anything. And so and that's the way all the
coaches taught, taught and developed me. And that's how I
learned how to play the game from a fundamental standpoint,
(05:14):
from a toughness standpoint. One thing I hate when guys,
when you know, if a coach get on you too hard,
shut down you clam got to build aggression. I mean,
this is what we signed up for, you know. So
it's a lot come with being the king when you're
the leader team, because you got to be able to
(05:36):
take the heroics as well as you are the target criticists.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
You are the target.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Yeah, and you know what, that's what I love That's
what any great player will tell you, from Michael to
Magic to Bird. And I played against them. These guys
was monsters. The pressure buildings and they the pressure makes
us who we are and the only way you can
measure your greatness. And you got to play against the
great And.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
I'm glad you said it because I feel like it
ain't no pressure in today's basketball if you look at it,
because O G Man, when y'all was playing from the
eighties and the nineties, even the early.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Two thousands, you still seen it like it's they call foles.
It's like the game has gotten soft.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Well, you know, you could get away with a lot more.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I mean, and they shoot from from full court.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
The fowls are you know, it is what it is, right,
But this is the thing, big guys, right, if you
stayed on the perimeter, I'm gonna use a guy like
Miles Turner, if you stayed on that perimeter as a
big guy like he does, and a lot of the
big guys, and if you miss four or five of
those threes, you coming out, You coming out again, you know,
(06:47):
even as small forward. And if I wasn't making those shots,
coach said, hey, step in, get to the free throw line,
get to the post, take somebody else the dribble. So
we was able to mix up our offense, right, you know,
because when you see highlights of me, what do you say, right,
slam dunk slam dogs, slam dugs. Well, it's very difficult
to get over twenty six thousand points on duns. I
(07:09):
was a creative score everything. And you see talky talk now. Yeah,
I mean because you know, the mid range game, post game,
getting to the free throw line, jump shot. I had
all that back then. So it's like a lot of
times people think that this is a new invention right now,
It's been there. We took a lot more hypercentate shots.
It's just a fact because I hear a lot of
(07:31):
times people say, well, the mid range shot is obsolete.
It's just a dumb comment because it's the most hypercentate
shot outside of an air or a dunking. A few
great shooters like Curry and a lot of these guys,
and looking all these guys, great shoot shooters like that.
Them guys can make those shots. But got a lot
of guys taking that shot that shouldn't be taking.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
You can develop a good mid range shot.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, you know, you dangerous Kawhi Leonard right, you know,
uh even Steph you look at Durrant uh Derosan right,
it rarely ever takes a three by Luca, Luca, all
them guys who can score right, all shoot mid ring shots.
Hurt well again, guys like that kind of you know,
(08:16):
revolutionize the mid range shot, right because you know it
went away for a long time, everybody trying to shoot three,
and then it came back. But them guys really showed
the analytical guys that y'all are dead wrong, right because
this mid ring shot. I can still get thirty right now.
I mean I've had games where I had fifty two,
(08:37):
fifty four and had one three and people say, oh,
it's possible. It's impossible for you to get fifty seven
points and three quarters. You didn't shoot three budgets on
them all day. What that says though, as I shot
a lot of free throws, right, that's where my that's
what my three came and ones. And so my whole
objective was to get to the line, and that's and
(09:00):
you have to attack people, and that's what we did.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
So looking at these matchups, because Michael stopped a lot
of great, great teams, that could have possibly been champions.
If you're looking at the matches right now, like what
was your toughest match up?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Oh man, you know, Chicago was always tough. Chicago was
always to New York, Philadelphia, you know, Indiana and Milwaukee.
I mean Philadelphia, they had a super team back then,
so everybody was tough. But you know, I never feared
(09:40):
anybody I ever played against. One guy made me nervous.
Who out of New York. His name was Bernard King.
If you don't know who he.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Is, gotta look Bernard. What happened?
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Now? What happened?
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Because he's getting forty and nothing you can do about it? Nothing.
I mean, I couldn't sleep the night before I played.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Against stud in forty all the top.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yeah, and when I I said, look, I know he
gonna get forty, so you know what, I'm gonna get forty.
We just called it.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
So everybody got that that. Michael Jordan felt like they sped.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Michael and I the only two foes in the NBA history,
the average over thirty against each other.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
For a whole career, every time y'all played each other.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
And I didn't think about if somebody brought it to
my Titch and I look back on those game I'm like, whoa,
he had forty seven. I might have forty two. I
might have forty five, he might have forty he had
sixty one. I had, you know, forty and all those games.
