Charges. That's created by Portalais and Control Media. It's produced by dB Podcasts in association with I Heart Radio. This time a former Son's player who you might remember as t Rex. More video in just a moment, but this is Rex Chapman's mug shot and we are learning a lot more about the charge of the Charge. Matt. I've seen the tapes. What happened to you in Manhattan? Be hard to believe that race doesn't play into that. Man,
same cop pulls me over, runs my ship again. I'm just like you pull me over twice in the last two weeks, Like what are you running? A lot of the players that consume cannabis and I have to worry about getting drugs And I know, man, Matt had a lot to do with that. Bro. You know how I feel about my kids and you're in my house playing dad and you don't tell me. Where does the Kwamie Brown situation fall into that category for you? You've got some real ship today, Rex, Welcome back to Charges. I'm
your host, Rex Chapman. This is episode ten, and I want to thank you from the bottom room by Heart for listening. We're halfway through season one and are so excited for what is in store for you all. We'd like to ask that you take a moment to rate, review, and share your favorite episodes with all those in your world that you think would enjoy our show. Encouraging them to subscribe goes a long way. Today we continue our
two part conversation with Matt Barnes and Steven Jackson. In part one, we went hard to the rack at Steven's tribulations on and off the court, and we'll get back to his story shortly. In part two, we will be putting the spotlight to start on Mr Barnes. As you can tell from part one, Matt is highly engaging and intelligent. Even Stevie refers to him as the brains of their unit.
Matt is very savvy and medium minded now, but he had to learn the hard way just how when he was approached by the tempting world of reality television for he and his family, his instincts said no. But when the big fellow Shaquille O'Neil puts the battery in your back, it's a yes. In April of season one of the broadcasting behemoth, Basketball Wives was born to the airwaves. The drama that ensued on camera and in the headlines is
where we begin. This is charged, Matt. You went all the way out there and put you in your family in the limelight with reality TV, and I know you said in other interviews that it portrays people in a certain way and maybe even leans into stereotypes. Who, in your opinion, has the responsibility to stop that? Is that you? Is that the producers is at the network? I think it's us um because people love drama, drama sales. You know. My whole situation was it actually started in Phoenix. I'll
take you down a brief road. So Shack and I were teammates at the time, and uh man, I'm fresh off having newborn twins in and on a new team in Phoenix, probably been with my girl a little bit over a year, and she comes to me like, Hey, Shanny O'Neill wants to do a reality show about women kind of behind the scenes running their household, being moms. You know, our charitable contributions. This isn't that. And I'm just like TV New Kids, New Team. I just don't
think so, you know. So we're backing forth for maybe a few weeks, and I'm standing firm on no until Shaq hits me one day and just like, hey man, you need to let you know, let's let's think about this is gonna be a good show to be good for him and to get him out of our hair, and it'll be this, this and that. Mike, you sure a big fellow. He's like, come on, man, you know I got my hands on this. We're gonna be straight. So from that, Basketball Wives was born, and that was
some motherfucking bullshit. Uh, But at the same time, it also it also showed me another side of kind of in what I'm excelling in now is production and content creation because I was behind the scenes kind of seeing how you know. One thing about reality TV is is people who watch it think that ship is real. They don't know that everything is scripted in stage. What they'll do is they'll create chaos and then they'll show your real reaction within the chaos. But the chaos could be
made up. Um, so people really live and die by the stuff and the end the ship is not real. So although it was a negative depiction, I feel like a black people in basketball wise, and even all the reality shows, whether it's black or white. I just think people have to understand the negativity sales, But at the end of the day, people are willing to do whatever it takes to be famous. Right now, people care more about fame than they do about respect, dignity, morals, anything
like fame, the price of fame. Fame is probably the most addicting drug we have in this world, you know. So although there were some negative things that came from it, I always try to find a positive lining in it. And like I said, it was being behind the scenes, Like, look at this bullshit they're creating, Like, imagine if I had the opportunity just be in this space and create
something positive, some you know, tell real stories. So that's kind of what got me um thinking early on that how I want to be able to tell stories at some point, and that's what I'm doing now. So but at the same time, another positive was, you know, although I was a role player and a journeyman, doing reality TV flipped me. Now I wouldn't say Hollywood because reality TV is not Hollywood, but it kind of put me
in a different space as well. So now I have a whole new group of eyeballs of people that may have not have known me because of basketball being because they're not fans or I wasn't a huge star, but know me now because they saw my ex wife and
now on this reality thing. So again, there was some positives from it as far as just kind of like opening up and being in different spaces and and being in that production space now and then kind of wanting to create positivity out of the negativity that I saw. But unfortunately, you know, they say things coming ways, but I don't think the reality TV wave is go anywhere because we live in a time where people love drama negativity. You know, you look at social media. Unfortunately now it's
it's similar to the news. It's a bunch of negativity. It's a bunch of people talking bad who are insecure about themselves, who want to protect their negativity on other people. So negativity will always win and sell. And I think it's upon us to really kind of step back and
say like, hey, there has to be another way. But then again, I can say that because I played in the b A and was able to save some money and made some smart moves now and I don't need anything like that, So I'm never gonna tell someone like, don't take your chance, because there have been some people who step in the reality space and flip that into a real brand in a business, and you know, are
