FIRST GUEST J.R. SMITH: WHY DOESN'T HE HAVE A TEAM?

lot like me. Never been teammates, but just always admired from a far Man Jr. Man, appreciate you coming to appreciate We forgot to do our hand shake too now were little close. We ain't said like like can you blow on your hands for you? Like God, damn you? You know you playing with your nuts to what was on Jergons Man, jerks really works okay? Anyway, Man, were here the opening night of the season. I mean me and Jack talked about this before you got here. There's

no way you should be sitting here right now. Man, what's the latest. What's going on with you? We just caught word on on social media that the legs are very interesting. You know anything about that? Or I don't? Um? I mean I've worked out with him in the summertime, playing pick up like we always do, like most of us have. And uh, but you know, nobody's ever called and you know told me anything. So but right now,

I just try to stay ready. You know, whenever somebody do call, somebody looking for something, I'll be there to feel it in. People crack me up because they're like, man, you're still working out, Like, yeah, Doc, I gotta first of all, I love the game. Second of all, I gotta stay healthy for the rest of my life where I'm not trying to just go out there and and look like a football player. I thought I've done playing basketball in my life. That is easy too. Yeah, I

mean we've seen y'all have seen it. I mean we come from a different crop though, so I understand when you say you really love the game. Like people don't understand that. They put their feelings into different situations about the game and things you'dn't been through. We haven't been through, but they don't understand. We just love the game. We love the game but for anything. But but we got to the NBA, you know what I'm saying, And that's

a lost art in the game to there. It's definitely loving it different daily you're still working out daily, Okay, well you want to. You're one of the people that me and Jack thought that kind of started these videos of working out with the trainers. You know, I think you're one of the first ones that kind of started with Chris back in New York. I think you and Melo were kind of the first one. Now and now

it's a it's a regular fixture on Instagram. It's one of the dopest ships to watch during the summertime because that's a few times where everybody comes together, no matter what your team are, who you are, and you're just hooping. I think that's some of the best basketball. Yeah, for sure, it's crazy because when I did it, it was like just showing people like how much I let it game,

how much I appreciate the game. It was like, you know, so many people I feel like, yeah, I've been around players like oh I need my trainer, I need this person, I need that, I need somebody rebound. Bro, you needed the basketball and yourself, Like that's how it started. It was in the backyard. And I mean luckily I had some brothers and stuff like that, my cousins to be around. But even when they wasn't there. It was dark by myself.

It didn't matter. Now I actually got a name and I could pretty much get into whatever Jim I want. What's what's holding you back? Now? Know what I'm saying is the girls. The cause is that the life is like what's holding you back? Now? And so many people like and I kind of I'm happy I did it because obviously it turns you know, I helped turn it into what it is now. Yeah, but now it's like you to do now Yeah, now it's like it's doing it for cloud now you cloud chasing, not because every

every player for like this something. I gotta get one of those videos to make it look like I'm working out to make it like I'm playing with the best guys. Then you got guys like you trade young that's really doing the work and going there to really get better. You know what I'm saying, not just going to be seen and it changes because that's how to that's how

to hear. You think, these kids all they want to see is Instagram, then how many likes they get in and instead of putting in the work to actually earn it, earn it because you know, when what was growing up so you gave us a pair of sneakers a team. He was like, yo, man, you see, man, what you need me to do? And I'm gonna get forty on him. You know what I'm saying. That was that was our motivation anyway, to go destroy opponent. But you get a pair of sneakers. Now it's like, oh man, I can't

get on Instagram like Joe big Brook. You you shout me out and help me get a blue check, a blue check where you can get your own blue check. You get a bigger check than the blue check that you're worried about. Like, what did you talk to me more when you right? Tell me the difference between because I was always someone that you. You You were one of the most skilled ball handling, off the off the dribble

shooters the game has ever seen. Like I've seen you work out in person, I've seen you just green light, but you're someone that bought into your road. Tell me what the difference is when you're able just to be you in the summertime and then understanding your role. You know, I was someone that understood my role. Although I could score and do more, I knew what the funk they needed me to do. When I did it until I

didn't want to do it no more. You bought into a role, but you're someone that is that, you know, a legend when it comes to pick up. The thing about me was I always that was always my role, you know I'm saying. My role was always to come in. And you know, up in to the fight in New York, I was starting and Mellow was the highest scoreing duo in the league at the time. Getting to get into the fight. AI come to teage team shake up, you

go to the bench. I was like, oh, bet, so now I could just all I gotta do is score and y'all saw and George was like, yeah, just gonna score as many points as you want. And then I was like, all right, real cool. I'm just going there and put put minds up and average eighteen and then or whatever the kid and I'm out. And then it was like, all right, that came. That became my mentality. And then it was like, all right, well, now it ain't even about the winner no more. He just wanted

to go get. He just wanted to get, you know what I'm saying. And it's like I didn't realize that I wasn't helping my team because all I gotta do is go get my points and then you know what I'm saying, you gotta figure the rest out. I gonna get thirty, I'm gonna go get eighteen whatever, Chuck gonna get his twenty something whatever, Kmark gonna get his twelve, thirteen and fourteen rebounds, MC gonna do what he'd do, and then you know we're gonna get to that Western

