KJ Live - Stais Boseman

of Southern California. Let's welcome in the boss, Stays bows Man. What's up, Stays? How's it going there? Man? Yes, same here brother. Man, it's been so long. Man, you're like one of the most like just low key dudes. Uh. You know, nobody can find you on social media. You know, nobody like asked where Stacey is that? Man? Like he's on Facebook? That's it? What's up with that? Man? Why are you something little key dun Oh? Man? You know, I guess you are who you are. I've always been

like that. Man. I try to keep a little profile. I try to staft the way just it's easier. Yeah, for sure, man, for sure. Man. One of the things I wanted to do today, brother's kind of just talk about your journey through athletics. Man. You you come out of a part of the country, man that has produced some of the greatest athletes to ever play, uh yourself included talk about your upbringing. Man. Where were you born with city, what neighborhood, and what influence did that uh

neighborhood have on your growing up? I was born uh you know Marston Nazi seny four. I was actually born in the city of Corver City. I was actually born in Corver City. And uh, but I resided on Like you said, who burn eighty four? And I can't believe you found that man? And uh that's actually man over there is like like was that was like one the time like when like like a cracking and and games kind of like just kind of like kicked in, you

know what I mean, like like a flare. So like every day it was like it was it was while over there either it was breaking in the houses and were fighting. But at some point we played throw up tackle. We played football in the streets. I'm talking about tackle on concrete. We're hitting cars. That's why that's why I developed a love for football over there though. I always wanted to be like Lin Swan, who was who was my childhood ado, and I just took it from there.

So you're saying it was at the beginning of the crack era. But you're in the street playing football. Just talk about like what a day would look like. Man, you're coming from school, Man, dudes is on the corner. You had temptations there you I mean, dude slanking. You're seeing this stuff like and you're really seeing it, Like you might be walking down the street in the Allen and you've seeing some guy over there getting right, you know,

hitting the hype, are doing whatever you're doing. Just we were we had so much energy, I think, like we couldn't say still. So we was either like for real like rocket cars, uh, school, sleeping at people's windows. But at some point we always find time for football and football and knowing that at some point throughout the day that I was gonna play football kept me on the right path. And man, I can't imagine what them games

in the street must have looked like. Man, because you think of the cars, so you got to dodge the cars and traffic and then the dude you're playing against that's man, there's no We got cats out there like nine and cats out there like like fourteen. So that's real. It was wild man on the east side of the east Side. This is a cut over there, man. But thank god. You know, Mom's got a different kind of job. She was came a No On one operator. So we moved to the city of Englewood, and that's why I

started playing organized ball. How how old were you when you moved to the wood most of the wood? I was eight years old? Okay, and you you played? But where did you start off with parking? What Rex Centers, the legendary Derby Park. Yeah, yeah, I went up there. I went up there to just that was a local park when we first moved over there. The first day we moved over, like a park around here. Go to the park and uh, we're just playing ball and stuff,

and Cash is going to sign up for football. I'm like, what y'all doing it? I might so it's organized games. So I run home, grab mom's litter or somebody. Yes, free, come sign me. Yeah. Yeah, we get there. It's like a hundred dollars. She looking at me like, I'm like, find that. That's why I signed up at uh and I started playing football for Derby Park for the UHLE

with uh Incas. That was my first team in with incas so and and then not with the Incas that was this tackle was this flagg at first so straight tackle it first helmet everything. Now did y'all compete against like you know, Carson and all these other type of programs and stuff, Carson Landwood hard thing like all the

uh the schools. Yeah, it was real. Who were some of the guys, man, Because because my dad grew up playing at Sportsman's Part, which Jesse Owens Park, so he always talks about him, James loft In, the old receiver from the Yeah, but they grew up together. But that's why I played basketball at Sportsman. I played Jesse Part. Okay, Okay, at Jesse, I wasn't kind of I wasn't nice enough to play at Darby. Okay, that's real. That's so I wanted Jesse. It just kind of more rough and rugged.

So you know, that's what we worked with me. But were there any other cats? Were there any other cats? Like you know, guys, we may know that you came up with that at Darby too, Darby, like Curtis Conway was always my football bro. Jamel Holloway. It was something Lindsley Hunt. It was so many there's so many guys over there, man. But yeah, yeah it was pretty cool. Man. That's real. That's real. And so you're doing the football thing, you get in the morning side. What school did you

start off at? What was your first elementary school? The mornings at our Inglewood with the war Online Elementary? Okay, And now was there a difference as far as the adjustment process as far as being from uh, growing up on the East Side and then going to Inglewood or was it good or was it cool? It was a big adjustment because casting Ingleod was kind of way a little bit more players were kind of late back, you know, Catt like you know, dressed and like, you know, I

had outfits on like it was matching. It was matching and all that, you know, she was matching name brassed up and of my coming from you were just getting how he was getting it. You know. It was kind of a show. Shock in my first year was actually kind of rough for me to fit in because I didn't I didn't I was almost always kind of little socially awkward and it was kind of really kind of rough me to fit in over there for the first year. Yeah, one from me being uh pretty good ball, it would

have been really really rough. I'll kind of cut that brother from me, you know. Yeah, man, I mean I hear that a lot. Man. A lot of guys that you know may have struggled with, you know, the ship

part of the thing. They kind of gravitated towards just just hooping or just playing football, just doing one thing and then immersing themselves in that is that Does that describe what you kind of did or that's exactly what I did described to a tea And people probably didn't know that about me, But I was all flamboyant, but I was just the opposite, you know, so concentrating on the sport and actually, uh, you know, meeting dominicu Ellis and my best friend kind of kind of helped me

out a lot. Yeah. How old were you when you were dime met man? Uh? Ten eleven? Wow? Two or something? Got into the wood by teen eleven, that's right, that's right, man, because you guys, you guys had that that you guys had a couple of movies done on your hard hardwood dreams and they followed you guys from Pretty young Man. Yeah, well they followed us Hardwood Dreams, the first one. They followed us a whole senior in high school. Okay, okay,

