KJ Live - Dr. Courtney Watson

Watson to the show. What's up, court I'm gonna call you court right. What's up? He's do you think about my l A Sparks. I'm not so sure you did. I did. Once we play this back, you'll hear me say in the beginning the w e n B A, s l A Sparks where you were, where you won a championship in two thousand and sixteen. Before we start talking about that, I just need to know how are you're doing. I know you've been on the road. Life has been kind of hectic. Catch yourself on what's been

going on. We haven't. You haven't been on the show in about a year, so you know, get us all up to speed on what's been happening with Dr Cort. I'm doing good. I'm happy to be home back in l A. I felt like maybe the last time I was here could have been when I was talking to you. Uh, come and go out of home. But it's not to like l A, especially when you travel and work and just you know, I'm just blessed, truly and thankful for

all the opportunities. But this year, I'm just like dedicating more to myself and just leving myself and being proud of myself and sharing for myself right now. Not to be selfish by any matter, but sometimes you have to be, because I think being living and working and training and just being so all involved and just beings all passionate about what I do, sometimes you can lose sight of all your accomplishments and the blessings that are put you know,

bestowed on you. So I'm constantly reminded that by a lot of mentors and my a lot of family members. But I feel it now that I really should just be more proud of myself and more you know, just loving on myself a little bit more this year. So that's what since I've seen you last. Yeah, and it's the work life balance. I mean it's you can't get to consume with one or the other, especially in the field that you were in in being one of the

very best in the world and what you do. No. Last, you were at the Olympics with Team Nigeria right during the pandemic. Talk a little bit about the experience down in Japan. I believe with Team Nigeria. Yeah, I want to Tokyo for uh my first Olympics. Um, my parents. It was fun, it was exciting, It was like a dream. It was all the things I thought of that it would be. And you know, yeah, it was during the pandemic.

But I was the head athletics trainer with the Nigerian national team and they were a great bunch of girls. The coaching staff was wonderful and um this was the first time really getting out there and showing off and doing what they could do. Um. I just did as much as I could to help them feel good. Uh. We were just brand new with each other. I did a training camp with them. UM. Shout out to my players, Nica gu McKay and Schenea gu McKay and their little sister,

uh Erica. But they were really just wanting to go and support and and be a part of something that was bigger than themselves and bigger than basketball. So I joined them, and um, you know, they didn't come and play Neck and Shane, but their sister did. And it was just a great opportunity for us to get out there and just show what we could do from all stages of sports and all, you know, every level, the highest level you can get to, was happening all around me.

So it was an enjoyable moment for sure. Would you describe Tokyo during the pandemic. I know, Japan and a lot of the countries on the Asian continent had been wearing masks and had adopted already kind of had a structure built in that sort of curb, you know, the transmission of germs and things like that. Did you experience that in Tokyo when you were there? It wasn't worse than not worse, But was it more of a heightened sense of care at the time you were there, Yes,

it was. It was very Uh, it was. You know, they're very disciplined in Tokyo. I think Japan as a country, they're very much all discipline and very clean it might have been one of the cleanest places I've been to in the world, so thinking about it now. Clean. They're very organized, they're very strict, and because of the pandemic and what we were facing at that time, you know, you were very you had to be very accountable for

every space you're coming in and out of. UM. We weren't allowed to see other events, which was kind of for me. You know, I was looking forward to watching sports. Um. You can only go to games that we're playing within your sport. UM. So that was something that because of the pandemic, they weren't allowing teams to have fans, and they weren't allowing us to go to the other other events. UM. But you know, the experience within itself was still amazing.

We lived inside of the village and UM, you know there was some things going around about, you know, our living headquarters because we did have to sleep on these cardboard beds, which I couldn't appliese until I saw it. UM, But you know we made it with it. That bad court with it, what is it? With it? As bad

as it was being described in the media reports. UM, Japan is very uh you know, they to me, they really think outside the box when it comes to trying to be able to preserve and be a little bit more eco friendly, And I think that's what their focus was. So once you got there, you can respect that, you know, that's what That's what I was able to do. But I was more concerned about the comfortableness of my athletes.

The comfort you know, I'm wondering, I know, I'm not that tall of a player, but I'm looking at some of my taller players, you know, not sure if they were able to really feel as comfortable as they could and wake up and feel good enough to compete in the game as such. So that was a little bit of my concern. Not all the teams had to stay in the in the bubble because it was still a bubble considered a bubble, but um, not all of them

stayed in the village. But I mean the experience alone was wonderful, you know, and it was something that we all had to just take on and know that this is where we're at and what we're doing, and just be really proud of the moment. So little things like that, you know, you just kind of feel it out, just it to it, um and and we made it through. So I wasn't that bad, now, did you? That was your first experience internationally at an Olympics. Correct, Yes, that

was my first experience internationally for the Olympics. Yes, and then worked different capacities, but that one was the first time. Did that experience under the sort of the you know, with the cloud of the pandemic? Did that experience teach you anything about yourself that you didn't know before? You know what? That moment being there helped me realize what

hard work really is. Mhm. I knew, or I say it in different capacities, but you know, um, I really like strive to be the best in my profession and the best person being that I could be. And I felt like I was living it during that moment. So I felt like, you can't take yourself regranted and you always have to believe in yourself, you know what I mean. And so for me, um, it did teach me a lot.

