M hm m hmm.
Welcome back Day two, La Jack. Amazing long ass day yesterday. Then we get to start today with Man, one of the most clutch players in the history of the NBA. Got a lot of different nicknames. All I care about is the seven rings Man. Welcome to the show, Robert or thank you appreciate it. I feel like this this interview is gonna have to cut the line, So we're gonna drop this the first day of the finals. Since we're talking to someone who was seven and zero in
the finals, what is that? You know, when you think about the hierarchy and rings and ring talk, you were someone who has seven first and foremost, but you're also seven and oh in those situations, what comes to mind?
Now you have a chance to sit back and look at stuff like that. And first of all, I just said I was blessed to play with a lot of great fucking talent. You know, you think about it. One of the best big men ever. I started my career out and it was a chemo Lodja one And for me coming out of college, you look at all the teams,
most guys were like, where do you know? I just want to get in the NBA I was like, where do I want to fit in while I can win the champions And I was so fortunate to go to Houston because that's exactly what they needed, a small forward. And then to play alongside Dream and Vernon Maxwell, you know, two of the greatest competitors to play the game. Was a great learning experience for me. So I look at that and you know, all the other teams I played for,
one common denominated was great big men. You know, think about Shack, Tim Duncan. And if you said, right now, name the top five big men, I played with three of them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, who's so Who's Who's Who's who? You played with three of what? Dreams number one by far. We don't like to tell you. Nobody want to talk about I think you have these guys who are quiet. Think about Dream. You know, he's a really quiet guy.
You can't get him to do much, to say much, so we kind of kind of veer away from him. You don't talk about him, But to me, if you look at what he put together, you know, Defensive Player of the Year, MVP in one season, all time leaving shot blocker, you know those things that you look at his his history and what he's done for the game
and where he how he started the game. You know, this dude didn't play basketball growing up, went to u of ASE where they you think about, we all went to college where they're gonna teach you, you of as, they just rolled the ball out there and he went to work and so I think what his body of work was just incredible. And he's just a good dude too. Man, that's what you have to think about. A good dude.
And people don't understand you play with all of them, so your opinion is bad.
It you good on the court one with all of them. Yeah, gotta respect that. That's dope. Fatherhood.
You recently got kicked out of the game, joined the club from cussing out around the curse.
I didn't. That's the craziest thing. I said, Yo, ref you suck man. I said, call the block and call and you should have suck. And that's the crazy part. People like it's like he went to the he went to the cop and the cop was like, what do you want me to do? That's not my job. And then he went to the a d at the school. The game. Yeah it got mad, I said, oh, you mad at me because I say, you sucked. I said, well, good job. He talks about the game and so the
A D was outside talked to me. He says, you know, I apologize. Said. I said, can I have my money back? He was like, I can't do that. I said, well, next game, I come to his free Okay, we'll do that. But I love watching my son play in high school. Man. You know, you know how it is when you can watch your kids and watch them trying to follow their own path, their own dream. You know, they won state championship, so it was it was a great run. You know.
For me, I was so mad that I missed the game to go to state champons because they play Chrona cent everybody knows how good Coronal centina. But we had I said we because I'm a part of the Harvard West fan. We step up in there and beat them by twenty in their building. That lets you know destiny was in the past.
Where does fatherhood but also giving your son game?
How do you balance that line? You know, I have a great son. He comes to me for advice, you know, like sometimes dads want to come out and say, oh, you're gonna do this, this and this. I'm like Yo, just sit down, let's talk. What do you think you need to work on? Where did you mess up in this game? And he's like, okay, Dad, I fucked up because I ain't shoot this ball. I didn't shoot that ball.
He said, I should have did this, And he says, tell me how I should have gotten And I showed him a little tweaks because my son is a very intelligent player. You know, you got to be go to Harvard West Lake and so I just tweak a little things here and now. But I also think that the people I put him in the path where have helped him along with like I do that like Zach now, I know you know exact that trains Reeves has started working my son because I said, Yo, I can't talk
about dribbling. That wasn't what I was good at. But I can tell you footwork and how to shoot it, and so you know, you have to pass along. So that's one thing that I've learned about father. We all don't know everything, so i'd be afraid to step outside the box and ask somebody for help.
I'll be the first one to send these motherfuckers somewhere else. We're gonna do it together. Yeah, need some help.
And Lucia, Alabama. That's what you said, Andalusiah, you're from Spain and Andalucia and Lucia. Yeah. So yeah, talk about growing up in South Alabama and you know it was it was hard. I know a lot of people talk about how racist was, and you know how racism is. You don't know racism until you get to Alabama in the South, where there's certain streets we couldn't walk down. Even growing up, I was one of the best baseball
players in my city. And I don't make an All Star team because there's a situation where ball rose to right in front of the coach and I said throw the ball back. He said, boy, you come get this ball, and I was like, shit, that stood on first base and I don't make all that. Then it and it's just crazy. And then what they failed to realize is and back then is if the team that wins it, which was our team we wanted every year it was
all black, had three white kids on our team. And the two white kids that were on our team was brothers. And they would have richest white kids in town because their dad was a doctor. And so now we're playing this game. We had to play an All Star game and I don't make the All Star team. I told my coach, I'm pitching to day. We beat them mugs thirty two to three. This is their All Star team.
And so and from that moment on, they counseled that moment because they knew they were wrong, they knew they fucked up. And then when I went on, it's just is one of those little things. Even like our cheerleads we can only have We only allowed three black cheerleaders on our team, and one of one of them was the coach's daughter, so they had to make that exception. So those little things like that, but it made you stronger, It made you smarter, It made you be aware of
your surroundings. It's one of the things that like my wife lasts at me about now because when I go play, so I'm always looking. You know, it's only like one black person in this restaurant. She said, why do you always notice? I said, because some shit go down me and him gonna lean up, you know, And she's like, why you Because you grew up in Alabama, you got to be very careful in the restaurants should go to
because people just start eyeballing. You and then next thing you know, fights breakout and you're gonna get blamed for it. But you got to make sure you get about that bitch alive and make sure you got something got back. Man.
So when did who come into play? And then there's two questions, When did who come in to play? It wasn't any NBA players you looked up to. Man, My brother got me in.
My brother was the second best player in the state of Alabama behind Chuck Person. He did not want her, he did not want to play basketball, and so he's the one that got me into it. And then growing up, you know South Alabama, and you live in your mother, your aunt, your brother, your grandma, and your grandfather in one house and got one TV. My grandfather when he wanted to watch TV, watch what he wanted to watch, and that was going to be Western. No, it was wrestling,
That's all he watched. And then my grandmother watched stories. So that's how I became a Days of Our Lives fan because when I come over, I had to watch what she wanted to watch. But for that though, it was just it was great growing up. I grew up a Magic Johnson fan, and I love Magic. I used to, you know, have a Magic Johnson post in my room
in college. And then I kind of became a Scotti pipping fan because as you grow and you learn your game, you try to pick out players that are similar to your bill and so I said, Okay, this is why I want to take something from him, take something from him. And then at the end of the day, I realized, well, shit, those two guys like the dribble. I don't like doing that shit. So I just, you know, I just try
to be me. And that's one of the reason I wore number twenty five because when I got to high school, my high school coach was like, what number you want to wear? And I said, when we wear thirty two so I could be like Magic John's. She's like, Nope, you're not having that number. And I'm like why, he says, because you need to be your own in person. You need to be your own player. You can learn from him, but be who you are. And he was like, when's
your birthday, August twenty fifth. You're wearing number twenty five. That's how I got my number. Stuff. You stayed home for school Alabama. I didn't want to.
You didn't want to teammates la Trus Spree, Well, talk about that experien.
You know, I wanted to go to Georgia Tech because growing up in Alabama, if I say Alabama, the first thing you think of right now, Nick Saban and football, even though Nick Saban wasn't there, but it was still football. Derrick Thomas, you know, god Rich is so one of my greatest friends. You know, he's the one that helped me get to Alabama because I didn't want to be there. And I wanted to go to Georgia Tech because I wanted to go to ACC where they played basketball. You know,
SEC is football. But when I got to Alabama, you know Spree came in after heat transferring there. We had a good time. You know, Spree was one of those crazy athletes, like he couldn't go right, I mean, left to saving his life. But when he got to don Nelson and Golden State, he forced that in him and Spree was just when you talk about du up. We had a great defensive team. You had me, you had Jason Caffey, you had James Robinson. And don't ask me
why didn't we win a national championship. I know, I know we had a great team. We had Hollywood at one point to year. Yeah, one point we started five pros. Hollywood was at the point, Spree was at the two, I was at the three, Jason Caffrey was at the four, and Ron Rogers was at the five man and that was our started lineup, you know. But you know, you got to think about Spree and I were both seniors, you know, the other guys with juniors, and then Roy
was a fresh a sophomore. So but we learned a lot. We helped each other out. And but I think the way went coached us prepared us for the next level because he made us realize it ain't it just about playing the games a by thinking the game.
They came real closest year in the tournament. Yeah, I know, he was going crazy. Brandon Miller, I got a nice one coming out of though.
Yeah. He's really nice. And the crazy part is his dad was a tight end at Alabama when I was there. His mom ran track at ALABTMA. That's why everybody was like, how did somebody this fucking good go to Alabama? It's the connection. So he ended up man, you know, I'm just happy he didn't, you know, go down for that crazy situation that happened. But he's a hell of athlete. He probably gonna be a top five pick, probably number two. Top think number two, I think number two, I think right.
