Chauncey Billups | Ep 152 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball

was punishing boys. But now we got our big bro on the show to day coach of the Portland Trailblazers, Big Shot Johnson Billips. Like you said, we've been trying to line this up for a minute. I know. I'm happy we got it. All about timing getting ready for you too. How are you feeling what's going on? Man? I'm excited for real. Man. Like year one was rough, it was really rough. Um. I was really excited obviously about the opportunity, and things changed really quickly. You know,

Dame was hurt the whole time. C J punctured his lunge. I mean it just was a lot. And then we ended up, changing gears, making the moves we made, and we just took some lumps, bro like crazy. So I'm so excited now that we didn't kind of build the team the way that I like. Dudes, I let you know how I like tough play, both sides of the ball, share the basketball, play together. So we made some good moves.

I'm excited. I'm really excited. Dang's back healthy. The young boy aunt Simon as he really his ascension was beautiful last year. He cod as much as you don't want to see c J. Leave Simmons is nice. Yeah, ye know, I'm all about develop let him rock each showed the world that a nice So I'm excited about your two for real. What kind of identity you trying to implement with this team. I mean you were someone who won your championship of a defense, like you said before, sharing

the ball, So it's similar identity for this team, you know. Yeah, and y'all too notice like the game has changed so much, but at the end of the day, the best of the best, it's all the same. You gotta play hard, you gotta compete, you gotta share the ball. You know, you gotta be good teammates. You gotta sacrifice. None of those things I've ever changed. Now. You know, the concepts and principles they're changing a little bit, but the best teams and the way that they win that has never

changed at all from the generations before us too. Now the best teams that you see, bro, they play together, they play defense, they compete, they talk about the three ball and all of that, which is really prevalent right now. But everything is all the same. So I see the game the way that I played the game. You know we're gonna compete, We're gonna be We're gonna be hard man. I like bones out there, key new pieces. Obviously, Simon signs his deal. You pick up Jeremy Grant, who's a

nice two way player, shading sharp. I like him. He didn't he played one got hurt. But the one move he made, he's that baseline fadeaway shot. That's a pro move. That was It sounds like this kids are pro seeing that move. He's got talent. And then one of my favorite players in league, Gary Payton, the second someone who's had to grind every step of the way, and you guys rewarded him with a nice contract. So I'm really excited. Like you said that, you've got guys that the kind

of fit your mentality, and that's important. How important is having someone like Dame Obviously he was hurt most of the year, but not only just what he can do on the court, but the leadership because you guys have a fairly young team. Yeah, yeah, we do. I mean, Dame is just I think y'all all see it. And he's really he's always honest in his interviews. He's just a real one. You know, he's loyal. Obviously y'all know that. But he he's really from a generation before that he's

playing in. He's one of them. He's from that that cloth, you know. So having him healthy, um, having them to just pouring into you know, and and having Nerk back and little g P who we talked about, he just he might kind of do you know, he's gonna play the right way at all times. Jeremy Grant bringing him on board and having that athleticism. You know, every in the game today, a lot of people switch everything at least one through four. You can go out all that.

He can switch stuff. He can take advantage of, you know, small matchups when they switch, you know, with him and there. So well, we'll have a lot of opportunity to do a lot of different things this year. So what do you see? I mean, I know it's earlier, is it is? It? Is it? Dame Simmons assignments. Uh, the young rookie grant and you're big fellow back three open? Yeah, no, the three, the three is open. But I kind of see it

right now. Like another kid that really made a jump for U slash until he got hurt, was not there a little played really well. He was hoping. He was hoping. He's really athletic, he can shoot the three, he can guard. So I see you know him, Josh Hart. We got who's who's bawling too? I see them in that you know cop three spot. But a young boys shading. He got tense to be special. He got some talent, he got a but got a lot of talent. Yeah. I had another question. Uh, we was talking about how rough

year one was. Do you take because being a player, do you take the same lups and the ups and downs of the season the same way as a coach as you as a player? Yeah, yeah you do. Man, it's almost probably worse. That's probably a lot worse. You know as a point guard, and when I played, I really kind of I took home more than anybody. You know, I'm thinking the whole after the games, I'm fried because I'm really thinking about any way that I can get on top. And I'm thinking about how I can make

you better. You better get sheet, this shot, get that. I'm thinking about all of that. So I'm not even physically burnt atter the game. I'm really mentally that way. Now. It's all mentally. I'm not physically doing nothing, obviously, but mentally, like you gotta prepare for so much. Every single game. You're preparing for everything and sometimes those things never happened. But if you're not prepared, you're gonna get exposed. It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot of work.

