Ivory Latta

How's everybody today? Man? Good? This might be a good story. Joseph, Yeah, man, tell you up. Let it fly, bro backdoor? I whoa whoa whoa who Now, ain't gonna be too that man. We passed that joke back stage? What up? Man? Has everybody listened to this podcast? You know? We talk about a lot of things that we see when we're on adventures or we're out riding around town or making Yeah, because we always got we always got something popping up. Yeah, we got all kinds of stuff. Well, I'm gonna omit

some of the information on a letter that I received. Okay, I'm gonna omit a little bit information. But but but our fans and y'all. Now neither one of you looking at me. You both got your eyes bugged out, like you have no idea what's happening here. I just know it doesn't include me. I got a hoodie on justin case it opens up. Dear Mr. Please, this is this is an official letter. Please, I would like some information on the two thousand twenty one C Class three fifty,

also on the g SUV price pictures, et cetera. Five Any and all information you can send to me, please, thank you very much. May my God bless you. Hey, man, boss, this is this man's name. That so he just signed it as boss and and then is the regular spell boss or is it it's boss like I don't don't know how you spelled boss, so as if that is that letter conson spell boss a different way. So I just want to give it this he letting you know

he's the boss. He wants a G or he wants a three fifty sincerely, Now after this, there is three letters and a numerical value. It says m VC dash one to to eight one. Does anybody know what that stands for? The I don't want to give it all away because once I tell you what this means. And that's his inmate number. Y'all this cat, this rascal sent a letter in. I did say rascal. They ain't never heard this rascal. And I know this is a podcast, it's not visual. I'm gonna pass this to to to

Mr Steve Smith. Now, the boss wants a g wagon when he gets out of prison. I'm like, what do you do? Like do you send him a credit app? Like? Like what how does how does he qualify you think being in the pen. I don't know how much time he's doing the other thing too. He gave choices, he didn't. He didn't just go in and be like, man, let me copy this boss. Boss. That's his his boss. That's it. So if you're at Mountain View Correctional Facility in Spruce Pines,

North Carolina, is our call in line up? What come does he want? Wait a minute, did we just become local radio to call a line boss online? Too? You go ahead, you're with Steve Hey, Hey, Mike, I want that g wagger. I ain't got no job, That's okay, I've got no credit, but I want that. We don't know that man may have him great credit credit. We don't know. It's it's plenty white color folks who got great credit is locked. Here's what I can tell you.

Don't buy it street credit. Right, that's true. That right, But man, that came across me. You know, people always try to send us stuff and everything, and this came to me me a few days ago. I'm like, I've got to talk about this. That he locked up, but he making he's setting up when he get outdoors making moves. Oh man, jail ain't gonna hold me back, right, these

ain't gonna hold me back. That's all you, my brothers, because we could quote, we could quote Ross whenever we feel like, hey, hey, what was he saying this for the boys that see the uh see the moon like at night? Was that definitely dress? Huh? Is that definitely the red dress? Yeah? I know, I know, my Ross. I don't know how we got to this topic. But it costs too much. I ain't gonna try to product. Don't vote, that's that's that's another podcast. Don't vote, don't

vote you. I can't pull his music over, don't tell them what we're working on killers our whole budget production and Talifia. But if he does, we can go our Boss. Yeah, that's the Boss. Wow, that's crazy, man, I like that. Who we got coming up on the cut to a podcast.

We've got Ivory Ladder, a w NBA point guard. She's the all time leading scorer in South Carolina basketball history, one of the greatest collegiate players for the University of Carolina, Lady tar Heels, and she's the author of Despite the Height. I've read lotta on the cut to a podcast. So we're just gonna get to it. We we got some stuff. It's called get Ice stuff. It's a random questions that I just just randomly pick. Um. Oh, you're gonna need him all right, here we go. Oh my god. What's

the difference between living and existing? Oh? Man, I mean the difference to me is just you know, you living, you here, you enjoying you in the moment um you exist and it's just like like you. It's like to me, it's like an out of body experience kind of thing, like you just you just here really with no purpose, you know when like with me, when I'm living, I'm living to the most high. I'm enjoying my life. Um, I'm trying to be an inspiration to a lot of people.

Just have an impact. I just don't want to exist on earth, you know what I'm saying, because you can definitely be invisible and people don't even know what you do with who you are. So I just love living life every day existence like just checking off the box. Yeah, no, thank you, I'm good. It's one lifetime. Enough time? Is one lifetime enough time? Yeah? To me, I'm just like,

hold up, rewind you overthinking this? Yeah, lights enjoy it. Though, I would say, there are some things that like you experience you like, man, I can't wait to get over this. And then there's so many things you're like, I love to do that over you know, experience it. I'll switch it up. So that's that's why I like about all right, here we go. What's your biggest passion? H Impacting the youth.