But they don't need a guard, Yeah, right wing, they don't need a guard.
Yeah, so interesting, that's the top four. Yeah, yeah, ninety two. You're eleventh overall pick to the Rockets. And as you said earlier, like you looked for fit and they had obviously all the pieces. What is it like coming from a program where you saw success but never really got over the hump to playing with the dream and everyone else on that team Houston.
Yeah, it's it's so hard to get over that hump. And sometimes you can look at, you know, situations like I look at my situation in Alabama and realized, like, okay, every year we lost, we lost to a team that was better than us, and you have to face reality. You know, my senior year we lost in North Carolina. They wanted that year. And then when you get to Houston,
you look around like, shit, who's better than us? Well, you got Seattle who kicks our ass all the time, and you got that team called the Chicago Bulls that kicks our ass and we just said we just got to fight hard, and people don't understand. It's like my one of my favorite shots that nobody talks about was a shot I had as a rookie in Seattle to
sentence in overtime. You know, they came, you know, you think I got Vernony, I got Kenny, I got dreamed, and I took the shot and we're going to overtime. We eventually lost that game in game seven. That was my rookie year, and next year we came back. We still had a great year, but it was just something about fucking Sean Kemp and Gary bateon Man, and people don't know how freaking good Sean Kemp was. Man, I remember him in high school cause he's the same class
in high school. Where's he from. He's from Virginia, right, Indiana. I mean when I say I wish I could have seen this dude in high school, you know, because Alonza Morning was considered the number one player in the country that year and Sean we used to he would be me, Sean Alan Houston. We were all hanging out and Sean one day says, I can't stand that motherfucker. Were like, what did he talk about? He ain't better than me.
And this was the first time ever seen someone like got so fucking motivated because like, and he went out of the next game. He was talking about life on my zoa that mother because even Chris Jackson was there. And Chris Jackson was sitting there, you know, and he was like, you know, you know, funny. People don't know how funny Chris was before he you know, he got
in the envy. He was a looser guy. But this dude come down one time, Sean care I never seen somebody this big count of rock takes off from the free throw line, dunks on Zoe and be like, that's why I'm the best motherfucking player in the country. And I was like, oh shit. I was like, okay, all right. And it was just you know, stuff like that. It's just we but you know, but Houston, though, was a perfect fit for me. Man. It was you think, but
they needed a three. I was a three. I could you know, play off a dream if you duck dream and he didn't block the shot. I was blocking shot on the other side. And then you had Vernon, one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, you know, and it was just it was just a great fit and it just needed to bench pieces. Then we got Mario Elliot and Sam Counsel the following year, you know, so that that put us over the top. And I know we always talk about this, you know, about who
would have won in ninety four ninety five MJ. But you know, people don't realize how good Dream was and how competitive Burnon Maxwell was. Why not?
I mean Kenny said, y'all would have handled him. You know what was your thoughts? Obviously you know you have an understanding and you won a lot. Those are some tough bulls teams, but y'all was tough too, So yeah, we were tough.
But this is why I know we would have won it because I played for Field and I go back to this two thousand and six season, no, I'm sorry, two thousand and four season when we were playing we were playing San Antonio and I had to guard Tim. Tim gave me thirty six a night. I'm big, and for some man, y'all gave me a double team because Tim started facing me up and doing stuff that I
had never seen before. I said, I need a double team and Bheel was like, we know what, man won't be I mean, damn, he won't one man, he's killing me right now, you know. And and so he double team, I said, And with that same mentality, I know it wouldn't have changed the dream. And you thinking about this, and I'm looking back at everybody that they on that Bulls team. I knew I'm a better defending all them dus and I know Dream is better than than Tim,
so they wouldn't have be able to stop dreaming. I said, okay, And I feel like when the young Rob would have been competitive enough to stop Scottie, and so I figured that's why we would have won it. And then you got you know, everybody said, what about to you know, Black Jesus meaning MJ. Look at the way Vernon played. I'm telling you, Vernonon back down from nobody burning. I'm telling you watch Vernon play. Vernon would give you thirty to forty one of the craziest athletes you would ever
see play this game. But because of his craziness being mad Max, people don't talk about it or even do what he did and how good he was.
You're a good team man, you got any credit. I'm a huge fan of man. We had a story of the home I'll tell our story. So we were in Houston one time with the Warriors with Nelly, and somehow he found out we were gonna have shoot around there. So we got there. He had like a full hour workout like, Nelly, look at me, you know you need attend.
Days like everybody was both full sweat.
Well, I promise you no, we first walked in earth like. Somehow he found out when we were practicing that, so he had got in there there before, had a full workout, talking about the ten day Nelly, what's up? Like this is what seven? Yeah, that's what we believe. Was unbelievable. And I had to kind of look around like is he serious, and people like, no, he's serious. He was, and he was good though. Look great, he looked great. Look great, he looked great.
You talk about freaking bodies, his body is just he was just ripped for no reason. Didn't really work out. It just was ripped. And he could just stay up all night, drink smoke all night. That mug come out and come go for forty. His favorite thing was if you come to l A, and he loved playing in l A. That mug would hit a jumper and find out where you know this when the chilis sit on the side of that mugg and fall and push yourself back into the chili's lookouts. Prettiest white tea smile. I'm
fucking him up the night, baby, get back. The man brother was just man, he was buddy man, he was I'm telling you man, that dude was a crazy, competitive, great athlete and he was just then you had to be there then other time, I mean, we had this, we were playing, you know how sometimes you have to shoot around. Guys leave, We're still shooting around. All of a sudden, our Strength and Condition coach comes running out, like, yo, man,
I need some fucking help. Vernon going fucking crazy. So were running there and Vernon and Carl Herrera both have weights in their hands, and motherfuckers just boom hitting each other with the wais and they like camp. He's like, I'd be damn about hit with the fucking weight. And so them motherfuckers fought till they got tired, and then the next day they hugged it out, you know. And if you ever see car cars a big dude, yeah, car shoulder came out place. Vernon was the first person
like I got this, my boy. He would help him to the back, and then three weeks later the motherfuckers fighting again, and it was just the craziest relationship. But those two loved each other and that that was just the competitive nation of Vernon. Boy, it was. It's a lot of stories, even though the time when I had to go save him in the stands, yeah yeah, yeah, first.
It was what happened right then. So for those who didn't see it. So we're playing Portland. Portland's kicking my ass right.
You know, I'm sitting I'm pissed because you know, you have a good game and you lose and you feel even worse. So I'm sitting in the bench and all like, here is yo, Vernon. Who's that bitch on your arm? Vernon says what And I'm at the end of the bench because I had just got subbed out. So Vernon jets by me and I looked this way, like, oh ship, he's going in the stand So I growing up in the stands that it was two dudes. One dude jumps up, Vernon pushes him down and he gets ready to swing
on the dude. The other dude jumps up and I'm like I'm getting ready grab he looks at me and six back down like yeah, motherfucker, I'm like this. I'm like, yeah, I'm swollen right and looks behind me his oldest thormp and I strengthen condition quick like and then they guy. He never hit the guy. He just pushed the guy down and said what the fuck you say? Say it again? And the guy like, oh, you know how everybody is. They talked trash until they you know, Jack had to
take it to the next level. Where were you? And I went? You come grab me later? Did dream? Smack? Uh? Was that true? Was that rumor? That's that's the truth. But I had I got there the season after you were there. Yeah, but Vernon, I tell you story. How you know dream? You know people don't remember dreams smack too, Vernon. So you remember Randy's I can't think of randy name used to play for the Clippers, No, no, no, another and I can't think of his name, but we were
playing the Clippers and I think it was Randy. But you know, everybody was scared of Ken was Ken Norman Norman? Everybody was scared of King Norman, right, you know, he was like that and forcing nobody with So we're walking off the court and Randy's talking ship to Dream and then he pushed his dream. Dream hit him with a two piece up real quick, and then he goes run to get Ken King say who hit you? Dream? Ah? Fuck that because they know would with Dream because people
were realized Dream had those hands. If you go back before Dream really deep dive into his religion, that mog fought ey time. He was twenty five to fifty dollars five. He give a shit. He would knock you out in the second. So I think the old Dream kind of came out because when you push someone, you kind of lose it sometime. He ran it with that two piece real quick. But it was like, I'm going to get my big brother. Big brother saw who it was on the problems and this cage.
You say that because he the best person in the world, Like he the best dude in the World's dream.
Yes, yes, a person in the world. I want to backped a little bit.
Your draft ninety two draft was heavy shack, soo Christian Laightner. Any stories about that draft process or workouts or anything like that.
Well, you know, you go to Chicago, you have all these workouts, so you know, so you have to do that tradmill test, so stressed test. It's me alib mill of Todd Day. We all hanging out and we all talking about sec and shacks on the trapmill. He had just got to that point where he went to like the third level olive mirror. Was like, watch this. He goes over and unplugs the thing and shock almost fall oh, and everybody starts laughing, What the fuck you laughing at that? Shit?
