Dwight Howard | Ep 154 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball

And this is someone When I thought of this show, I was like, I can't wait to get this person because I think he's such a misunderstood person. It took his four motherfucking season to get him. We've been riding for the whole time. You already know buddy's here. Welcome to the show. The White Howards good Man. Good to see. Yeah, I want to get right to him. Man, you were telling us this crazy ship you were doing in the summer, So share with the world and when when when when

can the rest of us watch it? Oh? Man? So this summer I decided to go to Jordan's Way Rum, Jordan's Middle East, Middle east hundred and fifteen degrees during the day, just board forty during the night. UM, and I decided to do this Special Forces show and everybody's like, bro, you're crazy, Like you could die, and yeah, I could have literally died over there and shoot that I was doing. So it wasn't like it was a reality show where

we go home to our nice hotel and we chill. No, sir, we're really and the ship the whole day, every day, all day. What kind of stuff are you guys doing? The last day I got hitting app uh. While I was there for ten days total, um and some people was getting put out the first day. Some people getting put out the first day, but the last day, knowing how strong is you, just you had to let him killad guys. They tied us up. So the last day it was me and my partner and her name is

Carly Lloyd. She's a soccer player one two I think World Championships. As me and her, we're trekking through the desert. We gotta trick three thousand meters through the desert and get from one checkpoint to another. And right before we went and start doing that, I had just learned how to use the map and the company. So what's between trick and running and walking like well, trekking, it's like

you're going up up hills, down hills. We hide it under rocks, we hide it under like in valleys because these dogs chasing us. Black Hall helicopters looking forward. Its people on foot. Yeah, some people like that. THU. So you know that was the last day. But I got set on fire tear gas. I had to run up. Yeah, you volunteer for this ship. I did volunteer, and I'm telling people I'm abody to go do this. They're like, bro, what the hell is wrong with you? And I'm like,

submerged in the car. Yeah, I wasn't like this. I had to hold on to the steering wheel and they dropped the truck in the water and I had to stand there was sitting there like this until they got fully submerged in the water. And I had to wait till the staff sergeant came and tap my shoulder and then I had to run take my seat but out the back and jump up and say number thirteen is okay. I wasn't even the name. I was just a number.

But it was the craziest thing and the best thing I ever did, because I really went to go see if I could break myself, see where I where I'm at mentally and physically and spiritually, and try to go beyond that. So doing that really tested every part of me, like I can really do anything with my mind, no matter what it is. You know. One day we had to write death letters and that was probably the hardest thing emotion that we had to do. So we started

out the day getting tear gas. We're going this room, take off the mask. Staffs are to asked us questions and it's like something to squeeze the life out of us. So by the time we leave there, our spirits is done. Then we have to go fight. So we get back to the hotel. We rest for a little bit without the hotel. I'm sorry that's what I called it, but to make it seem better. But we had to put on these bags and run about two miles up the mountain and through this valley. They take the bags off

and we had to just scrap. And after that we had to go right death let us to our to our families and then read them out loud. So that was like it really broke me down, but it taught me a lot about myself and fear, how to really overcome it and use fear as a tool. You know, people allow fear to overtake them, but we can use fear as a ladder, you know what I'm saying. It's just like let's say you was fighting somebody that was

a giant eight foot tall. You might be scared, but ship that fear gonna give you no strength to go beat his ass, you know what I'm saying. And that's something that we learned. And then how to control that, control the anger and control the fear, control all our emotions into one quick moment and then let it go. You know what I'm saying, a lot of times we get so caught up in the rage and the anger that we hold. Yeah, but we had to learn how to be in that moment and then let it go.

After that, I had PTSD like crazy. Let me know, I ain't control the mind when coming out that to be out probably by January, I think, Yeah, what make sure you guys stay on the lookout for that NBA season is upon us. Um you still got it in you? Where's your mind at right now? As far as possibly talking to team coming back could be done, Like, well, I want to play like I enjoyed the game. It'll be your nine team, So yeah, I want to play. But at the same time, it's like no teams are

going to really allow me to play. And that's how I've been feeling, you know, from the last situation with the Lakers. You know, I felt like I did enough to help them win the championship, deserve a spot on the team and a chance to start and get big minutes,

and it didn't happen. So, you know, after that, I was like, man, I don't want to have to bust my ass for another whole summer, train three days, going crazy diet, do all this ship and then get back to a team and sit on the bench and I could really help somebody win and still play like I ain't lost the beat. It's just I sit on the bench so people don't see that. Teams don't see that,

you know. And it's been like, damn, do I want to just call it quits and do some other stuff for you know, go back at it and show people I still got it? What you want to do? Man, I really just I want to enjoy my life first and foremost my kids get older, you know, I really want to be there for them, but hell, I want to go out on top for real. I still got it. I still can't hoop. What has the transition been like

for you? Because you were arguably one of the biggest stars in the league, top two, three four players in the league for for a good run and then kind of transitioning into a role player with all due respect, how was that? I mean, that's not a physical transition, it's a mental transition. Transition for you, man, it was tough.

I remember I really told nobody this story. I remember set my close people going back to the Lakers and trying to get a job the second time with them and meeting with uh the GM spotted by four or five players, Rundo, a D a couple more players, and Kirk says to me, you're not Dwight Howard no more. Kirk Kirk ramas so he says, you're not Dwight Howard no more, and don't expect to be Dwight Howard when you come to the team, And I'm like, damn, how

You're not gonna want me to be myself? And it really just hit me, like and I just gotta shut my mouth and do what I'm asked to do and just not allow anything to affect me winning this championship. And I was real hard, you know, to say, ship, I'm not gonna get the ball in the posts. I'm not gonna get a lot of minutes. It ain't gonna be that way from me. So let me go and get that out of my mind, you know, put my ego away and should just go in and check How long?

How hard was that thought? Like I said to me, You've never really been too much of an ego, But yeah, it wasn't It didn't take that long because I really wanted to just win and come back and show people in that l a like the first time I came. I was hurt there unter the whole season toward my

labor room. I don't think nobody in the world would play with a touring labroom, but playing with that the whole season, just coming off the worst back surgery you could ever have as a player, and I personally, I don't even told you. I was like, bro, you're coming back to song. I did come back too soon, but I'm like, man, I want to come back and show everybody I could, you know, get back to the court and play and uh should it just didn't work out. So when I came at this time, I was like, nah,

I ain't gonna let nothing stop this one. And we got it. But why why why people say it's ego when really you didn't. You didn't put in the work to get that respect, you know what I'm saying, Like, that's why I wouldn't call it ego. You put in the work. And most players that put in the work and done what you've done and should be a shoeing Hall of Famer, they shouldn't have to go through that, you know what. They shouldn't have to go through that,

And that's the fun part of the game. But it's like, for me, I felt like if I would say something or be open about how I felt about the whole situation here to make it worse, you know. So any situation that has happened with me during my career, for me, I'm like, you know what, I know a lot of this ship ain't what it really is. People just talking. So I'll just keep my mouth shut going about my business because it ain't gonna stop me from doing what

I do to pick and choose them. We're gonna get definitely more basketball, But I want to know, I mean, do we Is there a chance to see you um in the w W E by any chance? I always thought you were like an action figure. This is one of the strongest. My father was telling someone the story before. So when we was in Orlando, we was in Toronto and this motherfucker was shooting half court shots from his sitting like it was no effort, no nothing. And it was me, who was me sweet lou Vincent Jamir all

trying to tackle you once? Brandon Bass as strong as a mother. This dude threw all of us off him like we were children, and I just looked. I took us, You know me, I'm a ship truck. I took a lot because just like I don't remember that ain't right brolly to try to duct That's what it was we were trying to. I didn't remember. We're just trying to duct tape on bro he threw Brandon Bass me, I don't know. I don't know. Vince was that may Rochard and Jamir's lors. I was like, but that's how we

did it. Get off me. It was crazy. But back to it, is there a chance we could see you doing I think, I mean, your personality, you big as a You're a big man. I would definitely uh enjoy being, uh a real wrestler like that. Like my whole life growing up as a kid, you know, me and my brother wrestled. I played around and like I was the whole you know what I'm saying. And then you know my nickname is Randy Savage, so I tell you right there in the room, Yeah, Randy Savage. That was my ship,

so uh, why not? You know, I really enjoy the crowd. I enjoyed entertaining people. I enjoyed the fans and stuff like that, and the atmosphere is crazy. I went the Summer Summer Slam this summer and uh, I got a chance to do some promos for Wrestling and Triple Age and uh, Stephanie McMahon was there. She had just became the new CEO of w w E and I did my promo and it was like, man, that was the best promo of the whole the whole out, Man, do you really want to wrestle? And I was like, I

think it would be great. You know, I feel like there's so many other avenues that I can do. And after doing this thing that I did and with the military this summers, like my mind is the most valuable things and it's the strongest and with that, I could do it, do anything. It's the sharpest tool that I have in the tip and ship. So if wrestling can happen, man, I'm gonna go get that better in l A. This this next WrestleManias in l A. Yes, that might be it.