You know, the pandemic was a very tough time for us all, so coming out of that and understanding you know, all that we had worked hard to be able to take care of ourselves to put inside you know, I always is preaching how to make sure you're drinking and eating the right thing and get enough rest and really kind of focusing on what you put in your body. So I wanted to make sure that all the things

that I was preaching, I was also practicing myself. Yeah. Yeah, you did a good job of that of always uh just educating us on Instagram, your your Instagram, your story. Uh sometimes you have you know, things on that thing. But I'll go through everyone because because no, because you you're dropping knowledge and you're showing us how to do certain things, and you know you you're you're you know, you got you're just doing a lot like I see, just everyone go, what's your what's your igh? Why are

we thinking about it? I'm sorry. Courts Corner l A. Go to courts Corner l A, give her a follow and getting ready for some for some goodness that's gonna help you in your life. Let me ask you this court before the Olympics. You're in the bubble with the w n B A right, right, yes, man, So you're with the Sparks. So you went to through two different bubbles and basketball settings on two different continents and and

literally three or six months. Yeah, that's pretty amazing. I guess the main thing I wanted to always kind of wonder and just maybe you can get into it, maybe can't. But how is the dynamics of with everyone being in such close proximity and you have to compete against each other, and how is how were the dynamics between the players now?

Back in my era, I won't say our era, I'll say my era, that type of situation would have been a little weird because we took the game kind of, you know, a little differently back then, so probably have been some some issues going on. But I feel like we we're in a different time. Describe it for me. The w n B a bubble off the floor. Well, right now on ESPN there is the uh this series one forty four and one of my players, Chineague McKay, she's the executive producer of that. So these last couple

of days, I've been hearing that. I guess it is showing a lot more and um, I know the season is getting ready to kick off. But the bubble wasn't experience. You know, that was at a very tough time and everyone's life, you know, to really be able to go through a normal day what you're used to and having to kind of rearrange some things, and you know, we

were affected by a lot so much. UM I was a part of that group who had been with the athletic training system in the w n b A for over Yes, sorry, okay, you said you're you're a part of that group since since when It since to be not the beginning, but close to it. Yeah, well, this is my fifteen season right now in the league, so at that time, but thirteen seasons and the w n b A at the time, there was three other athletic trainers shout out to them who had put in just

amount of years. So we're part of the executive team UM at the trainers, so we really kind of shape and organize, um the sports medicine aspect of it all. And you know, it was it was a challenge because Florida was on fire at the time, UM with the cases of COVID and so you know, there was anyone traveling.

There was so many different you know, rules and protocols that were being put into play, and so we had to really be the first professional league that started having the league to be reinstated in the games showing up. So you know, we took our we we worked on it we prepared for it, um, but it's not a lot of preparation that you can do once you get in there, because it's just within itself. You know, you gotta be you gotta be ready for adversity and again

sure that you know your team is. I called myself the COVID police, you know everything. I have pictures of myself from the bubble. I think I showed one a few days ago, and I just had such a serious look, you know, on my face because I wanted and none

of my players ended up. You know, the league really didn't have any positive cases throughout that time during the bubble, and that was a really, you know, great thing for us to really focus in on, to make sure that we were all really taking account that our health mattered and that we needed to protect ourselves and each other. So I was constantly making sure that my players were doing what they're supposed to do, being where they're supposed to.

We had to take COVID tests every single day, you know. Yeah that's not today. To this day, I think I've taken about five hundred you know test or But it's a credit to you guys, you ladies uh in your league for taking it so serious and and really just being vigilant about preventing it. And you know, sho shout out to w n b A. It's funny because I would Here's the question I have, so Kyrie Irvin, he didn't get the vaccination, but he's a guy that you

know does amazing things off the floor. Do you feel like he was doing a disservice to people around him when he didn't take that vaccination? Is or is it a personal choice? Is there not enough information known about it just to say, okay, give me the jab because you know, everyone says you need to be doing this, and the the year of information and research we have on this thing, this this is the best option. What

do you think? That's a great question. I feel like Kyrie Irving did the right thing because you ultimately have to do what's best for you, and yeah, you want to protect others, But there were so many people who did not understand it enough leaving it or who were you know who really had to experience something in their lives during this pandemic that guided them one way or another. And so who are we to tell this is a medical a pandemic? Is a is a medical global situation? Right,

and um. Medical professionals were always used to being able to fix everything, give you the best diagnosis, magnosis, everything that kind of manages you to get through an illness

or an injury. And at some point, this particular virus was something that we started lost control of as far as being able to manage it at certain times because there was so much new information, so many different political things that we were hearing, um so many aspects of it that created like an uneasiness feeling of you really have to be certain about how you feel about putting this vaccine into your system, you know, And so I commend Hyree honestly, And I know there's others who may

feel different, and it's still each his own. But I never wanted to persuade or convince any of my family members, any of my athletes to to get the vaccine, because you have to understand what you're doing. I just tried to educate everyone, and through that education, I was able to learn a lot from my own self and then just pass it on to others and from there you

make your decisions. So I feel like Kyrie listened to himself and he didn't have enough information that wanted him to feel like he could, you know, and so he's stuck with that. And I feel like there was a percentage of people who had to represent, you know, and I feel like he represented us well in that way

for those who chose to be anti the vaccine. Yeah, my thing with it, the parts of it that I didn't really care for, were just this you know, idea that he somehow wasn't intelligent, or it's like he's selfish, or you know, it's sort of turned into a lot of morphed into a bunch of different stuff. When you don't go along with the status quo, when you go against the grain and anything you do, pretty much, you're gonna get some pushback. People are gonna look at you

like you're crazy. Like you know, you walk around. Remember those people that used to talk about UFOs back in the day. We used to think them people were crazy, And then all of a sudden, the government came out, Oh UFO was a real dog, And now it's like, wait a minute, I thought that was crazy. But I thought I thought, you know that we used to write those people off, like, oh man, you complete man, he was talking about some UFOs. Man. I mean, now it's like, oh, facts.

