back to indexLife Transitions & Lessons feat. Brandon Roy // Michael Porter Jr.
Chapters
0:0
3:32 Favorite Kobe Story
4:57 Favorite Kobe Story
17:58 Game Day Routine
20:16 Listening to Your Body
25:49 Greg Oden
00:00:13.120 |
You know, Kobe said his dude was the hardest player 00:00:18.100 |
I had the pleasure of playing for this dude in Nathan Hale. 00:00:21.700 |
He taught me a lot, he's been a big bro to me since. 00:00:24.140 |
So I appreciate you being on the show, my brother. 00:00:25.980 |
- Oh yeah, no doubt, thanks for having me on the show. 00:00:31.800 |
just 'cause that's obviously where most people know you from. 00:00:44.780 |
I just wanna ask you about your favorite players. 00:00:46.200 |
Who was your, like your time, who was the best players 00:01:01.720 |
you have the names that are, like LeBron James, 00:01:10.040 |
but hearing about him, and just hearing the legend 00:01:14.060 |
of LeBron James, it's like, okay, is he that good? 00:01:23.800 |
It's not that you say, oh, I'm gonna concede to this guy, 00:01:28.400 |
but watching him, he was that good at an early age. 00:01:32.600 |
And I think that kids kind of get that misunderstood. 00:01:37.200 |
of the best players I've seen since, like, a LeBron. 00:01:45.340 |
So he was off top, the best kid when we were in high school. 00:01:49.920 |
And then another guy that was big was Carmelo Anthony. 00:01:57.640 |
- Well, yeah, we're the same age, but we're a class of, 00:01:59.680 |
me and Carmelo are a class of 2002, and Bron is 2003. 00:02:04.840 |
- So, you know, I think Melo might be 37, I'm 37, 00:02:09.600 |
- So, yeah, so we're all in that same, you know, 00:02:14.240 |
And, you know, Melo, and then CP3, them dudes 00:02:20.120 |
Those were, again, like, so when I get a list 00:02:23.840 |
okay, those are the dudes that's in the league, 00:02:25.520 |
you know who they are, you know, they've been good, 00:02:29.200 |
But then, you know, locally, I've always had, 00:02:32.400 |
you know, really good battles with, you know, 00:02:35.680 |
you know, Rainier Beach High School's a big high school, 00:02:38.480 |
so I had battles with, you know, Roderick Stewart, 00:02:41.120 |
Roderick Stewart, twin brothers, Nate Robinson went there. 00:02:46.040 |
Franklin High School, Anthony Grant, he's really good. 00:02:49.520 |
Then you got, you know, my brother was always 00:02:51.280 |
the hardest player I've ever had to play against. 00:02:57.560 |
- That's just the older brother thing, though. 00:02:59.120 |
- Yeah, you know, it's, you know, you play with, 00:03:01.360 |
I see you and Tay play, it's kinda like the big brother 00:03:06.880 |
- So, you know, those are all dudes that, you know, 00:03:08.600 |
I always, you know, looked up to, admired playing against, 00:03:11.920 |
competing against, and, you know, again, to this day, 00:03:14.480 |
they're the ones that push me to always wanna 00:03:15.840 |
keep getting better, 'cause you're always hearing about them 00:03:17.960 |
and seeing what they're doing, and then it's like, 00:03:20.360 |
all right, I wanna try to make sure I stay on that level. 00:03:23.800 |
So then, you didn't mention Kobe, so he was obviously 00:03:26.920 |
a little older, but how much older was he than you? 00:03:29.520 |
And then I was gonna ask you, what is your favorite 00:03:37.680 |
I always start with Michael Jordan as my favorite 00:03:44.400 |
But what was really cool about Kobe was, you know, 00:03:47.080 |
he eventually became my second, because, you know, 00:03:50.240 |
when I got introduced to basketball, it was like, 00:03:53.960 |
But when Kobe came into the league in '96, I'm like, 00:03:57.400 |
okay, damn, he plays like Jordan, but he young. 00:04:01.240 |
- And he kinda cool, and more fitting, you know, 00:04:04.000 |
the age group and the popularity of how we wanna do things. 00:04:09.960 |
I'm getting to high school, I got the baby fro now, 00:04:12.560 |
you know, so it was like, Jordan was the guy I idolized, 00:04:16.400 |
and then it moved into Kobe, but it was cool, 00:04:18.840 |
because I always try to play like Jordan, you know, 00:04:23.760 |
and Kobe was doing it too, so now I'm going into it like, 00:04:26.840 |
damn, so now my second favorite player plays just like 00:04:31.240 |
and I can relate to him more, you know, it's like, 00:04:33.880 |
you know, you watching shows like Moesha growing up, 00:04:36.400 |
and then Kobe go to, you know, you see him and Brandy 00:04:39.360 |
going to prom, and it's like, yeah, this is all my, 00:04:43.520 |
When Jordan was, you know, he was older and more mature 00:04:46.120 |
and doing different things, so that was real, 00:04:48.280 |
that was real dope, and then, yeah, ever since then, 00:04:50.120 |
he's just always been the guy that I idolized, 00:04:54.640 |
So, you know, I would say my favorite Kobe story 00:04:58.720 |