Ain't funny? It's all good, you know. Shaq was like a boy the whoop Oliver Miller as and then the people come, well, you got to do it again. Shaq like, do it again? Fuck that motherfucker. I'm out of here. And he left and so after that, nobody like, well Shaq leaving, We all leave. It were just, you know, we followed shot because we know he's gonna be the number one pick, so whatever he said goes and for
all of us, for all of us. But the crazyest thing that actually happened to me personally was I had an interview with what's the coach of Seattle name that coach Sean and all them h called George Carr. And George Carr comes to me and says, you know you should be playing in Chicago. I'm like, I just played in Orlando when I shouldn't have won. I won the MVP on Landon. You think I'm playing Chicago too? She said,
what makes you think you shouldn't play in Chicago? I said, look around, I'm betting all these motherfuckers in here, I tell you that. And he was like, Okay, that's all I need to know. I like confidence, and so ever since then, here and I had a good relationship. And it was so because of my draft, you know, eleven pick. Everybody thought it was gonna be Harold Minor or Tracy Murray. And so for me, it was the first year that
the draft wasn't hell in New York. It was in Portland because that's the year of the Dream Team, and so we did. I didn't even like My mom at the time was scared to fire. My dad had just had next surgery. I didn't have a girlfriend at the time. My agent was in New York. So I think I was the only person that went to the draft by themselves.
That's gonna be a lottery pig. So I was literally in the bathroom when the Houston pick came up, and I walked back and you know, everybody know they have the things in their ears where they take the camera. They got one camera front of Tracy Murray, one camera in front of Harold Miner, and then all of a sudden, you hit them all do this and they start running over towards where me and Doug Chresty come in. Doug Creasty with boys. Because we did camps together, we were
always hanging together. We always got cut at the same time, so we were all on that vand at these events leaving at the same time. I was like, oh, Doug, you about to get drafted by Houston. And then when Houston called my name. I think that was the best moment my basketball career. I saw when it means because not many guys go to the team Nates really really want to go to. And from that moment on, it was just it was just the best feeling for me man.
So that was that was a great moment in my basketball life, and I started winning championships.
The evolution of a stretch forward like you have to have it now, but it wasn't really a position back then. You know, you obviously came in as a three man, but kind of transitioned to that stretch forward, speak to the kind of the development of that and where that came from.
Well, it came from because nobody could go out Charles barklay on our team. We were playing them in the playoffs. We were down three to one to them, and uh all was Phoenix Phoenix, and we were down. We had just made that big trade to get Clyde. We traded away Oldess Thorpe. You know, it was our power forward. So the first two games he was killing Pete chill
cut who was who was our power forward. Then he was killing Chucky Brown, and all of a sudden they looked at me like, well, you know, you gotta make a lineup change. Let's go did Chuck you have to go to back then or regularly he had to go to you know, Chucky, Chucky Dirty out. He still got that go to probably, So they put me a power forward.
And you know, even though Truck was way strong than me, but I was faster, I was quicker, I was long so and not saying I didn't stop him, but you know I kind of did, you know, from getting fifty
at night, he got thirty at night. And so we eventually came back and won that series, and from that moment on, it was like, oh, you are a power forward and that's why they And then the next series, you know, we went on to play San Antonio, which kind of worked in my favorite because people forget Dennis Rodman was on that San Antonio team, and what Dinni's gonna do. He's gonna read about he ain't coming out the paint. Yeah, and so I was just knocking down threes.
And then we went on to play Orlando, and you know, Horace Grant ain't really a true power forward like it was back then, like the car Malans and all that, and then I would just light him up. And so after that, they was like, you are a power forward. And then I had to got to la. I had
to put on a little weight. And it's kind of just changed my game from them, man, because when I first got a lead, you know, I'm slashing, you know, I'm dunking, I'm you know, I'm doing all this duff, you know, because that's how we fir in Phoenix, when you don't throw with us. No, no, no, no. He was like fresh out of height kid. Yeah, he was young. He used to work out with us that Sam and Sam was just like him and Sam every time I look up him and Sam Well.
I mean, obviously you're known for the offensive side, but your defensive game was heavy. What were some of the tricks of the trade, because you were one of some of that that learned how to guard that position, one of the greatest post defenders that doesn't really get the credit. Yeah, obviously lock up on the wing, but what were some of your tricks when you would have to play the bigger, stronger guys.
My whole thing was these big strong guys like to feel your body and I used to always And so friend Kurt Ramers literally wanted me to come coach with him in Minnesota so I can teach them this move I used to do where I know my arms along, so I would use my arm to give me his space. So when you spent, I moved my arm. You're not spinning off me. You spinning off my arms so I could get in front of you. You know, it worked with a lot of people other than Chris Webb because
he was just too damn long. But most everybody and Chris webmerhie didn't work against But and so this is what I was doing. I just was just you know, trying to think. I would lean to the side to make you go to the other side because I wanted you to go that way. But the other thing that was a great connection was me and Kobe had this connection where you in the post, Kobe literally turn around look at you because I'd be like Cole, He'd turn
around because he knew it was coming. I had this move where I would stick my arm between you know, and i will poke the ball loose. And I've been doing that since college. So everybody said, you learned that from Dream. I said, no, I talked Dream that. And so because all my life I've been smaller than the post players I had to play because in college I
played center because we had nobody else to do. I evenough I was a small four, and so I had to learn to use the tricks of the trade my quickness and my size, you know, you know, And it was just one of those things that I just learned to I just love playing defense, and for me, that like, that's my biggest regret. I never made an all defensive team, and people are like, well, you didn't play as I do. I was one hundred steals a game. I was a
hundred game my first couple of years in Houston. You know, I was the first guy to ever be a D hundred guy, And that's one hundred blocks, a hundred steals, one hundred threes in the season, and there's so many things like that that I was like pissed bot because I value defense. I think defense win championships. I even get mad now watching the games when you get these guys that're like this is this point, you know, like, oh, on your feet, you got to be in position, you
gotta go ball. You man, it's just so weird, But I just love playing defense.
Man, how do you feel about so many people can't shoot in the game down they just like they're backing off guys?
Just how do you feel about that? You know that that happened to me when I was in Houston. I was reluctant to shoot the balls and I couldn't shoot the ball. But you just just you just want to get it to the superstars. And for me, I think guys got to learn how okay you want to back off me, just take a dribble in and take a dribble in, shoot the shot, and you know, eventually you make one, you make two. People gonna guard you, then
you go from there. But I think now the game is just it's predicated on the three so much that people, you know, even when you look at guys like the Marty Rosen who I love to death, and they're like, oh, he's averaging thirty points again, but he can't shoot three. Who gives a shit. Yeah, it's about getting buckets, man, At the end of the day, it's about getting buckets. I don't give a shit if you knocked down ten threes and I knocked down thirty two's, it's still the
same thing. You know. It's just the efficiency of getting buckets and making the right place because there's not a team alive gonna let you post up, and you're killing someone in the post because first of allf I'm guarding, you came my mask for help. Now you got a double team. Now it's gonna make an easy shot for these guys out here on the perimeter. That's the one thing I like about the way Miami is playing. You know, if you watch every three day take it's up on
the line. It's not like everybody else who's like trying to shoot logo threes. And I like it's efficiency. Okay, In the playoffs. You have to take great shots. And when you up on the three point line, that's a great shot compared to two feet behind, which is a good shot for something. Steph Curry right, And so people, that's what I look at now with the three and the two's, I'm like, dude, just get buckets, just get it.
Think about it. If Julian bed would have just got more fucking buckets by taking his big ass in the pan, they would have colored won that series. But no, he want to face up and shoot the little ugly fadeaway jumper. You know, I'm like, dude, No, Al Harvard is killing you playing good difficult, you're playing his Take him to your world and go round them. Yeah, that post that would be the one. Now.
I mean obviously MVP and super skilled, but like you said, sometimes you just got to use what God gave you.
That's your size. You got to take them in your world. That's why when I said about taking your world and bigs trying to cross up, little there, face up a little what if face a little up back is little ass down? But I guess I'm too oldcome Sometimes when I try to make the game simple, they may make it hard.
Your second and third year. You know, I was I'm from that area. Well, won championship back to back. They called it Tuston. Uh huh, how was it around that time?
Man, Tuston you know clutch city where they want to caut it. It was. It was a fantastic time because if you think about Houston, one of the third largest cities in the United States, They've had the Oilers with warm Moon right there almost winning the championship, you know, the Astros with you know, Noland almost win in the championships. None of these teams ever won a championship until we got that. Houston went there with the Twin Towers and they didn't make it a cass you know, they didn't
make it past the Celtics. And all of a sudden, now this team comes in and the first year like, okay, they're good. And the next year we start off at that sixteen and old record, we're one of the best teams, and all of a sudden, you know, we go down two oh to Phoenix and everybody starts abandoning us. Nobody even comes to it. You know, we've just had a
Mother's Day game. We had a Mother's Day game in Houston in the summit, you know, and I think we had about maybe five to six thousand people in there. You know anything, this arena holds twelve dollars. It was half empty. And I remember going on TV saying, I said, well, you know, everybody, you want to call us an't that wasn't Clutch city. But uh like when you're folded and ship. Now you know, so y'all didn't come to the games.