but it was like every day though. It was like so that was getting stuff they were supposed to get, you know, about your house, you know, Friday, like camera like, hey, what you're doing? It not count? How did you? How did you adjust to that? Man? You know, you ego what you decided to go to Morningside and now you got cameras in your face? How do you? How did

you adjust to that? I really didn't because for me, I never wanted to do it because this at that point, I don't want cameras following me around all the time. And it just made it the show everywhere you went, like every you know, just following you the class, follow you the lunch. It just put a lot of tension and pressure on you that that I didn't I didn't want, But it wasn't my decision towards the end because because it's part of a team and the team wanted to

do it for publicity and stuff like that. So and I also think, man, it's it was at a time when that type of story was you know, it was really important to tell you know, you had other stories that they were doing documentaries of the inner city high school athlete and his plight. And I think that that it shared the light of a lot of things, man, about what people like yourself actually had to go through

on the day to day. A lot of times we hear about this stuff, but once you see it, you know, on the big scre it kind of changes your perspective. But I think you guys, man, you guys had a you know, you guys had a hell of a run. Man. You guys were obviously one of the best teams in the country. What it was most memorable about that senior year, like a memorable game, a memorable moment when the cameras

are on. Man. Uh, probably when we played our teaser man. Uh, you know you you with my career, I don't did a couple of game winners. You don't hit You're like, you're hitting game winners every game, you know what I mean. So it was a big game of big stage and uh, I hit a three to win the game, and that was probably the most memorable as far as my senior as far as basketball. Wait, I think I remember hearing

about that. You wait, that's the way you like. Then you get the rebound and dribble it out and sudd the rebound, dribble it out and why I don't know. I guess I was just nervous, don't keep it real. I don't know why d over out because I could just put it right back in. Yeah yeah, but let it fly. And it was game and I was That's all I remember so much, so I was like, what was I doing? Like now, that was when you competing sometimes such stuff taking over and you just don't know

what you and just happened, you know, Yeah? Yeah, man, I mean I shot I hit a finger roll from about fifteen feet out the sports arena against my other day. Man, I don't know what I was doing. I just I just threw it up. I just do that thing up, same exact type of scenario. It was like. When I looked back, I'm like, what was I thinking? I'm shooting a finger roll from fifty feet in nine? Right? Right? But I got one question for you, man. I always want to ask you man, like I doesn't feel to

go for a fifty ball in college? Oh man, it wasn't fifty man, it felt like it was thirty six. It felt like it was twenty five. In the first half. It should have been fifth, should have been fifty, but they stopped passing to too many seconds. But I know I felt good. Brother, Now I felt good. Man. That was against Kyle Sharif and them, man, but that was doing the heyday of the Pac ten man. That the live live time. Man. But people, but stay, but stay.

Something I wanted to talk. I wanted to find out from you man during this time. Right, so you have Morningside man, you bother your star to sport athlete. I remember you, guys. I think you. Then you guys went state in football too. You want to state in football? But they askedly took the took the title back because we had a player that was alignment. Okay, back when they used to pop you for being too oh, nowadays you can be like twenty two and no problems, no problem,

no problem, Okay, take it away. But but what I wanted to know, man, Like when we hear about guys your reputation in high school was like, oh, stay, you know he real with it. You know he's he's real. So I wanted to know how much of that persona or that reputation was real, and how much of it was kind of a legendary thing that people were just kind of saying and putting a lot on it, and how much of it was real. I mean, you know, none's never hundred percent real when you're in the media,

you know. But but I'll probably say it for the job, because you know, I was you know, I was actively in the gang and I was in the streets, so I can't think that's just who I was at that time. I think that kind of helped my toughness because on a day to day life in the streets, while I from Inglewood and the bottoms and stuff like that, it's

it can get pretty rough. I can help me as far as, like, you know, as far as the basketball and football, because guys are out there in your best sentsians elbows here and you know, tripping you here and there and there. But you know, it just didn't really

face me like that. What was that influence in your life that kept you on that path that straight and narrow, the one that was Staates, you know, going to college and he's gonna you know, be going to class and being eligible and playing and being an all pac twelve. Who what was the influence in your life that helped you stay on that path? It was it was for me,

it was always my mom's wresting peace. She's just always I mean, even when I was messing up, Like my mom was a hit the block, people like, hey, when your moms just came right and I'm like what, I'm like, man, where's she go? I'm like, all right, let me let me, you know what I mean. Moms is just she was always even like she just never quit on me, even because you know, you know how it is, you know, you don't always make the best decisions when you when

you're young, you know, when you're youngster. So but in the bad time, she never quit on me. And it was bad always, so how much fight she had in her and I wanted to kind of make it right and try to get back on the right path, you know, absolutely absolutely. Uh. Talk about your recruiting process at this time as a two sport athlete, Man, I know you

had some of the top schools in the country. The thing recruiting you, the thing I was kind of curious about was, you know what, like where were you real serious about going outside of s C obviously like to play and in what schools we're gonna let you play football and basketball? Well, Arizona was was a school I was, well, actually, I'll take that back. Connecticut was a school I wasn't about too. Man was on my trip I committed and everything. Man,

you can't huh yeah, man uh. I went there. It was just I had such a great time and it's such a family atmosphere. It was just and Calhoun was just the best man. He was like he was I don't know, just so there's something a bottom and just just made you want to run through a wall, you know what I mean. Like I was on my I was on my recruit trip. I'm like, man, that's school. Grab shoes. He threw me some shoes and I was hooping him. So it was I understood what I went

there to day. It was gonna be about business and trying to get somewhere, and that's what I wanted to do. That's why any other schools, you should come up to my school man and at lone with me, Like at least four or five times I'm sitting there with Luke. If you were the bottoms lou Lou Louia Jesse Evans Jesse. Uh. That wasn't let me play both. That wasn't let me play both man. Uh, And she just put it on real thick man and man wrapped. Just I just got

is connection with rap man. I still have to the day. Yeah. It was like for for a black man. For me, sending a black man that's successful and powerful just just did someth to men. Just it just like I just wanted to play for a rap you know. So I walking the keen speech, you know, it was it was more than sports and basketball and like fracturing my ankle my shin and you're in a football I missed like