was when I was in Portland, and we had a win streak 00:05:06.120 |
So, you know, I got hurt, and leading up into this game, 00:05:13.320 |
I wouldn't say it then, but I used to watch Laker games, 00:05:20.520 |
'cause, you know, Kobe was still my favorite player, 00:05:22.480 |
but I didn't want anybody to think that he had an edge on me 00:05:27.160 |
So, you know, we're getting ready for the game, 00:05:29.400 |
and, you know, they asked me, "Am I gonna play?" 00:05:30.840 |
And I was just like, nah, it's just not ready yet. 00:05:40.800 |
and I was like, no way, he hurt his ankle too bad. 00:05:42.880 |
- So, like, if you was gonna play, he was gonna play? 00:05:51.680 |
and they're like, all right, he's not gonna play. 00:06:01.080 |
and go over the Kobe sets, and how they're gonna play. 00:06:03.840 |
So I was like, nah, I'm still about a week away. 00:06:07.600 |
So I put it out there early, and then, you know, 00:06:22.440 |
he works with Nike, and then he worked with Kobe. 00:06:34.160 |
I said, ask Kobe when the team's about to warm up. 00:06:44.680 |
in the first quarter, so he came back in the second quarter. 00:06:47.760 |
And he was like, Kobe said, yeah, come down there, 00:06:49.760 |
but wait 'til the teams go out and come after halftime. 00:07:03.760 |
He said, come down, but let the teams go out. 00:07:07.960 |
So the teams, you know, Nate come in and give his speech. 00:07:10.080 |
Both teams go out, and I'm walking up to the locker room. 00:07:13.320 |
I'm like, damn, so what am I going to say to Kobe? 00:07:15.400 |
So I'm all nervous, and I walk all the way down the hallway. 00:07:18.160 |
And then I get to the door, and I'm kind of listening in, 00:07:21.160 |
and I like tap to knock on the locker room door. 00:07:25.160 |
And I peek in my head, and I was like, oh, it's B-Roy. 00:07:35.960 |
He was laying on the table getting stretched. 00:07:37.760 |
And the dude was like doing something to his ankle. 00:07:43.440 |
So he hops up off the table, and he's like, B-Roy, come here. 00:07:48.320 |
And I went to dap him, and he gave me like a bear hug. 00:07:54.480 |
And then I like loosened up, and he's like, how you doing, man? 00:08:02.400 |
And we ended up sitting there talking and joking 00:08:08.440 |
- And that was, for me, not just because of his passing, 00:08:12.640 |
but that was like, damn, I'm meeting my idol, 00:08:21.840 |
I was like, so how's your and Michael Jordan's relationship? 00:08:28.400 |
But most people, I always try to look at it like 00:08:38.320 |
We wanted to know, like, how does Kobe tie his shoes? 00:09:00.480 |
But Kobe didn't play, 'cause he had a bad thumb. 00:09:35.680 |
but we didn't really have a one-on-one conversation. 00:10:07.000 |
but Kobe was respected on a whole 'nother level than like-- 00:10:30.240 |
with our favorite players from the college level. 00:10:33.800 |
Where you guys get idolized a little younger, 00:10:37.680 |
Like, I didn't know nothing about Tim Duncan in high school. 00:10:42.000 |
like we learned him from Michigan and the Fab Five, 00:10:54.760 |
there was something about Kobe coming around. 00:11:14.520 |
and Melo's one of the top players in the world. 00:11:25.360 |
you know, 'cause Chris Bosch, all those guys, 00:11:26.920 |
you know, it's all a class, 2002, three, one. 00:11:30.200 |
And Kobe was like that first dude to really just be, 00:11:33.600 |
you know, he was cold, but he was also, you know, 00:11:51.360 |
So he was just really that guy that I think a lot of guys 00:11:57.760 |
I mean, that's one thing that I like really wish 00:12:02.840 |
I remember I was at the Nike Basketball Academy, 00:12:09.280 |
And I left that morning before he flew in on the jet. 00:12:12.120 |
So all my homies got like, you know, Trey, Gary Trent, 00:12:26.240 |
So even for me, I was like one of my favorite players, so. 00:12:28.880 |
- Nah, it was, you'd have liked meeting him too, 00:12:38.320 |
- So, you know, I'll tell you something that's funny. 00:12:42.280 |
I think the Lakers was picking like 20th, 21st. 00:12:49.200 |
I think I'm gonna go to the Lakers, you know, 00:12:52.280 |
And he's like laughing, like, nah, I'm like, I'm serious. 00:12:55.920 |
Like, you know, is there anything we could do? 00:12:57.280 |
He was like, I mean, I'll call him, you wanna work out? 00:13:00.320 |
And I was like, yeah, I'll work out for the Lakers. 00:13:06.840 |
- For real, 'cause you wanted to play with Kobe? 00:13:17.480 |
and he's, you know, he's watching the workout. 00:13:19.600 |
Craig Hodges ends up working me out, I was juiced. 00:13:23.280 |
So, you know, I was like, man, this is crazy, 00:13:34.800 |
and I met with, you know, Mitch Kovachek and Phil, 00:13:36.840 |
and they were like, all right, so let's just get to it. 00:13:39.720 |
Like, why are you working out for the Lakers? 00:13:41.200 |
And I was like, man, I think me and Kobe can play together. 00:13:44.080 |