Conis final. We couldn't get over the hunt, but that's how the season went. How talented was that team? Know you? I tell you practice was a movie every day every day and it was crazy because Kmark was like this is this is right after Kmark current from Jersey, this second knee surgery. He came back jumping higher. I was like, man, we got MC longest blocking, give me that, give me

that a R. Then Chauncey came. It was like it was it was what held y'all back though, well, I mean, obviously the West is strong, but was chemistry because I know y'all funk with each other, but sometimes that chemistry from like I'm working, it just don't work on court with it? Was it any of that? What you think John heard George wasn't a whole nut, like what was

it that held you back? Because we had a similar situation with the Clippers where we had all the time to where we feel like we should have won a championship, but we ran into we but it has too much as players. As players, we never but I don't think I don't think we but it has as players. It was just like we weren't. I don't think it was a mature enough team yet. And I'm saying we we had a we had a coach that was able to

manipulate our minds. So we wanted to mature enough to be like, yeah, man, let me high that you such as I said this, let me talk to you, right, I mean opposed to Oh that's what he said, that's how you feel, all right? Bet well, I'm gonna get my thirty five and or I'm gonna get my Tony something and then what I'm saying then it kind of it kind of was the gap within everybody into almost

just get your stats, you know what I'm saying. And it's hard because if you're if your main players, isn't that mindset and then everybody else I mean, yeah, I mean don't get me wrong. I love Camar to death became not to do is gonna go get thirty or night right? You know what I'm saying, And you see not due what I'm saying. When this Clayser wasn't that dude. What I'm saying, Dante, you know, we didn't have the dudes that was doing that was in that situation where

it was like we're gonna try. They're so tight, we're gonna wear's that friction, you know, Yeah, And that's how it kind of infiltrated. And I don't blame I don't blame him or them. I blame myself because I wasn't just I was still young. I had a ton of money. I thought I was like, man, look we're gonna y'all gotta figure it out. Obviously, I'm not problem doing what I gotta do, you know what I'm saying. So I

don't even start. So I don't even know how y'all putting it on me saying some days I played some days, I don't you know what I'm saying. So it was like, once once that came into play, it just toward the whole team. What age did you feel like you started looking in from a bird's eye view instead of everything being real personal. I think when I got to New York.

When I got to New York and mean years in the game, because you came here out of high school too a lot, you know, and that's special to be able to make it, you know, that's something Jack did to be able to come in at an early age as keep it real a boy playing against men and navigating your way through the whole process. So how long did it take you to you felt like, Okay, I kind of look at it's a little different. Honestly, took

me like eleven years from twelve years. That's when I got to New York because it was like, all right, I'm I'm at the crib, I'm home, and everybody is like, all right, what are you doing? What are you gonna go? What are you doing this? What? I'm like, damn, I'm really that important what I'm saying at the end of the day, Like Grant, I always had a name from

high school and all that, playing ball that. But when you start when people start talking about you every day, talking about your social life, talking about who are you dating and who you messing with? This and that, and I'm like Yo, I'm that important, you know what I'm saying. And I just took a step back. I was like, wait a minute, like I ain't, I ain't ready for

all that. I played in New Orleans, played in Denver, I was at Oklahoma City for a year, China, then come out come from China, back to the to the crib and then I'm I'm not that guy, but I'm that guy on that. It's like, well, it's crazy too, because it's not something we First of all, we're not really taught how to handle any of this ship from money.

But then when you play in a major market and for the front, you know, they don't teach you how to deal with all that ship coming at you and how your target as soon as you step out of your house. Sometimes you're talking in your own house, you know what I mean, with with some of the ships, So they don't teach you how to navigate through that and through that. I think all of us really has

similar reputations throughout our career, you know, very similar. Worst for y'all is both of y'all played at home major markets too, but on and off the court, you know what I mean, where I'll beat ship with my ships on TMZ and Sports Center for two different things, I mean, two different crazy things, you know what I mean. So it's just like to be able to navigate through that ship, that's what we'd helped me with, you know what I mean.

That was something that allowed me to be able to focus through all the bullshit, because I still fu made some mistakes obviously, but it was something that made me just you know, sit back and then just take a different view, you know what I mean, Like, Okay, there's a lot of potholes, I gotta dodge man, and I gotta slow down and take a seat back and kind of recalibrate, refocus. And that's something that really got me because, like I said, they don't teach us how to deal

with that ship. They don't teach us how to deal with with with everything on top of the money they come. They forget that you had a life before they figured out who you was. You know what I'm saying, Like, before y'all figured out who I was, you realized like I had a whole family, I came from somewhere, I was standing for something like this was y'all just found out who I was. I've had a whole life y'all just didn't know me. You really don't know, but you

still don't know. That's I'm saying. They don't know you. They know who they think. I mean. That's like, like I said, the perception of reality is perception is reality. Sometimes so they'll catch a glimpse of us two hours you get in the fight with the Knicks or some bullshit happened off the court, and I know what, like I know what masks like jacks always fighting, you know what I mean. They think they know who we are, but they never really get a chance to take that

next that deeper look. And it's it's crazy because they don't they don't take the chance and they don't care to learn. They don't care what's really going on with and like what's going on? Let me figure out how I can help them instead of kicking them down or keeping them down, you know what I'm saying. Like people forget I went to jail when I was in the league, Like I'm saying, I did twenty four days in the

three and one in the sale. Well I got millions of dollars for a month, and I couldn't do nothing with I'm reaching out to people. I'm calling my NBA boys all the dud yo yo, no crickets. I'm calling coaches crickets. The only person case see me once was Gert. You know what I'm saying. It was like I should that should hurt me. I feeling like I'm saying my godfather to this, you my man used I'm saying. But so to deal with all that it come out, I'm on the world path, I'm on the rage. I'm living

my life. I'm reckless at this point what I'm saying. But people don't. People looking at like he's just riding out. They don't know what, like what what what triggered that? What happened between that? They don't realize. They don't care. I'm in the accident with my best friend passes away. You know what I'm saying, y'all don't ask me nothing about that. All you want to know is did you do? What happened? Was you under the influence? How about what? Like?

