Darvin Ham | Ep 145 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball

the show, Darvin him. Appreciate the real is back. Congratulations obviously first and foremost, you know longer were due uh ten years as an assistant coach. Um when that Laker position became finalized, Like what do you think? Man? I was blown away. Man, it was really a great moment. I was so tired, just you know, my wife was with me and we ended up ironically staying the extra day in l A after our interview because I just like, Babe,

I don't feel like getting out the bed. And what people don't understand not just that process, it's just what we've been through since March, you know, the COVID going into the bubble, having a quick turnaround after the bubble, winning the championship, having another quick turnaround and to try to defend that championship. And then I had, you know, as soon as we get eliminated by Boston game seven on the Sunday, we have our exit meetings on a Monday.

I had tested positive for COVID on that Thursday. So at the you know, never had it throughout the whole process of it, you know, appearing on the scene within society, but you know, just going through all of that is just like three seasons melted into one, and you know, doing several interviews with different teams in between all that time. And you know, the process is like a team and reach out and say we want to interview, you know,

to say Chicago, they called it. You want to you want to interview you that interview may not happen for it for two weeks and just put it on at some point. Yeah, they asked for permission, and then you wait for the date and then they give you a date maybe two weeks or that whole two weeks, you

grinding trying to get your information together. Not only are you thinking about the team you're working for, but you're also thinking about the team that you're trying to take over, So you gotta be, you know, really familiar with what's going on there. So it's it's been, it's been. How

many teams reached out to you a lot? The Lagos was my tenth interview interview with the league, So I mean, this is not just you know and in the present, it's just like through the course of me interviewing interview with a third of the league, and the Lakers were number ten and and and rightfully, so you know, Genie Robbed, they believed in me, and I'm wholeheartedly uh thrilled and humbled and ready for the task because that's the first team, you know, via Mike Brown, they gave me my starters

and assistant coach. Let's go back there. I mean, that was my second with the Lakers. We had just Phil Jackson had just retired, Mike Brown came in and you you were on that staff. Um, what do you remember most about obviously beginning kind of your coaching journey. But you know, rest in peace, our brother Cob was on that team. We had a really solid team. What do you remember most about that experience? Man? Just just being surrounded by great basketball mind you know on that staff. Yeah,

obviously Mike Brown and head coach. Ye. Yeah, my MB is the best bro. You know when I first came in the league, Little sidebar in ninety six is undrafted rookie playing for Bernie bickerstaff. Mike Brown was the video coordinator in Denver nine, so he and I go way way back. Shout out to Mike, salute always. But just being surrounded by great basketball minds, because Matt, I'm sure

you remember. It is like we had Mike, we had Chuck, we had John Houston, we also had Queen Snyder had a Rsina feel Handy that was his first NBA coaching job. Me and my Man Phield came in together, so it was it was a beautiful experience. And then obviously you mentioned it earlier, God rest his soul, but getting the coach code at that point at the plan against him for years. You know, his basketball knowledge, his i Q pile, you know all of those guys. I remember yourself, Steve Blake,

Matta team man. Remember Meta when he elbow James Harden. He got some spender going into the playoffs and I had to do the one on one workout. Yeah, I did all the one. I showed you a pitch after this over all the one on one. But de hmm, he said, have us do these motherfucking mad ball dunk workouts? Bro them shift for But but but I'll tell you I was bouncy as motherfucker though. But things are beast obviously being in this l a uh situation. You know, it's

always so much more than basketball. You know, I also work for ESPN in the Lakers of the top of conversation, whether they're winning losing. Uh, So you know, obviously kind of preparing for having that thick skin and coming in that. I mean, that's how that seat although it's a it's a dream job, it's a Los Angeles Lakers, it probably be hottest seat in basketball. How do you kind of mentally wrap your head around about what you know, the

firestorm that's about to come. I mean, in a situation like this one, man, I think it's it's important and this for everybody out there. Man, when you when you take on a new challenge, like I don't see it as pressure because I know myself, I know I solid iron like like I'm I'm I'm universally aligned with God first and foremost. I mean knowing how to show respect and a lot of people, but also knowing how to take a stance and not being afraid. You know what

I'm saying. You know who you are. You have all the confidence in the world when you're going into a situation of this magnitude. I'm thrilled, man. I'm I'm built for it. I'm ready for it. I know, you know, I'm I'm sort of an extroverted personality, but in the way I live my life, I'm really introverted. And so I think they're gonna find out about me. Find that out about me. You're not gonna see me, you know, at the hot spots and doing all that that nonsense.

You know, I really like the grind. You know, I got everything I ever got it out of life. I got it out the mud and washed it off and turned it into a jewel. So that's not leaving me no time soon too. It's only gonna leave me when I leave Reserve. I mean lebron A d. Russ. Your big three is a big three. It took a lot of heat because Ad has been unhealthy and I think obviously we all know he's a big key to that. But talked about to me individually, Um, getting a chance

to play against Lebron. Now a number of years later, you're getting an opportunity to coach him. What do you expect from him as a coach? Obviously he's great, one of the great this and he's got a great basketball mom. But what are you coming in looking for looking forward from Lebron? Just a collaboration, Like, like, I know where he is in his career, he's he's done everything possible it is to do as an individual basketball player, and uh,

you know he's conquered everything. But again, we talk about sacrifice, and the first thing people think about is sacrifice and scoring out put a shot or something like that. No, sacrifice and making selfless plays. You know, if you don't have the ball pushing it in the break, are you willing to sprint to your spot and open up a lane for your teammate? Are you willing to sprint and open up an open shot for your team? Are you willing to box out even though you're not gonna get

that damn rebound? But you're putting a body on a body so your man can come in and scoop it up and we can get going with our pace. So that's the thing I'm thinking about. And my hats off to him, seeing him when he first came in the league and all the pressure that was put a so called pressure that was put on him. He's he's risen to the occasion time and time again, and uh, he is wholeheartedly deserving, deserving to be in that goat conversation.

He's top five that are alive in my opinion, And I'm thrilled to be able to coach him and gonna try to learn from him, Gonna try to show him what I see and uh, hold everybody accountable, because those are three words I stand on a live by just don't be even more so with this team competitiveness, togetherness and accountability. Same with Russ and a D Like I'm

thrilled to coach Russ. They try to dump on Russ, and I'm like that was one of the things that got me excited about this job as well as Yeah, he and I've had a great, great report since I took taking over the job. Man just text messages, phone calls. Then it's like I I locked in, I coined his

ass outside, I elevated it over at the Encore. So he and I had a great conversation then, so, um, you know, we all we all know what comes along with this business man, people doing your name and trade rumors. I've been at least ninety six. Man. I don't know anybody that's been on any team that hadn't had their name thrown in the trade room, en traded, been traded.

