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Welcome back All the Smoke. Day two. We had a cool, little cool two days shoot in the new office be currently under construction. We get to finish it off strong with the man that that I don't think it's enough respect for his game, but also did a lot of first in this game for real, all and off the court. Welcome to the show, Brandon Jennings.
My little brother, my real little brother.
First, first of all, he came with gifts. This is a tough Crowd candle.
Where can they find that at tough crowd dot com?
Anthos, Yeah, we need some need we need.
Some candles for the new place. What's tough crowd hat?
What's auntie name? Squeaky Squeeze, Squeaky.
Appreciate the candles he came with? Uh not everything Like he was a guest that came with gifts. We're supposed to get you ship. He came people, come with you. He came and blessed us.
I mean, y'all, you know, y'all I needed I needed a tough cross wag though.
I got me some new jeans.
With the dog.
I seen him with them and then jacket. It hurts my heart that this is the style that's coming back in the wide leg is coming back.
You know, Yeah, you know I'm in there that you know, you know, yeah, you wearing the house.
Get with it, yeah, get with it and get left behind.
But thank you, bro, that bro came through and stuff to tell Ray bullsh and you know you're gonna see Ray dude.
Depending on how long he bullshit, he's gonna be doing cush ups right here.
Dirty League anyway, So he's familiar.
Already, know the violations he's with. I want to start with congratulations, man. You guys found your laying with Gills Arena special. Bro. You know when people say like, oh, there's so many different I feel like there can never be enough because we all have different journeys, different experiences, you know, different stories to talk about. And you guys definitely have one of the hottest shows in this space.
How did that come about? I mean cause that's kind of a we're talking that's kind of like a different kind of crew, you know what I mean? Like you Josiah Kmart burnt get burnt out, Guil, Like, how did that all that madness yack come together?
Well, you know, we all live by each other. Yeah, so that definitely works. You know the fact that you know we can Rashad Josiah. We all live around each other, so it's easy for us to you know, get to the podcast every day. You know, Gil he likes to think everything basketball. So we go at eleven thirty because that's what time we would practice and we're doing that too.
Said, I was like, what time y'all go eleven thirty two, just like practice, Like damn I started, I think. I was like, damn, that really is practice.
Yeah, So I mean it's very like NBA settings and four days a week he'sat yeah, four days a week. And it's been great. Man, it's been good. You know, we on season three. Now, you know we're very controversial, but you know, hey man, we just like to keep the hostel.
That's been great, keeping hostle for for dominant for dominant versus basketball mind the personality.
Yeah, you know, we got Lexi Brown, we got show swoops Nick there. So it's a whole big basketball like family community.
So for those who don't really know Gills behind the scenes basketball evil genius mind, speak to that and and how he kind of runs this ship because he kind of started off by itself and then it's grown.
Into the team you guys have.
Now, let me tell you before you start, let me take this type of person guilt is me and Gill will go at it on Instagram and buy some ship.
Then later on I get a d M from bro. Let me tell you how to get this money. So you go to this. You got to start this page and start this page. I'm gonna say this.
I'll tell you he's one of the smartest people as well.
He's very detailed, you know, like he's always talking. First of all, he loves the game, like you know, he knows every detail of every player, how many times you go right, how many times you go over to the left shoulder, right shoulder. So his just detailed to the craft of the game. And you know how he honors his craft is is Uh, it's easy for us. I'm learning a lot game, you know, just being around you know, everybody because they're older. So you know, I'm the youngest,
you know, on the couch. So it's uh, you know, it's cool just to be around those basketball mines.
So comptent upbringing you was competing against some stars and some older guys coming up.
That's how you got good.
But how was it coming up in l A and Compton on the basketball scene at a young age?
Man, It was dope. I mean I got a chance to see Tyson Chandler. Ye uh, you know, Tyson Chandler was the guy in Compton like he's escalating high school. You know, comptent to me gains, you know, powerhouse at the bag in high school.
Yeah, man, man, you know out of high school man, you know escalate, you know it was it was a white escalating Compton when the.
First came. We never seen nothing like that. So just being around him, being around like to say, no, being around the real run, being around the Drew League and things like that, it just helped shake my game a lot. And then you know, just being around all the older competition. You know, I love to play, you know against the older competition, going to UCLA, Le Rico and all those guys like that. So I've always been around the older, the older competition.
Running the street says to trying to create your own name as a basketball player, How was it being in l A doing the three P.
That was crazy, man, Like, like that was because you know he was young. Yeah, I was young. So being able to see Shaq and Kobe and you know Phil Jackson and running the triangle and all that, and you know them moving from the Forum to the Staples Center and you know all that was crazy back then, Like you couldn't tell us nothing about the Lakers or you know Shaq and Kobe back then. Yeah, yeah, it was it was domination.
It's been I know a lot of high school point guards, you know from LA, you know, and I got you at the top. You know some other guys. What would you rate the top five LA point guards? Who would you put in the top five?
So are we talking about overall career?
No high school?
High school? High school? Just high school? Yeah, I'm definitely gonna put myself in there. Yeah number one.
We're at the because we had a real debate. We were splitting half.
It was.
They were debating whether it was you or BD. And that's the hell of a comp right there.
I said, you had a better high school career, but be but Bed had a better overall career. Yeah, for sure, Red had a better overall career, but high school I'm gonna I'm gonna say myself because as you should not even man like the competition. I felt like I played in high school, you know, from going from Domingus, from going to playing s c A with with Kevin Love and then going from there, then going straight to Okill, then going from all that then going straight to Italy.
It was just like, I just think the path is just so like unique and different than.
Who were some of the guys that ended up making the league that you were playing during that time.
Man, you have to go Jew Holiday, De mar De Rozan, you know, James Harden, h O j Meil, Derrick Rose, Michael Beess, Lead, Nolan Smith h you know, Mike Conley, Gregman Roll, I mean yeah, Gregman Roll, Greg Oden. You know, I've seen the best of the best. He was tough. I played against a lot of Michael Beasley like, I played against a lot of great guys.
