Man, did y'all see the kid who was talking about the hockey? Shit? Did y'all see that discussion?
No, Church was just telling me about it.
Yeah, I forgot the kid's name. He does a good job with uh And I don't mean to call him a kid. He's a grown man. Shot to him. But I saw what he said about you know he was I see he was making points on the NHL and hoves growing shout out to the NHL and hockey. Yeah, then he was just going at the league and you know, hockey's dope. Man. But yeah, when I think about connection, at least with audience, at least in America, man, you gotta have somebody that at least from our culture or
somebody from culture. Bro. You ain't got no coaching in your in your sport. Bro, it's hard to actually penetrate any any kind of following this in America. Bro, you got to have something that you know what I'm saying that that kind of reflects the fan and the people that are watching, you know, and hockey don't reflec like that. You know, Papa Jones kids are in hockey. Shout to the Jones family, but we never hear about them. You
know what I'm saying. I know, hockey's having this big ass tournament going on, and it seems like fighting is is depressident.
Right, yeah, four nations.
But I'm just saying it's being ran by these guys like US and Canada ain't fault. I think they I think the most they fought was like four times in the last some years, and then all of a sudden there was like ten fights that broke out where the guys text each other. Well, let me say this, bro, Apple's oranges, pears, grapes. I like them all. They all guy sees. They all are under fruit. You know this thing of professional sports man, it's all. It's all about
what you like. But I just hate when I hear I didn't like how he was trying to bash the lead. You know, first off, man, we played for pride, We pay for legacy, we play for namesake always, like any other athlete in any sport, right there. Man, I get it. Man, when players don't you know, not necessarily don't play, but when they have injuries and they sit out, I don't think people understand the goal here. The goal with the
league is the longevity. You know, obviously, you know it always goes back to these old and new lenses that we look through. The league gave these kids a chance to be able to rest their bodies and have chances to where it was so much on the league, nobody actually said anything, nobody actually stood up for it. Bron and I can say that these this group of guys who have let the last fifteen to twenty years, they've made it the precedent about rest. I think the league
does need to give the guys more rest. I think All Star should go from actually Wednesday to Saturday. You know what I'm saying, because the guys got to actually work Saturday Sunday. They actually gotta work Friday Saturday Sunday, so they don't really get a break. And then what they get Monday Tuesday, they gotta travel since for the league. I get it. I heard the debate. I heard it. But at the same time, you know, hockey doesn't do
anything for culture. Y'all don't talk about how actually black men and a group of black men that moved to Nova, Scotia actually founded the game and then got ousted out of the game. You hear me, Yeah I didn't, Yeah I didn't, I didn't. I was trying to understand. I heard both. I heard his part about hockey. But yeah, man, the league, the league is in this new lens, and this league is not through the old lens. And this league is a marathon. It ain't necessarily what you're doing now.
It's like what you're doing now, what you're doing later, and then what you're doing five ten years from now. And that's how you see the Longevila Lebron and I think that's the way that the league gonna do. But to beat up another sport, to like glorify your own, I wasn't feeling that. And then two, yeah we got different Yeah, we got different rules for reasons. We all passion the sport. We all the emotional sport hockey. To
me when I watched those guys are passionate too. But man, you gotta imagine going into a setting where and then you're talking about teaching kids, imagine going into a setting where you know you want to fight. I don't know if they be watching, bro, but ain't nobody fighting today? These kids got switches out here. Dog, ain't nobody screaring
up fighting? Then you better have some composure about yourself, bro, Man, get get bold in the facing in the Western Conference, gain by your by one of your good friends, and then and then have some composure. Because what you need to teach the kid at home is that boy, as a boy, I hit bigger than you, hit harder you, He fastened you and all that, and that's reality. And these kids that don't want to fight pulling switches, man,
he got a bigger switch and all that. So, yeah, the thing is to teach being a bigger person talking and communicating and resolve it. Yeah, yeah, I saw this whole spell. I wasn't I wasn't feeling that though, you know what I'm saying with respects to to hockey and them trying to get that viewership right, But yeah, today tap into some culture. I don't know what that's gonna be, at least for Americans, at least for the group of people that I'm around, and how we talk about sports
and it being relative to us and all that. Yeah, it doesn't, it doesn't do a reach. I say the same thing about four to one. Well, my one don't had nobody from America who we look at, and I heard his stories and all that. You know what I'm saying now follows his grind and he not got here. Nah, I don't think those sports actually are for us, so they don't profile us in them or you know, actually feature us, so you know, we don't get no ships.