Is you good? What's going on? You know what I'm saying, Like people don't care to learn from that. I think because we get paid a certain amount of money, they think we're not human still, you know what I mean? Like I mean Jack went through when I lost my mom. You know what I mean. I played two days after

she died, you know what I mean. And people don't understand, like we go through the same ship, divorced, death, children, whatever, but we we have to keep that game face on the whole time because we get paid a bunch of money, what I mean, So you can't you can't be human. You got to be this person, like you said. They don't never take the time to dig deep, you know what I mean, Like, Okay, what he did this? What what might be the read? They don't give a funk

about that, And it's crazy. Well what's crazy to me is why is it that an athlete or a basketball player is high as held to the higher standard as the president. He shouldn't be, you know what I'm saying, Like, why is it that y'all look up the lebron so much or step so much, and y'all hang on to every step and told that they do that, it could just tarnish their career and then go out of nowhere but the highest seat in the country. It's just the world. In the world, so the United States, I mean, I

can't even say the world at this point. It can't be at this point, they're not not now what I'm saying right like that, it still if it's different standards than what like, you can't like. I don't understand it. I just don't get it. People think I'm crazy, but don't. I'm gonna trying to figure you got it. You ain't crazy. You just you know you're worth And that's what people when they can't tell you what you're worth. That when they don't control the narrative. It's a new day. Now

you control your own narrative. They can't say, they can say what they want about you, but at the end of the day, you have the same I would let to say to to speak the truth. You know what I mean, You can you can't just walk around and people just gotta believe what they say. Now you can create your own narrative, and that's what's important. Right now.

You gotta give Lebron and all those guys created But when he came into the league, he created a situation where he can create his own narrative and speak his own throve and nobody around can make it a for him for what I'm saying, and and nobody has done that until he got to the league. Now we're all able to do that. They can't say Stephen Jackson is doing this now. No, I'm gonna TV right now, showtime doing well. You don't say everything you think about me,

you know that's bullshit. This I'm right here. You can ask me. So that's that's where we are now. So they can't. They can't sugarcoach it no more. That's what I love about it because you you can really speak your own truths, and you can tell and you can tell, you can really tell where your fan base is. Really what I'm saying, it's not just walking into the rain

and they just drew for the whole team. You see one kid or two kids with your jersey, you know, so such such, Oh you're my favorite players, and you actually get to see where your fan base at and who really who really rock with you? And then what I'm saying, I think that's special. Tell me what it was like being with Brin, playing with Brian, developing more than just teammatesing a real brotherhood with him. It was crazy because I knew Bron since I was like fifteen.

I really yeah, I used to go to the Akron and uh, go work out with him and ship and how are you at the time. I was fifteen, he was sixteen. Okay, uh no, I was sixteen, he was seventeen, and um just going back and forth like like like damn this like he good. I'm saying, I'm coming from the best dude Jersey and the trashy area since like me and Sebastian, I'm like, damn flying in high school, he flying up to twenty handles passing vision. And my think the thing I liked the most because I wasn't

even the basketball. I played football. He was don nice and football. I was more jealous of the factor where you got it basketball right cool? You came to be scored touchdowns like this, getting picks, he bro. You know what I'm saying that that's what That's what hurt me. But that was my that's my man. Like his work ethic and his drive changed my life. I think what I'm saying because I looked at it from a different perspective.

I was always a person who worked and surprisingly other than the Instagram like posting my videos, I never I was so insecure in my game. I didn't really want people to see. You know what I'm saying. I didn't want them to see the insecurities that I had and me missing shots. You know, we all have them within our game because that's our crap. We love it so much that that's you know, I mean, that's what it is. And he helped me like, bro, that's the reason why

you hear this reason, this is why we're here. So we when we get to those moments we missed those shots, we do know, I mean. And he and he pounded that ship into my head so much that every day we was I was at the gym like three or four times a day, and I'm saying and it wasn't just like because I was always I'll go early, I wait, tell everybody leave, and then shoot later and then I come in at night. But then but he opened up a regiment for me to where I was like, all right, cool,

I can shoot with you. I can shoot with you. I can shoot with you. When y'all done, I could go to shoot with him. Then I could go shoot him. I wasn't like that before. It was before it's like, all right, I'm gonna shot by myself, or when not loo coming, I'm gonna shoot with him. And I'm saying or no back I'll shoot with him. Cool. I mean, I had by people, but it wasn't like I wasn't as open into working with people everybody. Yeah, because I took my I take my ship serious like I don't.

When I'm working on my shop, I'm not playing around. Maybe seem like I'm shooting some bullshit shots, but these are shots that I know. I'm a shooting the game, and these are my shots that I that y'all brought me here to shoot because you know I'm gonna shoot them and when in the situation come, I'm gonna make that shot. So people were like, oh damn, he took that shot at working out, like, yeah, this is my ship. I'm working on my ship, and I take that ship serious.