You know, and at that time, that's when the Lakers had, 00:13:48.640 |
So I was like, man, I gotta get my guy, Kobe, back on top. 00:13:52.480 |
- And I never even, I hadn't met him yet at that point, 00:13:55.040 |
but I went to all the Laker games at that playoff series. 00:13:58.920 |
I was there and he made the shot against Phoenix. 00:14:14.920 |
You know, it hurt a lot to hear that he had passed 00:14:27.200 |
But so like, when that quote came out where Kobe, 00:14:37.080 |
Do you remember when that was and like what year? 00:14:43.640 |
I think we was playing Houston in the playoffs. 00:14:49.960 |
But also I'm like, man, you putting a bullseye on my back. 00:14:55.800 |
- Yeah, but you know, I didn't take it like in a bad way. 00:15:02.040 |
And you know, Portland's in a smaller market. 00:15:10.640 |
Like why are these dudes saying that about him? 00:15:20.920 |
I'm not a big media guy to where I do a lot of media stuff 00:15:35.320 |
And you know, but a lot of players speak highly of you. 00:15:50.080 |
that was like the icing on the cake, you know, for Kobe, 00:15:54.000 |
I don't care in what profession that, you know, you're in, 00:16:01.520 |
gives you, you know, that kind of a compliment. 00:16:03.800 |
So I definitely knew what he meant by it, you know, 00:16:09.400 |
he's just like, man, you know, you have counters, 00:16:14.120 |
If a guy tried to take this away, you'll do something else. 00:16:17.120 |
And Ron Artest pretty much said the same thing. 00:16:23.400 |
to always trying to go in the gym and get better. 00:16:26.320 |
Because you know how it is in this game, man. 00:16:29.040 |
Dudes are smart, there's a lot of smart players, 00:16:48.120 |
I mean, I don't even want to, it was better than cool 00:16:51.920 |
would really understand how much that meant to me 00:16:57.080 |
Like, you know, like that dude's the hardest player. 00:16:59.800 |
I was like, wow, you know, and then Ron Artest is awesome 00:17:04.840 |
- Like, you know, I've had my struggles with Ron. 00:17:06.760 |
You know, dude's a, he's strong, he's physical. 00:17:15.480 |
And I had to learn with Ron, I was like, man, 00:17:17.560 |
I got to try to out-quick him 'cause he's too strong 00:17:20.400 |
to be trying to go up against all day long, I'll be tired. 00:17:29.720 |
So all that stuff is just me being a fan of it 00:17:32.880 |
and just trying to just really win the damn game. 00:17:36.520 |
You know, it's like, you know, you work so hard, 00:17:39.360 |
you're like, man, I want to get over the hump, 00:17:46.800 |
Shoot, like you said, you kept adding and adding 00:17:57.120 |
I remember you talked to me about this one time, 00:18:00.880 |
so like, we're going to talk about the lifestyle stuff 00:18:04.800 |
but on the court, what was your, like, motto? 00:18:07.440 |
Did you, like, was it the same thing every day? 00:18:14.480 |
'cause college is always a little more team oriented. 00:18:16.840 |
But professionally, my game day usually always went with, 00:18:26.000 |
And then I usually try to eat right after shoot around. 00:18:30.080 |
depending on what's, you know, aches and pains, 00:18:33.640 |
it would depend on how early I would go before. 00:18:36.240 |
And also depending on how deep into the season, 00:18:38.800 |
if I wanted to lift, I would always try to lift, 00:18:42.800 |
'cause I wanted to feel a little stronger going into it. 00:18:50.880 |
I'm gonna be relaxed until about four o'clock, 00:18:53.520 |
'til I'm kind of getting up and get my shower in. 00:18:59.320 |
Then when I go home, you know, I have my son, 00:19:07.560 |
And then it's like, all right, now I'm gonna take my nap. 00:19:09.680 |
I might've played one or two basketball games ever 00:19:18.200 |
It's like, if I don't get my nap and my shower, 00:19:26.880 |
So I would always do my nap, I get a pregame nap. 00:19:33.920 |
If I'm on the road, I put my thing on the little speaker, 00:19:37.280 |
If I'm at home, I got my music ready, blast it, shower, 00:19:43.880 |
And then early in my career, I would drive to the games. 00:19:49.080 |
I was just like, nah, I wanna just sit in the car and ride 00:19:52.800 |
So I was like, man, I'm gonna be in the car for an hour. 00:20:03.120 |
And then I get to the arena, I would try to go in 00:20:07.600 |
and get shots early before the court fill up. 00:20:10.320 |
You know, you got the times where certain dudes come in. 00:20:16.000 |
I just tell you the biggest thing is listening to your body. 00:20:18.680 |
If I felt really tired, I would just tell, you know, 00:20:22.080 |
whichever coach I was working out with that year or that time 00:20:24.680 |
like, I'm a little tired, but I wanna work on this. 00:20:54.440 |
It's like, damn, what ball we playing with tonight? 00:20:58.000 |
and then some of them are like, damn, that feels plush. 00:21:07.960 |
- Yep, I kicked my feet up going to training room, 00:21:19.200 |
