Draymond Green Show - Jeff Teague

The volume.

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What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. We are here at Resort World in Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League.

We got All star NBA Champion. But what's starting? A film? Which is crazy?

Even more important? Podcaster Club five twenties on, Jeff T Welcome.

To this dram.

I appreciate having I want to come on your show for so long, so I'm excited.

I love what you do.

Thank you.

Appreciate you having me.

Absolutely, I appreciate you coming on. I mean, let's get right into it, man. I think you're doing a rare thing right now that most people don't ever do.

I think it's happened as of recent to Shannon.

Shark Charles Barkley in a since Kenny Smith where.

You play a career.

All guys who had great careers All Star Champion, Chuck Hall of Fame and multiple time All Star Kenny Champion, where you're almost becoming bigger now and after basketball then we then basketball and you, like I said, you were an All Star, which is crazy to think.

But what's this journey been like for you?

And getting into the podcast space with Club five twenty and kind of this journey that y'all been on Number one, I said it on the pot.

I'm a big fan of y'all.

Appreciate that, Bro.

To see you with your folks, take them and just start your own thing and to be where it is today, I think it's special.

So number one, I just want to say, I'm a fan.

I appreciate it, Bro. Now, but we just be having a lot of fun now. The journey's been great. I'm a basketball head from the start, but having fun with my guys and just doing what we do all the time, it's been cool. The attention has been different because I was one of those guys who didn't want attention when I play. I just wanted to kind of like do my job and go home. But I always been a goofball. I always clown in the locker room. I was a jokester.

Look at the podcast space and what y'all have been able to do.

How far do y'all ultimately hope to take.

It as far as we can. We wanted to blow up as big as it can.

I mean, you coming on the show with a big help, you talking about it before you even came on the show.

It's huge.

But we're trying to get as big as we can, and we want to be as big as shann and Sharpen those guys. So we're gonna continue to keep working, keep grinding, having fun with it. If it's not fun, I'm not gonna do it. But right now it's so fun and we're enjoyed.

Interesting enough, guys, he said, I was a big help today podcast. Their podcast is way bigger than this podcast. Just so y'all know, I know the numbers. I've seen the numbers, so y'all know their podcast is bigger than this podcast.

No way, Bro, you do it differently. Bro.

You started off man, you actually pot after games and you get real intel on the game.

And it's amazing to see you do that.

Like, I wouldn't have the confidence to do that, but you know who you are as a player and as a person. I could never do that because I know I'm gonna have a bad night. You live with your bad nights. You live with your good nights, and you'd like you go forward with if I have a bad night. Bro, I'm not saying the word it's over, like I'm going home. I'm not talking to nobody. I'm not doing none of that. And you get on the pod you own up to if you had a bad night. It's dope, dope to see.

No.

I appreciate it, bro, But you know a part of that for me is and where it differs from you.

I talk. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. So I let you know when it's going good.

For me, I hate nothing more than the guy that lets you know when it's going good.

But when it's going bad, it ain't his fault. You know what I'm saying.

When it's going I much rather and how I approach things is I'd rather throw myself even under the bus, even if it went good.

I've seen you do that plenty of times.

You know what I'm saying, I's supposed to like, Man, it's going bad, that ain't on me.

Like, nah, that's that's what I want to take that.

But that's different for you though, because you're you're also not throwing it in nobody face when it's going good, you know what I'm saying.

So that's a totally different thing.

But you know, like I always say to people, I've been able to win championships off of identifying front runners. You know what I'm saying, Like, you go up against certain teams. When we was playing the Clippers back in the day, we thought they was front runners. Now I've gotten really close with CP, so I take that with a grain to saw. Although I never thought CP was a front runner because he was all He played the same way all the time, tough physicals, hell smart fast.

If you talk, he getting into it with you, Like, I'm glad you said that.

People get mad at me when I tell the story about see talking shit to me.

Tell them that he talked shit. Please, absolutely one thousand percent. It was just you talk. It's all good, one thousand percent.

And but a lot of guys on that team we were walking to our locker room and say like, Yo, those guys are front runners.

Like it's going good for them, it's great.

Once it start going wrong, everybody crumbled, you know what I'm saying. We thought that about quite a few teams we would run up against, Like you just knew Houston. We thought Houston was really good. They challenged us. We thought they was front runners. And every time you get down to it and then show itself your in opportune time.

And so that's why, like even through our.

Runs, you see guys like flopping, like Steph wouldn't flop. I remember at one point the flopping was so bad in the NBA. We'd be like, yo, Steph, you gotta flop many you gottam fop.

I got paid off flopping. I can't say nothing bro I was doing. I was stopping on the screens, shoot and doing all that stuff.

That was me. I said, I got at least six points a game. I know. I remember one time.