But I love it and it's just hoop at the end of the day. You know. Um, it's beautiful. I love it. Man, I'm glad. I did it talk about growing up in Denver, Colorado? Yeah, so I'm from Um it's funny like I'm from Denver and everybody like when I used to go to a tournaments and all that, everybody be like, damn, man, you you ride horses and ship. Are you ski? And I'm like, nah, that'sh It costs money. Man, you grew up in the city. You can't do that

unless they're doing free stuff for the is. But man, I had a great child, you know, I grew up. Um, I'm one of the only dudes in my in the whole neighborhood have had mom and dad in the crib that both worked, you know, and we didn't really for real, we ain't really had them, but we was cool. You know, it was cool. But my neighborhoods called park Hill. I'll take a lot of pride in it, and got that

tat on me early when I was really young. Um, And it's just like any other inner city, you know, it's gang violence, drugs, everything, you know, everything is the hood everywhere, and I'll take a lot of pride and where I'm from, not a lot of people made it, Um, out of my neighborhood. There's a few, but not really not a lot. So you know how it is when we make it, the whole hood make it, and you you you carry that with you, you know throughout you

carry the flag the whole way through. So it's been beautiful, you know, I love it. I go home, um all the time. My parents still lived there, my wife is from there, My wife is from our neighborhood. So it's beautiful. That's do when the basketball coming and Max when he's growing up. I first played football, and I loved football position. You know, at that age you're playing both, you know what I mean, quarterback and safety. Yeah, that was my very first love. And the funny thing is I only

played basketball. Started playing basketball because you need something to do in the season. I mean, idle time for any of the inner city is some one off. It ain't good. So I started playing basketball and I played all the way and played both all the way kind of through middle school. And I remember one day meeting with up not mean, but just kind of sitting down talking to my mom My. My my dream is the only go to college. I didn't think about no pro or nothing.

I just want to go to college. Nobody ever my family ever been to college. And so talking to my mom one day, she was just like asking me that and I was like, yeah, that's what I want to do. And she was like, well, that would be good, but you're probably gonna have to get a scholarship because I can't. We can't afford them. So at that point I had to make a decision football basketball. I like football better, but I was better in basketball, so I'm like, all right,

if i'm better, I'm probably can get a scholarship. I quit playing football and just kept hooping. So it worked out growing up. And then who did you adolize playing basketball? And who was just like patting your game out? You know? I was a mad I've always been a magic. Magic was one all time favorite player. And again, like there was like some dudes in my neighborhood that was high school players, and I was like, man, I want to

you know, I want to be like them. But like big picture, Magic was I wasn't a Laker fan, but I was a Magic guy because it just always seemed like he was having fun out there. Like he was doing a lot of winning, but he was having fun, he was sharing the ball, like I just always really admired the way the Magic I just went about everything, not just hooping. So he was out of my guy. Mr Colorado and basketball three times to looking to the

McDonald's game. It didn't play What was the McDonald's experience even though you didn't play man. That was crazy because I just like that was my goal in college was to make it to the you know, that was all of our goal McDonald's, to make McDonald's. And I felt like we had maybe the best class ever in before us. Name some of them, Name some of them. You got

one right there behind the cameras, Liney McCoy myself. But then you can have the big dogs like KG, Stephen Marberry streep up to Raheen, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Ron Mercer, Sham God, Antoine Jamison. We was deep. We had we had a unit. We had a unit. We had a unit for sure, um tractor trailer. God. We a lot. We had a lot. So for me to make it to that was everything, you know, especially coming from themmer ain't nobody. We ain't got nobody. In high school basketball,

you listed Mr. Colorado and all that that was. That was really easy to get. It wasn't a lot of players. I ain't from where you are from. So my real season was summertime. Hey you, I'm I'm looking for y'all. I'm looking for I'm looking after I get my name up. And so I took that summer very very seriously, and that's how I was able to be lucky enough to be a McDonald's All American. But in the playoffs that year in high school, I had just located my shoulder, so it put me out, so I didn't get to

do it. But it was in St. Louis. I went to it, had a good time. It was It was an awesome time, so it was all worth it, even though I didn't get to play in it. Um. I think it was Ryan Robertson. Ryan Robertson. He ended up going to Kansas. My room man was Joe Brown. You decided to stay home, uh and go to Colorado with or any of the schools that Glani said he was your roommate? You us, Yeah, not bad bad roommate, McCoy. He confused you with a six TI. I might be

wrong about my room right, wrong about my roommate. I ain't gonna. I was on the West, so he might not have been my roommate. That's funny. You decided to stay going home and go to Colorado with any of the schools you considered. You know what's funny about it, man, is Colorado wasn't even in my top five at the time when I narrowed it down. It was Georgia Tech,

Arizona at u C l A UM had Michigan. Man, I ended up like I went to a few visits and in my senior year, I lost my grandma and my grandfather, right, and so every time I went on the visit, I came home. I could tell that my mom was like happy that I went, but she was really kind of sad. So I was like, fucking, I'm about to let I called the press conference like the next week and I just announced that I was going to because they didn't even know everybody, but they was

recruiting me hard. And the dude that was recruiting me who became my coach with Carlo Patton, came one of my big biggest mentors. He was going hard. But you know, I'm trying to trying to do the thing, but man, I just felt. I just felt. I just felt right, you know what I'm saying. And I just had the press conference. They ain't even know I was about to do it. Now, So I was going to Colorado. What was that love like? Because you, I mean you was at hometown. He stayed home. That with a love on

campus was crazy, Yeah, it was. It was. I wish they had the n I l back then, could have got some money. Lay in school boy, I could have got you. But he used to have hair back then, you could have got your hair nice part. Yeah Johns had hair back then. Y'all didn't know you had a good Yeah you had a good run. Yeah, yeah, you had a good man. Say so two years you make the turning for the first time since NAT because not all American eighteen six and five up your career. What

was the best part about that two year run? The best part was that none of it was easy. Man. My first year we was like five hundred. It was. It was funny because my first year was the last year the Big Eight and then my second year was the first year to Big twelve. And uh man, I had a heck of a year my first year, but we was weak. Man. We just didn't have a lot of talent and we was as you just said, we was a bad team for a long time. Changed the coach.