making money right now. So to each his own, I just wish that there was a way to create more positive messaging we're putting out there, because not only are we looking stupid, but we're we have the next generation thinking like, okay, this is you know. I remember one time, I think while still playing, I was talking to a bunch of school kids. I was talking to a school and you know, talking about what kids want to be, and two little girls told me we want to be
reality TV stars. And I'm like, not actresses or you know, like not the next step. They what they said, reality TV stars on this ship, like we're showing this next generation like this is the route, this is the direction to go. Which is sad because you always kind of have to be aware of what you're putting out there. So you know, there was there was a few positives I think more negative than anything, But like I said, I'm never gonna take food out of someone's mouth and
tone what they should and shouldn't do. I just wish there was a way for us to eate more positive content to put out there because our kids are always watching yeah. It seems Barnes had forgotten to appear in court for a traffic violation, driving with a suspended license. The Manhattan Beach Police Department hadn't forgotten, though, and when an officer spotted Barnes and pulled him over, he wasn't happy or cooperative. In fact, the officer called from back
up when Barnes allegedly made a verbal threat. Barnes was jailed and Sarshan paul Ford said, this matter us and through yet. Yeah, but I'm with him, so I said I need to know. Great, So what do you need to step over here? So? What can we get when you get at it? Right? Yeah? You don't know this, MONI fum anyway, I do, okay, I unders camera? What's just get him? Matt. I've seen the tapes. What happened to you in Manhattan Beach? Hard to believe that race
doesn't play into that. Man, What do you remember about that day and what do you wish went differently? It was unfortunate, man, because everyone saw on YouTube what happened that final day, but they don't know that was like six weeks and this one cop fucking with me. This one cop pulled me over four times in six weeks. I was playing with the Lakers at the time. We're in the playoffs. I remember when I was injury too.
I just sprained my ankle. So I'm driving from the facility and Elsa Gundo to my crib in Manhattan Beach and in the first time, this cop pulls me over. So I'm you know again, I'm fresh out of practice, so I'm still a little hot. So I'm driving home all black escalade, windows down though, no shirt on, so you know, obviously I'm fully tatted. So I see a cop get behind me, then pull up next to me and stare at me and then take off. So I'm like, okay,
let dude's trying to funk when but he's gone. And then like another light or two, I see a cop driving slow. I'm like, damn, is that that same cop? And sure enough it was. So this cop went from being in the same lane as me to getting back to the outside lane slowing way down. So I got ahead of him, and then he got behind me and pulled me over. Like what the funk This cop just
did all that? And he ends up pulling me over because I don't have a front license plate, so I asked him, like you literally like this kind of bis being going on for almost five minutes, Like you literally followed me all this way, stared at me, got ahead of me, stopped, got behind me and pulling me over because of a front license plate, like you gotta follow the rules, blah blah blah whatever. So he gives me a fixed ticket or a warning. I don't know what the funk you gave me. I go on my way.
Maybe a few days later, same cop, after practice again pulls me over. I was like, what are you doing? What? I was like, what am I doing? This time? Same fucking guy, your windows in the front or two tenant? So I smiled at him like all right, bro, And he starts to try to peel my my thing off and I hit his hand aways like are you touching me? I'm like, man, you don't have to just give me my my fix it ticket. Don't fucking put your hands on my windows and trying to peel my tin off,
Like you better watch your attitude. I'm like, all right, sir. So it gives me my ticket. I move on. So then this is uh, the third time he pulls me over. We had just got back from Okay, see and again. Like I said, I'm playing with the sprained ankle. So I'm heavily ice both knees, iced, ankle, ice, shoulder iced. This guys, same cop pulls me over. Um runs my ship again. I'm just like, you know, what are you
running now? Like you just pull you pull me over twice in the last you know, two weeks, Like what are you running? Your registration is expired and I'm like, no, it's not. He's like, well, and my records it is. And I'm just like what, Like, it's not like you made a mistake, sir. He's like, get out of the car. I'm like I'm not getting out the car. He's like, you better get out of the car now. So he opens my door. I get out of the car. I go sit down on the thing. He's like, here, sit here,
I gotta go run some more stuff. So I'm sitting here just mad as a motherfucker on my phone's dead mad as a motherfucker. Next thing he knows, he's like, well you He's like, I need to impound your car because your registration is expired. I'm like, yeo, my fucking registration isn't expired. You're full of ship. So I get pissed. I'm just like, man, fuck you, fuck this and he's just he starting no, I mean, goes sit back in this car. He's like, I don't know why you're still
sitting here. You they need to call someone or walk. I'm like, this, motherfucker, so again, I told you my phone was dead. So I walk maybe a mile and a half and flip flops, ice bags on my knee, I s on my ankle, ice on my shoulder the day of a fucking playoff game back to my house. So I'm mad as a motherfucker, like I wanted to whoop this dude's ass so bad. So fast forward to
the end of the season. My ex wife and I are in Manhattan Beach, and if you're familiar with Manhattan Beach, you can park down by the beach and then you walk up the hill to the restaurant. So we'd parked down there. I went up in eight walking back, and you know, obviously when you play for the Lakers you're in Manhattan Beach, you know they treat everyone rest in
peace like there Kobe like. So I had swarms of people pictures walking with me, talking with me, talking Lakers ship so next thing, I know, we kind of get down to the bottom of the hill and you know, there's like and so there's a parking lot, and then there's the alley and then there's the first set of bars and restaurants. So there's a cop in the alley park right next to the bar to a bar and he says, Barnes, come here, and I remember heard that
fucking voice. I'm like, is this that cop? And I had the same escalator, so he must have saw my escalating the parking lot. It's like this, that same fucking cop. He calls me over. I look over. I'm like, Yo, what the fund is this dude doing? And my my ex the twins mom, she's a spark plug too. She's like, oh, what's this motherfucker wants? So she's already on one too.