So go back to the question five, Top five, Top five, I got yourself number one for myself, I got uh, I got b D second Yeah, point guards out of l A.
Man in high school Kenny Lowes, see, I didn't see that.
He's young.
I see them. Yeah yeah, So give me your top three. So so for me, it would have to be like out of l A Like it had to be Uh. He went to Loan Beach, I just had his name. Went to Loan Beach, probably with the throw back in the day, Wesley Stokes Stokes. Where do you go to college yet? Were he went to Missouri Missouri? Yeah, man went to Missouri. Wesley Stokes I used to and Marcus Williams Marcus that's my dog bro Lose out of Inglewood Losion man.
Yeah he's still young, yeah yeah yeah.
And then another one that's a sleeper that people don't know. But I saw him play one time and he just I was like, Yo, this guy is crazy killing fortune. Yeah yeah he was. He went to kill Patrick, but he was. I saw him play against Sarah one one game and that's just I was like, Yo, this die is the real guy. He's a real deal.
Do you think you have the hardest hoop mixtape of all time? Think any any player has a harder mixtape to you?
I'm gonna say no, because my favorite ever is a kill Car from Baltimore because just the fact that when he played, all the crime in Baltimore stopped, like that's a bar that people don't even and everybody know about the Baltimore or the Wire and how Baltimore is. So the fact that that kid to stop the whole city to go have a good time and nobody do nothing like killers, like y'all next week now he playing something, you know, not today, not today, but next week to
kill play you know. So I killed Car, he got like the best one to me. Yeah that's fine.
Shout So walk us through your journey because it was very unique from obviously playing at legendary high schools from you know, Compton, Domingas to o'kill and then deciding to take your talents over the water, which had never been done. You opted not to go to college. But talk to us about that process. What led you from Domingus Hills to Okill? What was o'kill like and then what was Italy like? Because I heard a lot of racism out there, a lot of a lot of bullshit.
Yeah, uh, well, Domingus. You know, I grew up in the Dominga's family with Tyson Chandlers, so that was already a given that I was going to go there. But then the competition to me just got too easy. You know. I was doing things in high school, like you know the Home Depot Center and Carson you know they have the soccers. At first it was a training facility for for young's like myself to do cross training. So and then uh, my guy Rodney Guillery, he had this he
had this basketball tournament. O Kill came and that was the first time I seen Okill live. It was Katie kt was there. KT was like I thought Katie was from Africa or so I'm like, you know, because he was skinny, he was tall, Like I'm saying, you know, they had Eric Devendor. They went to I think Syracuse and they had Ty Lawson. So after I saw them, I was just like, bro, like what is this like O kill like and he was like, man, all they
do is just play basketball all day. They just go to school and play basketball like this is they played against the best competition ever. And I was telling my guy ridnet Gilly, I was like, well, I want to go there, and he was like, nah, nah, I can't do it, Like I can't you know, I can't be in the mix of that. And I was like, nah, I want to go like real, like I want to get away from you know, the city, like everything is.
I'm getting everything handed to me, like you know, I got cars in high school, I'm getting chained, I'm getting whatever I want. So I'm not really I don't really have the discipline and I don't have a father figure. So I'm like, you know, I'm like, mom, I think this is the best thing for me to go there. So that's how happened. So I go to OKL for two years. The first time I get there, I'm like, y'all want to go home, Like this is not not it, It's
ain't it. Like like the last thing I saw was a Walmart, in a in a McDonald's in the gas station, and we went forty five minutes and it's like yo, no, and.
You get here and it's a line that you can't cross with the girls. That yeah, with the girls that oh it's we on one side of the campus and the girls.
On the other side. You get that gun line, man, you can get down the linet. That gun line. Yeah, the gun line. So we just have a sneak on our side. So yeah, but yeah, like my first month, it was kind of tough. But man, Nolan smith Man, he was you know, he was already a veteran. You know, he was already vet there from playing there last year and on his pool. You know, he turned my game up, Like he really got my mindset to a different level. So I was playing basketball.
N I L. Obviously it's something very new, but you were in the ni L when you were you were making the n I L before the name was n I L was invented. Yeah, talk to us about what kind of you know, not the brand, but what kind of money When you're a young kid at this time, you're getting money, cars changed.
What kind of money were you getting money? I mean, you know, like I mean, like to me, I mean yeah, like I mean, but growing up, I mean, come on, man, like you know, everybody's getting paid now, but you know you're going back in the day where it's like, you know, you see Sebastian Telfair and Lebron James on the cover in high school with tattoos and chains and they got a dtus on and you see Lebron James on ESPN
with an estimator, you know, all this stuff. You know, when it's my time, I'm like, you know, I want the same thing. So if not more, you know that that motivated me to you know, one of all those things, and all those things happened. You know, I had houses, cars and you know sidekicks.
And I heard like two fifty yeah, but it was from okill, Okay. It was just yeah yeah, yeah, I mean, ok atay that they're.
Not about to say nothing, no not. I mean I mean, like i mean, listen, if two fifty or whatever, it felt like it. I just felt like, you know, like it and you know I knew what basketball was doing for my family, and you know that was my hustle. Like and it is what it is like. You know, we ain't had no I ain't no father figure, like you know my mom was, you know, barely being able to make end. So I have to, you know, go out there and get it.
Talk about the platform that ok will put you on, because I know what it did for me, the platform. I was the same player leaving there as a junior going into my senior year. Yeah, but leaving there as known worldwide. Talk about what Okill Dop has a basketball player. I mean, you're playing against the best competition ever.