It's facts though, but it's not so now what. So it's like I really can't and I'm not gonna sit here and saying I believe all conspiracy theories. But I'm just not gonna put you know, my all my belief system and is something that somebody's telling me after about it less than a year of research. I'm sorry, that's just basic. That's just kind of for me, that was common sense. But I don't really want to get too

deep into this political part of the conversation. Um. But courts flipping over into another position that you had in the basketball split space, pretty impressive. You were the medical director at Donda Academy. Now, for those that don't know, Donda Academy is uh Kanye West prep school that brings in some of the top high school basketball talent from around the nation. They you know, get their education, but they compete on a very high level and they spend

a lot of time playing ball. UM. I interviewed Durrell Wright, who was involved in the program, so he kind of put me on game and you know, all the behind the scenes stuff. How was your experience working at Donna Academy this year? I enjoyed it. I feel I was really proud of Kanye and what he you know, attempted to do. I feel like he accomplished something that a

lot of others can't say they done. He's not an athlete, and uh, I wanted to I was Durrell, right, was actually who came to me with the project, and thank you to him, because he realized that they needed a little bit more sports medicine care than what they had, and so he's like, hey, wait a minute, where's your trainer and he said, no, no, no, Cock Coort Cock Court And so I came and I brought Courts Corner, my sports medicine program and my whole services in and

UM shout out to Angelica. She was the athletic trainer that was on staff there and through Courts Corner, and so I just helped them manage. Yeah. They were from all over the country, excellent athletes, UM, scholar athletes. A lot of them had excellent grades and really just you know, was really about It was a prep school, so of course it's not high school, but it's not college, and

they're really trying to get that look. Um. And they traveled all over the country and play games, and so I just did my best to help manage all the injuries and illnesses that were happening while they were traveling, and then come back here and play. Um. I got to talk to Kanye and tell him how thankful and privilege I was to be at work with him and his team, and how proud I was, and the way

he represented for us. How do he you know, really help those young men, uh see different avenues and give them more of a career path, um with basketball that you know what he was doing from the entertainment side. So it was a little bit of both sports and entertainment, you know, being covered with Donte sports. But the academy is still growing. You know, this is only that was the first year. We just finished the season. Um, but the opportunity was huge because we played and the girls

worked all over the country. Um, you know, providing the care and the sports medicine health for the for the kids. When you that's a that's an awesome, um description of that that situation. I was curious what it looked like over there from and you as you know, the medical person you have probably in any organization, the athletic trainer is typically the most knowledgeable person in the organization just everything that's going on. Just for some reason, I don't

know why, the rader always is the one, but court. Um, when you when you work with you know, high level elite level athletes like at don DA, Nigeria national team, the w n b A obviously different levels of elite athletes,

but all elite. You know, how do you design a plan a program or a preventative program or what do you emphasize your medical expertise, like what do you what what is most important for athletes to keep in mind or to stay true to a certain type of you know program, What is Talk to me for a second.

You have such good questions, Um, well it's for me that was it's really about building the best team right forwards, basketball, every sport, It's really about team, you know, to me, and so even the sports medicine team is a big part of the success of any level. You know, so on the professional level or on an elite level, everyone around that athlete is what makes them be successful. It was what makes them be able to perform at that

level that we're expected to perform at, you know. So for me, I just kind of started working to find the best of every type of therapist that I could around me, every doctor you know around me, um that I had met and had great resources and had great

relationships and tried to network and build. That's how I determine like how I'm going to face each year or each sport or each season that I'm involved in, as far as just making sure that we provide the best services in the care so that matters for the athlete. And I think sometimes a lot of athletes until they have an injury or until they've experienced something, do they really recognize the value of an athlete trainer, the physical therapists.

The difference between those the massage therapists and the chiropractors and acupunctures. Now even the extra level of like wellness care, it's so important because it could just take one or two of them to figure out how to put this machine oil dwell together to create that. You know. So it's a lot of athletics, I mean, what goes into it, but on the outside it really does matter, like who and what you're listening to and working to get that

proper training. So I love That's one of my favorite things about my field is that I just love to work with people, individuals, who are like minded and who are just great at what they do with staying in their lane. Because sports medicine it's so so such a huge umbrella, right, and I talked about all the different entities of it, but learning how to stay in their lane, it's like one of our biggest challenges because you just be great at what you do. You don't have to

necessarily do what I do. You can do what you do would be the best at that. And so that to me is how I determine, like what I'm gonna do. As in regards to running these different leagues and tournaments and teams and putting the best on the floor, as we say, you know, putting the best in the corner in courts corner. I usually really make sure that that's understood that like when you come this is you need

to be focused on what you're doing. You need to really love it, have that passion and desire to uh want to be you know that best. 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. You think that with you know, advancements in technology and everything else, that it's easier to work with elite level athletes today than it was when

you first got into professional sports. Or if maybe not, maybe you don't think that, let me know what you think. I think we have so many more resources, and I think sometimes we get to cheat a little bit in California because everyone knows that, like we're the mecca of medicine here. I like to call us the mecca of medicine.

A lot of my we know that, whether we're U c l A, Cedar SINAI, you know, from from that perspective, and then we get into the thick of things with like all the other colleges and medical programs that we

have here. California has a huge um you know, range of specialists, and so I feel like the development of just evolution of life right and how everything is perceived for us right now, I think that we are getting to the point where the resources UM have are definitely suitable to help athletes returning to play sooner than what we're that would back when you know, we were playing

or you were playing. And yeah, because I was a guy that I wish I had a quartz corner around when I was coming up, although I did have a decent athletic trainer and Tony Spino at U c l A who really took care of me a lot. But the advancements in technology really stand out. How quickly guys

are coming back from certain injuries. I remember, like, I always be shocked and I see a dude coming back on on the A c l in like seven months, eight months now or or or or an achilles, you know, and and just in just a time period that didn't seem feasible. You know what I'm saying, court Like these guys are and a lot of this too, is is on the these guys and girls on the professional level.