So he's like come here and I So we kind of start walking over there and he tells me to this motherfucker tells me to come over here and sit down in the alley where people throw up p and I was like, I'm not doing you. Fuck you. So but I don't remember what the fourth time was for.
It was it was forcing more bullshit. So anyway, like, so when you start seeing people are obviously filming this now, So this dude's telling me to put my hands behind my back and come here, and I told him, you touch me, I'm gonna beat the ship out of you. So as soon as I said that, he like they had to be waiting on me. So he says something into his little shoulder piece, and I tell you, forty five seconds later, five cops come howling, the lights on noise.
So I'm I'm there talking to this cop like I was letting him have it, saying whatever to him because I was just frushed, Like I really felt like he was targeting me. So long story start, I end up getting arrested, I get right out, but so then I'm just like fucking I'm like, this dude was racially profiling bothered me because, come to find out, my registration wasn't suspended, everything was up to date. I didn't have no warrants, no nothing. He just dude was just fucking with me.
So I get a lawyer. We find out he's a new cop basically trying to make his name on the four. So I'm in the process of suing the Manhattan Beach Police because and then other people start telling you though, Manhattan Beach is anonymous for racially profile and all this kind of stuff. And then I remember our security at the Robert Laura, who was Kobe's head security, but kind of our our Laker team securities. Like, Matt, you got
a point, you probably got a case. But the last thing you want to do is sue a police department because then you're gonna become a target. So I'm like, uh, that makes a lot of sense. A long story short, this dude pulled me over, harassed me like four times within a six week span, just to kind of make
his name. But again, no one really gets to know the backstory, so people think, oh, he must be drunken man, hadn't beach getting arrested, And that's that's the typical Matt barn ship, not knowing that I hadn't even had no drinks. I was walking back from dinner with my wife and I was just being harassed by this punk ass cop. So it was sucked up amazing. Lebral was over Gloria go Van Star Basketball Wives l A. The v H one reality show for a Strange husband is Matt Barnes
of the Memphis Grizzly. Barnes reportedly went ballistic when he found that New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher was hanging out with his sexy ex wife at her California home. He jumped behind the wheel and drove. What followed was a violent confrontation the NBA and Adam Silver, suspending this man for two games. He raised his hands. I respect that he didn't go get a gun. He raised his
hands and defended his house. So, Matt, uh, while we're going down the shitty road, tell me about the day your face time by one of your twin sons, about a party going on into former home with one of our fraternity brothers. Former uh, one of your ex teammates being there with your ex wife. What was going on in your life and through your fucking mind at that time? So no, I've never really given the full story of
how that day happened. Um. So, I'm playing with the Memphis Grizzlies at the time, and we have training camp in Santa Barbara. So I went out to Memphis early and worked out with the team. So I hadn't been in l A for almost a month. So when we go back to Santa Barbara. I'm like, Ship, I'm gonna see if And at this time, my X and I were on good terms. We were just X. You know, we weren't together no more. So I'm like, shout, I'm gonna see if, you know, if she can bring the
twins down and stay the night. I'll get them a room so I could just hang out with them before I have to go back to Memphis. So the twins are maybe when it's just two thousand and fifteen, so the twins a like six or seven. So she ends up bringing them down. I get them a room. We're hanging out the whole day, and then training camps in Saturday, and Coach Yeager said, you know we have Sunday off.