Absolutely the same as a coach. You know, they'll be saying they're ready to fire me, and the media will be saying they're ready to fire me in the year year and a half. That's that's what's happening. Was but in in Milwaukee, and he worked around win the championship. And I'm standing that right by the side as lead assistant, watching watching him navigate that with nothing but grace, like every round. We don't know too okay, but see you,

but we conquer that. We conquered this. We get to the conference finals Atlanta win the first game, told you this time, but to go and all it was like, and he's blocking out the noise, but you can't help. But here, I just gotta stay solid, do what you do. And you were winning the end every time. I wouldn't still with him. Yeah, Anthony Davis, obviously we all were putting out in the air right now. He's going to

be healthy this season. With him, I feel like a healthy, motivated Anthony David should be in the m v P conversations. What do you expect them from Anthony Davids on really both sides of the ball, because he's someone that can do it the entire court. Just just to be healthy. And I mean because at the end of the day, it all starts and ends there with him, you know what I mean. I'm not quite his his his his

skill set is undeniable. And so like you said, when he's healthy like he was in that bubble, runs like he's top five in the league, top three. So um uh, he's another one I've I've had great communication and great rapport with and I just told him, Man, don't get caught up in the headline. Man, take care of your body, bro, because we this this is not gonna work without a D.

You know, disrespect the Brian will disrespect the Rush. They're gonna be who they are, Like, Brian is gonna continue to be great, Russ is gonna have a much much better season. Um, but a D. Having a D available, especially with the guys we just signed the young guys. Um, it's gonna be invaluable and he's the centerpiece to that championship table that we're trying to build. I talked to man, I wanted to want to say this. That's why I think it's gonna I know it's gonna work there because

you're gonna hold people accountable. You come from that cloth of what we all had. We had to really grind to even get in the league and too and to make a name for ourselfs to stay around, you know what I mean. So just just that attitude and that I have a lot to prove, attitude that you always had.

That's what they need in that locker room, you know what I mean, Because it ain't gona it ain't gonna be no just what, I'm not playing hard tonight, and ain't nobody gonna say no, Bro, you let us down tonight. You're gonna let them know that. And I think, guys, guys, when you held account like that, everybody played better and the team plays better. You know what I'm saying, When everybody been held account by the top. Here's the thing, though, Jack like like my approach, and I think this is

what a lot of coaches make mistakes. It's like they're either silly with it or they're abrasive. I'm a straight shooter, bro. Always its business. It's business over everything. Like when we step on that floor, step and to keep it real, you can't whoop me, so keep it. You can't whoop me. So I'm just gonna tell you how favor bro like, you know, hopefully it don't come to that. We are just slide in the closet the too. Something me and him was working around at the game the other day.

We're just bullshit and we're viral talking. We just talking, you know, uh, we just talking about me. Yeah, gentry talk my match. You need to come back to you some corner threes. I'm like, now, I'm not worried about shooting corner three. I just want to hold people in lines. I get hands, like, yeah, we need someone to slap the ship. That ship with viral but down they love it. But it's it's just crazy. That's what this. I tell people. You've already been in there once. There's nothing in the

world like being a Laker. Absolutely, so you gotta be on your p's and queues at all times because there's always something going on around all time, and it's something I embrace. It's gonna allow me to get more rest, more sleep because I'm not gonna be doing so. It's it's except focusing on my team and how we can get better every day and build towards him back in position, being at the top of the food just to go.

That's that's my whole focus, bro. To put good guys around these players, good coaches that know what they're doing. I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled for the opportunity. And I also wanted to say one more thing. I know Jennie watches us sometimes Rob watches it. Y'all need to hire arch Shade man. Y'all need to hire Ard Shape for real to really help out that locker room. The Vestan experience, the o G experience, and another straight shooter. She Wallace,

we got this number. If you need it, you probably got it too. He said, why you get all buttered up when I say that. Gotta crush on Genie. She's my friends and you talk about a beautiful spirit, Bro. She's like, it's great through all of it because that's a lot of ship always coming to her to start office, and we talked one on one about what they're looking for, how they want to change and and get the culture back to what it was. Man, great person. It motivated

the hell out of me. Rob Robert has been great to work with, you know. And and again, man, people put out false narratives. Just just that in the third But at the end of the day, I take people by face value what I've experienced with them, and it's been nothing but love and respect and and and good camaraderie. I hit the door switch gears right quick. Uh sagging On, Michigan number ten ones coming out of the kmar Ramon

J Rich talk about your brain. I mean I grew up in sag Man East side, sagging On between Rimonton and Holland Ran on the backside of Genessee, the main strip behind the liquor stole and the motorcycle Black Motorcycle Club, and uh, my block stayed hot my area. You're gonna look it up now. Man, it ain't doing too well. And it's just like it ain't even gentrification going on. It's just like they're knocking down houses, just leaving the

ground flat. Man, it's been so much pillage in violence and me being of a certain name, I'll be forty nine in another week and coming up during that crack are in the eighties, I saw that like boring in seventy three, growing up with a strong community and seeing that community turning into a wonderful neighborhood. Um, and then just take the neighbors off and knowledge it's good. UM got shot fourteen years old, April fifth birthday. Really, Wow,

that's deep. That's deep. They It's just it's something that just when you go through an experience like that, bro, it really stays with you. And the biggest thing for me was just it was the first hot day and sagging off like it was like eighty some degrees that day, and then everybody had just coming off recognizing the twenty year Anniversity of Martin Luther King being assassinated a fourth nineteen sixty eight. So we out in the streets. Mom and I'm at the house, sent me and my older

brother to Rannie have to go get a pizza. And it had to be like five six and the six in the evening something like that, So we uh go get the pizza, but we forgot the solda. So we stopped at this place called Al's Market and uh probably leading the league and shootouts at the Stars Market. Get the soda, get out of there. And next to that, and it's all a block away from my house. We we we have a church's chicken right there on the corner. So we turned onto Ramanton, which is the one way

going this way going to the west side. Holland was the one way going to the east side. My block right in the middle. So as we turned were getting the right left far left lane to make the left onto my block, they started clapping, I'm just getting shots, right, So I turned and looked towards the shots, and that's when I got hit. If I had just like just ducked or tried to lean over, I wouldn't be sitting