That might be your You're coming your welcome party. Were not about it last night, man dealing in July, and I was like, it was a lot of stuff that Shock did, was a lot of stuff that he couldn't do that everything's gonna go down. He's gonna take all that them they're gonna throw. We were just talking all that stuff that Shot can do because he was too big. You know what I'm saying. They got an athletic, more charismatic,

just just a sillier version of that. They're gonna look they let me tell you, it's too kind of silly. And I knew it was, like I said, I got a chance to only play with him for a year, But just seeing him, I'm just like, yeah, when I heard he was going to l A, I was like, first of all, make sure you're healthy. But he's gonna take the world by storm because he is a big that like he was made for the big steak, you know what I mean, his personality all that ship. So

it was it was it'll be a perfect match. I've been living in an Asians two thousand three, your home Atlanta. Talk about your upbringing. What was it like, man? Uh? Well, I went to the same school my whole life, from kindergarten all the way up to twelfth grade. Uh. I started out in College Park and in the area that we lived, it was so bad that, you know, my parents wouldn't let us walk down the street to the

gas station. And so since we couldn't go nowhere, I just played basketball all day, you know, I say, at home. At first, I didn't have no goals. So I had a magic just a the VC Yard VHS tape about training, and I just trained all day and that's what I really got my skills at I tried to stay out of everything that was going on around me, people getting killed, ambulances, hearing gunshots and all that stuff. I was like, no,

I can't, that ain't me. Then the school I went to was a small Christian School, but it was in a really bad area Ben Hill and Ben Hill in Atlanta. Uh So my my class happened to be the baddest class in the school, and I happened to be the silliest person in the school. And I'm the tallest, so they took that as me being bad. So they end up taking us the right street. Uh and we had to do like Scared straight. So I'm going into Scared Street and they're like, yeah, this big gig, we're gonna

get him. I said, I'm playing basketball and I'm not doing this. So after that I really holed into the basketball man. And my dad, he was a so he was always working. My mom she worked at the courthouse. So I said I did not want to be in them two places. And I stayed in the gym. And I told my dad at ten, I wanted to go to the NBA. And he said, well, if you really want to do it, you gotta sacrifice everything. And I said, man,

that's easy, because that's how much I wanted. So he said, well, make a plan, and I said, all right't bet and I wrote down all my goals. Wrote I wrote down I wanted to be the number one pick in the draft. I went at ten years old, what I wanted to be the first pick in the draft of number one player in high school. Coming out of high school, I wanted to put my school in my city on the map,

like I wrote all these goals. Now, I put it over my bed, and you know, every day when I walked into my room, when I woke up, I just looked at it, like that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna get there. I'm gonna get there. And that's what I worked on every day. If I wasn't working on bed the number one pick, and I wasn't, I wasn't trying to be you know, Dwight Howard so. And I had so many people telling me you wasn't gonna make it. I had somebody that one of my teachers at school

tell me you was just a dumb job. You aren't gonna be ship. And I said, I'm gonna make you eat your words. I'm gonna show you. And I had cops tell me, I had firemen tell me I used to play play uh in the streets and you just tell me you wasn't gonna make it. So I used all that ammunition, you know, from ten on up until I got ready to get drafted. Then I got fifteen, I broke my leg. It was probably about five eleven at the time. Yeah, I broke my leg. Dan and

I grew to six eleven with my leg broke. What they put it was, it was the craziest summer in my life. This was really after that, I promised myself I would always stay humble, I would never let the money whatever happened to me changed me. Um So I just started playing with Atlanta Celtics, and this is when Josh and Randolph was They was at the time number one, number two. I was just coming on the scene and lph No Randolph Morris, Yeah, he went to Kentucky end

up going to China win championship. So, uh, one day I'm at Sametown jam and I go up and try to dunk. Somebody blocked my dunk, come down, break my leg, and everything stopped for me right there, No more, no more basketball. The little cheeks I was talking to they stopped talking to me because they was like, ain't gonna be shipping no more. So I was like, damn, this is crazy. I said, you know what, I gotta really like it, and I ain't gonna let nothing change me.

So after that, I got up every morning at four o'clock. I was on the track. I was running. I knew I had to be as shape because I was like these things as big as ship in the league, and I was skinny. I ain't had no muscles then, so I said I gotta be a then out run all over. So I tried to get in the best shape. Then after I ran every morning and went to the gym and Dion Glovet was my trainer, so we played one on one every day. He worked on every skill that

I needed to get to the league. Then after that and went to the weight room and tried to get big, and it just won't working. So I couldn't live in high school, and then after that it led up to being a number one pick. Any other sports growing upside basketball, Yeah, I played baseball. I was a picture pitched about ninety miles an hour, and I played football. That was my ship right there. I was defensive then I used to little tackling people. I wanted to hit people and break legs.

I broke a couple of legs when I was uh, yeah, that was small. Though I wasn't likely, but I just want everybody. That was the only way I could let out my aggression. So I used to just want to hit people, but not in a bad way to hurt them, but just hit him. Yeah. Yeah. So my mom just she made me stop playing football because I was really trying to destroy out there. So that's when I went to basketball. And I used to never dunk the ball because ya'll imagine it. No, yeah, I swear to god,

I never dunked the ball. All I did was shooting out the glass. US called me win days man because I used to get all the rebounds and I should do everything out the glass. That's it, that's it, that's it. So then, um, somebody said you should start dunking. Then once I started dunking, I never stopped. I never stopped after that. Who did you look up to any idols? My favorite player was Wild Chamberlin. When I was young, I only had this robot and it used to always

talk to me. You. I would say Wood Chamberla and a hundred rebounds, and I was like, who is what Chamberlain? And then I just I just started watching his tapes and I wanted to be like Wood Chamberling. Then when I moved to l A. His house was actually right next to mine. That was like some inspiration for me. I just looked out my window and I could see us house, Like, dang, I gotta go in because we'll watching. Uh. So you decide not to go to college? Were you

seriously did you consider college at all? You know, I'm done. I never wanted to go to college, not because college isn't cool. Are good for some people, but it wasn't for me. You just want to get straight to the I wanted to go to the NBA. That was my dream. That was what I had wrote down from my vision, and I felt like college would have just been a distraction for me. Um. I did visit a couple of schools, but I just didn't like. I thought it was gonna

be too much because I was with Tailor. Yeah, you need to stay so I had to stay focused. When I was young. What was that? I mean, what was that process? Like You're jumping from a Christian school in Atlanta into the league to the number one pick? Like what was that transition? Like? What was the process like leading up to the draft? It was crazy? Man. Um my school I only had sixteen people in my graduating class, I ain't know nothing. I was green to the whole

world because I stayed in the box. I played basketball, and I was with my class and my team all the time. And so going from that to being in Orlando and then the franchise player, it was like I was growing up in front of everybody. So all my mistakes, everything that I was doing, everybody was seeing eighteen and just turned eighteen. So I didn't really have a chance to grow up or make mistakes and really learn from them. You know, my mistakes were seen by the whole world

and everything was judge based off that, you know. So for me, it was like, damn, after all this stuff, I gotta really really not. I didn't want to do nothing, be involved with no people. Just stick to myself because it just became a lot thoughts on them possibly lowering the entry lad you can go back like it, um, But I just think that a lot of those players

need guidance, um. And I think that it's bad that the NBA is not having teams the more vents on them because I think that these younger players need guys. After we've been saying that the past two years, I had some great teammates when I was young, but I think they were you they were young as well. It's kind of like the generation outside of basketball. You have uh, young women raising young kids, so you have young men raising younger man. It is like none of us are

really getting the proper guidance. And you know, I feel like this next generation, I need guidance. So these eighteen ye rolls that's coming in and stuff like that, they had the proper guide. That's the proper teacher. Man, It's gonna be great. Um. You get off to a little bit of a slow start. First three seasons, missed the playoffs. What was that like for you? Someone who was accustomed to winning uh Number one picked out the face of the franchise and you guys can't get to the playoffs.

