KJ Live - BONUS CONTENT - Bob Myers

what's going on? Man, it's a it's a pleasure and honor my friend. Uh never thought I'd be doing a podcast with you. I mean, it's a long day. It's a long way from our days back at u c l A lockers next to each other, and you always complained about stuff I was doing in life. But uh, well, we'll touch on that in a little bit. That later. We'll touch at a little bit, Bob. So, So, I wanted to start the show off, like I do with

all of our guests. Okay, we want to give our audience and our listeners an idea of who the person is, the foundation that made the man or the woman for that matter, souse. I've had female guests on the show into the person they are today. UM, I just want to know where you're born, city, the neighborhood, and how did that community impact you sort of who you worked are today? Um? So yeah, born and raised East Bay. We were joking before I came on. I was a

Warrior's fan growing up. So that's uh, that's a little known factor, maybe well known. I grew up in a nutshell Chris white, middle class, you know, basic basic two parents, parents still together, fifty years married, and backyard with a basketball hoop and the pool. And you know why is

that relevant? It's not really. Um. The longer I've lived, of the more I appreciate the saneness of my upbringing, the normalcy, the more people I meet, even when you want to talk about the locker, we're skipping a step. But sitting next to you and and judging how you would act after practice and who you were, I've realized, like, that's not fair, Um, because I presumed you were raised like I was, which was dumb, right, that was naive, But no one you now and and stuff we've never

even talked about. Um. I have a better understanding of people and you and kind of like for me to think people get to have what I had is really, um pretty dumb on my part. So I had for the people listening, I didn't have, you know, nothing was given to me professionally, and I wasn't born into a

bunch of wealth. But as far as a chance to succeed in life, I had that, you know, and and and haven't gone into play is just like saying, Quentin and played with those guys and basketball and seeing hearing a little bit about their upbringing makes you really um appreciate what I have and it also wakes you up to life and that what I had is not you know, my idea of normal. Many people don't have that. But Bob,

you only know what you know. You know, so you can't blame You can't blame people like yourself that grew up a certain way because that's where you live, just like you can't blame folks that grew up, you know, on the other side of tacks. But they get blamed, Chris, that's the difference. Though. They get blamed, you know what I'm saying, And we can go down at a different time. But that's where I agree with you. But but you may have a better understanding of that than I even do.

You may not blame him, but speaking from like what I the stuff I'm around, like people do understand like when we give a prisoner a chance to former inmate, that could call our game. I don't if you saw, um, we let a guy that about of San Quentin, which was which was great. Um. A lot of people wouldn't say it publicly, but we're going, why would you do that? Why would you help X? And why would you help

a convict get a start back in life? There's many people that would say that and judge like, why would you help somebody? And somebody asked me, I said, why can't anybody get a second chance or a third? You know? So anyways, we're going off the script, but any that my upbringing matters for that reason. That's at what point growing up in Danville, did you fall in love with the game of basketball? Because I know you're you're you know,

you did a bunch of stuff. You're an athlete, Bob, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean not like you. I um, I love basketball, uh and I basketball even to this day. I don't know how you feel. I know you love basketball too. If I'm driving anywhere or walking around a bike, and I see the game being played by a ten year old, the thirty year old, the fifty year old inside outside, I have to look right. I'm not an alcoholic like that, Like if an alcoholic sees a drink, they're just drawn

to it, you know. So for me, I would pull over if I could. If I had a life where I could just stop and jump in every pickup game that existed in the world, I would pull over, and I would do it for free, and I would do it as long as I could. Um. So basketball is the one pure known of my life, Like the only thing I've ever known cold was that I love basketball, and I think that won't change, and that hasn't changed

for me. It's a little harder Chris in the position I'm into just love it purely, I know too much. Like if you and I went to watch a movie and you directed it and produced it and started it, you can't watch it the same way I can't. I walk out and I go, Chris, that you're unbelievable, and you go, you have it. They couldn't pay me much that I'm supposed to get paid, and they cut out that one. Yeah, like I wouldn't have done a different ending, it would have been better. So I can't watch the game,

at least the pro game. That's why when we can talk about U c l A. My best moments of just happiness was watching U c l A this year because I didn't have a say and who they recruited and what plays Crowing was calling. I didn't want to know. I want to watch it basketball in my whole life. Um longs backs that can remember love the game. The Bruins were unbelievable this year, and we're going to talk

about them, Um a little bit later. What I read a story somewhere where you were actually trying to follow someone's footsteps and rowing somewhere, and then laugh got with you and said, hey, maybe you know you can help us here. Talk about how you got introduced to u c l A basketball. Yeah, so I didn't my um A A. You was just starting, right, I mean you might have played in it, but down in the Bay Area up here it was pretty new, right and so and so was the internet. It was non existent really,

so I wasn't very good until my senior year. I was okay my senior year of high school, and I played in AH like a local all star game, and the coach of a Dabla Valley junior college said, hey, I wasn't getting recruited anywhere. He said, hey, you want to play for us. If you played for US and play well, maybe I could get you into Oregon State or some some some packed twic And I said, you know, look, I got good grades. I don't want to go to junior college. I just want to go to college if