Was like that, man, because he brought out the best
of me, and I know I brought out the best
in him. You know, we love competing against one another,
(10:38):
and that's one of the things.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
It ain't no competing no more.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I had to guard Larry Bird, I had to guard
Doctor j I had to guard Worthy English Dantley a
guire every night. We didn't We couldn't duck each other
because I was not gonna go over there and play
the power forwards this and they had a license to
kick you. But I'm not dealing with them guys. So
at six eight and a half, you know, I'm going
against some guys who are six eleven six ten small forwards.
(11:05):
But that's that's the way it was. We didn't think
twice about it was like, hey.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Now they picking yeah, I'm like, hey man, I'm like
I'm like, I'm not I'm like bringing on you know,
you know, because you know, most of the time that
I played against Boston.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
You know, Kevin McHale has seven football was guarding me.
You had to go out there and bus matter. It
didn't matter, you know the size, right. We never because
this is the thing you the most great scores will
tell you. And you know Bird and Jordan the prime
example of this. We never worried about the guy who
(11:38):
was guarding us. We worry about the guy who was
double team because we knew we can beat this guy,
but only guy where and see people ask me sometimes,
you know, how do you beat a double team? You
go before it gets to you, right, you know it's coming.
But if you get by this guy first the double.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Team comes, it's too late and is now somebody open.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
And that's how I used to get a lot of
my points because I knew the double team comes. Now,
if the double team comes quick, you know, you give
the ball up because you're always gonna come back.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
So nowadays you don't really too much. See it's just
a lot of the elements of the game. It's just changed.
You don't really see a double team.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
You know, do team. The double teams is like you
play an area, so if he comes to the area,
you got help. It was a lot of one on
one defense back then. Of course you need to help
with certain guys, with certain guys of the just because,
like I said, my first eight games, I felt like
I played against eight Hall of famers as a rook
and I finally had to get over it because I said,
I know I had to play against these gods, but
(12:38):
I'm gonna let them know I'm a guide too. And
that was my mentality because you had to have that
mentality them guys, you're going to the doctor Jay's and
Choires and Worthy and all them. Because the Worthy and
I we all came out in seventy nine out of
high school were actually our high school senior class across
the nation got voted as the greatest senior class ever
talk because of the level of professional athletes that that created. Yeah,
(13:05):
we had a lot of guys in that class to
go to pros.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
And to speak of that class, like the aggression and knowing,
like the highlight factor was real back there.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
So even knowing that, you know nowadays it's like the
highlight countdown. It's cool, you done saw it before, but
it was like you it was demanded, like you had
to go out there and make the highlight like speaking
of your iconic dunks, what's the iconic dunk that you
remember and remember who you did it?
Speaker 1 (13:33):
An't there's a lot of them, man. I think one
of the ones that and it's been a lot, well.
I think the one that they show a lot of
is the one against Bob Lanail in Milwaukee where the
clock was running down and I'm on the posts. They
throw it to me, I will go to the middle.
They cut me off. I went back baseline that jump
(13:55):
and Bob Lanail, who was six eleven, covered the rim.
I think he crossed his arms when he covered the rim,
and I turned an air. He was coming down, I
was still going up and I dunked it on him
right before the buzzer. And that was one of my
favorite dunks. Because most of my dunks in traffic. That
was my favorite. You know, the dunks had against Boston
(14:17):
were a shot and hit the rim and I caught
it over like three or four guys. I mean, those
type of plays kind of changes the momentum in the game. So,
I mean a lot of my favorite dunks, believe it
or not, it was in high school. In high school,
I was looking in the rim. In high school, I
was was really the one where you you gliding all
(14:39):
across the court. Or in high school, man, you know,
our point guard was a wonderful point guard, and it
was every game on the jumpall we were trying to
get an alley. Every game we got the tip, we had
a design where we run wide and he just throw
up there either corner of the backboard we would go
(15:01):
get it.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Is there a moment in your career that you wish
you could have done differently?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
No, I you know, the only thing that I regret
that I didn't do is bring a championship here in Atlanta.
I think that's the only I think that's the only
thing I regret. But as far as if I would
do anything differently, no, because what I did and the
way I did it helped build character, personality, respect, and
(15:34):
so you know, winning a ring a lot of times
people don't understand it ain't always about winning the ring.
It's about competing to the highest level. Because I look
at this, my ring was giving me the ability to
play something that I love, that's my ring. And so
you know, it's only one team that wins every year.
A lot of great players have never felt that, you know,
(15:57):
So you know, that's that's the nature of the beast.
That's that's the where it is. But would I change anything, No,
maybe one thing the money they make now.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
But it's different, it's different. He bucket two nine piece straight.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yeah, I changed that. Oh man, I can't even fathom that. Yeah,
it's crazy. That's crazy.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
Now, me and you enter the same part of the
building of the ring, you know, and and you got
a statue. You gotta you got something that's out there.