here in front of you all right now. The fact that I turned and looked towards the shots, it ricocheted off my job. When they took it out the left out of my neck. Was in the hospital for about eleven days. Um. It was crazy. And then that was one of the hottest summers I remember, because that's something I can remember, what thirty people getting shot and probably about a good ten leven dining and in the city. That's the size of sagonal, which is just at that

point was probably a hundred fifty two hundred thou people. Um, that's a lot, and and and then the radius and then you break it down even further with the small radius of the east side, and you at the north side and the south side, and you've got We didn't have gangs like they'll call them gangs because of the violent element that's attached to it. We had what I called dopeboy clicks, Like people wasn't banging the street or

neighborhood to defend that street or neighborhood. They was banging the street of neighborhood because they was getting money on the streets and in the neighborhood. They had to protect that. So you have more dopeboy clicks back then. And there's a bunch of documentaries out on YouTube talking about the y v I Detroit BMF. But I went sagging all Calamazoo, I mean Lancing. It was a lot going on, bro and them little small cities because I went to a lot of them, doing the George four times. Yeah, I

was doing all of those cities. Man, I'm telling you, it's a lot of those projects. It's one way in, one way out. Yes, you know what I mean a lot of those neighborhoods. What was uh? I mean obviously you told us the physical aspect was that. I'm sure that mental still to this day sticks with you. How did that change you as a person? In fourteen years old, it let me know I wasn't in control. And then when they got darker for me was the following summer.

I lost one of my closest road dogs, my my brother, my god brother. We grew up in the church together and things when things go for different people that go in their life. And he got out, he was outside off the porch, little active, and he end up getting killed that next summer a man shock of you. We same maids and he got hit eight times with us with a shotgun walking down his trying to go to the store. I had to be as pall bear, one

of the pall bears. And when he's sixteen years old, you're putting on those white gloves, you're sitting in the first time ever got the rest to day. And my dad he died in the car wreck in um But that was the first time I seen my dad was brodlick, just worked general motives, was in the Air Force, just strong, do it first time I've ever seen my father cry and uh to take that casket, roll that casket out of the church, put it into hers, take it off to hers, put it on the straps to go on

the ground, and that'ship man like. And then you know that just happened to you, like like it could have been me too, Like it just it just made me want to try everything. It made me one of it actually made me want to go to the military because I knew that was a direct way out to go see the world. I wanted to get as far as I could away from Sagging because the violence is kind of getting out of control at that point. We lost

a lot of cats. My man Terence Marsh. I'm still tired with his sisters Eric and Adrian to this day, like he I killed over man. It's I think about how it bothers me bro like, how we just don't value all life and just this disconnect between whether it's agesm or whatever. The old ones don't want to talk to the young ones because they just assume they ain't gonna listen. And you have so many distractions now via social media, cell phones and all this other stuff, so

what they don't want to listen. You know, people seeking new information constantly, but it's the way you control and redirect that information that's being received. Delivery delivery, your delivery man. And we gotta step the hell up. Man. It's it's too much. I go back into our neighborhood, bro, and this is just like it ain't nothing to help. Don't

nobody come outside no more. When I was growing up, man, you see girls doing jump rope, we're playing football in the field, Guys whooping at the park, if somebody cooking, if I out on the porch and doing whatever. You don't see none of that. Now these neighborhoods no more because now it's just good. There's no more neighbors, you know what I'm saying. Like, there's no more neighbors, it's just hood. And that's a problem that we need to face.

H Well, I I was just thinking about a lot of stuff you were saying, bro, and I just wanted to touch on like they actually want us to be afraid of the areas that we come from and not go back and show the people what they could be, you know what I'm saying. And that's a big problem too, because as you know, we grow where we grow up at we only know what we see, so and we always see as the drugs and shooting, we see the

same things. So when we make it out of that and the trauma of dealing with that, you know as a youngster, to make it to where you at now, it's nothing that can that can take you as. Nothing you can't handle now because you've seen the worst. So that's why it's impaired that we go back to these areas, bro to show these kids, Hey, I'm from here, but look why I'm at. You know what I'm saying. It didn't It didn't. It didn't make me be a worse, worst person, to make me just fall in love with

what everything that's going here and ruin my life. I'm the same person. So it's impaired that we go back because they whole goal is to make us hate the areas where we come from, to continue to take over them, take the houses and push everybody out. And that's the plan. A lot of it. A lot of our people that make it are falling for it absolutely, man, because they

don't have information. Man. The biggest thing, like it's cool to go back give away turkeys and give money to different organizations like my wife and now we have an organization, Irban Youth Development, and we got we got an official five one C three license back in two thousand and six. So that and Raymond mentioned it on this platform. You gave him coming to my camp as a little kid.

I would we were we were doing and still like the COVID is kind of thrown it off because we just did want him mil walking before all of that hit. We do free basketball like skill camps. So while I'm doing basketball and my wife's and educated. My wife Deed, she's an educator and she has them in the classroom talking about social media responsibility. We have uh conflict resolution sessions. We invite the parenting. You know, they signed off on

different topics that we're gonna talk about. They with their kids. Um, I had a chef come in and teach the kids how to be responsible in the kitchen, had a martial arts teacher come in and teach them self defense as well as they're doing basketball. And that's the kim Draymond went to in Sagona. I had Jason Richards and another sagon A guy came back spoke at my camp and Larry Johnson shout out to him, Magic's older brother, his mom.

They all came out supported and all of that, and this back when I was with the Pistons, and it continued and carried on. So when we get together, bro, it's not so much about the money and the gifts. It's the time and sharing the information in the proper fashion, being there with an organized team. And you may have to have a team of you know, grief counselors. You may have to have a team of how to how to start your own business online, Like that's the stuff

we need to do. Like like giving away stuff is cool. Like I would never downplay that or frown upon that, but it's a high level we can get to terms of fixing our neighborhoods and and first and foremost fixing our people. So that's that's that's the type of time I've been on. That's why I mentioned, you know, Beverly Hills, Malibu and we hey, we love everybody that love us, the Lakers and black people as a whole. For show

me personally, I'm speaking as individual men. But I want to tap back in the compan I want to tap back in the watch Eaglewood South Central Hall. One conversation could change a lot, and you come out there with with the right support group, not the right diversified support group. Man that would bring healing. Like I said, you just can't have Oh this he sold a million records of this dude. He got twenty thousand points. Nah. This person and helped over a hundred thousand people because she's he