I could play basketball grade. So I went and visited a bunch of schools and even some IVY leagues and looked at them in other schools and said, maybe I can play basketball here. But nobody looked at my tapes, so nobody cared, which was fine. So I decided I was going to pick the school I want to go to and forget about basketball. So I was touring around U c l A's athletic department with my dad, and my brother was a rower at University of Washington up

there in Seattle. So I thought, you know, i'd like to do something in college. Maybe i'll try that. I've never done it, and I stumbled upon lavin where in the cubicle and the cubicle which they don't even have. They had totally redone, you know, the athletic department. Um. But he had a picture of John Wooden because Lab was an assistant to Purdue. You remember a graduated system and he was assistant for Gene Katie. John Wooden tend to Purdue or play to Purdue, I think. And my

dad went to produce. So we were walking and he saw a lab and and lab, you know Lab. He starts up a conversation with whoever is walking by, what are you guys doing here? And I said, I was walking around, you know, and my dad said you Purdue. I went there and said John wyn and then laugh said what do you what do you are you going to school here? And I said yeah, And I said, um, you know, yeah, I'm looking for the recruit coach rowing.

He said, I don't even know if we have that program here and I said, well, he said it might be a club sport and a club sport people listening is it's not really affiliated with the school. They just have a tangential relationship. But it's not really school sponsor interview. It's not even it's a little step of but it's in between that right in between. So he said, what about basketball, because I'm six six? And I said, I don't think I could play here, and and he said,

what do you mean? Because if you look at the guy and he's six and I look more athletic than I'm not athletic. I'm not an athletic, but I'm not athletic. Just being honest, And don't don't correct me there, because I know what I am and what you can do. Practice okay, but that's nothing special for somebody that's sticks anyways, Let's just move off my athleticism. So so so I said, um, I said the last he said, I said, what if I was a manager? But could I manage on the team?

And he said, well yeah, but why don't you try to walk on? And I said, uh, well, I don't think I can play. I don't you know. I you know, I'm not. I'm not. This is the best basketball school I got into, Like this is the lead. If I wanted to play basketball walk on, I would have picked any other school. I basically gave us I'm gonna go to u C. L A. They're the best basketball school by far. I just want to go to school in l A. So you had no intention, you had no, Chris, none, none.

So so then he says walk on and then I said okay, and he said you can condition with a team. And you were you were year younger, so you weren't there. So what we did was for a month, and you know my personality, and we could do a long podcast for a month. I conditioned with Ed and all these Charles and Cameron and all these guys. But I didn't talk to anybody, and I wasn't in a recruiting class to anybody. You know, Charles and Cameron, you know they're duced and the whole deal I was. I was like,

you know, I don't know what I was. I don't think they cared about me one or the other. I was just there and I wasn't talking to anybody. I wasn't bothered anybody. So but my buddies that I went to college with, anybody I ran into, I was asking me like, where are you going? And I'm going to condition with the basketball team. And they said, what, You're not gonna play basketball? U c l A. And I kind of said, well, I probably not, but I figure

i'll try. And they said this is They're kind of laugh at me like a friend would like, Chris, what do you do? But but not mean spirit. It just kind of like you're wasting your time man, like this is U c l A. And I didn't push back. I was like, maybe, but let's you know, I might maybe I could walk on. Long story, I try out and here shows up our coach and it's it's in a men's gym, no, sorry, the Wooden Center, and there's like guys and there's one spot and we watched for

a little while and I'm just the tallest guy there. Right, I'm sick. There's nobody six six decent because those guys play basketball somewhere, like they go to schools. Eric watched it in ten minutes and he gets it from his chair, you know him calls me over congratulations son. And then and then I didn't know what he was talking. I couldn't process what he just told me, which was I basically made the team as a walk on. I didn't tell my parents, I didn't tell anybody because I didn't

believe it. I thought this is some kind of joke. Um, but yeah, it was real. And then and then I found out either gonna let me travel, and I think what makes it interesting to me? In hindsight, Chris, is when something's unexpected or you achieve something that you didn't think possible, there's a level of appreciation. Like I look at somebody like you. You got recruited. I don't know how many different school You just knew you were gonna play bass on college. You knew you were probably concerned

about what number you're gonna have and what shoot. You know, I had it. I had from a basic level, like I get to play basketball with these great players and my first practice I was scared and it wasn't football, right, it's basketball. I wasn't gonna get beat up, but I was scared and I remember it and the players were so much more athletic and faster and stronger and better. But you know, over time I became, you know, decent, right, like okay, enough to kind of help the team a

little bit. And uh, what you play one? I wanted the post? Why? Why why do you think that was Bob? Like? What what about your mentality? Because a lot of guys could have been thrown in that position and just wilt it because you know how we were. I know, you know, i'd go act you. It's a lot of talking. It's a lot of disrespectful stuff, so wing out there on the court. So some guys you know aren't gonna be

able to take that. You know, what did How did you prepare yourself mentally to deal with the athlete, high level athletes like that on the court competing against them. Yeah, well I think I just had it. Sounds cliche, but I just had to do the best I could. Like in life, I think we're most pleased when we give our best effort. Right, if you're being honest with yourself, you fail a test, you don't get a job as long as you know you kind of left it out