So when when gms and coaches and like, man, why is he over there working on that? Why is he

doing that? I feel like I can't beat myself within my within my job to work on my my craft and respectfully without somebody else already judging me on who I am, and now you're judging my game on top of you probably don't even like it's that that that that tells you, you know what I mean, the organization and their focus because I was someone that got to play with Katie and Steph and to see the crazy ass shots that they took, like the coaches understood it,

the gms understood it, the owners understood it. Like Okay, Steph is doing this spin around one left handed flip ship, but Steph shoots them motherfucker's in the game and he makes them. Katie is doing this off balance one foot ship, but Katie shoots the wolf balance one foot ship and make it. So to go from an organize winning organization that encouraged you to work on your game to you having to feel so insecure, like these motherfucker's are staring

at me tripping about my game. I think that speaks to you know the fact of winning, you know what I mean? Like then organization, then you go to then you go to Cleveland where Lebron creates a culture where be you it is the most important thing. But it works your ass off, and then it worked crazy because if I had that, I feel like if I had that earli early on in my career to three years and I would like and I could have actually have my added the way I wanted to, different from my

whole I'm a whole different player. You know what I'm saying. It's just it's just a different vibe. And I don't live in the past, but that's obviously something that you know, you know, you know how I mean, as when you're coming up in high school and you know, as a kid, you got a certain way you want your career to go, and you want to win championships and all, and then

at a certain point that ship don't happen. Then reality said it, like, all right, this is my role, this is my player, this is the type of person I'm gonna be from from going forward. That ship ain't easy to grasp sometimes, you know what I'm saying, Like we got, like you said, you set a high buff for yourself and you get to the real you want to be maybe not maybe all right, cool, I ain't go number one pick, but I'm here. I'm gonna make my ship,

all right. I'm not gonna start now, but alright, cool, I'm working my way. Alright, cool, Now, I'm a six man. Alright, bet I'm gonna start. And then I get pushed back, like you're thinking about all of this ship, this is your timeline, this is your life what I'm saying, and all of this feelings and emotions, and then you get you starving kids, you get married. Like I'm saying, like a lot all that ship coming to play as basketball players two we don't understand, especially being all and fathers

and been dominant men. We take on roles just coming out of the house for sure, how mastering the roles that we get naturally fathers? You know what I'm saying things like that, because we've got so much thrown at us. But I wanted to ask you to. Tim Duncan gave me that confidence. I see he was talking about Lebron and how y'all worked out together. I think Tim taught me that, and I think it's only certain players that got that in them that can that can get that

out of us because we were similar. But Tim Duncan able to work out with him and for him to embrace me, that gave me confidence. You know what I'm saying, That's what I needed. I wouldn't have been a professional. I didn't know how to show up. I didn't know how to work, you know what I'm saying. I didn't know how to get ready for games. You know what I'm saying. But she was talking about Lebron Tim Duncan

did that for me. Yeah, that's a that's a fact, like just being like overall being professional, Like I had some really good vents, like you know, I always try to preach the coming in all time and stuff like that, but I was in uh, such bad cultures at times. It was just like it ain't even like you're waiting on me. I'm saying I could be if the buses at ten, I could show up at twelve o five and I'm still not the last person. I'm the third

to the fourth to the last person. So when I go to somewhere else, it's twelve o five, but I come down to the bus gone, It's like, oh this is it's really left. Like now, I'm like, that's why I always say winning started the top, and people like, what does that mean. I mean it starts with the owner,

then it starts to management and starts to coaching. You let sh slide and it starts getting slopping, and my fun's gonna do what they do and they get comfortable on the in in that position, and then you just you can't win in atmosphere like that. You can win games, but you're not gonna win. You know what I mean that's the thing. That's the thing. Like again, like you said with the Clippers, you're so talented. We have so much talent. You can have some too much. Yeah, you

can have too much. You can definitely have We when we gonna have practice, that ship was I can imagine, like we got people trying to switch jerseys, man like, going back and forth. But it's it's all in the competitive We go to the lock, we talking, yeah, but we was busting your grass that man. Y'all know how to go. It's like it's at the end of the day when we left, we all we all knew and ask my motherucker, if we get out of here and something happened, we all go on. You know what I'm said,

And that's how it was. That's how That's how it should be all the time, all the time. What's your relationship with Melolock. I think you guys are in a similar boat right now. Two guys that could definitely have the talent that you guys getting sucked over. Keep it real. He get that phone call to the GM's doing Oh no, no, no. They sign out a mass text with swish to do

not funk with him. Yeah, y'all stop all that hate. Man, tell me what it's like knowing and seeing that you can still play in the game but not really be giving the opportunity. It hurts, man, it's just hardening. It gives your uncomfortable feeling. But as they lead what I'm saying, I could do what you want with it, I ain't. I ain't here to tell you what I mean because I got my business and all that, and you ain't about to come over here and tell me what I'm

about to do, you know what I'm saying. So I respected from that manner, from the business standpoint. Um as a competitive obviously you want to play. Obviously you're looking down him when you still can. Yeah, I mean you gotta like you gotta understand, Like you know, I play ball, I go to I go to Jim in l A. I go to Jim in Houston, I go to Jim Miami, I go to Jim New York. What what the requid tire is it? And I had no business playing, but I just because I love it. Who you know what

I'm saying. So in the midst of all of that,

and it sa't no no like no hating ship. It's just a matter of fact, he not better than me, He not better than me, He not better, he not better, he not better than he not better than me, and him in the back evening right, And then when people look at me like, damn, you know you're really cocky, like no, you know how much I work doing what I do, And when I see him and I see what they do, and I see thee just the way they walking to him, the way they you're not you're

not even comfortable with being here, you know what I'm saying, Like I can. You know, you smell blood all the time. I know how. I know where the lights is on this gym, I know where to I know who to talk to. I know this whole, this whole atmosphere. So when you're walking ahead and you're looking around, like who's in here? I smell blood? I see it's you know, you can't hide. It's a good feeling, especially to pick up. Ain't no reps, ain't no coaches, ain't no you can't

hide here right here, this wing. That's why I was looking at the books, and it was like they was mad at him, saying double you know, y'all can't double, Like bro, First of all, who was doubling you? Why is it first? No, no, who who who was that? I want to know who came to double? We need to talk. Why is you double guard him? If I don't care, if he'sco a hunted, take that. You guard him time, you know how to go, and then when you go to the other end, I'm going right back.

Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, calling for double man. I wish I wish I was. It's a different time there to play one on one full quote. When I was in Name to twelve, ain't no way, no way, bro. We come up different though, man, John Lucas and all that man. I was down there with Cotino Mobley, San Cansell, Steve Frands, young boys, young boy funding, yes yo coming. Catino Mobley was destroying me every single day in the workout me to left hand, all that post uff and I'm bigging

him everything killing me. Yeah, young fella, get through that. Yeah, get through that. Figure that out, and you know he the ice King, will wait till he got your weight all the way. He's strong as ship. Shout out. Cat cat School was a killer killing a killer who was the toughest person you ever had to guard. It's different for me because I got like fortunately when you played, I played long enough to when you played, you played through errors. I can, I can go through like b

roy was a problem. People always talk about people always talking about obviously Kobe and tax dollars, I always But when you think about people who was a problem and people who really don't really give the respect to understanding he was a problem. Cat was a problem, a problem problem. People don't even realize how much Caro Linker was a problem. And it wasn't even like it wasn't even like he's the guy. He was just a problem that nobody was just awkward right like he like you never he was

just awkward dog. You couldn't get it, like you couldn't figure him out. You could figure about my first game, I actually played Reggie open Miller, but it probably wasn't even know ice so bro. It was all picks Davis every time, Young, listen, you gotta you gotta duck your shoulder, then really hit you with the big and they and they was moving back then there wasn't no not moving screen, no no, no, no, you're going out of bounds and it's Reggie, right young, don't say nothing to me. Let's go.

And I remember it funny. I actually hit Reggie in two thousand nine because I had to guard Ray Island with Boston when I was in Orlando. How do I get around these picks? What kind of tricks? What do I need to do? Because I couldn't stay with that motherfucker And they said the perk was setting these hardass picks. KG was setting these hard ass picks like and I hear Reggie like, Yo, what do I need to do? And he told me, you know, grab his jersey, grab his arm for you, take off, stick to his body,

get low, cut the corner. So he was telling me all the ship that you know, obviously people that try to do to him, but that ship is that people't understand, Like the game, you don't even have to be ISOs just imagined practice. Every day I gotta chase his motherfucker around because I'm the first I'm the first two guards, you know what I'm saying. This was last year, so I got to chase him around every day in practice. Man, that should get tired and it kills your offense because

you ain't got no legs. That's why I said, he in great shape. People don't understand how important Clay is to go to state because staff don't have to do that. He scored fifty something with with with three driven killer. That's crazy killer. Two thousand eighteen, Game one of the finals. Uh, you get the offensive rebound and driven towards half court. Talk about that to me? What happened the play before

when it was a foul? Uh? Wasn't Lebron pastor George Hill? Yeah, he was shooting free through and I'm I thought he made both of them. He did, so I was like, all right, bet, so next time George on the free I'm alright, bet we get the ball. Ship. They're gonna you know, I mean, we called time out whatever, They're gonna try to foul anyway, so we do we normally do. It's alright, Bet to get the ball. Nobody called time out something. Alright, Bet, I'm about your man, dribble it

back out. Then game game had to be over. I look at Brian, Brian pointing like this, oh thiss be like ship. I look over, oh man. And then after that, I was just like, I know this ship ain't just happening. I know this ship ain't just happened. Not in the finals, not in the finals. It's about to beat these niggers say with the box out, the box out looked at you didn't expect to get that ball because you had right there. There's no way he was getting no bullshit,

I was told. So I was so bet on going the other way and trying to steal the rebound because I was like, damn, if the ball comes this when I'm dead, an't. So I'm thinking, at the ball going that way, I can at least at least try and tip it somewhere right in your hands the way. Look, the ball came right and I said, oh, ship crab the ball alright, bet bro, we get to we get to the time out. I can laugh about it now. Hello it before you. How long did it take to

laugh about it? Because it was memes. It was all over the world. It's gonna go down in here about that ship that night. No, he did in the chat room, he said, yourself, dude, Bro, I can't. I don't. I'm not a person to hold onto ship. I'm not gonna hold on to no grudges. No, I'm gonna I'll never forget it, but I'm not gonna. Let's up, right up, we all messed up. So what was the time out, like man, when I tell you it was like Brian asked, what was uh? Do we have a time? Oh? My good?

And nobody wanted to answer the question. I didn't want to. I'll tell you. I'm telling him all the way. But what I'm telling him all the way to the bench. We gotta time out, I said, Bro, why didn't you just call it time out? Why don't just call it time out? That's why we was talking about. But why he was like walking to the bench. I'm like, he asked, he said, we gotta time out. We gotta time out

when I tell you. So the players just looked away and the coaching staff looked like they could turn spook. Why does the ghost bro? I was like, oh shit, I've replayed it. I was crying in my room. How did how did he get the downy picker up a paper towel like he has a house paper towel And just when he found out that we had time I was up. He put it on his hands and back

his face. Where did he get the down the quicker picker up that he always because he all use the regular towels, you know, so he has a roll a quicker pickup down here on the side. It ain't down here. It's like, I can't lie because I using weird, using all the same towers and ship and you're trying to wash them. I ain't trying with it. I saw that

though all the coaches were spooked. Don't want to say an this is this is my thing though, like if it was, if it's my fault and you want to depend it on me, all right, cool free throws first, He'll make the down free throws. Nothing, how man, that's why it happens. I'm saying, That's why I ain't. I can't be mad at him for making the free show. We couldn't. We we didn't have to be in a position to win the game. Had an incredible game, you know what I'm saying. So I hit t Lou that night.

