Mookie Betts on Shohei Ohtani, MLB GOAT Debate, Should Steroid Users be in Hall of Fame?

Hmmm, welcome back all the smoke twenty twenty five.

Jack.

We had a good last show with Michael Cooper and it all started when you took your hat off. Can you bless us again? Shake that shit? I'm sorry. I thought I had nappy hair, man, My bad. I'm sorry.

I do a lot of nay hair. Ship. Let you you know what I'm saying. But no, not what y'all thought it was. Sorry, I think it looked good. Thanks, appreciate Hello. Who you came to see by my ship was nappy? Nah? The fuck you thought you could run your fingers through your if I wanted to. It's just not right now, man.

We got one of the and like I said, he's still got a lot of a lot of time left on one of the greatest baseball players to live, ever, to ever, Grace the Diamond. I just found out I'm neighbors with him. I just moved to his street about eight months ago. We just ain't really ran and now we're cool, and yeah, we now we're fellowshipping man. Welcome to the show, Mookie Betts, going on, fellas.

Appreciate you, yes, sir.

First of all, First of all, congratulations fresh off of World Series. It's different your first Chip in l A. You guys didn't get to have a parade. Yep, we got to have a parade this time, and everybody's back outside.

What was that like? It was?

It was cool, man. It was a lot of people. It was a lot of people like some of those It was real cool.

Keep at Boston. It wasn't a lot of people's interrupt them here for the rest.

There's a lot of people out there though. There's a lot of people in Boston too, wasn't it was. There was a lot of people there.

I just wanted to see. But before he interrupted with his hate you were saying.

Man, there was people like uh, I guess they climbed up, climbed up the light.

Poles like you know, the A couple of people fell off. Yeah. One dude blew his handoff with fireworks. Oh man.

They were active out there, bro, They were celebrated. You know, Lao died for you.

Yeah.

But we don't need y'all to we need we need y'all to come back to the games, you know what I'm saying.

So it was cool. But the one in Boston was cool too. Like we're talking about the doubles.

I remember riding riding the boats and then we got to go on the water and everything that was it was dope.

To you're you're you're a Red Sox fans. Yes, only because they're ready been to find way before.

No. Yeah, I got a Red Sox film Josh Beckett. Josh, that's your home Texas. That's the homeboy from Texas.

Okay, so that you became a whole you are you just a Beckett fan.

I'm a Red Sox fan, but I've been a Red Sox fan since John.

He became a gang banger in his late teens, and there because they're because there's red in their name.

He likes to think that you and Wayne are friends.

That's one of my close friends. Okay, So that's why you like to Red. That's definitely not why I'm Red. Okay.

So I have Josh Becker, Jack Jersey and all that sign but and he actually came to my games. But when he became a Red Sox player, I became a Red Sox fan.

I've been a diehard Red Sox fan ever since. So he came to some of your games, yes, but you ain't never go to none of its. Never been the bar.

They were friends like him. Who needs enemies. I'm a good friend of them. If you need me, I'm here, just call me. You still, get out of there, back outside.

I know what ship?

Remember you got a job now? The fifth inning meltdown with the Yankees. What are you guys thinking of that clubhouse?

I don't know.

We were just like you just got to take it one, one play at a time, just because it's the big leagues. Like for something like that like that to happen, that is like wild. Like you guys have played sports, so you I mean you played professionals, so you know, like for a team to mess up once is one thing twice like whoa okay again, you know, and I mean we took advantage of it. So it was it was cool. You know, it was cool whatever we got a dub.

You don't need to go to the Cowboy game. Actually, neither of those teams are very very so are you a Cowboy fan? Hard? My whole life, man, he's all backwards. Yeah, Like blame it on the weed. That is hard. I'm cool watching on TV.

I don't need to be there because you can't smoke there, Like I need to be somewhere you can smoke before you go. I need to smoke during during Yeah, yeah, and I could.

I can.

You know I worked hard to be able accomplish that. Quickny story, real quick. We was at the Netflix. I don't even think I told none of you guys. We was at the Netflix that the Tyson Paul ship during the fighting. We're down in the little dugout VIP area waiting for some fights and Mike Epps come tap me on the back and be you want to smoke.

I'm like, hell yeah.

So we walked through the back. He walked the securities like all right, I got him. So me and Mike and one of his homeboys walked through the back, through the bottom of Cowboys Stadium, then up on the ramp and they just let me and Mike smoke there as people are driving in. Jerry Jones drove down as we were out there, spoking.

Great memory. I wish I could experience that. So you he would you do? Would you go? If you could do that? You can smoke out, if you can smoke in the attended down this stadium. I have never been to a football game. What's the point of your Cowboys fan of being there? It was I was there with boxing, I was working. Yeah, Earl Spence was sold out. Why wouldn't I be there?

Okay, if you can really be a fan, you ain't never really went to the games.

Yeah, I ain't never I ain't never been no games. But I'm I'm a fan.

Said, I'm sorry, I just never been. Major League Baseball hasn't had a back to back champ since the two thousands.

What do you think it'll take for you guys?

Obviously I know as a player you're not looking like that, But what do you think it'll take them.

For you guys to get back to where you were last year?

I mean, really really the same, like the same thing we did. I mean a lot of times you get in trouble in baseball, especially where you try and be better and it's already hard, Like the game is already super hard, and so we really just got to do the same thing. The front offices is doing an amazing job, like adding on to our teams. Like so it's like you need anything else, I mean, like you can always you start team, But what's the problem.

What's the problem, Like, it's not that's not our fault.

Oh no, no, no, it's nothing, and so yeah, I mean give us a ten like add nothing Lebron as well, especially in baseball, like you know, it's for everybody to be on at the same time. It's stuff, and so you get a lot of really good guys in the clubhouse. It ensures us, gives us a better chance to win. And then you just stay healthy. I mean, if we can stay healthy, I think that will give us a legitimate something.

Players like you and like two dominant big players like this on the team at the same time playing their best baseball.

I mean when he was him and Trout were on the team together, you know, that was you know, but I mean that that kind of lets you know, like it's not even just meo tiny Freddy's it's like the rest of the guys.

Yeah, you just just just.

Like anything else you need to you really need a whole team doing.

Talk to us about Freddie Freeman family issues off the field, you know, battling through injury and to come out and hit the Grand Slam and hit the ball the way he hit the ball when he was in his self. Talks about obviously him, but the character and the type of person he is.

Yeah.

He uh, what you see is pretty much what you get. The only thing that people don't know is like his uh, the fire that's that's lit within him because he does a really good job in masking it. So, but Freddy has some fire in him, especially during the games. And so when he gets going, like when he puts that uniform on, he he still smiles, but we switch, yeah, to switch that turns on. And so he had all

Out if you don't. He won EVV you superstitious? Are you superstitious? You have to be as a baseball.

I think you do, because like we look at it's it's simple stuff like I mean you you guys could know, like at six o three, I do this and by six o three, I mean I have to be done by six oh seven because then I have to be here at this time.

Uh.

I wore the same clothes, you know, because we're getting washed every day, so you pretty much are putting on the same uniform over and over again. So you know, you you score thirty, you probably gonna put these same draws back on.

You might not wash them though, that's nasty. Yeah that's not truely either.

Yeah, Josha, we wash everything that we just wear it again, like we wash everything. But there may be holes because I wore these when I scored third or I got I went ten for twelve one series and these are the ones I wore. I'm gonna always wear these until they proved to me that they don't work them.