It's eight against five every night, right, Like, we're not like Coach Smith, he ain't putting this in position where all right, man, we're gonna go play this this in this town and we're just gonna win. It's like, no, we're gonna play against eight against five. The rest is not on our side and y'all gonna figure it out. So it's basically like we have to really think IQ and we have to make quick decisions in games. Like you know, you've been in situations those games where you like,
there's no way we win it. Tonight and you figure out a way to win and we you know what I'm saying, like a team like so, like I feel like the team aspect it was great too, because that's all we had. Like you know, we're going on a you know trip with Burley and you know, Coach Smith and you know it's only eight of us. I mean, it's only fifteen of us. So but yeah, man, the competition playing on ESPN, the Jordans, uh, you know all the Jordans we was getting. It was crazy back in
the day. But nah, man, just the competition practicing every day everybody you're going against a D one, Like nobody's going D two, so you got to be somebody.
Y'all went forty one and one at Okaill remember who that one losses against?
It went forty and one and that was against Derrick Rose. And that was like a game. Like I was just saying, why would you schedule it?
Right, you know, Coach Smith being Coach Smith, He's like, no, We're going to go in Chicago and beat Darren Rose in Chicago.
And I'm like, there's no way. There's just no way.
What was that game?
Like, I mean, yeah, no, d Rose was on one were you on one? Yeah, I got on one towards the fourth quarter at like nineteen and the fourth I got going late, but it was just it was just the atmosphere. You know, you could just tell, you know, one of them games ESPN. You know, everybody from Nike's in there, Sonny, but Carol's in there. I'm like, okay, the show down. I'm like, yeah, I get it. You know, Jarri Brose went to ABCD camp, so you know, here's
his favorite. Yeah. You know, you just on National TV. That's what I think now that I'm in the you know, the you know the media game.
Yeah, USC and Arizona. When to mix for college? Any other schools?
K I was gonna go to Yukon because of Marcus Martins went there, right, Yeah, so I was going to go there, and you know, actually that's why I went to Okill two because he went there also. But yeah, Yukon was only tough. I had verbally committed to s C first with Tim Floyd, and then I had de committed. I remember, so Tim Floyd had came up to he had came up to Okill and it was me and him. Steve Smith was sitting in the office and Tim Floyd's like,
so are you gonna come or not? And I'm like I'm like nah, Like you know, I want to weigh my options. Like you know, this is when I got to o Kill and I'm like things could change like for me. So I just remember Tim Floyd walking out and never hear from him again like after that, like fuck you. But yeah, man, then you know Arizona was
close to home. I wanted to go to Arizona because you know point Guard, you you know, Gilbert went there, Mike Bibbie, you know Jason, you know Dame, you know everything, Slim Start Liners, so a lot of guys. So I was just like, yo that that was definitely the school for me.
First American player to Byplass College and go overseas. Yeah, what came into that process.
Sunny mc carroll and Michael Thompson, Klay Thompson. Dad shout out to Clay Thompson and Michael Thompson. I've been doing them for a long time for s c A. But me and my mom, Man, I had just graduated from Oak Hill. Uh you know, I didn't pass that SAT. So I was trying to figure out what I was
finna do. We're sitting in trafficking. Michael Thompson is talking about with Sundy mccroll, like, why don't kids just go overseas like skip on college, like make the n C double a, you know, pay make them, you know, make some moves. So I'm like, sitting there, I'm like, well, mom, like we ain't really doing nothing, like you know, we got to try to figure this out. So we called Senny mc carroll. Uh, you know, got in contact with Sidney mc carrol. Sonny, Sonny flies me to we fly
to Vegas. Were up in an Impact with Joe. I'm working out with j R. Smith this one Jared Smith with Denver, So you know j R. Up in there, Duncan. I'm like, I'm like, well it's own up in here. You know Dante, you know wild Dante Jones him been there slapping the floor. This is young. He ain't ready, man, go to college younger. You know. He talking all that. And I went out there, did my thing and then I signed Italy mm hmm, like writing like a week.
Sonny had that thing like, you know, shout out Sonny man Carol the Godfather. He had that whole thing set up for me. Him and Bill Duffy. I wasn't in Neely. I was off the chain.
Man, I'm going to I'm going to soon. I need joking next to but tell me about it.
I mean it was. I mean I was nineteen, you know, I had my mom my brother, but eating Italian food every day. I mean it's off the change, dog like it's different. Like it's like, yo, you you eat Italian food over there, you're gonna think. You're gonna be like, man, this ain't real Italian food, so you're gonna just the culture. Though, was able to suck up the culture. I shot my first commercial out front of the what is it, the the Colosseum and everything, so it was cool. Man, you'll
like it, you'll love it. Make sure you take a lot of pictures.
Yeah yeah, I definitely will talk about this picture right here.
Slam punks. Yeah, this is uh yeah, man, this is one of We shot this in New York City at the lead twenty four. Yeah, this is I think one of my first slam punks like this is this is iconic because this is just taking me back to when Sebastian Telford and Lebron James was on the cover of Slam magazine. And being on the cover with these legends like Jew Holliday. He's a legend. Terick Evans, you know, he was one of the most feared.
He was so cold.
Rookie of the year, you know, Rookie of the year. You know, he's one of the most He was six three six four guards can get on anybody. Yeah, if he didn't get hurt, you know.
And make them dance lands.
Yeah and Lance, yes, out out of Brooklyn. But yeah, nah man, that was dope. That's a That's an iconic moment right there for.
Us, first ever ever singing to shoot with under Me and doll of contract. We'll talk about that first Sonny bit Carol again, was it Sonny Sonny again?