We need your support, and so they kind of got mad, but then they realized, oh shit, they do need to support. We don't know, we want to win that championship that year. But Houston great city. No state tax, no state tax, you know, and that's good as an athlete, man, you get to keep the money. And it's just it's just one of those cities where you fall in love with
because the people they are nice. You know, it's the economy is great, and you know, now you retire, one of the things you like to do is eat a lot of great restaurants. How much harder is it to win the second one? It's so much harder because you everybody's expecting you to win it. You might not have a good team, you might have the same team. Guys be injured, but they expect you to, so you do it. You got to do it again. And for us, we started the season off bad. You know, Sam got hurt,
I got hurt, Mario got hurt, Dream got hurt. And then the only person was on a consistent basis was oldest Stort and so you know, we losing all of a sudden. You said, no, we're gonna get rid of the oldest and bring in Clyde. And then we didn't jail until the last month because we never played together
because we was all hurt. And then when we got Clyde, we jailed and we realized what we can do, and we went small and we just start running and gunning, you know, even though we had to anchor and Dream, but he get he'll get a block shot. We taken our running. He'll sit back and wait we score, come back down if we don't score or with these we had to take it out. We said, Dream, go get your bigger ass on the block. We give it to you and get out of the way. And so that's
how we played man. But it was hard to repeat, and then it was really hard to three peak. You know. The next year we we got our asses handed because everybody was hating on us. MJ came back and he had a squad so for only four years in Houston. Man, that was two championships in four years. That's what mad.
During that run, you guys ran into a young Shack and Penny talk to us about them, and you know obviously how good they were, but just young at that time.
Man, they were young. They We used to call them America's team, you know, so like the Cowboys. They were always on TV because think about it, they just came off doing blue chips, you know that winning and kicking butt. Shack is, you know, doing all these things. And Penny, I hate that Penny needs went out because man, you talk about freaking amazing man. You watched his highlights when you know he's just amazing man. And then you got d Scott and you got Anderson, all these guys. You know,
they had a great team. They young, and the thing, the piece they was missing was hard Scramt. You know, a guy bringing that veteran leadership that could anchor that defense for a postman. But it was great to go up against him because we were pissed because first of all, we weren't on TV that much as defending champions. You know, everybody was forgetting about us, and everybody just forgot about the run we had just made. We went in Utah,
beat Karmeloan and all those guys. We went into Phoenix beat Charles and we were down three to one, came back to when that's and then we beat the best team in basketball, the Santonio Spurs. People get that was David Robertson. You know Dennis rob and you know Sean Elliott. They had a good crew. You know, we beat that team, and then we were going on to sweep shock Man. But it's just like like I said, once you get on a roll as a team, can't nobody stop you.
It's like it no matter what defense you're thought, we seen it all, and at this point, it's it's about us just just knocking down threes. You think about when Anderson missed those four free throws, it's almost like it's destiny. It creeps into your mind and the other team's like, fuck, we had them beat and we lost. We lost this game, and now we got we started taking our chairs like, oh we cocky as hell. Now you can't beat us.
We know the basketball guys on our side. And one of the things that people always forget that those next two years is what made it so easy for us. They moved a three point line there. That was the year they moved it in. So we were knocking down threes at a high clip, you know, So that was that was easy. So yeah, but that that the to two peak was hard. But like I said, that three peak was damned impossible and we didn't. So it's hard man to win in this league period.
So we're gonna get to the point where you did three p sou traded the Phoenix, Uh, and the Charles Barkley deal not there long you arrive in LA with Shaq Eddie Nick said Elden Campbell. Uh lose to Utah in that first round. Uh, what was going to l a like and get a chance to play with Shaq?
Initially? Well it was. It was great, you know because you think about all the battle Shack and I had in college and then in finals, and then they play alongside him and see his development. Uh, if you watch young Shaq, he didn't have the footwork as he did as he got older, he started spinning and dunking on
people and doing that thing. And he started, you know, hitting his jump hook, and then you know you're playing with Kobe uh the guy, and you you know, we all we all said that, we've all seen it, how hard he work. And then you had guys that you know like Eddie and and Nick and Rick Fox and you know Eddie Jones probably one of the most athletic guys ever. You know, Nick is one of the most
competitive guys ever. But when you got that and you got little young Kobe sitting on there, like, I need all those shots you getting I need And so we went into Utah and got swept, and everybody talks about why did you go to Kobe for him to take that final second? Because the dude was hot. People forget about that is you go with the hot guy, and every to me, great coaches go with the hot guy. He had like I think like seventeen and the fourth or sixteen and four something good and he just missed
the shot. So everybody's like, you can't give it to a young guy. But right from that moment that you can tell that this dude was gonna be something special because you're not even he came by beer, yet came by liquor and he's taken over a team and you know, saying get on my shoulders, and it was hard, But I think the best thing for us is when we brought in pieces that fit. I know, we hate to see Eddie and Nick go, but they want the pieces
to make us a championship team. And then also we added Field, who made Shack finally get in shape, you know, basketball shape, and and he made Kobe play more together and we just you know, we was able to win a championship.
Speak to Phil's greatness, and you know, I was fortunate enough I only got a year with them, But his ability to push people's buttons for the greater calls of the team. He may get the motherfuckering argument I've been Ron used to cuss his ass out, but he knew how to push those buttons to get different guys going. Speak to his greatness and kind of what he brought to that team.
I think what the main thing is he got guys to understand this is bigger than you. And you know, he also got that little you know, you have the devil and the angel. You've got that angel of coaching Michael Jordan on his shoulder, and everybody looks at the angel instead of the devil and kind of you know, listens to him. But the thing with Phil where people don't talk about his ability to just bring you to a side and talk to you about what he needs
you to do for the team. You know, I've had I had so many guys that come out of meeting with Fieldings and man Field told me I need to do this, this, and this. Have you talked to Phil? I'm like, nah, He never called me an officer, like what is this? Never that I said, we feeling. I never had a conversation except for one time, And the only reason we had a conversation is because I was on the training table getting my backworked one and he
was about to get his backworked. Onne. We had a conversation and a conversation with exactly like this, how you doing good? He said? So what happened between you and Danny Aings? I didn't like the motherfucker okay in the conversation. And we never had a conversation other than like, yo, yo, help me give me a double team with Tim. We don't need that. And it was never like you know, like pop and I've had conversations. He's asked me about my daughter he's asked me about my family. You know,
Rudy and I have conversations. So it's just one of those things that I think Phil was one of the type person if you needed, if he needed you to do what's best for the team, he would have a conversation. And I think deep down he knew I put the team first. I didn't put myself first. I didn't care if I scored. I just care for it. As long as we won. That's all I cared about. And so for me, I think that's how Phil was able to
bring everybody together. He knew. He'd go to b Shaw and said, b Shaw, I need you to talk to Kobe. I need you to talk to Shaq. I needed to play play better. I needed to play defense. And it was one of those things that he was like a psychologist where he just know how to mentally get people motivating.
As you see Shaq's greatness and Kobe's starting to grow, what was that process like?
It was? It was? It was a great thing to watch. I think everybody really saw the process when we played Indiana in the finals, and they saw him. When Shaq filed out, Kobe was able to take over. But we saw it all season. We saw it in practice. We saw how he was getting better and better. We saw how hard he worked. And I think what was best was like Shaq understood it too, you know she admitted
it or not. Yeah, he understood it, and he knows because there was moments where Shaq would give him the ball and you notice how, you know, because Shaq would back off and try to get out of his way and he would go to the dunker spot and let Kobe do his thing. That's why he was able to get that dunk in new Portland st because he was Kobe do his thing and even though he was killing but you know, okay, who has a better advantage Kobe your shack? You know, so he said go ahead, Kobe
hot and he was able to get a shot. And I think, you know, it's just like anybody when you feel like it's your team, you got this young buck trying to take on, you still got it. You know, it's a different when you don't have it. You still got it, and you're like, no, no, I still got it. Is still my city. But I think he should, you know, I think he realized, you know, I need this dude to get what I want. I need everybody on this
team to get what I want. It's not about me, because we all seen MJ try to do it until he got you know, it's pipping and all you know hards and all these other guys to make them hold you gotta have this, And I think that's what he did.
Any funny crazy stories either between them or just of a young Kobe or we always try to ask our guest stuff.
You know, everybody knows about you know, the bat and him smack and smacking some mokey walker on the bus, and everybody knows about how how mad he would get. We played, you know, the stream game. Hold on he smacks the mokey Walker. I never heard this thought. Uh So backtally, we would make little bets, and so one day Smokey made a bet with Kobe and we all pay up immediate, and Smokey didn't pay. You know, Smike was new to the team, and so Smokey didn't pay him,
and Kobe kept asking. One day, two day, two weeks later, He's like, you're gonna give you my mon I'm gonna smack you upside the head. So as Kobe was walking past him on the bus, He's like smoke, he got my money. Oh, motherfucker got your motherfucking money. Stopped asking. Oh he smack smock ske like. It was like a shock smoke and he's just white and he walked out there. It was a funny thing. I don't know if he ever paid him or not, but I said, no, I'm
not paying you that you smacked me. But it was just one of those things, man, But yeah, it was. It was funny. And uh, you know Cole, we always messed with cob. Uh we're being practice, you know, the second team evenna beat them. Kobe wanted to play another game. You know, Phil knew that. He's like, no, we ain't playing that. He would get so pissed. This dude literally wouldn't talk to us the next day until he got his revenge. You know, he just had that killed instinct.
