The NBA China games have come and are just about gone. Before heading back home one last installment in our NBA China Game series, we'll talk to some members of the team about the trip. First, a twenty year old Turk who's opened eyes this fall in the preseason. It's my first time in China. Fans out of like you. And then an assistant coach with the seventy sixers who played here for a bit. Wherever basketball takes me, you know, I think that's Washington Goal. It's time of my life.
Rid literally had two bags packed and just waited from Agen to just let me know where I was going. Fir Con Korthms and assistant Dwayne Jones our guests on this episode of the broadcast and one last time from the far East here in China, we say, nieha, I bring you into another episode of the broadcast or NBA China Series. I'm Brian Seltzer, and I am back in the hotel. Following the second and final game of this year's China series, the Sixers in Dallas played a competitive
game on Monday. The Sixers came up just short, one fifteen to one twelve. But it's the preseason, so at the end of the day, would have been nice for the Sixers to go unbeaten on their exhibition schedule. Yes, but all things considered, this was a really strong preseason performance by the Sixers, and in particular, even though Monday's game was a loss, I mean, how good was Joel
embat again? He has just been dominant at stretches. As Brett Brown talked about throughout the preseason, twenty nine points, a bunch of vicious dunks. It was a good night for the seventy Sixers on several fronts, even though they did not come away with the win. So for our final episode of the NBA China series, we're gonna hear from furkon Corkmaz and Dwayne Jones Furcon of course, as furkon Dwayne. Some of you hardcore Big five Philly hoop
hads might remember Dwayne. He was on the Jamir Nelson Saint Joseph's team that went undefeated in two thousand and four, and he had a career, played some time in the NBA and his professional journey took him to China, and we'll talk to him about that. Both of those conversations
are coming up in just a moment. We would like to remind you first that to subscribe to the podcast, please just go to anyone of your favorite podcasting platforms that could be Apple Podcasts, Google Plays, Stitcher, SoundCloud, tune in. Just type in Sixers podcast Network and that will take
you to our feed. So in the first installment of the NBA China podcast series, here on the broadcast, we heard from a guy named Kenneth Law who is steeped in Chinese basketball history, played here, is a commentator now and has just witnessed firsthand the rise and growth of the NBA in this part of the world, and he
explained why it's taken on so much interest. Then we heard from a true all time great anywhere you go, that is the view of d Keema Mutombo in this world when it comes to basketball, and he had some wonderful thoughts about Joel and beat in the seventies Sixers. And now we're going to talk to some current members of the team, both a player and an assistant. We'll start with Furkan Korkmas, who had a great preseason, really encouraging, built off a terrific summer run when he was playing
in the FIBA European World qualifiers with Turkey. Corkmas shot efficiently, showed growth defensively, and seems to be in a good place heading in two regular season at number two. So before Monday's game at Shenzen at Universe A Sports Center, I caught up with Furkhan Furkan. Amazingly, we're at the end of the trip. What have you made of this whole experience? So first of all, I want to say, like, this is my first time in China. You know, I
was really excited before I came here. But I love Shanghai. I love Shenzen. Really good cities, really good people here, really good country, good culture. You know, the people's are really nice against us, you know, and the fans are like crazy and they love you know, before I knew that because i'd been some of Asia is but now I can feel more different cities though, right, Shanghai and shen Zen. What did you notice about how they're different? I mean, first of all, I saw the population, how
the people lives here, you know, what's data culture. I try to learn most of things about them. And then like the fans, you know, we are here for play basketball and then they are here to watch us. They really like showing good support. You know, here is a really big Sixers fans, especially in China. I knew that before I came here. This twos like make me really happy. Your career has definitely taking you all over the planet. But just the amount of people that are in China,
it's kind of crazy. It's like Shenzen is, I guess considered a small city by comparison to Shanghai, but it's still twelve million people, which is just massive. It's like amazing. You know. The Shanghai maybe one of the biggest city, more crowded, you know, but here also Schanzen here is so crowded. Also, you know, the population is crazy. Doesn't matter how small or how by your see, just people love each other. You know. He was like, every better
love each other. And it's amazing to see too, how a sport brings common interest together for people of all different walks of life from anywhere on the globe. Yeah, he was like like everywhere, you know, here's also different people from different countries, different cultures, different religions, you know, but everybody is together. Everybody love each other, everybody respect
each other. I think for me, that's the key, you know, to live together, doesn't matter what culture, what's your what's better from you know. That's why I love I love a cool dynamic the Sixers create is that they give you the opportunity. You guys as players who bring someone along on the trip. You brought your dad, Yeah, I brought my dad also. He was really excited about the strip. So this is probably like one of the good story for us, you know, to being in China with my father.