Sonny curl again? He had the whole thing set up and shout out Christone too, man, Christone, he's a he was the one that that signed me to darmoer to he he uh, he created the lead twenty four game. So I'm signing my deal right, I'm signing my deal in Italy. I just signed my deal Italy. They give me, you know, sign my deal. They say, all right, we're gonna go. I meet Christone in the lobby at the Wind and Christine was like, Yo, you know, I just got the job with the n Darmer. You know, we
think about going into basketball. I'm like, like, protect his house, like you know, like you don't Like, I'm like, we must protect this house. Like I'm like, hell no, like I'm niked like and he's like, nah, for real, like you know, So he took me to the took me to the USA game. This is when the USA is gonna go to. This is Kobe when Kobe wait Dean. So we out there and we're just talking and this
what made me change my mind. So we're sitting in the lobby right and Christone is talking to West, Uncle West, you know, world Wild West, world Wide West. I shout out to the world West, and you know they're in competition, you know, Nike, you know Stoney, you know Stoney's News. So he's like, you know, he's excited. He's like, you know, I just signed with were about to go basketball, you know,
we about to get y'all run for your money. And you know, uh, you know, West is like looking at you know, Stony showed West to shoot West goul That ain't it? You know, He's like that ain't it? And I'm just looking, you know, young. I'm like okay, Like you know, I'm like and so me and Stony we get back in the car. We go back. He was like, Yo, so what you want. I'm like yo, I'm damn yo, let's do this. Like I'm like like yo. I was like, Yo,
We're gonna change the culture. We're gonna I'm about to change the culture with what I'm doing and going overseas, Like let's change the culture in the football department, you know, let's do something different. So that's how it happened. What's your best sound on the shoe? The blood line? Bloodline, And I've seen the bloodline being you know, I've seen little Paul George, you know, he had a little bloodline inspiration daring to Fox.
So you're kind of acting like, oh damn, I got my own shoe. Like, bro, you had your own So first of all, you don't go to college, you go do something else, and then you come into the league with your own shoe, Like where are you at? Like you have to pinch yourself or this is all a part of the process for you far as what just real life, you know what I mean? Like you didn't go to college. Yeah, you made that work your top
ten pick. Yeah, and then you come into the game with your own shoe, Like not too many people get to do that.
I was just riding a wave, man, like you know, but through it all, like you know, through it all, I just wish I was more spiritual though through it all, man, like I wish I would have not never like you know, know what you know now? Yeah, like know what I
know now and have my surroundings. I'm not saying I didn't have good people, just swished I would have like hundered my craft more and being able to recognize the good people around like through it all, like I was so like just and like at his fault too, Like I never really had a chance to like just have a moment to myself, Like remember I went from Italy to coming back, having to work out for fifteen teams, get drafted, do photo shoots with under a rookie like
start the scout scows, Like it was never no time of just like all right, Brandon, have a moment, Like it was just like work, work, work, work, work, and through all that I just got caught up in it a lot too.
Did your relationship with Steff start before before before given fifty five.
For sure, I was there, remember, yeah, Yeah, I was there. I was. I was.
You decided to go to that game that night or I played. I was.
I was killing the game. He just had fifty five. Yeah he was, Yeah he was. And then we had dinner later.
Yeah, we went every night to combine you sixty.
I was on the Warriors.
Oh he was on the other team. Was okay, Yeah, he was on the other side of stuff.
In my take all that I've seen it.
Take that fifty five, that was your rookie year second seven years.
That's because Rico. He shot Rico Hines. I keep telling Rico ever since. Rico told me that a half time he said, yeah, this report I had locking you up. I had so added fifty five. Yeah we did. We couldn't do nothing with him though. That night.
It was just coming off the pick a roll. It ain't no shot ice on it was. It was a lot of it was nasty. It was bad you over here. There was a lot of that going on.
Well we ended up together. Mm hmm.
I get over here a year later, right, it's two year, two years later, two years lockout, Yeah, twos. Because our first game was in Charlotte.
Is this when he was doing your mixtape.
I was in full rap mode. Time was yes contract, but I was in yes, yes, it was so we were red five on every road. It was bad. You know.
I was in my bad Listen our first let's I'll never forget our first. Our first game is Charlotte. We pulled up to the hotel the fourth season. It's a red fan of a red uh, a red range over. I think a red band.
Everybody like, oh, I know, I said, I know this, car. I said, I got a concert tonight. What I gotta what do I can't do it, I cannot do it. I said, Yo, I gotta get this money. I got a concert. I got what's the lockout?
What's the lockout?
Here?
He is not lying, he is not lying. I was in full red mother Dog in one of the clubs, little clubs. I was getting booked, baby.
He was getting off for real. No, no sold out. I wasn't doing no. I went. I would have been Miami. It was lit, there was hey.
There wasn't advertising because we was in there doing wen't supposed to be doing dog.
I'm telling you it was. We was in Miami. Let he was up there perforeman.
Crazy whatever whatever, going crazy?
You were you guys playing the game, and he was at the concert the same night, and then he was meeting the Master.
No, when I played on the team, when I was at home, they'll play games when I was sitting out and me and him a meet up at rest of.
One one and then we'll go out.
Yeah, we do all that. When I wasn't playing. I was, I was on the team, but I just wasn't going to the game. I was promoting my mixtape during my downtime.
I remember that. Yes time he'd be like, Yo, meet me at the one after all. Right, Man, hey, I'm finna go.
I'm finel Hey, I'm finna go further with you. When they played, when we played the Lakers, I was at home. I had a show that night, doing that night, and then I went out with him a Kobe in my line at home.
I'm going to know pa next tape that was getting by the bucks. But I wasn't going to no games.
The scouts, miss scouts, guys couldn't couldn't see how that if you put it up, there's gonna be so many mixtapes because I got about fifty of them bitches.
But that's when I'm right there. Yo. Let's say it was yes yo open I got. I got a video with the fresh man Tana beat about yes bro open practice practice like game days. Look look at that sold out.
That's the sold out that's in milwalking right there after the game. They what you mean, secret society who.
They're everywhere? You never know? Look everywhere? Was that was that six one eight with the Lady Bucks? Yes, yes, yeah, in my bag.
That's when he had his highway patrol mustag Hooper slash.