That's my biggest passion. A lot of people would think, I say basketball all this, but just the impact that I have through the game of basketball with the children, like that is my passion, Like just you know, like now train, but just to see the influence in the impact that I have on their lives just through the game of basketball and just man, the joy did they give me? Like that's my passion. I love to see

the kids succeed for sure, absolutely, Oh yeah yeah. So what happens when they're You have fifteen kids that give you the joy and then there's one that's that There's that one that just that just is a little ivory yea, So how do you deal with that? That that one kid, that that next ivory, that justice rambunctious, that's full of spice. I'm dealing with it now. I trained kids. I trained at least twenty twenty kids, boys and girls, and I got a young man like that. Yea. But when I

tell you, he's one heck of an athlete. But you know my other kids, they two parent home. You know they're good. You know, him staying with Grandma and just like you can tell a big difference. But when he comes to me, it's like you walk up in my gym, pull your pants up. You know, I got standards, you know what I'm saying. So the first week was rough, but I'm like, hold up, man, I can't fight nobody kid. You boy too, like what's going on? But it's that

one kid that I would never give up on. You just gotta keep finding a way to like relate to him. You know, some way try to relate to him. And and that's what I did. And man, when I tell you has changed far as like a like a's and bees in school is cool now. Back then it wasn't cool because he would get picked at for making like good grades, like a man, make good grades. We're trying to get a scholarship so grandma can be Okay, that's that should be your thing right there, like grandma needs

to be set. And that's why you do it. Oh, absolutely absolutely, I do it. Man, I do it all old, all over. Give me, give me five or six of you. What's your favorite child hood childhood restaurant back in your back in your hometown York? What? What's so funny? We just thought getting restaurant a couple of years ago. I know, but I just if there's a mom and pop, there's always everybody has that. Everybody has that place that you

go when I go home. It's like you can't eat it every time, but you're like, you know what, let me roll on over here and get some of this, uh, get something um this food that reminds me of when I was here. Why are you thinking about this place back home called Ramona's everybody that travels with me that's been and g has been. It's a barrito spot. That brito spot is in the hood, right is dope boys out there slanging in the parking lot. But man Gee looked at us like, man Gee was like, man, that's

brito better be good. Yeah, ain't side because no, no, no, I'm not. I'm not saying you sid side on it. But it's all you know, I get you, but I know you're gonna be up hype it up. I didn't hype it up something. And you know that's my boy. So if you hype up something, he gonna say, like, man, that was a mid ye exactly. It was cool that. Yeah, well I did that. Boy, that's good right there. But it's not. Yeah, it's but it's not one of those

that um. For me, it's a place at some point in my trip, I'll snag one because it it's more of it reminds me of home. There's a brito spot called Steve Burgers. It's I it's not even mid it's more of the video game I used to play in there, ms pac Man in Gallicha, right. So for me, it's more of just brings me back to that nostalgic place of when I dreamed about being in the NFL. Right, it reminds me of what I dreamed about, and so like this even like music. There's some music, Bro, I'm

not lying to you. Fuji's killing me softly. You know about the school man I used to, Bro, I used to sit. Let me tell you. You know what I used to. You know what I used to, You know what I know about it. I remember when I used to sit in my room, brown carpet, bunk, bed wood paneling, um radio what had a black and red chord. Um was playing a Sega Genesis with a wall unit and we had uh and just that's when we had like the five gallon water jug with change in it, Like

I remember that. And but the fojis always bring me back to that. When I used to practice catching the football. You remember what it smells like. I'm not trying to be funny, like that's a great question. I really don't. I remember we had a old school tub. I used to wash the we would uh if the Washington I remember when the Washington she broke. I used to wash my clothes my hand and dry them out with the towel roll the towel up and put it on things,

squeeze it out and hang it. And when we were you can hang clothes on the line because Ninja was taking it right next day. And and so that's why I asked on the food part because that just that just brings back some of that grind that, right, something that grind that that some of these young folks, um, they don't get that on Instagram. I'm not giving that to you on Facebook. I'm not giving that to you on social media. That's something that I gotta hold dear to me is when I get up in the morning,

I'm going forty two, I'm straight. What's gonna push me to work out with my fat ass today? Right? And I remember, I remember, you know what, we gotta get off the bench today. Let's let's let's let's play like a starter. So so what was that restaurant for you? If I had to think? I think before games because I am the baby seven. So it was at one point all sisters was on the same team because I played varsity in seventh grade. Flex no, he was in school like my I can't say no for that man.

So my sisters then they would we would always go since since you said that the sister older sister is Iris, and my middle sister is Ashley, and then I'm Ivory okay, yeah, and then my brothers is four. It's four boys and three girls. So my oldest brothers, Charles, I mean cool. I love all my no. See, everybody got their own personality when it comes to me. That's the thing. They're so protective. Like my brother Charles, on a good day, on a good day, hey, listen, on a good day.