there a game. That's why players, I think, always have it the best, even the position I'm in now, because they get to compete, you know, they get to lose, and they get to be spent on the court and they put it out there. So when I put it out there in practice. But the things I love too was like even you, I got to play basketball, and I always remember how good you were and how how how the touch you had around the rim and your hands and your ability to move and just to just

to be around somebody. It was that good at something I loved was was something for me you know, it was something for me to be like, I'm getting to play with these guys. And when you surround yourself with people that are that much better than you, inevitably you you'll get better. So that was the fun thing. It was never about starting or playing. It was like, I'm getting better at something I love. That was good, that's that's that's amazing. I didn't even know that part of it,

to where you started off conditioning. I thought it was already a done deal on the wall, and I didn't know you have to earn it. And so now it helps me understand looking back on it, just your whole disposition towards every ye. It was because you remember used to leave you when you were taking that one economics class or something. Remember used to like leave halfway through practice to class. I remember. I remember. I think I was the only guy on the team that knew I

wasn't going to the NBA like that. I remember. I remember I would bring my books to the because you'd be working out pre pre practice and then I'd be like reading my big whatever the hell book it was economics, and you'd be like, what are you doing, Chris, Chris, I'm not gonna make a career of basketball, like I know it, it's over true story and so but anyways, it was yeah, man, I it was great, fun times, good times. Ninety We want a championship with ninety five together,

but ninety four. I wanted to just touch on a moment that happened after you on the team that lost to Tulsa. Uh in the locker room, I know ed it was pretty disappointment. Talk about just how sort of catapulted the momentum of U c l A basketball, the end of nine catapulted us into and the run that we eventually went on. Yeah, I mean people in abandon

is one of my favorite people. Um you know him, Chris, and I think you probably feel the same way in the world because of his humility right in its great talent like what a and um soft spoken, nice heart, like great human being giving all the things that are pretty hard to find these days or in any day. But we that championship running ninety five started in at halftime of the lost a Toulsa like that. That's when

it started. And I know you weren't there, but you would have loved it because we go through life and I'm older enough, like top five most vivid memories was him and halftime and and literally the people in life like you're you know, you've lived now and we've seen things and done things. It's the it's the stop spoken ones You've gotta be a little careful around. It's the ones that don't raise their voice very often. And Ed

was that and he did and oh my god. That So, so what happens is the halftime, the coaches they huddle, as you know, and then they talk about what they're gonna tell the team and then they come in. So the team's in there alone for a minute at halftime of even the NBA. So so that's the moment where you yell at me and Sam and an idiot like why did you? Why did you get that rebad? That's

when all that ships happened. So Ed Ed Ed came in and picked up a chair and just fired it across the room and and was like, I can't if and go back to l A. I can't. I'm embarrassed. And we were down twenty in half, right and we were four and they were thirteen. I think, oh no, we yeah, that's right, that's right. And so it was bad.

And so but here's the the point of it. What And then the coaches started walking in and they just stopped and walked out because they knew this, this moment needed to happen, like without them and like they needed to let this moment happen. And it was ten minutes to add just embarrassed, like at the highest level of appear like frustration, rage, passion um. And it wasn't against it was him too, like he was owning the failure in the moment, like not just you did this, you

didn't do that. And it was the truth, right, that team had a softness to it that they got exposed, bottom line, like and and a lot of people don't want to hear the truth, but we did. And so for me, you came the following year and when he made sure he was first in every sprint, and he made sure he didn't miss a practice, and he made sure his team on every drill that championship run. And you were there when we were down against Missouri Emboise, right,

were down one pot and four point eight seconds. Everybody knows what Tis did the second round of the tournament. So one time in my life where I actually thought professionally at least this isn't how it's supposed to be. Like this team can't lose right now, This can't happen, Like this cannot happen like this, that makes no sense, Like everything I've learned in my entire life about doing things the right way, acting the right way, putting the

work in, failing then succeeding. In that moment when we were down, I could not fathom We're gonna lose. This is gonna be any of our season. And I know a lot of people say that, like there's other people that that played college but something didn't go the way it was supposed to go. But this one, for real, I knew were there um and then obviously Tias makes a shot and we win it. But it was all part of Like I said that the one yard line going the other way on the field was halftime at Tulsa.

And then culture was already set. You said basketball when I arrived, you know it was. It was a hierarchy and you just knew what time it was around there. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app

search f s R to listen live. What was your favorite memory of just not necessarily during the season, but if our championship celebration, I should remember and look, l A. You know you're you're in l A. You know, born and raised guy. U. L A loves a winner. Man. Yeah, they don't love. They don't have much else, but they love a winner, and so they treat when they treat you like royalty if you win. It's not many better places to win in l A. Maybe New York too.