How often would you wear a brand new uniform like the whole things pants and.

Top my pants. If they slightly start to get tearing them, I'm kidding about. I get them out. I don't like holes and stuff.

What about shoes off? Do you change shoes? Cleats?

I probably change every two and a half weeks or so three weeks because we know I him like ten days at a time and then.

I'm home, I'm home or away, so.

I don't wear that same pair of cleats for ten days or whatever, so I switch him. You know, I try to stay fresh, like that's that's my work uniform. That's the only thing. I don't really do a whole lot of dread. I'm not like a flashy guy, so like I don't. I don't really do drew like. I would rather spend my money, like on bowling or something where I can go travel. Thank you my homeboy back home. He creates them for me. So yeah, he shut out to him.

Yeah, oh, Tani.

We'll talk about him on the field and how incredible he is, but what is he like off the field?

Is there is there? Does he speak any English? Ship? Does he got any jokes? He got some jokes, but I don't know. Honestly, you don't see him. You don't see him.

No, you can't really see him. Okay, he's he's that person that he just he literally cannot go anywhere.

He can't live a normal life.

And so it kind of sucks, right like we after we leave the stadium, you don't see him, and it's I get it.

He can't he can't go anywhere.

So but what's he like in the locker room when he's cool, He's just be chilling, like he's really he's quiet.

He only hit this year, so you know, he was kind of hanging out chilling. Then he started throwing a little bit when he would go outside throw and then come back. And he never never worked way too much and never worked a little.

He just did what he needed to do. And I mean.

He's just more gifted and more gifting, just better than everybody and there's nothing you can do about it.

On the field, I mean, you've seen him do some incredible things. Hopefully he gets back to the mound this upcoming year. But you know that the hitting, we actually went to a game that you guys went back to back game the game, but you know, just to kind of see that that energy. But what is he like as just a guy out there on the field or you know, whether he's just hitting or on the mound.

He's really he's really normal, Like it's just what he does is so unnormal. Like he's really normal in his preparation. He goes and talks and he competes.

He doesn't.

He's not more of a competitor than that I am. He's just you know, and so you know, everybody sees you know, they see him as a normal guy. We all see him like, you know, it's just show. But then you know, he goes put up fifty to fifty, you know, and wins every award in the world, and he's like, damn, yeah, you know, you forget like he show hell.

World Baseball Classic. The title comes down to you and them. Yeah they got y'all. Yeah, that's against his former teammate.

We got O tiny dog, we got O tiny A lot of teams do. Yeah, he did the whole country of the USA. He did the best of the which is why and listen, you know how cold he is right there he did and he went through you know, the top of the lineup as well, and so yeah, that was that was a cool experience. You know, teams being able to put on that uniform. That was that was amazing. That that was amazing. How I'll play that was cool.

You are considered as one of the craziest athletes in the world five nine to condunk bowl to three hundred, and they say you can solve a.

Rubik's Q in two minutes.

I was actually at the stadium when I did it. I did it on camera two minutes. Yeah, but that was back in the day. Man, I could I could do it. I don't know if I could do it in two minutes now, but I can definitely do it.

But also, I mean I heard, you know, we got mutual friends and you pick a ball, you shut keV out and pickle ball.

And yeah, I didn't bring that up, cave.

I brought it up because Kevin Harvey talking all the pickleball. He built a big old, big old thing.

He look at this.

We played pickleball here like the big old ship, just beautiful views.

And it said, Mookie beat the ship out of this. Boy couldn't even get a point on him. That's great.

Yeah, that was bad, but that you know what, Yeah, we're gonna play again and hopefully he can score.

Yeah, hopefully, hopefully, hopefully you can score this time.

Tell us about your passion for bowling.

I was bowling before anything, so before baseball, basketball, football, everything, and so.

Yeah, I just love bowling. Man.

It's something that me and my mom did together, like we bowld lead together growing up. Until every Saturday I was growing up, I was in a bowling alley probably four days a week.

What's your average?

My last book average, which was two years ago, was two thirty two.

Geez ye.

So but I mean bowling is like that's that's therapeutic for you. Yeah, Like I got lanes at the house, okay, yeah, Like when I want when I'm just chilling, like most people going to I just go.

When we do a bowling time, we know who want out to damn it right, I'm bowling my bowl.

I bowl pretty much every day because it's at the house. And then every weekend I'm sure going somewhere. I was in Seattle bowling. I've got to go to Florida the Bowl.

I go to Vegas the Bowl, Arizona the Bowl, obviously everywhere around here.

To bowl. You travel with your bowling balls yep, spin yeah, yeah of course, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I used to take I usually carry nine with me when I go, you got spin balls and spare balls carrying nine balls all spin really spin. Yeah, okay, I got, I got probably I probably have fifteen I got rid of I used to have like fifty sixty I had to get.

I was like, this is ridiculous. Are you a pro? I don't want to get my card now, okay.

Because if I get my PBA card, then I can't bowl in a lot of these tournaments, okay, and then I only have really four months to really bowl.

So when baseball's all said, then would you go pro? Nah? Okay, it's not worth it.

There's no okay, there's no money it, Like I would just be paying to go ball, and if you don't win, you're not gonna hint.

No point.

Yeah, when I every time I catch, like I know it seems simple, but to me, like I've never won a bowling tournament. I've came in second a couple of times. But like when I cash in tournaments, like I'll pay, like I'll pay like two hundred or something to get into the tournament and then like I win. Let's say I win like three hundred and three to twenty or

It's constantly changing. It's a lot to it.

You are basically considered as the modern day gold at thirty two years old. You've already won three three World Series, MVP, six time gold Glove on a seven times silver slug, a batting champion, plays shortstop and cine center field.

Basically can do it all.

Do you ever have thoughts of considering yourself as one of the best, that well, the best to ever do it?

No, I don't.

I don't think about it. That ain't That's not like a goal of mine. I do it just because I love doing it. I love I love the grind, I love the I love going to the park and knowing that I'm not going to figure it out, but it's fun when you when it does click, and so then you just chasing, like chasing that high.

Over and over and over again, and that that.

That parts funded me, like the processes and stuff like that is I just really enjoy, and.

So I think what you said is interesting because in baseball is the more professionals for where you feel more than you succeed.

So just to know that I'm not going to figure it out. But when it clicks, it clicks.

When it clicks, it's it's it's magical, it's magical, and it's.

Like that's that's just what I enjoy.

And so all those things are are cool, it's but that doesn't really.

Like, you know, cool, you know it is it is when.

You get our age, when you get old and gray hair on your face like him, that's when you start thinking.

About like, yeah, I was a bad motherfucker. Yeah I see, But.

You know when you when when you're peers start to saying I think that's more gratifying.

Than yeah yeah and not yeah, I mean but whatever. I mean.

There's there's so many good guys, good good players. And that's why I don't even think about it really because seeing what show Hay has gotten to do with Mike Trout, even though he's gotten hurt, like I.

Wish healthy, you know, if he just didn't.

Get hurt, I just wish I hope he plays next year.

And just not get hurt, and I just want to see how good is he? Though, because you've seen him in.

It, I think I think the same thing about show is the same thing about Mike Trout.

Wow.

But he just like because when he plays, when he's it's crazy, it's crazy. So I'm like, yeah, that's my home. And I'm like, man, I don't know what you know. Obviously you need. We ain't gonna do with that is that's between him and God. I ain't got nothing to do with that. But if God man, lets that man be healthy one year. Dude, I think he gonna go crazy, but we're gonna see.