For the night he es, don't give me about five five, you know, Charles. Okay, so you're telling me no athletes lie about their height. Absolutely absolutely so on a good day, when I'm feeling good, stretched out real well, like, oh my god, oh man, don't I'm not even captain b I even said on a good day. I wasn't even like saying, oh it's every day or you know, every game. I say, when I'm feeling good, stretched out, you know about five seven someone Reggie, Sharon and Colon. Yeah, so

it's seven of us. So my the spot that when you was talking, I was like, man, my sister would take me there for the games. Will eat the Afghan Chinese kitchen. It's a little Chinese kitchen spot that's in your Everybody would go there, so it's like basketball football everybody. Yeah, it was on, Oh it was some days. It was on some day with difficult but I mean, you know, yeah, but the place was. You know, did you a school? You know, give us that like ten dollars, We're gonna

make that ten dollars work, you know what I'm saying. Stretched, So that's the that's the place and so crazy. Man. I drove by there the other day and I just looked at it like, nah, boy, I'm saying something that workout is, but I'm about to die. And that work out hurt. The things that we used to eat before a game, go out there before and perform. You go out there now, man, you right for a week, week, a whole week, a week some stuff like that. Don't

you cannot finish the game. Yeah, I don't know what. We didn't even talk about playing. I'm just talking about paying. I ain't even talking about playing now now being a dad and going to games and stuff with my boys and they're like, yeah, you know, we got a little bit of time and be swen. Let's get someway. And I just look at it now, and think about the food. Yeah, right, just how much we played on God give him a building. How much. There's only so much you could really do.

You either got or you don't. Right, you can you can put all you can, hire all these folks and do all this stuff that at the end of the day, if you ain't got, if you if you're jumper, ain't wet, it don't matter what coach you got. It don't don't matter what defense you're running. It don't matter what offense. How many screens that boy can run around the screen, don't you know? So No, you're right though, Like you're right, seriously, but you can't tell this generation that because they got

ten trainers. But we're going to I G with the trainers. You know what I'm saying, Like they showing out, But so you're saying you're seeing seeing that. I'm from your perspective all the time. That's a cap A lot of these kids that are doing it, they only showed Like with me, if you see any highlight tape, I'm showing my missus because I'm gonna be real, I miss shots show that. But then when you got a college coach, because I was I was a college coach at Carolina

for two years. You know, you get on Instagram and say, oh man, she's nice. But then when you go recruiting, you're like and you're looking at the video and looking and making sure that person got the same number. Like hold up, no, they do that highlight thing, but in reality, turn turn the cameras off, Like who are you as a player? You know what I'm saying. Like even like when I trained my kids, y'all bring them in, but I tell a parent, we're putting them. We're putting the

misses on. You need to see that, you know what I'm saying, because it's part of the game. You're not gonna make every shot. I've never known anybody to make every shot. Now you're gonna take forty four like Kobe in one game, but you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna miss on. So that that Instagram stuff is straight up cap that. That's the cap I was captain. That's the cap right there. Don't trap it up here they it is. It's uh. I just wanted your perspective on it because

you're seeing it firsthand. Training all these training, all these kids, and I mean we'd all be sitting here line, we didn't if we didn't acknowledge that. I mean, the generations are just different and things have changed, and social media has brought so much. It's a it's a gift on the curse sometimes it is, it really is. And I just wish that these kids when they get in the gym, focus on your craft, like, focus on what you need

to do to get better as a player. But also, you know, try to get recruited by colleges, not the popularity. It's no stop doing things for lights. Everybody don't like it. Sometimes they'd be bored like me at homes all time on a on a Saturday and just be clicking up that click and then you're looking like, oh they liked my post. They don't even know he's empty. Because when you're like, seriously, all when Steve, you know this, whenever

you we grinded, ain't nobody would have. Yeah, but when we when it's on the shore, everybody can pick pick it. I love cut to It, and I love it even more when you download us and subscribe and you can follow us on social media too. Smithie, where where at that's at? Cut to it? On Instagram? What about Twitter? At?

Cut to It? Facebook cut to It featuring Steve Smith singr what about online and you can follow us at cut to It podcast dot com where you can buy merch and you can subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my answers questions. Um, yeah, I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for, a brother, cut to a podcast dot Com. All right, let's get into it. So where are you from in

the place you call your hometown? Um? Recently from McConnell's Softcare Alana McConnell's, McConnell's were like twenty five minutes from rock Hill, Like rock Hill is moving and shaking, and then the Panthers facilities going down there. So hey when they go down there, all all those little houses, because all of a sudden, it's gonna double and triple absolutely yeah. So um, I mean stoplights, how many stopped signs? Two to come in and go? Here's what I need to know.