six games. I kind of understood that, like sports wouldn't be there forever, and that path for sports is night forever. But you as a person is like better yourself as a man, you know. And I just took to that, and I just had to play for rap. Oh that's real. I always wondered just kind of what's going on over

the sc how the inner workings worked. You know. Obviously states were rivals at the time, and so it was like you wasn't really concerned about nothing but beating these dudes, and you know, you hated these dudes and and I'm one of the seven. I only one one again my fresh moan would be the uh at the at the sports and that ever since then donuts, Yeah I remember Mark was that the one Mark boyd and Ed got into it. Yeah yeah, and and just threw it to

the ground. And what I thought me personally my eyes, I thought the man was the best high super basketball player I ever sing. Oh man, I can go on and on about it. First time I saw Ed, I was in the eighth grade. Dog. I walked in the gym and you know, he's taken off from the dieting on somebody and just I'm just like, who is this guy? And I came home and told my dad, man Ed Obannon, man Ed Obannon, Yeah, I've seen that, like an au gag was like him, Tracy Murray, uh Butler, Yeah, a game.

I'm like, I'm glad I played football because like I could never be this good like they was like like they was out there like like like professor was in high school. Really yeah, it was crazy. So when you started off and you came in as a as a wing, right as just a straight up wing. By the time you were a senior, man, I remember you being at

the one. How did that process of development go for you at SC as far as just coming in at a certain position, and then when you have a chance to be a professional, you had a coach that put you in a position. I think he felt like would be your best position as a pro right because you know, him may put me at the one, and uh, everybody, you know, he has a lot of basketball knowledge, but people probably don't know no no about him a lot,

but he has a lot. He's one of every level of college player for john Wood and uh CBA Championship, the NBA Championship, so he has a lot, a lot of knowledge. He thought that that would be the best position that I feel, like further my basketball world and what she was like. So as I graduated, like so I left that seat. Everybody thought it was a point guard. It was like youtubo literally to play, you know, to win, you know how it is a lady united position, especially

back then, especially back then, especially back then. Now anybody to get away right now because everybody's pretty mu us freelancing, you know, I mean, it's not really positions right now. So yeah, but it was a little struggle at first to play my first like six or seven games playing with baby because he's the man a lot from the one. It's a different game from up top looking down there rather getting it, you know what I mean. You know people don't understand the angle the views on the court.

Now you're looking at a whole another viewer, dudes on either side, except you know before you had other dudes on that side. It made life a little bit easier. But you did a hell of a job Man, first team, All packed ten. Kind of learning that new position just was the testament. I mean, you're one of the toughest dudes that we we had to play against. We always you know, it's like, oh ship, we got station them, and you know, you had to bring your a game.

You had to come with all your good stuff or you know, you was getting ripped and you might get banged on. You know, something that happened that was gonna be embarrassing. Hey, when you look back on your time at s C Man and all the ups and downs, and you know, everything that was good and everything that was bad, do you think that it was you stayed

too close to home to go to college. Do you think you would have been better off somewhere else or do you think that s C. It was all good for you to be in that C. It was it was honestly thinking personally, to be real with you, I think I said the one way college because I've been a little bit more focused because I've seen my first year I moved back home, like so I'll be I'll be playing the games and I'm right to the hood,

you know what I mean. So like I didn't really really so it wasn't no, It wasn't no. Like the first time I've seen real work was when I was with you. It's just not before the Chris crazy like I was getting it and so I was like, so after that, That's when I've developed my work after that. Actually, But if I live in a way to school, I think I've been a little bit more focused on as far as the business part, as far as getting better

as a player as an athlete. Yeah that that. You know, we all make our choices, man, But I would always think, like I asked myself the same question, if I didn't go to you shill and try to follow my dad's footsteps, if I would have went to because I had Kelvin Sampson at Washington State, I was rocking with Rick Majerison, Utah, I was rocking with and then George mccorney, Jordan mccorne,

the Arizona State Bill Freeder. You know, I was like, you know, I was like, yeah, I want to I want to see what's up with all that because they're gonna let me like handle it. And you know, back then I was the center and so being you know there you said, it was like, you're gonna play the center or whatever. They're like, yeah, you gonna come in and be you know, like a point forward. I was like, shoot, but I'm happy. But at the decision I made. Man,

you know how it is when we look back on stuff. Um, right after UFC, you had a chance to do a couple of things. I remember you telling me this when I had you out of Qatar. Now you had I think, two situations, right, you had the Raiders and you had Chicago pre draft kind of at the same time. Or am I getting the chronoledge. It was like, right at the same time. It was like I went to the Raids camp right and two days in, like three days into that, the we Jack camp started, so I had

to leave a day early. So they I was supposed to leave. They they came to me that morning and woke me up because I mean the meeting room and mind me. All this business stuff to me is is different man, because I'm I was like, I just want to hoop, but playball. I didn't understand this part of the game, you know. So they're telling me right there, and now they offer me to be on the practice squad. I think Pratt was eating like a hundred SENTI five

thousand a year or something like that. I had to like, I'm like, oh, I'm I'm my flight leaving tomorrow morning. I'm going to Chicago. I want to see. I had to put all that work in the basketball just to not like give it a like I thought. I thought I'd be quitting personally, and that's not what it was about. Any kind of about to do over. I probably would have signed that letter of right there the practor squad, they'll either signed with us or we'll do what you do.

So I called my agent, and my agent I couldn't get to him. I'm like, I ain'tn't want to do that, man. I gotta I gotta gonna least see if I could make it or not. You know what, I mean, yeah, I made that decision, and so you actually but you actually went through like a mini camp with the Raiders where you you actually were playing like dB or safety and from the man corner, which was from the left corner. And I went out there for like, I loove there

for like five days. They had drafted that's to you, the drafted up my boy one wrestling piece, Darrell Russell de Russ, the drafted the number one was gonna plan together. Actually, uh he was like he actually looked off from me. Man, I love man the rush used to be because that's Jelani McCoy's best friend. So he De Russ used to be in U c. L A messing with us all the time. Russ state look states. I gotta tell you this, the Russ De Russ saved my life one time. Man.