We really didn't get no more big recruits, but we turned it all the way around. We went from like second to last in the Big Eight to second and the Big twelve. And uh I had a obviously a good year, but we had a good team. So like just the beauty of just that transformation was it for me. And then we go to the n c A A tournament and I felt like we should have been a hard seed. So I was playing with that chip anyway,

and we ended up playing Indiana Bobby Knight. They had all set up where if North Carolina would have won, but what if they win two games in the tournament that was Dean Smith's, They're gonna break the record. So they tried to set it up when it was gonna be Bobby Knight against Dean Smith. Fued it all up. I wasn't having that ship having that, so we so we ended up playing Indiana. We boned them, We smoked him.

And then we ended up playing Vince Carter and Twine and and they was so much better than we were. But um, we was up one at the half in North Carolina for him to break the all time record of all his players. Came back. We up one at the half. I ain't gonna tell you what happened. The rest stepped in hut. I'm gonna I ain't even gonna tell you what happened. But anyway, they was better than us. They should have been us anyway, but they shouldn't have

been this like that. So the third pick in the nineties seven draft, which was a heavy draft stack, was in it. Duncan t mac best memory about leading up to the draft, whether it be workouts or conversations with people, anything that stick out in your mind. Man. You know, I left left Colorado and I went My agent was in Connecticut at the time, so I went and trained to Connecticut. Man, I just locked in, Man, I just

really locked in. And at the time when I left, I was supposed to be like between nine and fifteen, you know, in the draft, and I'm just looking on the board and I'm saying, like the dudes that they're saying it's in front of me, and I'm like, I just want to get in front of them, that's all. I just want to get in front of him. And I I didn't get an opportunity too, because I only had one workout and just kind of invited everybody to

the workout, and um, it obviously went' good. But like I just remember like really just locking in, man, and really getting myself in tiptop shape and the very first time in my life that I ate well, um and did the things that was really necessary. And man, it worked out, Like I didn't think I would be the third pick, but it worked out into the draft right after that. It was tricky, but you know, but it was cool though. You get traded to Toronto, talk about that, Yeah, man,

it was. It was weird. Man, Um, you know, you're the third pick in the draft and you feel like you're gonna be there, like at least for a year or two. It's a bad team, you're the third pick. Most guys they just get the ball, but they lived with which they just lived of your mistakes and until you develop. And I didn't really get that opportunity. But in all honesty, like it wasn't like no coach hating, it was none of that. Like I just really wasn't ready.

It was the first time that I'm playing against dudes as bigger, stronger, better than me, you know, smarter, and it just took a while to make the adjustment. I was playing pretty good and I was playing for Ripportino at the time. There was a lot of pressure on him. I remember, like the day he traded me, came into my hotel room. We was on the road. It was just like, look, man, I think you're gonna have a good career. You know, y'all heard this all before because

they there's all the same and uh. But he was like, it's a lot of pressure on me. And I've always been a big fan of Kenny Anderson's and I'm like, all right, that's cool. And it was like we got a chance to get him. So it was a three way trade. I went to Toronto, Dames starting Mind went to Portland, and Kenny A went to Boston. So just the fact that I was in the trade with these these dudes, these dudes is oh, like they the dudes,

so that you know, that was cool. But I was really ready to get out of there because it was like a it was some days, bro Petino, Man, it was it was something I was like, I w was trut to stay in school. Man, this's crazy. We're pressing from the start of the game like it was crazy. But that college energy don't transfer, man, happen for a reason. That was all good. It's crazy. It's crazy. Look at your career. High ended to say that you started your

first four seasons playing for four different teams. Talking about that it was tough in the moment a lot of times because I worked my ass off like I never was like the dude that like I wasn't working or like you know, I wasn't focused. You'll know, I don't drink smaller. I'm living right like I'm doing everything that's necessary. Maybe you needed to have a guy right right, right, Man, I should have been hanging with you a little more up.

But now, man, it was it was I wouldn't trade my my my flight for nothing for nobody, you know, to be able to come in, fall all the way off, you know, and then get off the mat and then scrap all the way to the top, like I wouldn't trade it for nothing. Like it made when we won. It made it so much sweeter for me, you know, because I always believe that that's what I could do, and now I proved it to everybody. So it was it was a beautiful journey. You're a big brother to

me and a lot of others. Who was your old gs when you came in, you know, when I came in. And it's funny it ties back into the last question. Like one of the reasons while my career ended up actually changing is when I went to Minnesota, I got the chance to be there with two people, Sam Mitchell and to real Brandon. And Sam was so big for me just in terms of like everything, like this dude used to be you know, we was young. We were young. We want to be in the club. We're kicking it.