I was like, oh, man, bro, I don't even know what to say. He's like, Bro, what are you talking about. You made the basketball play, it didn't work out and you messed and it happens. I was like, yeah, bro, but I should have shot the ball or whatever whatever I said to him, and he was like, man, but what if you didn't get the rebound? The game would

have been over anyway. So I was like, chat, when I thought about that show, I was like, well, yeah, you're right, there's so many ships that could have happened, and what did happen? It happened and then we get swept anyway, so it was like we got Okay, we won one game, didn't want what is the difference? But that game won bron That game he had, that's one of the best games his career. For sure. Wow, for sure wo, I would have changed the whole series of

if it wasn't fifth ye had ball, she'd be Grandpa something. Uh. Then you know when we played, we took serious your style, your culture. You know, you were the first one with the supreme bands and then they said you can't wear the band so you wouldn't got the tattoo on? Where did your style and and and tattoos? And tell me about that? I mean I grew up like you know, like most you know, young African American kids come into

a lot of money. I ain't have a lot when I met growing up and around the way, you know, I got picked off anything I'm saying, except for my game. The only thing they could really mess with me about it closes this shoot at you if I ever come into money, If I ever, I'm gonna get this. My one thing. You can never tell tell me my crib, my cars and my clothes and my I'm gonna be straight,

you know what I'm saying. And then once I fell into like, once I really understood who I am, I was like, it just made it that much easy because I'm comfortable in my skin and you know what I'm saying. So people, so many people like, oh, why would you wear this and that? Because I'm meeting That's why I like what I'm saying. Don't I don't have to be what you like. It's just I like it and I'm comfortable with it. So people, that's what That's what fashion is.

It ain't like you're following the trend. Why do I got to follow that trend? It's all it's a billion other people out here that's gonna like what I like? Anyway? Why do I gotta follow what you like? It ain't what you got on? Is who got it on? How you carry yourself with it? I mean, I ain't know the person just walking around insecure and what I got going on. I'm a dope asting I got going without you telling me that what I was telling you, I'm gonna, yeah,

transition into something that that you touched on earlier. But father life and we all, you know, kind of follow your journey. We're praying for you with your with your with your daughter that you went through a hard time with. But tell me what it's like that situation and overall just being a dad and the joy that you know

your kids bring to your life. Man, that's that situation really molded me as a dad because it was like it changed my changed my perspective and people, you know, I told Brownness and I told somebody else to you probably shouldn't say that again. I'm like, and I thought about it, like, nah, Like bro, if if God forbid, something happens to my daughter, I'm done. I don't want to play ball no more. Like the hell with all of this ship, I would you know what I'm saying.

And then over the course of time, she was getting better. She was getting better, and luckily I had broke my thumb. I brought my thumb in Milwaukee. Um so I had already been out, but I was getting healthy at the time. And then going through that situation, it was like one day she's good, then the next day, she's back in the You're back in the fire. But my thumb was getting healthy. So it's you know, it's getting to that time for me to start, you know, working back, working

my way back. Obviously we're going to the finals and ship like that. And I was like, yo, if if something happened, I'm like, I ain't. I'm done, Like y'all, y'all can go ahead. You know, I ain't. I'm going back to Jersey. We can set up shop maybe because I can't. I can't come back from this and to go who And I'm saying, it's my daughter. What I'm saying like this is it's different for me and the way I came up with my brothers and sisters and my cousins and everybody. So and I told somebody that

don't don't tell nobody that I don't tell me. And I did an interview when I came back and she made it out and I was like, yo, I'm I would I was about to walk away, you know what I'm saying. And I've been through instance where coaches and I ain't had my I felt like I had my fair shake, and know what I'm saying, I just felt like I was getting overall cheated by the game for the what I gave to it. But in that situation, I didn't give a different you know what I'm saying,

you could have There's nothing that I could have. There's nobody that I knew, and even if I did have the amount of money that could have made her better, you know what I'm saying. So when when I got when I realized as that and I got again, somebody like Brian, we know plenty of people with plenty of money. He's just like, there's nothing that nobody There's nobody I can call there, Nobody did nothing. If she gone didn't, nobody got nothing. Can't nobody fix that? You know what

I'm saying. There was a real life thought because every day you're having these conversations with the doctor. She having this procedure. She gotta go through this, she gotta go through that. I mean, my wife is just like, it took a toll on this. There's too much of a right and then it was hand yeah to handle, and then you know, and then again the people forget. Now you gotta be an athlete, Now you gotta play, you gotta wear this poker face. He's not playing with this potential.

He's doing this, he's doing that. What's going on? How about his daughter is in the hospital and he might have something else going on it or not. It just might Know what I'm saying, People really think that you're just supposed to play through it all and well, she'll be okay, but go out there and win us a game. Who the fund is us? Right? Us? How can you mentally go back to that stage? It's not possible. You can't. So how much you're paying me or whatever and that

if that's the case. Ship, But after, I mean, thank god, she's doing she's doing man, she too. She walking and she's trying to she's not she's not talking yet, but she's doing a little sign language and stuff. He posted a picture and recently at both of them, manute beautiful bank sisters. We had another one. How you got four four girls? All girls? I got five girls in the one roof though, right? My five guess one? Man? It's it's it's cool because I'm already telling me all the time.

Like she asked me, if you want to boy, how you want to boy? I said, baby, you want to you want of the guys? True? I ain't tripping I got four girls, right, what's five gonna do for me? But help me? You know what I'm saying, And the day and age that we live in and the females around in this industry an area, I need to have six seven girls because they nobody gonna raise these girls

the way I'm raising, like you can't. For the culture, we need more young African American, powerful young black women, you know what I'm saying. And I know that I could provide and be that male figure in their life where they can be that and they can do that and then we can prosper as a as a culture. You know what I'm saying. It ain't just about man, what about such a such Are you going suche's gonna be messing with your daughter? The bro? You simple mind?