There's more of a mindfulness about minutes. There's more of a mindfulness about the longevity of the athlete than there was back in the day, where it was more you were a piece of meat. Nowadays, the athlete actually has, you know, as a person with a brand. And you know what, the athlete had started developing brands, they had

to stop treating them like ship. And that was just it, Like, once we got a brand, bro, you gotta stop treating me like oh no. And when I say ship, I don't mean like athletes back in the day were treated oh so bad. But we know the difference between the eighties and nineties in today, you know. Um, I guess one of the other things I wanted to really kind of dive into with you as the first athletic training,

female athletic trainer in the sport of boxing. My first question about that was is how long did it take you before you felt like you had fully earned the trust of Floyd Mayweather as a trainer, as an as a medical trainer. I've been involved in boxing for a long time because of my family, know, my uncle, my dad, my cousin's We've been around boxing since I was young, So I, um, I loved it at a young age.

You know, sounds very passionate about the sport. I never really saw myself working in boxing, um because I never saw anyone that looks like me doing any of these things that I was, you know, my profession. So when I started realizing that where's the trainer, you know, where's an athletic trainer, Where's the therapist? Where who's helping these guys?

And there was no one, you know, there was a few that you would see here and there, but besides the cut man, right really, but see the cut man, And that's that's what I would always focus in on, you know. It was like the cut man and how they managed and how they taped and wrapped and how they you know, managed all that medical blood and stopped it real fast. I was fascinated by that, and so that to me was like, Okay, I want to do that. I thought I wanted to be like a cut girl,

cut lady. You know. I never knew that I would right now, I was. I was so excited about it. Every single time there was a fight. Most of the time, it was for us just to tune in and see my uncle Sam, you know, like there he is. We see him behind every boxer, you know, back in the Sugarade watch. He was always there, and so we would come to those same fights. We would be there, we

would watch. But I noticed for myself, I was always watching the corner, you know, And so when I started saying to myself, like, okay, who helps these guys afterwards? You know, And over time it became something that I never really saw. And so I was introduced to Floyd. He wanted to ice his body a little bit better. He wanted to take care of himself. A little bit better. He was already about forty two forty three and oh, and he said, I don't get hurt. He always was

very confident about saying that I don't get hurt. But yeah, I can take a little bit care. I don't like it as much as I could I should. Maybe it's too cold, you know, find another way. And so my experience with him at the beginning of it was, uh, something that I felt like really impacted him and he it really showed up when I took him to introduced him in the cryo therapy chamber. And that was something that I heard about from Kobe, from Caddus Parker at

the time. They were talking and I'm like, cryotherapy, what is that? What is what is cryotherapy chamber? To praise below zero? Uh? Two thousand, I don't know about eight or nine or something. And so you introduced the champ to crywd therapy. He does he initially does he like is he because it's cold? That is cold? You gotta get in there, no shirt? So I mean, how did he you know, was he receptive at first or what? Well?

He is like the most focus determined person I've ever met in my life, Like he is not playing when it comes up kids like you look up that word. He's there. So when he you know, I had to explain to him, like, you don't get wet, because he didn't like the ice baths thought of it. You know, it's too cold. It's like, I want to get that cold. I said, okay, well this prior therapy chamber, you don't get wet. And he's like, how is that possible for you to be that cold? So we met in Beverly Hills.

There was a cry on healthcare that I took him to UM and UM. At the time, there's only about three in the whole country, and Kobe had one. And so that helped me understand like, if Kobe's level of you know, being able to understand that he can get in this two or three times a day, UM, maybe I can convince Floyd to do the same. That was my thought process for introducing him to that. And it worked. It worked, It worked. He uh got in the chamber

and uh he understood it. It was called. A couple of the other members of the team got in as well, and it's up to three minutes. I think they we're gonna do two minutes. And they said Kobe Dust three. Floyd does not play around when it comes to a challenge free and they're like, um, you know, after to studies show that it doesn't really work. For the third one, I'm gonna do three. He did three times, did three times in the chamber. So that was funny but cool,

and I'm like, wow, this guy is amazing. And so after that experience, he looked at me and he was like, what are you doing here? Like who are you? You know? And uh? I told him I'm an athletic trainer, you know. And He's like, Okay, what's that mean? Because the trainer is the person who's in there trying to teach you how And I was like, no, I'm not that. I don't know. I'm not teaching you how to box it.

You got that all covered, I said. I'm just the person who helps you make sure that you manage your health, safety of your body, making sure that you take care of your injuries if they happen, dealing with prevention and rehabilitation, but most impartanly understanding recovery. And I feel like a lot of these athletes missed that part. And so Floyd was all about that recovery aspect. Uh, he trains hard, so he had to recover hard. So we just started

working together. From then on. I would fly back and forth from Vegas during my season, sometimes in the middle of the night. He's a night owl. Now that's true, right and so so so Court, I got you, I got you here so you can confirm like this these stories of of of the champs just crazy hours and training kind of off kilter methods. That's all facts. Oh yeah, hey,

you guys see him. We would go out to a little club some of the night and then I think he was on TV show that he um popped his trunk and pulled his workout shoes, put his shoes on, and ran normal. Yeah we did that often. Wow. Yeah, yeah, we would hang out. Would be twenty four hours, you know, really worked twenty hours. One time I stayed up for fifty two hours. Great, yeah, him, how did you stay up? You don't drink coffee? I don't. I went into the

bat while I do now I do. Now. I went into the bathroom a couple of times and look at myself in the mirror and I'm like, you are here, you know, you better stay up? And this was it was. It was It was like a little dream, you know. It felt so good. But he was so focused and determined. He had it all mapped out how he wanted to run, work out, put his time in the gym. You know, he's his own coach. He has a team, but he is very self motivated, self driven. So those type of

things I'll start wearing on me. You know, I'm like, if this guy can do it. I thought I was so much older than Floyd. He has a little we have an inside joke that, um, I thought that I was older than him because he looks so young, right. We we did some medical work before and the doctors like him blood of an eighteen year old. And so now he was walking around like I'm gonna make tea your own body. But we have an inside joke that

I started knowing. Like as I was working on him, we would listen to the same kind of music and it would be like old school R and B. You know, Joe to See and that, you know, Bobby Brown, that was like our favorite. And I was He's singing and I'm like, hold do you He's like, oh do you think I and I never really checked and he was I was like, I'm way older than you, and he was like, no, you're not. So he used to call me Auntie sometimes so that I was older than so.