- Yeah, you know, I kinda like to take my mind off of it. 00:21:26.880 |
You know, he's like, I'm the type of dude, I'm serious. 00:21:30.720 |
he's the coolest dude, he just looks serious all the time. 00:21:37.200 |
I hear you talking and, you know, kind of goofing off. 00:21:40.080 |
Conversation ain't got nothing to do with the game. 00:21:41.960 |
We might watch another game, being on the West Coast. 00:21:48.560 |
clown around again until I tell my mind, all right, 00:21:53.360 |
And then that's when I'll start to tap back into, 00:22:03.120 |
which is depending on how my body felt, you know, 00:22:14.000 |
I'm like, cause finally it seemed like my body settled down 00:22:16.200 |
or like towards the end of the second quarter, you know, 00:22:19.400 |
we had games where I didn't even want to shoot early 00:22:25.320 |
try to come out and get some stops, play defense. 00:22:29.760 |
I had went through a struggle early, my rookie year, 00:22:36.000 |
I just couldn't seem to mentally figure it out. 00:22:40.080 |
He was like, you know, you never look at the free throw. 00:22:46.800 |
So I started picking his brain more and more about, 00:22:52.280 |
And he's the one that, that, that really helped me, 00:22:54.800 |
you know, kind of evolve, not just being a player, 00:23:01.520 |
before you actually, you know, go out there and do it. 00:23:03.480 |
So that was, that was really cool to have him there 00:23:05.800 |
to, to, to give me a lot of, a lot of those small pointers. 00:23:13.320 |
I mean, you know, I've been around you a lot, 00:23:19.920 |
and they like to wild out, go out all the time, spend money. 00:23:24.360 |
Like, what was your, how did you like to, you know, 00:23:29.040 |
- Yeah, so I would say it's, it's, it's, it's balance. 00:23:32.320 |
Some of it is like, I have my son in my rookie year. 00:23:35.160 |
So, so I never really just had that time to say, okay, 00:23:40.000 |
Cause it was like, once he came, I'm like, all right, 00:23:44.480 |
But I also set the bar high for myself with basketball. 00:23:52.520 |
and get that kind of attention and praise more next year. 00:23:56.400 |
You know, being rookie of the year was like great, 00:24:04.000 |
I think it's, it's always good to have your fun. 00:24:12.200 |
It was like, you know, this is going to take away from me, 00:24:15.400 |
you know, taking us up this hill, then I ain't going to do it. 00:24:26.160 |
You know, I've always got it flown under the radar. 00:24:31.280 |
So it was like cool to kind of start getting that attention 00:24:35.320 |
So off the court, you know, I've always been big on like 00:24:45.280 |
And I think, you know, people can do what they want. 00:24:48.160 |
But for me, I like to be a little more private 00:24:50.400 |
just because it's not really everybody's business. 00:24:58.240 |
But other than that, man, I'm like, I'm chill, dude. 00:25:01.080 |
I could, I think I was watching one of your episodes. 00:25:16.920 |
if I go run away and disappear, I'll be happy. 00:25:19.320 |
But it's like, damn, I go back to the first day of school. 00:25:22.920 |
So it's, it really becomes impossible to do it. 00:25:29.240 |
It's just always taking my time and, you know, 00:25:33.160 |
So, and then when it's stuff I gotta do for the kids, 00:25:37.560 |
always just be a father for them, but I'm, I'm chill, man. 00:25:41.280 |
I'm fine with nobody, you know, mentioning me. 00:25:50.720 |
because I seen a, I seen a video on Instagram 00:25:54.640 |
I don't know if you've seen him walking around 00:26:02.680 |
And he was just like, you could just see how sad he was. 00:26:15.080 |
- Yeah, man, Greg, no, I'm glad you even asked me about him. 00:26:18.080 |
Like you said, I always, always speak about him, 00:26:20.400 |
but you know, never, you know, with much of an audience. 00:26:23.920 |
So no, that's, that's cool of you to even think about him. 00:26:26.480 |
But, you know, you were a reason why I did think of him 00:26:29.440 |
because, you know, when I got to the, to the Blazers, 00:26:46.880 |
'Cause he knows I don't like to fly and travel, 00:26:55.320 |
And I'm like, "Man, all right, but I'm gonna fly there 00:27:00.640 |
So I ended up going out there and we knew who it was. 00:27:10.400 |
So I was thinking like, "All right, whatever." 00:27:12.640 |
Man, I get there and we ended up getting the number one pick. 00:27:16.720 |
And I was like, "Oh man, I am the good luck charm." 00:27:21.480 |
I still got the jersey that they gave that day 00:27:25.400 |
I don't know if they know that, but I kept that. 00:27:27.480 |
So I was going through some stuff the other day 00:27:35.640 |
But before I went on, our media person was like, 00:27:37.360 |
"Don't tell anybody who we're picking or if we're leaning." 00:27:40.760 |
So I give the whole, you know, what'd you call it? 00:27:49.120 |
and I'm thinking like, "Well, who are we gonna take?" 00:27:53.320 |