I'm like, all right, Ship, well, coach, can I go back Saturday, spend the rest of Saturday in l A because we're only in Santa Barbis two hours away, and then I'll fly back to Memphis Monday or excuse me, Sunday evening, and I'll be back in time for practice Monday. I had no problem, so I end up leaving and I kind of think this is where Kanye said that I drove ninety miles because I was probably I was ninety miles away and in Santa Barbara, but I just
drove back to l A at the time. So we're driving back from Santa Barbara to l A. And like I said, G and I are cool. So it's no I'm driving her car back because obviously I didn't have a car out there. The twins are in the back. Everyone's kind of doing their own thing. We stop and get some food, so me and the twins go and get something, and then we're waiting in the car for
their mom to come back out. And it's her car, so she's on the phone when she walks out of the restaurant, and all of a sudden, the bluetooth in the car goes from the playing the Boys cartoon to her and Derek's conversation, and I hear some ship like I miss you, baby can wave teeth to come back out here. And I'm like and I'm like, yo, I know that motherfucking voice, Like whose voices that I know
that fucking voice? And so they keep talking. I said, she doesn't know that they're conversation that's taken over the stereo inside the car. So I'm sitting there and then once I hear I like, say something else and I heard him like, Yo, that's fucking Derek. So she gets in the car and I'm looking at her and her eyeballs just about to jump out of her head. I'm like, so she gets in the cars like are you talking
to Derek? And she froze. I'm like, Derek, if this is you, I'm gonna beat the funk out of you next time I see you. And then it goes click and then the boys moving and then the Boys cartoon comes back on. So for like the next hour, we still have like another hour in the drive. She stone cold doesn't say a word the whole entire drive, and I'm mad, but at the same time, I'm not gonna argue in front of the kids, so I kind of just holding in, like all right, we'll talk about this
another time. So we end up getting back. She drops me off of my crib, I say bye to the boys, and I'm just like, we'll talk later. It's like okay. So she ends up going home. The boys go home later that night. I probably get dropped off like around six, like later that night, like ten o'clock, one of the twins calls me. I'm thinking, like first all, it's ten o'clock. You're six years old? Seven years old? Why are you still awake? Calls me like, Dad, your friend Derek is here.
Just the first thing he says, car and I'm just like, Dad, your friend Derek is here. I'm like what. And then he kind of gets behind a pillow and hides his face like he's like, yeah, your friend Derek is over here, and like I'm like okay. I was like, well, where's your mom and your brother? And she's like, um, they went to the store. So I called the other twin because he always has his iPad with them. I'm like, hey, hey, Budy, what are you doing. He's like, oh, I just got
home with mom and Derek. But then I don't. He's like he says Derek and he's like, oh, maybe I shouldn't have said that. Looks up at his mom and I'm like, let me talk to your mom. She's like, I'm Matt, I have company. We can talk later. I was like, if you don't pick up this motherfucking iPad right now, and I think because I cussed, she obviously took the iPad from the boy. She goes in the garage.
I'm just like, so after we went through today, like you're trying to tell me you have my teammate over at my house right now, And she's like, well, I wanted to tell you, but today happened and I didn't get a chance to. I'm like, funk all that, you have my teammate at my house with my kids. And then she gets a little attitude and hangs up on me. So that's the worst thing you can do. So, like I said, keep in mind, like my whips are already in Memphis. I don't have no car. This is before
uber Lucky. I live with my homeboy. I have my homeboy, Steezy stand with me, and he has his little Bentley down in the garage and he's out of town. So I'm flipping my condo upside down to find these motherfucking keys for like thirty minutes. I finally calling Me's in Vegas. I can't hear in the first time. I'm like, yo, where your kids? He tells me the keys are. I go down there. I get in his car. As soon as I put in reverse, I realized one of the
tires is flat. I'm like, fun, I'm like, funk this, So I just put the hazard on, I let my joint and literally from Marina del Rey from my condo, I drove like three blocks with my hatch on smoking too dumb as fun, but I was so mad that I just needed to smoke to China. Chill for a second, three blocks, going like five miles an hour, go to the fucking gas station, pump the tire up, and go
over to my place. The altercation pursues. The funny part about the whole situation was he had one of the Lakers secure any guys with them that was a security for our team. So after everything is done for what, I don't know why. Yeah, yeah, I don't know. I don't know why, just in case I guess. But funny thing was I didn't even see dude until the very end because, like I said, it went from the backyard to the kitchen to the front room. Like I was on his ass, and every time I was on him
like a button, she had people over. Every time I was on them, they would break me up. So I'm like, next person to touch me, I'll give a funk who you are. You're catching it too, So then they finally let me get him the third time. When I finally got some good shots in and then they broke us up again, and all of a sudden, I feel like a strong hand on my shoulder and like turned around and the security is just like, Matt, I apologize, man, but I you know, I think you need to get
out of here because someone just called the cops. So I'm like, all right, So end up right, end up bouncing, and you know, they end up telling and flipping the story, and then the NBA gets involved and I take a suspension. So I mean it was a learning experience. Long story short. At the end of the day, you know, I had divorced her, we were passed, we weren't in love anymore. I just kind of felt like there was a different
way they could have handled that. You know, it's probably tough as a man telling your former team and like, yo, I'm holler than at your girl. But I would wouldn't have liked it, but I would have respected it, you know. But for me to have to find out the way I found out, I just felt, you know, I don't disrespect people. I'm all about respect, So I just felt
like the line of disrespect had been crossed. And keep it a hunter with you, motherfucker's died for a lot less, so he was lucky that there was a house full of people and it wasn't just HEARDing him over there, because it could have really got ugly. But fast forward, you know, we buried the hatchet. We spoke um. To me, it's about because they're still together. To me, it's about raising these twins the best we possibly can and co parenting. So now he and I are cool, on the same page.