It's funny I did it to Steph and then he got he got pissed like that ship when he came down the next play, didn't It was like doing all this stuff to the crowd was crying, laughing.

I don't care, bro, I'm just trying to get these the A points. Bro.

Did you.

And going through contract situation always here, you know, Sean Livingston and Andre Gudala, David West, they would always say to us, yo, y'all don't know the real NBA.

Y'all been here with the Warriors.

They come in obviously once they get you see it, they see how the organization. And they would always tell me Stephan Clay like, yo, y'all don't know the NBA. Like y'all ain't never played.

In the real y'all didn't, man, y'all had it good.

I played in the real NBA where people like I think it was one time you said some of the more heartless while you wouldn't shooting thirties facts. Yeah, I've been on those teams, like when I came into the League. Love of Jamal Cropper, but he was in a contract year. I think Marvin Williams just got paid. It was a couple guys was trying to get money. And that's the first time I heard about like stats and stuff like, because when I played in college, you just tried to win, absolutely, like,

I'm like, oh okay, that's how that worked.

And then ever since then, I was on teams where it was always somebody contract year, contract year, and it made our team weird. The only year we didn't have a contract problem with the year we won all them games. Wow, everybody had got paid. And that's the year we were good.

Y'all for All Stars.

Yeah, that's the year we were good.

That's crazy, man.

I always to your point, the more Heartless story, So we're playing, we're playing, it's the end of the season, and more Heartless had a bonus in his contract that if he shot a certain three point percentage and play a certain amount of games which he had already played in the mount of games and a three point percentage that he would get like a million dollar bonus, And so he was I think it may have been like thirty five percent. Take it with a grain of salt.

I wouldn't be there.

And so, however, which I get it, like you heard team but killing, I get it.

I don't get it. I understand, So I understand.

However, for me to know that you're doing that, I gotta now use that to my advantage. So we meet up with them in the playoffs right after he's doing that, and I say to him right away, you're gonna shoot tonight because you got your bonus.

Now you're still.

Scared to shoot. Hey, he's scared of the shoot fellas. He don't want to shoot the night. He's still worried about his bonus.

That's the fact player role.

He tanked the rest of the series. He tanked.

Oh you can't do that. You got the buddy that you gotta who.

He tank And by the way, I love Moharkles came in the same draft man, like love what he was able to do in his career. But there was situations like that that for me as someone who liked to play mind game and like got to try to get under somebody skined.

He gave him a lay up. I'm like, yo, you don't want to shoot. It's crazy.

But you got to understand though, Like that's why David Westonham says, ya don't ain't been on the real NBA. Y'all always been in situations where like I'm gonna get that, Like not you because you came in at the second round pick. But when you got there and you solidified yourself, you've basically been almost a max player every time. So guys like me or guys who you know, had to kind of like get that kind of track and they need those bonuses. I understand where they're coming from. But

I hurt.

HER's the thing though, I struggled with shooting for a couple of years, two three years spanning my career because I lost confidence, Like I totally lost confidence in my shot, and so I struggled with it a bit. I still don't know if my mind would process like, Yo, you can't shoot because your percentage about to drop.

That's crazy.

Now you're a hooper, though, and you like to win. But you come from a winning y'all, Michigan state. You're a winner.

Yeah, you've been in winter environments like.

You ain't never really been around losing like we've been around losing before you start looking at that stuff a little different, like we're about to win twenty games this year. I need my bonus, so I get where moat with it. But as a hooper, you can't do that, especially if you was a playoff team.

No, that's a fact. That's a fact.

Along the lines of podcasts, and you actually just did it a little bit here. How did you figure out because you have a skill that I'm not sure I've seen really anybody else. Do you have this skill in the way about your talking about yourself, talking about your.

Career in the way that I've never seen anyone do before.

And I guess my question is, how the hell do you remember all these stories? Like are these stories that amongst you and the guys that you shared before? And they're like, yo, you remember this? You just remember all these stories? Like how did you come up on that?

I remember everything. I'm not gonna I can tell you stuff. And when I was four years old, but it really happened because my wife we were at home one day and she was like, we were doing a podcast.

We would joke around all the time.

She was like, nobody wants to hear about what y'all did up the street, Like nobody care about you going upstairs and having a drink with your friends. Tell us something about the NBA. And I was like, like what. She was like, she watching the game, she liked basketball. She was like Jimmy Butler out here playing with I don't even know these white dudes. And I'm like, I'm like what. She was like, that's how he did y'all

Let's do a podcast. Went downstair.

I was like, Jimmy is literally playing with that's one of what's my guy's name of play.

In Cleveland now, Max Streuss.

He was still he was just starting to come on or whatever, and I'm like, yeah, that reminds me of practice.

I gotta tell this story. And it was just like perfect time.

And then after that it just kind of kind of way because I told stories before, but after that it just became a thing.