I asked you this earlier, and this question is for Ray and g ninety miles in the backcage and ninety miles from the picture.

Can you answer that? Yeah, I think nobody. I think nobody here would hit either.

Ninety But seeing wasn't old series. But this is when he was thirteen. This Nigga's forty five. Hold on, I got a question. I'm glad, bro, I'm glad you're here.

Bro. They'll be disrespecting in the MLB, man, I played all the way up till I was seventeen. I was colder in baseball forty five, by the way, now asked Oakland asked Jimmy Rollins. Jimmy Rollins was on my team.

I got okay, so hold on, listen, hold on, let me break this down there. So what happened was so I made a bet him and the dude and that it was just like just just hit it. But I think it was like eighty because one lady said it was ninety and the other dude said no, it wasn't. But I still paid. I still paid. This ship wasn't ninety. I have a question, Hold and listen. Listen for some kind because we want to get some content.

Can you get us to.

A pitching cage or a picture that can throw ninety and we can make some some bet, some some bets on that and film it.

Yeah, I mean, oh wait, okay, yeah, that that could eat very easily happened. But is it just like only fastballs or is it mixed?

No, it's ninety. I don't care what it is.

It's ninety long as it's ninety.

Miles Poud, I don't care what it is. Straight you can coach your eyes it. Yeah, if there's ninety, I'm gonna close my eyes and put it right right there.

I'm just not got to swing right there. I don't care where you put it. Okay, okay, okay, that's different. It ain't got to be no strike. I mean, ain't got to be no fastball.

Long up, down, anywhere.

No.

But on a machine like if you just swing in the same spot, you'll just accidentally hit it Maine typically. I mean, it's only it's gonna be within say that.

You said you can hit eighty left, say the pitching dynamic is completely different than the bat case.

But they were trying to act like we couldn't do it. You guys hit eighty. I haven't even seen you hit ninety yet. They didn't hit ninety though. I'm sorry. I mean we can. Yeah, we're we can. Set there. Let's say something up right, thank you? Moving along? Yeah, moving along? Don't it? Is hitting the baseball and hardest thing sports? I think it's. Yeah, I think it's by far off. I think that and being a cornerback in football.

Oh, I'm sure corner Like that's a different athlete that that's the two hardest positions in sports to me, I mean, two hardest things to do.

Be a cornerback and hit a baseball. Yeah, I mean.

You'll I feel like you have a better chance. Now, I'm not debating anything. You have a better chance looking up in the quarterback making a bad throw or something and stopping the receiver. There is no chance you're getting lucky to hit a baseball.

Mm hmm. You know what I'm saying. Yeah, real ship, that's crazy chance.

Let me hap baseball is like I do it every day and I'll be hitting that thing.

So what goes to your mental approach when you walk into the plate? Man? All right, so I gotta get in that mod. Okay, hold on what song? What song is played? I don't even know. I don't even know what I'm gonna do this year. I gotta I gotta figure out what I'm gonna do this year.

But my favorite, my favorite right now is put it on the Floor by Lotto. But anyways, I think, really, what what I'm thinking about is don't fuck it up. And when I tell myself that, like I say that all the time, and then I tell moo, don't say that. Don't say that, And by the time I'm stepping in the box and.

Then I just play.

So I have those I have like these bad thoughts that I really have been trying to fix. And then when I get done, when I get done with that argument with myself, I just play. But I gotta go through the argument because if I get happy thoughts, then I'm like ah, and then you know, the intrusive thoughts start and then I don't know. I've just learned to argue with myself and then cut it off as soon as the games, as soon as I step.

In the box.

That it sounds weird and it sounds but that's just.

What I do.

That's how you get yourself ready. Yeah, yeah, I love it. Who determines the strike zone? You got a picture when you're at.

Bat, that's a move, that's a moving target right there. It depends on who's pitching. Sometimes it depends on who's refereeing, okay or umpiring. Sometimes it depends on who's catching. So if there's a good catcher back there with a good picture. And I don't know this, but this is kind of how the game is played. Just when you know Bron is playing, he may or MJ is playing or whoever, right, they may get a couple more calls than the next person. Then a rookie, Yeah, you know what I'm saying, then

They it's tough for those guys.

Yeah, because I'm like fifteen no hitters on Major League to show so my strike zoners, my strike zone is crazy, right.

Yeah, but see I'm lefty.

You got your rookie though it's some rookie.

Well, I actually know when the game first came out. Yeah, I was just drawing ship on rookie and I was posting it. But I'm up to the top level now, I'm up to All Star.

But the way he said it like it was a reason about to tell us something.

No more, Oh, ain't superstar yet, right, I'm right before a superstar.

So you got fifteen no hitters with the Red Sox.

No, I got drafted astro. You know you gotta go to the minors. This is you, this is you.

It's Stack five, it's me Afro all that, it's me actual player, great face all that, it's actual me on the game.

And you got hits.

I played, I pitched, then I played first base on the other games I'm meeting leaguing home runs all that ship no, no stolen basis on slow as hell.

Nice. I ain't mad at it. Definitely a matter. That's why I asked that question because I played the game.

You got to play baseball, be around the game to ask that type of question, Like, y'all you feel me.

That wasn't that wasn't on. There definitely wasn't that I did that. I'm surprised that my black press movement, I did my job.

Man, the decline in the Black American player in the nineties, it was about twenty percent, It's under ten percent now.

Any rhyme or reason why there's.

The growth of other sports is at the expense to be able to get what you need to get in the lower levels as a child.

Yeah, I think it's the expense mostly the expense thing, and then there's just not enough. Like there's a lot of guys that play like that are around the league, but there's not like a lot of like really good dominant players in baseball back black players especially, And so I mean, the culture and everything is so different in baseball, and you have to just grow up in it and stay in it because once you kind of get away from it just for a little bit.

A lot of people start.

Playing baseball and then they start playing other sports or get around their friends and others that play on sports and do other things, and you just kind of follow away from baseball and it's not as fun and whatnot.

So it's really hard, man.

But it's gonna take just more black dominant players first, because we just have to be an example, Like we have to have kids look on the TV and say that they.

Will yeah, you know what I'm saying.

And that's what it was in the nineties. I bet all the way through the high school, you know what I mean, and there was a dominant black players being and I guess now it's I mean, it's a huge Latin influence in your guys, Dominican influence in your game, but it before has been known as a white man's game. Have you faced any racism during your journey.

No, I haven't, But you know, I came up in Boston, and I've heard stories about being in Boston. I had a great experience. I do think that a lot of my great experience had to do because I did play well in Boston. I think if you did not play well in Boston. Maybe the out maybe things are a little different. I don't know, but I thoroughly love Boston.

And my experience there. It was great.

But really, I mean, I don't I don't know that. I feel like a lot is trying to they're they're trying to, like a lot is trying to change as far as getting the black players, and it's just, man, it's just our job to be better players.

You know. That's we have to rise to the top one hundred and eighty two plus playoffs. It's long ass season. How do you what? What?

What's that mental grind like over the season? And I know in basketball we kind of have waves of when you start the season is fun, then it dies off, Christmas is fun, and now it's kind of the dog days of the NBA up until All Star Break, and then after All Star Break is time to rock. You got six weeks before the playoffs. Do you guys have that kind of marathon or is it just.