or she is a grief counselor. This person has shown fifty thousand people to start their own business where you can develop monetary outlets for yourself and the people that's around you. That's what we have to do in our in our community, and that's what we have to do when you who come into a mix. Late man, you only played one year in high school basketball at Sacking my high same high school as my man Draymond and

uh one year junior college. And I was at Texas Tech for three years and then I was in the league. I remember them Texas tex Day. You play any other sports football? First football? I had to stop though. You looked like a motherfucking bully. O. God, he's probably that side in seventh grade. Tommy Shepard always tells the story. He's current president operations for the Wizards and he was en denvered with Bernie my rookie year at the Cowboys

in the Chief's calling me. They came to scout of my games that I actually did a prott Texas Tech. So yeah, it was end. It was yeah, but I grew up playing on defense, but they wanted me to play tight end. Yeah, athletics sigh me and Antonio Gates I was running in from time to time. Antonia was like it was Swiss places that'll be dope. Yeah. I remember them Texas Tech days because I'm from Port Arthur, Man. I remember Texas Tech. Y'all had y'all had it bumping

out there. Man, when you're high school one year Duco three of Texas Tech and I'm an undrafted room in the middle of nowhere, middle of nowhere, bro love it dust storms and Calmon North Roma's taste, Man, I prefer that Cusher from what you can have that that's in the middle of nowhere. Ye. Yeah, all them schools like that, blend All ther Ka middling the Juco Odessa. That's someone on the from the show from the movie fo Yeah. Yeah. How many backboards have you shot? Just one's going a

lot of rims. Just shot at one boy at the right time, at the right time, at the time, at the right time. Man, talk about that. My man Jason sassa bro. Shout out to Jake Sass his nephew, Marcus is a hell of a player places University of Houston Market Sass nephew. Um, my man j Martin, our point guard from Inglewood. Uh, he hit, he had jail on. Jason Martins. Yea bro, I've been doing j for over thirty years. Shout out j Martin's Jay went hit Sass

in the post and Vince was guarding me. Antoine was garden Sass and Sass threw up a right jump hook. Vince went to go double and I had a straight line right to the rim man call Offins a rebound and then the rest of his and that actually tied the game up. Like we was going back and forth, and I think that might have made it sixteen and sixteen.

The my man who I'm gonna see later on the night, they had Jeff mcguinnis, they had Uh, Antoine Jamison, Vince Carter, served Quicker Shaman Williams, that Carolina Calabria dark you know what I mean. They had. They had a strong, strong squad and we had Tony Batti myself, says j Mark Corey, carr uh Coy Smiths, and they cool we had We had a pretty tough squad too, but it was one of those things. Man, we're going back and forth when that happened. Should we had stopped the game forty five minutes,

watch the ice glass. Our baby had take showers, and my man Corey came out and went on a three point barrage. Corey came out and hit like four straight threes. Man just opened the game. But we end up winning by seventy three. And and they drug tested me feverishly. Gotta be on something right, something right. Everything came back clean. Kids.

I was just on state milk and broccoli, broccoli. I mean, you gotta you gotta obviously a chance to play at the highest level and play for a championship, but that ain't c double a tournament and special and I like the playoffs. Everything's on one. And you know how basketball is amazing. Might not be your night right with them shot don't go in. And now you got Bellmont beating cancers or something like that. You know what I'm saying. So it's intense. Tell me about when y'all was getting

ready to go up against Aim. We saw, yeah, that's what eliminated. Yeah, we got the Atlanta. We had to do practice and media, and I saw they probably don't know if they remember this so long ago, man, but I saw that just got done doing a little interview, and I was just walking past these guys. I saw Ai walking with Othella Harrington and Jerome Williams, and I'm looking like, dang, bro, these dudes tall as hell. That's

some good dunk bait right there. But a man like that was some of the best college basketball ever that year because you had I think Ray was in Yukon and like it was. It was a lot of guys around putting in work and we went and played the game. Talking about physical like it's like John John Thompson got arrested him. Man, nothing but these Africans, bro, and he was coming off three four at a time, off the best.

They pressing the whole game. Jo Heidi White, bubble Car, I'll Victor page Um like just Othella, they're just hitting you all night and just just cooking. Chuck Well, Jason Martin was guarding j ended up following out, but he was they was putting him on the line. We couldn't touch you. We couldn't like, don't no, disrespected to nothing. He's he's one of the greatest. But that particular game to look at, we couldn't touch him. He got all his basically there throws. So we did a good job.

We just kept fired when they kept blowing the whistle. We think we were following. It is what it is. And then it's funny because you look at some of these college scores now and they're like in the fifties and forties and fifties, that game we lost ninety and regulation And I mean, so you just showed you the type of h's going. So after a successful college career, you go undrafted, bounced around your first two seasons head overseas.

How did you stay positive? Uh and focused? Before you know, before you really got a chance to find your footing in the NBA. I just knew the work man I was putting in. You know, it's a legendary scout. My man B. J. Johnson, who passed away a couple of years back, worked for the Rockets his entire career. Used to help work out me and my roommate. They came out of Texas Tech a year before I did, a guy by the name of Mark Davis got drafted by Minnesota.

But in terms of myself again, we talked about it earlier, man like having almost lost my life in my neighborhood or black way from my house and then seeing what happened to my man like, I was like, dude, this it's gonna figure itself out at some point. I just gotta keep putting in the work. And uh, I never came into this game feel like I was old anything Like, I wasn't the top sixth grader in the nation and nothing like that. I didn't come through the au Sister.

Just again, we just got out out the blood. Man. So it's just I knew it was amount of time. And my aunt, who was a parole officer at the time in Houston, she's since retired. She was living by herself, wasn't married, no kids, had like a three bedroom cribs.

I would go down to Houston work out in the summertimes that fond Di Rec Center at West Side Tennis Club where the Rockets was practicing at that time, and playing pick up with Sam ci Cell, Robert or Nick Mannick, all these who's who are basketball and me and Sam cra Cell got real tight and uh stayed in touch.

And so when I got back from Spain, Sam had worked this way into a position with George Carter where George let him like bring a player in, like bring a player in the somebo league training anybody out there you think we should be, you know, looking at he mentored my name and so shout out to saying himself man.