We communicate and see each other when you know, when we're at events, and they've been to my house for the twins birthday, I've been to their place. So we were able to bury it. And when we finally buried, I just told him just like you know, Bro, I know it was probably tough, but I just didn't appreciate the way this went down. If you would have came to me as a man and told me what happened, I wouldn't have liked it, but I would have respected and we never would have had to go there. He
stood said his little piece. We shook hands and we've been cool ever since. But it'll be something that's kind of an infamy now because obviously Kanye rapped about it and everyone thinks he stole my chick like he started dating my ex wife. That's what it was. No when he didn't steal shipped from me. But you know, at the end of the day, it was again a learning experience I got in trouble for I had to pay for.
But again, when you get that stigma, this is Matt doing this kind of ship, not really knowing the whole. Because anyone, if you didn't do what I did, you're a sucker to me. If you're gonna let some ship like that slide, you're a sucker to me. So it wasn't me being mad. It was just me being a man like like I said, you would cross the line on a on a disrespectful front, and bothered that you would date max wife. But I'm not really tripping off that.
What I'm tripping off is you're in my house that I pay for with my kids, and you didn't tell that's what I told you, he said. If it was all the women in the world, all the women in the world, but even that, but even but even that, Jack, I wasn't really tripping off that because again, you know, we weren't in love and what we are. Ships had passed, we were done with that. So to me, I kind
of thought that was ill. But at the same time, what was funded up because everyone knows what kind of dad and how much my kids mean me so and he knew that. So what trimed me. I was like, Bro, you know how I feel about my kids and you're in my house playing dad and you don't tell me, Like, that's why this ship went where it went. But again, now we're cool, it's water under the bridge. But at the time, it was it was some ship that luckily just ended how it ended, because it could have ended
a lot worse. Yeah, you're a good man, Matt, and a big man. I'm look, we talked about a lot of stuff. We talked well, no, I'm with you, I'm with you. But you know, life is hard and life is messy, and you can you can. You can carry that hate and and anger around if you want. But what for And you got your two boys. It's growth man, And and then you're gonna help people talking about this. You know, we talked about mental health, we talked about weed. Now we talked about this. This is not a cool
thing for men to talk about. It's not fun, but thank you for talking about it. We've spoken about marijuana use in multiple episodes of Charges. Actually in my conversation with bondsi Wells. There currently is reckoning in the United States of America about the so called war on drugs. The legal cannabis industry expanding, with thirty three states in the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing cannabis in
some form. On the flip side within the last year, an estimated forty people are still incarcerated for marijuana offenses. There was a recent time in the NBA when testing positive for weed once would get you placed into treatment, a second violation would be a twenty five thousand dollar fine, and a third infraction would mean a five game suspension.
Now retired, Matt and Stephen are both part owners of two different marijuana companies, and it's no coincidence that their hip podcast is named All the Smoke, even though Stephen no longer partakes. For an athlete, especially cannabis can help
reduce pain, inflammation, soreness, and improved sleep. The NBA suspended testing for cannabis in the bubble and for the tw twenty one season, thanks in part to the advocacy of Steven Jackson and Matt Barnes being as open minded and available for opinions as Stephen and Matt are, especially on their own podcast platform. Sometimes the smoke can turn into fire. Let me preface the question by saying, I'm in favor
of weed. I use it to maintain How important was it to you both smoking weed and be at the crux of your brand that you're building. How important was it to you in your lives as players throughout your careers. I've been smoking as I was twelve, and Uh, I think the way the things that I was surrounded around in life, if I didn't smoke, I would have been in trouble way more easy. Smoking kept me away from
the streets and it kept me in the house. It kept me on the Xbox and PlayStation growing up, kept me playing basketball, doing things that I should have been done, and transport to the NBA. It helped me recover. It kept me focused. Doing the way that people talk to you, the way they judge you, the way they call you a thug, all the names they call you. Uh, when when you being situations where you know you're good enough to play and they're just not playing you because they
say it's the numbers game. You know, all that type of stuff you deal with as the NBA player, nor you deserve time and they're just not playing you because you're a young guy. All those things. I think cannabis helped me focus and helped me keep a level head during a lot of times I would explode it if I didn't. Transferred to now um, I own a piece of all over Al Harnson, you know, shout to Al Harnson, one of the biggest black owned cannabis brands in the country.
I think it's been great to be a part of what he has going on because he's changing people lives. He's showing black people how to create generational wealth. He's showing Black people how to create business and help their communities benefit from these businesses. A lot of things that Al is doing that I'm glad to be a part of. Even though I don't smoke cannabis no more, I'm still involved in the business because I know the benefits of it.