Yeah, no, Ron Jerry, that's hooper slash. That's when I was a hooper slash. Fo was over and I don't know. I have a platinum record too. By the way, already yeah, already. On every road trip, we're not wearing no green all read red.
He had red Jordan's red uh red knee passed red red sleeves.
Shout out to Trim Walkee man.
I appreciate the love y'all show me and BJ man, y'all took care of me and BJ.
We had a good time. Yes, that's the one we had the one cracking.
Shout out to the but hey, but I want to I want to give you a problem. I want to say thank you because I saw you on Gilzarena. You said that when Stack came Milwaukee, I learned how to move. You know what I'm saying. I appreciate that because I remember. I remember when we first got there. I was like, man, y'alln't have no fun about his mother. Y'all don't hang out anohing, no fu this BJ we going out tonight, and the.
Whole team term, the whole vibe of the team turn. You know what I'm saying.
I needed that. I need that for sure. I was I was hooping. I just needed some energy.
Though it was it was doing nothing, like we didn't really have nothing until you showed me how to move and I was like, oh this, I'm moving now.
So yeah, so cancel Christmas.
Basketball for was easy backtrack a little bit.
Tenth pick in the two thousand and nine drafts to the Bucks, same draft as Steph Harden, Tyree Uh, Tyreek Evans, Drew Holliday. I think Blake was the number one pick in that draft, right Griffin, you get to Milwaukee with your first impressions out there before jackets.
There tri Milwaukee, we named it that they got to give us our props. We named it Trilwaukee. I mean I embraced it the city. I mean like I came from Okill, Italy. I just was happy I was in the NBA.
First thing to come to mind when I mentioned these players mante Ellis.
Score Litho back forward to get bullet like, yeah, downhill, good luck, No real like he's coming down.
You just it's nothing you can do. Good luck today and if you get right, it's definitely yeah. It don't even I don't care where you at. He's getting to that right.
Hand and he's gonna Dunkley shout out bro Jim Boiling slick back, Jim Boyling right there. Fuck that one. They thought they were doing something.
Scott Scott, I ain't, no, no, no, nope. He might not. Let me say something about Jim. I'm on the neils.
Jim was cool. Scott went the last that long. If you didn't had Jim over there, let's talk about that. Jim was a solid guy. He had been around and he knew why. He had a great relationship with players. He was one of those coaches that knew how to talk to players, even being a white coach. Scott lacked that so that's why he needed to have Jim around. Shout out to Gym because you saved Scott.
So now make me feel bad for saying fuck that one and my bad Jim Scott Skoyles for you, b not that this interview.
For me, I got that wrong already. For me, he was good for me because of his mentality of what he brought as like starting point guard from coming from Italy and not playing at all. He really helped me my rookie year. I think that's why it was so successful too. You know, we were like sixth in the
East Milwaukee made the playoffs in eight years. But he was I think his coaching and his uh you know, the fact that he held me accountable for a lot of things even after the fifty five point game, like we came back and watched him the next day of how I can get better and things like that. Kurt Thomas too, you know, one of the one of my great bets. So yeah those.
Kurt was a big time college scorer too. Yeah yeah, he's buckets. Yeah yeah, like the scoring right tu. Yeah, I'm gonna ask this name with this dog vogues and.
I wish I had more time to play truth if he doesn't get hurt, we get Patlanta in the first round. So I just that name right there, Bo get is healthy. I'm probably still I've probably been in Milwaukee longer.
Explain his game to those who know how how he played, how his mindset.
Like he's one of them, Like I'm coming down right. We used to run like five out or like uh, five down. Also on the ball, he can go and get to it and shoot it left or right hand. Great defender, uh, great pick and role player and just had a knowledge for the game. Like just just wish I had more time with him, Me and my right mind.
The mold he was in and the healthy Andrew Boga, we could have did some stuff in min walk. It just didn't work, you know what I'm saying, the time and everything, But that's what I was excited about getting traded there, you know what I'm saying.
The point go out and had a real big man that could do it all, like Bully could do it all. It just didn't work, like he's like come down, just give it to him and he'll make a play and go like yeah, it was. It was sick.
Larry Sanders, same thing.
Wish I had more time, because he was that dog if you had if we would have had Larry and Boget together, like that's just scary. Larry already he already wanted to take everybody head of Yeah, so he's our Draymond Green, like you knows he's that Draymond Green.
But six eleven.
Yeah, but six eleven and he could and he can really not any can knock you down.
To a best dressed. He had swag too, like he was six of them, but he walked around he was six too. Yeah for real, he think he flies? Yeah?
Yeah, Should the Bucks be concerned about losing Jannis?
No? I mean he's done his job, right, I mean he's brung a ring to Milwaukee in fifty years. Milwaukee had a ring in fifty years. So to me, I mean he's done his job.
So he's decided to leave. Say she just appreciate the time they had.
Of course. I mean yeah, I mean he's the he's the greatest Milwaukee player ever. Like it's not it's not even yeah, like it's not even like Kareem it's not even close. Like what he's like what he brought to that to that city, man, like it was at a drought heavy for a minute. It was at a drought for a minute, like nobody wanted to go there. Nobody wanted to go there, like they they got like they got in the draft and got you know, the basketball guys was like yo, here, y'all go.
And it got so bad that the owner was coming to practice with the white pants on and he is walking around ship on the back of his pants.
Yeah, bro, yeah, like Nelly's boy.
Yeah, he came in to shoot around one day, has shipped all of the pants, just walking around talking to people. Come on, man, down with somebody that did wipe on themselves. Can be running the team and not knowing how to wipe your ass both you got to choose one of them to pass the team down somebody and don't wipe your ass or wipe you ass and run the.
Teams like they should like build it like like honestly, like it's just certain things, like certain players and a certain way the game is going. Like you can build a statue for.
Definitely, no question about that if you want.