The sports actually pertain to where people come from the culture and the heartbeat and the passionate emotion. That's what That's what man. I'm an American, so you know, that's that's what we love. You know what I'm saying that the hockey game is built or it comes off like it's built for the Canadian viewer. You know what I'm saying, Now, fuck with Canada, fuck with hockey, I fuck with all that shit. But yeah, I don't know anybody in it.
They don't they don't really do player profiles. You know what I'm saying big enough for all of us to see. So yeah, you know what I'm saying. I want feeling his take on that, because the league got a lot of shit that we fight do. We have our problems, absolutely, just like any other sport. But I support both man shouts in the NHL and what they're trying to do or hope they get it right, and I hope somebody, uh from the neighborhood actually is able to get drafted
like the Popeye Jones sons and all that ship. You know what I'm saying, and we hear about them stories. Let's get to it, man, Yeah, y'all know what it is. Let's get it. Can't you certify? Yes, sir, certain faster certuf Certifi Certifa certain certifa certain. It's a green summer. Yeah, we built differently. You ain't watching the games like I'm watching them again. You'm outside, We're alive. That's when you stopped production that we go back, but we want just gid it.
So first up, I want to ask you about just kind of being out in the Bay for all stort weekend, what that experience is like and what you're what you did while you're out there.
Yeah, shoutut to the Bay, man, real shit, man. I know it was in San fran the Bay area and all that, but shout out to the Bay. I thought NBA did a great job of just glorifying the Bay in San Francisco for the four days that the whole event and festivities was out there. I thought all the parties was dope. I think the Bay needed it too. Man. It was a good time to come up there. It was a good time to glorify all the not just basketball, but the artist. Little Russ shot to litle d shot,
the little Russ shot the artist. Smoke shout, the Fordy water shout, the short shout, the you know, Steph, the whole, the whole, the whole bay Man, the whole bay. When I saw that Steph Curry and under Armor had damn there, bought the whole everything in San France, I knew Nike and Bron was gonna be second. It made sense when
I saw him not play. When about him was you know, obviously a Steph Curry feature, and then too, if I'm being honest, I octually thought that the league is doing a bit of R and D to see how, you know, fans react to a non Lebron being in our league. I think that that's a real thing. But other than that, man had a great time. Man dunk contest was cool as fuck as my first time seeing it from that perspective. Shout to Trade McGrady, hey Man gave me some good
pointers on you know how to look at it? You know what I'm saying, Because I went in there one way and then talking to him, I actually went in there. I was like okay, and it was for the pure art of and they showed out. Man. I thought the kid from Dispersed Castle was his his dunks, him and mac Man. They was bringing it. All the guys was bringing it. But the kid from Chicago tried some ship between his legs and whatever. And I thought if he used the leather ball that he would have actually could
have could have done it. But it was an incentives for using the AT and T ball. That's another thing I learned, you know what I'm saying. But yeah, man, it was a great time and I thought the league put on a good show. I thought the format was different, but it was super exciting for us to you know, watch, and you know, people got to remember, man, these games are not basketball games. There are events, and what the NBA is putting on is a production. I didn't like
how they did Shaq and the TNT crew. I thought those guys should have sat on like some fucking thrones. Man, y'all don't understand. Man. Two decades of being able to cover a beautiful game and be able to register and get viewers to chime in and have conversations and have tough debates and Kenny Teach and Ernie Lead and Charles and and and and and and shot give like a superior in a premium analyst group. Man, I thought that they could have did a better job of that. To
see some of the greats and you send them off fishing. No, I won't feeling that at all. You know, them guys should have been crowned and put put crowns on their head and sat in some king thrones and then talk about you know what's next or something. You know what I'm saying. They need to be glorified, not You know, when niggas go go fishing, it's because they didn't reach it or their goals had stopped. You know what I'm saying. Think about what that means. When they send the team fishing,
that means that season is over. They finished start. You know what I'm saying. Now, I looked at them as as it's like, you know, the pillars of this ship. You know that that TNT crew has has created kind of like a script on how to do this and having impressionable people and there having having people that you care about that you didn't know that had this type of insight on the game. You know what I'm saying.