He allowed me to establish myself and get my footing under George Carl and play summer league in loan Beats and our team with Jerome pool Allen skipped to my little ray bass myself tractor trailing Tim Thomas so and and we we did well. I did well individually and uh, I mean I went to training camp there were no more guaranteed contracts left and uh I mean no no more spots every day at fifteen guarantees. Yeah, it was just this tall white kid, uh, Paul Grant from University

of Wisconsin, I think it was Wisconsin was from. And I had to beat him him and and he had they old him like I think two or three more million dollars guaranteed money. And shout out to George man, George Carl wave and gave me that spot. And so y'all had a dog. Tell I mean Ray Island sample big Dog. How nice this big dog? Because I don't think he gets enough credit for how just skilled you are. It's crazy, man. I hope they put his number up in those rafters and in the fiser form at point

bro like he yeah, big dog man. He the first one that man. And you know again, information right, and and people could put something in your brain that sparked your brain and they bust through a ceiling that everybody gets to benefit from from that point forward. And Dog was first one talking about hundred million. Remember that when he was coming out and question what you want, dog, I want to hunt a million. And now look where

we are. You know what I'm saying and pushing up on three hands down, and you talking about man that average twenty points per game for ten straight years his first ten years in the league. And I still talked to him today. He's down Atlantic chilling, um, doing very very well. Um, going crazy in the weight room. Um, still busting down a couple of tracks or two. Yeah, I gotta get with you on the show. We need you. Yeah,

it was a problem totally. And you know, Ray was cool and and Sam obviously that's my brother, all of them my brothers, man, And that was just a beautiful experience, man, just even Skip and Michael Red and Tim Thomas, like the dudes. That was a young Mike read right. Yeah, Yeah, that was a good time. That's a really good team, man. It's a lot of talent. Two thousand one playoff run in Milwaukee against and they knock out again again. Talk

about that. I mean it was crazy, man, But I think it was like a game six was the Eastern Final. But but this is a key element in this, in this this story, it's like Scott Williams, who who had a hell of a playoff run individually for our team. He's another one that was on that team and he had a flavoring file which he didn't get thrown out of the game for, but got suspended the game seven.

And you know, playoffs are about matchups like and that's that's the thing I think that's always uh made me stand out with coaches like I'm I'm I'm really about what's best for the team. Because that year we played Team making them in the first round and that's when it was best to five. We end up beating them three one. We played Charlotte and I didn't play to the end of the last two games really of that series, that first round in two thousand one. Then we go

to Charlotte. They got Mash burned that young B D two, Young d D, Ricky Davis, Elden Campbell, Oldest Thorpe d C was on that team. Derrick Coleman. I start that series because they need somebody to guard Mash. We get up to Olden. When we get to Philly, we end up beating Charlotte in seven games. We get the Philly and they got tyre on Hill and all these kim Bays. So again I go to a more reduced role. Scotti

and irvare doing airthing. Sam dog Dog missed the shot that really could have sealed the series for us, going back to Milwaukee that he's made in the sleep just short baseline jump. But again fast forward and Philly was playing. They had a Eric Snow and um rajah Bell, all these guys, you know they had. They had a strong team and built around Ai and Uh. Once we got to the game seven, Scotty had BENCINSSII got worried he was suspended. I started, and me being the energizer by

they know I'm gonna do boom boom boom. It was crazy. I got three straight files in a row were in game seven. I mean they elbowing, they were throwing it. They ain't calling that. But then three with files in a row, so I'm out of the game. Immediately hit him, uh, Jason Caffee and we try to compete, but by that time, man, it was just it was such a dark cloud. Is based on Scottie suspension, and it was totally unfair. And I guess the league thought they did what was best

for you know, what was right at the time. But we felt like we got screwed a little bit in that situation. But it was crazy, and you know, just for a and they limped into that finals against the Lakers. Man, they were banked us and then the world and like and we that year, our two thousand one team in Milwaukee, we had beaten the top four teams in the West. We had beaten the Lakers twice, s Antonio twice, you talked twice, Sacramento twice. So we we felt like we'd

have got to the Framals. Bro that was good. Yeah, so a lot a lot of things are for a circle when it is meant to be. You know, you come back and you win the championship. How was that feeling? Man extreme? That was even more gratifying than when they won as a player, you know what I'm saying, Like the thing that made Detroit beautiful And though four was the type of team we had, um the camaraderie, the brotherhood amongst all of us, Um that that was that

made that extremely special. But to actually see you know, you put your wits on a piece of paper and then put that turn that piece of paper into court real court activity. And then uh working with coach Bud and the rest of our staff and being a lead assistant like just and and engage in the players. You know, guys get in their feelings about certain things, whether it's

a rotation or I don't know, just this. They may not be playing well for stretches and you gotta go in there and you gotta be that mediator because coach but he's got to worry about the team and its entirety and coaching his star players. And sometimes you've got people that starting their role, they may not get access to him as they should, and so they start feeling

a certain type of way. So being able to be that that guy that's that that standing there in front of bus or there's a bulletproof vest and uh so he can do his job and help us all and um collaborated. Just it made it that much more special man to win one. As a coach, bro, it's like everything we ham around these coaches meetings and having the right team, and it was. It was phenomenal, Bro, it was.

It was way more gratifying and knowing that I have been there in twenty years previous the old one and we came up short in game seventi East of Commence Finals, and then they also know that they hadn't won a championship in fifty years and seventy one, so you've got all these blocks of time that that you know, just incrementally just making you know, steps towards retiet, reclaiming that ultimate goal. And it was an NBA championship. So it

was beautiful. I love the city. The people treat me with with you know, hold me in the high reguard, treated me treated me like a king, still do to this day. And UM, it's been great. The last four years have been great. I think one thing you touched on that is underestimated and not everyone can do it.

And another reason why I think you're gonna have a you know, it's gonna be a grind, but it's gonna be a real grind is because that communication that you have, that the bulletproof vest she said you had to be for. But there's not a lot of people like you said that. They'll either sugarcoat the bullshit or they're they're too you know, I mean, they're too much that middle ground and your your ability to be able to communicate with players, I think is a lost art, especially because these kids are

a lot different than we were, way different. So to be able to understand how to talk to each of them different, to get the best out of them, to get them to be on the same accord, it's really a special gift, absolutely, man, Because I mean, you ask Bobby Porters, Guy's Brook Lopez, you ask Chris Milton, you can ask p J. Tucker, Hell, you can ask the Marcu's cousins. I'm gonna shoot straight. I'm straight man like, I don't know how to do it no other way.

And again, it's not gonna be silly where I'm trying to sugarcoat what I'm trying to say through comedy or sarcasm a thing like that. And it's not gonna be abuse it or abrasive where I'm trying to telling you you know you ain't ship you this, this, that and the third. No, it's gonna be a business conversation, you know, built around based in fact, live and direct. Why you coach? Why are you on me? Come come sit with me?