How frustrating was that for you? I just felt like it was growing pains. I felt like it was kind of like where I went through in high school where our team was pretty good but we didn't win the championship. So I've always looked at it like next year is going to be better. You know, we need to add this piece. We need to add this piece we need.

But they come to you early on and ask you that even though you were young, I never got asked anything at all, not my no time with the Magic, not until I asked to be traded, and then it was like, no, I didn't want to ask me questions. So then I was like, well, this ain't cool. Y'all talked to me in eight years, so how I was supposed to? You know, think now you know what I'm saying.

So I think a lot of people got that whole situation Orlando twisting and turned upside down, and after that it kind of like, really, I think it messed up my image, you know with fans and people like that, we'll talk to us, because I mean, there was there was some head button with you, and stand Stan was a was a character boy. It was great X and those guys. But just outside of that, like personality kind of managing and dealing with people was a little uh.

But like I said, that's one of the reasons why I want to talk to you, because I felt like you were such a misunderstood person, like not a bad but a bone in your body. And to me, sometimes that hurt you because you're such a nice guy, like you're not a mean person. And I say, I wish the white was an asshole, because it would be couldn't you imagine how much uglier it could get if he was like if he was mean? But I know you're like, you're really like a kind soul, you know what I mean.

So talk to us about that experience and how you feel, you know, through the way media push it out and you know, little snippets that would get here and there, they're kind of, you know, kind of painted a bad picture who you actually. I really hated it, to be honest with you, Um, the whole stand situation. I was really upset at how we ended that season when we was in the finals. Um, but you know, I knew that we just played a team that had more experience,

so we couldn't blame it on anybody. And after that season, UM, the year I wanted to get traded. I just asked quietly, two otis I want a new change for my life. I've been in Orlando eight years. I just want to change the direction. I felt like I had a lot of yes people around me at the time and no offense to those people now, But I feel like I wasn't gonna mature and become a better person. Almost in a bubble again. Yeah, So I just felt like I

needed to to change my way as a move. So I guess they took that as me saying Orlando wasn't good enough. And I hated my teammates, I hated the city and all this stuff, and it became like a story and for me, I looking back on it, I should have just said, no, this is not what's going on. This is what it is. But this is early social media though, so it's really whatever they put out there. You don't really have a voice yet, really, but I

just allowed too much to have it. It's just a lot of situations in the NBA, well in my NBA career that I was allowed to just having and people talking. I didn't really say too much on it because I'm like, man, why why? But then the people's perception forms their reality, you know what I'm saying. So I'm over here living in my reality like this ship ain't bothering me, ain't think about it. But to everyone else like tea, yeah,

teams are seeing this. All these people are seeing this, and they're like and the white like this are he doing this? And I'm like this ain't even nowhere near how I am. Are close to the truth. So I wish I would have said more things, but I'm and in my mind, I'm like, na, let me just focus on things that matter to me and stuff like that. But you know, I hated how that situation or Lando was because it really was a great time now and there,

you we was together down there. I felt like we was really the tar came off the Finals with the Lakers. So the next year, me, Vince and I think Jason Wayne, yeah, and I just felt like we needed more time together and we was getting older. We just needed to add, you know, just a couple more pieces, but we had a core, and I felt like the media and people

were just trying to put me against the team. And I heard my back that year and people on the team thinking I'm not really hurt that I'm out partying and doing other stuff, and I'm like, I ain't even that type of dude to be doing some ship like

that to my teammates, like that ain't even me. So it was just so much going on, and just looking back, I'm like, man, I really should have just stepped up and said something, But I was in my own little world thinking about my kids, are you know, basketball or just chilling. I wentn't thinking about what people were saying and stuff like that. I just tried to keep that out of my mind. But hindsight, I should have said some things talking about their team and two thousand nine

talk about their team, the complished champs. Hold on before you do that. We could talk about that, but I want to make sure we talked about two. Um how we switched the game playing going in the Eastern Finals. But they talk about that scene the first when we, uh, didn't we like remember what the stance or something like, you know we're going up? Yeah, but we were playing against Boston. Yeah, remember smacked them? Yeah, we beat the ship.

It was smacking. I don't know him And to other his team, they said the same time, they did nasty and then we got you was killing, but I swept them ship out. Question. Yeah, So we get to Boston and I'm like, let's keep doing what we're doing. No, We've beating teams by like twenty plus points. Yes, and stands like, no, we're gonna switch the whole thing up. What y'all stopped playing in side out? I don't know what, I don't know. We just stopped points against us? Just

how y'all swept us, y'all throw it in him. If you didn't do if you didn't double the trip, it was over. We did thinking roll, but we was doing yes in the first quarter, Yes, smoking, and then Stan was like no, new everything. It's then we went to him and was like yo, bro, like why are you doing yeah? And then we then we got down O three? Didn't we know it was down too? Then we won two in a row. Then they beat us in game six. Yes,

that's what happened. And I think that was one of the games where accidentally elbowed big baby and he uh fell out. I ain't mean to do it, but I just knocked him out. You had you had to hit him hard though. That's a big dude, bro. It was crazy. I was like, damn, that's my dog too. He's said about it right now. I don't know. I think that's probably misconception. Two guys that I played with, you know, I played against, like when we're on the court, like

I'm just crazy. I might elbow you or hit you and you're like fuck you. But then off the court, it's like you're my dog. But people might take how I am on the court, you know, crazy so just a lot of that stuff be crazy. So when you ask, did they blow the trade request out of proportion? But once it kind of starts materializing into something, whether there any other teams or where you focused, you wanted to go come here to l A. The crazy part about it.

I never wanted to go to l A. Never, And I didn't want to go to l A because I felt like people was going to compare me to Shock and I was trying to following shacks footsteps, start with the magic, go to l A and be in Hollywood, and I wanted to go to l A to do movies and all that, which is not a bad thing, it's not, but I just didn't want people thinking that he was. But but then you see that's the that's the funked up part. Okay, this is this the part.

You spend me just to come out and play bastball because that's what you want me to do. But basketball is going to end, so don't be mad at me because I'm doing other ships. So that's that's what But that's what happened. Back then. When I was playing, it was like I'm focused on trying to do movies and

all this other stuff. And it's like I'm not focused on basketball, and it was unfair because now everybody's like they're doing I'm trying to do everything, and I'm saying back then, like yo, I can do it all too, Like why can't I do movies while I'm in l A. And I didn't practice basketball for half the damn day. I can't go shoot a movie or do a couple of hours of this, you know what I'm saying. So it just became so much. So I wanted to go

to Brooklyn. That's why I wanted to go. Who was there at the time, Um, I think it was Darren Williams uh broker Off that just got there. I think Joe was there and they were I actually saw the plans of the new facility, the arena that they was building everything. So I was like really about to go to Brooklyn. And that's why I asked to get out of the uh to go from the Magic because I

wanted to go to Brooklyn. And I told the Magic that I didn't want to go to l A. So they sent me to l A. On per was because I had to go to Brooklyn, right, But I feel like this is where everything changed for you because obviously the black the back surgery happens um and it was a serious I mean any any back surgery serious, but it was a serious back surgery. And I actually remember talking you before that season, like, bro, make sure you're ready.