But yeah, man. Overall, Man, I had a good time. Man, it was a great experience to see it from this side, because you know certify I took the cameras up there, and uh yeah, we had a good time. Man. Shout the little Russ man lit. Russ is probably artist that I followed and been keeping track up. But man, I got to feel his energy and got to be present amongst him. Man, he got a great presence in a great, great mind. Man. It was dope to bill with him and be around that shot all the smoke, Brian Daly
and all those guys. It was a good time out there. Thank you Bay, thank you Sam frand I appreciate it real ship.
Going to the game just All Star weekend, there was a lot of chatter about something that you had brought up years ago and have stayed on the one on one and there's been a lot of discussion about it, and they're leading towards potentially doing it next year, at least trying to do it next year.
Are they listen?
Yeah, what were your thoughts on kind of the players talking about it and a lot of the media members talking about it and it being something that you and I have discussed for years now.
Yeah, I sometimes don't think that people are actually listening to what we say. I think somebody sometimes people think we're just in here, we all fucking around, we have a good time with it. But a lot of shit too, man, is from the inside. And what I see, you know, wares used to be a big part of how you sharpen your tools and how you deepen your bag. Yeah, it was always that Warrior or that Viking thing that
we did. And I just think that if if the fans had a chance to see that passion and how each guy is actually trying to get it in that setup, in that format, I thought that that would be I thought that would be entertaining for the league. And I didn't really think that, you know, just because of their level of embarrassment, the level of you know, winning loss.
Somebody has to win, somebody has to lose. But I thought that that that alone could could entertain and being very entertainment and very very entertaining event for the league. So it's good that it's good to see they actually start to pick up some of these different pieces and start to activate them.
So we'll see, Yeah, players like hard Dan and they had interest in doing it.
So Kyrie came out said here do it. Yeah, and that's what you need. I think more of initiative. Some of your superstars are starting to take initiative and jump out there. I've seen Josh say here he might have to jump in the dunk contest. I've seen Gianni Is following him and say, hey, if you do what, I do it, and then I see exact you know, and
then Aaron so I love it. I love it. You got to have this type of joke, in this type of vibration from your from your main players to be able to have these events be meaningful.
Also, we can always brings you know a lot of great NBA players currently and from from uh you know yes year. Who were some people that you kind of connected with that resonated with you?
Uh well, always Man, always the great man. I've seen doctor j It's always great to see doctor j Gp. Always my my homeboy, always my my big bro. J kidd. I got to see Jaylen Brown, got to see some Uh Tatum, got to see you know, Spider mold Eric Mobley, I got to see all those guys. I got to see a good combination of everybody. JAYL. Roder, it was good to see him. Lou D. Yeah, everybody that was from the Bay Man fawdy, I got, I got a chance to say, what up everybody? She had some love,
you know, some get some love, get some praise. That's what it was about.
Another player you ran into at that Chase activation was town Cat.
Yeah, my bad shout the cat. Shouta Litho, big fella, that's up. That's up. Good out here, trying to keep city, trying to keep up, keep straightening this jay out. I'm off right, he got nice, he got a super nice look. You know what to ship. Never come out as you never come out as, never come out that your ship like them testing all that show. You know what I'm saying.
We jumped on Letho when when you know, he was just starting what he was doing and he was trying to get people to believe in what he was doing. And he's been consistent with that. Shout to Letho, man, we gotta we gotta go back and kesh Leithau. That was like five six years ago, wasn't it. And then yeah, cat Man just having a great year playing a huge market with the Knicks and catching up with him and shout to chase for the event that the people and
the contestants that was in the event was cool. Had a great time with that. Yeah, it was cool. It was cool man, and it was It wasn't stressful, man. Everything was real light and shill just a way I like it.
Another thing that happened was it was the Nike Future game. Aj Debansa was in it and I saw that you had a moment with him at the game. Jermaine o'neils was also in that game. It was Dynamic Prep against Utah Prep and Nike used to today be a new shoe. I'm just wondering what you learned from de bans and when you when you met him the other day.
First off, shout to the young kid a j I. I met him and passing his dad had stopped me and asked me to take a picture with him. I know who he is. I didn't. I never met him before I took the pick, said it up to him. I know he's going to Utah following him. I know he's the number one player, or at least one of them. And Jo's son, Jo's son locked that up. Yeah, I heard jo Son locked that ship up and ended up
getting the MVP. Shout the little O'Neill. Shout to j O and his fan, his daughter doing her thing in volleyball, the whole family's excellence. But yeah, Jo's son actually locked that up. We got to go back and check that out. Yeah, we gotta. We got to shoot that out. But I hear young Fellows the real deal, and uh yeah, I look forward to just seeing him grow and see what he do in Utah.