Yeah, it's the same thing. I mean, everybody starts the season, we're super excited. You know, you created a new routine this year, and you're gonna do this this year and you're gonna be different this way. This year and X, Y and Z, and then you get like a month in the month and a half, a month and month and that happened, and you're just like, man, I'm tired.

We got a game tomorrow.

We're getting in at three am, and we got a game that same day. Your family there, so you got to entertain your fam and your homeboys come in, so you got to entertain them, knowing that you got into three last night, so you really need to get some sleep because the games, and then you got a day game tomorrow, but you didn't get to see your fam yesterday, so you got to see them tonight.

Just a lot that goes on, which is all a blessing.

You know, you want your family there, and it just becomes hard, man, it becomes really really hard. And so then once you get the August is a month.

Where everybody just like that's the wall. That's the wall.

Once you get through August, you're kind of going somewhat downhill.

And and then.

Playoffs, obviously, you know, once once playoff time starts, you get that that second wind and then you pop it really rock for.

The casual fan and and not allowing any Dodgers in this who are five guys.

That you really like in the game right now for.

The casual fan, five guys, there's so I mean, there's so many people that I that are really good. But I mean, I really enjoy watching Corvin Carroll in Arizona. There's so many people. I love watching Acuna, which I think everybody really knows about Acuna Seeger Cory Seeger in Texas, and that's one of my good buddies and I love I love seeing him with specially in two the MVPs.

Really, the whole pitching.

Staff in Seattle, the whole pitching staff in Seattle is ridiculous. And so when they yet Castilla, like all of them there are are ridiculous. So those games are always fun to watch and then really uh as quiet as it's kept. I enjoy watching Red Sox games.

You still because of Korra.

I love Alice Cora, and I enjoy watching Red Sox games because I enjoy Like people think I hated, people think I didn't want to be there and that was all a facade.

Like it's still business. Business is business.

You have to be able to separate business from personal, not being personal, like my personal relationship with Boston, as.

I said, I loved it, absolutely loved it.

And so I get to I still talk to the front office people there, and like I said, Ac and.

I loved it.

I love Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love where I'm at now. I love that Robertson being a Dodger's been probably the best thing that's ever happened in my life. But I absolutely love.

What happened out there. Man championship. They just they didn't want to. It's just businessman like. It's business is business.

Like you know, people trying you cannot blend the two, like you just cannot do it. As bad as I want to, can't do it. You can't do it. And once you try and do it, that's that's when not the best things happen, not necessarily bad things.

But not most optimal either. Yeah.

And for the best outcome for Mookie Bets in his family, I had.

To take care of business. Yeah, you did, That's it. But emotionally, no, I loved it, man, Like I said, I still watch the games, heard that Tennessee upbringing. Can you paint the pooch to paint the picture.

Of young Mook, Yeah, man, young mook man growing up. My parents are amazing I had an amazing childhood growing up. I was around I got to hang out with my friends. Only kid, so my mom and my dad let me go do whatever. I want to hang out with my friends, let my friends come over.

I mean, my.

Dad would take me to the quote unquote white area to go play baseball, and then I was going to the hood to hoop, and then I was going to the bowling alley, you know what I'm saying.

Then I was going back.

To the hood to play football. So I really got the best of both worlds. I really, I really did. And my dad did an amazing job put me in in.

What ethnicity are you? Oh? Just straight black? Okay? Just light like right, yeah like skin so but yeah, no, man, I like he did.

He said he was going to put me in both areas, and he always put me with the best coaches. My dad had a really good I didn't know, but you know, my dad had a really good job growing up. When I was growing up, I had no idea and so I just knew, like anytime we needed to go to tournament, anytime I wanted a new bat, a new glove, cleats, whatever. I don't know where it came from. I just know my dad may.

Hap happenings so and so.

Yeah, man, growing up, I had the best coaches, had access to everything, and my mom and dad just at that point, they really just put drive and uh, I can't even drive really in me, like discipline. They put discipline in drive in me.

Was your dad an athlete at all? Yep? Both my mom and my dad both athletes.

And so they're both competitive, like playing cards whatever it no matter, we're gonna compete. You know, my mom she's probably top five, she's I bet you she can go pound for pound with Kevin Garnett talking ship.

Really, So, is your dad like Tommy or you knew what he did? Yeah? I knew what he did. I knew he did. He worked, he worked for the CSX railroad.

Okay railroad. Oh yeah, had a bag. Yeah he had a bag.

I didn't know.

And so I'm thinking, you know whatever, and then I go like it was simple things like I didn't realize it. But now looking back on it growing up, like we would go to at the time, you know, old Charles was popping applebeans, was popping all them places, was popping it. So we go with my white friends, you know, but my baseball team because all those were white. I was usually only me and one other kid, were only black guys on the team.

And so we were going.

To these restaurants, expensive restaurants, and my daddy never batter than I at it. You know, we're going to spend fifty seventy bucks on dinner, and most people, especially my friends in the hood, like that was never happening. We were never going to Applebee somebody mama was cooking, you know what I'm saying. But now we're going, and so he wouldn't be I'd say, Daddy, you know what, can

They worked hard for that. It's conflicting.

Mentioned that your name Mookie came from Mookie Blaylock or Mookie Wilson, which one is true?

Yeah, Mookie Blaylock. I didn't even know. Hey, you know about Mookie Blayl. The truth I'm talking about lockdown. I have no idea.

Like my mom and dad said, they love Mookie Bloke like growing up, so that lets me that, that lets me games.

So tell me about him like he was he was a big chiefer he oh yeah big, but Mookie was one of them guys. He had offense too, but he was a all game So what like what like? I mean, you had a real one respect from everybody. He was a real one point guard? Yeah, yeah, everything. Is he hall of famer?

Now, no, he's not a Hall of famer.

He got a Hall of Fame respect from his peers.

He is peers is okay? Okay? How long did he play? Been a ten twelve? Ten twelve? Solid? Yeah?

Yeah, that's it. Yeah, well that's what I'm named. I'm named of somebody solid, definitely well respected. Might not be in the Hall of Fame. We ain't gonna have be in the Hall of Fame. We got more respect.

H Yeah.

Who are are your athlete heroes? You have any athlete hero that made you fall in love of baseball?

I don't know that I have any athlete heroe.

No.

Growing up, I didn't really watch sports because I was the only kid I played them. I had video games, and I would play video games and then I would get bored and go go outside and throw a ball against the wall or something. So growing up, I didn't really watch uh sports. Really, I just was good at it. And like I said, I had the coaches and all this stuff. But I didn't really love baseball. I didn't love any sport actually other than basketball. I love playing.

I love hooping, going to the hood, the hoop, leaving with a bloody lip for this.

That's what I love. You still think you're nice? Huh huh?

You still think you're nice? You talking about hoop? You still think you're nice. I could go home my own hooping.

You still thinking nice? How are you talking about? He still thinking nice? And hoop?

I look, okay, I understand it.

I understand. I understand it now.

I understand it's uh but but no, man, I really it took it took. It took me really going through the grind to learn to learn. I had to learn to love baseball. I didn't love I didn't love anything but basketball, and I just kept playing it because I was good at it, I mean, and my dad was like, come on, man, we got to play this weekend this weekend because I wanted to go hoop.

I wanted to go play football or whatever.

And uh, but my dad knew I was good and he didn't he knew all was going on.