And even when we would play stream games in practice, you know, Kobe couldn't shoot threes, you know, and you know the first couple years of his career, he would get mad because he wouldn't win a game. And he'll be at the earlier next day working on THEMA threes. Guys, we're gonna play stream game today, and like nah, we ain't playing the day dog, just the fun with him, right man. To get it. He was just that he
wanted to win everything. Man, So that was just one of us just just to give him hell and play with him. But the dude, it was so many funny stories, our best times. Man, literally after practice, when we were sitting in the locker rooms and ice down and just shoot the ship. Man. I think you know, I don't know about you guys. That's what I playing.
Talk about that locker room, the planes, the locker room to going to dinners on the road. Yeah so yeah, uh you mentioned early and we're gonna get to Timmy down the line. But you you were there for a king's greatness and dominance is a big talk to us about shocks.
You mostly he's just when you just taw my sheer force and dominance, he's it's nobody like him, you know, his ability to do take it on the breaks, spin and dunk on you. And and the one thing that I really admit that I look up the shock in the sense that I couldn't have been him because if you on the block and you see how much he gets beat up and doesn't react the way he could he could kill somebody, you know, trying to kill Brad Miller. I know. I was like, it's so many times where
you could just literally spin right and just mess somebody up. Man, he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't do it. He's like, he would take it, you know. You know it's a couple of guys like Ulster, Tag, Brad Miller and all those guys that he didn't you know, he didn't take it from. But he was just man and the refs I would go to rest, like, do you just hear
that smack? Oh, he's big enough, he can handle That's that's Doesn't's not the point at it, man, It's a if you in your face right now, you tossing me? So this call to call and so. But he was he was. He was graceful enough where he took it. And he's it's almost like he knew that that came with being that big in that diamont, that he just had to overcome it. And and and he'll tell you to the day, if you'd have ever just got in shape like he did that first year Field came, they
would have broke up him and Kobe. It'd a finally made to make it work, and he would have been the Lakers have been been it had been so dominant, man, it's probably been amazing. So you know, even though they tried to bring in Carl and Gary, it was that disconnect and you gotta be connected if you want to win a championship.
Eighty eight excuse me, ninety eight ninety nine, you guys fall short, swept by Utah, swept by San Antonio. The following your speak to the growth and the importance of feeling that before you guys go on your round for three.
You telling me about one two three can Coon. See if people don't understand where that came from.
That came to me because we're a shooting the show like that with Amazon and we're gonna launch next year.
See the one two three can Coon came when we got swept by Utah, And people don't understand it was it wasn't to be negative to try to loosen up. Nick was trying to loosen up the team because we was down three to zero. He said, man, let's just go ahead and play loose. If we don't, we go into can kuon on three one two three cant coon, and everybody took us Nick saying, oh, fuck this, the season's over, right, He was trying to loosen guys up. We lost that game. You know, y'all still a better team.
We were a young, immature team that got beat by veteran team who went on to go to the championship but didn't win it though, but they went on to the championship, and for us, everybody was like uh. And then the next year, you know, you know, we hate that the forum got shut down by San Antonio. We got beat by a better team. And sometimes people don't look at the other team. They just look at you as an individual. Oh you got you bad, You're not good,
you suck. You know, we got beat by a better team. We got beat by Tim Duncan you know Mario Ellie, Sean Elliott, David Robinson, whose people forget it's one of the best fuck players, best centers ever played this game. And so we got a bit but the thing. But the next year, you know, we came in everybody was motivated.
Everybody was motivated. We were locked in, you know, shotgut in shape because well we got this new coach field coming in and I think this is the first training camp I've ever been to where everybody was in shape when you come into training camp. And because nobody knew what feel was, how he was gonna be. Was he gonna run us a deaf? And you know, because it's not like now where you can look at all the film on our phones and shit and see the history of what he did and the bulls and how they
used to run. We didn't know any of that. So we got feel and everybody was in shape, and we you know, we started the season up really good and we just rolled from there.
Man, one of your most famous shots might not be your favorite, but the game four shot versus Sacramento. The anniversary that of what twenty one years is coming up soon as the twenty one years walk us through that shot and the in and that play.
The players called what the fuck? Cause Phil said, we're gonna run? What the f up? Is? You get the ball in mind? And I'm supposed to set a pick for Kobe to come off. You know, Doug Chris want the best defenders to play this game. He had Doug Chris and Kobe if he can get that angle going right, you know, and I think this is this layup he missed kind of you know, kind of talk Kobe. If I'm going left, I don't have to get it the hole.
That's when he started developing that turnaround fader right there going right. That's just one of his favorite shots. And from that moment he went to the hole and he missed and then shot short arm tipped it, and then Volody tipped it out. And I was sitting right there, and people always wonder, why were you still at the three. Why wouldn't you crashing the board because I played with Kobe, and Kobe if he can't get the shot, he's gonna kick them his back out to me for the game winner.
And so I'm sitting there waiting like this the whole time. And then it got tipped. It got tipped perfectly into your pocket right where you know everybody likes to catch it right here, so you just go straight up. And then you know, that's one thing about being a shooter and guarding a guy like a you know, a true four back. Then they gravitate towards the paint and Chris Webb left me. I was able to knock down that shot, but it's one of the greatest moments that I've had
in my career. Man, it was just the fact when I watched this the film and the overhead shot. When I make that shot, the whole arena jumps up at the same time. You see Dante on our ball boy streaking across the floor. And I still get goosebumps when I see that shot because you think about as a kid, when you grew up a Lakers fan, and as you a Laker, you hit him, chant Kobe's name, you hit them,
chant shocks name. You really never get that moment. Now you step on the stage and the biggest moment, you knock down the shot and everybody's chatting your name. Man, it's the best feeling ever man, especially you know, you know and that after that, you're not paying for any dinners nowhere, you get in the club, go to base, you ain't never paying for no drinks. So that was the best moment ever man.
Considering the the cert, I mean, you missed that shot. You guys are down three to one. Yes, I mean that's what a lot of people don't remember. You're down three to one if you missed that shot. Another notable time.
Yeah, and this sacrament, that was a good They were good.
That's what I was gonna have a good team they were a really good team. You guys shut the door on a lot of good teams. But I want to talk about that game six because we've talked to web about Game six. We've heard Donahy speak on game six, talked to us about just like that team that game in particular, because Sacramento was a good team.
You guys for the better team.
You know, you came out and got the win, but Sacramento was a really good team.
Sacrament was really good team. You know, people they break everything down when they said, oh, it's it's the scandal. You know, Donny he was calling this. You know, it was a couple of files that got on on Chris Webber. I'm like, I know how to play Chris, but I made him file me. He elbowed me, he screened. It's like so many calls, but people getting in game five, they got a lot of favorable calls, and people don't
talk about it. They talk about how they it was a possession where Bibbie went out about or something I can't remember exactly and felling our possession. They got it. He knocks on a shot, So it all evens out. So but don't blame much for you had home court advantage. You go in your building games game seven, you got to sayaki, bitch to me, this is me. If you're able to walk without a limp, you can play, especially in the game seven to see who's gonna go to
the finals. He doesn't play in that game, and so don't get mad at us, get mad at him. You know, we went in your building, took you to overtime and kicked your ass. And now you're gonna call out, Oh gon call foul. I like, no, you call foul on stipping bitch. She should have played in that game, and nobody talks about that. And like you, this is why you play so hard throughout the regular season. Get there, be home quarterbacks and have your fans man And then you had the cow bells and stuff.
How rowdy was that crowd because this is the first time in sixteen years that they got in the playoffs this year and I remember those old crowds too. Our crowd look crazy and loud were.
They the moment Phil Jackson called his town a cow bell time, it was the worst decision he's ever made. Remind it really came with the cow bell and they were just ringing that ship. We hear. You know, we could hear anything. Phil was saying, we're looking at for a place called car you know, he did that whistle thing, and he can whistle. You can't hear that ship. So it's just mostly on us, you know, you know, And that was the perfect time covid like, oh, I got it,
I got one. I can't hear what I want. I got this one. But it was it was, it was it. But throughout the years we talked about feeling that's what he would do. He would put us in situations to make us uncomfortable. So when we had that, we would be comfortable. And that's what you that's what that's the sound of great coaches. They put you in uncomfortable positions so in the greatest moment arise you are comfortable.
So and allowed you, guys, like I said, to put you up, but to elaborate. He allowed you to figure it out. He wasn't someone who was a bunch of quick timeouts like if team's going runs. He wants you to figure that ship out, you know what I mean? And like you said, for situations where you might not be able to utilize what he has to say. I used to love that about philing. Sometimes you look and it's so funny. You can look for help, like what you're looking at me? More figure it out?
And that's the best thing, you know. And I'm always coaching. My son's AAU team and that would sit down and parents will get mad at me before I call it time. I'm like, let them figure it out, man, I'm like, it's gonna make them better and so and people don't understand that. You know, you you you don't have to micro manage everything. You don't have to do that. Got they grown men, they're smart players, And I think that's
one thing we don't get enough credit for. We've been doing this since a young age and we have the IQ, but a lot of times the coaches forget that. They forget we know what the hell we're doing. That's why we're here. And that's one thing I That's why Rudy was kind of my favorite coach of all time because after timeouts, he would come to us, say, what y'all want to run? What y'all see out there? What's going on? You know how now these coaches spend so much time
in the huddle. Rudy would come and sit and talk to us like what y'all want to run? And you know every time it was fifteen that was the playful dreaming get out of the way. But he would talk to us. And that's what coaches have to do with they players, you know, you know, not the player that comes in and say, hey, we need to do this, this, this, this and tries to take over. No, just ask everybody as a whole. You know, what's the feel.