Another player we ran into with Jason Tatum. He pulled up on you, you know, inviting you out to Boston.
You got to see Tate, you know, he jumped right height. Man, Hey, we give you some game as man, what we're doing. It's like, yeah, no, man, trying to build this thing. I got it. I gotta get man, Come on, man, like man, I live on the West Coast. Yeah, I got you though, you feel me.
But Celtics eight and two in their last ten, Tailor playing some of his best stretch of basketball this season. What have you kind of just seen from him as a young man kind of coming up in the game and obviously a champion now. But he keeps developing.
Yeh, keep developing, and he's growing. He's growing this game. He looks stronger this year. He's playing through files, playing through a lot of contact. I would like them to be a little more consistent on the second and third effort. You know. Sometimes when he's done get files, he'll melt right there and kind of complain a little bit. But I think, at least for me, when I watched Tatum, man,
it's just you know, him learning how to take over games. Obviously, he has a bunch of talent around him so he doesn't have to do too much. But I think him and Jay, him and j Brown do a great job of being ahead of the snake of that team. I love all the pieces that they have up there that has created this green buzz saw. And yeah, I think Tatum's gonna get even better. I think not only as his as he gets older, he's gonna get smarter. I think his IQ is going to grow. He's gonna get
better at playmaking. I see his handles has gotten a light tighter for him to go in and out and be able to you know, go in and get files and stuff. So I see the growth. I see the growth. I see the growth in his game. I see the growth in his confidence, you know, coming down being able to put the nail on the coffin or hit big threes or be able to you know, like, I see what he's doing, but I'm excited for his growth in
what he's going to be. I don't think that we're seeing the best of him yet, and I think the best of him is yet to come. Shout to JT and Deuce Man. Out of the history of Duncan, out of all the brothers that's not came through and walked on air, you mean, tell me a white boy comes through and dominates the dunk contest? And when's it three in a row? Yah already got the three point contest. It's all fucked up on white guys, just showing. Hey, y'all,
remember white guys couldn't jump. White boys jumping out the gym. Now, dog bust of the other kid that we that we don't want in the dunk contest. That's the nigga that's really running it. What's the Jordan kid that throws behind him? Come on, help me, Nate. You're not watching the games, Nate. He's in the street. White kid, he'll throw that and here, look, Jordan, there you go.
Yeah, And Harry Payton freaked out when he when he saw the dunks he did.
Yeah, you hear what I'm saying again. We need if we're gonna do this all right, all right, cool, all stars ain't getting it all right? Open it up for the streets. Let's that. Let's let the streets. Let's that the coach will come in here. Yeah, I'm finna go get kool aid, peanut, all the motherfuckers I know to watch. Hey dog, I'm going hook Ronnie Field a Fields. I know you gotta win wind Mill in there somewhere, shure, I God damn ship, tell lu Yo that more. Ronnie
could probably steal dunk. It's a little fast and shot the fields air Fields out.
Yeah, Ticket, you've mentioned how post All Star break is the timer teams kind of separate themselves from the past. What team are you looking at that will put together that continuity and consistency and kind of push themselves ahead in this next five to ten game stretch.
When I saw bron sit out the All Star Game, that said to me that he's trying to get rest as much as he can for the second push. I think the Lakers are going to dramatically go up the list. I think what team that no one's talking about is the Clippers. I think the Clippers are going to have a little search. I look for them to climb. I look for Denver to get a little better. I'm eager to see where Phoenix goes. Phoenix is at the bottom
of the other thing. I don't know if they can make it a little push, but I like their team at least the talent on there. But like I think, like all of us were sitting here scratching our heads to you know, can they reviolve it with the second half push? And then a bunch of the teams ain't nobody talking about, like the memphisis the Houston Rockets, who are really made making some surges. The Rockets are gonna
be there. They got this, They got a young team, and they got a weapon, and I think that did nobody plan for with with that men hey man, and how he's playing and how he's his playmaking, his not only playmaking, but he's scoring, his activity, his rebound, his offensive rebounding, his steel just just everything. Bro, He's he's making everything around him better. So yeah, I look for
Houston to be there. And then yeah, Shay, I see Shaye actually really him and the Okay, see we get to see the Twin Towers and what they look like. So it's a lot of natives there that we can actually go to. You know, to answer your question that I don't think it's just one team. I think it's I think there's multiple teams just from the Service. But man, this is the best part of the league right here, this this race to the to the finish line to see how everybody finishes and what are.