He'd be dressing up, going to these lunch meetings and all of them like, yo, what you're talking about in these meetings. So Sam was a vet at this time, not a couple. No, he's just the old hit on the team. So he was like one day he was like, you need to come with me and just don't even say nothing, just sit down and just see what's going on. And man, it just taught me so much, Like about the transition. I'm like, this dude was a really a grown man like this, you know what I'm saying, talk

how to dress to all of that. He taught me so many of them things. And then basketball wise, being able to learn behind Drell Brandon, who was the craftiest, smoothest, smartest, like he was incredible. So learning how to watch film, learning how to study my opponents, learning, you know, just breaking down everything. The dude took so much time with me and it changed my life. It changed my career. So them them dudes, I own a lot of respect

and credit then was my ol gs. It's funny because we've had a chance to talk to a lot of former players this trip, and and something Jack and I have been talking about as the lack of vents in the league. And it wasn't even so much too. You know, some are on the court, some weren't, but they were

teaching these life lessons. They were teaching you how to dress, they was teaching you how to move, They was teaching you life after And you know now that roster spot is so valuable for every team that that's our thirty three now, not thirty seven, thirty eight like when we came in. Yeah, and the game really changed when they took that out of because, like you said, it didn't

even become about them playing. Now, man, you look at you know what Miami's done with you you know, um and he just raising there are guys every single year into that culture on them count a big deal, huge, a big deal, and they kind of took that away. So now now as a coach, I understand what that is. So now I'm playing, I'm wearing so many different hats with the little dudes. You know what I mean, like,

I'm that guy. You hired people around you that could be that guy like you just you have to find a way to like to make it that way because we need it. Yeah, for sure in Minnesota the first year as you make the playoffs. What was it like playing with kg Man, that dude, as y'all know, like, just never I've never seen nothing like it. You know what what you see on TV, what everybody sees on TV is ever running around cussing and going crazy all

the time. The intensity the investment that he has into it is every single day practice shoot around, we're hooping five on is. I've never seen nothing like it. I really never seen nothing like it. So it was fun to be able to play with him. You know, Um, I thought he made me better, you know, by way of just how he how he led the squad. We had a good connection, man, We had a good little thing. And that was at a time where my career was

really kind of hanging in the balance. So it was an important part of my career being there with with Tick. So I'm thankful that's my that's my man. Summer vote to five year deal to go to Detroit. What made you choose Detroit. I really wanted to stay in Minnesota, to be honest with you, because my career really kind of changed, and Terrell Brandon was hurt, so that's how my opportunity came. Well, he was about to get back

healthy and m tired of bouncing around. Yeah, man, I just felt like Detroit was on They was on the up at that time. They had just went to the second round of the playoffs. They had been who was just got defensive Player of the year, Corlas just got six Man of the year, where Carlisle got Coach of the Year. I just felt like they needed a point guard. They had stack at the time, but I knew, you know, we ended up trading and getting ripped. But I just felt like there was kind of a point guard away

and I was finally ready to lead. I was finally I learned all I needed to learn. I've been through that ship and it was beautiful. Joe d was obviously the go the head man and charge and learned up and learn from him was killer. So I just felt good about it, man, And once I got there, when I was ready, never look back a new level. I think you hit on something important right there, because a lot of us get into the league, and a lot

of fans don't understand this. Younger players maybe playing and getting minutes, but when do you your life turned down? What's that you're five year six for you? It takes a good three, four or five years to really understand the NBA game. And people understand that you can get thrown in the fire and play well here and there, but understand the intricacies of the game. It takes a

handful of years. Well it does. And and the irony of it is, say, say when I went to Boston, they just threw me the ball and just let me hoop right like they do a lot of people. Well, yeah, I would have got numbers, I would have got bad I would have got all of that. But when you have to get on the team and you've got to learn how to like actually play with other good players and know what it takes to win, that's a that's a totally different deal. So I was forced to kind

of do that. Most top picks that go to tough or bad teams, they don't really learn how to win. They don't learn what it takes to be a real winner in the game. But you know, I was lucky Carlisle gets fired and No. Three despite finishing the number one seed, coach Larry Brown comes in. What change when he came in? Larry is so funny. One of my college coaches told me back in college, like, you need to play for Larry Brown one day, and I didn't

know what that meant. And I always just heard about tough. This dude being really tough on point guards Man Man Man and Larry Man. I love him to death, I really do. But I lost a lot of sleeping with Larry Man. Straight up. I lost a lot of sleep. I usul to come back from trips. One time. One time I came back from a trip. My wife was in to be a sleeping I wake up them like babe, tired as hill, right, I said, but I gotta talk to you. So I started talking. I'm going right, I'm

just talking about him, man, what I'm going through. I look over. She knocked the funk out right. I just kept talking, bro, just yeah. But this dude, man, Larry Like, he taught me so much. He may so demanding, he's relentless and um, but he cares though, he really does care. Um. And he made our team into what it was. Uh. But I learned a lot from him, but it was it was tough. It was some some real tough lessons,

but I'm grateful for him. The guard position in the two thousand's, I mean d Way, Kid, Iverson, Baron g p CP three, nash Um Gilbert, who was some of the funder matchups you look forward to. Man, all of those dudes were so good. They was all fun because it was all different, you know, Like I would say my toughest Matt's was probably well one of them was Chasing Ai. He's just I mean, he's just a nightmare because you could hear him like, you know, I'm physical.