Um A good times, you know. And he just is a hard worker. And that's what still that hard. I mean. I was already coming in as a hard work. I think he recognized that, but I feel like it really took that focus to be able to do what we're doing on this level. Then again, I went back and I told you that before about bringing my team. I had Dr Michel He uh, he worked with me with the Sparks. I knew needed a little bit more around rounded team, you know, and so I started bringing in

a few others. He had a massage therapist already. UM, so we all just started finding our lanes and working well together, and it just became it was all women that was working with Floyd as well. Um, but it was a massage therapist and myself and I kind of just directed and organized everything and just helped him feel the best he could. Um. But the moment that you said, what was the moment that made him feel like he

can trust me? It was after the Hello fight Canello, and I was still coming back and forth trying to show my skills every now and then, and just you know, I could for him and then leave out and go work like I was not there, you know, and I he fought Canelo, and Canelo kind of hit him with a low shot in his upper quad areas quad was that, you know, he had a little contusion there, and so he called us over in the middle of the night

after the fight. He thought he could kind of walk it off, but it bothered him a little bit, and he came and you know, that morning, we stayed up and we worked on him by morning and then he went to sleep. And then when he woke up that next day, he walked down the stairs and he he's I can hear him because I'm laying on the couch. He walked down the stairs and he's like, hey, wait a minute, I can move my leg. I'm not lipping, you know. And he was realizing it himself, without anyone

around him or in front of us. But I feel like that moment, he couldn't believe how much better he got from the time that he was in the fight till till after. And yeah, we became like his team after that, you know. That's to me, that was that day, that He was like, Okay, she knows what she's doing. Let me continue to work and be around. A matter of fact, let me invite her to the Maddie Pacquiao Floit Mayweather fight, a century type of fighting. I was there.

He had his little corner in section close. Yeah, that's fun, Like, come on, that's ridiculous. Wow, Court, But you've seen a lot of stuff. You've seen some You've been around some high level athletes. And we didn't even mention the two thousand sixteen w NBA championship with Sparks Candis Parker, that experience. Candice wanted championship with the with the Sky Huh she did? Yes? How about that? How just just talk about that? Just Candice leaving l A, going to Chicago and then winning

a championship? What did that mean for her legacy as an all type great? Yeah, it's huge legacy. I mean, she's a legend. You know. I love Candice. She she I worked with her. It was her first year that I came back to the l A Sparks, well, her second year. My first year with the Sparks was Canvas and second year, my first year with the Sparks was also Lisa Leslie's final season. Yes, that's right, I forgot about that. I'm at the same time with Delicia Melt

and Tina Thompson. That's crazy, that's crazy. He should find a chair on Noel Quinn. We really, I mean Ebone Hoffman. All those girls were like huge at the time, you know, and yeah, we were all. I didn't know you. I didn't know that. I did not know it was all of them on one squat because look, I used to hoop against Lisa and Tina when they were at s C. They'd come up to U C. L A. And they, you know, try to get in the runs. I don't sometimes they played. Other times they play with us only

sometimes they get in with the pros. But when they play against us, it was a thing where you had to play real defense and you had the body, you had to do things like. It wasn't like, you know, because there was gonna bust you. Tina was gonna get you buckets. If you're going, she go up and under you. Her and Lisa was up and under in dudes to death like that puffect move. So I know what time it was with them, and I can't I can't imagine

how that that squad. When you have so many big personalities on a squad like that, does it get a little weird or its professionals, do you get weird? But we figured out. I think it was like in me, I was built for that, you know what I mean. I don't want to like brag on myself, but I

was ready for Oh. And at the end of that year, my first year, which is Lisa's last, and I got to spend a lot of time with her, and she looked at me on the very last day we had a team meeting and she was like, you are good. You are really good at what you do. And She's like, you don't ever need to forget that. She said, you need to keep doing what you're doing. Keep loving it. She said, I see your passion in your drive. And she was like, I'm not surprised that you're gonna be

great in your field, you know. She was like, so just stay focused and do that. But you're good, Corey. So for me, I never forgot that. That to me is why I was able to be as successful in the w n b A as I was because of Lisa's words and Tina's words, Tina Thompson, her and I worked together with the Houston Comments first, and then we both came to l A. And she's like, yeah, I want court I want I want to have courts my athletic trainer. Yeah, I put my name on your resume too,

Like you you're good, You're gonna be really good. You just gotta just you know. They were perfectionists to a degree, and it thought in me. And I was younger than them, so I just did the best I could. But I feel like you gotta be built from it. I think being from l A and going through all the times that we did growing up and seeing and experiencing you guys play like we watched all that. I played ball in high school, so I knew a little bit. You know,

west Chester, west Chester, That's Chester. I don't know how you didn't end up getting to go there. I refused to go to west Chester UM because I just I wasn't that type of dude. I know. I was light skinned with the curly top, but I was built different. I grew up off sixty and tenth half, so I wasn't really a true light skin. Was one of those light skins from over there. I was a little different than the west Chester skin through them doing the Saint

Bernards and Lindara. I wasn't. I wasn't. I wasn't with that, you know of me. I lived there, but I wasn't with it. Why are you gonna be talking about all that right now? I don't know. Just you know when you said west Chester, so that a shotow I have? You know, I left west Chester as an athlete, scholar athlete. I went to Berkeley, but I came back to west Chester. So I got double love for them, and we won thirteen years in the rows. I got thirteen rings with

question dominance. Every year. We were number one in the country. Uh, the boys, the men's team was number one in the country when I was. When you played Lebron, you guys played Lebron. We did. We played Lebron his senior year, and uh, it was a great experience to to to experience, you know, to see that and to feel that in