But what was it the competitor and you They just wanted to get out there and show the world what you have because, like to me, that's where everything changed.

You were the most or if not one of the most dominant players that the game has ever seen in your heyday run in Orlando, and then you came to the Lakers and I could tell the media was like, he can't even really jump, like Dwight is someone that's at the top of the backboard catching ship, Like you weren't really moving Like That's why as a as a friend and an a fan, I'm like, damn, he's not healthy. Why is he doing this? And then I didn't know you tore your labor, but you went through a lot,

but specifically coming back fast from that back surgery. What was your thinking behind that? I was I just wanted to first I feel like how I departed Orlando, how they made the situation happened. It really just put a fire in me to train. It was supposed to be a year of training, but I came back in four months, so I was like, no, I'm gonna get back to it. So I'm double time. I'm training three times a day, um,

all types of crazy diets. My body fat was down to like three so it's like I'm doing everything perfect, but I still wasn't ready to play. And then I ended up tearing my lab room, which was super bad, but just a back for people to understand, like they took that much out of my disk in my back,

the largest hernation that the doctor has ever seen. And he's one of the best doctors in n l A. And everybody who's playing basketball who's had back surgeries or anything dealing with their back, they have seen him and his doctor Watkins, he ain't seen nothing like it. And before I was about to have surgery, the doctor doctor in Orlando actually told me I was never gonna play again if you had the surgery. No, if I didn't have the surgery, he had already said, See, people don't

know all this happening Orlando. This is why I'm like, I gotta go. I hurt my back and stand is asking me to practice more and my back is fucked up. Why would I stay in a place where a team is don't give two ships about me? Like, my back is messed up. I'm telling this man, yo, staying, I can't even walk. Can you do one more play? Can you run this stand? This ship is fucked up. Come on, Dwight, just get out. Yeah, something like, come on, man, this

ain't cool. But my back was really, really really messed up, to the point where I couldn't do a calf raise, I couldn't lift my foot up. I had no more nothing in my left leg, and literally the doctor said to me, to White, your career is done. So for me to come back in four months, just show you how hard I had to work just to get my cab to get the nerve back fired. It took a month and a half to do that by itself. So after I had the surgery, I had a I'm walking

with a walker around the host the hospital. The first couple actually the first couple of weeks, I couldn't walk, but from probably this wall to that wall right there, that's how far I could walk from here to there and back. The first time I went to gym, I could only go and shoot ten shots, and I couldn't even jump, So I could only stand and do like this ten times and then ship any little muscle. I

couldn't even I couldn't even fart. If I farted, that ship could come out and sunk my whole back up again. So the ship was some real ass ship. People don't understand how serious that surgery was that I had, and what was already going on in my back. If he would have moved whatever you tensily he was using um sending me over to the left, I to the right, I could have went paralyzed. So all that ship was dead serious. So for me to come back like that,

so it's supposed to be a year recovery. You came back, and I came back in four months and I played and I averaged twenty two and damn second half of the season, and I was an All Star and I was led the league and rebounds and I was second in blocks, and people in l A were saying I had a bad season. I was a reason why l A lost. How how make it make sense? And twent of a thirteen and two blocks, It don't make sense. It's just the media and people saying this is what happened.

This is the white did this. Him and Kobe got in shoes. Me and Kobe had issues because hell, he older than me. I'm young's you got to alpha males. I'm a young when here old when he won his way, and I'm sure I'm happy go lucky and I won't my way, but in a happy way. I'm having fun, Like shouldn't give me the ball, I'm gonna go dunck on this nick. But we just to have a chance to really build it, build it like we wanted to,

you know what I'm saying. And it wasn't meant to happen, you know, looking back on and I wish it happened. But to the relationship with him, you know, I got a chance to play with him and know his mindset and know how he moves. But then got a chance to play with you and know how you're serious but you could smile and laugh and he's not like that at all. Talk to us about that and and and was there ever an understanding or what was it like working with him because he only got a year with it.

I don't think it was the understanding that we could have that we could yeah with time, because there was so many expectations, and I'm going through my own ship with trying to recover from this back surgery and then tearing my lay room, and it's like, man, how do I deal with somebody that I grew up watching as a child. But now we're teammates. We just played each other in the finals literally, so like we got this rivalry, like I want to beat his ass, but now we're teammates.

So it's like, Ship, I can't do that no more. Uh, but it's Kobe Bryant. You know what I'm saying. He don't know. I want to get his ass back. He dunked you, tough, bro, Ship, I forgot about that. You really had to do all that, yeah, because that was that was that was. That was one of the one. But you didn't got other people. But for real, that was the like the whole time he was over here, laid back. Yeah, you know, and oh he talked Ship.

That was that was one of the one. And you didn't pay people back on hunting times worse, but that was one of the ones. He did. I see it now, dumped the ship out of my ass. But I was you that really I was what happened was I didn't think he was gonna dunk because I didn't know he was. I ain't know. It was my rookie years, so I thought he was gonna come over and do like a pull up on the lass that was eight Kobe. Yeah, so he was dunking everything. I didn't know until dunking

everything he split. It was Pat Garretty and de Sean Stevens. He split the pick a row and I jumped over and come through like that like I was gonna. I don't know what the funk I was sinking, and so then I closed my eyes too, and all I heard was booming. Oh. I said, oh, let's take so then uh, Brian Grant Uh, he said, welcome to the league Feller, I said, ship Kobe got me and then right after that my whole boy, it was my birthday. So he

made a cake with Kobe dunking on me. Everywhere I was at I could see in the picture of Kobe duncan on me, and it was like me and Kobe always just some bullshit. We always been connected. Every picture out of scene, I'm in the background, like, fuck you code, You're dunking of my ass. Now I'm all your pictures in the back, like, but yeah, man, rest of piece. Man,

we had some great times. Man. Even his teammates talke us about some of the cool times because it wasn't always He's not like that, and you know it was definitely know that I wasn't there, but I know, you guys have some good times. I just always mess with him how before the game when they introduced him, how he would try to chew gum but it was no gum in his mouth, but he was acting like he had gun, Like how Michael Jordan would come out something like, Yo,

are you trying to act like Jordan? Question? No dumb in his mouth and he's just sitting on the bed. Dohight you ready to play? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, you know, like this thing Kvie is crazy. But there off the court, we had some times together in Vegas where you know, we had some parties and we're just chilling and it's just you see Kobe at a different light, you know what I'm saying that we're just talking and kicking the ship,

you know. And I remember going to his house one time. Man, he liked, uh all that movie Pitch Perfect, and so I'm like he's like, yo, you you see that movie pitch Perfect, and I'm like, yeah, I like that movie. He's like, yeah, I like it too. I'm like, get the funk out of you. Like no, pitch Perfect. I'm like, ain't no way. I'm thinking you watch all crazy ass type movies killing people, but you like pitch Perfect. Y'all just watching that ship last night. Bro, It's one of

my favorite movies. Just become best friends? Did we just become best friends? It was crazy, Like you know, just as a kid watching Kobe play, and then coming out of high school, Kobe duncan on you, then you on Olympics with Kobe, and then you on Kobe's team, and then y'all arguing with each other. All that is still even a dream. Just like I don't care what people say, Like, man,

Kobe connected, I got hello. I looked back at all the pictures I got to him and just me and him together, just talking to all the ship that doesn't happen between me and him, like the personal stories that I ain't gonna say on camera, Like all all that is like I can see that. So when people saying Kobe ain't funk with you or this happened, I just laughed, Like you know, people don't really know. And then we played together. We didn't work out, um, but that happens.

You know, it wasn't meant for us to win together like that, But I get I got a chance to see him in so many It's like different eras of Kobe, like my high school era playing against seeing him play, watching him in the Olympics together, playing against him on the same team, and then watching him be a dad and training all the different women, Candice Park and all that. So, you know, just seeing all that and then when he passed man, it really it really broke me down, Like,

you know, I never forget how it all happened. We just played in Philly the night before, Braun had broke his record, uh something, scoring record or whatever. So I remember just sitting down thinking about, you know, Kobe scoring all the points and then then Lebron coming up and scoring all these points, and I was like, you know what, it's always good to tell people why they're alive, you know,

how you appreciate them and stuff like that. So I sat up there on the bench and I was like, you know what, I'm gonna tell Lebron like that's a great accomplishment. So I'm prior to you. I've been playing issues since we was fifteen. So I went over there and told him that, went back to the room and we started talking about Kobe and how many points he scored and how he dunked on me and all this stuff.