Some teams that have kind of struggled And I'll just call it the first half a pre All Star that you feel like, hey man, they can they turn it around and make a push here.
Well, Orlando's been hurt for so long. I think we were eager to see Orlando team that's healthy. I think they're gonna make a major push. I think the war the wars are going to make a big push. I think Steph Curry coming off MVP, you know, All Star Game, being in the Bay, I think the Warriors are going to have a surge of energy. I don't know if y'all saw, but Draymond throughout that that they was going
to win the NBA Championship this year. So he's seen something that actually revived not only him, but the rest of his teammates, so they got to play under that pressure. But yeah, this is the best part of the league to me, the second the second half, because everything counts. You know, you don't want guys sitting out, and you want everybody to be as healthy as they can be going into the playoffs. So yeah, we'll see. Just this is it right here at the race.
The race is on and for you walk me through like post all start from like a player's perspective, like what's your mindset? How do you convey that as being a leader?
Well, the second half, man, after you come off All Star man, you get a couple of days to kind of you know, recalibrate. But going into All Start, you already know like, look, I'm going in here, X, Y and Z, I'm gonna get my shots, I'm get my sprint seeing I'm you know, do my little cardio just to keep myself. Everything you're doing alone the weekend is just to get you through the weekend safely, calmly, injury free.
And then you already locked in second half, you get an extra extra juice, you get a different reinsurgence of energy, and yeah, it carries you to probably the end of March early April, and then not to say you hit a wall or nothing, but you go through like this little April, this little April breeze where everybody's trying to position themselves, and by the second week in April, everybody
kind of knows where they're gonna be at. But that's this, This whole mentality is just this second half mentality is about where you want to be as a team position wise, because every team has strategized to be a certain place. I know some of the teams that are expecting to be there are already strategically putting together Okay, we want to match up with this team, we want to be able to be So it's a bunch of that, you know what I'm saying. But this is the real deal,
you know what I'm saying. These games not only count, but they mean something more than never. So I look forward to seeing how this all pans out.
And then also as a player, when you were when you were kind of jocking for position, were you thinking more about who your first round matchup is, or hey, let's just get the highest seat possible.
You know what the mentality is game by game you know, you don't want to look too far. I wasn't a person to be looking down. Man, we got the Spurs in two weeks or we got did to the you know, I really respected you know, game in game out. I didn't like looking. You know, some people know the schedule.
I never knew the schedule. I knew who I was playing that night that you know what I mean, and then the next you know, and then it really helped me keep a focus on the task in hand, regardless of who I was playing, regardless of if it was a Boozer or Andre Blanche or Chris Bosh or c Web or Dirk, it didn't it didn't matter. Everybody had a you know, every jew has a shine, and you had to respect that person shine and their their superpower.
So yeah, second half, yeah man, yeah, second half is about yeah, this this is to get on right here. But yeah, I was never a person to be looking four or five games ahead. You got to take it one game at a time, and then that's how you build up.
There's a clip kind of going around of Kevin Durant getting emotional talking about the game of basketball and how it's changed his life and how you know, it's gotten him out of the streets and changed his family's life. For you, what is the game given to you that you kind of cherish the most?
Man, The games gave me giving me a notoriety in which everybody has gotten to see me be creative in a basketball art form, things that I used to like to do in my own private time, and things that recreation of me actually became a career in a way of life for me. It's helped me and countless ways, not just working with others, but how to communicate with others that are not from the same how to deal
with different races, how to respect everybody, how to game respect. Yeah, man, the game has given me so many life lessons and so many things that I actually use in my everyday life. That yeah, man, I'm just I'm just fortunate like everybody
else who's come through professional sports. But when Slim got a when Katie got emotional, I felt that because the game has done a lot, you know what I'm saying, And when you come from where we come from, bro man, people don't know the ins and outs of how you got to get you know, to and from and what that journey is like. Every day in some of these cities. It's real. So you know, to to hear him talk about or to hear him go back and kind of,
you know, think about his journey. I felt that, you know what I'm saying, shout to Slim man Slim on the dopests to do it man KD the want of the dopest to do it. You know what I'm saying. When you meet it, be more. You meet a motherfucker from d C, they gonna hit you with you what LP Slim, Slim everything, slim shot the slim feel me.