That's that's very you know what I'm saying, inspired it
to the city.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
Like you said, like, even though we ain't got no rings,
it's you the energy, the compassion, the aggression, that the
fight that you wanted to go out there and represent us.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
We feel that and we were thankful for that.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
That is our ring.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
It's the love that you showed our city.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
That's our ring. Do you ever go into the front
to even see the statue and just take it all in.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Let me tell your funny story. First of all, let
me say this, What he captured in that statue is
everything about who I am. And so when I saw
it for the first time, man, I was blown away.
I was so emotional. I couldn't even shed a tear.
That's how I was that choked up about it, because
it's not just about basketball. When you receive something, that's
(17:16):
what you've done in that city, how you connected with people,
relationships or everything. So you know, when it went up,
I remember a couple of times I went down, I
drove by it. So one day I stopped by there.
I put a lawn chair that I had a beer,
looked up as a big fellow, we come along, you know,
and that that really felt good, man, because it was
(17:40):
a moment in my life that I never dreamed of,
you know, and even to this day, man, it's still surreal.
So you know, I was talking to Steve Conan gim
and I'm sorry, President CEO. I said, I rode by
the Statue of the Day and it looks a little
ashy there. It's still and I went back a couple
(18:07):
weeks later it was shine shot. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah shot.
So it's just fun, you know, for people to see
me go down and interact because sometimes I walk by
there and I see people stop by and they look
at me and it's that is that you? I said, yeah,
most people think it is. Yeah, yeah, it looked like
(18:28):
but it's just it's just a pleasure to see people
admire you know, no.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Man, it's just it's just amazing, man, just to see you.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
You know what I'm saying, Just get to smell your
flowers while you still here, because.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
Like you said, it's not about the ring, it's about
the love.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
You know how many times I say that, You know,
I said, don't wait till someone's gone. You give them
their roses, give them their flowers, white they hear and
appreciate what they've done. You know. I remember when I
first came in the league and I said to Doctor
Ja the first time I played, I say, you know,
I grew up im late and everything you've ever done,
I just wanted to be that next next doctor. And
(19:05):
I just wanted to let you know how much you
meant to my life and directly you really helped me
elevate my game to a different level. And he said
to me, he said, I know they're calling you the
next doctor, but it's only one dominique with on Doctor J.
But today you can start learning. And I remember he
had a great game against me, and I wasn't upset,
but I said, that's the doctor, that's my idolo. You know,
(19:26):
but once I got over that, you know, it was
nothing but competing with us.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
When did you realize I am Dominique Wilkin.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
When did you realize, like, you know what, I have
to start making my own marking game because I'm here now.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I knew before I came in the league, to be
honest with you, because before I came to the NBA,
I used to work out. A lot of people didn't
know this because you couldn't do it at the time,
but I did it. I worked out with Pete Marriage
and Marius Lucas, so I got one of the most
skilled guys in history who was for his time in
Pete Marriage, and I got toughest guy and one of
the tough guys to play the game, and Mariice Lucas
(20:03):
the enforcer. So when I came to the NBA, I
wasn't wrong. I'm ready to go. But the thing about
coming to the NBA in those days is as the
top three picks in the draft, you still got to
pay your dues due something I could have averaged twenty
twenty five plus my first year. But the old heads,
as you'll said, el Bus, you know I had I
(20:26):
had Dan Roundfield, Eddie Johnson, the tree violence, young fellow.
Just play the game, don't try to do too much.
Ain't too time yet. But once I got their blessing, uh,
because that very next year, I remember Dan Roundfield said,
now it's time for you to be the captain. You
earned it. So you had to earn their respect. You know,
they didn't they didn't hand you the keys.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
That early, right, right?
Speaker 4 (20:50):
Okay, So, so speaking of of of being in the game, like,
was there any time where you you got knowledge from
a individual that you was inspired by, you know, especially
like once you come in you actually meet somebody you've
seen on TV, you know, Doctor J.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
That was just that was authentic. That was just so
happened to be there. What is somebody like you were
truly like, I want to meet this guy.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Well he was the one. He was the one. The
guys I really learned from when I first came. It
was doctor J.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
It was.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Maurice Lucas Magic. I started playing something ball with them
before I came in and made George Iceman, Gervin them,
the guys, Moses Malan them, the guys that I learned
a lot from. Guy, these these were these were not
just superstars. These were legendary guys right still playing the game.
And so I learned a lot from them, and I said,
(21:45):
I want to be as good or better than those guys.