I had no idea all the stuff was going on. He kept all that away from me. And Uh, I really didn't love baseball until I got really got to the big leagues.

I was just good at it. But your dad's seen that at a young age. He say, yeah, he's seen young He knew I was good, but I didn't know I was good. I just knew I was better than everybody else, but I wasn't really paying attention to it, like you know whatever. And so I got to the bigger eason I learned that grind, that grind, that every day grind.

That's what taught me to learn baseball. To love baseball, gotta fall in love with the grind. Uh.

Your senior in high school, MVP of your conference? In the hoop game, Oh god, out.

Of your game? Who who you play? Like? I can't wait to give me your NBA come nobody? Nobody?

I mean like, no, I probably averaged I mean I really averaged like fourteen points a game, but it was almost a double double. Yeah, I almost averaged double double. So I really control the game. Like I'm not out there. I'm nowhere near a star by no means like I can. I can control the offense and make it.

You ain't gonna lose it for us. I'm not gonna lose it. I won't win it, but I'm not going to do that. But I will.

I will put it in the man's hands. I guarandemne that. So if you need it, I'll do all the dirty work. You and I got you.

You can hit a wide over, jump it off the double.

That.

Yeah.

So I got the hoop with Brandon Miller a couple of times when he was in high school and then right before college, and like that was right up my alley. All I got to do is bring it up the court, give it to him, give it to me, and I'll give it to him and I'll play defense. So that's really But I was just more athletic and better than everyone in my area.

So that's what that came. You have a dunk on somebody.

Now, I only got one dunk high school, so but I could dump.

But like I'm going through dug right now. Still. Yeah, yeah, he's only thirty two. Yeah, I know, I know how I was fitting at thirty two. I stopped dunking all right now, Bert, you was flying, I was.

I was playing when I was playing with you, I was playing with you in a game, but he was flying through the.

Lane right leg. That right leg he got big calves.

Hey, I want to ask you, so I know you've answered it before, but I haven't heard it. And I know all y'all know to just bear with me. When you did like that and he didn't.

Move, that had you up.

No, I wanted to fight him because he didn't move, just because he was being an asshole that day.

I'm talking about just that move. But it didn't even I did.

It didn't cross my mind until after when I saw how close the ball was to his face, because I just I wanted to fight him. That's what I was asking. If it would have hit him, I would have been cool with it, Like there's some people don't realize.

Somebody taking the ball out and faking it in somebody's face anyone. That was the first that's ever done in the NBA as well.

So Kobe prob was like and done by me too and thinking that it's never been done before, so he probably was shot.

That's when he was stone Comb.

Yeah, like, what does this nigga just do that?

That's from out of bounds blame it on the weed man. That's so funny now.

It was just it was it was It was funny. We talked about it in our last it's a five year anniversary of our interview with him. In like three days, right, yeah, okay, you know what I mean. We actually talked and laughed about it. We were just laughing, like I thought.

He said, what did he say? Like? Did he say? Yeah?

That's how I became a Laker? Was that off season? He me on the phone on like a blind call. I was about to go to the Heat. He's like, you want to be a Laker. I'm like hell yeah. Like three days later, I was a Laker. Nice, that's how we became cool. But yeah, I was. I was ready to do whatever that day.

That's cool. That's funny. That's funny.

Basketball, baseball, golf. But mamas wouldn't let you play football. My parents would let me play football to high school. That was actually my best sport. Yeah, receiver resignation and touchdowns. Was fast, could jump, could catch? That was my ship. You loved it, but wasn't allowed to play it. How tough was that?

Did you? Because they said he became a manager.

No, I wish I was a manager. I uh no, it was tough. I played football starting at eight tackle tackle and then I was quarterback up until.

Eighth grade. You know, I was good man.

I mean easily I would have played high school and I probably could have played like some scrambling scrambling throwing whatever. Yeah yeah, like even not now is because that it's not like it's big out here. But when I lived in Nashville a couple of years ago, like I still play flag and every time that's dope like so, but I uh, I was water boy in high school.

Water boys.

The best athlete probably in the whole entire state was the water boy for the football team.

That was my way because a lot of my friends played. So that was my way to not have to pay to get into the games to watch the game. And I get to stay in there and watch the games. And I didn't have no pride, like I'm getting get my boys.

Water driven, ain't driven.

You can talk, you won't be okay what it is?

How often do you hear that? All right?

Bro, Okay, they know what I'm laughing at.

Bro. He tried. He can't get away from it. Oh, Ray, Violet wasn't even his phone. His water bottle made the noises. His water bottle just made the noise. And time he own more, he owed more? Okay, he oh more?

That's crazy. His water boty loves to cush ups. Cushups. Oh my god, he gotta do thirty more. That's crazy. Your water bottle went off.

Water. You can't win for losing, bro, that's crazy.

Committed committed to Tennessee initially, and then the baseball scouts, uh, somehow were able to pull you over to the diamond in the fifth round in twenty eleven. Draft your senior out of high school? What made you decide to take that jump?

Money? Okay, money, if.

I'm being honest, that bread at your botty, Yeah, like it was before n I l Yeah, you wasn't killing inn il in college. Would you play a couple of sports now? If you were going to go to college now, would you play a couple of sports?

Absolutely?

Yeah, absolutely, and get that bread and get that bread like absolutely?

But yeah, no, I was. I mean my dad was making good money.

But I mean, you know, seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, Like I don't care what kind of money you're making.

Like mainteen, I'm on I'm eighteen years old. Let's go. That's a good thing about baseball.

You're going to historic franchise like the Red Sox, Like what is what's that like?

Oh, I didn't know.

Okay, you're just going to play baseball. Yeah, I'm going to play baseball. Okay, it's the Red Sox. Like, okay, well we'll see, you know, we'll see what happens.

And so I went, and I didn't really realize all the history behind the Red Sox until I got like almost to the big leagues, Double A, triple A.

How long did it take you to get through the farm system Two and a half years, So it was quick.

I went through real quick.

And some people spend years down a lifetime, some people spend a lifetime career out this shit?

What was that? What was that grind? Like?

Because my first year I got drafted and cut and I was in the G League. Back then, that shit was terrible, Like what was the what was the grind? The travel, the lodging, and then obviously getting to the top. It's a lot different, but what was it like back then?

Looking back on it, it's a grind. The bus rides are what are really are terrible long, right, Yeah, I mean like you're staying in the hotel room. I'm not like, yeah, we do get nice hotel rooms and stuff, but like I can go stay at the day's in or something.

I don't really about it that much.

So like staying in the hotel rooms wasn't like, wasn't that bad. But the bus rides and the and the and the food and the parks were playing.

It were just so bad. Like some of them were so bad, which made it tough.

But but the people, the relationships that you build is it makes it all worth it. It makes it all And you remember all those people, and you remember those hotels and you remember all that that stuff. So honestly, with it being bad, like I really had a good time.

I really had a great time. Any of the guys you come up with become stars.

It's a whole bunch of motherfuckers come through that, bros. I'm from portalf to Texas, So like around Gross and Baumut and Negland, you got a lot of baseball schools where a lot of those kids get drafted out of high school and they built in the papers coming in

To get in the big league.

I feel like a lot of them make it like they you know, played for a couple of years, this, that and the other, but like.

Nobody sustained a career. It's just like you need some guys to stay around for a little bit, but not like just like anything else.