You can hit him as hard as you're gonna keep coming. He ain't never gonna lay down, you never get tired. He was just he was. He was a beast. But then you got guys like like gil who was as big as me, but he's fast like AI, and he shoot from where they're shoot him from now, and he don't got no conscience given you know what I'm saying, Like he asked you like he don't care. So he was tough like obviously d Wade and Stephen Marbury was always really tough. B D nightmare you know like it

was was a problem. Bro b d was incredible and he could guard though like both sides, so not a lot of dudes was really as strong as me. He was and he was athletic. There was a nightmare. Every night was crazy. It was crazy. So initial thoughts, Detroit has a number two pick, you got a chance to get Carmelo Anthony. We talked to him about this ship and he his whole energy chains. The thought of what would have happened if I would have got drafted by Detroit.

You guys take dark Oh obviously took a chance. Didn't work, but you guys had a hell of a team. But imagine that team with Carmelo Anthony. Oh my goodness, man, what was your guys initial thought process? Though? When it happened, we all thought we was taking Melow. We all was on deck and we was always on board. We all thought Mellows, mellow, mellow. We excited. It was perfect. U.

Obviously we had a team. We took Tashawn a year before, but they would have been perfect six man, he didn't do whatever you know, um so I thought we was perfectly built to have Melo. Um So what you're starting lineup would have been if Mellow would have came, Mello would have been at the three um richeously ripped myself being we didn't have sheet at the time. Later season, yeah, during the by the end of the season, so it would have been she been Mellow and rip with Tayshawn

coming off the bench doing everything. It would have been crazy. Here's the here's the interesting question. I say this all the time. So if we do get Mellow, when was Brown gonna ever take over? Because people forget Mellow was neck and neck with Bron rookiev rookie season. But now we're in the same division. But he has you, you have a he has a way better support system with y'all. That's what I'm saying. Now heat now he gonna get raised right in the game. His whole directory of his

career changes narrative on him, his legacy. So I'm saying, Bron is Bron and we all know he's incredible on the Mount rushmore, but when was he ever gonna beat and better than y'all with Mellow? You know what I'm saying, Like it's it's a it's an interesting question. Yeah, but yeah, we all thought we was. We all thought it was Mellow. We was taking Mellow. Damn who was the gym at the time, Joe Dumars Damn, Joe d Yeah, yeah, that's tricky up. I guess go ahead, Jack, two thousand four finals,

the old world say you didn't have a shot. No, y'all wasn't thinking that. What was that? What was your training thought? We're here, it's funny, man, but we thought they didn't have a shot. M hmm, like for real though, not even know nothing cocky though, Like we was just we felt like the way that they played and the way that we played, we was a team dog like we knew that, yeah we can't stop Cold, we can't stop Shock. Then they're the best two players in the

whole series. But our game plan was gonna be thorough, and we knew that they couldn't stop picking rows with me and they couldn't stop rip on in downs. So we knew that we had two things that no way that they could stop it. We can get a good shot anytime, and we knew we was just gonna trap the hell out of Colde and we was gonna play Shock straight up and try to stay out of foul trouble. We was gonna be fine. I really really felt like there was no way that they could beat us in

the series. I said, and told my wife that before the series. She laughed at me. She even laughed at me like, man, what Yeah. Ham was sitting here earlier today and he just said he felt like something was off with them, a little bit between their big they're big two, and you guys seen it and just went to work on it. Yeah, we played into that, like for instance, like I'm sitting there, like we we know that we could beat them. It wasn't a talent thing.

We didn't have the best talent in the series. We had the best team and we did play on that. You know, at that time Cod had one finals m v P. It's always been shocked. We knew they had their little thing, and we really played into the you know, we really did, Like we we trapped Code. Code was really frustrated with us trapping him. We played shock Man

and man shot getting thirty five and eighteen. But we're keeping them on the floor because we going at you know what I'm saying, like our game plan was really good. It played in today's Psyche. They didn't really let g P or the Karl Malone. They didn't throw them the ball. They didn't let them do nothing. You know what I mean, You know what the triangle was. So we had to worry about code, worry about shock everybody else. We just stayed close. They don't have no freedom. We just had

too many weapons. We had too many weapons, and we just had we played faster. We was just a better basketball team. You have a twenty one five shot, four to seven percent from from three, and want to find his m v P big shot, she said, his whole life flash when the buzzer sounded. Talk about that knowing you were a champion. Yeah, yeah, that that was obviously my shoting moment in my career. She would say the same, riprote everybody would say the same, because that's how we