And the only way again, the only way you do
that you got to play against the greatest if you
want to be the glader.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
And and it's crazy that you said that you played
against the greatest, but not only did you play against
the greatest.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Your career is long, jeviy, And you can attest to
this in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Nine years.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
That's cool, that's good, that's that's alright.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
You played long enough were you're gonna stab it and
make you some money once you can a double digits
ten the better twelve, thirteen, fourteen, like you good, Like
they're trying to get every little juice about you.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yeah, you know, I could have played two or three
more years if I wanted to. I could have got
to nineteen twenty years, right, But at that time, it
was it was changing. It was about really kind of
nurturing the young guy, you know, and fascinating because I
remember Chuck Daily said to me when I was in
Orlando at the end of my career and I had
(22:41):
I was starting averaging like nineteen twenty points and like
eight nine rebounds. But I was but I was only
playing like eighteen minutes a night stilled, and I remember
he came to me, said, we're gonna start Matt Harpman.
Could we need more scoring, right? And I said, Chuck,
let me say that. See, you don't have to blow smoker.
(23:01):
I said, don't insult my intelligence. Right, right, I was
leading the league in points per minute, right, I said,
if you want to start the young guys, hey, I'm
not no problem with that. I understand things are changing. Cool,
but don't don't don't come with me with that.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
Come on, really, it's going point in twenty minutes. Yeah,
you're gonna score every minute.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Like, guys, this is this is what I've done. So
if it's about development, I'm cool with that, but let
me know the front this is what it is, right,
it's about the business too, instead of you know, insulting
your intelligence, you know, correct. Yeah, So I saw the
change and I said, you know what, maybe I'm gonna
retire and go into the front office. And that's what
(23:43):
I did.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
More.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
Now, you've been in the game for for quite some time, Like,
what is the most craziest fan interaction that you because
today's fans ain't fan.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
No, no, listen. They had a guy in Detroit, Leana Barber.
I can't even tell you the stuff he said to
Some of the stuff he said to us behind the bench,
and he sat right behind our bench on two big bodyguards.
And some of the stuff is that you can't say
on air. It's not it's not clean enough for television.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
But people don't know that fans back then was trash talking.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
He didn't get thrown out because it wasn't for us.
It was entertainment. You know, we didn't. We didn't get upset,
get fans thrown out. We just didn't do it, not
unless a fan came out of stands and did something
this right, but talking all they did to motivate.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Us, right, because he's supposed to make you bring the dog.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Out because that shows you your toughness too, kind of
like shut. I don't get that fan thrown out. He
obviously a fan of mine because he's he came to
see me play. He's talking crazy and because this is
what motivates him. But you know what, there's something that
same fan Leaner Barber after the game was asked me
for my shoes all the time. So it was never personal.
(24:55):
It was he was supporting his team, you know. So
it was a lot of fans around the legal like that.
I mean, we loved it, we embraced it.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Who was the best trash talk as a player?
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Oh man, A lot of My brother was one of them. Cherild, Yeah,
I remember he told me, he said, big brother, you
ain't scoring no more tonight. I said, little bru, I
got forty. I don't want to score no more. I'm done.
A matter of fact, Coach, take me out. I don't
even want to play no more.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Well, you had to be taken out because you too good,
versus you asked the coach, why are you taking it out?
Speaker 1 (25:22):
I mean I said that because he was talking trash.
But it was a lot Chuck person Indiana Pacers, Oh
my god, It's almost like we fought every game matter
fist fight or show me make something every game every game. Yeah,
and then you got Larry Bird. Larry Bird. If you
wasn't ready, he took your heart.
Speaker 2 (25:41):
You know.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Larry was great. It was a lot. It was quite
a few guys that talked like that, but Larry and
Chuck was some of the best. Larry was number one
because everything he said he did it. He backed it up.
He backed it up.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
That's bad.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
He's bad. And that's why again, I don't I hate
when people asked. I had a guy ask me, did
I think I could score fifteen points a game in
today's game? Could you? I said, is that a trick question?
I said, which quarter?
Speaker 3 (26:11):
Hmm?
Speaker 1 (26:12):
I like, are you serious? Right? And I said, I
averaged thirty in the hand check era. I said, what
do you think I'd do if you can't touch me?
I'm like, come on, man, really text, but we all
like physical contact. Man. I wanted to bump and grind
down around the basket. Because the thing about when you
can feel a guy, you know how to play him.
(26:36):
I already know how you can play because if I
can feel you, I got you if I can because
if I can make you commit one way, I'm going opposite.
And people said, well, what do you mean by that?
I said, a lot of times, when you guys catch
the bought, the first thing you do is dribble. Well,
what you do when you can feel a guy, you
commit one way to the other. If you feel and
move to your right, you know you drop and go
(26:57):
left and those are all the things we love that
high school college to prepare us for the pros. So
all that stuff say up and under drop step you
know power, We learned that at very early age. The
thing is is how can you put pressure consistently on
the team. If you don't attack right, you have to
(27:18):
attack My whole thing with this is my strategy. If
I'm playing against another great player on the other side
of it, right, if I can get two fouls on
him early, now I create an advantage for myself because
now he's not gonna play me as hard. He's to
get that third file right. And so you create that
advantage early. Now you get going. Now the ball is
going in the basket. You know, your level of confidence
(27:40):
is elevated, and you know you're trying to get that
third file on before you get to halftime.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
I feel like we get our coaching on.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
And since we're in our coaching and this is Hawks
and friends, what you think no Hawks got to do
by me?