If I raised my daughter the right way, I never got to worry about that, you know what I'm saying. People don't. It's not like the fact that that you would think about that sort like what did you you know what, having a good day? But I don't even think like that. You know, have a good day? Bro? Raised you boys raised you. What's the best part about being a dad to you? Best part? Man? Every time? I walk in the house, is Christmas? Girl? I'm right,

it's different. You're trying to put the game all right, I'm gonna shoot these hoops. See my girl, bro, and they like like my oldest she's she's just like her mother. She like. I'll be in the house chilling, playing the video game something and she's coming around, Hey, daddy, what's going on? How you doing? I'm good, but it was good none. I just want to check on you need anything, you want something to drink something like, nah, but I'm good. Appreciate it all right. I'll be over here. Hit me.

I bet I get off the game and this game maybe what's up? Like what I'm saying, I just like like that is just like it's irreplaceable. So when people like, yo, you want to play again. But I'm having so much fun with my kids, Bro, I don't. We don't never get this time. You don't get it back. I mean, that's why I walked away. People don't realize that signed a three year contract in Sacramento to kind of finished my career out. They trade Boogie. We have talks. I'm

trying to win and I'm going to the Warriors. We win and with two more years left on my deal. I missed my kids. You mean, I was going through some ugly ship where I wasn't get to see my kids as much. Like you don't get none of this time back, none of this time back, you know what I mean. So that's why I chose to walk away after fourteen years, was because, like my boys are seven a nine, they're about to be eleven, and in a couple of weeks, like this is when they need me

the most, you know what I mean. So, like you said, to be able to humanize us and let people know like we we were regular dudes. We just happened to to do something really well and get paid a lot of money for it. Don't take us. It don't make us any different from the the day in, day out ship. We gotta deal with life in general. It's tough, exactly.

It's just that I'm really good at a job that everybody a lot of people like that paves me a lot of money from Still, I mean, it doesn't make me no better than the teacher or a doctor who out there saving lives. Y'are actually teaching the kids, actually giving my kids knowledge that I'm supposed to trust and believe that that they're gonna use this going forward. Y'all played just as a bunch of the biggest roles as

we do, and it needs to be the same. People will be like, oh, I don't understand why he gets in it. Like, bro, Like, it ain't my fault, it's just the way life is, the way you go. All right, We're gonna hit you with some quick takes. Uh. Just first thing that comes to your mind golf. I hear you love golf. Tell me about golf, aren't you? How did you get started with that most Malone? What's really rest in peace? Yeah? Charlot Lewis Um he had a golf out in Texas, this first one, and he's like, yo,

come through you let me show love. And I can say this, but I was singing at the tour um, so he was out there chilling and Ship, I'm messing with the card girls taking shots. I ain't played golf at the time, and so I'm messing with everybody group dudes hitting the ball in the water, hitting it in the woods. I'm like, man, I don't ask Ship as he so most more, I pull up a most Malone group that man, y'all fella come at this ball. I'm like, man,

I guess hall of famers. I don't. That's one thing I don't do Hall of famers, and I don't disrespect them. And they tell me to do something, I'm gonna them. Just go to the stand and give me a hot the I got you. You know what I'm saying. So he's like, I was all right, get up there, hit the ball three hunt yards down the first time. She's like, man, something that ship easy to get. Give him. Throw the club back, getting the golf cart. Pull off that I

was saying, take some riding around, talking again. Pull up on this group again, and fella, come hit this ball again, he's telling people and ship. Now it's like a little crowd. I get up there. I couldn't hit the ball, bro, I couldn't hit the ball. After that, I was hooked. I went to the girlf store, got like three sets of club I'm gonna get this ship for sure. And then we're playing every sinse You went on some kind of tours. There's some of the golf courses, right yeah, yeah,

what kind? What? What? What? What? Good courses? You hit like this in count nas and has a few courses and I play all the San fran Courses, Coyle Club, San Francisco Golf Club. Damn, what a hardened park. And it's uh, I want to spin an Oregon. So they called it the Solstice. It's called Ben and Delons. They got uh four the top one courses at the same spot. But the Solstice, you gotta It's supposed to be the longest day of the year, so you play golf from

sun up to sundown. So he played seventy two holes, walked the whole time. Walk So we set off like five forty walked off, walked off at like exhausted. No, no, people understand that you played that mental focus. It's with draine. I need a quarter pound to make it through that whole q P pack of back was all eight packs, but I need them all fresh. I don't need the ones with the stems in it. I need the fresh pack, but all five of them. You know what I mean. I don't need to have no goods. No I QP.

I can make it through seventy two holes. I don't care where that ball go after that. At the half of the QP better but better golf for your stuff stuff. Yeah, yeah, he could he could play. I played with a while ago that at CP wedding, but he got so much better even since then. He could play the Will could play, Ray could play Jay Kidd, Kyle Corey is really good. Yeah when did you? What age did you get your first tattoo? I was fifteen, my sister. I didn't even

want to get one at first. My sister wanted to get one and she was looking not scared of ships. I was like, ah, I go with you, and my mom took us some ship when her when I heard people's uh, some biker dude new did tax and ships, so he tattered us up and like two weeks later I went back. We got my other side, because you know you're in high school. Ship, you get your tat you want it. Yes, you got to join out. Everybody was loving. I was like, nah, nah, I'm going back

for sure. It was over. It was over. You're coming in them now right, Yeah, I'm I'm working on my legs. Now, what's your most painful tattoo? They looked like that shin. I'm saying, you got ship. I'm coming up on his knee. Broe, I'm cool, on. I want to do my legs, but I ain't trying to get the unnecessary pain like on the knee caps. Now that I ain't that's what I ain't going. That's all I ain't going to the knees.