played for you know, for the win. You know, that's that's how I grew up in the game. Is you talked about going against other guys and competing against other guys and all those names you listed. The only thing as a point guard that matters is winning. So if I win. So you you got and twelve, I got eighteen and eleven, but I won. I want to match him. That's how I'm built though, what I mean, So like all I cared about was winning, and I always felt

like I could lead. I always felt like I could be a great player, and so in that moment, I validated that for not only for myself, for everybody. So it was it was my shoin and it was my shining moment. It was the best moment, you know, my best sports moment in my life as being able to win it. I didn't even care about the finals MVP. I would wasn't gunning for that. I just want to be a champion. I wasn't gonna for that at all. I didn't care about that. I wanted to be know

I didn't. I didn't care about that. I want to be a champion. So that was the That was the best feeling in the world. It was. It was the greatest. She said. They stayed up and ran the damn all night, back and forth all night all night. I still didn't drink. You know what's crazy is I told the funniest thing I told. I promised See that I would smoke with him if we won, and I promised bending them that I drink. Didn't do either. So we won, right, I was like, I ain't doing it because you know why,

I don't want to forget about nothing that happened tonight. Yeah, that's gonna you know what I'm saying. I don't want to be too. I don't want to be nothing. So it was just from until the next morning was just straight had watching everybody be crazy, laughing at everybody. Yeah that's crazy. Give me uh. I had to actually this too, But malice in the Palace? Yeah, what was going on

through your mind doing all that? That shup? It was sad, man, It was really sad because it was just unfortunate, bro, because it was it wasn't really a good game at the time. I mean, y'all cracticue y'all was playing with a different little chip than we was at the time. And I say this all the time, like it wouldn't have if if Ron would have just fought to do they wanted to fight him, it wouldn't have been no malicson. We gave to people what they wanted, just fight to

do that grabbed you on your neck. If we just did that, we wouldn't be talking about it this year. We've just been like, damn that they boys got at it. That's it, that's it, which was what the league used to be anyway. But if that didn't happen, you know, um, And it was really unfortunate because what most people don't know is that even though when were in the battle, it's on, but we all friends, homies, that we work out in the summer, like we all cool. So that's

what the world don't know. And what the perception is that we was fighting, y'all. The reality is none of us fought at all. It was the fans fighting, y'all, and it was everybody else like wait, hold on, but you know, perception is everything, you know, But it was unfortunately. Remember getting back to our locker room and Larry Brown, our coach, was sobbing crying like somebody died. And when he finally came to, he was just like we gave the game a black eye, know what I'm saying. So

like it was just sad man. My my daughter who's in here right now, my my wife, my two two dollars at the time now three. But they was there, the Hans boys was there, everybody crying. It just was crazy. So it was unfortunate, man, it really was. Unfortunately. Blockbuster Trade was an eight involving you for Alan Iverson. What was your first reaction to the trade, I was surprised. I was surprised because, um, you know, they told me I wasn't going nowhere again again for like a fifth time.

Especially you know, you kind of believe it at that moment, and for what all I did for the you know, for the organization for the city. So I was surprised. I was Remember I was in Charlotte. We was four and oh at the time started season. I was getting dressed, um for shoot around. My wife called me and she was like, what's going on. I'm like, what you mean? She was like, turn on Sports Center. That's how I found out I got traded from the Troite bro going across.

You were in the locker room. No, I'm in my hotel getting ready for getting ready for shoot around in the morning. So that's how I found out, which you know how you yeah, it was. It was. I was really surprised by it. Broke up a lot of stuff. I mean, we was ripped still. Everybody was still. Dan was gone, you know. But um, yeah, I was really surprised by I was hurt by it too. You know, I love the Troy. You know, that's that's where that's

what it is. You know, I got I got a huge affinity for that city, for the organization, but you know, business happens. You know, business happens. And I then kind of just readjusted my lens when I went to Denver. It was really it was just chuck for me, you know. And Um then was all my boys too, Kmar Bird, Mellow Swiss Jr. So much my guys, but they had never won more than one game in a playoff series in like seven years, and I'm like, why all this talent?

So I just looked at it as a great challenge for me, um to really just kind of put my ism on the situation. But home on top of it though, and I'm at the house. I'm at home. It was just a beautiful thing, even though I never wanted it to happen. So I just want to take full advantage of it and see how far we could press it. What's it like playing now? You get your chance to play with Prime Mellow. You guys both make the All Star Game in the first year together. What was he like? Man?