And then you're someone that kind of I feel like, pride yourself on giving back to the game and giving jewels to the younger players. How important is that? And like being in the whole Star we can say where you can't speak to so many current players, it's very important.
Man. You know, these these young guys are not doing they're not really recreating the will and none of that. You know. You know, the Jews that we give the young guys are Jews that we actually actually obtained through the journey. And you know, the lee likes it and they don't like it, you know, because when you give Jews, there's a lot of leverage in those jews. There's a lot of it's a lot of things that if you know what you're doing, you can actually activate those things
to actually help your career, you know. And also sharing the perspective of these events, sharing the perspective with some of these young guys to to remind them that the dunk Contest is not a dunkon test, but it's a showmanship of you. You got a new shoes, you got anything cracking. You know how many people are watching the Dunk Contest. Know the viewership is on Saturday night. It's a great place to you know, if Shay you're coming out with his shoe, or if you got any product
that you wanted to get off. Man, the Dunk Contest is the biggest stage. But you know, everybody is privy to getting so much attention that I don't know if the same incentives are there. I think the league needs to recalibrate the incentives and then start with something fresh. But I think those jees and those interactions are needed. I think the young boys are actually looking for vets to come in and give them a script or a
wear of life. I know parents are parents, parents are there to be guardians and to help grow their their significant kids. And that's the way it should be. Parents shouldn't be agents. Parents shouldn't be you know, in positions of they should be helping the kid, you know, nothing less, nothing more, and be supportive of it. If you heard some of these stories out here, yes, it's out of control.
So when you were able to talk to some of these young kids, they're able to grab some of the jews that you give them and actually actually apply to their own lives. And it's good and bad. You know, no one likes No one likes you when you're smarter. No one likes you when you're actually growing and you're standing up for yourself. You're putting certain shit down, you're not tolerating certain shit, you're cutting out certain shit. Nobody likes that process because some of those people are in
that are in that in that removal. You know what I'm saying. But my definition of growth is when you're able to start someplace and see yourself greater from the place you started. So you know, it's got it right. But yeah, man I saw something that was dope too. Man I saw Steph Curry and Kyrie, you know, to speak in the game bro. I love him. Players, especially active players that played each other. Probably Chris Webber myself would have never done this. Sheeting myself would have probably
never done this. But Gary Payton in his older days, he was still a premier guard. He was probably one of the best, if not the best, him and John Stockton because he was six five sixty six. He could guard multiple but he was still that dude up in Seattle. Man Cole went to him and asked him a defensive question and it became a discussion and he just went into like og, like nah, you know, you gotta you
gotta do this. And then when he was showing us, I was like, damn, Like it was all technique, you know. And he was just showing how to get get inside the inner hand and get the rip. And he was just how he was showing it looks so simple on how when he displayed it, but then when he was talking about it, it sounds so difficult. So for him to take the time to teach being in myself and go through that patiently when everything else was going on, he
stopped it. He was patient. Shot the GP for that man. I saw Steph currying Carrie sharing like knowledge and he was like, you know, they was like how it just looked like they were just in a conversation of basketball. Now. I fucking loved it. I loved it. That's what we need more of, man, them jews being being shared amongst players, and yeah, man still shop and still real recognized real. I love that. That was dope for the game.
Speaking of growth, Sga Debut's signature shoe, First Team All the NBA the last two years, most likely going to be for third year straight. He's the MVP leading favorite first team in the West. What are your thoughts in just him as a young man twenty six years old, kind of coming up in the game and all this stuff's happened to him in such a short period of time.
If any player is built for like the limelight, I say it's this kid. This kid has always been chilled. He's always played the Bruce Wayne. He's always played like the fly ass kid to the side. You know what I'm saying. If you go back over time and you watch every time I seen him at the dunk contest, He's always had some dope shit on. He's always had his own little flare, and he's always been in his own kind of Lane, and he's gotten better each year.
He's been consistent each year, and I think now he's taking on like a different level of superstardom. He is international, but I hear a lot of kids, you know, just fucking with him. You know what I'm saying, shout to Shaye Man. He got a dope shoot. Converse A jont was cool. I love the color wave. I thought it was different from everything that was out there. And yeah, he's just continuing to grow. Man. He's my pick for MVP this year. He's been the most consistent because obviously
he got to finish off the second half. But I'm looking for bigger and better things for him. Man, He's one of the ones that's gonna be in the conversation. You know. He's one of the rare guards that we get that's bringing back the MIDI and he's perfecting this. Three balls, gotten a lot more tighter, His bag has gotten deeper. You know what I'm saying, Shout to shay Man and his growth in his work, man, because you can't get there without the work. Feel me shout there sh a Man.