But I remember not going to class and my class not to not to knock on anybody out, but my classes were real applied to show up. I couldn't not sh up for class. And so I remember walking into class. This class had started three weeks ago and I hadn't been and I walked in and I remember just being like a barratt, I hungover whatever. And the teacher said, in front of the whole class, he's like, I was

wondering if you're gonna show up. I wondering when you're gonna show up, like and then but he started laughing, he said in a nice way, you know, but that was my moment of like this is in life. You don't often get to kind of float around like you don't get to do whatever you want to do and break all the rules and kind of be that. It was one time in my life, but it was kind of like I get to not be responsible for a little while, like I'm not good at that, you know,

I'm not good. I get to kind of do whatever the hell I want for two weeks. And obviously we did, we all did, so that was my I mean there wasn't one you know, we went on the TV show, did the Disney Parade, and but for me, it was all of it combined, right, I mean we we all of the whole thing and doing it with the team and doing it. That's what people don't get when you talk about what it means to win a championship. It's the bond that we have, that's it, because nobody can

touch that, right, nobody can take that. I see you, I see Toby, I see Coach Harry, I see anybody, the people that were there and Charles Tis that's ours. That's not the listeners, that's ours. And in life, you don't get too many of those type of things where nobody can mess with it, because people are always messing with how you should feel and how you should act, what you should do. That's us and so that was probably my favorite part of it. Absolutely, absolutely, those are

memories I'll hold on to the rest of my life. Man, Just the moments with us, the drive to the movie premier, you know, the riding of the Jay Little show, you know, those experiences on the bus, man are the ones you always will rever. I want to talk about how your experience with Armed, your experience at Wasserman for fourteen years is one of the top agents in the game. How did that prepare you for the for to be elevated to the GM of the Warriors after only a year? Um,

because you went in April too? What was the two eleven April too? And did that stuff with Arnt and Wasserman and that experience prepared you any or is it not even related? No? No? And prepared me? I mean, I think it's so much of it prepared to me. There's a life of the NBA is not real, right, it's not people listen. It is a different world, you know. It's almost like being on a movie set all the time. It's not relatable. So when you're talking about the business

of it, there's so much money and a star. You've been around stars right in your life, whether it's an actor, they're different, man, And it's not it's nothing against that, but like the way we treat celebrities athletes, it's not their fault. They're different. So so why do I bring

that up. There's a relatability, there's a way to communicate, there's an empathy, there's an understanding, there's wealth, there's all these things that growing up in the agent side of things immersed me and kind of like, what is this world? How does this world move? If that makes sense? I mean, obviously it moves a lot with money. Arne was great because he was relentless and he was smart, and so I got to learn these traits of he. He I mean,

aren't taught me you don't wait for a return phone call? Right? I was never understood that, right, yeah? Right? Did Chris call you back? No? I called him and be like, why did you call him? Bay? So he didn't were you talking about you reach? I told you to get a hold of him. I didn't tell you leave a message. I told you to talk to him. And so I

learned that no boss demanding or or successful. Once the reason why you didn't do something they want you to do what they told you to do, and being young and having to call Jerry West and asked him if he would consider taking Johnnie McCoy the second around, and he didn't call me back, And I gotta called Jerry West back even though he didn't call. Isn't he does he really want to talk to me? Like? What aren't

I bothering him? Uh? So I had to learn the the part of you're You're not that important, You're not nothing's beneath you, um and that there is h no boundaries to that, to this profession, that even that I'm in now, there's no structure. It's just all in all the time, and so you learn how it operates. And that taught me that and also taught me you know, in some ways. I guess if I had to translate it to what I do now, what kind of player might be the winning kind of player? You know, like

you won, right you won in your career. You want like if it's a pickup game right now, your team is probably gonna win, Like you win. It doesn't matter how you do it, but you do it. And you see people that have that mindset and by the way. They don't. They're not always the most normal people, right, Like Kobe. You know, God rest his soul, but that that guy at dinner like you, you might be like, dude, I gotta get up and go like he wants to

every every conversation, the competition. And I'd say, because that's kind of who he is. When I was taking the else at one year to get into law school, I remember he was shooting. He was with the Diadas at the time, and I was sitting on the side practicing, like we talked about, I was. I was working on my else set because he said, you want to be in this movie. I mean this commercial and I think

Nigel is doing it. Remember you know who's casting it, Yeah, Nigel and so so I was sitting and you know you've probably done this too. There's not really any They're just waiting. I'm waiting for my two seconds to play in this game and they cut and film or whatever. So I have a bunch of free time and Kobe, what's going what do you because he's always he was always angling like what's going on? Like like Jordan, Michael Jordan's same way, Like you watch Last Dance. He's always

surveying the room, like where where's the competence. That's why he had to play cards all the time, and golf like his whole life game like competition. Kobe is the same way. So he'd be like, what are you doing? And I said, I'm practiced for the el stat Let me see that. I said, Kobe, you can't just do this. You can't just pick it up and do it. There's methods to how you learn these things like that. It was a math problem. It's called a logic game for

people that are listening. And went to law school and he said, let me try it, and I said, all right, fine. I said, there's a practice test do it. And it was about five questions you get twenty five minutes or something. And so I watched him do it. He wasn't doing it the way you're supposed. He wasn't doing it anyway, right, he was just doing it in his own head. So we check his answers and he finishes like in fifteen minutes. I go, Cob, he didn't even use all the time.