I know how it helps people. I know how if the world was smoking weed and not drinking alcohol, how much better this world would be. So I'm gonna continue to stand behind it. My mom takes it and it helps her, you know. The CVD and stuff like that, so and I might even I might even switch over
to the CBD. Uh. So it's a lot of business bits problem that I know now that I didn't know at twelve, and I'm happy to be an advocate for it and a lot of the players that today that can consume cannabis and I have to worry about getting drug test I know. Me and Matt had a lot to do with that. Agree, What about you, Matt? My journey wasn't you know my dad was a drug dealer, you know. I mean, so I saw everything under the moon. You know. I grew up in the eighties where cocaine
and party it was just the life. And I saw it at a young age. So I was never really into it because I always saw the bullshit effects. But I remember, you know, the one time my dad was chill would be at the end of the day when he was drinking his little Budweiser, smoking a joint and watching the game. That was the one time that like, dad was cool and he would laugh and we would wrestle sometimes. That was the only time I kind of felt like he was dad. So they also smoked cigarettes,
and I hated that smell. So I remember the smell of weed when I was younger. So fast forward fourteen years old, I steal some weed from him and tried it for the first time, and it hit me and it knocked me out, gave me a headache, but I wasn't a quitter. I tried it again and built a relationship with it. So you know, I smoked all through high school, all through c l A, and all through my career. And to me, it was an escape from
my childhood. It would allow me to focus, It allowed me to sleep, It allowed me to not at the time, help me recover, but I didn't know that, like I said, for at the time, it was helping me sleep, recover, focus, all this kind of stuff. So it was amazing. Fast forward twenty five years later, now that there's medical research backing up what I knew when I was a teenager, Now it's starting to become a little more socially accepted.
You know, before there was a stigma, stoner, loser, gateway drug, all this bullshit because there was so many stigmas built around it. But now that there' there's actually medical research backing up what we've been saying. Now you see the
progression in professional sports. So again as the last story, I just told you know, I could be on ESPN for having twenty points, but then on the same night beyond TMZ for some bullshit, you know, So to be able to block everything out and be able to just focus on our job because we don't get no passage. You know. I played the day after my mom died. I played as soon as I was then being suspended
for the Fisher fight, you know what I mean. So there's always gonna be outside noise, and people don't understand how important are mental Once you get to the NBA. It's not even percent mental. You know, everyone could do a little bit of everything with that athleticism, but you know how you're able to maintain it is your mental approach. So I need as Jack needed. I needed that to be able to stay focused, stay come, keep my ass in the house, keep my eyes out of the real,
real trouble, you know what I means. So I was someone who it was a real job doing it too, because there was a few times where I got caught, but I would still be smoking because I felt like I needed I wasn't had the football player mentality, So the only time I ever sat out of a game was when all suspended, or when I had knee surgery. When I played for the Lakers, like, I played through ankle sprains, broken fingers, ligaments, all this kind of ship. And I was a social drinker. I wasn't a pill
taker because they destroyed my stomach. So cannabis was always what I turned to. So I had to do a lot just to do it, just to smoke it, just to get by, because I realized every time I did it, I was risking possibly my job. So, you know, fast forward, you know, getting out of the space, I really wanted to become an advocate because while I was in the space, you know, I was in the drug program. Um one of the guys running the program. I just kind of asked, like, yo,
I know you probably can't tell me names. I don't want names, but I just want to know how many people are in here for cannabis. And he's like, there's over two hundred players in here for weed alone. And I'm like, damn, there's barely over four hundred people in the league, so you're trying to half half the league is in here for weed. And they're like He's like It's everyone from superstars to rookies, and I'm just like, damn.
It was like something has to be done. So that's why I said, as soon as I got done, I wanted to advocate for it because I didn't want people to have to We already have so much responsibility. I don't want to have to them to worry about dodging the drug tests be another responsibility. So myself, jack Al Harrington, you know, we took time to go sit down with Michelle Roberts in the NBA Players Association, sit down with
the NBA and tell our stories. And it's not only our stories now, but do your own research, because the research is out there now backing up what we've been saying is doing so as Jack mentioned, there's a lot of guys now that are able to medicate and consume without having to look over their shoulder. And I like to say that that we had a lot to do with that, because you know, we did it the whole time and risk our careers and other guys before us
did the same thing or risk there's careers. But you know, once we got out, we want to make it a point that we want to be the shield and the voice for those guys that I know need to medicate in the league, but you know we can't. We don't. We don't want them to get in trouble. So I've been a big advocate for it. Um a part owner of a brand called seven Leaves out of sacrament out of my hometown now and continuing to push the narrative of the educational, the beneficial side. I think everyone gets
caught up in the high side and it too. We don't do it to be high to be cool. We do it to medicate. We do it to help our bodies and help with our lifestyle. Is So I'm big on just education and benefits of it, kind of removing the stigma being high. Because there's so many ways you can take this plant, whether you you know, whether it's drops, pills, uh, tinctures, edibles, there's so many different ways. I feel like there's a part of a plan that could help everyone from children
to our grandparents. So I love again shout out to my brother Al Harrington and Viola for you know, being black in this business. UM. I'm big on the social equity side, trying to help people get in this space as well, because we were most the people most directly affected by the war on drugs, and now we're less
than four percent of the representation in this space. So not only am I an advocate, a believer, a lover, I also want to, you know, give people to look like me an opportunity to uh make some money in the space. Because we missed prohibition, we missed the gold rush, we can't miss this green rush. And again we were the group of people who were most directly affected by the war on drugs. We definitely need, you know, we
need our pie to eat too. On May six, former NBA player in two thousand one first overall pick Kwamie Brown, responded to conversations that were had on All the Smoke with his former Washington Wizard's teammate Gilbert Arenas and then in a separate episode with Lakers owner Genie Buss. Since leaving the league after a hard fought twelve year career, Kwamie has kept quiet, mostly out of the media spotlight.