Hit the remote? Are you seeing what I'm saying? Because if you're not, and it's blatantly right there on the film, not yet, because not, you're delusional, you know what I'm saying. It's a difference between being disagreeable or disagreeing, I should say, and being delusional. Like there as certain times where you can like, oh I will coach. I don't know, I

don't think. But if it's something that's just blade you just turning and walking back on defense not getting back, or you just let your man walk right by you get off as rebound put back, stuff like that is just like come on, fam And again, just because you disagree doesn't mean you have to be this agreeable, you know what I'm saying. That's that's the other thing Man, communication is huge. Man, it's every there's a lack of it. Jumping back into your plane career, you get a chance

to go home and sign with the Pistons. Um a part of the Best five A Live. We had sheet over here yesterday about what was that opportunity like to be able to go home to your hometown win the championship? Man, it was great. Man. Detroit is like being from sagging on Flint Detroit, that all those cities on the same line seventy five, the highway that goes north from south through that state. A lot of friends and loved ones

in Detroit Flint side. But being able to go back there with the type of team they had at that point in the history I had with those cats, Like I've known Courtless since junior college and when I wasn't spending some time in Arkansas playing pick up ball with him and Scottie Thurmont, Scotty Scottie Thurmont, big nasty, Uh, just in and knowing Sheed. You know I'm saying since my rookie year, Jeff met she through Jeff McGuinness. Um, that's another funny story. Uh, and then becoming brothers with

him as well, and let's story. Oh, no doubt. So when we're in Portland, this is like the summer nineties. Six and Jeff were Jeff and our rookies together. So I hit Jeff like, man, what you got going on? He's like, I'm going to she crib Man his family town. They're doing a big meal. You want me to stop by? You can come? I said, no, dude, you would calling ask him and said, I only just be showing up, like you're not doing straight, trust trust me call him. So I think he reached out to him. He said

he did with no one, Jeff Jeff Man. He knew that, he knew the lay of the land. So we go to She's house and then we end up leaving there and meet him and Jeff jumping. You know. She used to push that Bronco everywhere, pushed the Broncos. End up at Gary Trent Crib. So then I forge the relationship with g t. It was I just had dinner with this year in Milwaukee as well. Um, and that's how we met and we we we just bonded. Bro. We got we got smashed that night. Yeah, and they ended

up seeing that to take us straight to shoot around. Yeah. Yeah, Trent crib he got the big video screen. They playing, uh some game. I'm not big in the video game.

I think they were playing the the NBA game or something. Man, But dude, you're talking about and again to just still be able to vibe and talk and communicate and have just just break brad sessions with these guys all the way back then that way and then again Ben Wallace my brother from another mother here and now in that same class of being undrafted in ninet, just me being Chucky Atkins, Eric Strickland and Adrian Griffin, five guys who made them open to day rosters in n six without

being drafted whoever career. So Ben and I, you know we met and Wahedton my second year in the league, you know, with Bernie and still brothers to this day. I still talked to Ben Bench still doing great, um so, and knowing Chauncey and Rip and Lindsay Hunter. Lindsay and I played on that two thousand one team in Milwaukee together. Um So, it's just all these little different relationships within that environment to go along with being back at home and being at the top of the food champ. So

that was that was great. It was an awesome time. How big was a Chance Finals MVP Mr Big Shot Hi did done but seeing his praises on a very very balanced team, very talented team. But it was chance. When you're doing construction, you have an excavation process right where you have to later foundation and make sure that the land is stable underneath what you're gonna build. That

was Bill Wallace. Then Wallace built that foundation with the mentality had He was no nonsense, quiet, knew how to have fun outside of the environment, outside of the building. But when you when he came in that business, all business. Chauncey, I would say, was the guy that you put the blueprint together and not you know how the different bedrooms gonna look, how to where the pool gonna be at, and where the man came and where do she shared?

You know what I'm saying, Like, Chauncey is the guy that's gonna make that thing really pop. And that's why it all worked. And then you had real Ta Shawn and you know she we can end up getting sheet in the middle of the season, which I thought Atlanta was crazy, bro, because when we got she from Atlanta,

you was on that team. Al Harrington was Jason Terry was there, but I just remember of y'all, like if I said that when Antoine Walker was with y'all, we had it was tasted Terry Alan Henderson, Okay, as we had. I'm like, if they had a game that had a chance, like man, it was like that y'all got there. It was like a wholesale and they actually got a good team. But I guess Alan and antoineam came that next year

or whatever. But yeah, dude, like getting she when we got him, everybody just thinking it's not gonna work because he was so misunderstood. And you actually, anybody ever played with she coach, She been around. She top shelf human being man, top shelf human being man like for real, straight up. So he came in and I was kind of the conduit because he really didn't know nobody on the team. I knew him from all those years and we had remained in contact, and so boom, I said, dude,

he said, what's up with what's up with Ben? I said, dude, You're gonna love that. Dude, y'all just to like your personality is a little different, but y'all really just to like him. Boom, we all hit it. Man, connector like vote tron Man. It was a beautiful experience Old Folk Finals with the leakas. What do you remember about playing Cob and Shot? They was beefing, That's what I remember.

Like it was like it was not not on a personal tip per se ourn't every day with him, but you could see on the court of energy, the energy wasn't right. And I mean we were we were just geek and I know she was. She was ready to kill Karl alone, and uh, you know, Carl's one of the greats, and but she was ready to make its opportunity to make his mark. And g P shout out

to my fellow Leo. GP came and it just their mix and then them trying to play the triangle, like it was just something just seem a little bit off with that squad. We just went out there and like we're gonna lock the grass up and do what we need to do, and that's what happened. But I just remember that team, the energy around that team in particular being you know, between Shot and Kobe on the court,

it just didn't seem right. Something was a little bit off, like one of them had a ball, the other one ain't looking right. And not just going there and when you got the ball and then he ain't going as hard like like somebody blow by you and he ain't gonna come block the shot or you block the shot. I'm not gonna v BackBox out and get the rebound. Like you can see that. You know basketball, you know

what you're watching. You pick up on stuff like that quick. Yeah, And they didn't have an answer for Chauncey at all, at all, at all. It was different I've experienced in mad experience it. What was your experience in the feeling you had when that buzzer sounds on you the NBA champions You're the best in the world, the best feeling in the world. I'm telling you, it's the best feeling in the world. Bro. It's just like you locked together in history, on the right side of history for all time. Bro.