Like it's like you can build a statue for Lebron right now in Cleveland. They did it for Mike.
Well and will Lebron get three statues in your opinion, Cleveland, Miami and Lakers and what not.
His first championship was was in Miami, first two, right, yeah, and then I mean that beating it with the seventy three and nine mm hmm. That's that's so I put that in there, and getting they say the hardest championship. I mean, Miami retired m J Jersey.
They got to get put a statue for bron right, they retired three statues.
Three statues is crazy.
That's right.
That's bananas, like a statue in general. It is just like Chris got to get one of that case. No, what you mean?
He said, slow down?
He's part of the three what they called him the Big three. He's a part of the Big three. Noah, No, I mean, listen, it depends. So Chris Bosh was the third option. Right, So does Clay Thompson get one? And good question, So Clay get d Mond?
To my mind, okay, yeah, does Katie get I think Katie's left out. I think I think Katie get his it somewhere else. Okay, see, I think okay, I think he was just asked this question. I didn't get to hear the whole whole answer.
He has to get one.
And with the word he's said, he don't think he goes hey, neighborhood hater. Does Lebron get a?
Uh?
Does Lebron get a? Elecers Stas and the Warriors?
He's too two time finals MVP, no matter, two time finals MVP. So I got it, I got it done. Yeah, I got it done. Yeah. In his eyes, I could be like I saved y'all me if he want to talk like that, like I mean, you know, yeah eight one when in the finals when I was here eight one, y'all needed a third score or whatever. I'm just saying, like, so you can if he wants to talk that and talk that, you know, talk that talking sniper, should you know he could definitely? Yeah, big facts. I don't care
how I came over here, y'all let me. Yeah, y'all, y'all, y'all signed the deal. Yeah, stupid, y'all. Let it happen.
Yeah, traded to Detroit for Chris Middleton learning the business? What was that like in twenty thirteen?
Man, you know it's crazy about me getting traded that year? Is that I should have signed the deal with Milwaukee that that that summer.
An extension yeah, they offered me and you declined it, but.
I didn't decline it. I didn't know, Wow, what do you mean? So it was like they was like, oh man, we should go for the max, we should go for the max. And I'm just like, and you know, they offered me forty for four and we turned it.
Down without you your agents turned it down.
Well, we talked about it. I feel like it was more of like outside influences to in it, like my mother, Like people felt like I was a MAX player. But then at that time, you gotta think like who's getting Nobody got the max, Like everybody was getting forty, Like everybody got forty. The highest somebody got it was probably
like forty four for four. It was low. So that's why I got traded, and that's why I already knew, like once I didn't sign the deal and then and then you know, I got I got wind of it from somebody who wasn't even in my circle. It was like, you know, they offered you and I was like, I didn't know that. So it was just like you know, Shane Binniness, Yeah, it was just a lot of stuff that I was just like, had had question.
Marks on it's unfortunate Achilles tear in twenty fifteen. What was that journey to recovery like? And then any truth that Kobe reached out to you, Yeah, yeah, Kobe did when I was hurt my son. My son actually has a picture with Kobe in the back, and that's when I had met Kobe. He was just talking about the Achilles injury and you know, just coming back and you know, just being dowt in. But you know, just hearing his detail to the game was just like crazy, right.
But for me with the Achilles, that's when I lost my passion for the game because that's when I started finding out a lot about other things outside of basketball that I needed to get in control of. You know,
I'm sure we all been there. You know, we're making all this money, we don't really know what's going on, so you know, you know, laying up in the bed, you know and thinking, you know, just hearing how people feel, you know, seeing you know, Reggie Jackson get eighty million from Detroit and it's just like, you know, you just get down, like you just start, you know, personal issues start happening in your life with family members and friends, and you just it's just chaos. Man, It's just chaos
and at a time where God set me down. I feel like that's why I didn't get the eighty million and I didn't become an All Star because I needed to get things in control of my life first. And that's just real. Like you know, imagine me with eighty million now I don't have control, probably wouldn't be sitting here right now right I needed that time to sit down and realize who I am. And yeah, it helped me out a lot. That's why I'm still here.
At what age did you feel like you had that awakening and kind of able to look yourself in the mirror, Because that's a real that's deep. I mean, your self awareness has been At sixteen, you realize you needed to get out and get away, and then you kind of had to as a young star in the league, you had to pull yourself and sit yourself down and kind of go At what age was that, man?
I just think like just things become Like when things become convenient for me, I gotta figure out something else, Like I get bored, so like just being sixteen and getting everything I wanted to mean a saying it's like, man, I need to like you know, I need something else, Like this is this is boring to me. Everything is coming to me too easy. And I think that's just me, just you know, learning from my peers, being around older,
older situations, seeing things, observing. You know, I am a lever, so I do like to sit back and observe a lot. And then you know, just the people, the people around me, just the situations that I've been put in, being in that office at eighteen with Kevin Plank and Sonny McCarroll and Bill Duffy and my mom and you know, they like, yeah, we want to give you a million dollars. What's up? Like be our person aflet like you gotta be ready,
like yeah, let's do this. So yeah, just you know, the high top fade and McDonald's all American, like you know, the gum be like I don't care man, Like it's like, bro, I'm a I'm a walking dollar sign, Like I'm gonna make money regardless if I'm dribbling basketball or not. Like life has taught me a lot and I've seen a lot. So put it all together.
When you said you lost your love for basketball, yeah you had. You played. You played a little bit after that and had a couple of stops. When did you know it was time to hang it up?
When I went to Russia China, actually really, because that's when I got into fashion, Like China really opened up to my eyes and some things. And that's when times when I was able to find myself and start looking myself in the mirror and start and start realizing, you know, like I created all this I created all this ship in my life, like right, like all right, how do you stop it?
Like?