Is the fire department volunteer or a most likely, But it's all in the same It's all in the same building as the police department. I mean yeah, it's the police department and the fire department in the jail in the same place. Now it's like one division. The jails not in there. You know what I forget y'all. Man, Hey, but that's like the post office, the meat hall, and the fire department is in one building. The meeting hall. Like you know, we have all our meetings. You know

what that means South Carolina? So I know what meetings y'all talking about. But have we have we progressed? Get them off? Get him off your back. You said meetings, you know, South Carolina. I don't know what kind of meetings y'all talking about. No, not the type of meeting man, Not that means anymore. That's true. Not mean. Ain't talking my fish fry meetings either. Oh yeah, you gotta have them because we got the meeting hall. Now, were you growing up? Oh no, no, no, you aren't even allowed

in exactly No, I definitely wasn't going in there. Were good when you go growing up? Growing up out there a young kid? Um? What was that like? As far as you know, racism and in in segregation? Uh? In in in a small deep South? Was it forty five minutes from Charlotte? Seems back in the day like Charlotte, Charlotte's downtown uptown uhould be where you where you score dope right years ago, so I can imagine if if Uptown was that way. Forty five minutes down in South

Carolina was my personal spears growing up. My mom and dad shield me from a lot of stuff. Why you know what, I never asked them, Um, I don't know why, but it's I mean, you know, I never knew what that as the Confederate flag was, but you see it all the time. You know, people trucks and in the trailers. You know, they have it on the wall, I mean

in the in the windows, is everywhere. I never knew what that was growing up until literally, I'm gonna be honest, I got to college, and I mean that's when I just started realizing, like, dang man, it's crazy something so much. It was something that represented something that you had no idea, but it was it was it was in your face every single day. I had no idea. So when you went to college you discovered that Confederate flag for you

and your small town meant what man? It just meant that. Yeah, absolutely, it just meant that it they wasn't for us. There wasn't for us. They was they was against us. That's what it That's what it meant. But it's so crazy because literally, um really growing up. Man, Like when I say we're in the country, like we like the next house down, you know, it's you know, like the kind

of like family members, but it's still far away. And yeah, yeah, seriously, it's like the next was down, like you know, they fought, they we separated. Um. But I did experience this though my first game and junior high. Um, I played in Chester, you know Chester, South Carolina is um, so I played no flex stop. I scored. I scored fifty points in my first game as a seventh grader, and I had to get escorted at the gym like for the police, like my dad. Everybody covered me like that man. And

it was but it was my own people people. It was it was the black community throwing stuff at me, upset mad that I even scored, like because I scored fifty points and yeah yeah I had fifty and I think the score I think we had like to. I think we had like too, and it was just like we won the game, but it was like who is she? She showing out? So it was like my parents had to like literally like cover me up them already small,

so they covered me up. People throwing stuff, throwing stuff, and I'm like, yo, is this really high it's gonna be I'm like, I know one time I had told my parent, I'm not playing basketball no more. I hate this. Why they're throwing stuff at me that I was like, don't nobody care. We're moving up the barsity. I was like, Okay, it's that gonna be better. He was like, nah, it may not, but you got your two sisters that's gonna protect you. So and I just I've just been protected

since then. He said. He started playing basketball at the age of four. Yeah, what kind of basketball we're referring to, because I'm just being honest, Like when I think of when I think of kids, all they played basketball is for you, like straight dribbling, dribbling. I did dribbling everything, but like I told him, like straight up diaper bro straight up diaper diaper and everything. Yeah, just driveling, driveling. I just know my my parents, like yo, like they

had to change the walls. They don't change the floors everything, because since four into then, I just dribble, dribble, dribble. My sisters don't were like beat try to like beat the stew They would take my ball, bust my balls, bust the balls that I had um because they was like, man, you're dripped it too late, and and I just that's all I did. Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. And ever since then, I never looked back. I love the game. Parking disease

hit your family pretty hard. Yeah, so my dad had Parkinson's for fourteen years, and I really didn't know her dad had Parkinsons. And two yes, I did, I do that here and there those things. You know, you got the third person on this story right here. Check this out though, right then, here we go, third person, Yo, my my dad had Parkinson's. I played four years at Carolina. I think my parents may have missed five games out of my four years. My third year in the w n b A is when I found out my dad

had Parkinson's. Take it back. I was like, man, my parents, y'all got some money. Y'all always at the game, you know. Come to find out my dad was coming up my sophomore year starting treatments. They never told me. This is how I found out my dad had Parkinson's. We was eating, We was eating, and and I'm thinking, ship they got money in every game, like we're going, Mama, how you the boss let you off the day? Yeah? He cool? He good, but checked us out. When when did you

think you have money? Because they was coming up like I mean, it's crazy. They would come up to They never missed. They never missed the home game out of four years. This is how I found out my dad had Parkinsons. So me and him eating I had came back from overseas. I came back from Israel, and I was like, let's go to Chapel Hill and just see what's going on. You know. See the coach we did was eating that one of my favorite restaurants called Sutting.