He decided to turn the camera on himself and air his gauntlet of grievances for the world to see, focusing his ire mostly on Matt and Stephen. All the elements that can make a story go viral we're in play celebrity, controversy,
comedy and chaos. I'm gonna ask two questions at once, so just to try to conserve some time, I was gonna say, tell me about moments you both know, whether as a player on or off the court in your career, where you can honestly look in the mirror and say I fucked up and I need to say something and fix that. I mean, I know I did that. I'm sure you guys have done that. I say that to ask this question, where does the Kwamie Brown situation fall into that category for you? Well with me? Well with me,
I can answer that. That's the only reason I apologize. You know, when I talked to him, he did some low stuff. We try to put out conversation on Instagram and did all that. You see. I never responded like that, and I could. I could do the same thing and post a conversation, you know what I mean, But I didn't, and we both wanted a public apology. He didn't do it. The only reason I apologized is because I didn't want to be a part of something that has been done
twenty years to a brother. You know, we played together. That's the only reason I apologized. I didn't worry about nothing said Rex, because no authentic person in the world gonna believe in any of the personal stuff he said, because you can't prove it. Um. You can't assassinate my character, no type of way. So the only reason I apologized, even after he got personal, was because I don't want to be a part of the meeting another brother after
twenty years. We all have a pinion on basketball, Rex, We get paid for our opinions, and I'm gonna stick with my opinion, but at the same time be little as somebody. I didn't want to be a part of it, and I never want to be in that category, especially to somebody that I considered a teammate and a brother. So I apologized as a man. And what people don't know when you apologize, Rex, you're not apologizing for that person.
You apologize because you did wrong. And that's why I did. Um. My take on it was kind of an unfortunate situation. Not to really reiterate anything jex it, but obviously dudes been getting you know, been the butt of the jokes for a long time. But what pissed me off was I never personally said nothing about the dude. His name never came out of my mouth. I laughed at our nudge Jack at a joke the Jack said, and and that was the whole thing was it was a joke
about his performance. Never a man, never Kwamie Brown, the person, the father, the businessman, because I don't know nothing about that. I don't even know the dude. I laughed at a little a snide remark he made. And then somehow, you know, he wants to start taking personal shots, so he kind of figured, you know, hey, these motherfucker's got a platform a lot going for let me let me take this.
But before ship really hit the fan. What people don't know is I don't know him, never met him, never shook hands, never had a word with him, although we played against each other, just I don't know homie. So I hit him on the d m s trying to get his number, like because once he first started talking about Jack and Gil, I hit dude up on the
d m's like, yo, bro, hollad me. You don't see if we can squash this before because there's definitely a misunderstanding that's not we're about where if you watch our show, all we ever do is try to big people up and support people and be positive. So he looks at that, ignores it, and then starts on the personal attacks. And I to be honest with you, I didn't listen to it because I know where I'm at. Jack is saved and he's Muslim, and he's trying to tell over a
new leaf. But that's not who I am, you know. To me, I'm with it. But at the same time, I'm forty one years old now a father, and not that Jack isn't. But like I said, Jack has turned on a new leaf. I'm not in that space in my life. You know. I don't do well with disrespect, so I'm but I'm in a new space. I'm a forty one year old father, you know, just signed a new deal with Showtimes, and I'm a producing star in
my own fucking TV show on Showtime, you know. I mean, I'm signing deals left and right of me and bringing me and Jack new revenue streams all the time. So I had to take a step back, like, Okay, this dude is disrespecting. What are you gonna do about it? You know? And it got really close to getting ugly, and but at the end of the day, again I
said what I had to say on social media. I never addressed the man personally or laugh or said anything until he was negative with my family because, like I said, I don't play that. I invited him on the show, told him we have to box before, during, and after then shake hands just to have this conversation. I'm willing to do that because you have a story that needs to be told. And he can make jokes and laugh, but a lot of it was derived from pain. The
man was hurting. Again, that's that would be tough to be the butt of the jokes for twenty plus years against the first pig. It would be right. It's just right. And and like you said, I mean, there's no mystery my life. My fucking career was a grind. So I'm never gonna put no one else's grind down because I know how to. I wasn't an all star, I wasn't the first round pick. I had to cratch scratching Claude for fourteen years. So it's not even in my character
to go out there and and negul the attack. And it's not in Jacksona. Like I said, Jack made a joke and he took it the wrong way. So again at the end of the day, he's getting all the attention he never got now, and I hope he does
something constructive with it. You know, if you're going to create a podcast or I heard her, he's selling T shirts, like whatever you want to do to capitalize off this moment, capitalize on But don't be a hypocrite and start doing the ship to other people that you said that people did to you for the last twenty years. If you want to use our platform to help yourself become relevant again, dope.