I was over here, that's c messing with y'all with the football dudes or whatever. Man, but I was messing with it. Was like Willie McGinnis, a bunch of other than big big old day Royn Harris looking dudes just walking around big d man. So I almost got into it with Willie over there, and Daryl was like, had to save me. That I looked back at it now, like man, I've been that. It was about to get I was about to get up. Gilani was even like, Yo, you're tripping dog. I would I couldn't. I couldn't have

your back that day. kJ He was like, yo, there was about when we did them, news was there was no was no joke. And I learned that. I learned after that, like hold on, man, but no, man, that's that's dope. But staying with that Raiders thing. Al David's hit you up, didn't. Yeah, Man, he want contacted me and offered me to come down there, and I was like, I hold up the first time because my homies to

be playing and stuff. I'm like, man, stop playing. You thought if somebody else like come in my line with that man? So and then I meant to do that. The uh when I made him at the facilities, Oh my, like me god, man, like I've never been a person and his presence was like this presence was like yes, hunting like people was like pretty much stuff. But I've never seen it like that. Man. I've been around a lot of them. I've been a Maddick Johnson. I've been around a lot of like a lot of seen the

presence like that before over my life. It was kind of intimidating. I'm not evenna lie and you had and you had to tell them, no, man, you walk away and you think that becauseid me if your first love my thing is gott it, if your first love is football. Yeah, and you know you had the tools and the talent. How do you, I guess reconcile saying you know, I know to the Raiders and then going to Chicago for

the pre draft camp. You know, I came back to my senior year and I really hurt my ankle, like I just cut up one time, and to cut up and I just broke it, man, And I'm just like six seven games man pretty much in the end, I just I just always wrote it back to that. But I had and I don't have nobody really in my ear telling me like how you probably have pops, like you need to work to drible step back here, and no, son, you ain't. I started young. I'm gon to get it

off right there. What I mean, I don't really had that, man, So yeah, that's important. That's important, too much, a good educated decision. I didn't. I didn't have that. And you you had worked so hard, man, you put all your eggs into the basketball basket. You know you don't. You didn't have a lot of tape on football since high school for the NFL, So I mean it's sort of like I can I mean, although you do have an opportunity to raiders and I guess who's the coach like

Bill Callahan and somebody. I could sense I could see you being like, you know, uh, down two picks. I mean, the zone part of it was kind of messing up a little bit because in the league, you understand cat might cross your face and you got a hand the mall, but you can't leave to your handym mall. You still responsible for your zone. Yea, it was. It was different

with the zone part of that. That that breaks up a good point I want to tell me about just as a hooper, I'm just curious about this, like the ins and out, so like your playbook and football, like how much how long do you guys spend learning that stuff compared to like a basketball playbook batball? If you have a little meeting, watch a little film for maybe thirty minutes. Who you got you the little thing? You look like? Okay, this guy do this was that in

football practice started at too. We're in the classroom at nine. We're in there from nine to twelve. Damn in the classroom. It's a real classroom. It's like we got chalked back back in our day. But you know it's like like we really like we really it was. It was really. It's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot just to get to the fields. When we'll do that for three hours, we're gonna eat. From then we go eat, we'll come back and do the little treatment. Do you

hit to feel that two o'clock. So that's a day. It's a day. It's a real day. And and the good ones day long after the two o'clock we go from two to four cats it the weight room. Yeah, that's what I'm man. And then some do. So that's what they talked about when they said, guys spend all day in the facility, like all day with football is not a game. You are a football player. So when they get pissed, when they get that kind of got

into the basketball. The basketball is a little bit more player, you know, when they get piste off at guys like you know, JaMarcus Russell for instance, back in the day. He probably was getting out of there at about two. Wasn't putting no extra time and wouldn't putting no extra work. And it sounds like football, that's important. You gotta do that because that you're gonna be a better player off

that study. Yes you might not even be better, but just to like, yeah, but it's in the terminology and all that stuff. You gotta be. You got to be in that class room. That's real. Eric Turner, Man, Eric Turner was like burping me, Dudell close, you got to sleep third. I'm like, thank you, because I wouldn't. It was all foreign to me. You know. Eric Turners in the Great Rest of Peace, the Great Safety out of u c L A number two pick in the draft. I remember he was one of the first real US

football dudes growing up. I was like, oh, he clean. He wasn't play yeah brown, he was live. He comes back in the summer, you know, chains and business. I'd be like, who that Eric Turner? That Eric turn He was so cool though, man, he was like so cool. Man, he was he was cool. Yeah, So tell me about Chicago, man, who who was who was there in the pre draft? Man? This is you know you're all your eggs are in this basket. Man, who was there? Who would compete against?

And funnything you're gonna laugh about this man, because we did. We was five now and we actually want the whole thing. But guess guess it was my black corporate When it was Sham guy, it was me and Sham got out. We played in. I'm like, yeah, you have coming to get that right. You worked him in relationships, man, that's sick. Same guy. Okay, y'all turned it off. It was it was me him and uh uh. Jenfry was our coach. Man was a rude dude. Man, he was. That's why

I knew guy. Assistant coaches in the league's are really knowledgeable. In the head coach, they really pretty much running the team. Yeah, you know, the head coach is doing a game and all that, but the assistant coach is putting a lot of work in. Uh. I have I respect with Jenry after that camp. But it was fun though. Man. That was That was a year. I think Tim Duncan went number one that year and the jocking them came up there, but they didn't play the top chains or whatever. So

it was him. Man, It was a lot of pressure because they're right there, like I'm talking about you shoot the jake, They're right here. Yeah, they're like, you know, like they want to know how it is. Man. They own it man. So and when when you perform or play, you know, in scenarios like that man with a lot of pressure, a lot of eyeballs on you. Man, well, how does it like how do you respond? Like what do you are you getting nervous and then kind of find your groove or do you kind of come out

from jump Street and just you already locked in. I'm already locked in because I think it's like like i'd be like competing against the Scotch, like it's me against you, Like I tweaked my mind like y'all don't like me, I'm gonna prove myself to make y'all like me. So it's like I kind of give myself an ass just saying they did something to me. Are they don't like me? Or I just give myself sometimes because me personally, I