My mom was on my right, my dad was right there and the door was open, and so we're just sitting here and then I'm like, I'm like, yo, what's going on? Like, dare You're good? You're straight? I'm like you're cold. He's like, na, no, I'm good, I'm good. So my mom kind of looked at him. I'm like, oh, y'all tripping. I was like, all right, so you know what, I'm just eating exactly, And so we start eating east I've seen him start shaking again. I'm like okay, alright.

So the owner his name Done. So I'm like, hey, Done, can you close the door? You know, my dad's cold. And then my mom was just like, I'm like, why are you rubbing his lag on the table? But I see you all going what's going on exactly? And I'm like, yo, what is going on? So at the table she was like he's good because they know I am about my

Dad's like, he's good. Nothing is wrong, you know, you know, um, you know he was diagnosed with parkinson And then the first thing that came to my mom was Muhammad Ali. I'm like, oh my god, I'm just freaking out, like, oh, this is gonna happen, all this and that. And so from that day, uh, for the fourteen years because he passed away in eighteen, for those days, yeah, for those days, bro.

Since that soft, since I found out, I've been getting I was getting him help from like we was in I was saying to my mom and dad, the Pittsburgh, um Chapel Hill, Atlanta in d C. You know, everywhere that I played, I was find somebody with Parkinson's. They would come and stay with me for like two weeks in the summer. He would get treatment. That's how I found out. Man, it did help. It did help, um, honestly and truthfully, be honest. Two weeks before he passed

away in a car accident, which is crazy. I've always said, listen, um, my dad never drank, never had a drink, never smoked nothing. I said, listen, man, it's this thing called medical marijuana. I'm gonna need for you to try this, but I've been getting it for months and months, and two weeks before he past, he was like, I'm gonna do it. I'm like yes, because they was telling me it's a Parkinson's strand. That's I there. I said, listen, I don't care what strand it is. You just need to go

do what you got to do. And he agreed to it. But you know with the past that he wasn't able to. But man, I mean the time that he was here, I tried to get him as much treatment. Um. But I'm still learning, and a lot of people send me messages like, hey, my my, you know my dad has Parkinson's. What are some things you can do with some things you did with your dad? I said two things. I said, you label him as good days and bad days. I said, good days he'll pick up the phone to call me.

You see what you saw with Kobe, did you know? He'll talk and then bad days I'll call him and he's just like it's slurry. But you gotta change that around and be like, man, what's going on? What we're doing? What we're eating? Ween wings that they He's like, yeah, I had wings And literally if he said whatever he had to eat, I'll go get wings. So I'd be like, bro him eating wings too. He was like I And

it's just lifts him up, you know. And so that's what I'm hoping people now that's dealing with Parkinson's and with their family so crazy. Yeah, they get my man's cold and he got parkinson Like, what's going out? Oh mama? So I found out that's pretty awesome. They were able to really keep you focused in that versus you know, obviously knowing how distracted you would have become, Yes, big time.

I don't think I probably understand you probably would have went off to college, and that's why I probably I would have been right there. Probably wasn't done it good, but still playing basketball. Chopping hill Yes for you was amazing the best thing that ever happened to me. The opportunity to play at the prestige school like that and

to be able to have the keys to Ferrari. That's what I call it, that that that schools the Ferrari to have the keys to be to do that what four years straight and accomplished so much that I did. The fans, uh, the coaches, my teammates, I mean everything. Just walking on campus. Man, it was amazing. One of the things I think doesn't get a lot credits. You know when you hear about Chapel Hill here about men and women basketball, but you don't see a lot of

women's basketball. Um, why why do you think that is? Like we see you can see Oregon, we're seeing now, Uh, last couple of years in South Carolina. Why do you think that that's the million dollar question? I don't know, but I'm gonna tell you this. No, flex when when I played those four years, oh we was. We was on TV. You know what I'm saying, because we was like number one versus number two, do versus Carolina Carolina

versus Tennessee Connecticut. Oh, we was on. But it's like now, I'm like, man, my shirt, let us say female athletes matter. Why do we have to go through so much just to be seen. And we we we played, you know, we played a play play basketball. We have the weather sox, the uniform put this same way the guys do. But it's like we have to go through so many loops just to be seen and it's just like it's so tough. It's frustrating. But I can't even explain it. I really

cannot explain it. But I'm I'm I'm happy that it's trying to get in the you know, going the right direction, but why it takes so long? Yeah, the frustration it is, it's it's very frustrating because you've got a lot of women out here that can whop, that can hoop. Just

give them the opportunity to be on television. Yeah. Who are some of your most influential women's players, Oh, Cynthia Cooper, Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Lastly, even though she was a post, I didn't even care she was giving buckets, Tina Thompson, Girls Swoops, the whole Houston commentation. Hello, please, I missed it, you did? I heard it, though I knew exactly she

was cold, Yeah she was. That conversation was loaded. Yeah, Reggie's Reggie Miller's sister was, Oh yeah, then then Reggie and you did though she was cold, she was and she's a bigger guard, Like yeah, he wasn't trying to play that one on absolutely not. What's it happening, Um, summarize your college career. I had a great college career. Is that nah, it's you know, it was great. Don't come up with this stuff like just explain who you were.