Like I had it saying, you know, everybody gets to make money, very few get to make history. You get to make history. Bro. That that's like, long after we're going they're gonna be talking about those teams all we're a part of. You know what I'm saying, They're gonna have a moment in time and whether it's coming back if you're blessed to be around that long years later.

I mean that's when you really feel it and you go back and you look at those old reels and all those uh, all those just memories, man, memories, that's just just sketched in the time. Man, that's that's not going in wherever you decided to hang it up in two thousand five? When did you know it was time? Hell? When I when I started, uh sounding like a bowl of rice Christmas when I got out of bed, snaps man, bro like I knew old five. I'm like, dude, I

gotta chill like. I had seven surgeries throughout my career world like, broke my nose twice, broke both hands, scopes on my knees, broke my foot. After I was done as a as a coach, I tore my achilles playing pick up with my son, so did he crossed? I actually went up to block a shot jack. I was

clas classica. I got a little petty though. So this little dude was playing at the Y m C. A and buckhead Man in Atlanta, right there off Moor's Mill, and uh dude picked my son and it was like the top ball game for game and I sprinted down and went up and blocked the shot toward mykilling. He blocked it though I blocked it. He blocked it though. You had to roll me away, but I got my last highlights. Yeah, so you know, we're gonna tell me that sake it off. There, you good, sake it off.

Damn favorite part of retirement. But the hardest part about just kind of walking away from the game as a player. I think the favorite part of it is just, you know, people understand the preparation that goes into uh trying to you know, prepare for NBA season. Man, the work you gotta put into your body, the constant training, um, it'll

wear on you. Man, it grinds your body down. And then you talk about the actual activity physically of engaging other bodies on the court, getting hit all those hits over time. You know, obviously football is not to the degree of football, but I think basketball is the hardest sport because it's physical, and it's fast and no paths and so and you're leaving, you're leaving the ground like repeatedly, you're jumping, you're running, you you slide, hit diving, diving

on the floor. So it's one of those things where it's just like, man, dude, like that was that felt good? And I have to go through that, um. But the thing is you just missed the level of competition. Yeah, that's it. That's what got me back and like wanting to coach and do all that because you missed that hunger. You missed being a part of something like I'm a part of this situation and we're about to go show that other situation where they ain't on our level. And

that's the whole spirit of competing. And and that's the thing that you missed. Fatherhood. You've got two children. What's the best part of fatherhood for you? Man? It's all three boys, Donovan and Dominic like you you the best part of it is really just seeing them little matchurations I got three grand babies. You're a grandfather, big daddy, big daddy. So it's it's it's one of those things man, where it's just like it's real, bro, Like it's it's

really real. You see yourself and these guys and the information you've given them. Like my oldest he's out here work in Summer League with Cleveland, and my middle don he just got hired into the Bucks. He worked in the G League with the Wisconsin Heard the last couple of years, and now the Bucks just hired hired him into their video room. My youngest has two years as your ability left at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, so he's gonna be playing Do you want basketball right down

the street? Yes, And so it's just a blessing. Man. My wife d and you know, we've been together, we met at Texas Tech, been together all these years. Bro. Just she's yeah, she's a rock. She's a foundation. That that that really it's the crazy glue of of everything ups, downs, good, bad and different. She's been a real one. She's been a real and that's my ride to die, my life partner. And if the aby to see your kids become adults and people and productive and like that's the best feeling

in the world. Absolutely, absolutely your hard work, you know what I mean, Like to see your kids grow into and to be productive and and to do something good like that's that's really all you work for. Anything that happens when they walk out the house any day, anything can happen to us any day. But to see that you've done right and protected them, engaging the right tools to be successful and to see adulthood. That's that's clearly

what we work for. Bro. Yeah, it's it's just it's it's balancing what you're telling them from a spiritual standpoint and a discipline standpoint with what they're receiving out in the world. And you don't want that world's voice to be bigger than yours, bigger or louder, or more impactful on them than yours. You have to give them, like again, a good fund day. I had great parents. My mother Mrs ham Magzie, now she just got she got remarried years back. But my father, how and him, my mother

and women are man. They raised my older brother Deronnie, my younger sister Detoya in the best fashion in the middle Like we weren't in the projects, but we weren't upper middle class either. My dad worked at General Motors, my mom as a school teacher, and we were in church all the time. But that neighborhood. So when the neighborhood got out of neighborhood gout of control, we already had the equipment to kind of shield that stuff off.

But sometimes again, getting off my porch and walking a block, anything could happened, as it did to me. Getting shot. So it's it's it's real, man. But again, your your kids. Man, what you're putting into your children, you gotta be able to equip them. It's not you teaching them how to do something just so they won't get on your nerves.

You have to teach them stuff that's gonna stay with them, and that's gonna equip them to withstand everything that they're gonna go through once to leave, because they leave your building, your home, that's when you're teaching is gonna come into effect. Not just them being quiet and doing chores and making sure they ain't too loud and all of that. No, when they hit that door, whatever you didn't taught them, it's got to bring. Man. This has been a great interview.

We're gonna finish up with quick hits. But before we finish up with quick hitters, that's your solo camp right there. Sure, what should Laker fans expect from your Laker team this upcoming season? Competing at a high level. Again, we're gonna be together. The most together team always does well, always wins at the end of the day. And accountability and uh, we're gonna be tough. We're gonna be defensive, minded that's the side of the ball where you're gonna see the

quickest and most drastic improvement. And we're gonna share offensively. And again we're gonna we want everybody all in on what we're doing. Like, we don't want anybody that the second guess and you know, being a laker or is it? Am I in the right place for this? And this that in the third if the season started today, I'm totally comfortable with the roster I have. Um. I love the individuals that I'm going to get, the coach. I think we're putting together a beautiful staff, um, and every

day we're gonna work to get better. So we're gonna make sure we're putting the product out there that you guys can enjoy and be proud of. Definitely on the list to see this is definitely I got two more spots. I gotta feel. And so we'll see what happens, man, We'll see what five dinner against Dead alive? Five dinner against dead or alive? Man, I have to say, Muhammad Ali uh Bruce Lee m hm, that's the first. Pam Grier Man young Pam from Foxy Brown Man, who's the

last too? Then I would love to talk to Tupac. I would love to talk to poc Man. And I think the fifth one. What's the kid that made Twitter? Zuckerberg? Yeah? Facebookbok Facebook No? No? No? Facebook is Mark? Is Mark Zuckerberg? Yeah? I would I would love to have him at dinner and asking was it all really worth it? Was it all really worth it? And I would ask Muhammad Ali about what he went through them when they took his title? How was those two three four years where you couldn't