And then we get on the plane and we're flying back and my phone is blowing up and everybody sleep. So I wake up and I looked and he said Kobe died. I'm like, get the funk out of here and something. Looking around everybody knocked out. I'm like, this can't be real. So I go on Instagram and I just see a whole bunch of messages Kobe died. And then I go wake up Boogie and I'm like, yo, look at this. He's like, Yo, what the fuck? So I wake up a d and Lebron I started waking

U like, yo, bro, Kobe died. And so I'm like, Yo, this can't be for real. Go to the back. Everybody else starts waking him up, just start crying. I go to the bathroom and I just started crying for like twenty minutes in the bathroom. I can't believe it. And I started thinking about his daughters, like damn, ain't gonna have no father. Then one of his daughters died. I just kept thinking about that, and then we got off the plane and she was just so hard after that

even just fathom the whole situation. Then this man was my teammate, you know what I'm saying. So it's different for a lot of people, Like man, we grew up watching this person. But I hadn't actually been on the plane with this man. You know what I'm saying. We don't practice together. We kick the ship with each other. Then they're about to go blows with each other, you know what I'm saying. So now it's like you found out this person ain't there no more. So yeah, it was.

It was really it really kind of piggybacking off that you were one of the rare people that got a chance to play with Kobe, play get some of the finals, play with him, play with Lebron, win with Lebron. Not to compare them too, but they are there any But what are some of the similarities or contract Like, I just think they're two different. They're two it's two different, They're two different people, you know what I'm saying. Kobe's

I always felt like Kobe was like Batman. You know what I'm saying, Like he just this, he by himself, dark night. But yeah, that's Kobe. And then you know Lebron is like Captain America. That's like, that's like, that's like Lebron. So Lebron is always he wants everybody to be around, you know what I'm saying. He want to have fun. He want to dance before the games and put on his music. And Kobe is just locked there.

He don't say nothing. You know, he got the basketball and he dribbled in the heavy ball before the whold the game. So uh, As far as skills, I think I think Kobe like is the most skilled out of all the players as far as pure skill shooting being able to you, it's not even close to me. Yeah, I'm just thinking about everything, just thinking about it, like he could do all that, like everything Jordan did. I

felt like he just multiplied. And yeah, like people mad at him for doing it, Like, man, why, like you don't never try to break the wheel. You you see what works and then you use that and make it work for you. So that's what Kobe did, and he did it with the best player ever, Like he didn't everything he did and made it better. And you know, even watching him practice, like some things that he was doing, I was like, why is he doing it? Like one

day I saw him getting his fingers stretched. I'm like, why is he getting his finger stretched? I just saw the lady doing this for a whole like our I guess it was when he shot his jump shot, so to be smooth every time when he so it's just like little things like that, like where did he learn that from? It was just crazy to see. But then Lebron, he just got the whole package. He can pass and you can post up. He's big, He's like Magic Johnson

on steroids. He should be the logo Lebron. Oh all around. I don't think we've seen anybody better all around, said Lebron should be the logo. Wow, I'm not mad at that at all. If you're talking about basketball, people tell kids today, yeah, Michael john is the best. But if I had to tell you to look at one player, go look at Lebron James. Everybody's telling their kids that because he does everything right on and off the court.

He can't miss with Lebron. So what about Steph? He's not six eight to sixty that can do it all. That's broke all the records. He's not. Yeah, they both get the beat. Stepping to get that beat too. But I don't know, it's just that man stuff. Like, but a lot of kids he step changed the game, no question, generation questions, step the game. Very few people did that. Yeah, so like shop, we're gonna have Lebron stuff on that. Yeah.

I'm just you know, I'm just like, for what what step is unbelievable, but the total aspect of a basketball player and what she's supposed to do as a basketball player at how your super career is supposed to look when you finish, it's Lebron, Jay's bro that's that there. That's that there, that man that came. I ain't mad

at that. You mentioned earlier, uh, not wanting to go to the Lakers because of the shot comparison and you already started in Orlando and he jumped the Lakers and you weren't trying to do that and ends up happening. Um hm. You and him kind of had a friendly then. I felt like he kind of did some personal and kind of took it a little bit more serious and again knowing you fun energetic, kind of person. Where is

that at? What did you think when you first started hearing like damn the shock not like me or like what? It was crazy? And I was thinking you want to fight or something like because every time it was like something on TV and somebody to say something, No, I don't think though. No, the Lakers got five all of him? No, no, no, no, only four, there's nothing one. Don't put him in there. No, don't do that something like damn, like every time he

said something about Dwhite. And for me, like you know, I like to do voices so everybody points in their mom it don't matter who it is. It ain't me doing it because I'm I dislike you. It's just me trying to make everybody laughs. So if he took it that way, like he tripped, but like, I don't know why he it's like that. I never had no issues with Shock. I never wanted to be like Shack. But I enjoyed watching Shack do what he do. I think he's the most dominant player to ever played. Like there's

no player's dominated his shock. You know what I'm saying, Like, I just think it was going crazy. I remember in the eleventh grade watching him play against the kim Ba Utama on the finals, like catching every time, ailable to the chest, turnaround, dunk on every time. I'm like, yo, this is crazy. So I'm like, why is he hating on me? Like, if anything, he should be happy that

somebody is trying to follow in their footsteps. You know, I remember this summer as a young kid who said they wanted to be just like me, and I took that as saying like, damn, thank you man. I appreciate you for one to be like me, but I want you to be greater, so you know what, I'll train you. So I started training this kid this song, and every day I'm just reminded him, I remember what you said, you want to be like Dwight Howard with ship. I did more than this, but this is what it This

is what it takes. So like, I don't know why he had that against me. I reached out to trying to work out with him, do business, whatever it may be, because I ain't got no bad blood with shot, but it just seemed like it's always something between me and him. He's always even now the stuff I was just saying about the all the Fame ship that happened this season, I can't watch the Lakers. I bade he watched Lakers game this year because I ain't on the team. But

you know what, I can't. Nobody can't, Nobody shock and nobody else, and they ripe mine. If you know anything about basketball, it's not even a question if you I agree, But come on, like, why would it out of all people him like one? He is center? And like, really, ain't that too minute where they talk about all of us anyway? So why put one of them down? You know what I'm saying, Like, my my life ain't gonna dim your life. You should kill O'Neil Like I got

my own ling. You know what I'm saying, I ain't worrying about what you're doing in that aspect. And then now I felt like, because I'm not a person that get on TV and talk bad about other people, I felt like looking at him doing it, is like he's not understanding. People got family, and they got friends, and they got people that's watching, Yetta watch what you say about certain certain people of certain things on TV or whatever, because they got people watching. He got kids watching. You

know what I'm saying, I got my kids watching. They don't need to have no issues with each other because their dads might seem like they hate each other, like for what, Like it's too much going on around the world for us to be hating about who the best basketball big man ever? Like, m it's just stupid to me. You can have Barbershope Barbecue talk about it. Barbie Barbershop talked. But I guess we got to get into the USC thing and fight it out. I don't want to see that.

I just saying I ain't gonna do that. We look like, what's the two fighters from back in the day they got dot out three thousand and uh slice and they got in their fault. They looked like two big seals in their fight. They could eat. They were so tired. That's being shack a little like in there, come here the way gonna get you. You know what, I would rather see the fight. I would rather see y'all do a comedy battle. Yeah, yeah, that would be funny, roast

each other. Yeah, I got some jokes for his big Oh my god, Oh go ahead. I've been waiting for some ship like that right now. Hey, hey, check me and you because roll see each other brother, Oh ship, Oh my god, you know he gonna love it. Don't really want to fight. I know we did. I know he gonna love it. Ship Um fast forwarding your ring season. The world is seems like it's falling apart. They stick you guys in the bubble. Um Kobe passes in that January.