had to play angry. Yeah. I mean, if I'm sitting out there, I'm just jolly jagging and is cool, it's not gonna be good for me. So I just kind of tweaked my mind to make to make up some kind of some kind of foundation that they don't like me. No, I mean that's it's actually something. I don't think it's done enough in today's athlete. I think you know, in our generation, we played a lot more angry. There's a lot different inspirations and motivation for why we performed on

the court, why we went hard. You know, it was like some weird stuff going over. We were motivated by different stuff. And it's a trip. It's a trip to see today's generation. And let me segue really quickly because I got you here and Morningside guy, earlier this year, Inglewood beat Morningside in football like a hundred to nothing. I think you might have heard about that and saw that. You think about what you think about that? Man? What

do you think that was too much? Or because it's a rivalry and because because you know about the Inglewood Morningside rival did you expect something like that to happen? Me personally, I was it was bananas. It was crazy to me that somebody would like it had a hundred some points whatever the high school football game. I'm like, what were we over there doing? We did we even got eleven players, and that's that's what I think. But on the on the flip of that, it's like I

have no remorse for nobody's not with me competing. Like if I was a coach and I could beat you by two hundred, I'll just scored two hundred the hundred some points. I gotta stop him. I don't know. I think English could have scored more points with they could have. Yeah, I would have. Yeah, I'm trying. I'll score. I'm trying toco a father. I don't know you. I don't care about none of your feelings, none of that. No, man's sports is an extra thing. You don't have to play it. Yeah. Yeah,

I like that viewpoint, man. But it just shows that it's a shift now in the thinking. It's like we gotta stall people out. If I'm better than you, I gotta stall you out. Yeah that's what they are. I'm trying. I'm trying to take your heart, eat your lunch, all that, and then I'm gonna need it tomorrow too. So every day of the week. Yeah. So, I mean sports is as far as the competition, it is a little different now.

There's a little bit more sportsmanship, and though I get it personally, I had I was told opposite of that. I didn't have no before you after Chicago you got an invite or or I believe that was the order you got Summer League with the Rockets or how did how did that work? But uh, after after after that, I actually wouldn't play the C B A A. I came back that that's when the Rockets invited me to

the to the camp. How was that experience inviting me the summlar You know, I summlarly here they buy like fifty people, but they only got one, like one or two looking at it. Yeah, it's like twenty dudes here, you know what I mean, some dudes here on favor, some dudes here. I got there kind of because of my agent a little bit. And then Roger Rose was actually there anyway because they had drafted Rodger Rose in the first round the Uh so he was actually what

the us when I was working out with him. So I want to I want to play summingly one of them. And I did pretty well man, And they, uh they were surprised and said were gonna write them back in the mint. The Vestan's camp that was the Vettor camptaing. Uh I actually started one game because uh so do

Atlanta from Georgia. Last name was Anderson. His mom had passed awaye oh wow, and uh she went to the doctors for ordinary check up, man, and they did something some reaction and she passed away when she wrest from Clisia. And that was that was the time there was love to bring. That was away. That was the time. That was just my son. That was time there was love to bring. Uho Mabby off the bench. They started me, you know what I mean, I had like thirteen points again, man,

I played pretty well. Man who so it was so that was around the era and Cochino and uh Walk Williams and the weir. Yeah that all because my dog and uh Steve Francs was there, Mouchie Norris. Wow that's a nice little crew. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that was a nice little Yeah. It was some good dudes too, man. That it was like, that's the first time I've been around the star stet of people who didn't act like that and that like normal kind of cats, you know

what I mean in the league. Catch me, yeah, big guy a little you you know. It was real cool, man, that was real cool. That's dope, man, that's dope. That with Houston. You you played a couple of preseason games and go through training camper and then they ended up releasing you the best practice and they tell me the whole time, I don't keep me. Yeah, man, what's you're going around looking for apartments for me? I'm because, like

I went to camp. I'm like, okay, it's like and they do the hats that you make these kind of things. I'm not prepared my mind. I'm not gonna make it, okay. I mean I want to fall hard. I'm gonna go hard. That's just I go. But they tell me the whole time, we're gonna keep you for dim uh got my uh. I got half of my contract for the year for that year they had to do that. Give me as practice. I'm talking about be as practice. I'm going to the talk to you. I'm like some ice like na bro,

that's that's that's no longer your ice. Oh my god. Rudy was real cool, man. Rudy and I forgot them in the island, but really really was really cool about it. Man. They talked talked about thirty minutes. Man, we teach Rudy talk j okay, they're drinking that coffee and gin, and I'm like, hey, Rudy Man really was cool. Man. They WoT me down easy, but I took that kind of hard man. Yeah. I went home and I posted the right to play the Brand Rappers and I was like,

I'm cool, I'm going to the career. I'm home about Monday number Yeah, and let's talk. Let's talk about those moments because I had those kind of moments to my playing career. Bro. When I got you know, i'll get hurt or got cut from somewhere and I get back home and I take me about a month and a half to get out of it. And I'm and when I and I used to you know what, we call it dissipate. So I used to do things that weren't necessarily good for me or my body. I'll pick up

fifty eight pounds. Now I'm drinking, I'm blowing, and I'm doing all kind of extra stuff and you know, I'm jeopardizing the drug test. Now when I go back, it's like, you just be like, why is it, though, Why is it that we get sold in a downward spiral? Man? When we don't make it like in a cut situation bro especially cuts, like, Man, you are first competitors, it's hard to accept that you lose, Like that's actually what you did, you know what I mean. So it's kind

of a hard thing to accept. Then you start throwing a pretty party about yourself and they're like, wow, there is this person, this coach is that. And then it's about a you know, thirty days, a couple of weeks, the real you come out, the dog come back. You're like, hold up, man, I just gonna see and click about your upbringing, your parents and what they're instilled in you.