compete at what you loved? Bruce Lee? Like your discipline, like Foxy Brown? How was it being a beautiful black woman being reduced kind of the black exploitation movies and not really getting your chance at that high, high level? And Tupac again, how does it feel for you to start one way and do a one eight and now with you're spewing it on these records actually ultimately end up costing you your own So it would be a reason why I have these people love it. What makes

you honest different? It's hunger Man. You look at the story man they he and his brother, the Nazi is his family, what they've gone through, bro, he just that's with him forever. And he's a tireless worker. He's built like the tools he has is physically his length, his size is athleticism, his balance, his ability to recover. Like he hyper extended his knee and we thought, damn it's over. We see our hold trophy go before he came back. He came back. When you look at that and slow

motion and see what his knee did like. But again that's a testament to him, the work he puts in on his body, him constantly work on his game. That jump shot is gonna go contain, need to go in and go in at a higher clip as he gets older. Um, and the type of person he is. Man, he's the most humble elite player I've ever been around in my life. Like like he's humble. He doesn't bring He has fun on social media, use it like that, but nothing like he don't dump on nobody else, hate on nobody else.

You know what I'm saying. He's he's respectful and thankful for everything he gets. And he works his tail off man every day, every single day. Nobody plays harder to him, Nobody, no animal. What album can you listen to with no skips? Album? With no skips? There's a couple of them, Theomatic two days in a row, Tupac Me against the World, Big He Ready to Die, Uh, the Chronic Dr Dre, Ninja for Life and Waking Myself Now and then my my favorite, my go to bro Eric being Rock Him Paid Bron.

I feel like everybody told me what was the best era hip hop? Right? And I go by albums. I think from no disrespect to anybody before I after, but I think from when paid and Full dropped the same I got shot all the way up to Big released Life after Death. It's ninety seven seven nine seven. I started first hearing Paiding Full in eighty seven, So from Paiding Full I was telling yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that

was a hell of a running rap. Oh dude, every and everything between you know, wa Wu tang I jumped off the porch. The R and B was just as dope. R and B B. What happened to R and B? Bro? What happened to R and B? I don't know, but the damn sure wasn't on that versus that the first thing you're doing the morning, last thing you're doing night, first thing I do in the morning. I thank god, man, I thank god man. It's hard for me to have a bad day when you start off like that. So

when I open my eyes and take that breath. So I made it, they asked in trouble again, Like made it. And the last thing I do at night, man, it's probably I may watch a documentary on YouTube, hang out with the wife, kick back with her false sleep, talking to her something. Um, I'm making a point. After I wake up, hits, get ready to lead a house and give a kiss, tell he our love her. Um, have a great day, and then at nighttime, just kind of doze off. Man, a big cigarfish. You're not all smoke

like My Churchill's my monte Cristo. So yeah, man, it's it's it's just an easy life. It's it's it's its own. Yeah. Blast totally blast. But then you know you don't bring nothing on yourself that you're not gonna be a black Yeah. So I just stay low key, stay out the way, man, and make sure my people are good. Yeah. U plus four in y'all prime on the basket on the black top, on the black you might have to fight. You might

have definitely, Sam to sell. Definitely, she give me some ship talking, Oh my god, in the in the best way, Um, you said on the black top, though people understand that the hardwood is different from the black black tops with the real it ain't no matter the texts that God rest the dead, give me my man, Anthony Mason. Um so sam me she Anthony Mason and then um got three bullies. I'm going Mario Ellie shout out to Rio Riolly, Yeah, I like that. We're gonna We're gonna win games and

beat your ass. That's my guy. However, you wanted one message on the billboard for the world to see word message. Wow, that's another good one. Oh deep man, you've been dropping, You've been dropping gyms, all interviews, just one of them on the billboard. I would say this, man, Um, don't ever think you any greater or any lesser than anyone, because we're all human beings first, m You're no greater, no lesser than anyone, because we're all human beings first

and irregardless of all the political madness. The only thing that separates us, it's our gender and that's it. That's it. That's anything that separates us. Man. Everyone has two ears, one nose, one that's it. Bro. So remember you're a human being first through it all, So have compassion, half respect, show love because what you put in the universe so don't come back to you. You better believe it. Either hug you or slap you in the face. So God

bless you all. Man, appreciate the time, fellas. If you could see one guest from the Lakers on all the smoke, who would it be? But you have to help them, help us, you know, get so that's why Jack got a crush on it. My man. Now I don't have to be from the Lakers. Yes, it does. The team I'm trying to trying to do. You see what I'm trying to do't Ronnie? That's crazy. You might be you might you might be able to make that mother. He told me plenty of times you want come on the show.

Have you gotta excuse me because I don't be watching. That's all good. We ain't had none of your big three really, not even Russ. I've been working on and they all said they would we just I work out with Ray Westbrook, right you O, brother, motherfucker, let's go. You've been talking about it for a minute. But now that'd be dope. Any of them. We'd appreciate it. Just can you know one thing about d ham too is he's a man of his words. So y'all expect we're

gonna make it happen. Man, y'all been to the shop. We're waiting on It's easy. Yeah, we're here. We ready before we get out of here. Tunisia, thank you very much. She took out for a couple of months while I had I had it with the Clippers. She's with the Lakers now, one of the best in the bides. Thank you for making this happen. Jack, you got the gift, But before you give you the gift, man, we just really wanted to man, congratulations. Man, it's been a beautiful

Rachel dudes ten years. You've learned from a lot of greats and the sec I think we might even talk about the one on the show the second ye were hirer like, this is exactly It's not gonna be easy, but this is exactly what they need. I appreciate that. And but you know, man, like, every time I see

you guys YouTube specifically, it's always love. Man Like, we we keep it real, no matter, it ain't gonna be a whole bunch of false narratives, just fake were similar fake talking like a lot of these people do um were real live locked in with one another, and we really and we really support each other in a real way. You know what I'm saying. When when the real one making it feel like we made it. Absolutely, you being a coach feel like we coach it. So I'm just

I'm just happy you in that position. Bro Man, y'all, y'all any time you need me, Bro, Yeah, we're gonna check back in. We're gonna check it back in. It's gonna be a roller coaster that man. We got something to laugh but leg we appreciate you, man, Man. Thank you Agatting, Darvin Ham, the new head coach Loss are just Lakers you Cattus on Showtime Basketball, YouTube and the I Heart platform Black Effects. Absolutely we say you next week.

Thanks for having me. This is all a smoke a production of The Black Effect and Our Heart Radio in partnership with Showtime