Um talked to us just about all that. I mean, it seemed like it had to happen because of Kobe's passing. What was the mental strain that season? Obviously you lost him, season is suspended for a little bit. Then they put you guys in the bubble, isolated from the rest of the world. What was that experience? Like? Oh man, that that was really hard for me because my my son's mom died that summer, so thank you, she died right

before the bubble happened. So it was just a hard situation to deal with because my son was six at the time, and it's like everything was hitting Kobe had passed away, the season was going pretty good, and then we had this pandemic that the whole world had. You know, it was just crazy how it all happened. We're sitting at home, you know, I'm talking to my kids. Mom's about everyone coming down for the pandemic. So we could see our kids and just be together during that time.

And as I was getting ready to contact her about coming down, her mom calls me and tell me that she dies, something like, damn, this is crazy. Then I had to go down to the bubble and leave my son for three months, um and he didn't have nobody else. So in my mind this was it was just I had to find a way to keep it from going crazy without seeing him. So it just made me want to work out harder. I got in the gym when I was there more and I didn't want to do

nothing but win that championship to him. I wanted him to just see that. I felt like that was gonna give him enough inspiration to kind of not I was put that moment, not put it away, but kind of at least make him feel good because that whole yeah, because that whole summer he was just asking me like why do people die, Like you know, why does my mom have to leave me? And all these questions he asked me. I'm like, man, I really care. I don't know.

And then like for me, that was the first time I actually had a child in my house full time because the rest of my kids it with their moms. So it was just all these new things happening. Daddy on the fly. Yeah, it was just crazy. But I'm glad that Um, he's in a much better space now mentally, um and I am too because of that. It's made both of us strong. But obviously you endured more than most, but still have to play in the bubble, like what was it? What was the bubble light? Was it cool?

Get tired of seeing motherfucker's every day? Like, what was the bubble light? At first, we was getting the worst food in our lives, like they was feeding us like the frozen kids cuisine meals like type meals. They just put it under the heater. So I was like, man, they gotta do better with the food. We couldn't get really no room service, so we were stuck with this for like a couple of weeks. We couldn't leave the hotel. We couldn't explore nothing at Disney World, so we just

stuck there at this hotel. Everybody catching the same fish in the lake because it was it's a little lake, and they're like, everybody got a fish in the one lake. So you see people catching fishing throwing it back. But realized one by the time, we don't left the whole bubble. That fish was fat in the mug, you know, everybody bit so um. Just being in there, in that confined spot.

You know, it's just crazy. But in all actuality, ninety days in the bubble really helped change and shape my life because I got a chance to get away from everything and see who was right for me, who wasn't right, the people that I needed to have in my corner, to people that no longer needed to go on this journey with me. All those things happened because I was able to get away and see clearly. You know a lot of times as players, we are in city, the

city of the city while this is happening. Somebody's at home doing things and we can't really see it. So a lot of times we get distracted. But you're in the bubble. Everything's happening right there, So now I can see what's going on. Now those same people that say they love me and they want this, then the third they're not calling, they're not doing this, then so I know, okay, they need to go. So I really just learned more about myself and about the people around my teammates, and

that whole atmosphere was pretty cool. And then the playoffs. That's when I turned up in the bubble, like we was playing Denver and he was playing your ass off. There was any to me how they don't come up, but go ahead, man, Yeah. So we played at Denver and Denver's mile room is across some mars in the hotel, so I'm using this as a mental like way to

mess with jokers the whole time. I'm going in there dinner room talking to him, just daft from up and we just played him or something, so i know he's mad I'm going in there, but it's just like all of my game and I'm like, man, this it was really fun being able to see all of us together like that. But it was it was It was good for me. I'm glad that I end up doing being

a part of it. The Redeemed Team documentary about to come out and talk about that in Any Memories, Any Good Stories, the story that everybody's been talking about Kobe running through pal I don't know if y'all heard about that. I just remember how crazy that was and the whole experience of playing an olympus with all these guys. Kobe Bryant Mellow, d Wade, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Darren Williams,

Chris Bosh, Michael read all these greats. Man. Then we're playing in Beijing and here's Kobe come before the game, like, yo, I'm gonna look show teammate, watch watch this. I'm gonna run through his ass. So he said the white move out the way, first player the game. You see it on film. Pal tried to set the screen. I just moved out of the way. Kobe running over and just look over and walk away. Man, he ran him smooth over. Didn't care if he got thrown out the game or not.

But he set the tone after that. And you know what I'm saying, It was just crazy being in the Olympics and then watching that whole that that movie, just going back and have you seen it. I just seen it for the first time the other day, and I'm like, man, people are gonna really enjoy the stories about you know, Kobe, Lebron, d Wade, Um, just the atmosphere of being in China, Like you guys will get a chance to see how it was for us trying to even go down the

street with Kobe. You know how crazy it was, and stuff like that. So it's gonna be really good that team versus the Dream Team. You know, I gotta say we're gonna win. But you know they got some great players too. I think it would be a great matchup Kobe versus m j um. But then you got Lebron. Who's gonna play? Who gonna check Lebron? Scotty gonna check Lebron. Back then when we was oh my god, that's what I was touching the top of the backboard, were blocking everything.

Ain't nobody coming to me. I got a chance to play with a lot of great players. I tell you, Bro, just to just hats off to you. Like I never felt more comfortable, like getting all the way in somebody's chest, you know, when he was behind me, you know what I mean, Like the white was someone's gonna block the shop or he'll faither ship at you one I was gonna fileu you too. So it's just like, Okay, we definitely have a little mental thing here, but it was.

That's what kind of bothers me though, is because you've taken so much to me. You were on pace to be one of the greatest. You explained what happened with the back and everything. Obviously that derailed you from kind of continuing to climb, but you still no about first beut Hall of Famer. But to me, you were someone who was so great. But then I think how fast people forget Obviously we live in a moment of what have you done for me lately? But how fucking great

you were in that run? Man, three time Defensive Player of the Year back to back like that, I should have had four And the only reason they didn't give it to is because I asked for a trade. How crazy is that? I was first Team All Defense that year? The person who won who won the third Team All Defense? Make it makes sense? Who wanted that year? Tyson Chandler.

I led the team. I led the league in defensive rebounds and total rebounds and blocks, and he got the award and they only gave it to him because I asked for a trade. At all the media, who's going around it was the year I asked for the trade. So it was eleven and twelve, right, Yeah, well, well he was in Dallas, he was in New York, New York Knicks. Yeah yeah, New York, and he was third team All Defense and nobody on that team you ever

won award. It's no way you'd be third team All Defense and when the Defensive Player of the Year a ward, it don't make sense. That's why it was like, they gotta go back and look at the tape, go back and look at the tape. That crazy. I just I just saw the team picture um for the Knicks with the new seat this Barrett Brunson and uh round and uh und round. And as much as I love bad man, you should have seen that picture. You just that ship

just looked like they can the lose. You don't even like the picture, don't And I just so happen to see them like that photoshop saying all comments and complains to this. Now, No, I'm not y'all know ya don't win the ship. NBA champ, eight time All Star, eight time All NBA, three time Defensive Player of the Year should have been for the list goes on. You were somehow left on the top off the top lists. We went crazy too. How much did that bother you? Man?

It bothered me so much. I was like, man, I don't even want to play basketball, and I really like just I really was just like understandable, but I was like, man, fuck it. I don't even really want to play because it's like, at the all this workout and putting in, indeed, the disrespect is already too much. Like the one thing that I'm thinking about is I helped win a help

a team win a championship. Like and I'm and I'm not cocky at all, but I know if I didn't play against Denver and I wasn't on that team in the bubble, we would not have won the championship. And I'm not being cocky. I'm not that type of person at all. So I know that my presence was felt

in that series. But to not get a contract after that, then you go to another team and get another minimum contract, and then the team that you won the championship with, I don't want to sign you to a multiple I'm like, man, this is disrespectful. And then look on TV and not on the top SETI five when I knew. I knew I wasn't gonna be on it when the list got down to ten people, and I was like, yeah, when I saw the people that wasn't on it, I said, you know what they finded they find to do me dirty.