But you see two thousand and three, we played in the Western Conference semis.
And we end the job run. Remember that? Oh I remember that?
You remember that it was It was some great basketball being played.
I think that's for me, that's when that's what I was asked for help. I remember that.
That's when Tim really took it to another level, man, Like I've never seen nobody play like that, you know, especially it gets shocked. But give me your experience and your take on it. You know when you say we got a chance to see Tim and the shock really go at it.
Yeah, you know, for me, y'all was on your way to four, yeah, you know, not three four. So Tim figured me out. I used to do this little trick thing with Tim where when I would guard Tim, I always want him to go to the middle so I can have my hand on his hip. So every time Tim jump, I would jump and pull his hip down and try to block a shot, and he would yell at the like he's pulling me down. They're like where where? And it was a little trick I would do. And
so the next year Tim started to facing me. I'm like, fuck, I can't do my trick now, and he would just go at me and spind move when I can't grab my one and was just hitting shots. I mean, the dude was on a mission. And when you run across a player, you know, like Jimmy Buckets now he's on a shot, was exactly and you can't stop and you can throw everybody at him, and then you know feel like, oh, we're gonna throw shot at him. He too quick for shit, bro.
He started doing hooks and runners on shot. I was like, I was like, the best, better try to get him on the other side of the floor, because you know, Tim wasn't that good off that off that right block. But it was like but he just with that year and then when he wasn't hitting, you know, everybody noticed about cold. If Cole don't respect you, he's not gonna really guard you. He wasn't really respecting Bruce Bowe. Next thing. No, I'm like, damn, Bruce had six threes in the corner,
all in the corner, and I was like, damn. It's like and then you get to a point, and then we go into San Antonio and I missed that damn shot which could have changed the whole outcome of everything. And once I missed that shot, it was like our whole team was like, damn, Rob missed. Basketball, must be we're gonna lose because it's over.
It's a video on tim face. Well Rob, the shot go in and come on, Tims just standing like this. It's like it could it would have been over that fast.
And it was so weird that, you know, And that's I think that's the most disgusted I've ever been, because I said to myself, I don't miss those fucking shots, man, I don't.
Miss right to him, like come on, man, I come on this again. I'm like, fuck me, man, But that ship went in.
Yeah, And it was just one of those things man, when you sit back and it creeps in your mind, it's like I don't supposed to miss the shot. Well, maybe it's not yet, the basketball guy saying it's their year, and you know, it happened. The next thing, you know, they went on win a championship and I get and then I'm out of the next year because I missed the shot. I'm out.
So yeah, you go to San Antonio. I was that leaving Legers And.
It was weird, man, because you think about all the battles we used to have with Sound. It was almost like a rivalry that wasn't talked about because you think about when Shaq made up a story abou him hating David Robinson and all that kind of stuff. But it was it was a rivalry and since then. I remember I went there and I had some people come up, men said you came here to sabotage your team. Then
you I'm like what you talking what? I'm like, No, this is why you come to santouriches Burg because I fit here and I had signed up. And it was weird because I was so pissed that the Lakers let me. I had one year left on my deal and they looked at me and like, well, you washed up. They literally thought I was washed up. They said, way because I only went I think I went with three for thirty six from three awful. But I said, you forget, there's a lot of miles on this body. We've been
to the finals three. I was fucking tired and I had no energy. And I was trying my best, but I didn't have any energy. I went back and looked at the fem of my shooting. You know, if you usually jumped like two inches to take a jump shot, I was shooting like an inch. It was just my legs were gone and so and then when I got to San Antonio, it was like I was I had that more time in the summer to recharge my battery.
And I had a bad year my first year in San Antonio and people were like, oh, you here to sabotage. So the next year, people don't notice. I signed a one year deal the following year in two thousand and five, because I knew that I was going to be better, because I was really energized. Now I sounded like a million dollar deal and people don't even know. It's like I could have went to because Shaq wanted me to come to Miami and play, and then they wanted me
to go to Dallas and play. Because you're the missing piece for us to win a championship. I said, no, I felt so bad that I had an awful first year in San Antonio, and I stayed and signed, you know, and then we wanted two thousand and five, we wanted you know, and then on a three year deal, and then I was out after that. But it was one of those things for me. You have pride as a player, and you you don't want anybody to view you as
you know, a bump in my mind. I was like saying, I think san Antonio was reviewing me as, oh he's washed up, he's a bomb, he can't do this right. And I was like, no, I got years left to me, I said, you, I don't think people understand. You know, by the time I got to Santonio, I had already won five championships. I was already playing more playoff games than anybody, and my body was just tired. And then and then from there own, you know, I had a
couple of good years. They'll won two more championships and then rolled off into the subset.
What goes on your mind when the ball rolled to you like that? And clausse like, I know you mad though, like you've always been at it even cool. You always cool, laid back, and I think that's why you've always been able to knock those shots down when the ball come to you.
But what, what, what's going on through your mind? You know, for me is absolutely nothing. And you think about we played this game because we love this game. You know, I know it's become a business. But when we started out, we played it because we loved it and turned into a business. Now kids, you know it's a business from day one with all the nils and you know, the followers and stuff like this. But for me, it's just the love of the game. Man, having big have that
ability to say, oh I kicked your ass. I knocked down this shot on you. And so for me, I don't think about anything because I know once I started thinking, that's when I started messing up. Because you tell so many people like you can go out and do a crazy dunk or something, and then you go into practice of man, do that dunk again. You can't do it because you got to think about it. But you can do it when you don't think. And that's how basketball
players are. My best games when I'm not thinking, I'm just playing and reacting. So I never think man.
Right your seventh ring, y'all sweep Lebron in the finals.
What was Lebron like then? Lebron? Lebron wasn't a jump shooter or the knockdown three. You were more of a drive guy. Get by your big body, jump over you. And that whole game plan was like, we're gonna double team every time he come up with pick and roll, We're gonna double team him. And then it's almost like the water board because if you had Mike Brown over there on the other side, every play they ran with our players in San Antonio, I'm like, dude, what are
you doing. You can't run flopping down that's our play, floppyside, that's our you can't run that. He ran almost every play that San Antonio ran, and we looked like THEMN this is gonna be the easiest scout and that's all we did. That's why I was able to sweep them, man and so and then that's when you know, I think Goskins was trying to be a fucking three point shooter. He didn't want to go to the pain. You know, you an All Star now all of a sudden, you
play against Tim you want to shoot threes. And you can't shoot threes. And it was just, it was just it was just one of the easiest championships to win, man because it was ready. They wasn't ready. Lebron was still young, double team Lebron. Who else? Who else is gonna score on that team? Coach exactly. I want to take you back to the year before against Detroit. You mean, everyone raves about the King's Lakers shot, but the shot you hit is a game five Uh yeah, game five?
That shot? Uh yeah, it was I tell people all the time. You know, when you're playing in San Antonio system, we got sixty thousand plays. I've never been on a team with more plays than Pop on the run three. Yeah, but you're always going through that it's gonna be a pick and roll. And for me, I remember going in at halftime of that game and I was like zero
for six. I was older, and I'm just talking to myself because I've always talked to myself when I'm fucking up, and like because I think, you know, you can say what you want to say, but you can't motivate me like me, I know what button's are pushing myself. And I remember Bruce looking at me like like, oh shit, did dude crazy? So I come out and have a good half. And what pissed me off more is like Pop didn't run, not one fucking play for me. If you go back and look at every shot I took,
it was either fourth shot I created. So I'm not a creator and that's not me. I'm a spot up shooter, you know, slash or dunker. But I'm having to fucking take my own shots because you've never ran to play for me. And so I'm knocking on these shots and then at the end of the game, he's like, Okay, the play was ran for Manu. It wasn't even play
for me. I'm in bounding the ball and Rashid bit and it was like cause it's almost like me saying, Okay, I'm gonna throw this at Rashid to kind of make him do this and go with the p So I bounced past, which I hate fucking bounce past it. I don't bounce pass unless I really have to. I throw the bounced past the Mono and he kind of bites. As soon as Mono comes back up. I'm shooting this bitch because I'm hotter than fish grease, and so I shoot it and then after I ain't realize that tay
Shaun Prince almost blocked that shit right there. He almost blocked it. So for me, it was just one of those games, man, where you get hot and you just want it all the time. You want to rot. But that fucking Detroit team was a fucking beast. Man. When you talking about four all stars on one team, they played together. Man, they played great defense. It was that
was a tough series. But I will tell you after we won Game five, I feel like it was like basketball guy, I said, or it's meant to be dude, you just had one of your best games ever in the playoff game. You know, you scored more points in the second happening you probably scored in any game. And it was just for me, it was a great moment. Especially do it on the road. You know, it's nothing like setting crowds up. I have I only have three pictures in my house and this is one of the
pictures I have, me making a shot. And the funny thing is just to look at the reaction of the crowd because everybody knows that shit going in. You know, you got one kid like this, he knows everybody else like this. Right here. So it's just funny when you the pictures you see and you point out stuff and it's just it's just a great plaint And then you know, and also I got in the corner. Is my dad who's watching. He's like he has that smile and feel like going yeah, so yeah, it's just good.