You're your neighborhood. Then you get back to it, man, you know, but it's not an easy transition, and and and and everybody isn't going for no man, it's not his cutthroat man, and us shadow your whole thing. I mean talk about though, because we had a similar experience, man, where the NBA draft and you know, I thought I might have been a second round pick. You Tak Jazz

were talking about something. You know, I had a couple of little fifty two fifty three, you know, towards the end of the dreams as I was like, okay, I might be up in there right right right, But you don't hear your name called stas that moment, man, that moment when you don't hear your name called, you know the draft is over for that year. Just describe it, man,

Just describe the feeling. Bro Uh. I never experienced dying or death for anything like that, but it's almost like living like like you know, living death a little bit man, because because because time stopped for you, because it's like boom, not only my broke. I don't have a plan. I don't know what I mean, like what's my next moves? Like what I'm supposed to do now? So it's on the shell, shocking it. You don't have no kind of direction. Many people, thank god, thank god I had the age

and I had your own Stanley. Who who would work with me and who would help me out? Who was trying to find places to play and who you know, if I was downing my love, who might throw me a couple of dollars? You know? It was a really good dude. Man. That's awesome, man. That's and people sometimes they don't really understand Jerome Stanley, who was Keyshawan Johnson's agents who signed cash Is Stanley uh got signed for ten day, I think last week or two cashes in

the league playing. But people don't understand, um how important it is to have an agent or somebody like that in your corner. At those times, I had a guy by the name of Jerome Henderson. I don't know if you remember Big Roaning. He's big O O G O G six leven O G wrong. Yeah dog. But hey, but after I didn't get draft, he he was in my head every day, man about working out, about getting about taking any little job. He sent me to Russia. He sent me to the RuSHA for like tan rax.

He sent me here for like fifteen and you know he was just like, man, you just gotta go, get on the plane. But just get on the plane. If I if I gotta gig, just get on the plane. I'm like, what it did, stays was keeping me going, and it kept me working and I had now I had a light at the end of the tunnel, bro. And I think that's the that's something that it's very important when you were in a position like we were in with trying to scratch and call and trying to

make it. I mean, look look at nowadays, man, these guys signing these ten day contracts and guys that have been out the league for two and three uh, two and three years and that are just now getting back in the reason that they're in a position to get back in the league is because they didn't give up. They didn't give up. It's because they kept in shape and they kept borrowing. But but people don't get how

hard it is. Man. So I usually got a shape so quick, man, and I didn't like, I didn't get like it to be to get back in shape, man, real shape. It's like why am I here killing? Like why am I doing all this? And like what am I doing it for? Yeah? No, it makes no sense to you, and you're just doing it, Like what the hell am I doing? But because one of them years, man, I like, I'm like flicking. Man, I stopped working up and went back to that seat. Yeah, three classes that semester.

Uh team and uh, the CBA called me a team in Michigan called me, gave me a thousand a week and some reason why I had completed a semester, passed all my classes. I was going back to finising semester semester and I left. I should have stayed finished my school man, Man, that's so crazy because I'm in love with that game so much. Man. I was like, yeah, it's hard to say no, man, especially when you love it. Man,

it's hard to say no an opportunity. Man, It's like it's like the great I treated all my opportunities like if as if I was in the NBA, is if this was the league? You know, you know you feel me stays. It's like, I'm not tripping on where it is and where it's that. I'm trying to go over here and just dominated uh, where did you go though? Where did you play after you got released from the Hot Rockets training camp? Where did you end up? I went to, uh, I'm going home for a minute, and

it was for Mars. I was like, you can't just you can't be here. You gotta do something. I'm like, so I want to Grand Rappers, Grand Rappers Michigan play for the Grand Rappers. Whoops. Actually was a good professional organization as far as the ship A check some time, good departments we had to you gonna teams, Yeah about check don't catch it to the morrow like, well you talk what I was? I was a quant city that happened to be one time. Isaiah Thomas and bought the

CBA when I was hest the league. So yeah. But but but to his credit, the checks world on time. We had to go to like tow there's two check cashing places in town that we can go to. And I go to one of these. You know, they take their little fifteen dollars off my top, but I get my brand. And for me, I was like you, like, I just love a game. So wherever I'm at, it's the league and I'm going and I'm maxing out. Yeah you know, I mean I'm treated like this league. I'm

not even have enough ball. Yeah, I'm getting paid to do this and do this anyway. How long did that? How long did that last for you in the cb A, How long did you do the cb A thing? For that? Man? I would I was for about my seven years. Man. That was my like, that was my little situation. I go this c b A okay and not gonna venezuela. Oh yeah, don't pick up me some maxition money and then I'll try to get a cool job somewhere. Begin know the next year, if I about to make the lead.

That was my whole thing. Yeah, yeah, you like a lot of of us, that was our thing too. I hate to see. I try to find somebody here. It was it was because port member Puerto Rico, Venezuela. Go get you somebody after the scene. It's lucky you twelve months in a month and I mean it's vity so it's out there the months. It's it's a nice place. Were you in Caracas? Were you know this? Man? How was it? How was it? It was crazy, man, because as well as not like one of the places you

just go and just be walking around. Now, it's real property over there. It's it's it's real property. Its sad sometimes, o man, you got this. It's a dog infestation over there, like a gang of dogs running a run as well. But I had about guard so it was cool. But that's real. But being from l a man, being from from from the hood in l A. When you go to a place like Venezuela and you see that type of that next level I want to say next level poverty, but I feel like it's I've seen it's the next

level of poverty. I've seen some stuff where it's like damgn I ain't never seen a ship like this back in the mouth. What what would be your perspective? How did that change or affect you as as a person in your perspective on the world. Oh, it just it made me appreciate who I was and the things I had a little more. Man, it made me appreciate, appreciate it have been actually been an American, because you know, I've been a black man in America is not always

the thing to be or it's not always gravy. So it just it just gave me a new a new foundation of being American and loving who I am and where I come from. Because I'm like, wow, it was like something like some days I'll be walking to my room. Man, I bought a couple of chickens. Man, I was giving them out to people, man, because people was really sitting there like drinking from the from the uh from the street. It was. It was it was like it's bad, man,

It's bad. It's real bad. Yeah. No, man, that's deep. And so you do Venezuela and the c b A for about seven years. How what point in your career did I give you that call? Man? And when when I tried to when I asked you to come to the Qatar, oh know, and I was like I was like, bug about that. I'm like Christian, I'm just stopping you might get down. Are you talking about? Wait? Why are you so burnt down? Why why are you so down? I don't I don't know that. We was just something something.