New Jersey. Cord, I tell you what if you were deeply rooted into the fabric of this l a basketball sports culture thing over the last probably five years or so, like you are the person that's considered an influencer, a leader, someone that we all look up to. Some of someone that really inspires us all with her, with your ability, You're you're just amazing, just the fact that you gave so much to this our basketball community, your time, your

efforts for the sake of our health. Like people do not understand the careers you've saved, the lot of the careers you've you know, made longer short or whatever. When when when Court Corner shows up at a summer league, a drew league, a real run, wherever this pro league, wherever it is that you are, that means that on that day we have that place has medical attention. So that's not something that's always happening. People aren't always paying

for that. So let's get it clear. So when when Court with your hey day, I mean you were literally donating your time, your efforts, money and all that for us, for athletes, for the greater good of the athlete. And that's what makes you truly a special, special individual. That's a rare one of a time. We're so proud of you that you have earned your doctorate degree. And I kind of wanted to ask about that process and you know, just you're a doctor, now, how does it feel. Yeah,

that's what I worked for. It took me twenty years, I said, I want to be a doctor. I want to be a doctor of athletic training. They came out with a new doctorate program and it was meant for me because sixteen, right when we were planning and winning the championship with the Sparks, right when I had just finished the Mayweather Pakia fight, I still hadn't declared that I was gonna start my program. And I did and I got accept it and I four years. It typically

takes about three or four years. I took one year off to travel around the world with Floyd Mayweather, so it was worth the time that I did take off. And everybody is different, and I tried to playing that to my interns and my mentees and students who are wanting to, you know, watch my path and you know, come before me that way. Everybody's path is different. So

for me, I took I got my master's degree. I waited about five years after that, and then I entered into the doctorate program and it was a great experience. I got to do most of it online and then the other part you would kind of come in and you know, meet with everyone and to see and feel that level of athletic trainers who had enough respect for our field to want to continue to the highest level of education. You know, my grandmother wasn't playing around. She

was a part of me excelling in that. UM. Just as a young age, I was almost like addicted to school, you know, I was always around it. Even during the summertime. I would go and just teach with my grandma and help her UM and so it just was a part of me. You know. So when I decided to roll back in school, I knew I had to finish. It was a lot of challenges. You know, you just can't quit. You just gotta know that there's light at the end.

And then while everyone was having a hard time managing the pandemic and being on lockdown quarantined, I was quarantined and finishing up all of my work and in September I finished of that year. UM, I didn't get to graduate, didn't have a typical year. You know, I felt bad for all the other students who were going through distant for that first time graduating, but you know, to finish it and get my papers how I wanted. So I

wanted and it was it was fun. I enjoyed, uh that experience in my life because I had to really grind and I had to really focus and be disciplined. You know, when I look back at some of my memories and I remember, like even when I was working with Mayweather for training camp, sometimes at it's two or three o'clock in the morning, and one time he walked over to me in the club, like, why are you

on your phone all the time? Like that parter doing my homework and reading articles in the club, you know, And it's just that's my life. Like you told me earlier, we had to live our life. I've never that I would be in the club like trying to finish up some work and then try to have fun too. It's like you really have to manage yourself and believe in

yourself and know that you can finish, you know. So I had an excellent experience because at my lowest point where I wanted to just let go and just say this is not what I wanted to do, I had such great people around me encouraging me. Great friends and family members and other colleagues of mine that you know

played a role in that. So I feel like my doctor is mine is also for the city of l A and all the basketball, the high school levels and the egg using the Drew leagues and everybody the rail runs. All that was a part of what my doctorate was really like about. You know, it was it was a gift for us in the city because, um, I know I put a lot of work in and do it, but I also feel like I wouldn't have made it without all you guys being a part of my life

and my family and um experience. I've worked on all your at some point. I've helped an injury that our an illness or something in and out of the hospital. I've said a few people's lives and so those lives that I've saved, they have still just impact me every day to just keep striving to be the best that I can and to give that and share that with everyone with you guys as well. 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. Well, I'll tell you what we appreciate eat you. I personally thank you, uh just for the person you are and and just for representing just such a positive, just role model for kids, people of all

racist colors, ages to look up to. Like that's the thing about it, um Man you just talked about And I gotta let you go after this, and I want to end on this beautiful note talking about your book that you are currently under us under construction you're writing it, but it's talking about your journey as a young girl from South Central like to be all the way up

to being considered a pioneer in sports medicine. Talk to me about your book and what you the message you want to convey and how you you know just what you want to put in there. Well, Um, my grandmother that she rest and cheez, she was very serious, like I said about it. Education and and we used to read and work and learn and study hard every day and um, and then it became something that just was a part of me and so UM as I grew up throughout the riots in South Central, you know, that

was an experience for me. Um. And then leaving out of the inner city or out the hood and going to schools that provided that type of education that my mother wanted me to have. Uh, that's how I ended up at Westchester because I couldn't quite go to Manuel arts every now and the inner city schools for me were not kind of my my everybody in my hood that said I was a little booge, like I was too good to go to some of those schools, but okay,

I'll take it. I'll go to Westchester. But the experience that I had from that, you know, living an inner city and working and trying to manage my life with my brothers and sisters and my family, and then just understanding the sports realm and then always having just the energy and the focus of wanting to be something in a professional setting as a doctor um being able to accomplish that, I think it was huge. Gary Vady, who

is longtime Laker athletic trainer extraordinair legend. I remember my first day on the job with the Sparks and I walked into the Lakers training facility and I saw Jill Jackson first, and then I saw Gary Vety and he's like, who are you? What are you doing in here? And I'm an athlete trainer. I work for the Sparks. He's like, you're too young to be a head trainer at the

Sparks and I was like, whoa, it's it's me. You know, and so I got to just watch him every now and then his energy, where he carried himself, and what he stood for and his excellence that he put, you know, out there, and I was just happy to be a part of something and I wanted to share that. So I created my internship program. I got as much experience as I could. I did so many things that I could to just keep transitioning of moving up. And then the boxing world happened. So I said, you know, the

lives that I've saved was what really touched me. Jason McKinney, you know, he was injured and was tony could never walk again, and now he's running around running camps and leagues and tournaments and of shorts and so um, I've had a lot of experience that really touched me, a lot of lives that I've really been able to manage. And so I said, I wanted to share that because I want these young especially women professionals and athletic training.