The Detroit Pistons, the best thing that happened to them was me and Wrong getting suspended.
They wouldn't have had a chance that we beat that ass that happened.
Also lesson what do you think about the number one pick and Spurs have a number one pick.
I think it's gonna be good for the organization because they used to dealing with the Frenchman. You know, I deal with with Tony and I think you know, everybody's thinking. I had so many of my friends from San Antonio take like we're back. I'm like, no, you're not. I said, don't put that pressure on that kid. That kid needs, you know, he's gonna need for the guys to be able to play with and you're gonna get time to
learn the system. I think it's just gonna be be one of those things where he's gonna be like a Dirk Newhisky. Think about when Dirk Nwisi's first got in the league. Everybody was like, oh, he's a bus next thing. You know, he's one of the best players. It took him some time to learn the game. He had to learn the strength of the NBA and the speed of the NBA. You know, people said, well, he's been playing professional since fifteen. It's not like he's Luca where he's
a big body. He can take that beating. I think he's gonna take him a while to take it like Janni's. It took Jannis a while to take that beating. Yeah, because your body has to mature and you had to get to that point where you become a man. Because he's still he's still a young man. He hasn't lost a young part. He has to become a man to play in this league. And I think everybody's comparing him the next great thing to Lebron. I'm like, dude, don't
do that to him. Lebron is a unicorn for real, He's an alien, So stop comparing it.
As far as organization, family, auridented what he's being taught right, the right way and how to be a professional profession.
That's the best place to be, best place, best place to be. That's the one thing I will say about him. I remember when my daughter was sick and my last year in San Antonio, and she went in the hospital and Pop was like, don't come back until she's out of hospital. I said, what I said, don't come back. I don't care if she's feeling good. Don't come back till she's out of the hospital. I mean, she got out a hospital on a Monday. I was back at
practice on the winds. He's like, what are you doing here? I said, he said, don't come back. I said, she's not out of it. Who was yet? Go home? Don't come back. I'm like, are you trying to get rid of me on the slide? Like no, I said. You know, family is the most important thing to him. That's the one thing that you know. You know, you have to give it up to the pop in the San Antonio Spurgs organization. They know basketball is a business and it's how we know I live our lives. But that's not
the most important thing. Your family is the most important thing. And for me, I'm really grateful for that because you know, two years later I lost my daughter. But it's just one of those times that you you know, you can't get those times back. You got to spend that time with your loved ones while you can't.
Pop Pop is big. I got his story because I want to give Pop as props I had. We was in Chicago and uh I was on the way of the game and at the time, my wife had just miscarried and uh I was on my way to the game, but I wanted to go play and Pop sent me I'm talking about.
I was in lockerroom getting dressed.
He made me put my clothes on and sent me back to the hotel and made me stay at the hotel for two days just to.
Get my mind right.
He didn't care about none of that ship and it was it was around getting ready to go into the playoff time.
You know what I'm saying. But that's that's one thing I loved about Pop.
They could say what he wanted as a coach and how the things he say, but he always put family before basketball.
That's that's that's the big up to him because he was you know he and after that he would always ask me, how's your daughter? How's your daughter? So it's that's that's important to me. Man, because you know, we love playing basketball, and it's a business and we can make a ship ton of money at it. But at the end of the day, when all that's gone, all we have is our family and I loved ones, you know, and it's it's it's just a beautiful thing when you
can have a coach to make you do that. Yeah, I care that much.
Yeah, seven championships. Other than great players and coaches, what's the most important thing you feel like a team needs to have to win it all?
You gotta like each other, you know, you gotta like each other man. And I think I've never played it like we would all go to dinners. I think when even when we was with the with the Lakers, we weren't really a cohesive group. And Phil took us one time. Phil said, all right, nobody make any plans. We all getting on the bus because you know, when we make plays on the road, you get to the hotel. We got limos. We all in a limo. Were gone, he said, nobody make plans. He made us all go to a
comedy club. We went in through the back door. It's probably like this, and we're like, what the fuck were at? Right? And then this is time. It's the first time I ever seen Fluffy. What's his name? What's the guy that he plays. He's the comedian Fluffy, Yeah, Gabriel and Glass. He was funny as ship. We all laugh. And then from that moment on, we started doing a lot more things as a team. And it's amazing how we would come. Oh yeah, we friends were good, but we wasn't that close. And
from that moment on we became closer. And there's little things like that. I know, when I was in Houston, eight of us would go to dinner. You know, Dream wouldn't go to dinner, but everybody else from the team would go to dinner. And when I got to the Spurs, we would all go to dinner, and it was just one of those things that you do as a family. I remember the thing. The funny thing about the Spurs was ten when all ten went out and bottles, all those little game boys or whatever it was, and he
made all play poker. We'll all play poker on the plane. Everybody had you know, those those those names, and you know you had to put the hundred dollars in the pot, and everybody was like playing, like who wins? You get the money? And so it's just little things like that you do as a team, and it would and that's one of the things as the championship teams. You gotta like one another. You got don't want to play hard. You know. You think we always say we will aband
the brothers. If someone smacks your brother, you're gonna smack them back, right, And so you got to get that love for one another. And if you don't have I love, if someone smacks you and you don want smack him back, that that's no love. That's no love right there. And you got it. You gotta have it, you know. And I know one thing that we did all have in common is we didn't never help anybody up from another team. I don't give a damn it was. You know, I
even told mc dice were playing like Elbow. You don't be mad at me after this week, go out have dinner. But on his court, you my fucking enemy.
Oh, I'm gonna put you on the spot. Okay, best team you ever played on it had to be the Lakers team.
Uh. You know, you think we only lost one fucking game to play sixteen and one man, that team was freaking good, you know, San Antonio game that seemed. Two thousand and five was pretty good too. But I just think the way Shaq and Kobe was playing, the way Rick was playing. People don't talk about Rick's defense. Rick could places man from defense, you know, they looking at all. He's a pretty motherfucker can't play, but he was a He had a nastiness about him, and nobody can think so.
All the time in for this dude, I'm still nothing, nothing alike.
But didn't take no ship exactly. That's the thing, man, you know, if you think about the way Shaq played in that series, he was pissed off he didn't win the MVP again, and he was just, man, he was so fucking domitt man. I think the average like what thirty five or thirty six doing that run something crazy? So and then Kobe was playing. Think about if Shock didn't play that good, Kobe was like averaging in twenty
eight something. It was fucking ridiculous how we were rolling, you know, you know, And that's you know, I talk about being pissed off when I missed that shot, But the second most ever been pissed off was when we lost Game one to to Philly. We were as a team, we were so fucking man. We never mentioned it about were trying to sweep everybody. We never mentioned it, but we knew if we did that, we've been considered the best team ever.
Chuck was frying, y'all. Then nothing y'all could do that guy. Chuck was frying, y'all. Chuck was one, you know.
But you know, if you go back and look at that game, people don't know. It was a key moment in that game, the reason we lost it. I'm running down the court and you know how you run and you try to jump over somebody, you kind of push him out the side. Dick Baveda calls a foul on me. The Kemmy goes and shoots the two free throws, sends us in the overtime and we lose that game. Who shout the pre throws the kemby he hit both of them. Yeah, and so it's that moment right there where you know
they don't get us wrong. A I was doing his thing. But still though we should have won that game because it was like it was almost like the NBA knew. It's like, oh, these dudes to fucking good. We gotta get away yet. But yeah, but it was it was it was so disappointed as a team. It's almost like the next practice field that had to say ship to us. He saw how pissed off we were. He probably I go home because he knew he ain't got to coach no more, because he knew we were so motivated to
come out and kick ass up that space thing. Think about that, out of all the players that you've ever seen in the league, what two players you would never want to make bad? Kobe and Shaton. You think about that, you can make it, say you make it like now you make Lebron man. He still doesn't play like a shock. You know, you make Gianni's man, he still didn't play like a Kobe. It's the difference when you got two dominant guys take your heart, you know, and and knock your gass out to you.
You know, yeah, another tough one. Best player you said obviously Dream was the best center. Was he the best player? To best player you ever played with?
You know? It's it's this is so hard because if you look at it as a big it's dream. You look at it from a guard standpoint, it's cod and not not knock anything off Clyde because people sometimes forget about Clyde. Clyde was so Clyde. We'll go to practice, Clyde like reading the paper, don't even warm up, and all of a sudden, all right, were running lines. That motherfuckert running all of us. He was such a great athlete.
But you know, Cob was was. I think for me, COB's drive to be the best, his his work ethic, to be in the gym working on what he could not do. I've played with a lot of great players, and I've seen players who go to practice and they work on shit they're good at, or they're great at. Not Cob cobD said, all right, got that, I'm great at that. I'm gonna work on this. Now I'm great
at that. I'm putting this, I'm working on this. And you can't get a lot of guys to do that because they, I don't know, if they don't have the hard they don't have the time, they don't have the drive. But for me, I you know, Kobe is as far as his drive and his work ethic was just above and beyond everybody. And you know, you can hear people talk about it, but when you see it, and it's always weird when you hear people talk about it. Who never saw it? You know you you know you saw it.
You go to practice and you're like, he ain't gonna hein't gonna beat me today in practice he already does iced up because they already been sweating. And so it's it's just to me. Clyde was good, Dream was good. Many was a hell of an athlete. But I think if I have to push picks on, it's gonna be cold.