Everybody's like, "Well, who are you gonna take? 00:27:59.600 |
about Greg Oden is not taking anything away from Kevin Durant. 00:28:08.840 |
Jordan, Kobe, Kevin Durant, he's in that conversation. 00:28:16.000 |
and you gotta remember, this is a different NBA now. 00:28:21.440 |
So, long story short, we end up drafting Greg 00:28:26.120 |
and we're having like, you know, these workouts 00:28:33.000 |
Man, we was doing a hundred yard down and backs 00:28:50.040 |
Like, man, we're all good, but it comes down to those, 00:28:52.880 |
like, you know, couple of plays here and there 00:28:56.040 |
and Greg could defend better than just about anybody. 00:29:03.160 |
So I was like, man, and I remember calling my dad. 00:29:10.280 |
Like for the first time in my life, playing with him, 00:29:13.920 |
I was like, we were, we could win a championship. 00:29:17.360 |
Like, and I'm not saying we can win like that year, 00:29:21.880 |
we had everything we needed to win a championship 00:29:45.200 |
So I started like learning, okay, so I'm gonna leak out. 00:29:59.520 |
And I was like, man, he made the game so damn easy. 00:30:02.320 |
And me and LaMarcus had to figure out how to play with him 00:30:04.920 |
because, you know, even when he get post touches, 00:30:08.360 |
So we're more open and we're not used to being open. 00:30:13.680 |
And now we're winning games more comfortably. 00:30:20.120 |
And I mean, I hate when people try to say stuff, 00:30:25.760 |
but if he was never injured, there's no way in hell 00:30:33.320 |
He could shoot free throws with his left hand. 00:30:37.760 |
And I just wish the world really would've got a chance 00:30:56.880 |
playing the little dollar slots clowning around. 00:31:04.760 |
People were going, I was like, we got the league. 00:31:06.960 |
Security was like, man, we just gonna take you guys 00:31:17.200 |
You know, Kevin Durant has blossomed to, you know, 00:31:20.000 |
he's one of the best players to ever play the game. 00:31:24.320 |
You know, they were, you know, again, like I said, 00:31:28.240 |
It was just, you know, they're both gonna be great players. 00:31:35.400 |
That's what made it, that's what made it like, 00:31:36.840 |
man, I just hate that the world couldn't see, 00:31:42.240 |
they would probably still be rivaling each other. 00:31:48.240 |
So, you know, I thought they had that kind of, 00:31:53.960 |
I don't know if y'all had to do the rookie transitions 00:32:10.800 |
I didn't know at the time if I was ever gonna be the same. 00:32:14.520 |
And he was saying kind of when he was talking 00:32:16.880 |
to the whole group, like about what happened after that. 00:32:23.440 |
and like the toll that took on him, you know, 00:32:25.880 |
he talked about, man, he just, he was in a down place. 00:32:29.680 |
Like I think he said he went to the woods, you know, 00:32:39.840 |
And like, even for you, you went through these injuries. 00:32:43.440 |
People talk about you could have been an all-time great. 00:32:45.440 |
Does any of that stuff ever like weigh on you the same way? 00:32:51.120 |
what could have been, or are you completely past all that? 00:32:53.680 |
- You know, I would say compared to you and Greg, 00:32:59.920 |
So, you know, when it did come to that decision 00:33:03.120 |
of saying like, this is just getting too painful 00:33:11.800 |
And, you know, the thing I always felt bad for Greg, 00:33:15.960 |
because, you know, again, we didn't have this, 00:33:26.680 |
You know, they don't even feel right giving you money, 00:33:32.600 |
So it was like, we were under that scrutiny of, 00:33:37.240 |
Or, you know, every time the wind blows, you're hurt. 00:33:40.120 |
So we had to deal with a lot of that media presence 00:33:45.800 |
So you can see it with Greg because the media put him here 00:33:49.880 |
and then the media felt like they had to bring him here. 00:33:57.880 |
It's like, you know, there was days where, you know, 00:34:04.800 |
and people going, "Oh damn, he's hurt again." 00:34:06.840 |
So I would try to play and I would keep trying to play 00:34:14.600 |
And then you got to deal with the side of contractual wise. 00:34:20.960 |
- You got to pull teeth to get contracts, you know? 00:34:28.080 |
Trey Young say that and he was right in a lot of ways 00:34:30.800 |
that we didn't have the social media, you know, 00:34:33.120 |
towards the end when I was in, I think Portland, 2010, 00:34:43.160 |
and they were looking through like their Twitters 00:34:44.680 |
and I was just like, "What'd they say about me?" 00:34:55.120 |
- I would be ticked and I'm thinking in my head like, 00:35:00.360 |
But, you know, so, but then I kind of caught myself 00:35:03.640 |
in understanding where young kids now, you know, 00:35:07.920 |
that everybody has access to tell you what you look like. 00:35:11.760 |
So for me, you know, I always just tried to, you know, 00:35:16.760 |