All right, Like you know, you gotta change my ways. I gotta get back deeper with God. I gotta start getting spiritual. I gotta start honoring my craft. I gotta start hunoring things. I gotta start undering myself right like like you know what I'm saying, Like I'm doing so much for other people. I'm not even thinking about myself yourself on the back. So you know I had to start, you know, That's why I went to China. I got three months, nine months away from everybody. Man, you know
what my mind is thinking what I'm on now. I'm seeing so much stuff. I'm seeing our culture, I'm seeing fashion, I'm seeing how big I am. I'm like, yeah, I gotta start a brand, Like, yeah, I gotta start a brand. I got to get a crack and I go back and hoop. But this tough crowd, though, yeah, I gotta that's it. It's it right here.
He said something interesting to me. You said, all this shit going on in your life, but you had to accept the responsibility for your parts. And I think that's hard for men sometimes because I had a well documented whirlwind life off the court too, and although it was some bullshit that happened, I had to accept my part in that shit. And to me, that's the only way you really grow. You can be like, damn, why is
this all this happened to me? Or you can find out like, well, how can I avoid it next time? What could I have done different for this shit not to happen?
Just I mean, before I go into any situation, I pray before it, like, you know, just for the positive energy. Like you know, people be walking into just so much negative energy, don't even know what they're around. It's like yo, like start honoring and start giving, you know, the glory. It's a little bit. I don't mean to get off. We see what's going on in the world.
Because you know, what's crazy to be as me and him always talk about like what he thirty five? Yeah, Like there's no vets in the league, no more. This's young boy. It's the blind leading the blind. But when we came in, there was dudes thirty nine, forty forty one, forty two. Some played, some didn't, but they're just so instrumental in us not fucking up as much. We still fucked up, but there was just some guidance. There's just no guidance.
I came into the league. Kirt Thomas was thirty seven. Yeah, I'm nineteen. You know how much I'm learning. Yeah, Jerry Stockhouse is in there. You know how much I'm learning. Right, they don't have Jackson. You know how much I'm learning?
Yeah, I know how much good.
Early in my career. So it's like, Bro, I know the what he said? What did he say? What do you say missed? I missed it?
He said, Steven Jackson in my life. I said, I don't know which that ship was good.
But much. It probablyouldn't play much positive, but he's learned a lot. Bro.
One piece of advice you would tell the younger Brandon Jennis.
Oh fresh in the league, though fresh in the league.
Fresh in the league. Yeah, freshing league with all this money. Man, Yeah, I mean spiritual, like I'm gonna keep saying I'm gonna get that. That was it. I love yourself more. Yeah, like love myself more. Stop saying yes to everything. Most influential teammate you ever had. I mean, I'm not gonna say because you're on the show, but you I love it. Yeah, like that to where yo, hey, hey, young bro, come with me all the time and be with me and
I take care everything. And you know what I'm saying, let's go to all everything on me, Like, come on, it's not even that is no, I'm not I don't never have to pull out my wallet. If I did, it's like what you're doing, love bro, appreciate you, Like, what are you doing? That's why I do the things I do now for everybody. Yeah, I got it, Like it's.
Just a lot of gun, but not your wallet. I don't think I asked me to do that either. Back then, back then I was billy the kids. I wouldn't nobody I'm saying, I was ready to shoot that.
I'm different now, I'm grown.
Now, I'm not doing I don't want no problem to But back then, wild wild West, whatever fib was.
One play you what you could have played with. I'm gonna say d the White Howard. I'm gonna say the White how Early just off the fact, because I think it was like a rumor that they were trying to trade for me early, like my rookie year or secondary to go there. And I remember talking to D White in l A for like the All Star He was like, what's up, trying to like, you know, and you know, DW. Whight, Howard and Orlando.
Everybody wanted everybody I was on this team that I was on on this team that year two thousand year they were they were traded Mary Nelson for you then, right yeah yeah, so hey, let me tell you he was a bad d White was a bad motherfucker And.
They got to the finals that year. Yeah, so I know, yeah, that was yeah.
I don't know if it was for that was that was the year before I the year they went to the finals.
The year before the year we played you guys.
They swept them, like the only one I've ever heard like a rumor heard like that.
They were like Orlando calling was calling early my rookie year, And I.
Was like, like, be tough because we have We had a nice It was the white we had go Gordon. Uh yeah he was he left the year though he got We had gor Tis. That's the year Me, Vince and j Will all came that Yearney Lee right now, Courtney was gone. That was Courtney had just left for Charle Lewis.
Was there everybody? Everybody?
Yeah, we had a squad stand. Gunny tightened up on.
Us and I ended up playing for Stand in Detroit?
Did you I like standing x and Os but like under pressure, it gets a little funny sometimes, but x and O's incredible. He just phones out of his corner of his mouth too much.
So that's uncomfortable.
Make sure your ship ain't fucked up. And yeah he drinks. You get that drinking soda all day? How you get that drinking soda all day?
If you could give one player advice about bis moves and in fashion, who would it be?
What would it be?
Man?
You got to be yourself and you got to know yourself through it all, and you got to keep your relationships. Like a lot of my collabse and a lot of things I do with tough crowd of people that I've dealt with in my career early, right and Dahmer for one, have a collaborat Undarmer. I'm whearing. I got you know, carry brand. You know, we got our basketball court at Roley Park. I'm still doing stuff with the Bucks. Everything's
been full circle for me. So and and think about the brand like, yo, you drop it when you ready, Like you know what I'm saying, like when you're ready. Like, man, I spent so much money early just giving out tough crowd early just to see if people just want like you know, you know, shout out Jordan Clarkson. You know, he was one of the first persons to ever like support me with it. You know, he told me it was gonna go. Stanley Johnson also, so you know, I got it to my peers and I just stay true
to myself. Man, Like it's a community, right, Like if I can get like right now, I got fifty people, I know for sure that I can give a tough crowd too, and we can walk outside and moth to see it. I'm one of them, right, you know what I'm saying, Like I can, like if you could just get that community in that community, and once you have that, man, it's gonna take off? Are you a believer? It ain't about it ain't about what you got own is who got it on.