Out of the seven rings, which one do you identify or do you have a favorite?
Ninety five is my favorite? Man first one jam going down because yeah, you know, people, people don't realize the run we had to make, the teams we had to be you know, Carl Malong, John Stock and you know Kevin Johnson people don't ever talk about was a fucking beast. Kevin Johnson, and then Charles Barker and Dennis Robin. Then you know, uh, David Robinson who got m VP that year, and then we don't beat Penny and shock them. So
that run was amazing. And and to be a sixth seed and not have home court advantage, it's something special. Now we we just swept everybody that'll have been number one. But because of the journey and being a sixth seed, not having home court advantage.
Popping around and they y'all had one. That's the y'all want to State championship. It was going down.
Yeah, just be jumping Thursday, Papado's Thursday boy, the best place.
To be, all right, man, Well, quick hitters, first thing to come to mind. We're almost finished here, let us know, okay, And I'm glad we get to ask you this question because you saw all three m J, Cob Lebron.
Where they are in your opinion? I think MJ is one, Cob is two, and Lebron is three. Because someone agrees with me. You know, I tell people that I don't think m J had a flaw in his game. You say what you know, people said, well, he didn't shoot threes. He could shoot threes when he wanted to shoot threes. Didn't need to shoot threes because you can't stop him going to the whole of pulling up on the j you know. And the Cob was the same way. You know.
And I think Lebron is a fucking great player. You know, so when you say this, people would think, oh, you smacking Lebron the face. No, No, I'm not doing He's still He's still one C. You know, Kobe's one B and this mics just his first, you know. And I know the body work that all these guys are put in. But I just think when you if you say, is there a flaw in Lebron's game? Yes, was there a flaw in COB's game? He couldn't play post defense? And people don't you know, if I say this, people like
that's why Bonds killed it. Yeah, I see people get mad at me saying it. It's like, let's be honest, it's washing that co Cob. The way he used to play was like this. It's like, you can't play a player like this. You got to have contact. It's so many things like yeah, it's just so many things you
talk about. And so that's why, to me, that's how you set it up, because you know those other guys got that beat, the cheap little one, little beat, the ching and if you're gonna, you know, Michael manage everything like we do in this world. Now, that's why you put m J first. And he got more rings and
all of them fat. But the album you can listen to those skips, man, it's gonna sound Painting for Man, Payingful because that was my senior year in high school and that's all I used to so Paiding For was my number one. So it's funny. I was just I listened to that. Now, you know, you have kids and you compare your rap to their rap, and it's like, man, look this is the best rap album ever, right, And I showed like Paiding For, Like what who's rocky rock is?
I'm like, so it's just funny, man, But it's just fun uh. Top five Power fours of all time? Top five I'm saying Tim Duncan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, uh, Kevin Garnet. And then it's Rashee Wallace. I think, you know, people don't understand how good Rashid was, you know, and his ability to shoot threes host up. You know, she had that funny backup he did to do like this, and then he shot it like Bill caught right from up here. You could never block it, but it was
It's a lot of hell of power for us. Man. You know, well, yeah, you called him next day. I put well up on there. You know, you take grab Mama on there. Larry Johnson. Yeah, you so many people you can put on that list, man, But you know, damn forgot about Larry Johnson. Yeah yeah, if it's back, would have never went out. Man. Who's telling? You know? And I can't. You know, people are saying, what about guys like Kevin McHale. I didn't play against Kevin Kelson.
I don't know about him, you know, so I can only go all the guys I played against, and I see, you know, it's just list. Yeah. Charles Barker was just you know, he doesn't get enough credit for how he was only what six for six, five monster, just beasting everybody with the side off the court, throwing mothers, the windows, glass, played doors. Who's the best basketball player in the world right now? Uh, the way Jimmy Butler's playing Jimmy Butler. But no, it's to me. I have to give it
to the Greek freak man. I And that's the only reason I say that. You know, if you can get this a D you playing right now, I would say a D. But it's not a consistent basis. And you know, if you look at the way the Greek freak plays, you know, even though he has his flaws where he can't shoot free throws, I just like how hard he plays each game, and his motor and his drive and his ability to get to the whole even though it's traveled three fourths at the time. To me, I just
I just like the way that God plays man. You know, you know, people want to say Luca, they want to say Steph. But I just think to me, I look at if you do it on both ends of the floor. I don't give a shit if you know, if you go twelve for twenty one game, but if you play hard, I'm cool with that. I would say, can you imagine a d with Jannis's motor? It would be it would be unfair, It'd be fucking untrue.
Code Yeah, best Robert Orry name dropping a song. Uh So they were looking up to cut you over. They were looking at her. They said it was like a Wiklipedia page. They had the light scroll. They didn't realize how many songs you.
Hey, I'm bringing so many damn songs. I remember We're at a light and this dude just pulls up next to us and we just happened to have the windows down. We was in Pencil Colda, Florida, and the dude was playing Kevin Gates and Kevin Gates named my name and the dude it's a white guy in a challenge of bopping his head. And I'm sitting in the car. My wife is my ex wife is driving, and so we're sitting in the car and the Robert or he's like and he looks at me like like I could have
been Robert. But you know, but my current wife hates this song. I love this son, and don't you open up that windows? Yeah Scott, Travis Scott three yeah, three t yeah. And my wife every time she has says this something you can tell me. This thing is. I met Travis Scott once said you know, he's a He was a huge Rockets fan still to this day. And I met him. I almost wanted to say, man, why'd you put me in that song? And what you mean
by three p three holes the other week? Man? But it's just it's just fun, man, when you hear like guys like I remember we were playing New Orleans and I ran up to Lil Wayne. I said, dude, I'm honored, man, you know who I am. And he looked like, dude, man, I love your game. And so for me, when I hear my names in these songs and I think my kids are more proud of it than I am because they get to play it and they talked about it. And it's like Mike, Mike middle Son is the one.
He's always you know, he's in the music deeply. He sings and all this kind So he sends me every time a song comes out. He be an artist I've never heard of. Dad. I hear your name again, he sends it to me. So yeah, yeah, Wayne last night, you know you did twelve hours ago, y'all.
We didn't get out here till midnight last night.
If you could see one guests on our show, who would it be? But you have to help us get your answer on the show. You know, I'm a huge Ludicris fan.
We just have yes yesterday yesterday. That's crazy. I think Southern. You know, I'm a since some group and I love the Southern rap from Atlanta down to the bottom. You know, one guess I think? You know. I'm sure y'all had Snoop in here. So, uh, you know who to me has been missing is I would love to have Uncle Luke in here. Oh yeah, now we need we need to have Uncle. You gotta have Uncle. I talked to him a few times we need to have we'll go
to Uncle No. I think we need to go because I remember the first time ever met him was through Vernon Maxwell, and of course we had to roll up in the rolex, but it was it was it was just amazing to meet him and then and that's one thing about basketball, you allowed to meet all these people. My first the first celebrity I ever met was mc hammer and this is when he was at the height. We watched. He invited us over on New Year's to watch the Alabama Miami game because me and Ernon had
had a thousand dollars bed on that that. You know. I was like, I ain't got a thousand dollars yet, do but I bet this and Alabama actually won that game, so I was like yes, yeah. So it was it was like people like that man to be able to just sit down and talk to them and have them be fans of yours. And I remember I was standing outside of the restaurant one time and Denzel walks up me and starts talking to me like, man, y'all gonna
win this tea this year. I'm like, you know, all you can think about is Zel talking to me, you know, It's just amazing that they are fans of ours as we are fans of theirs.
You know, absolutely well, Man, we wanted to thank you first before we give you your merch real quick. Got some all the smoke merch right, smoke that store by the store just outside of that. Man, just really kind of want to give your flowers.
Man.
I think your greatness sometimes is overshadowed and just limited to shots. But you were too competitor or monster on both ends.
Man. We just want to let you know we appreciate you. Man, and I'm glad.
I ran into them at the airport like well, like a month and a half. I was like, when are you gonna come on? Because we see each other a lot. I'm like, we're gonna come on, Sho.
I didn't think my name was big enough to be on the show, like I was the B team man, trying to make Man, let me say something first. Man. You know, you know I had my podcast, but I did my podcast because of you two guys, because you know, your realness is what's important to me. And I really appreciate your realness. The way y'all talk about people, and y'all just keep it real. You speak from the heart. You know, you can have disagreements with people, but you said, Okay,
that's what's great about this cunt. You can have different people remains. Yeah, I just said, man, thanks for having me on. I appreciate man, and I wish y'all nothing but the best, man, because you too, Desert Man, appreciate it too. Of the greatest competitors I've ever seen in the court, especially you man. People understand Man. You know, watching this dude in high school come hang out with Sam. Who's this dude. Oh he's gonna be pretty good, huh. And just you can see his drive Man back then,
that he wanted to be in it. That's all you talked about. How do I get to lead? I think you remember that I do. I do, not just Phoenix in Houston to and Funday.
Yeah. Is that when you used to be able to stand your pants up and starts when you yeah real starts.
Your pants back then? Yeah, exactly, that was the Texas thing. That was the thing, Rob Man.
We appreciate you, Thank you, thank you for your time.
That's a wrap.
Seven time Champ Robert or all the smoke on Showtime Basketball YouTube and the iHeart Platform.
Black Effects see you next week. Yeah.