I was like, no, you can't compete harder than me, Yes, I can. And just I was like, so, like, knowld on, let me see what's ups. I'll never walk away with money and at leastee, what's up? So I hit you back. You're like words like so they're giving me sixteen or eighteen just to come. I'm like stopping man in the middleways balled over there, like stopping, bro, I get over there, man, you over the I'm like, oh quit, you're here and the cut getting it up. It was a nice situation.

It was a nice situation. It was hot as hell, but money and a lifestyle. Man. I was in Dubai. Yeah, we was in Dubai early before. It was like trading cap. It was for the whole month. We was there for like a month. They were there chilling for like a month. I was a little jealous of you, Alaser spirit and that team, and the team was like we sure did I still jump out the gym. I forgot his name, but y'all seen, you're seen. Was like, man, yeah, he

just retired. He just retired. People like Stringy Long talking about just retired. Just retired like two years ago to three years ago. He just retired. Man, he was amazing. He wanted They want another championship with Todd Day. Todd Day came over there after me and you like they brought Todd Day over there. They want another one. They want another one in the two thousand and five and they're like the big three on three champions So Qutar

is now the like the top three on three and Asian. Yeah. Man, yeah, the basketball just kind of like they ain't want them before we won one, right, No, man, they hadn't won anything. I think the best finish was the year before. Man, we made it to the championship. But man, that year two thousand one, Man, I tell you what, Man, that team when when I when you joined the crew, man, it just took us to a hold of the type

of level. Um. It was definitely they say that that was like the best team that they ever had over there with the team with men you we were sitting but I can do there was like sixt six. We had a real because now then we could play in our our normal positions at the time. So now you don't have to worry about doing too much over here trying to grab boards. We cant like lock dudes up, Dude, I can come off the screen and just come off this pick like one of the best professional experience I had.

Like like I went over there to a good team. I got to play my role, fifteen same points, play great defense, get the shooters to score. It was. It was a utiful thing, man, like forty like thirty days or something like that. Oh beautiful thing. I'm forget about. Man. I never told you thank you for that, man, to slep you for that. It's all good. Thank you brother, Thank you brother. I always wanted to talk to you

about that. Man. So then after Qatar, Man, after Qatar, you come back to America, what did you get into you at that point, I think, Qatar, I'm still I'm still playing, like I'm still doing the same thing. Man. I did that same I did that same scenario. It so I retired, man, And when did you retire? What did you shut it down? I don't even remember. I was. I was in a cb A playing for the plan for Minnesota. Mayhem. Uh. I went to close on on this dude right in the corn and the dude blue

by me. I'm like thirty four to dude blue by me? Right? He do with my little check I normally dudes they call that because now because you can't hear, you can't check. Lu was no more right, man, dude was just like getting blind me, like with the ease man talking to me crazy. You know I'm not to talk and ship. I'm like, you know what, I looked up. I was on the bench. Now I'm sweating. Man. I looked around. I said it's time and like once I can't compete

and stop dudes like I wanted to. It was. It was it was time to go, man, because man, people saying my whole thing, like I came to the gym. I'm like, who supposed to be the superstar? Okay, I need that. You are getting nothing today? Right? If you get something's gonna because I slipped up or you. I don't know what happened. You shouldn't have got that. Like that was my whole thing, come to the gym and I didn't do that. No more saying you don't even want to play if you can't do that you know,

you don't want to be out there no more. Want to be out there was over and after you retired, Like, what did you get into did you? How was the adjustment I guess into being in the real world, because bro, that is one of the I talked about it all

the time with all all my guys. Man, just that transition, because because look, unless you transition, this is my theory stage, unless you transition into basketball related career right directly where you can use the skill set that you gained the last twenty something years, then everything else is gonna be a little tricky. Listen. It was like I was just not being born, damn you know. I mean it was

like I was so self shock man. I'm talking about I'm like anybody doing nothing for you, Like nobody give a gamble no more. It was like it was like self shocking, man. It was like really shelf shocking. Man. I struggled, man for a minute, for a minute, man, I actually got to some trouble and up being incarcerated for like a year, like a year some change, uh, And I got out of jail. Man, my mom had passed. My mom passed. It Just people understand for me that

was my whole world. Man. I was I was just my that was my heartbeat, and her passion kind of just like I don't know, it's just kind of like matured me and woke me up. Man. I went back to school for jobs. I took the money she left me, and I moved to Minnesota. Get him to my Uh. My kid was out here about the nine was out here about a little house and talking about here. You know, it's dirt cheap to get something out here. So and then I started working as a counselor at UH this

place called a learning center. And so as a counselor, you work with UH kids all the time, of all ages, of all social economic backgrounds or how does that work? From school? It's like, it's not we have them back at home. We called them SCROP. It's like an alternative high school for kids that you know, lacking their credits, are maybe a little older because we had couple kids you know, maybe you knows old just graduating, which is

a great thing. And they stuck with it. So it's it's it's a school like that, man, And people think things a bad school for bad kids, but it's not. It's just for kids. It was a little extra help. You look, actually helping got a lot of potential if they if they get that help and they can't, got a lot of potential. And yeah, and I was kind of mad at myself and I stereotyping before I got there. Yeah, I didn't start learning. I'm like, oh, I was just as bad as other people staying type my bad Like,

you know, not bad at all. I just misunderstood. Now that's dope that that you you know, are dedicated to your purpose, now to giving back man and help him change lives. Brother, I wanted to ask you about with you being in Minnesota, uh, you know the George Floyd trial, the whole situation up there, Man, what was it like? You see, you're if you're from l A. So you've seen the riots. You was there with Rodney King, So you know Rodney Kings. And that's what I'm sounds like