You know now that we're breaking the glass ceilings that term is, you know, but we're really doing big things and pro sports and um, and we have a long way to come. Title nine. We've been talking about that I've done a few interviews for that UM, but just being called a pioneer in sports medicine is like wow

to me, you know, thankful, I feel honored, UM. But I want to share that experience and give back to my community and give back to the young women in in sports are just young women period, who don't know what they want to do. I had no idea where sports medicine even existed until I got to experience some of these things in life in the inner city. That helped me understand that you can be an athlete and

you can also be a doctor. You can do those things and combine in so many different fields in arenas. And so I feel like all of our generation and the ones above us, and then now the ones that are you know, below us, that need that guidance and that that professional development, I feel like it's important to

share and to care and to help giving tips. I was on a plane the other day and a young lady walked up to me and she was like, I like, when you talk about elevation, you elevate your feet, Like that's cool. I talked my mom to do that and her blood pressure went down, and I'm like, those are the things that really keep me inspired to want to keep sharing, and so I felt like, let me let

me box that all together. So Gary V came to me not too long ago when I was in the bubble season and he invited did me to be a part of send me a message and he says, I'm working on um you know, he's a girl dad and at the time, you know him and Kobe, Kobe had passed and he said, I'm really going to work my next project on dedicating it to women in sports medicine, and I want to reach out to the top twenty five women in the world to have impacted us into

our country and have been a part of something bigger than just themselves and want to share their story. And I'm looking like is he talking to me? And he was talking to me. He said that I was top women in sports medicine and he wanted me to share my story and as an athletic trainer. So that is what inspired me the most because I'm like, yeah, I

think back and I have to write different experiences. Whether it was the USA team, we didn't get a chance to talk about that too much, but I had my experience with the USA national team, not just with the USA three on three team, and and so I loved it all, and I thought it was a great idea, and I started really loving and enjoying writing different stories and talking about my past and experience. It kind of taught me who I really am and I can share

with others. And I feel like that is what really guided me to create this book that I'm putting together. It sounds like it's about to be good. You better get the rights to the movie because once the book dropped, they're gonna try to make the movie. So you I know, I know the Watson is gonna have it all locked up. So I'm not even really tripping on that. But when you do drop it, Court, I need you to come back to the show. Come back, and we're gonna talk

about it. I'm gonna have read it. I want to sign autograph copy, and I'm gonna break it down. Court. It's been a great it's been a real conversation today. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to come by kJ Live. Thank you for having me. We didn't talk about drinking water. You know, I'm never gonna forget that. I guess I know. So so let me and we won't leave them with this note because

I think that it's very important. As we head into the spring and summer, a lot of us are trying to work out a little more, trying to eat right, trying to eat salad now for the first time in like a year. Um, I want to get some tips, some nutritional tips, some health tips, some living tips, some you know, some tips on how I can maximize my existence on this planet on a daily basis. Yeah, I

tell you, I'm always drinking water. I was looking around and see if you had some water somewhere around you. What is that? Okay? All right? Good for you? Learn anything? You know. I'm always gonna talk about water in any two or a conversation that I have half of your body and I'm representing censure right now because it's a good, clean water. But at the same time, half of your body weight and ounces is what everybody should drink daily.

So if you weigh two hundred pounds, I'm not saying that right to the towns, but if you did, you take half of that, which is one crazy that's a lot of water. Court that's I'm to seventy five six five in it. Yeah, I'm like, that's a lot of that's that's a lot of water to drink. It is a lot of water. But if you manage it well, you should drink half of what you need by the first half of the day. Just get just get it in.

So but all I gotta say about drinking water because a lot of people say that, Okay, you can over drink water too, and that's not healthy for you. But you can under drinking and now you're dehydrated. So number one sign of dehydration. It's like itchy ness. If you're itching, that's not a good thing. I mean, your skin, which is the largest burgan in our body, needs more hydration our brain. If you drink more water, you can think straight, you can think more clear, you know what I mean.

Like those are perks. Your skin starts to act cool if you drink water. A lot of compliments on my skin. I take pride in that. I'm very thankful for the compliments I get. I'm not saying I don't eat chips and all kind of extra little stuff to chips. I threw some chips a way today because Cort, what kind of chips you need? Real chips? I had a nice sandwich and I love Dorito's cheese. I'm not needing, not an extra, just give me the basics. And so that's who I am. You told me no chili birdie. But

I just got home recently. I've been traveling for months. I'm thankful to be back in l A. And so I got to drink more water and I started a little juice cleans to help me prepare for the spark season because I just want to have my energy together. I know, I overjoyed and enjoyed a whole bunch of fun times and good food while I was out of the country and just lemon and working. So I started a three day juice cleans and so that's where I'm

at right now. That's why I threw the chips away, because I just want to get and feel get rid of some toxins. The toxins is what weighs you down, you know, and it allows that brain talk to go away. I need that. I need my mentor on straight, and I need my skin cool, and I need my digestive system to act the best that it can, because that is like your other brain. It helps to manage so

much with your organs and your immune system. And as we know what we've been facing in these last two or three years with this immune system, wearing your mask all the time, your body goes to like a little shock every now and then it can stay shocked, and now you experience allergies and sciences issues, and you know, bloating and just bad digestives problems. Things are not moving.