But don't be fooled by all these people who are gassing you up now because three weeks ago they didn't even know you were still alive. They don't really care about you. They care about the drama. They want to see black men in particular go at each other and tear each other down. And like I said, me and Jack are just in a different space. If he would have caught his two or three years ago, I promise everybody,
it would have been a whole another story. But you know, we wish him well, We hope that he continues to, you know, make something out of this. Don't be a flash in the pan. Because you got this attention, now, build a platform off it. If you're got a podcast, do your thing, sell your t shirts, but just leave people's name at your mouth. Man, because no one disrespected
him as a man. They were talking about his playing ability, and again I didn't say shit about the motherfucker's playing ability to begin with to get dragged in this motherfucker. So again, you know, we wish him the best and it kind of is what it is. I'm glad you guys all have communicated because it's a fraternity, right right, Um, Okay, what's the long term and for both of your TV and media is at the podcast? Have you even thought
about it? What's next? Well with the podcast, we steady going up, man like it said, Master said, we got a Wars. We got a whole bunch of stuff coming the podcast, Steady going up. Obviously Matt is going to be and behind the camera. And I'm trying to get in start my AH career. This year. I got a couple of a couple of roles. I got a lead role called a movie A Freshman at Party that I'm getting ready to start this year. Matt got a whole bunch of stuff that he he lined me up for.
And one thing I just want to say, for we finished to all athletes and to all brothers that people who call, if you call somebody your brother, it's not important that you lead or be the face. It's not as long as you and your brother go in the direction. I would follow Matt anywhere. If Matt going to a meeting, I don't have to be in the meeting, Rex, because I know I'm in the meeting. And that's the relationship
we have. Matt as the brains, I'm the entertainment. We both got our own a role in this thing, and you gotta be able to stand on side of your brother and not worry about getting the credit. We both went in and that's all that matters, man, And and I think that's that's why I show it's been so successful because we bring our brothers on it. We give them my flowers, and we're showing people how to let your brother lead or just be a part of what your brother got going on. And as long as you
both win it and stand together, it's easier that way. Yeah, No, I agree. I mean, you know, Rex, we've said numerous times we're able to move now as if we were superstars in the league. So you know, me being in l A and just really being having that grind and mentality. You know, there's no stone unflipped when it comes to me. As far as content creation, Um, you know, with our podcast, they give us a channel over the Thy Heart called the All the Smoke Channel, So we're gonna start creating
more curating more podcasts for our channel over there. As I mentioned, you know, I'm starting and producing my own show on Showtime called The Education of Match Barnes, which will be my transition from being a professional athlete too at the time when we created a single father three in l a business advocate looking for love, all that kind of ship. So it'll be similar to a little Dicky Show Dave, So just a reality, scripted reality loosely based off my life. So, man, it's been a tremendous
blessing um. And we got the cartoon to we Gota, We got an animated cartoon that we're working on. Uh between you need a voice, you need white Berry white? Right, Yes, I mean it's just been a blessing. Man. Too many things to list, but you know along this process, to me, there's always got to be a giftback component. You know, Jack and I were both be able to play fourteen
years in the NBA, make money, make sound investments. So anything I get into there has to be a giftback component, whether it's cannabis and the social equity or whether it's you know this All the Smoke Show. The first season, I told there's all I see is white people. So now we hired a couple of my teammates from U c l A that, you know, shout out to Jollannie McCoy and Ray Young. You know, we got more color
uh in the building. You know. So I'm always trying to open doors or bring people with me for whatever I'm doing. Uh, Me and Jack have something good in this podcast space. We didn't know what it was, and now we won Sports Podcast Year. We're up for two webbes that hopefully will win one or both next month.
So I think just to continue inspire, encourage, send it to the Kwamie Browns situation, you know, take this negative and hopefully he can spend that into a business in this space, because at the end of the day, we're all about empowering everyone. So continuing to show people that you don't have to be a Lebron James or a Michael Jordan's or Chris Paul to have business after basketball. You know, all you need is yourself and a belief in a grind, and the doors are open. So um again,
blessed beyond belief. Don't have time for the bullshit and want to continue to inspire and motivate our people out there. Beautiful Matt Stephen, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me today for this open and honest discussion on charges. It's been a pleasure to watch both of you play, and it's brought me so much joy to see your passion for the game translate into being the next generation of athletes with a voice. I want you to know that my door is always open.
I'm always excited for you guys and what lies ahead and your futures individually and together. Thanks fellas, you've got some real man, You've got some real ship today. Rex, we appreciate you, man, Thank you for having us for you. Thank you today. That would be good. We'll blow it up you go on by today, bab We need we need to get you on all the smoke too one
of these days. So we want to do it. We want to do it in person, so you can come feel the vibe, so we'll fly you out to l A. We can hang out a little bit and then get on the interview. I'm in, I'm in. Let me share, all right, fellas much love, Talk to you soon later, Stack later, stack charges. Seving no runnions with the law charges, she lee send the tennis in ball and charges the celebrity gang forms charges we came along with from living
lawless charges. Seving no runnions with the law charges, she send the tennis and balls and charges the celebrity gang forms charge we came along with from living lawless charge. Charges is created by Portlay and Control. Media is produced by DV Podcasts in association with I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit i Heart Radio app, Apple pod Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts. M HM