When I say sum, I'm not a statement, which means you get to say what you valued in your college career. My whole college career, I'm gonna be really it was amazing, amazing. I mean even through the ups downs, Oh man, the running in the mornings and all of that, it was. It was awesome. Um never when I got there, never even been on a plane. Well, I've been on the plane once and that's that's to go to the McDonald's All American Game. So to be on a private plane

that was a whole day. No, man, that was a whole different ball game. To be on a private plane. I'm like, yeah, is anybody else getting on here with us? Like no, I'm like, oh my god, this eye is gonna really gonna be for the next four years, it was like yeah, but on the court, I mean I was able to like do a lot of great things just being as small as small as I am, but having so many people saying, man, she's she's not gonna make it, she's a giant. She's she's a giant, but

she too small. They're gonna kill in the a CC. She's gonna get killed in the a c C. That was motivation. Like literally four years I had that chip on my shoulder, like who donna kill? And you don't understand, like I'm a dog. I was mentioned the backstage earlier. What I remember about your game is you were one of the you were one of the early score first point guards that there was in the era before now you got all these like that's a thing. No, now

you expect your point guard to score? How dare them you expect? But back but back then it was still more the it was still more the traditional point guard. You came in the game at your stature, kidding buckets, getting buckets. But that's the thing, Like everybody recruited me, all the colleges they knew I was scoring, you know, point guard first. I'm gonna pass it, don't get it

twisted and you're hoping you're gonna get the ball. But at the same time, I'm a score because like now you still got traditional point guards and you're playing Yeah, but you're playing five against four. They can't score, so you're bagging off on them and they still looking out there. You back up off me. I'm pulling I am, but this is the thing I am about to do my flex right quick. Listen, man, everybody talking, they shoot from the half court line, and in doing that, they're gonna

see my seventy point games. I've been doing that. I've been doing it, and like everybody now like this ain't no flex. I'm just I'm proud of my Listen, I'm proud of my accomplishman. But I'm like, I'm looking at it like, yo, I've been doing it. I was doing it, like I actually did it at the Dale Curry Classic and stuff is sitting there as a young child like just looking at like h uh no, no, no, that

was when it was at uh Charlotte Charlotte Latin. Yeah, so all all records still hold today with me, you know what I'm saying. So I'm like, yo, I've been I've been shooting back then crossing people over. Like now everybody like, oh this person crossing this person over? Ye tell me something did man, It's crazy. I've been doing good. Hey Gerard, why did you get that T shirt? You mean this thing? Oh yes, I got it from cut to a podcast dot com where we have exclusive merchandise.

Shout out to our guys and seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on, buy you a T shirt, subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. So draft eleventh overall by the Detroit Dream in two thousand seven. How had that dream come true? Let me tell you something. Senior year playing dude, Yeah, yeah, I gotta flect. Katie Ain't got back step. Don't know what? Man, listen, senior year, you know, top player coming out of college playing dude,

muggsy bowl sitting side. Charlotte Stein has the number one pick at the time. I guess my girl is South Carolina was the coach. She was, you know, hitting retirement. So they're looking for a guard. Done to go. I'm like, oh shoot, I'm going one. Actually they had me going one, but Charlotte Stain folded. Oh yeah, yep, they folded, and then the muggy was sitting courtside that game because I hit somebody with and I looked at him and I pointed, and all you see is just clapping. You know what

I'm saying. So then I draw like I failed, which is which wasn't bad felt in the draft. So you know, I went Levin to Detroit and was coached by Bill m. Beer. Great experience. I think our average um second, why why do you believe that I played? Um? The team was stacked, man, It was a learning experience for me. I was playing in front of Katie Smith, Olympian. So I love what you're saying because a lot of times you hear players they go, I don't get an opportunity what you're playing against?