What are some of the things that you guys have done on the trip? Uh? Me, a lot of like foods. You know, he had more time than me, like to go around, you know, to see the culture here because we are having to practice you know games, we have different schedule than my father. But we spent a lot of time together. You know. He's also really happy to be industry. Has he come to see you a lot of the course of your life? Did he follow you whether you were playing in Turkey for fes or band
Witten now in Philadelphia? I mean yeah every time, not just my father, you know, each each member of my family that support me, you know, my mom, my sister. You know. Also I have one in the field, you know, he's in field right now. Many for me to get back like everyone is supporting me just for the strict specifically my father game with me, you know, because usually if we don't have the chance to bring someone to our chips, you know, on the road games. And that's
why I like you also as the players. Did you try anything crazy to eat? What was the most bizarre thing, strange thing that you tried? It's not really because I'm not that kind of guy, you know, until they trying new teams, I usually go with what I know you know before. But when somebody like, oh, for me, you should do this, you should do this, I will go with the Yeah, I will try. I'm with you. I didn't do anything too much, but I had I had
a duck. Yeah. Now, are you doing any advanced scouting of the country of China for the members the Turkish national team, because if things continue to go as they've gone in FIBA qualifying, you guys presumably will be here this time next year. Yeah. I was thinking the same team, you know. That's why I wanted to get culture more to share with my teammates in Turkey national team, Turks national team. I hope people make it. You know, we will be here next summer. Also just like can't wait
to being my teammates here. Give me your thoughts on the preseason so far. First, how do you think the team is done? I think everybody knows what we can go on the court, you know, I think we have positive ways to win the games, you know, to play good basketball. And then now like the team knows each other much better. You know, this is like the program is still continue for me. This is my second year. You know, I know everyone here. That's why I feel
really confident. You know, just this is a preseason in prisason. Everything can happen, but you can win the game, you can lose the game. We are winning all the games right now. I just want to say, like we just need to keep winning because this is also like should be out of culture to winning, you know. And you said that you're feeling confident. You also feel good about
the way that you've played in the three games so far. Yeah, I think I did a great job, you know, after some malleg and then after national teams, I know what I got in my pockets. So in the training camp I came, I came into training camp like ready, I was ready. You know. I played more ning more games than all the players during the summer. They so I was really feeling good about basketball. Physically you feel like you're holding up okay, yeah, physically also like I feel okay.
You know last year I work hard. Really, That's what I like this year. For me, this year was the goal, you know, to play against some minutes, to play the rotation. My goal is still the same, you know, just I need to step up. Lastly, you guys, ridiculously a week from now, you're going to be in Boston going up against the Boston Celtics. What's been the mood like inside the locker room about approaching the regular season, especially starting off that way against Boston. I think, of course first
games against Boston. You know from last year we had one not book against them. You know, now I'm weill pay against Boston. You know what they got. We know also love you got. You know, we just to show him the courts, yes, you guys, we just need to tell them and then we just need to be in the games because this is the first game. You know, for us, it's so so so important to get more confidence and winning, winning, and especially if there's a busting. You know. That's why fur Coon sounds I get a
great trip and a great preseason. Thanks so much. Thank you. Always good to get a word with two thou sixteen number twenty six pick furkn quirkbas a guy who did not have quite as extensive an opportunity to get in the mixed last year due to injury with the Sixers, but this year has come back, as he said, confident and I'd also throw in determined. He said on multiple occasions he wants to be in the rotation this season, and in the preseason he definitely played like it all right.