It was so much fun. I feel like at the time I was like thirty two into my prime. Still good, but I can't really carry the team but he could carry it every night, and so I really needed him, you know what I mean, I really needed him. And he was unstoppable. Don't understand he could give it to you on three levels however you want it. I mean, it was incredible. This dude was the most talented dude I ever ever seen, ever played with UM, and I needed him after that time in my career, and he

obviously needed me too. So it was a perfect was literally perfect. And he listened and Mellow he never missed a practice, He practiced hard. He come to work every day. It was beautiful. I just was like, damn, what why they can't get over the hump? But then you know, you start, you start to just make people refocused. And I come in you know how I come, You know

how I am anyway over every day with it. So I think they kind of understood, like damn, it's a little shriff, like we gotta we gotta square up a little bit. And it was, man, it was. It was so much fun. It ended up being one of my most fun seasons. Um being able to turn that help turn that thing around two thousand nine, the number two seeds in the West, Mellow Jr. Kmart nay name. You guys are really I feel like you guys have a chance to win the championship. Yeah, you guys run into

Code in the Western Finals. Talking us about this series. Man, that series was so good. It was so good. I felt like, um, I felt like the winner of that series is gonna win it all. That was the finals. That was it. That was it, And we did a good job. We stole one of the games, one of the first two games. The really good job. And it was crazy because even the game a couple of the

games that we lost where it was on the line. Man, it was like end of the game, I can't get the ball and bounced type situation right two times Tom Trevor stole it one tim of Hello Lamar deflected in and so like it. Man. It crushed me, man, because we we would have we would I feel like we would we would have smacked Orlando that series. Um that next series, just like the Lakers did. But yeah, no, it was seeing mellow and and Cole really go at it has fun. It was fun to be a part

of that. It was really fun to be a part of that and see that was history. Because Cole was he was so determined to win the championship without shock. I mean he was literally when they when ate it was game six, the game got away, bom. You know how to check the starters out to the fans can so they're checking us out, so you know, go up to him, tell him good luck, good job whatever. He was crying, bro crying, like tears crying. He was so happy to be going to the finals and he was

he was crying. I was like, the dude is different too, man, That's that's incredible. Traded to the Knicks and eleven with Mellow. Kmart felt like if Mellow had went, although he's a big piece and they were able to keep you, you guys still had action in Denver. Did you feel the same way? Yeah, I agree, I agree, um, because we still had a lot of talent. We played a lot

of games without Mellow that year. He had got hurt a few times, and I think we went like twelve and one or something without him, but we still was good. Little Ty Lawson was was the reok. He was just trying to raise him and he was tough at the time, you know, and he stopped a little dude. So I do I agree with came are like we still would have had a really good team because we have won the championship. Probably not, but we would have been a

problem though. Spent two season in l A. That that that young Clipper team that was trying to find an identity. Tell your achilles there. But we had so much talent. What do you think was our biggest issue or are a few of our issues? We did have so much talent, Matt and we have vets. I think our biggest issue there was um our young guys, which was Chris was kind of young but not much but like DJ and Blake. So those are those those was are that was the franchise,

those three guys. I don't think that they were mentally ready to win. You know, they were still young. They were still like needing to get paid and All Star wars everything, and you can't when you're trying to win. You can't worry about stuff like that. As we know, you can't worry about it, even though that matters. You gotta be chasing the chip, not All Star. And that was always a little bit of dissension between Chris and

Blake and DJ. You know, it was Blake and DJ show and then Chris comes in and everybody's Chris Paul everything, and it's you know, it's tough. And I saw what I mean, when I saw what I saw DJ start getting better too. So now he wasn't Now he was competition too. You mean, first it was Live City with Blake and Blake's all over all the commercials all start his team, CP comes in, CP helps DJ take his game to the next level. Now DJ's All Star consideration,

Olympic Team, Defensive Player of the Year consideration. So it was it was really the accolades amongst them three. It's an interesting take, yeah, yeah, but they were man so good when we when we were on when we were on point, though, unbelievable, right, unbelievable. I enjoyed that time, man, I really enjoyed the two to like I heard, I enjoyed it. You called the kids quits, and what was it? The time factor? You just knew it was time snack.

I just didn't have nothing left, man. You know when I told my achilles um, I wanted to make sure that I just went out on my own. But I was never the same. I mean it was seventeen years. I gave it all I had, you know, and I felt that way when it was time. I'm like, man, it's just it's just time. I ain't got nothing left my my goal to They in front of me. I can't get away what I'm saying. They blocking my pull up. I'm weak. I'm weak, Like I gotta it's time to go.

It's time to go. You know, you gotta know when you nasty idea, But you gotta know when you gotta. You gotta just get on out the way. Some people don't. These dudes is fast. I can't stand in front. I'm like, man, I'm gonna, I'm gone. When did you buy your first windows? And how many do you own? So? I retired at fourteen in team um uh man, I am so lucky to have business partners. I have in Junior Bridgeman, who is uh, anybody don't know who Junior Bridgeman is. Homework

through your homework. This dude became one of my biggest mentors. Um and I just learned so much from this guy. Used to fly to Louisville, Kentucky, which is where his headquarters is, like three summers in the row to just like be a fly on the wall. Just learned. We ended up buying and getting so were on thirty one wend these restaurants now, probably gotta do another three or four in the next few year or two. But um, yeah, man,

I'm lucky to be in that little situation. I learned so much, you know, from him, And I love being in in the franchise and business and fast food business, being able to give a lot a lot of people jobs that the whole world deemed, you know, different. So um, I'll take a lot of pride in that I got five daughters plus the bonus daughters. You got three girls. How does it feel being a girl? Dad? I love it. I love it. I love it. I really don't. So proud of my girls, man. Um My one is twenty four.