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Well, first of all, we got to stay healthy, man,
I mean injury, have been hit with that injury rebug,
and you know we got guys out right now. But
you know I got to give it to these guys. Man,
they still fighting, right, we got to fight fighting. They
playing hard, you know, and each night it's a different
guy to step up. Your last last game was Trey
(28:18):
hitting the big shot, that big fourth quarter said he had.
But you know, you look at rechter Shire. He played well.
Then night, Dyce and Daniels played well. And that's what
you got to have when you're decimated, you know, with injuries,
you gotta do it collectively. It's hard to do it
with one guy.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
Yes, And that's crazy because as collective as the city,
we all want to say thank you again for bringing
that energy and that love.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
And that's why you got a statue.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
You ain't.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Nobody got no statue.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
You know what, it's only one jersey. I felt good
and throughout my career. And I'm not just saying this.
It's a Hawk jersey. When I was with Boston and
LA Clippers and saying I didn't feel right. I didn't
look right in th jerseys.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Ain't look right in them colors.
Speaker 5 (29:01):
Man, Only this red and yellow matter, man, That's right,
that's right, boss Fade, he eat in the head.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
Oh gee, it's an honor, man. Don't let this be
your last.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
Oh no, we can do it anytime.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Man need your crib. They got a picasso.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
You gotta pool, and he gotta and he got a gazebo.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
And don't nobody be over.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
Here, right and that tiny house. When I want to
get away from my grandkids, I go over there.
Speaker 5 (29:30):
You got a tighty house and get away from his house.
He got a house to get away from his original house.
He tied in that house.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
Hey man, it's a it's a blessing and an honor man.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
And you know, like you said, we just want to
continue to give you your flowers while you can hear
and will appreciate you. And we're thankful for everything that
you've done for the city. And we're glad that you
came and did it for Ice city.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
That's why I woll this jersey. Let you know it's
still here. That's crazy that you could do something so
long ago and he still.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
You know what's funny, I'm thirty three. You know you
can get my jersey. I can't. I can't get it.
Why they said they had to order, which is a
good problem.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
Yeah, I'm about the same thing you created it.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
No, but no that then the Hawks will always make
sure that I have a jersey for the families and grandkids.
And I have two great grand kids. I'm a great uncle.
Oh man, you're too young for grade on that what
you say.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
My mama had me with you forty five. My daddy
was sixty one.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Oh, g okay, yeah it makes sense.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
My dadd had graduated high school before you.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Sure you're right?
Speaker 3 (30:34):
Hey, o g alta man, you know what's up? Man?
Hey man, it's a great episode of Hawks and Free.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Yeah, this is this is my area.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
You got to have a path.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
No, you know, only time I really come in the
house and I'm eat right or go to sleep right
these two rooms to get away. Man, this is my
this is my human door.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
That's why I can't wait for my house is done.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
I can get my I got my paths down on here.
You know why these are here, right, because when you
smoke in here, you can't burn my chest.
Speaker 5 (31:03):
But oh, okay, this is need some of the couple
of my ch I thought there was just like, you know,
keep the plastic on the firm.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
It's something like that.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Okay, it's a book.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
I don't want to buy, you know, burning holes in
my chest. But you know, both of these areas like
it's like my you just cigar bar.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
You drink.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
Yeah, you know, I got a little see this one,
this one like more family oriented when even when the
family wanted to get out.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
But this one, I had my bending meeting.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Yeah, yeah, just I have a lot of meetings out here. Yeah,
you know, we do a lot of podcasts from time
to time out here. But I wanted just to look
more like a low cabin.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Yeah, wrong with that.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
And then you know, I have my own my own,
your own, Yeah, I got my own bourbon burning. I'm
gonna give you about it.
Speaker 6 (31:55):
Give me bis to that was yours, walk around, grand.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
I built the floor myself. I did the floor myself.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
So you're telling me you got down here and you
and you grew it, leveled it, saying until you realize
you needed somebody professional to finish.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
No, no, I finished it for I did this whole floor.