So if you not necessarily being a baseball fan growing up, I was a huge baseball fan in the in the steroid era of the nineties was huge. I was going through high school. The choirs, the Bonds, the Sosas, the home runs that really to me put baseball back on the map at that time when it was needed. Thought song guys like Bonds and Sosa that have that stigma and you know, obviously rest in peace, Pete Rose. We just lost Pete Rose, who wasn't in but it wasn't

What was your thoughts on that?

I mean, that's tough because you know there's there's just two sides to it, and you know there's your opinion. You know, you can stand. There's no real gray area. It's like did you use steroids.

Or not, and whether whether it did didn't whatever.

Actually doing the act of hitting the baseball over and over and over again, like that takes just pure talent, Like for him to take balls, and every.

Time he hit the ball it was a homer crazy Like.

That's just some of that. I mean, I'm not saying did it I don't know about none of that. I just that's just pure.

Talent hitting the ball, because he was hitting the ball before he started getting the biggest That's what I'm saying.

You know, it was already not with the pirate, right, so like what he with those guys, they were already they didn't like.

That didn't help them. If they took it, it didn't make it. They were they were already them.

They were already them, you know what I'm saying. So you know, it really just depends on I mean.

I think you should be in, but you know, it just depends on who you are, Oh game, Yeah.

It is.

Thoughts on do you pod during the season? Yeah, I do so. Guys like Paul George who's in the Space and his show. You know, he was taking heat early on because people said that he had had more podcast episodes than games played.

Crazy.

But you, I mean, as someone as baseball baseball is, like you said, you don't figure that you were going to feel a lot in that game and still be successful. Have you faced any heat or felt any kind of way where maybe you're not necessarily playing well, that your team's not playing well, but you're still doing a podcast.

Have you took any heat for that? Yeah? I take heat all the time. I mean.

I did a part with the Tatis during when we were in the thick of it playing against them, we were both playing for first place, and we did a podcast together. Really when I started it, really the whole time, the whole time, I've really gotten gotten.

I mean I've gotten a lot of.

Good things, but a lot of a lot of bad things as well. And so they just you know, saying I'm spending too much time behind the camera, and X, Y and Z was since I got.

To Hollywood, I'm doing this and that you know.

Change I've changed in X, Y and Z, and it's like nah, man, Like the podcast has nothing to do with the game later, nothing to do with the game later, and I'm not going to be playing my whole life like I like, you can't wait till after well, and some people can't, But like me, I would prefer not to wait.

Struck while the iron hot, while I iron hot.

You get one chance, one opportunity. I'd be a fool to wait.

But I'm thinking from a fanst perspective. I'm seeing you with Tatis talk about game and life and everything as you guys are battling for numbers, Like I think that shit would be dope.

I a same I thought the same thing.

But like I think the die hard fans that are die hard Dodgers or die hard.

San Diego don't want to see that.

They don't want to see It's like, for a second, just we're humans.

Like UCLA and USC, you're supposed to hate the other side. I never fell into that shit. Why just because y'all do that, don't mean about none of.

That, No, I don't.

That's my boy, Like when I see him, IM gonna chop it up with him. I'm asking about his family. I'm a holler at his brother, I'm a holler his mom and dad. I'm I'm gonna, you know whatever, I'm gonna do all of that. You know that ain't got nothing to do when the when the lights turn on. He trying to take my head off. I'm trying to take care of it off.

Period. Period.

But as soon as it's off, it's a brotherhood. Only seven hundred and fifty guys make it. Those are out of all the people, and the more those are your brothers.

Gina, you got a question in the bag gino see hat the like, but why was you hating on it? Talk to him why? That's just what he do, That's what he's known for. But I'm a big fan.

Like because they was talking ship about us, because they was talking ship about us, like the what did the podcast have to do with anything?

Nothing?

Okay, that was just something to be like, you know what, we're gonna be mad at the I'm mad at you for doing that podcast. Yeah, and if I did, if we didn't win the division, it was gonna be the.

Podcast fall, no question. How does that make sense? Don't? But just just to give you a little context, to him, he's a he's a spokesperson.

He loves he loves the Lakers and the Dodgers, and we have a segment on another show.

He's the neighborhood hater. So but he's an insider.

He knows all about you and everything about the Lakers.

He's been talking ship. Don't he loves you. I hate him? Show up and he asked me what I want to hate.

He's like, he's one of those delusional La fans where basketball's life. Baseball is like, you can't do nothing else, like you're just supposed.

To be athletes.

So that's who he is, Okay, Yeah.

Yeah, I'm separating it.

Yeah, separate who is Mookie outside of baseball?

Man, I'm trying to develop that right now. Man. I really feel like.

Baseball is a section of my life, and it's a section I'm very grateful for, and it's a section that really has led me to be here today. It's led me, it's given me everything that I've gotten, and so I do want to always have that and honor that and pour back into baseball and whatnot. But I really feel

Of husband and dad and all those other things, and.

The entrepreneur which getting into business and I have a production company, so like being on TV. I mean, you know, there's a lot of I love being behind or in front of a camera, like I want to act. I want to try different things and expand my I really feel like I'm complex. I'm a really complex person. But baseball really kind of does a good job and defining me, or does a good job in getting me to where

Know, I got seven years left.

I was about say, you've got a string of accomplishment, You're thirty two years old. How much long do you want to play that game?

I got seven years left in my contract, and I love baseball, like I said all those things, but like twenty years, it will be nineteen years in the game. After nineteen years, like there's really nothing else for me to prove.

There's nothing else for.

Me to really do, like I want to be Like my dad was a little older when he had me, and so I saw that and I appreciate everything. The only thing I really didn't get a chance to do.

Was like play a whole lot with him.

Growing up, because he was like, man, I ain't doing all that running, but I'll play catching.

I'll do all that with you.

So now, like with my son, I'm like, you know, I still want to be able to run and play with him and do the same things my dad did with me, just a little bit younger, you know what I'm saying. And so and if I can get other opportunities doing other things, like now is the time to.

Create, especially in the city, to create it. I'm saying fatherhood to you.

What's that mean?

It means the world? Man, I really it's hard. It's really hard.

You got too too. I got to. I got my daughter and my son. And what's the ages.

My daughter is six, my son is he turns he's one, so he turns to in April.

And my daughter, she does not like sports at all.

So now I'm trying to be the dad because I have only sports has been my whole life. Everything is so for us to miss each other on that. It's like, Okay, now I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to meet her at and she's starting gymnastics, and so there's a little competition element to gymnastics, so maybe I can meet her on that level.

You probably do a double back, Yeah, I can do.

I can do an I backed up and everything. I may try and learn some stuff, you know. But my son, man, he's uh, he's uh, he's starting to want to hang out with me a lot more now. April, Yeah, April as April.

What is April eighth? I'm the fifth Solid April's aries. Yeah, he's your Son's aries. He's April right, Yeah, Solid gonna.

Be a star.

But I but the thing is this, The thing is this. I got him playing golf.

I love it. I got I got a golf club already already, and it makes me so happy. He likes it. He's gonna be a star whatever you do. Yeah, is and he's in a great week. What age did you start golf? How old am I not? Thirty two?

It's probably what twenty twenty one? A little later twenty one twenty two. I started playing golf a little bit, and now I got him. He's one running around with a golf club.

So it.

Puts a smile on my face every day because I know, as long as you live, son, if you hold a golf club, you will go to college for free, and you always gonna have something that that's it's gonna be business fun.