The stacked group of group of athletes? And then how are you practicing? Though, oh compared to the girls you were going against? Oh Man, practice was it was like open. I mean I'm going literally, I had four Olympians on the team, and I mean my first day of practice, Bill put me on one of the Olympians and I got lost, lost in the sauce, lost in by five screens, and he was like, welcome to the w See. You know what I love. I love I love what you're

saying because sometimes you will interview. You know, we've had Zack mass Jesse Bates like you hear these guys and they talked about Man, you know, I'm We had Zack on here one time and he was talking about how when he got yelled at, you never had to be yelled at before. And I'm like, well, what have you done in this league that you believe that you can't be yelled at now? So I love the fact that

you're saying I should have been number one pick. I failed and I averaged a couple of seconds because I was overwhelmed, not prepared for the stage in which I was propelled on projected to be on and I and you didn't manage it well, not because you were a fool or you mismanage your time. He's just you weren't good enough at that moment in your life. Absolutely, And a lot of people want to meet it. I will, man, I was, I'm coming out of college is like top player, and then I get to the w n B A

is like the twelve player, like what the like? But you know what, it's a humbling experience and a lot of athletes need to go through that to get that early experience instead of that psychologically. How did that impact you? Oh, honestly, truth, we man, it impacted me a good bit. My mom came up and stayed with me mentally because I'm like, man, I know I'm good enough, but I got three four and Olympians that's playing in front of me. Is like

the system is tough. Other than being Olympians, what else about their game? It's like they've they've been playing together for so long. So the sets that they do I can remember now. It just says that they do. Man, remember when it don't count now right? Right, I've that like I can I can remember, Yeah, I can do it. Well, don't help me now right. I mean it's the truth, man, it really is. They was clicking and I'll get in and be like, oh, well what happened later? Dribble to

the left. I'm like yeah, and then I end up going to the right. I'm like, oh, what what is going on out here? But you don't stop. I knew it's coming out and set myself up and that when you're right, So, yeah, the pace is fast. Girls are bigger. But then I had to um, I had to regroup, man. I went to Israel. That next to regroup. What happened because I had to realize that the style of played that I did in college, you can take it to the w b A, but you gotta you gotta work extra, extra,

extra hard. The speed like I thought I was fast? Like, what is going on? Strange average, I'm not a different always levels to this. They don't understand its levels to this. Seriously, people think they can, you know, especially guy, I see you'll go, oh, it's always always here. Oh man, I thought you were a bigger put your put your a little weekend. Go gonna put that pomptoon if you want to. That worked for a lake bowing. Please please, ain't thank you.

You know what I'm saying. So I regroup with to Israel. Worked on my game because you have time, worked on my game, got traded to Atlanta. Hold on, so you're in Detroit, yeah, but playing in Israel. Yeah, bring that down for him. You know, I ain't I ain't the stupidest, but I ain't the smartest. So help me figure out.

How are you you the eleventh overall pick. You're getting snow playing time zero, but I'm getting shots up when I get in forty when I get the forty five seconds, get about three shots in telling if you get the rebound pass, boy right back out. I'm right, you're getting out of the game, but you're gonna go out what I go over three forty five sac that's a big implument. I was on that though I touched it. I not

playing absolutely, I'm gonna get my shot. Eight was in that corner clapping like, but you know what time I had No, No, that's embarrassing. But I just came from North Carolina d MP who only time the DNP is I gotta spring ankle as on but not me getting them shots. She ain't made a shot, so listen telling them even before the game. Look, if I get in, y'all know what time is. Hey, my teammate, the ones who got in with me, they'd be like, yeah, we

launch your fast you lout of you good? Alright? Cool? If I hit one, pass it to me. I heard, I heard. I heard uh former inab NBA player tell me about the elite NBA player. They said, man, if that dude made a three, that would be the worst thing ever. So he said I would pass him a bad shot so he couldn't set and shoot No, I didn't get those They it was right on target. They wanted me to shoot that thing, but they ain't nothing on it wasn't I don't want to shoot that ain't regardless,

I'm setting the business whole time. I am over there cold, it's on the way. That's about needing them three to one more. I was so mad when that clock, like, man, I'm like the game shot man, y'all trip. I don't trying to least get to the free through a lot of stuff. Many it's cold over there on that business. It's cold when I'm chanting, but it's cold, and I'm over there looking at being like, ain't hold on, I'm getting out of that minute there. I get up, you know,

you stop bouncing. It's been times when I got up and bouncing the clock went off. I just went to short games. I ain't get to get in that game. But it's like, though I learned so much, though I learned so much about myself. Detroit. Yeah, as soon as

that season over with you, you seek an agent. You tell you agent, and you say, hey, I want to go because I know there's different you have to have most of the time, and I'm assuming because my my my cousin did a little bit of europe Um in China where you have to have different agents because they don't left the U S agents all represent so you had to have a European agent. And then this is a little bit that he told me. It was like, man, if you go to a big time school, you'd be garbage.