I did this, I did this backsplash here, that whole
wall there.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
That's fine.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
And the only thing I had because we had shingles
at the top. I got to get rid of the
shing so I had somebody that can do the roof,
but the floor stuff like this all that.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Then I came in put.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Heating in the air and then I put you know, cigar, uh.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
So you do you do?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
So you you be reconstruct the houses too.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
I ain't gonna say all that.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
I mean, anybodyn do a floor.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
That's that's the start is on. You need a floor
before you get a bail. I'm really handy.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
Yeah, I like that. I'm a country by myself.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
I built a lot, even a little boards on my
tiny house. I built those I put those boards on,
that's all right. And actually we took my old fence
down with my uncle and I built the.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Fen Ya built the fen too. You dug it up.
Oh yeah, stuck the wood down.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
You know. I got my nail gun the whole the
whole thing.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
You know. That's engineering.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
That's the engineering, right.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
See. People don't know that, that's engineer.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Always been a hand of man. I come from a
family that the men of the family always work. You
got to work inside that out right.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
So yeah, I got to get dirty.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Yeah. Yeah. The only thing I gonna like when my
kids they come here, they take basketball and they throw
them all over the yard and I gotta come pick
up im.
Speaker 7 (33:27):
About to say I thought that was a boat, I
would say, you don't do no fish. Oh no, no, no,
you know fish? Oh well yeah, yeah yeah, Okay, I
bash fish. Okay, been bass fished. My dad father from
North Carolina. That's all they did hunt. I used to
hunt too. I used to steal. My grandfather had a
gun to shoot sixteen times.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
It was silent. I used to go shoot at the barn.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Boy.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
See, I thought I was good. I ain't good. I'm
gonna keep that Burby right here.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
This is my championship troph Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what. Hey,
that is excellent buron.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
And you know I don't drink, but I'm gonna drink that.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
You know, I'm not much of a drinking Usually it's
for other people. I kind of experiment a little bit,
but not I'm not a big time. Well you know,
I'm getting ready to replace this whole floor because I've
had it here for a minute and it's starting to fade.
So CBA Sports, from which I partner with, this is
what we do. We do outdoor courts, right, we do
indoor courts. And yeah, you got this, you got to
(34:27):
you got it that.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Yeah, I'm trying.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I'm trying to get around.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
You got the silhouette that.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
We ain't playing what hey wow, that the boss thing
I was talking about.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Man, hey, that's funny. That's funny. So yeah, so we
we we have a court building company. Actually I have
my own signatuship floor coming out right.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
You know, how would they because I refer them to me?
Speaker 1 (34:53):
So I got you this. What if you want to court,
just call me and they get over and look at
your property.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I need one matter matter of fact, I want this
same silhouette. Matter of fact, I want this same court.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
You know what with the hawks. Make sure you get
my information and I'll send the guy to hell cause
they'll come out and look at your property, see where
you want it? And I got up now and see
this is also a tennis court too, right because you
because you have you have you have have rebounders here
these are rebounders.
Speaker 5 (35:26):
Right, and then you have the these right here rebounder
just the rebound for for not oh for the tents, I.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Mean the actually like if you want here shooting by yourself,
you can you know this is this is this is
your reading.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
So what's what's what's what's your technique of a perfect
jump shot?
Speaker 1 (35:42):
Well, I don't know what it is now, but back
then it's just keep it just going straight up and down,
getting balanced, you know what I mean. I'm pigeon told
so you know like this, go straight up and down.
Let me see. Yeah, you gotta have fun, baby, you
gotta have fun. I'm old man. I can't shoot it
like I used to. Or bye, that's good looking shot.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
That's a good looking shot. Now, Coach told me that
I wan't gonna be.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
But I'm gonna tell you though. I'm gonna tell you though.
The first thing I would tell you know right, start
right here. See most kids the shot they take the
three three? You two, you know what, see the ball
go down? Take an easy shot, you know what I mean?
Take like two of them, and then you step out.
Knock down like two of those. There you go. Now
(36:29):
you step out or go in the corner with it, whatever,
you come through it. Now you don't see that ball
go down? Right?
Speaker 5 (36:34):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
I've coached both my sons, both of them.
Speaker 5 (36:37):
See what look and my daughter is it Isn't that
like a blessing for you to give off some game
to your loved one, especially that you know that they
can use.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
I think we have a social responsibility to give back
what we've learned right. And when I hear people say, oh, well,
I'm not a role model. I don't like being, but
you are. When you put in that position, you have
an obligation to give it back, right. You know. That's
why if you ever see me with bodyguards all that stuff,
(37:07):
huh huh, how can you connect to people if people
can can't even touch it, interact me to touch it?
I mean. So that's why I get expect from places
I go, especially in the city of Atlanta, because I'm oneer.
If you guys, that's how I like.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
When I'm moving in the city. I understand.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
When I'm out certain times you may need that.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
But when I'm in the city, man, I don't need
no security. I know how to move around.
Speaker 5 (37:31):
He need, nigga, would I'm outside?
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Yeah, I'm telling I go to grocery all that stuff,
and people are like, hey, nigga, how you doing because
they see me so much?