My oldest is twenty four. She's just got her masters a couple of months ago. Um, she's off working for the Bucks now, doing a great job. My middle daughters twenty one, she just got her bachelor's from UFC a couple of months ago. She's a professional dancer now. And my youngest is sixteen, so she's a junior um in high school. And I'm just proud of him. Man, you know, I'm proud of him. My wife did a great job. I know you know, I'm on the road tasting greatness

my whole life, you know, day, whole life. So to have my wife be able to step up and do her thing, and I did all the best I could do, you know, but I'm proud. I'm really proud of him. For sure. We're gonna go on the quick. Here's five Dinner Guest Dead Live. Mm hmm. I want Malcolm X and Martin Luther King at the table. I won't pocket at the table. You're gonna fox something up. It's gonna be on. It's gonna we're gonna talk about some real red and we're gonna have a real rap. Who else?

I miss my grandpa man, A lot of my grandpa. That makes for real, for real, I say, I would say, uh, Nelson Mandela nice. We gotta help with dinner. I gotta I don't know where we're going dinner. H an album you can listen to with no skips. Man, I'm going right now. Kendrick's new Joint. It's tough, heavy, talking about some heavy, heavy, heavy, relevant things in the albums incredible. What do you bro say? Don't say you don't like it, just say you don't understand. Man, it's incredible. I ain't

skipping nothing. I'm taking my time with him. Top five point guards of all time, damn obviously magic Zeke. This one gets tricky, man, Jay Kid, I'm going Jay Kid GP. That fish spot is always tricky. J Kid g P. Yeah, but I don't I don't not there yet. No, No, he's there, but I don't see him as a point guard though. I think he's the greatest combo guard to ever play the game. He spends most of the time off of the ball screens, but he plays the position,

so let's just we'll keep it official. He plays the position, so you gotta give it to him. But the greatest combo guard of all time, of all time. He's in his own like there's there's nobody else you can He's in his own lane. You know what I'm saying, A starting five of your former teammates, you're the point guard. So who you got at the two, three, four and five? M You know, I really just picked my Pistons team. That's how we get it. Actually, Yeah, you're the best

five and live longest man Ron suspended. Oh man, we're cracked saying we only add one. You see what happened? You know, you have. Y'all have one crack at us, But you weren't on the team we beat. Huh No, y'all beat him year before. I wasn't on that team. Lucky you. Yeah, yeah, I wasn't that. No, y'all was good, you know what, for real, for real, y'all was nice, really nice coming now. But y'all ain't menally. Y'all were ready it. That was too wild. We had everything. We're

gonna play in it that all day. Yeah, step point you, we're gonna hit you. You're gonna hit us. Best check you out. You know what I'm saying. Two games If it ain't for that, y'all wanted, y'all got, y'all got have doing the chip. Yeah, that's a big piece though, that's the main piece. That's the main piece. Goons, skill everything smart. Y'all had all that firecrackers though you have too many, too many fires fire crackers. Brother, never gave

you niggas money. First thing you're doing the morning, last thing you're doing night. First thing out doing the morning. Um. But I usually get up on just kind of sit on the side of my bed and just kind of think real quick, you know. Sometimes I pray, sometimes I don't, but I just sit there and just kind of think, you know, like what what's ahead of me? You know what I got today. Most of the time, the last thing I do, I'll take a shower and just go

to sleep. But in the morning I usually just sit the side of my bid and just thank for a few minutes. Man, you know, just just thankful, you know what I mean, just what I got today? Like what's going on? That's that's kind of how it starting ended. If you can see one guest on all the smoke, who would it be? But you have to help them, help us get your answers on the show. I'd like to give you a request if you don't mind, Well,

we got Junior Bridgeman. I want to have him. We have no contact with him, so that would be heavy. I could probably get think. I think I think the world would really suak that up. Man. One of the brightest minds that people don't even know who he is. He is. He really is funny, man. I wish I would have did this earlier because he was just here. We just he was just weak golf yesterday morning. Yeah,

he's flewing on his plane. We played we went to Bobblaneers Memorial and then because he played with him for four years, played golf and left. But I'll come together. I'll put it together. Close it out, bro, you introduced us close it Out. Thanks my bro, Big Bro Shimes for being on the show Man. We'll appreciate you. Know, we always look up to you. You know, me and you have some other stuff going on. But to be a coach now Wright, what we thought you should be

are running the team. You know, we knew you belong somewhere in that category. But yeah, but nothing but loving success to you. We appreciate you coming on show, taking time broo out. You already know, I already know. We got we got some goodies, we got some legends and all the smoke collap for you. Yeah, appreciate man. Well that's a rap. Chauncey billups all the smoke shot. Summer League two. You can catch us on Showtime Basketball YouTube

and the I Heart Platform Black Effects. See y'all next week