He said, all right, whatever. So we checked his answers and he got one right out of five, and I go, see what I'm talking about He goes, yeah, see I got one right. What if I had more time to study like you, I've got them all right? You know, but that's how this guy thought and fix and you're kind of like, that's why he was great. That's why he was great, and that's why you understand greatness. If you're around greatness, you see it. You don't have to

even identify because that's not how I am. But I think some part of that knowledge of working around players and learning it and negotiating it probably helped. So I wasn't. So when Raymond Green goes off on our coach or something like that, you can go down and say, Drayma, what are you doing? And not because you know, Chris, most people act like idiots when they're around professional They don't know what to say. Not you. But you know, if Steph Curry was sitting here, like, hey, steph, uh

would it like to shoot so many threes? And they'd be like, what are you talking about? Like who are you what? They don't Yeah, they don't have to say, right, what are you gonna say? If step could? You know? So? So it's not even their fault, but you learn you have to break down those barriers to have to lead my position, have to lead to talk to Steve Kerr, like you learn you're around it so much like you your dad, you know, like you the people you met

growing up. The NBA is not an intimidating thing for you, Like it's just your life. Like people say, why does step Curry played Thompson because their dad played in the NBA. It's nothing to them, you know, Like do you if you played in the NBA, sure you would have loved it and like, but but it wasn't like this mythical place. You're like, yeah, my dad played the NBA. Yeah, it's great, but those guys are the same as you, me and everybody else. It is really good at basketball. So anyways,

hi help. Wow, No, that's that's an amazing answer, Bob. I like when you do this. I've watched a couple of your interviews that you've done, and you've really grew grown into a guy that's really thoughtful and mindful. And I just really respect you, my man, I really respect. Let me ask you though, what it was like. You know, you guys signed Katie, So you have three basically Hall of Famers or four four, I don't know, whatever they used to say, what do you want to argue? But whatever?

They whatever, they used to say, how difficult was it to manage those different egos and status is on that type of team? Yeah, I mean it wasn't It wasn't. It depends on See, there's guys on our team that all those guys that were on the team had individually done at all, right, like m v P, Grant steph Um, championships for some of our guys, money all of them, money has money, respect, all Star games, all NBA, all that stuff. So now it's kind of like what do

you do when you put it all together? And what's the goal? And I think the goal for those guys, because they've done it all just to win, right, Let's go win the championship. It's one as many as we can. The hard part with all of it is when and I don't not like I don't I don't say this to degrade the media, but media is powerful and people

are insecure. We're all insecure. So when you start pressing buttons like well, the reason you cel a one was was just that O'Bannon like that, you know, if you're on that team and your TIS or your Charles you know that. You're kind of like, I kind of did some stuff too. But but but then you go to the media, doesn't know what they're talking about because I know I helped. But then your buddy goes, hey man, why are they giving it all the critics And you go,

I don't know. It's a good good dude, And you're like, but but don't you think you should be getting more? And you go, well, yeah, but we're winning. And then your wife or your parents like, hey man, they wrote an article that said you're umbers are down. It's all that. It's all that. Like I talked about Igodala and we Steve came in her and brought it, decided to bring him off the bench, and I said for people to

understand that. So you're a starter, you want a limp the gold medal, you've been an All Star, and a new coach who's never coach says you gotta call the bench. It ain't accepting that decision. It's accepting that decision in a very public way. So you're a Goodala and I've talked to Andrew about this. Hey, you go home that night, espn Idala set to come off the bench, and you look at it, and you're like, whatever, A little big deal.

I don't care what they say. Then your wife they're bringing off the bench Chris, and you go, yeah, I mean coach, you know, really aren't you. Aren't you one of the best players? Aren't you like the top five? Yeah? I am, but you know, huh, all right, good night. And then you're going to bed. You're going ship should I be? Should be okay with it? And then and then I'm interviewing you after the game on the local go beat writer. Hey, Chris there bringing off the bench,

like microphone's on. You are okay with this role I mean new coach and you go yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what coach wants to know. Then I turn off the microphone. Chris, come on, man, this kind of sucked up and you go no, no, So there's all these chances for you to say, yeah, man is fucked up because I should be stunned. But you don't do it. You don't do it.

And in the NBA Finals we're down to one coach, caps on the shoulder goes, I need you to start now, and you're ready to go because you didn't feed in to the negativity and all the noise. So when he did say I need you to start. You go out and win finals m v P. That is hard to do, right, So for people, I'm not even saying I could do something for people in success to not. It's why TV shows get canceled because their success success and all it's and you're making more than me, or or you get

to stand in front when we get the Emmy. Why can't I that's the problem. So it's hard. Yeah, yeah, it's people. But I don't blame it was all good. I think it was great. No bad, like one guy did this wrong or that. It's just life, just how it goes. It's hard to keep stuff together when you have success and you guys have done it. I mean, I've been surprised how well you've actually managed everything up there.