Now on to Dwayne Jones. Dwayne Jones played at Saint Joseph's, went undrafted after he left Hawk Hill in two thousand and five. For his career, he played in a total of eighty two regular season NBA games. There is most definitely something to be said for that, and he also was in the G League and played at various destinations abroad,
one of which was China. So I thought, hey, why not let's speak with Dwayne Jones not just about his experience here in China, but also what he thinks about his current work with seventy six ers and things are looking for two eighteen twenty nineteen Way what if you've made it. The trip hasn't been so far, it's been a great trip. I think our guys were, you know, kind of a bonding trip. You know, it's kind of going on the other side of the world and you know,
kind of be together as a group kind of. It was a good experience. I think the guys getting a lot out of it. You've been in basketball all your life. There really is something to that, right when you guys as a group, as a team spend a condensed amount of time together because really the only people you have are yourselves, especially I would think in a foreign country
and place like this. Ah. Yeah, yeah, for sure. I think I think it kind of builds like the brotherhood, and I think it kind of helped with the new guys we have, and you know, the continuation from last year kind of everybody getting together and you know, kind of kind of having fun. Like you said, everybody, you know, we're kind of here together. It was, you know, the seventy sixers brand and everybody, you know kind of spend time together and it was cool. Some people might recognize
your name from your time on Hawkhill. You spent multiple seasons in the NBA. Can you give us an introduction to what you're doing with the Sixers now and as a system. Oh yeah, I'm the player development coach this
year just gona be my first year with this role. Uh, you know, my main thing will be helping some of our younger guys that we have and uh, you know, along with wasn't Chandler, I'll have Jonah Bolden, so kind of, you know, two newer guys, said the Sixers organization and brand, and you know, just kind of helping those guys get acclimated and you know, trying to just you know, fit
right in with our returning guys. You've been around the team for parts of a couple of seasons, now, did you always know that coaching was the direction you wanted to get involved with after you're done playing? It was something I kind of thought, so, I think about maybe six or seven years ago actually, when I was playing for the Mavericks G League team at the time, Texas Legend, and I was down there and Donnie Nelson we were
at dinner or something one time. He was I think he would be a good coach, And I never thought about it like that, and then kind of got, you know, everything kind of rolling in my mind thinking about getting into it, and you know, being friends with John Bryan and kind of seeing his journey me and him growl. He's kind of talking about, oh maybe when when you get done playing, like it might be time to you know, trying to think about getting into coaching. And it's been great.
I'm sure if Donnie Nelson someone like him says something to you, you take stock of that and put some value into it. But what do you think he saw in you? Is having the potential to be a coach? Um? I think it was just as a player. I think I started to learn as I got a little older
in my career. It's just being just being a vocal leader, you know, whether it's calling out you know on defense, you know, calling out the opposition plays and just things like that and just kind of having, you know, growing my mind for the game and just being able to kind of rebalize it to the teammates. Just being a leader as a player. And then the way that you deal with players as a coach is their their differences.
There is at a different style, different approach. Uh yeah, because I think you know, as team make sure your peers and here it is kind of a different situation. You know, you were in their shoes, but you're not in their shoes anymore. So you got to be able to have, you know, a good balance of you know, you know, talking to them and talking with them. So you left Saint Joseph's after two thousand and five, spent a total of eighty two games over multiple seasons in
the NBA. But I really wanted to talk to you about the experience you had in China in two thousand and eleven two thousand and twelve. Walk us through that how you ended up here and then what it was like playing here. China was a great experience that it was actually my second year playing here. I actually got a chance to play with the current sixer in Wilson Chandler. We were teammates for a month. You know, it was
a cool experience. We were in a city called Hanjos, about two hours south of Shanghai, and it was a cool experience. How would you describe that city versus Shanghai, which is where the Sixers were earlier in the trip, and even here in shenzen Uh it's a little, i guess, a little smaller of a city. And that's in you know, in China. Smaller means you know, you go from twenty millions ten, but you know, for them, that's a that's a smaller city. So it was a little smaller city.
But other than that, it was you know, it wasn't like being in a villa train anything like that. I think everybody was it was. It was a cool place to be when you're going through a career and you're trying to carve out steady opportunities as a pro. Is it one of those situations where when you get the call wherever it is to play, that's where you're going. Uh? Yeah.
I think it got to the point in my career, like after you know, my Clive years in NBA and you know, multiple time spending the G League where it was just like, you know what, I think it's time to you know, wherever basketball takes me. You know, I think that's why I should go. And it was it was a time. It was time in my life where I literally had two bags packed and just waited from age Diches let me know where I was going in What ways did you have to adapt when you were here?