Going back to the All Star Game kind of what were your thoughts of the fourteen bracket and the new system that they implemented this season.
You know, I looked at it like in an event. I didn't look at it like it was you know, the All Star Game is an event, and any event with ticket value, you know, people just don't want a game now. You know, with all the tech owners and all the tech enthusiasts, we a lot of sponsors are tech crypto, you know, the all the stuff that's gonna propel us forward. So you got to know that through the new lens, some of this thing's gonna take precedent. You know, We're just not gonna sit down and watch
an All Star game and that's it. You know. And in the microwave world that we live in, people want things now. People want things and more than you know, you get a pair of shoes people today now motha want the hoodie to go with the shoes and the whole jont you know what I'm saying. So, you know, I think the league is trying to find ways to keep not only the interests, but to grow the game too,
you know what I'm saying. So you know, when you have Raphael Sadik who's from Oakland, and it's a music muse and guru and Faulty Walter and you know, you gotta understand that it's for wherever you are. And I love that there was like that, you know what I'm saying. I think they should go back to having fifteen players. And then I thought, if bron was going to sit down, you should have brought in like some bonus or pile, should have brought pole Land and let him play or whatever.
But yeah, man, I thought in the event of throwing any event, it was cool for everybody. I thought Steph Curry showed up and showed out for the fan base, and it was only right that he was All Star MVP. But yeah, I thought all that was predicated for San Francisco in the Bay as it should as it should have been.
What do you remember about your first All Star? You made it in your second season.
Had experience with the rookie game to be able to kind of culminate and take in everything that was in the All Star weekend, And I remember just you know, establishing myself and then meaning the countless All Stars, Jordan's shot. Everybody was super nice, everybody was dope, cool to be around, everybody had advice. And then my second year when I
was a reserve was. I was just happy to be there as every year that I made it, and very fortunate because you know, yeah, you don't see the same players there every year, so if you're able to be there, it means that you're doing something right. But yeah, I was. I was trying to soak up and get knowledge from every old head that I was tapping into, Robert Parrish,
Wilt Oscar Robinson, everybody, you know what I'm saying. I looked up and they were showing a clip and then the clip I think it was an old dunk contest and they had to Kenby in it. You know what I'm saying. They had, they had the guy, They had guys in it, and I was sitting there looking at it, like, damn, it's crazy. It's crazy how we take for granted that, you know, we all gonna be here. And I kind of had a surreal moment for a second, just to
appreciate everybody. But yeah, I've always wanted to say that I had a conversation or I was able to touch or dap up or talk to or share a moment with some of the greatest. That's that's that's ever played, because that's what this is about.
Would you say that's the best part of All Star Weekend? That brings you know, all the stars from from yesteryear to today.
That's the best part about they all start weekend. It brings, It brings the generations together to culminate and to build and be amongst each other. You know what I'm saying. You know which, the league would have some more intimate settings where guys in old heads can actually sit and build. Sometimes when we sit in and building, you got fans in here, you can't really you know, lock in like you want to. Everybody's trying to create their own little
space in the square and own that square. And yes it's hard, but we need more of it. I can see why the league don't want too much of the old genius around to be able to give these young guys some script because these young guys are activists too. They have a voice and they want they voice heard. So the player empowerment is is this is as high as I've ever seen it. And uh, I can see the league trying to actually get some get some resolve and trying to get some some handle on everything. But yeah,
we'll see. Let's do some game picks. Yes, sir, we're back up, back up. What is it? Thursday, Friday? Friday?
Knicks a cast o?
This is this is this is this this, this is this, this is the this this Yes, yes, Cleveland at is the Knicks at Cleveland, Yes sir. Oh yeah, So I'm eager to see the first ten games with the cast with DeAndre, you know, Hunter coming over there, and just seeing how how all this is gonna work. What's the kid that was playing the three for them that had to hurt shoulder, col I don't pee. I don't think we understand that if he goes to the second unit.