It's it's difficult, and these guys are good. You got some really good players Steph Curry, arguably, I want your opinion on this. Do you think he's the greatest point guard ever? What is the point Like, I'm not I'm not trying to not answer the question. I don't know what a point guard is anymore. Well, it's so okay, how about we say what do we call him a guard. Do we call him? Well, I don't know what do we call the problem? I don't know, Like, okay, you

should probably should come a point guard. I'll tell you what um he besides maybe a Magic Johnson which you grew up watching so did I you're a basketball player, I can to your basketball there. Thank you. As far as messing you up on both sides of the ball, Chris, he nobody probably ever would mess out with your head more than he does. I don't know. I think that's a compliment, Like I've played pick up with it. It's it's ridiculous. What does he do? He changes the whole

you were watch. First of all, if you're on defense, you're watching him, you are you're supposed to keep like one eye on the ball, one on your man, right, So it's fun. It's so hard not to watch him because he can do things that don't make sense at a distance, that don't make sense, and then people forget when he gets around the rim. His finishing percentages are unbelieving. His his ability around the rim to finish for a

guy that doesn't do with power athleticism. He he messes you up because he's the guy that if you're playing pick up against he makes a shot and you go, yeah, yeah, you can't live on that, like he ain't making that again, and he does it again and again and again, and then and you go, yeah, I dude, had a lucky day.

And then you show up at the pick up again the next day and he busts you again and and you and finally, as an athlete and as a competitor, you go, I don't know what to do with this, dude. There's not many guys in the history of our game where they leave the competition shaking their head being like, I have no answer for this. And he does that, and magic maybe in a different way, like magic physically guarding,

magic physically different. Here's the thing, okay, Steph to me, the way he moves without the ball, so it's the movement without the ball is probably the greatest I've ever seen at it the jukes to get open and then from the catch to the up. It's just like how how does say you know what it is like if you look at if you watch them like in our practice stility out behind me, if you watch him shoot the motion, it's not claim has got the picture perfect

motion like play does. Steps, steps is different. Like it's like it's like plays is like and plays as good as you can get with what you're talking about. What is getting it off fast? Plays like here here, like here here like so but us is all one motion and so soft and like it's to watch him do it.

I don't know how you teach it or duplicated and the ways if you looked at how many different you're taught to shoot squared up the same way, so different ways he shoots and angles and speed of release, that's what doesn't make sense. Bob off the bounce. I mean for him to be doing that thirty feet out, all the combos and then just step back up fake you know he didn't, you know, but just like it's just like I can't believe it's it's years and years of this to make this. He's just you know, and and

that's a good way to put it. If you were guarding him, here's the other thing you would do. You would there'd be a dead ball and you'd be you'd be like, dude, would you just stop moving? Like just stop like because it's hard enough to go on a guy like that with the ball, But the second he passes the ball, he's gone like he's often going. And that's as a defender, even if you're playing against somebody that can't do what he does. We all it's easier

to guard a guy that's just sitting there. But when he's moving the way he does, you're kind of like, dude, you're stopped, like you're bothering. Stop moving so much. And the thing about it, too, is everybody's gearing up for him, so you know, the whole league, the whole league has some type of gimmick and you guys have adjusted the creative offensively. I mean, it's been unbelievable. Um yeah, quick update, Quick update on Clay Thompson injury. How's he doing? Yeah,

he's a good Today. I walk in the facility and he's he's rehabbing as achilles and he says, um, I said, what are you doing? And he's got on his uh on the on on this floor of his right from his locker all his fan mail and he goes, bro, I'm responding to fan mail man. He's like, I've never done this before, and he was kind of laughing like this this superstar life, you know, playing every game iron Man. And now he's he can't obviously can't play this year.

He's It's kind of like a moment, a full cycle of life. Like you come up, you get all this fan mail, you I don't got time for this, you don't read it, you don't look at it. And then as you get older and wiser in life obviously stopped for him athletically you start reading it and you're like, all right, I got time for this now. So he's good. He's a great dude. He's um play like like I talked about the mbiate, Clay respects the game like he

respects the game. And I said, I said, when he got hurt again, uh Achilles, I said, I think people and it's not fair to say the only two, but I think from being around the league, he him and Derrick Rose, I said, are the two most respected players. Nobody's ever got a problem with play. How he plays, how he competes, how he lives, how he talks. He every player in the NBA will want to play with play Thoms. You can't say that about every player. I

don't care. Like even with Steps, sometimes people have people hate on Step. Nobody hates on Clay, which is a compliments. But he's doing all right. He's rehabbing and James Wiseman, I know he just went down with the meniscus, but his progress this season. You guys took him at the number two overall pick, had some other options. You're happy with his progress this season? Yeah, no, I mean you always have options, but James is Yeah. I mean it's a long game, right, I mean, and it's tough for

a center now. But James and I don't grade players good or bad. Five six months, we do it. You can do it. I just can't do it. Um and people do do it. I got no problem with it. It's fine. Like great him at the end of year one year, two year, three, year four and it changes. I think the best thing about him and big guys. You know, most big guys don't love basketball. In fact,

they're they're se pet all. They played to the tall and you know, not on all of them, but many of them some yeah, decent representing some of the guys I did, like, it's not the most important thing in their life. It's a job, and it's a good job. Here's a lot of money, but they don't bleed it. They don't like need it. It's so it's like they grew up some coaches like, definitely basketball. You're six, okay,