block it out, but I definitely understand, you know, 00:35:20.480 |
But, you know, it's also in our areas, like, you know, 00:35:23.800 |
I was a three-time All-Star before my second contract. 00:35:28.120 |
And, you know, my negotiations was hard as hell 00:35:30.520 |
because, you know, you got owners losing money, 00:35:34.360 |
I see dudes making, you know, double the money 00:35:38.840 |
they're just still getting seen as the potential. 00:35:41.240 |
And every era gonna argue about which is harder, 00:35:45.720 |
I just try to get advice to, you know, master your time. 00:35:48.680 |
Don't worry about what our era was talking about. 00:35:50.800 |
You know, 'cause I'm sure I didn't go through 00:35:55.080 |
I just have a lot of appreciation for what they went through. 00:36:04.000 |
because there'll be something the next generation 00:36:08.200 |
- Try to explain to them what they're not seeing. 00:36:16.160 |
what Greg had to go through in our generation. 00:36:19.000 |
You know, it's like, then you can see the pressure 00:36:23.840 |
It's like, well, you know, we gotta stick with 'em. 00:36:29.840 |
of maybe if they wanted to or did they have to, 00:36:38.840 |
So I always felt bad for him because he was a good dude. 00:36:45.400 |
So I was, you know, again, I was happy you asked that. 00:36:50.920 |
he was on his way to being an All-NBA player. 00:36:57.280 |
but going through everything you went through, 00:37:06.440 |
like what would you do different than you did? 00:37:08.800 |
- Yeah, I mean, of course I would listen to my body. 00:37:15.920 |
because of our, you know, what do they call it, error, 00:37:24.840 |
look, I'm just gonna take this time and get my body right. 00:37:27.840 |
You know, you wasn't gonna get the money you wanted either. 00:37:30.200 |
So, you know, in order to change like that part of it, 00:37:36.800 |
that I would have changed was how I prepared. 00:37:45.520 |
And I would have put more time into, you know, 00:37:48.280 |
what I think, you know, a lot of younger guys 00:37:51.960 |
is you guys put a lot of time into your bodies, 00:37:57.440 |
You just do a lot of stretching, lifting, just, 00:38:00.120 |
I would have really focused on that area of it, 00:38:02.840 |
where I was a dude to, you know, I'll go in the gym 00:38:11.400 |
I would have probably put a lot more into, you know, 00:38:19.040 |
I would have been more committed to that part of it. 00:38:25.320 |
- And they were trying, they were trying though, Mike. 00:38:27.400 |
I mean, I will say like, we put a lot of, you know, 00:38:30.400 |
especially with being hurt and then Greg being hurt, 00:38:35.720 |
It's just, we weren't, we weren't used to it. 00:38:39.360 |
We weren't used to putting that much effort into something. 00:38:45.200 |
and the effort that they brought to us, we weren't into it. 00:38:52.520 |
if you go back to the era before us, it's like, man, 00:38:55.040 |
all that rehab and stuff, it's just, let's hoop, you know? 00:38:58.080 |
So that's where I would have really focused on. 00:39:03.200 |
focus on your bodies, you know, look for your body 00:39:10.640 |
Like be into, you know, nutrition, be into, you know, 00:39:14.320 |
you should be able to teach strength and conditioning, 00:39:19.800 |
and to get into it to where as players, you know, 00:39:34.040 |
I'm eating better, you know, more consistently, 00:39:37.960 |
just really buying into the taking care of, you know, 00:39:44.920 |
So I wish I would have did that better, you know, 00:39:48.560 |
and not do it better, I wish I would have been more into it. 00:39:51.080 |
And I think that would have gave me, you know, 00:39:53.320 |
more years in coming into the league, being into that. 00:40:01.400 |
I didn't really lift a lot during the summers. 00:40:04.960 |
once I had more injuries, I started to try to catch up. 00:40:07.480 |
But by then it's sometimes it just feels like it's too late. 00:40:11.800 |
ahead of the curve in taking care of my body. 00:40:15.080 |
Yeah, I definitely think it's more of an emphasis now. 00:40:22.320 |
- But man, off the court, like off of the NBA stuff, 00:40:27.600 |
you obviously coached me for that year, Nathan Hale. 00:40:32.080 |
You've coached three years, three state championships. 00:40:34.680 |
But like, now, what does life look like for you 00:40:39.720 |
- Yeah, well, you know, I'll first say, you know, 00:40:42.200 |
thanks to you, basketball's coaching has been good. 00:40:50.080 |
that team that we had, you know, helped, you know, 00:41:10.840 |
but there's nothing wrong with being a coach. 00:41:27.920 |
after I played and we did good, it's like, yeah. 00:41:30.480 |
I'm like, do you feel good like that as a coach? 00:41:34.320 |
And he said, no, it's not like that, but it's close. 00:41:49.240 |
when you play in the NBA, you're around talented players. 00:41:51.720 |