Cleveland really damned. There has two starting second units to where you can put out of those four, out of those five, you can you can have DeAndre, uh Mobley, Garland, sit Spider and Big Fella. You can have a spy. There's so much you can do with that. Cleveland is scary. I'm looking forward to see what they look like. I think the Knicks have to come out of this break with a joke. They gotta they gotta actually hit somebody in the mouth and actually go on like a five
to six game winning streak. They gotta they gotta make a president and the presence into the East going into this this finishing God, you know what, give me, give me the Calves. I just think they're deeper and they're at home, and uh, I think the Calves are actually trying to put themselves in the cement and be like, you know what, we're here and we're for real. So yeah, we're fin the sea.
They have an identical record of okay, see right now, so they're tied for the best record in the NBA.
Really the Calves, yes.
Sir, and as you said, best starting five in the league once they got the DeAndre Hunter trade and they're two and oh since having DeAndre Hunter in their lineup.
Yeah, the Calves have to go do that to be able to deal with this green buzz saw. And I think that the Calves getting better like this is going to actually make Boston's level go to another level. You know what I'm saying.
Saturday night, let's go Saturday night, baby, Saturday night watching you.
This is so we got the Lakers at the Nuggets.
Hey, Friday night watch you, Saturday night watching you? Hey, the Lakers in Denver, Yes, give me the Lakers. I think the Lakers gonna come out and listen, stop Church, I'm this is just analytical. Just relax, man, Relax, man, I can pick the Lakers. You know what I'm saying. This is analytical work. Relax. Listen. Denver is the team no one's talking about, because I felt like towards the right, right right as the first house was ending, they had
like a serve of some really good games. I think Jamal's re activated Errands back right now, That's what I'm saying. Ain't nobody talking about Denver. But I really think that if the Lakers are gonna be taken serious, they gotta come out and they gotta hit. They gotta come out with like a lightning boat. And these first five teen games gonna gonna be gonna be everything. Anybody that can get a win, Street going, it's gonna show. But yeah, give me the Lakers, man. I think the Lakers got
something to prove. Let's go to Sunday.
Sunday, we got the thunder at the t Wolves.
The thunder at t Wolves. Yes, sir, nobody's really talking about the t Wolves this year. Man. I think Julie's been out, but they've been playing good ball. Man. They've been a little bit inconsistent and stuff and still being Yeah, man, okay see it's like a well oiled machine right now that it's gonna be hard to slow them down. Yeah give me okay see, even though I like the wolves at home, I'm gonna take you. Okay see, it's just they're playing with a different purpose and spirit right now.
All right, I got some stuff all ship from the Dope Shout out to Little D.
Shout out to mister Fab from the Dope Era. I appreciate your guys for all the wear. I saw the shop here, I had the ass. I was like, yo, y'all gotta have my size yo.
The Dope era, y'all was looking at this like man, the Dope Era. A yes, sir, you knows something of the south Man. They sent me the purple joint. So the vlure not the valure suit, not the vlure turbok, don't play word. Oh yeah, good looks. Good looks man a D. A Hey, mister Fab, I appreciate you guys. Man shout the Dope Era. You know what I'm saying. Got them Boston Green boys, No e, you cannot have these. No stop looking at these.
Get your own e. Get your own the dope era, your boy. This what's up? That is the mental health Yeah, Doug therapy for men. Yeah, that's what's up. Man. Make sure we out here take care of our mental health. Man, do what you need to do real shit. Fuck everything else? What else we got in here? Yeah? Shout to the NDA na A CP doing the event this year. They still doing the event on the golf joint. Shout to the twins. Shout to everybody over there doing it. What's
my girl? The name Nissa and Seema? Throw the dopest event. You got an event? Have them girls run yo, shit man, you and me, they got all the sponsor. We got everything here. Huh Hey, Ruster fight. Shout to my dog Jess Jesse up there. Ruster fight right man, Have me laid and lace. You know what I'm saying. Always Bill Russell in the house. You already know right, Russeter fight. Keep keep doing the hot ship. We need that little decapsule. That's what we need. We need that. Oh I need
that Marshan shit, that's what I need. I need that Marchan joint. He ain't need here and I don't see it in here at church. Church. You got my marchhawk shit at church. No, ain't no red shirt. Ain't no, ain't no golden blue shirt in here either where the fag of color is at. But yeah, well, good looks. I appreciate you, guys. Man, Dope Eraror. I saw him have the blue joint. Yeah that was hot and I need to get that joint. Marshawn had on with the street What was that tell me? I don't know what
the street department. Yeah, I need that. Yeah that was hard, but good looks of Dope Era for that. Man. I appreciate that. Man. Good guys. Hey man, y'all know what it is. Those are the picks of the week. Let's get it your sir,