Ain't much here, But you know it's crazy, it's easier for like, the healing process here is so much better. And where the number ship that who got? Whoever got the number? Ship that worked? Man? All the smokes sending me something. I ain't trying to be superhero and gangster me and I took man, listen, where the numb and ship that I needed? Bro, there's a lot of people out here who was flamed up, tatted, who went through that another cream. But I don't feel bad. Yeah, I'm

trying to numb myself. I want to put me out and just to me talk, you gotta wake me up swimming that I just got the nip done in my hand and I'm an hour and a half before because I got ready to first day. I said, oh, man, like the motherfucker my hand. I think my ribs and my elbow were probably the worst. Just a numbing cream and was not hurt. Bro. You know what's you know what's funny. I was Chuck came to the team. I was I was. I was. I kept asking them, like, yo, bro,

your hands hurt, Like what's that joint? It was like he's like, yeah, man, my hands hurt. But the dude ain't do how I wanted it. And I was like, why, I bet it's at the practice one day. So the next day we got we got a game. We play a Sacramento and and then I go to the tax shoe shop at like seven to do this hand go to practice lead a tech shop due to the other hand,

go played the game. I tell you my hands forty did you killed only only switch on your tattoo time the boy touched my hand, My hands was hurting so bad from the past for sure that it was going unconscious. Unconscious there's too many beans. But you got a lot of beans in your hand. Man, I know that ship hurt. I'm cool on that. Michael Kobe, Mike, Michael is always my I mean Kobe. I think Kobe was more polished,

but Mike was just wrong killer killer. It's hard for like you can't That's like, that's like asking Bruce Lee or the I P man gotta go I P because he taught Bruce said so he the masters as much as he wanted to be him. He can't never begin because I thought you everything right, right, what I'm saying right, So it's like I don't know. I get it's tough Braun and Kobe. See I've been in the trenches with bron Um, So in that respect, I would say bront

the mindset and all of that. I love Kobe. See, I'm the other way with code Maude, that's what set him apart and seeing his work ethic. I'm the other way, you know. I mean, I think Kobe is is a you know, a step ahead to me. It's you know, Mike Kobe Braun. But Braun is right there with Kobe to me, you know what I mean. But like you said, because you went to world one of them, I been

the world with Kode. It's it's seeing I called it a beautiful mind crazy, you know, obsessed whatever maybe and made them who they are a couple of times, it's like it's like when it's like when you watched watching them play, It's like it's like watching him paint this.

I've seen him to do. The joint was like, uh slowed up and then like watching it you can put music behind it is watching the artists paint is one of the most beautiful things ever as you get to see you don't know where they're going with it, and you can just and at the end of the picture, just like damn, he watched Brian played like, you know, I don't know how he's doing it or where he's

going with it, but and then you look up. He got forty fifteen seventeen six steals and we just barely want crazy And the only reason why we wanted because he did some off the wall, shake the ship and one hand lefty. That only comes from greatness, the only, the only way. If anybody else shot that shot in that arena, we could have went through all two thousand of them others. He's the only person I've made it. Yeah,

you know what I'm saying. It's just you see that day in and day out, and then you see the determination behind it to do it day in and day out, every single days became Yeah. I mean when I walk in the gym, I love like people. I love to see somebody else working because I need that. So when I go now it's my I'm gone. I'm saying. People are like, oh, you go to lifetime. I need to see that because somebody else is working when I'm just sitting there talking to you. You know what I'm saying.

And for me as a competitor, I never want somebody else to have one up on me. If if if I go to the gym right now, right and I know he'd been in the gym all day, every day all summer and I'm sporadically throughout the week's uh, I know that he's gonna have a better chance of busting my ass. So why would I give him the opportunity He's gonna he's gonna take full advantage of ship. I know I would. I'm damn sure going to you better believe it. Everything is coming out of the trick back everybody.

I had a chance to do this in the season either getting it now and it's gonna work. I believe it. Craziest. We'll wrap after this craziest story you could tell us about throughout your career that stands out. Craziest story. You know, you gotta you gotta. You asked somebody like us that question, Ship which one? I got? Nothing kind of mind? Last night the week before that ship I got so visy, man, you get so many playing with dude, like bro for me.

I played with bet as a young boy, as a young boy, be in the boot, C p Oh Mellow, Chauncey A kalmar m c Amari Jay Kid, I mean, Brian Kyrie, Kay Love. I played with so many people. It's just like that experience that's good good, I'm saying. Yeah, And there's a lot of them. If I never played another game again, I like I talked to I was talking to Samazelle last night. Man, He's like, one thing you count took. The only thing you can take it away from this game is your money and your memories. Yeah,

you know what I'm saying that. The one thing if you're gonna take anything away from this game is your money and your memories. So you really need I remember going in the locker room with these dudes every day, going to war and all of that ship, and I loved every minute of it. I'm not and I don't regret none of them because I know when I was out there, what y'all, I gave y'all everything I had, and if it wasn't good enough time ship, it just

didn't wasn't good enough, y'all. Google. I have to accept it because the Dansher wasn't good enough for me at times when I was bringing my ship, he wasn't. So it just is what it is, what I'm saying, Yes, sir, we appreciate you man. You know that, you know that. Appreciate you coming, my boy. That's a wrap man episode one in the can j R. Smith. We appreciate you. Hopefully see you on the on the court man. Yeah, you gotta keep us updated. Man, the Laker sign you.

We know you're about to buy a house out of here anyway, so Lakers you might as well. He's here. I mean, come on, I'm gonna work out anyway. Free Jr. Free mellow. We'll see y'all next week. M hm m m m