I'll just we'll go play basketball. You and I went, whether I was gonna be six ft or six five or six two or six eight, I was gonna play basketball wherever it ended, it ended. I just loved it. Um. But for him, he does love it, and I so far, he's shown he loves to work. And I've never met a player that has that talent and puts in the work that doesn't succeed. But he's gonna. He's gonna. Now he's hurt, so he's gonna put in the work and that's mental work, that's physical and and I think he'll

put it all together. But it's gonna be a lot on him to put the time in. But I'm betting that he will. I think he will. So you see that he has that the obsessiveness. Yeah, if you were playing with him, you'd come over. Here's what you'd say, you say, do that guy's talented, but he's got to figure out the game a little bit better. And you but you would know like one skill. I think you

knew innately how to play and what to do. Um, but you weren't seven ft tall with the vertical like that kind of weeks we don't get at all, Like we don't. So his part is he just got to learn and grow and play more. He's gotta play more

basketball and he knows that. We know that. And so that's the hard part of the injury, wanting him to be able to play finished season, do summer league, because he didn't get smmer league, he didn't get training camp, and so that's the toughest part because he needs to be he needs to play. He needs to play basketball, so that that'll that'll be a key part of his group. Um. Absolutely, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in

the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live. Kelly Oubrey Andrew Wiggins. They've been playing well as of late, and you guys have been on this push to play for that playing spot. What do you guys got to do to close it out over the next you know, to the end of the season to be in a position. Um, we need Steph. I don't think we I don't know that we needed to score forty Maybe we do. Is this is this

till he's got the tailbone. Is it Lincoln. Yeah, but that's that's he's he's over I mean that's pretty much in the past. It's maybe slightly there, but overall, he's good. Um, what we need to do. Play smart. We got a lot. We like a lot of teams. We used to have this huge margin for air, big margin when you had grant all these guys. We could play bad and win. We can't. We can't. Excuse me, we can't play bad and win. Now we play good. Um, the best teams

in the league. A bad night still get some a w instead of winning by fifteen and went by five. We can't do that. So we gotta play well. We gotta show up. We gotta be a mentally prepayer. We've gotta give it an effort. And guys gotta make shots, you know, the whole deal. But but things don't go your way. You know, make mistakes, you're probably gonna lose. We just don't have that cushion without play on the team. But we we like our spot. Now we get a lot of games at home, Chris, we got we've been

better at home. We got nine after tonight we played tonight in Washington. Um, we got nine and thirteen at home, so we'll see. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going. And you guys, I think you guys will. Man, you guys are in a good spot as you sit there with your late show shirt on and you're like l a dog. I mean, that's just you don't have to pretend. I'm not pretending. I want to know about our competition. All right, there you go, it's good. Tell me something,

Tell me something. What is your absolute most favorite part about working in the NBA? The people, um, the people I met, and and competition, Like you know, I know you you like competition. Um, you get to compete. But but it's hard, man, because you lose a lot. I mean, we want a lot. I got pretty lucky with that. But you know, you go home after loss, bad loss. You make mistakes. I made mistakes, do good things, to do bad things. Living with that stuff like not waking

up at three in the morning. Um. But but when you do well and you make a good call, or you work with people you like, getting to know our coaches, I mean, Steve Kerr is gonna be a friend for life. And players i've met. Um. I told Draymond that he was talking about the day about a teammate, and I was like, why don't you call him? Because they had to have a conversation about something. I said, if you can't call him after all you've been through, then that's

your fault. Then you got what do you what do you have? Then you've got rings sitting in your lock, in your in your safe And what is that? Like? If you and I and we I mean, if I didn't couldn't do this with you, what was the point? You know? If I can't see Charles or ed or this is that? Like, if I don't have a relationship with Lavin and coach Herrick, what was the point of it all? So? What? So what I can walk around like we were champions you talk to those guys. Ever, No,

I don't even know any of them. I don't like those dudes. Like this is what people don't When we went seventy three and nine outside here and a lot, there's a banner we had the best record. I don't think that records can get broken, by the way, but we lost in championship. Many people, many people that's a failure. As a failure, you do win the championship, and I go, I listen to that because we're all vulnerable. I said it. I I don't think so. I said, that's pretty hard

to put a team together. It's gonna more win more regular these games in the history of the NBA. And I said, it's hard to do. And then I was telling our coach. I said to Steve, I said, I get to decide what that means, right like you and I get to decide what that you say championship means. You get to decide what it means for you. I get to decide what it means for me. That's all the matters. It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks about it, except for what you think about it when I think

about it. But what I think about any success is the people. Like in ten years, if I if I say that restaurant, you're I'm sitting down with you. What's up? What are you up to? Remember this? Remember that if we hated each other or I didn't know you or get to know you, then what the hell is it? So it's the relationships, Chris, It's not I don't have a picture on my house, I don't have a trophy wall, I got nothing. I got the fact that if I

need to talk to you. I can pick up the phone and talk to Kevin or Steph or Clay or Draymond or Steve or anybody, David West, who play anybody. I can do that. That the gift other than that money. You're not kidding. It must be nice. I'm joking. I'm joking. I just got a couple more questions. I know you've got thanks to do, um, just as far as how and I know that you probably I probably know the answer to this. But will the Warriors win another NBA

championship in the next five years? Oh boy, I hope so. UM. Yeah, I get lucky. You gotta be healthy. UM. I'll tell you what. We have guys that have They know the way. Does that make sense? They know the way? That matters. Um, there's a big when you haven't ever done it, you always wonder if you can and does that make sense? Like if you were a college coach, you can look at the team that guys have done it. I've been