I don't know if a designer could think like that.
Like you might think you got to have on Louis Vatian to be that, but I got on Tough Crowd, nigga, I'm me.
So it ain't about what you got owns about who have it on or who's behind it? Yeah? Who behind it? Okay? Yeah you feel about player? I love it. I think more players should do it. Black owned ship. He got his own shoe. I mean if they gonna if they're gonna put you in that, they're gonna put you in that box. You know, they put you in that box like you know where you know they feel like you're too big or whatever. Yeah, go start your own thing like like me Tough Crowd. I can do whatever I
want with Tough Crowd. Can't Nobody tell me nothing like that's the beauty of one your own brand. We got to start owning our own things like and then build it like it's not about Oh tomorrow is gonna take off like man, Tough Crowd like it's five years. In the first two years, I didn't even sell nothing. I just gave it away. Like I'm in my third year right now, like it's still early, like I'm just getting
my feet wet like my first two years. I'm just giving it away, trying to just feel what the the with the atmosphere, what the universe is saying, like you know, next thing, you know, Chris Brown is wearing it. Now we're out of here. Like I just stay true to myself, and you know, tough crowd is tough, like we all live a tough crowd. Still a brand when you're smile like that, and Chris Brown, Chris Brown starts wearing your ship.
Your order is like the does a psyde crash as you drive up a whole bunch of numbers or just over time. Yeah, I mean, man, Chris. I mean when I met Chris, it was during the COVID time. So you know, this is when I'm in the crib with me and my girl and man, we're trying to figure this thing out. We're like, man, you know, it's hard to get clothes. We spraying close down, you know, boom boom.
We're doing just we're going from my house to Chris house and we playing basketball every day and Chris is like wearing tough crowd every day and we able to you know, he's posting it and you know it was a blessing. And next thing you know, man, the or is coming in like crazy.
It's like you know, you know, yeah, it's that work.
Chris, that boy, Chris, that guy. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. That's when it comes to that fashion. But yeah, man, that was the That was a staple of getting us in. You know what. Me and my girl was just sitting the house and grind it out. I was down there doing packages all through COVID, like shipping everybody stuff out like where everybody was in the house. So just you gotta find a way to just keep going. Like that's
the thing. Once you stop, the brand is a rap or you're gonna have to find a way to build it up, like even when it's getting low, Like you just gotta keep pushing it. Find avenues, be creative, like think like you know what I'm saying. I see us Hoopers. We've been around so much in our life. I'm in Italy, I've been to China, I've been a Russian man, Like I better dress like this, I should better be flying. You know what you think about Kyrie's in to move.
I love it. Yeah, I love it. He's another one man. They want to shut you out. We're gonna find another avenue. Yeah, man, I love it. Bro It's it's you know, shout out to Kyrie. Yeah, you know he's you know, he's in his own lane. He's doing his own thing, man. Like you know, he got his family. I spent some time with him, probably like a month ago before the season. Man. We was out and is a beautiful home in Malibu. Man with his family. He was cooking steaks. Yeah, everybody's
got on a grill, just cooking steaks. H And we're just talking about life. Man, Just hearing them talk about life and you know what he wants to do and things in life. It's just beautiful. Like he got his lane still going. He tapped into his spiritual mos.
Yeah.
I love it too. Yeah, shout out Spice too, man.
Quick hitters. First thing to come to mind. Let us know your top five of all time.
For one, I'm gonna have to go with now. I'm going with what I see all right, I'm going Steph, I'm going cold. I'm going bron kd I'm going back. Yeah, that what you're saying. That one album that you play right now on repeat, Lauren Hill, miss educated, Yeah of course, and she sat it right here on my legs.
Yeah.
One, the one album, queen. Like all your albums up, you.
Can keep doing one every six months and it ain't on top of that.
One childhood crush. Oh man, that's got them cheese and damn who was it?
My girls here child, you're grown child? Uh no, halle Berry for sure, come on join and she she put that foot on in the flintstones.
That's that's the whole life crush, my teenage grown man, all that crush, guilty pleasure, the treat for sure, the tree guilty Tree, yeah, weed and some gentlemen's cut, Yeah yeah yeah and my girl yeah yeah you good.
All I need in is life of saying, uh tough a dream, tough crowd crowd collab, your dream collapse.
My dream tough crowd collapse would have to be with Rick Owens, Yeah, sucking them up right now, Rick Owens or Burberry, Oh, Burbary, I'm gonna go yeah, because it's different. It's something that people would see coming. Best food spot on you now beyond you.
You got a relationships with a lot of no servicemen in Inglewood, Inglewood black class.
Yeah. Service.
We got some merch for you.
You came with gifts for us, so thank you. It's only returned to favor the green light you did. So we got some hats for you. We got the tour hats.
They didn't know what color you were banging these days, so they gave you red and blue here yeah, black black, black lighters. We got the t shirts already, and then we got our new you can get this coffee table all the smoke book dot Com our new coffee table book, first podcast, everyone the coffee table book. Simon shoots to get your ship now brand got one for free.
Yea, you know what I'm saying. Thank you.
We appreciate you, man, Thanks you for coming through. Continue success, bro, we love the lane. We gotta we gotta collabse that we gotta do all the smoke tough crowd collapse.
Yeah, man, let's collapse. Man. I'm proud of everybody. Bro. All our second career is gonna be our basketball ye come on, let nobody tell you like you know, I'm bigger than what I was when I first played. So We're gonna keep going. We're gonna keep pushing, absolutely, gonna keep believing in God it, We're gonna keep helping our young. There we go.
Man, that's a wrap. Brandon Jennings. You can catch this on All the Smoke Productions YouTube and the DraftKings Network. See y'all next week.