Your blood has to circulate. So I like to focus on blood circulation because that's what it helps manage so much of what your body has to feel and give out each day with your energy level. So what could I take to help that? Like thornberry, elderberry is dead, berry is good. I really like oil over Reaguano. I don't know if you've heard of that. Yeah, oil ever reaguane. It's an herb. It's a liquid form. I like whole foods. I get it from Hopeful. So that's your droplet. I

was wondering what the droplet was. I've seen you play droplets. Yeah, I've seen that. I've seen that on your story. I was like, what's she doing over here? Man? It's spicy. I love sharing that with my athletes and with people who have experiences of like not sure what to do about managing things like scinuses and digestive issues. But it helps with your digestive track. But if you hold on to all the sugar and the salt and those things, your body doesn't have a way to get it out.

So we gotta push it through. And that is a great way to push things through. Is oil ever reagune and tie inflammatory. If you're an athlete or just a person who has it with any type of information issues in your body, you should just take in tumoric, whether it's the real powder version or the tumeric root. Or I had a latte. They're making latte's with tumeric in it and it tastes good. I had like three of them. I was I was killing the tumor, got up feeling great.

It makes you feel good and alive. So I'm always gonna recommend that. And then another thing, like when we're having signs issue. I always say signs issues because I have them, but I definitely got to control them. And um again, it's about the blood flow. Okay, everything, congestion, infection, everything is lacking blood flow, and water always helps. I like ginger, you know, Ginger helps to get that blood to act right and better in the powder or the root.

I up, I like the root. The powder is not bad, but I like the root. I'm gonna try to be as rag as you can with the ginger, so ginger, you know, boiling it and just kind of drinking at his tea. Um, it's a good thing. Okay, So know those Um what what type of supplement over the counter can a guy that's in it's you know my age mid forties that you know is sort of high strung at times that I want to kind of be a

little calmer in my day to day. What should I what should I be uh looking at when I go to g n c um, Well, I'm more on the well onness side of like Ashwa Ganda. That's something to look up. Like when I say things, I really like when people go and look at it, but like don't don't ask me what it does, but they actually kind of go and check out. I've actually ordered it before under under your suggestion. I actually I tried it and it had me feel it a little weird at first,

but then I I was pretty pretty good. I never re up, but I needed to. I take also panathonic acid. Have you ever heard of that? Yeah? So I take that that is. Actually my grandmother showed me that when I was about eleven years old, like, but we'll take you a couple of these. You calmed down. Here take these. So I took that my whole life because I would just remember my grandmother, this is gonna calm me down, so let me see acid. But but and then I take up. I was like, take, I take zinc. I

love taking zinc. Also system Zinc is what helps you to keep your senses together. Remember how during the pandemic time you can lose your taste and smell. Zinc is what that come back. It helps to strength your immune system. But it definitely helps to balance out the taste smell. I know it does. Also take obviously, the vitamin C is great. Um. And then I take some stuff just you know, just for the weight lifting and the protein. So yeah, I'm trying to do it. I'm trying to

be on point. Look, and when you get older, you gotta do more extreme things. You gotta do less eating, more vitamins and like you say, more water, and that's got that's gotta be your thing. You gotta cut out some of the drinking, which sucks, but you know, in the long run and for the longevity. It will help. But it's tough when you live in l A and you got bars everywhere. Yeah, you know it's tough. That's why I'm like, I'm trying to stay as close to

home as possible right now. I don't want to go out. I don't want to smell food. I don't want to either. I especially can have a been home. I'm like really thinking about all the great spots that I can't wait to get to. But it's about discipline for me right now. So I'm like, just get your stuff together and do a little Jim's cleans and and really help your body start feeling better from the inside out so that we can give more. I just want to give more love,

more care, more about everybody. And I see that I'm an asset, you know, I recognize that. Again, Remember at the beginning, I told you I'm trying to get more to myself. So I want to be able to give more out, but I gotta put more in. So I'm just gonna focus on continuing to be the best person that I can be get. The exercise in walking is cool. People need to stop thinking that you that walking is not a form of exercise it is. You can just go walk for thirty minutes today and you'll be okay.

So I just encourage everyone who don't who you know finding a hard time to work out, to start somewhere. Walking and jump as well. Yeah, exactly. Baby steps, walking and jumping rope are my favorite things to do because it's very therapeutic. Jumping rope helps every muscle in the body. I am sore today from jumping rope yesterday. Um, but I'm trying to take it easy because of the juice

thing that I'm doing. But you know, just try something and try something, to learn something new and experience something that is gonna be for yourself out first. That's what you gotta do. Absolutely, what's the real today. And I appreciate the tips. I appreciate you sharing your journey. It's in a little bit about your story. I'm looking forward to the book and I hope that this podcast will enlightened people and give them sort of a window into

who Dr Courtney Watson is. Thank you, Chris, time appreciate you. I love l A, I love this city, I love my people, and I love to provide opportunities. I hope if you guys are looking to get into sports medicine. I have my Courts Corner l a sports medicine internship that is accepting applications right now. We're covering everything. I just got a call from the Drew League again. It's about twenty plus years that I've been giving back to the Drew League so many different levels of sports. We're

gonna hopefully continue our time with Kanye and Donta Sports. Um. I really just want to start creating a little bit more series on how to help manage athletes bodies with preventing injuries and learning how to recover better. So we're gonna stay tuned to get some more access this summer to get in some of these gems that have AU tournaments and just hold little sessions on stretching and hydration and taping yourself and managing you know, yourself as an athlete.

It's so important to be able to take care of yourselves. I feel like if you learned a lot when you're younger, you might be able to come out a little bit better, being able to provide more um self love, you know what I mean. Getting why they're young, give them that foundation, teach them how to do it. Yes, So thank you for your time, looking forward to more absolutely ladies and gentlemen, Dr Courtney Watson