a part of it. I know what it takes. That's powerful, UM to have the most important thing is to have players that have done it. Because I can promise you there's so many moments in the journey where it's it could fall off. But one year we were down twice in the Western Conference Finals Game six and seven to Houston. Good Houston teams by ten a halftime and people are like, oh, you were just better. No, no, if our fabric was weaker, we lose one of those games, and people like, how

do you know? I go? I walked in the locker room and a half time I look around. No panic, no blame, no letting go of the rope. So Chris, Yeah, I mean I can picture a championship again because of Steph Curry, played Thompson, Draymond Green. I know who they are in those championship moments. They ain't gonna They're not. You know, I don't even need praising them. You've seen it too. You know who they betting on that. Now. Look people say you get older and said, I'm still

betting on them. You guys, stay healthy, but nobody would want to play. You gotta beat those. It's like a boxer, right, you gotta knock him out. He's not gonna throw in the town. You gotta knock him out. And it's gonna be a long heavy heavyweight fight. It's gonna last clove rounds and you know what, we'll see, We'll see. Yeah, I wouldn't bet against you guys. That's for dango full strength of full strength. Yeah, it's yeah, yeah. Um, we'll see you now, we'll see, we'll see what's you guys.

Luck although you know we're over here with you. You see what you're wearing. But I got I got one more question and then I'll let you know. Um, the George Floyd Child the trial, Derek Shot found guilty. Um, the NBA and your organization have been, you know, very outspoken about their support and advocacy against situations like this from happening. Talk a little bit about that, the community involvement of the words organization and just comments on this,

the trial and where we are as a nation. Yeah, well, we're better than we were, but we're not. I don't think we're good enough. Um, we all you know, we all have to acknowledge how far we have to go? Is That was what I would say. And that starts with making decisions like it starts with holding people accountaboo, and it starts with being honest, And it starts with raising your hand and saying I need to know more,

I need to do more. Um. I heard a great story where I was talking to a guy knowing our community, who I've reached out to locally to understand rates better. Right, Like, I could talk to you and you could be like I used to talk to Igdala on our team and he's like, have you ever walked into a store and felt like people were looking like you're gonna steal something? And I was like no, And he goes, you know

how many times that's happened to me? And you maybe you'd say, wow, you understand what a gift that is, Like you getting the elevator, the woman grabs her purse, you know what that feels like. I'd be like no. So so there's that, But the other part is there's understanding how life works and how it is and and just having that knowledge and trying to be better at that.

But then there's moments where this guy was telling me his wife was in a law school class and they were the professor was teaching a course on property and he showed a scene I think from Amistad where he referenced slaves people as property and it was so um irresponsible and so wrong on every level, and she wished, in hindsight, she's she's a black woman that she had had to strength to raise her hand and say this is bullshit, like you can't do this, like this is wrong,

Like why are you doing this? Why are you showing this scene like this isn't right, this isn't good, Like don't use this as an example of probably this is bad. And she said, but the next step is why didn't any of my classmates white, black, round Why didn't they raise their hands and say it's wrong? And that really hit me with like being not guilty of doing something doesn't mean you're not guilty. Does that make sense? Like do you understand like being an observer as is not enough.

You have to be a participant, right, And so I've learned from an organizational standpipe from an individual standpoint, just because I don't think I'm racist, that's not enough understand Like that's not enough for me, that's not enough for society. Um, well, I didn't do anything wrong. I like black people. That that's pathetic if you think about like that's not it. So learning individually that it takes a step forward, right, Like standing still, Chris, even if I'm not doing anything

wrong is wrong. So I think what we've all learned. I hope is at least that like this ain't gonna change ange you as a black guy and as a black community. It's not fair for me to go you gotta figure this out. It's fair for you to be like can we get some fucking help? Can you help me? Like we're not the majority here, like can you can you help me here? So I think once we all have woken up to that, then it becomes about what

are you gonna do? So for us, it's programs in our community, it's it's educating ourselves, it's giving opportunities, it's putting black people in leadership, it's all the things we all have to do a better job of. Um. And we could go on and on and on. But in the in the trap specifically, like yeah, that's the like you should pay for you that, I mean obviously you know that's justice served. I mean, that's that's that's it's so sad that it's you shouldn't take a death why

a death? Like a death is not correct. It's not death, is sir. It's done like you can't it doesn't change this punishment doesn't bring someone back to life. That's the hard part. Um. But yeah, we all gotta I appreciate you asking about it, but we'll have a long way to go. Yeah, we do, and I think we'll get there. But like you say, it's gonna take everyone and not just you know, standing around. We need active participants to get the job done. But bye, thank you so much

for you today, My man. God, just come to a game. Come to a game up here. I would like to, but when I wear that, but whenever I come up there, you never invite me anywhere? Don't. I can't. I can't put you in the I can't put you in the gym with something like that. I'm not gonna wear this if I come up to the You can wear a Dodger's hat if you want, okay, but that that might get me beat up though, So I got Yeah, they're pretty nice. It's not that you know, they're l A fans.

Don't beat jump either. We're not to las man. You know, it's a nice society. It's a good, good deal of let's take it to your expense too. Yeah, we've involved, Yeah, evolved, evolved. So what's good talking to you? Chris? You're talking to you're talking about gets identity,