I already know it. They're gonna do me dirty. So when it happened, I was like, man, I don't even want to play this ship. That's being cool and I'm like, for real, like, and I just started naming players that was on there and there's no disrespect to them in their careers and I hate that I did. Anybody else can do it, but I just kept I was thinking in my head like there's no way that this person could even stand on the court with me like this.

She just blew my mind. But then I was like, you know what I know Ian did in my career. I know who I am, and fuck it, I'm not gonna let that ship stop. You know, the motherfucker's vote for that ship, shack, that's why the less But he said, no, I'm looking them. You know that thejard of the motherfucker is that both for that ship though that never played basketball. Man, I don't even know how to put in the basketball right. You're right, you know what I'm saying. That ship does

not matter. But then again, you Kyrie Vince, like that's how you know that ship that don't even make sense back? Like, come on, like it was it was some people that you've never seen in your life and never even known they played basketball and then this all right, So I just got a name, one person name Danny Shades, dol Shame. It's no way he was, No way he was. I'm sorry, no way, this ship go ahead and stay. I would have bust his ass for real, sucking dol Shades. Are

you kidding? One dog we like and that's young dog? Who is dog? Who is he? What does he look like? What? Don't even know? It's his number? Anybody know? Right? Thank you? We know he was top? No he wasn't. They just put his ass in there. He would have got cooked, like like Adrian Browner. He would have got cooked. Go back to the Houston things. It's the whole. It's some mother motherfucker's on there too. I just can't think right now.

But that was one that was one name. Mother motherfucker's. Yeah, that's how much you sorry, motherfucker that don't belong with that mother sati fires. I'm gonna keep it, funkers. I'm a bast I played the game, and I love the game. It's a lot of y'all that's on that that should not be on that, bro, especially before this man Vince Carter and Kyrie Irvin. I'm sorry and Clay and Clay,

But I'm glad Clay did what he did. I'm glad that he was afforded the opportunity to go show people why he deserved it be on the top SETI five. So that was good about his situation is that he got a chance. Even if they did to put him on there. He had the knee surgery that stopped him. He was able to get back and then he killed it in the he killed it in the playoffs. Man, three years in Houston, you get a chance to play with James Harden, Who's who, Who's ascending to another level

at that time? What was that experience like? You got a chance to play with Code, you played with Brown, But thinking back playing with James in that moment, he was I mean, they had to change the rules for this motherfucker. What was it like playing with James in Houston? We used to call James Fred Flints though he used to do down the little step backs and the little tippy toes, So he used to call him Fred Flintstowe.

And I just remember watching him developed that step back and the side step and all the moves every day or practice to where now he's perfected it, and Uh, he was the reason why I decided to go to Houston. You know what I'm saying, Um, playing with Kobe. Uh, I feel like he didn't work out like I wanted, but I felt like it was a great situation in Houston, like yourself. Then getting to Houston I wanted. When I got to Houston, I felt like I had got my strength back. I felt like I was a lot better

mentally and physically. And then I'm looking at a young James Harder, who I'm saying, Man, this man got a chance to be one of the best shooting guards. He just need a He need like a a running made. He needs somebody to play off of him. So I'm thinking that that's what me and was gonna be. Um. The first year it was okay. Then we got to the to the finals, the Western Conference finals one year, and just playing with him, it was just crazy just

watching his development. Um, Like I said, the step backs, the threes, the the euro steps, all that stuff. Just watching him just take that. Man, he worked on that every day, especially at three ball. That's why he shoots so good. Man. It was just it's just effortless for him. Um. He believe he lost a hundred pounds a cap. I think it was. I don't think he lost a huntress. There's no way he could have lost a hundred pounds because there's no way he was three hundred pounds. It

wasn't that big one. And I think he probably did lose some weight. Uh, but I think the weight was kind of good for him and how he played um getting to the basket, being able to post up. Always thought that's some of the things that Kobe was doing he could have used in his game. So going there, I wanted to kind of help him with that, Like uh, Kobe's uh post post work. I felt like if he had really developed that, if he can do that and he get into the game that I think just getting

in that post, because that's what Jordan did. He slowed it down and started going to the post. He didn't just he didn't shoot a lot of threes. But then Kobe started doing that too. Or you know, you played against coach both of y'all. He got to his spot and just shot over him. And I'm like James, with the guards he will be playing against, He's strong enough to where he can get to his spot. And then they got indeed, so what you're gonna do. You gotta

pick your poison. So I think hopefully now he really put it all together and they have a good run, stated Big Bent. Right now, it's it's it for a second, look like it might have almost faded out of the NBA um the emergence of Joker, then bed Um of late. I think it's different. I think when I came into the league, they wouldn't allowing big men to do what they're doing now. Greek Freak force them. No, it's after him. Greek Freak is different from he told about the state

today though. You know you're talking about like center center big Yeah, he's different. Like so he's not consenters not because he never played the center. He always played like what you mean, Like, but I'm saying like they did to have to beat in the post all the time, all the time. I never had a chance to stand out on a perimeter. That's it. But my job like

stand never wanted me to shoot a jump shode. Even if I shot a jump shide, he would go tell a pat tell the white did not work on jump shots? Why just hook shots? Don't can get out of here? Fuck ship. And so like I'm working on jump shots, but stands like, no funk that hook shots, ducks get in the posts. We're gonna turn five your ass deep duck ins and go right over the top. But now it's not like that. They want space, you know what I'm saying. So even with how big supposed to play now,

we used to. We used to be looking for bodies to go fine back in the day, like if I'm running down the court, I'm looking to hit you if I'm running to see But now it's like, no, no space, get wide trail to play, catch it and get into an action and do something different, you know what I'm saying. So they've got in your bag a little more in this era. What's crazy about it? I was in a bag before I got to the league, and when I got to the league, it was like no more, no

more of this. We don't want you to dribble, we don't want you to shoot, we don't want you to do nothing but dunk the ball. It worked out good. I got the most in the history of basketball. Postle Park was getting it off the rim, and he was all that was perk Well. I remember playing against perk Um because Lebron came down to Houston the Soldiers and Park was on their team. It was Lebron perk Um, what's the guy played in Boston from Oakland? Uh no, Um, he heard himself. He was on the team. I saw

all that was on the team. This was when he was fifteen, was playing against the brun and they was sixteen. Its first time I heard Lebron and it was Kender Perkins. That was the one that stood out. Wh who stood out the most to you on the other team that game? Besides the It was a brother. I didn't know who he was because, like I mean, I stayed in a bubble for real, Like I was really bubble boy. So when I started playing a you remember my home was

saying y'all need to go play against Lebron. I was like, who then is the Broun? He was like, you don't know Lebron. I was like, bro, who is Lebron? Dog? I don't know nobody, he said, Bro. The think it was supposed to be the coldest ever. Bro already hedn't even went to the league. And I'm like you line, So we're getting down to Houston, walmup's come, I'm looking to see who Lebron was first warmup line. Don't he do his little signature? Dude, the whole crowd go crazy.

My whole team looking down there. Damn you see that. I said, that's le Bron James, Okay, and after that I knew who Lebrons ain't was. That's crazy. H Bernie Man talked to us about Oh my god, how do you hear about that? I mean, I hear about ship. That's the best experience in the way I think everybody. I was there for six days. I think everybody in the world needs to experience it, only just to see that we could all come together in peace and live

in the same environment. In the desert. There's ninety thousand people. You just like, I'll like the depth. He just talk. Now he's back in the desert. Start doing it, my boy, man, No, no lie though, for real. Burning Man was amazed and dog just to see all these people come together and celebrate life. No arguing, no fighting, great music, all good vibes. Man. It was just the best time I had. There's no money in there, so you don't pay nothing with cash.