You can play that till you die, and it's gonna be business.

He's gonna be right like my dad put me in the right spots to be successful having a golf club in his hand, right, So I like that perspective.

Sinker, live on a golf course, don't even go. It's beautiful and you gotta and you gotta an You got a golf cart with with twenties and.

Speed that don't that that thattpating?

Yeah, like you. I'm the cleanest, right move. I'm the cleanest ride around there too. My golf court, my joining to the only.

Thing I got golf Jordan golf shoes too. I'll be the cleanest out there, but I haven't been. But I'm wait for y'all to come. Y'all come take me out there for real, for real, right about it.

I want to go. I want to go with you. Next time you're in Atlanta, let's go all.

Right, easy done, easy done with move man. We appreciate your time. Before we get you out of here. We got some quick hitters. First thing to come to mind. Let us know, if you weren't a major league baseball player, what would you be doing?

Bowling? Bowling?

Easy pb aye, that's for sure, easy call one album on repeat.

Right now, I'm gonna go with Kendrick the New not like us that uh, and that was nice.

Man.

He went crazy with that. And I wasn't even like a Kendrick like. I was a Kendred fan like, but I wasn't like hard on Kendrick like that for real.

And then he he did that.

This is the This is the first album that I told him, this is the first album that I can listen to, like a whole bunch of songs, the whole bunch of one of the first one good kid could his first album. But you know, yeah, that's that's album clipp beat.

It's crazy. Yeah, he got the ship on there. Yeah. Shoutout Kendrick, Shout out. Five Dinner Guests Dead are Alive. Five Dinner Guests U.

Plus five Dead are Alive. Chopping it up having a good conversation.

M l K. Jackie Robinson. I'm gonna go now this is me, my generation.

Somebody that gave me to put that put the blueprint out, Lebron.

That's the first time. So what's that, Lebron?

Because of my profession the best hitter ever, which is Barry Bonds.

Obama Salad solid five Salad rank them, Kobe, m J.

Bron. Go all right, so Kobe m J. Bron.

So is this is there any criterias? Just Frank Okay? So I would say probably Leron first, m J second than Kobe, And my criteria would be not just basketball, just the effect of everything.

Mm hmm. I ain't mad at that.

What would yours be? Well, I'm hold up, I'm kind of poser right there. You said the effect of everything. Bron had a big effect of everything than MJ.

For I'm even like with the production company and what he's school. Okay, like like not just not just shoes or like you know what I'm saying, just.

The whole package. Mine is reverse. I'm MJ. Cole Bron.

Why Jay got hospitals and ship too? Now I just talk about killer.

I like killers, and I think Bron gets knocked for it sometimes, but that's just how something like everyone has an opinion. Bron's great numbers are great, played a long time, He's changed, you know what he's been able to do. You know, number one score and me top five and assists, all the accolades. But to me, MJ and Co. Were just killers, and I love killers. I'm on the violent side. That's what I like. You know, I'm not for peace.

I agree with him.

Told I just if I had to put Broun at the top of anything, He's the best all around player we've ever seen.

All around on the court. He can do it all.

We've never seen somebody that size that can do everything. And I just don't like to. I think we live in the air now. If you love something or don't agree like you hate the other.

You know what I mean.

You, Mike, you gotta hate Broun. If you love Broun, you gotta hit like I salute. You could throw any of those three up. Those are the top three player to me, with all due respect to Kareem and some other people. To me, those are the three greatest basketball players of all time. So any of them one, two, three, I don't have any art.

And there's many cases that you can say, I take.

This guy a situation if there's no criteria.

Yeah, what I'm saying, but like to your like, yeah, I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Always better than me.

Guilty pleasure, guilty pleasure, uh.

Like food, guilty but anything.

I can't stop beating oreos, I can't stop whatever. Yeah, I don't know, CAM do none of that. I mean, I mean, what you're guilty.

What's your guilty pleasure? I don't feel guilty doing it, so you just jack off anywhere.

I don't feel guilty smoking, Okay.

I smoke all day, every day in front of anybody, everywhere, So I'm not guilty.

Okay, Yeah, I mean yeah, I like to indulge.

You know what I'm saying.

I like to indulge, So I guess that's my guilty pleasure. But really it's like my brain goes so so I want to ask you not to cut you off.

Cannabi has made a huge jump in sports, like we were people who risk our careers to smoke it. I'm not really sure what Baseball's policies are, but I know all three major sports.

Now.

I don't know this, but I always tell like, what's your why. People don't understand your why and what it does not that I'm aware of. It hasn't meant for a while.

And I mean, I know there's so many people that think negative of it. Next Y and Z and I get it. Look, I'm not here for that. But for me, like after a game, my brain will not stop. I want to go over every play that happened, every pitch, everything that just happened.

I have to analyze it.

Okay, I have to take yesterday that information, apply it to tomorrow's information.

Then I got to watch the picture. Then I gotta you know how you do? You can't you brain off.

I cannot turn my brain off, and if I will, I will be up until four in the morning, just mind racing. And so if I can just relax, that's the way it turned it off. I can turn it off. I can accept whether I was good day or bad day. That doesn't matter another day, like what I did good to day or bad today, it's irrelevant. I got a game tomorrow, and it's like I don't panic about the game tomorrow. Don I'm like, Oh, I'm gotta face this guy. He's gonna do this, this and this like what I mean,

I'm trust my work. I'm gonna trust my work. Yeah, there you go.

And so that's really it. Like that, that's that's that's really it. And my mom she was pissed about it. But I really like, I won't. I won't turn my brain off.

I won't. I won't make it.

No, I ain't gonna not like my addict. But like I just over over time, it will wear on me.

I think we I mean, professional athletes have some kind of ice. I think to me, cannabis is the least on powder that bottle women whatever they be in trouble.

Yeah, the only thing you're gonna do is get hungry.

Watch too much TV, be happy, play video games. And what's wrong with that?

Nothing? Nothing.

You ain't never heard me in the news and nothing because I be in my room watching a TV show.

Neither one of us whenever you ever heard of us when he was playing nothing, not one time, nothing, I'm ship but.

You was.

You was in a median for tree for tree for tree. No, I'm saying we went in the media for no tree, and then.

We did it. The right way on. Yeah, I was only in the media for just yeah, we was violent. I told ye, like that's this was that like most what like what's that? What's this? Your your name is that? Like you just do you just kind of live in it, like the violence? It is what it is? You know what a violence? What a ke say? It was that that untreated childhood trauma? Yeah, yeah, you just let it out on the court.

Yeah, just yeah. I was just you know, I had to I was mixed. I was that was one strike against me. I had to grind to make it. So sometimes people tried me.

So when you so when they try you a little bit, you just fallom.

Fallum, fight them, slap whatever. So was it before the game?

Like I know that that I'm not saying put a bounty this x y Z, but like before the game, was you like, man, I'm Finnah getting his ship today?

I mean that was my mentally a time. But it wasn't on no, like no, like I'm gonna heard him typing. I was lucky enough to be the guy that got to guard the best player every single night. So that's Kobe no matter what, Like I'm in night out, it's different.

So how did you do that? I guess you didn't. Did you try and play offense too or not? No?

I mean I took advantage of it. I mean I was something like the score, you know what I mean. But I played. I figured out my role early, and I think that's why I was able to play so long. I think a lot of guys think they can do something and want to do something, but that's not necessarily was needed. I did what was needed. That's why I played until I didn't want to play no more. But I think I hung my hat on being the guy that got every night. I got to guard the best

Or name name Bron, Like, what did you do smoke? We didn't watch film.