Those Europeans who want you on your team because on that roster Cincinnati, Louisville, u C l A, Chapel Hill, Yukon. And so I'm assuming you're not in your head. So I'm assuming that helps you. Going to you eat, going to Chapel Hill. They looking for you because you know, the the culture Sky Sports is only showing so many teams. You see that SA they showed women's games. We was on there every night. It's great. But being at North Carolina, he has helped me throughout my whole career. First year

in Israel. Um, you know, I go to practice in North Carolina. You see kids Michael Jordan's, Michael Jordan. Yeah, I went to Michael Jordan's school. Oh my god, we love you, we love you. Okay. I know how it was for men, so most of them, you're you're considered a good prospect because of the school. So you had your houses paid for, right, yeah, possibly car ain't no, possibly paid for and then you had your salary and then they took care of you. And most of the time,

because you're a big school, probably two years deal. Most of them were one year deals, and you have food and all that stuff taken care of. We literally got treated like NBA guys. But then they were girls who were not from bigger schools that were not treated the same way. Kind of Yeah, I mean it was just the stipend was left. The stipend may have been a little bit less, but they still got the you know,

the the house and car, you know, the same treatment. Yeah, it's it was tough, man, because you're playing in the summer and I'm telling you, the team's overseas. They may give you two weeks to be at home with your family right after the season and then you're gone for like seven months. So you gotta learn how to Skype. At the time, you know, Skype was big. Have face time, so Skype and you get your little a little phone, the little Nokia joined with a snake, you know that

it was big. You get a little SIM card that's how you communicate with your family. What made you come family to play in the w b A. I love playing in front of my family. That's the only time they can really see see me play. I mean, don't get a twisted I'm playing. Tickets to come. It's it's a lot of us, you know what. It's not cheap at all, but you know they can get a car, drive to Atlanta, drive the d C closest, you know.

So that's the main thing with the w b A is like, you know, for my family, what would you say is your greatest achievement? You know what? To be honest, my greatest achievement, and I'm just basketball wise, is winning three a c C championships in a row. And because of that my first year, my first year we lost to Duke MHM. Coachato made us sit out and watch them celebrate, get the trophy and everything. It was told I was hot. But guess what I did. I went

and set beside. I said, as long as I'm here, Carolina, we would never lose this a c C championship again. So we won three years in a row. I was m v P three for those three years, and I'm the only man a woman now in the a c C to have three a c C championships with three m v ps. So that's like a huge accomplishment for

me still being that smart. I'm not flexing. May He asked me, are you That is huge for me because I was yeah, he you asked me, didn't Now it's huge because I'm just like small town kid from mcconno, South Carolina, Like I ain't never drink on anything like this on the big stage and winning like this, it was huge. I mean I remember going back McConnell's. It was a little parade in the in the snow, you

know about at the world worshe it. He may congratulation on people, but it's just like, man, I go back and everybody's just like I was watching it, but in your head you're like you really watched the game of basketball, you know what I'm saying. It's like they had a reason to exactly, man. And that was like, that's a huge accomplishment for me, out of all any championships whatever I want. That right there was huge for me. Huge. Man.

The hype Yes this book that you that that that's by you, and also Charles are Smith Jr. Crazy met this guy at the White House for a reading. Yeah, who was the President Bush. I met him at the White House and he was just like, you know, hey, you played with the mystics. You know everything's going I'm like yeah, He's like, you should write a Cheulder's book, children's book man founding. Like a year later, he hit me on Twitter, you're ready, le Smith, but you know

what's going on? No, not him, he did not, but not Ch'all's hit me up a year later it was like, you're ready, you know what. I was like, Yeah, let's do it. Literally, he called me, recorded me. I told him my life story boom. I wrote this book to be an inspiration to so many people. And it's not

only about basketball. That's my story. Despite the height, I've been the smallest player on every team I played on since I was young, but I've accomplished so many things, just you know, despite people saying I was too small. But when I go talk to kids, I'm like, listen with my situation. It's my height, despite your color, despite

your wait, despite your circumstances whatever. You know, being from the hood, this you still can accomplish someone if you just put in the work and that's what I did. And I'm like, right meal children's book man, and then this is my joy. This is my baby, my joy. So that's that's that's a huge accomplishment for me. My baby, that's my baby. That's pretty cool. Well, we really appreciate you coming on, man, and this is fun. That's a vibe. I told you you have fun. Yeah, Oh, I had

a great time. You are a unique person. You are well worth it, you are competent and most of all, your lovable. I'm Steve Smith Singer, I'm Gerard Little John and this is cut to It. Cut to It with Steve Smith Senior. That Is Me is a production of Cut to It, LLC, ball Told Creative Media, The Black Effect, and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio, Apple Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows from Cut to It.

Executive producer Steve Smith, Singer, co host Gerard Little John, talent in booking manager Joe Fusci, Social media team Wesley Robinson and John Show from Balto Creative Media. Cut to It is produced by Brian Baltaschevic and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrec Production coordinator Taylor Robinson. Theme music by Alex Johnson, Lyrics and vocals by Anthony Hamilton. You ain't heard about it, then we're about to let you know. It's all