So it's like, man, I got to go to high school. 00:41:53.200 |
I got to kind of, you know, I wouldn't say dumb you down, 00:42:06.560 |
because I felt like I was back being around basketball again. 00:42:14.320 |
I didn't have the experience, but I had the player. 00:42:24.680 |
So that was like, you know, that was a blessing for me. 00:42:30.640 |
because everybody ain't going to be as good as Mike 00:42:35.520 |
lower your expectations and not to say that the kids, 00:42:45.680 |
And for me to have it my first year, you know, 00:42:51.960 |
but it's just the difference that goes with it. 00:42:54.720 |
So coaching has been, it's been, it's been fun. 00:43:03.000 |
and Coach Romar came to the game when we were in Portland 00:43:05.640 |
and we beat Sierra Cane for the championship. 00:43:08.200 |
And I remember dapping him up after the game on the court. 00:43:20.640 |
Like, so then I got the understanding of, you know, 00:43:23.600 |
me and him have moments, coach player moment. 00:43:32.400 |
It was like laying in bed, like thinking about the game, 00:43:40.840 |
It's, it gives you that, that competitiveness. 00:43:44.080 |
You know, you, you preparing before the game, 00:43:46.400 |
can't sleep, thinking about this, thinking about that. 00:43:48.360 |
So it gave me all that competitiveness I needed back. 00:43:51.000 |
And, and I also felt like, you know, the wins were like, 00:44:08.200 |
I think I told you guys, I was just like, man, 00:44:21.240 |
- That's crazy to me, but we were a part of it. 00:44:23.520 |
You know, and I think that's the part that, you know, 00:44:30.560 |
don't let people erase, you know, your history. 00:44:38.360 |
So I, but I remember being in the locker room 00:44:44.040 |
And that's something I dreamed of as a player, 00:44:55.640 |
and I try to tell guys that can't play no more injuries, 00:44:58.120 |
it's like, man, coaching is not a bad way to go. 00:45:04.520 |
And it's, it's a, it's another way to be able to, 00:45:18.360 |
or the coaches that were going to coach my AU team. 00:45:20.160 |
Like the, I tell them about how you coached me. 00:45:28.000 |
The way you're coaching was, was ultimate confidence. 00:45:31.920 |
some coaches got all these little things you got to follow, 00:45:37.360 |
And that's why we were number one team in the country. 00:45:40.360 |
And obviously we had to get along off the court, 00:45:45.200 |
like the, the jump I took from my junior year 00:45:47.920 |
to my senior year was the biggest jump I took. 00:45:53.200 |
I'm working on my footwork with you, obviously that helped. 00:46:00.520 |
- And, but you know, that's, that's what I thought. 00:46:04.240 |
I don't know how we, you know, we meet at that point, 00:46:06.560 |
but I always looked at it like, man, he's really good. 00:46:11.080 |
You know, so I never wanted to make it confusing. 00:46:14.320 |
It was like, whatever you wake up in the morning 00:46:18.920 |
So I never want to step on your, on your toes in that way. 00:46:22.120 |
So I said, well, what's the best way I could, can, 00:46:29.400 |
If you're confident, then the team's going to do fine. 00:46:32.000 |
And then the next thing was just not guys around you 00:46:34.320 |
be complacent to go, Oh, we're just going, you know? 00:46:36.880 |
So I'm like, Oh God, I got to kick this guy's butt, 00:46:40.680 |
or practice is more like, you know, Mike, you know, 00:46:43.840 |
But these guys need a little more work because, you know, 00:46:46.840 |
in harder games, you're going to need them more than, 00:46:49.560 |
you know, maybe, you know, 90% of the games, you know, 00:46:53.520 |
you could probably, you can't win by yourself, 00:46:55.440 |
but to win championships, you're going to need, 00:47:01.600 |
I always told, you know, like I always talk to my parents, 00:47:06.000 |
mom and dad are always going to be, you know, rocks 00:47:13.280 |
you don't have a big ego, so you will be okay as a coach 00:47:16.440 |
because you won. - Exactly, that's what it was. 00:47:20.400 |
And I was, when I talked to you and other people, 00:47:25.400 |
It's like, I don't feel like I got to put my stamp on it. 00:47:35.280 |
I don't need to prove to nobody that we're winning. 00:47:40.240 |
So I don't, but I didn't feel like I had a personal thing 00:47:46.960 |
or let me show you that my scheme is working. 00:47:55.960 |
this upcoming season like I did when we had you. 00:48:15.080 |
So I didn't have to worry about my two best players 00:48:24.240 |
So like I said, my job was easy the first year. 00:48:48.440 |
I said, I had a player who was the number one player 00:48:54.080 |
So if I got a guy who's not working that hard, 00:49:01.400 |
Because if the number one player works the hardest, 00:49:05.960 |
So those messages and the little things help me, 00:49:12.400 |
We wrapping it up, but I got like one more personal question 00:49:21.560 |