Um definitely had to, you know, with the language barrier and just you know, what I could eat and couldn't need it. It took me a couple of weeks to just kind of feel my way around here, and then once that happened, I was I was good to go. I would think that having some American teammates though Rodney and White was also on your team one year, right, did that help? Uh? Yeah? Well, actually I didn't play with Rodney the first year I was here. I played
with Um, played with Patrick O'Briant. We played in Fuji and together, and then uh, Andre Emmett came. We played together, and it definitely helped because it was it was two of us and a translator, so they were only people speaking Neglish. So we definitely bond it. And it's always good to have when you're overseas, having somebody who have shared experience and then you kind of know where you're coming from. Did you internalize any of the language while
you were here? Uh? Not really. I learned being quiet, which was ice because that's what I was always asking for with the trainers, But other than that, that was about it. In the standard and knee how and she she that was all I kind of picked up for me. I mean, it was really clear, right, off the bat, just how not only passionate but knowledgeable and educated the fans are here. Do you remember what impression the fans left upon you your first time here and what you
made of that. Oh? Yeah, they love basketball. They're they're basketball crazy, is it? So it was interesting being here because here, with the time difference, you can wake up at seven in the morning and there's NBA game plan, So a lot of people here wake up before they go to work watching an NBA game. And I think that that just kind of you know, obviously, with Yaoming and guys like that, I just think they really became
passionate with basketball and they love it. Has anyone recognized you or stopped you or remembered you while the team has been here, No, not yet, I think, you know, besides being an American, I think I've got recognized by that. And they just like to take pictures of just about everybody. So, but nobody has been like, oh, Dwayne Joan and you you led the league and rebounding and seven years ago. One of the guys, as you said, that you get
to work with this year is Jonah Bolden. Tell me what you're seeing, Jonah, and what have you observed from him so far. His thirst for knowledge is just incredible. He's a very smart player. He's always asking questions. He's always in a good way, Like we go through drills and he wants to know why we're doing what is how's this going to translate from being on the floor? And I think, you know, I think he has a
very bright future. You know, his ability to shoot or stretch the floor and defend, I think is is going to be valuable for us. And I think, you know, I'm excited to see his growth with us. Anyone who plays basketball, I gotta believe the end goal is they'd love to get to the NBA. But Jonah, he's gone through so much to get here, and that seems like it's been such a motivational factor for him, for all the different places he's been to finally be so close
to this opportunity where he is now. Definitely, he does not take this opportunity for granted. He's he's a very serious guy on and off the floor, and it's kind of funny. Sometimes you gotta tell him like it it's okay to smile every now and then. I know, you know, you want to be seriously want to go to go through the workout and appreciate it, but it's okay to you know, kind of sit back and enjoy the moment.
But I think, you know, for a young guy to come in hungry and realize what this opportunity is and like you said, you know, being able to you know the journey he went through just to get here, and I think he values every minute of being an NBA player. All Right, as we look back on me preseason for the seventy sixers, we are gonna be some of the takeaways that you come away with us. You guys now are amazingly within striking distance of your first game of
the season. Uh. Yeah, it's gonna be interesting just to see how you know, everything kids together with the new guys. That was interesting our first training camp. You know, we were in practice and I think at one point we all kind of looked around. It was like, this feels like a continuation from last year. Like guys were hi, guys were happy, guys were smiling, like guys were excites of being a jim together. And I think, you know, guys are ready to kind of seize the opportunity from
last year and continue with it. Good stuff. Dwayne, thanks so much for a few minutes, No problem, Thank you. Part of that memorable Saint Joseph's Hawks run in two thousand and three, two thousand and four. Dwayne Jones, also another current seventy six Er assistant, was on that team. John Bryant's part of a strong Hawk contingent with the Sixers coaching staff right now, between Dwayne jb and also Job Jim O'Brien a true true Hawk rate in his
own right now special advisor to Brett Brown is Jim O'Brien. See, it was at least I enjoyed being able to hear from fur Con and Dwayne Jones. One guy in Furkon had never been at to China before Dwayne his career taking him back to this part of the world. So that'll be it for our NBA China Games podcast series.
Hope you enjoyed the three episodes that we did. We got regular season basketball to talk about in the days ahead, as the Sixers set sights on an anticipator return to td Garden Tuesday, October sixteenth, game number one of eighty two in the regular season. Yeah, we got some real legit stuff that we're about to sink our teeth in two. We'll talk to you next time. Thanks so much for following along while we've been in China. Se