Speaker 2 (37:39):
How you doing?
Speaker 3 (37:39):
So?
Speaker 5 (37:39):
You know, I don't have to have all that run right, right,
And that's how you stay connected with the earth, with
with with life.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
You already know what's going on.
Speaker 5 (37:47):
Because I'm a I'm are because I do this, I'm
still a human being.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
You know what I'm saying, And that's why people that's
why people love you, because then you do that. Man,
you got you got a little jump shot there.
Speaker 3 (37:57):
But I try to do a little some something.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
What's he once he told me, I won't gonna be none.
I put the jump, I put it die, I put
everything and die.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
And so my son is my youngest son, six eleven
right right. He used to come out here, him and
his friends all the time, and they kept the gold
and all they wanted to do is dunk. I said, man,
put the gold up doing I said, if you want
to learn how to play the game, put it up
ten feet. Well, daddy's just me and the fellas. I like,
put the go up. I mean, I'm screaming at him
(38:27):
all the time. Now he finally realized why.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Because he doesn't he doesn't try anything.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
I see him. And actually it was a little bit
lower than this, like, come on, son, you know. So
the funniest thing. So as he got taller, you know,
I think he was six eight at the time, a
couple of his friends come over and he asked me
to come out and play with him. I said, I
don't know, I'll be out in the minute. Son. So
(38:57):
I saw him on the court from the window and
he kept looking back, can see.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
If I was seeing you come, I see you know what.
I gotta come. I gotta go, I gotta come.
Speaker 1 (39:04):
So it was me and him against two of his guys.
And these kids were like six eight, both of them
six eight, and you know, and one of the guys said,
don't worry about his pop this god Jacob.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
I like what you tried.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Oh man, I started. I was winning a little kid
out right, and so he tried to go by me.
He hit me in the chest. My son said, oh
hit a brick wall.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
You go learn today.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Hey, I heard for two weeks. That was the last.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
That was it. That.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
That wasn't that my That wasn't in my for t
right as every day. Yeah, it wasn't in my wheelhouse.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
So I'm just gonna do some games.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
It was fun while I lasted, because I knew he
wanted he wanted He just wanted that experience. Wanted me
to come out.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
He wanted that experience.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
Tell us, you know and say this friend and dad
out there playing me and daddy bust y'all. Yeah, yeah,
you gotta pull that gold up. But you know, first
of all, it's a god given talent, a gift of
being able to elevate, you know. But somebody dunk for
the first time, make sure to go with at a
height that you can reach it. You know, uh, you know,
(40:19):
I believe my first dunk was thirteen years old.
Speaker 5 (40:23):
I as a dunk ten for before. I don't think
I can do it again. I mean, I don't say
came to my vocabulary. I can't see practice makes perfect,
you know. I don't practice the dunk.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
You know, I just noticed that shirt.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
Man. Yeah, I won't play.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
That's my shirt.
Speaker 2 (40:38):
I don't play. Man. We represent right here in atlanda
man we getting in blood represented all right.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
They want to see it. See what you got, See
what you got.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
It's all about which which dunk you want me to do?
What wal off the back boy? I'm crazy. I don't
better go crazy.
Speaker 5 (40:58):
Okay, they want off the back ball, all the black boy,
all the back boy up too half for myself, you.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Know, definitely. That was one of my slam dunk contests,
winning dunkstads.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
See but this now, now I gotta all time.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
And baby, it's all time.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
It's all about time.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
That's all about about how you know that.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I ain't know that back boy had a little seamen on.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Oh yeah, that's it. There you go, there you go.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
Dunk contest.
Speaker 5 (41:28):
Now that got so hey, oh man, they doing they
be doing stuff. Looking at it, I'll be like, you
ain't doing nothing.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
And you know what if they now McLoone is doing
it again this year right for a three peak. Right,
it's amazing because you got a guy coming out of G.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
League something the little shot. Yeah, he been doing the thing.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
If I'm an NBA player, man, I'm Paris and Barish
League got beat me and bears, no sir.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
Okay, So think about it like this, right? How you
how you looking at it? How do you see that?
Right now?
Speaker 5 (42:04):
You don't have to make it to the NBA. They
got so many that's what it's saying. They got so
many avenues.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
You right, coach, I probably won the NBA player, but
I'm an nil europe League player. You never taught me that.
I only thought NBA was the only way.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
You know what, if you're an NBA player, you work
all your life to get to this level. Right. It
ain't nobody at this level, right, and this that's why
I'll pay you. I'm sure, Michael Jordan, Magine all testing
ain't come and beat me right, No, not happening, because
it's pride, right, you know, pride. It's all about pride, man.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
You know.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
Hell, we were going at the toughest guys right to
do the contest right, you know, and you had to
bring it.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
You know.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
My first dunk contest was Doctor J. Larry Nance uh Griffith.