I'm in I'm in the paint. That's what I'm saying. Everybody else, I'm getting it. So what we were using protesting, we was looking it was you was out to go get something. It wasn't no ye wash. This one is a little bit more, a little bit more political and hit it hit home a little different because I was I was I'm grown man, and I was a black man. And to see uh black man broad day, like get strangled to death in the middle in the street. It's

just like it's just something I'll never forget. Man, Like that image and something like somebody say George Floyd, I just think of him being strangled with death right there on that street corner and it was just bananas. Man. I applaud all the young people in Minnesota because that was the majority of the people who was protesting, and that was really protesting. That wasn't a lotting, It wasn't trying to come up. It was actually really protesting for a cause, and it was it was, it was. It

was an amazing thing to see. But also now I look back on it, like right now, like there's nothing that's changed. Yeah, kind of angry, but you still don't want to give up the fight, but it makes you

kind of ain't. But being a father of three, obviously your father and you're raising kids that are gonna be the leaders of the next generation, what type of message do you tell them as a father just about being comfortable in their own skin and being African American in this day and age, what do you tell your kids?

How do you tell them, especially because I have too by racial kids and I have one kid that's not by racial I just and I just tell them that, like, like you're gonna get pulled from to different side of about racial kids. You're gonna get pulled from too different sides at the end of the day, Like you have to love yourself and choose yourself and you are who you are and never be ashaming yourself. At the end of the day, people gonna like you, People not gonna

dislike you, and it's okay. Everybody's not gonna like you. You're not gonna like everybody, and it's okay. But you still have to live yourself and act with a certain kind of respected dignity and take pride in yourself. I tell my son in California camera, so now all the time, absolutely absolutely stays. Uh. One more question then, and I'm

gonna let you go. Man. I want to know if you could go back in time time somehow and meet your thirteen and fourteen year old self stay supposed to what would you tell yourself back then, I can go back in time, I would tell myself that education in school is more important. I thought it was, and more important education in school was relationships with people networking because like everybody know me and always talking about me, but like I don't know nobody, Like I don't I can't call,

I don't network, I don't call people. That part of my life. I thought, I think I would work on it a little better, Like the networking and building relationships with people. Like you said that after the after basketball and after career stuff, like right now you can kind of transferred into I see you with the podcast. I'm like, okay, nice, you know, just just to have a supporting crafty enough to do something different, I would I would tell myself

that the uh education is way more important. I actually thought it was. So yeah, that's a dope message. Man. Man, you had an amazing career. Man, this is a story. Was Your stories are awesome too, bro, because it's one that you know talks about resiliency, man, and making it out of a tough situation. I don't think people really understand how hardness to make it out of those situations, man, when you don't have your father around and it's just

you and moms. Man, I have a lot of admiration for the for the young brothers like brothers like yourself and others that have made it out of that situation. Bro Um And I think right now, my papers, I we started talking regularly about two years ago. My Papers is my dude right now. So you just you started talking to your popsic year about two years ago. Damn, how's that? Bed? How's that? How has that been to reconnection? Do you feel differently as a father or does it

not really bother you at all? It's almost like a question man asked that you always had a question in your life or where you came from, what you look like, because I had a father figured my life named L. R. Ross Senior, Like that was my dude. You know, we looked out for me the whole time and he just that was my dude. But you always wondering who you come from and why you act a certain way, walk

in a certain way. A lot of questions was answered, and uh, I just you know, as far as being a relationship with him, I kind of just forgave him. Like as a kid, you're thinking, like, well, why my father and like why like what do I do? Like I do something to the dude. So it's kind of like it was like a weight off my shoulder for forgiveness. Actually so todly about me. So I'm glad I did. And he's a cool dude. Man, cool dude. He's gonna

come to minute started to see you. I don't know, it's been some people like, hey man, we might come in the summer. We gotta we gotta figure that out. I ain't trying to resonate, but it's not feeling this compass right now. It's probably like seven degrees right, seven and eight degrees, Bro, that's so cool on that where we come from. We come from the palm trees. And you know it's sunny right now. I'm looking outside. Hey, I got the sun. I got a mountain right here.

I'm chilling. Here's the thing I would say that I'm most I'm most upset about my whole careers. Like everybody always talked about football with me. I mean, I get I played football, but I think I never get enough credit for being a basketball player, you know what I mean. Like I was off ten in the conference world. It

was like real guards in this conference. It's like if you played the pack tim back when we play it was a different kind of cont absolutely every night you're talking about high level guys to high draft picks, lottery picks, number two pick, Mike Bibby, all type of Jason Terry are coming off the bitch, first rounder, coming off the bench. So like it stays yeah, it states you was out there having drawing the toughest defensive assignment probably every single

time you stepped on the floor. So you got to really be up in all these dudes like a lot. Like that's the thing people gotta stand about you. Your film, your film from college. That's why I had so much confidence in in Qatar bringing you over. They were like, where did he play? I'm like, don't worry about it. I know, I know what time it is. My guy, like I seen him in the past, Tim Dog Like, I know what he eat. Locking dudes up, Bro, He's

luck it, dudes up. So you did it, man, and its it's a credit to your game and the athlete. That's why I say, man, you were you were incredible athlete. Bro. To do that in football, Bro, and then to be all packed hit in that era. Bro, that's I mean, think about think about the two sports stars that you came up with. Okay, guys like Antonio carry on or guys like you know, there were other guys that were dope.

They didn't take it to the level. Man. They weren't all packed ten and in the heyday of the conference, right, Okay, So that that's I think that's set you a part and why we're gonna look at you and revere you the way we do. Bro. We know, I think people realize it, Bro, people give you that love you still talked about, Bro, like you be on Twitter. Hey wait till I come out with this pod on Twitter, They're gonna be like, I wonder what happened to Stays and

this is that? Yeah. But I was always a little key guy man, like I didn't really want too much pressing headlines. Man, I don't want to do this ball man. Yeah, that's what's up. Bro. But man, you be good Man. I appreciate your your time today. Brother. Man. I love to do this again at some point. Man. You stay safe, man, and good luck and everything you're doing. Bro. Man, your family Man's always love and appreciate, always appreciate you. Stays Bosh