Barter and you barter some bartering systems, so no matter what your title is, like your old tights from Orlando and ship like, no, man, get out of here. Who I gave somebody a crystal? But really, since it was my first time, people are just giving me gifts a really okay, and a lot of people are just coming at me talking to me like some people didn't even

know who I was. From Adam. I remember one day I was in this this tent getting some fruit and vegetables, eating and just vibing out to some music and this guy came and he was like, dude, you're a big bag motherfucker. Man. I don't know who you are, but funk man, I feel your energy. Oh my god. And I'm like, you're straight. He're like, yeah, man, it's just dude. Man. I don't know you man, but I love you. Dude. Man, I just want to tell you that, man. And you're

a big bad motherfucker dude. Fuck yeah, no clue who I was. I like, is just everybody coming together, no matter who you are, no matter what you like, just be yourself and these people that are just accept you. It is like a whole week and a half of just celebrating life in this big old desert. You get to dress how you want to dress, if you don't want to wear clothes. You ain't got to wear clothes. If you do want to wear clothes, it's kind of

like mad Max vibes. Y'all ain't Mad Max something like that, and just listen to a whole bunch of good music. Eat good. They have like meditation sessions. Um. They have this big burning man in the middle that they burned on a second to last day. And they have this temple where everybody coming they meditate in they write and write notes to pass loved ones and stuff like that. Um, they do ceremonies in there. They do art all around. They have these big art trolleys with lights and stuff.

It's people. They are all ages. The oldest person that we saw there was ninety eight. The youngest person was probably what about five six months, so as kids there too. It's not just adults. When people have here about it in the past, they think it's just some type of big sex party, and that's what people are telling me. But when I went, I was like, man, there's so

much more. And you can see how we could actually come together without fighting with art, without arguing that people can drink and have a good time and and and it don't be nothing crazy, you know what I'm saying, And just to experience that. It was the best place that I've been, you know. So this summer was wild, man. I started out in India. I went to some really cool places out there in India, went to go see the taj Mahal. I went to this place called our Nasi.

I don't know if you guys heard of that, but it's this place where, uh, they have this fire that's been burning for over three hundred years and that's what they burned everyone's body in his fire when they died, and then they put it in this magic river. And every night everybody in this city come to this one spot and they pray for the whole world. They pray for peace for the whole world. It was just crazy to see that. And what to Egypt saw the pyramids?

So how massive these y'all seen the pyramids? Not lying, I think people need to travel, like that's one thing. I'm just seeing the world. Just these pyramids is so crazy to see in person. I guess I love the desert my dehydrated all right, man, coming down to the end, quick hitters. First thing to come to your mind an all time starting five including yourself with guys. You played with guys, don't even get your hopes up. Go ahead, bro, Yeah, I just look like you want to say Nope, not

that about to say anybody you played with? Oh my god, So okay, I got Kobe Bros. Kobe Bro and me. Mm hmmm. Day Now you got to get somebody else to make it fair. You've got to do that. That's a lot like there. He played for James. Yes, I gotta have vents. Oh BC, I gotta have vents, and oh we we need a four man. And I was thinking about sweet little I was gonna say Tony but TV, but that's just sweet little man. But it's I had so many great teammates man, Like that's one thing about

the league man, playing with so many guys. Like my teammates stayed with like family to me. You know, you played on my team. He was always together, always at each other house, the house on every team though. He brought every team together like that. Yeah, we were together. That's all we did. He was always together. I had big ass shoes too. I was wearing them ship all the time. You cannot separate all of us like that was just you know how he was my little homie.

I'll be trying to tell people about stories about Jason Williams. Bubbs white white chocolate. Oh man, I'm the one when he threw behind the back pass and hit Standing in the stomach when he was talking about standing. What do you remember that day? And Staying got mad, keep them out, kicked them out of them out of practice, and Jason Williams stories that one right there when Standing, Yeah, he

was kind of stand stand win playing. So he said, I don't gonna go play at the y. He was going to play at the y, and so Stan was telling him, like, yo, stop doing that. He was already got my rings, Bubbs, go get yours, and I'm out. He said, my ships underneath my sink and bro he threw a cross court, not a full court, cross court, behind the back pass and hit Staying right in the stomach. And you know, Staying got a big gass billy. So that ship I had had a target on it, like

it was crazy. I was like, yo, and Stam was crazy too, But I love Staying. He would do crazy stuff like called me in the office and talked to me with his shoes off and his little feet. You weren't like a side seven like little baby ass feeding it between with his little toes. Well, you know, Dwight, I need you to rebound more. I'm like coach, I got what but sucking staying? Yeah that it was crazy? Go ahead. Underrated city our country you've been to, the

greatest city our country. Underrated city A country you've been to. Oh wait, that's tough. Um, Charlotte, I think it's underrated. I like Charlotte from playing there. Um, it's really underrated. It's a lot of things you could get into and Charlotte and you get all four seasons. The greatest city, the greatest city. Oh, I gotta go with Atlanta. I'm from Atlanta. Um. But every city that you know, I like to travel. So every city that we played in I really like I go out and try to find

some cool things about it during the off season. Uh, Australia is one of my favorite places. Uh, India, obviously, Africa, Egypt after going this summer, Like I said, just that's one place like Egypt is crazy. Like the vibe, everybody's out having a great time to music. Ryan and Campbell's sitting the pyrad Is. It's unbelievable. Dream Music Festival who would open that and who would close it for you? We who would open my dream music festival? Oh we

that's tough. Uh okay, I gotta have. I gotta have Little Wayne and Drake opened it. Little Wayne and Drake a birthday. He came and coach your game one time? Right? Or was he just that was the game we had in um him and Floyd came and come. But okay, we got Drake and we got Little Wayne started. Then we're gonna have Gonna and Thud. They're gonna come and

do their thing in the middle. In the middle, they don't come in real quick, real quick, come in, do that little show all while I say, all the men won't come out. And then we gotta have y'all nuty a town guy all Atlanta gotta wrap and we gotta close it with the Wizard Man Future Pluto. Gotta close it the future. That's my twin right now, y'all do look like no, you just means they have a lot of babies. Man, I have to stop. I got seven. I cain't talked. You got seven? Yes, my eight baby

moms and the bonus daughter. You got eight baby mamas? No, no, no, no. Top five centers of all time, all time stage average eighteen. Okay, that's solid. We had what nineteen nineteen k for real for the career? Solid he put up an and what what year he played. I'm bettering domn than everybody that played back then. Put your money on it. I've put money on that today. I was cooking too now. Top five.

I've seen your highlights the other day. You post that I'm gonna kee getting one right now, and then because you have that h P muster that we're right there California Highway Patrol mustache and had no other facial hips. Let me see. Yeah, gotta start shoot with Chamberlin, Shack Kareem the Dream and me. I'm putting myself to your mother, I'm in the top five. Nobody got the same in the top five. You can say I'm not taught Sandy five,

but I'm gonna put myself. They can't say that. If you can see one guest on all the smoke, who would it be? One guest on all the smoke? Whould I want to see on here? Oh? Shoot shatman over here. You'll know I'm wrong Burgundy, So y'all don't put that shaman and I stopped right there. Who who? Who? Who? Who? Cheat me out of my question? Um put the whole thing still, lady, she just did a movie. Sports don't matter. We versatile now yeah, man, that's tough future. Thank you

the Wizard. Yeah, they said they was actually working on them. This trip end up getting them the White Man. We wanted to thank you. We're big on give him flowers on this show. We you know, I mean, I've always been a brother of yours, but really more just a fan. And let you know, man, how great your career has been. No matter what fucking list you're on and not, you're one of the greatest to ever do it, man, and we really appreciate you. Appreciate that, man, Thank you. Man

he got We got a little a box for you. Bro. Showtime March. Where can they getting you? Remember it's been a minute. Uh No, I don't Showtime dot store. Yeah that's it. That's where you get it from. But bro, we now we appreciate you coming. We've got some guilt from for you. I know you're gonna like it. I don't know what collection this is, because we have a couple of collections, you know what I'm saying, But thank you appreciate you. Can catch us on Showtime Basketball, YouTube

and the I Heart platform. Black effects Man, we appreciate you. And that's a rap. Briget your show, I appreciate you.