Man, I remember getting the news a couple of years ago, 00:49:34.600 |
Like, but I don't know any more news in my heart. 00:49:40.680 |
Like, I didn't know if you, I didn't know what happened. 00:50:03.680 |
especially from where, you know, I know I came from. 00:50:11.200 |
it can kind of create its own story, you know? 00:50:16.600 |
it was like, if a dude get shot and survive, you know, 00:50:24.880 |
I never wanted the message to be put out there a certain way. 00:50:30.200 |
That's why I didn't know if you was going to answer. 00:50:32.280 |
- Yeah, no, again, and it's for the reasons of, 00:50:35.520 |
I never want kids to, 'cause there's too much, 00:50:42.280 |
And, you know, I don't never, I don't want to detail it, 00:50:46.240 |
but the part that was really sad was that, you know, 00:51:08.920 |
was like, I felt bad for the people in that community. 00:51:33.660 |
it could be a car accident, plane, whatever it is. 00:51:36.840 |
And I remember, like, you know, when I was running, 00:51:41.720 |
and I finally, you know, ran around a corner and I sat down, 00:51:44.640 |
and I was like, whoa, I got a hole in my sweats. 00:51:59.560 |
And I thought about a world that is, you know, it's chaotic. 00:52:10.960 |
And I was just so worried, and I remember, you know, 00:52:14.480 |
I finally, you know, they cut my pants off and stuff, 00:52:17.080 |
and I'm in an ambulance, I'm like, I wanna call my kids. 00:52:20.160 |
And I wanted to call 'em for the same reason where, 00:52:22.840 |
you know, you hear the news that somebody gets shot, 00:52:36.940 |
But I don't want you guys to get that feeling of, 00:52:39.680 |
you know, somebody calling my kids or, you know, 00:52:49.040 |
But again, the fear of being not in their lives 00:52:56.560 |
It ain't, it's not just, you know, shootings. 00:53:00.680 |
a lot of manipulation that goes on in this world, 00:53:03.280 |
and I just would hate to not be there for 'em. 00:53:10.920 |
I never wanted to seem like I was coming across as, 00:53:16.480 |
because, you know, it could be over that fast, 00:53:26.800 |
- But I really felt bad for the people that was there, 00:53:29.600 |
you know, that, you know, I had a couple, you know, 00:53:36.680 |
but, you know, they gotta go, so they started school, 00:53:38.440 |
and it's just like, man, it wasn't that big of a deal, 00:53:44.760 |
- You know, and that's where I felt really bad, 00:53:47.400 |
and I felt really, really, you know, good that, you know, 00:53:59.960 |
For you, do you feel like it changed any of your values 00:54:03.320 |
or anything that you, like, look to in this life 00:54:06.000 |
to fill you, or perspective-wise, anything like that? 00:54:10.040 |
- You know, I'm pretty solid with, like, my beliefs. 00:54:17.400 |
You know, even though it was an unfortunate incident, 00:54:32.520 |
'cause I didn't have any problems with anybody, 00:54:34.480 |
so it's just like, you know, I'd rather forgive 00:54:37.880 |
and hope that a person can see that I forgive them 00:54:40.960 |
for something they, for almost taking my life, 00:54:43.760 |
and hopefully they can be better people going forward. 00:54:50.320 |
it's just hopefully a person changing, really, 00:54:52.800 |
and never doing that again, you know what I mean, 00:54:57.080 |
and hopefully talking somebody else out of doing that. 00:54:59.800 |
And if that's the message, then that's what makes me happy, 00:55:06.600 |
when you know the person, but if you don't know anybody, 00:55:08.960 |
you know you didn't have any problem with 'em, 00:55:10.680 |
then it's like, you know, you almost took somebody's life, 00:55:13.840 |
so don't do it again, 'cause that ain't how you wanna live. 00:55:17.720 |
So, no, I don't know, I mean, my perspective is just, 00:55:21.840 |
you know, again, I just hope that we can stop 00:55:23.600 |
getting these kids to, you know, stop shooting each other. 00:55:26.560 |
- But giving 'em something else to do, you know, 00:55:28.800 |
and something else productive where they feel, 00:55:42.440 |
and I know, for me, I think about after basketball, 00:55:49.200 |
For you, kinda like, what's your goals moving forward, 00:55:52.800 |
and what do you feel like your purpose is moving forward? 00:56:12.880 |
I guess, sum it up, push them to reach their goals. 00:56:26.520 |
my parents are great, and I wanna be great to my kids. 00:56:32.360 |
I'm not sure, you know, I think I wanna get more involved 00:56:38.760 |
I've always been, you know, really big on personnel fits. 00:56:47.960 |
helping, you know, evaluate talent, you know, 00:56:50.480 |
helping evaluate, you know, personnel, you know, 00:56:58.240 |
my faith is always, you know, it's always in Christ, 00:57:04.160 |
You know, if I'm good there, I feel like I'm good anywhere. 00:57:19.080 |
Well, man, listen, I appreciate you being on here. 00:57:25.040 |
I know a lot of people be wondering where you are,