I mean these are legendary dunk because the dunk right.
And again I didn't do very well in a dunk
contest because I am stargazing because the Doctor J. That
was my guy, you know. And so once I got
over that, that next year, I said, I'm not gonna
just be in the dunk contest.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
I gotta I got, I gotta show myself.
Speaker 1 (43:18):
I'm gonna win it right, and I want it that
next year year. So you know that was my mentality.
I played the game of one speed. That was all out.
That's the only way I knew how to play. No,
I wasn't gonna come that train. Now I get out
on the break. Ain't nobody beat me down for And
you look at guys like myself, James Worthy, how fast
(43:41):
we ran the lanes.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
I think suicide. All that came about. Ain't nobody suicide.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
We ran the fast break. We wasn't gonna stop at
the three point line. We get into that rack, especially
early in the game.
Speaker 2 (43:52):
I see, I see too many people right here.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
So when you want a fast break and it's nobody
between you and the basket, especially early in the game.
Now late in the game, the game close, you need
to be of course, but early in the game you
un You get that too easy too. Now you're seeing
the ball go in the basket, but this way we
see it, you don't start pressing.
Speaker 5 (44:13):
We seeing three four people in the three point line,
one person at the post, and you like, and you
got one person on the side like he ain't.
Speaker 2 (44:19):
On him to come over here with the You.
Speaker 5 (44:22):
Like, ain't no move y'all, ain't making no y'all, ain't
set on no plays.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
A classic way of running a fast break is when
you get it, you get it to that point guard
right and you feel the lanes. You go wide and
then you cut in, so you got a choice either side.
Now if they don't get it, you go through and
you cross right. Now the big guy come down and
you have what they call a second day break, so
the ball never stops.
Speaker 5 (44:45):
So check this out right, Just like you said, if
you would have missed through four five shots back then,
you getting out the game.
Speaker 2 (44:50):
Oh they got sinners coming up the court with the ball.
How when we start doing that?
Speaker 1 (44:57):
But see, the thing is the object of the game,
the get the ball up the floor as quickly as
possible by any means necessary. So yeah, I brought the
ball up the floor a lot, but I was pushing it.
But most time I wanted to be the one to
finish the play and I started, So I get that
ball to Doc rivers buk where and I just fell
those lanes because I know it's coming back to me.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
But how how you gonna get a rebound? So bringing
the ball.
Speaker 1 (45:22):
And dunks and one plays the rim because we were
willing to run. We ran the ball form makes and missus.
Speaker 5 (45:30):
So we'll never get second Darby's chances, second Darvin chances.
If our center is bringing the ball up, who Wh're
gonna get the rebound?
Speaker 1 (45:37):
The guard? Yeah, but you know again, it was just
a different way of playing back then. I was trying
to be very efficient. And how you do that you
gotta attack.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
I gotta attack.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
See the ball, going back, get to the free throw line,
and like, well, you see in the mid range. I
was doing all that mid range stuff way back then.
Speaker 2 (45:59):
How how you feel about people doing this? Because I
see this a lot. I see this a lot.
Speaker 5 (46:08):
Guard or or power forward, whichever want to beat they man,
you can tell that ain't in their contract to shoot
too many shots.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
They got a freezeout.
Speaker 6 (46:15):
I already know what you're saying, and here ain't go
you know what I'm gonna get you God, but that
gets on my nerves. Me crazy with big guys to
see him get right here and they passed the ball,
pass the ball. If you did that back and there's
a big guy would have passed up ball back out
when you right here again, especially early in the game,
right you might not see a lot of playing times
(46:37):
because you're giving up an easy giving up maybe.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
For you know, he ain't gonna who he ain't gonna
make it.
Speaker 1 (46:43):
Because this is a hypercentage shot. But I see so
many guys remors right there and you do this throw
it out. That's the that's bizarre to me because even
as a smaller guy, I'm not a center. I was
small for it. If I got the ball in here.
It ain't coming out. I'm trying to get this guy
in foul trouble and get it easy too. You know.
(47:05):
The thing you don't see. I had to jump honk right,
you know, I get the ball here, right, I get
a step using this using to throw it out, but
just hold the guy, bab gotta jump hunk. Or if
I get it right, and that's like I said, kill
here for a second. Let me tell you something, right,
if I go this way and you go with me
right right, then go there. So if I'm gonna go
(47:26):
with me, you're gone. You gone, right, You're done, You're gone,
you know. Or if you guard me right, I take
you step up, I rip through, then I'll come through right.
Or I go the opposite way you got. Then I
go this way right then I throw it off the
glass and then right. You know, that's that's the things
we were taught, you know,
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Shannon Sharpe
Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson
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