But okay, so what film? When you were watching film? What film? So we could apply to something that you could see.

We would have We would have breakdowns and moves and tendencies and habits similar to what you look for pictures.

I know, and to too. He like to throw.

So I'm thinking like when you know, when Bron does this, when Coked does that, or when Kevin goes left and pulls up like those are you just watching those tennessees over and over again?

You ain't stopping them, you know, just yeah, just to make it tough and everyone swallowing a hard out of you and make.

You stopping Covid Lebron what you waste your time? You're gonna be up all night thinking about nothing. Just making is not gonna happen. You want to make them work. It's not gonna have the.

Fact great offense is always gonna be good defense, but you just want to make them work. You know, takes for thirty two. I wanted to take thirty shots. I want to take thirty shots, thirty score thirty two. I wanted to take twenty seven to thirty shots. Don't make it.

Work and you just accept that.

So at what point did you have to accept that mentality because these motherfuckers.

I'm going to give them thirty and try to stop. But Jack was someone that can also score, Like I was like, what did you do?

Because was your was your I was just hooping whom he was doing a lot.

I mean I didn't do too much for him.

You like touch and feel like you wanted to do what you see that that but like a lot of my stuff came out see like a perfect example, he said, Like it's different approaches when you have a teammate like him, Like I played with great uh supporting cast, Like even in Charlotte had Joe Wallace Indiana, I had ron a test, so I had him. So a lot of nights, it's gonna be some nice woman have to really play defense on the guy. My scoring might be not as high.

And that's because he that that was his role. Though if he was a score defender, I was more of a defender and knocked down play maker. He was a playmaker too though I could.

But like I said, I just play, and I played on different teams. When you play with Kobe, you know you gotta find your your.

How was that playing with another star? Incredible? He was incredible.

Job we had so weird power and Andrew Byingham too ran our test was on our team.

We had a solid team. You know, my I couldn't blend in anywhere on and off the court. I'm gonnalend it anywhere. So I just you.

I'm a student of the game. I love the game, so I love to study the game. I love to watch the game. I love to analyze the game and understand. Like I always put myself like, Okay, I'm watching the game. Where can I still to this day? Where can I be effective in this game? What don't they do what I can do? Where I can go in and plug in and be effective.

So I got but I know we got to go one last question. I know I'm not trying to do with you, but like.

I've seen, I've gotten to play with Showy obviously, and I've seen, yeah, y'all play the best players in the world. What I argue to think is the best player in the world do best player in the world shit? And like I've seen him single handedly take over a game and win a game. And that's crazy to say in baseball. In baseball, single Handley took over the game and won

Game six NBA Finals.

I want to hear about like Dalkin twenty points, like eighteen rebounds, ten assists, eight blocks, quadruple double in game six to win the championship, Like you got to be out of this world to do that, And he's and he was, and he we end up having the best record of the year. He ended up winning the MVP. So he watched the I watched his greatness that whole year every night though. He did it every night, and it wasn't just scoring points. I was just telling y'all,

I probably say cold and just and not one game stands out, just his mentality every single game at a certain time, you.

Know what I mean, Like when he got down the crunch time or something, just period, motherfucking balls period. You know.

So what so what would you do, like just get out the way he would he whistle like that and you got like two seconds to get him the ball.

Everybody hey at the end of the game. Everybody in the world though, Yeah, so if you would let you know, like when you hear that, it's like okay.

I mean there were some guys that would look him off sometimes and if you made it cool, if you didn't, he was you know what I mean.

But he was.

He was a rider, you know what I mean. He was one of those superstars that did everything. He played through injury like he had me and run our tests on his wings like arguably me and him, and run on on defense like it. You know, it was hard to do, but it would be sometimes if a dude hits a couple of shots some of mere run and get the go guard someone else.

I got him, bro, we got it.

We like we argue with them sometimes because he would still after scoring his thirty, he would still want to guard the best player too, And like Jack said, they're like, now let me and run handle that. You go be great, you go score fifty, will guard this and we'll do all the dirty work. So he was just such a competitor that it wasn't one particular game that it was just a mentality every single no matter who we play, no matter how hurt he was, he's out there.

In those last three minutes, like when he's pretty much just getting involvedy every time down the floor.

Like it's just it's gotta be something cool to It's amazing.

We got We was lucky to play them and we was in Golden State. We played them in back to back nights. We played them in La Here in La meant I had a great game. I think I had thirty something of his three threes at the end to win. He hit like two to tie at the end of the game, and we ended up winning by a point. We played them the next night because he was so mad that we beat him. He came out and gave us forty two in Golden State and they beat us. So that type of person he was the next night,

I love that.

I loved the flips. I love that every time Lebron will make the right play. I love that part of him, you know what I mean. But to me, I like killers. I like people who want to kill. And we're gonna liiver die with the decisions I make. I'm the most.

Time. I'm shoot that bitch, and if I make it, we win. If we lose, we don't. If I don't, we don't lose. I just like that.

Anyway, Let's let's finish. Let's finish this up. Best food spot in l A. I know you don't get out a bunch. But what's your best food spot? Oh, best food spot in l A.

M hmm. I don't know that I that I have the best one.

Yeah, I know, I really like. I really enjoy going to ty Show.

Oh yes, good up the street.

Have you been a boulevard I've been to Bulevar the owner. Yeah, okay, I'm friends with them. But Show is probably favorite spots. It's a sushi infusion. Yeah, go ahead, Jack. If you could wear three types of shoes for the rest of your life, what would you pick three?

Yeah, types of shoes. I would probably go with my common projects. Common projects, that's my my golf swag.

That's your company. No, okay, that's what you're wrong with. That's what I like. I heard them. So you don't play in Jordan's. You, Well, that's like it goes.

I wear it like they go. When I go out, I usually like to wear my common projects. Okay, then it usually looks like I'm about to go play golf. I would say. I would say my Jay's because I can go up and down with those.

There's versatility versus versatility.

And then uh, just a pair of molded cleats because that way I can play any sport I want.

If you could see one guest on all the Smoke, who would it be?

But if I could see one guest all the smoke, But you have to help us get your answer on the show. One guest on all the translated.

On for it. I'm gonna be realistic. But you.

Does it have to be a player? Be anybody, anybody.

That ain't been on all this song? Mm hmmm. I don't have friends like that. For him, I'll be kicking with my son and we'll take trout that might not be his friend like that recommended.

Okay, we're neighbors now, we can be friends. Uh yeah, okay, all right, you got one.

New, you got one more though, Yeah, you got one more though. Yeah. I want to be with him out against him, I play.

I don't really have no friends that I would recommend to come on.

I like the honesty. I don't really not forgive me. Don't think I'm just getting because you know what you're coming into when.

You're walking in here. You gotta know what you're coming into now, I mean.

Here like the professional trap, professional trap, professional trap man.

Well, before we get out of here, we've got to for you coffee table book, some of our boxing.

Merch okay, our tour shirts. Yeah, let me throw a couple of action in bit, motherfucker.

Appreciate you, bro, Thank you, sir Yes, sir man, that's a rap, mookie betch.

Go.

You can catch this on the DraftKings Network and all the Smoke productions you too.

We'll see y'all next week. M hm hm