And I was like, man, let me tell about my experience in the NBA.

There's always a great woman behind 's always a great woman behind the great things.

No, she literally did that.

So and the way you talk about you talk about your career as if you want Jeff t like.

I don't take it. I don't take it seriously. I don't take nothing. I take it off or like it's love. Like I hooped, it was something I love to do, and it was like something I would do for free, So I don't take it too serious like everybody else be like.

Man, I'm an eight time champion. I did this.

I'll be like shit, okay, and then what like off off the court, who are you? It don't really matter when you're in a real world like that you hooped, so I don't take it too serious.

That's the fact.

And speaking of the business side of the podcast, you was just telling the story. But when you want to bought your first cameras to record the podcast.

Yeah, I'm about a thousand dollars camera because my guy Mike was like, we're not spending all that month on something that you're not even good at. And now now heat of producer, so his cameras is weak. Now no, but it's all good man, Like, this is just the best stuff though, Like talking to you get the chill.

I love this.

It's like locker room talking about facts. Yeah, that's why I love it.

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I agree.

It's for me. I enjoy when I have a guest on. Obviously I do a lot of shows my mind.

I don't know how you do that either.

Well, it's an interesting thing, amazing, and I bet you can do it because all it is is this, you're essentially you kind of have to play the role of two people, Like, so, you got your opinion right, and in order for me to get you to understand it, I also have to give you the pinion of the other side, so you can kind of compare it to I can't just be like, oh, I think X, Y, and Z and then move on. That's not a conversation.

No, it's not.

And so for me when I'm all by myself, one of the things that I just started doing and trying to figure out is like, let me have a conversation with myself. All right, I think this, But if I think this, there's probably somebody that think this. So I'm gonna talk about this side too, and then ultimately I'll get to a space of like, nah, but this is what it is.

But that's kind of like low key crazy. You're having a conversation with yourself, bro. But no, I do that too. But don't worry about it. Nah, it's crazy that you can do that, bro, Like I cannot do that. Like we was talking about it before it came on here. I'm like, I ain't never do the podcast. I don't even know how this is gonna work. When I do a podcast, I'm with the guys and I can bounce ideas off of them. If you're talking to us, I can defer the question of DJ, like get that one DJ.

Thank you, Bro, I appreciate it.

And staying on the business side of the podcast you, like I said, you started with your own cameras.

And then now fast forward.

To where we are today, y'all ultimately decide to partner with the volume for sure. How did that partnership come about?

Man, it was it was so weird.

It was a lot of companies and people reaching out one to sign us the deals and trying to work with us, and it was crazy. We got a call randomly, I got a call this guy called Jamie was like, Yo, we need you. I'm like, need me for what? He was like, we want you, we want you on, we want Club Out twenty, want everything about you guys. We love it, we want we want you to partner with us. And I was like, who is it? He's like the

It was just like a perfect mix. They believed in us.

They didn't want to change anything about the show. They want us to be ourselves. I'm like, yo, we used some crazy language. He was like yeah, we like that, and I'm like okay. And everybody else was kind of trying to change the show a little bit. They wanted to be a little more how can I say it politically correct?

I guess.

And the Value was just like, nah, we like it. Rall and edgy. How you guys are?

So that made us really comfortable and that's why we signed with them.

I think it's dope.

Man.

I've been with the Volume Nun for three years.

I think, and one thing I've appreciated is the opportunity to create and create what I think is right, but then having that uh, that team to kind of turn back to and say, all right, this is what I'm doing. This is what you know, Jackson my producer, this is what we're doing. But now what do y'all see or what what's working?

What isn't working? And they're like, all right, well this is working.

Not going to tell you to get rid of this because that's your thing, but you see these things, these things work a little more, this thing may work a little less, and kind of having that collaborate, having that collaboration, but in the same token, the collaboration is still but it's you. It's your show. You're doing the show where your partner. But we signed we signed up to be your partner because we liked you you were now because we wanted to then make you who we are.

Yeah.

Yeah, they they let you rock. Really that's why I like them too. But and you, once again you played a big role for me, like our group going there because I'm like, damn, Draymond, do this ship. After games? They really let rock, like to like being in the NBA, you know how it goes like you don't supposed to say too much. You gotta talk to the media here and there, and then the media guy comes to you and like, oh you can talk to this guy, you can't talk to this person whatever. And I'm like, he's

So it was big. He played a role in that too.

No, No, I'm happy y'all came over. Bro.

It's super dope to see I think, you know, and watching what it's been built into over the last three years.

It's night and day.

And for me, like I was just talking about your podcast being bigger, I absolutely love that because the way I look at it and not the way it works is.

High tie races all.

Boats for sure.

You know what I'm saying, you raised the tide, we all go. You know what I'm saying, I do something good, we all benefited. I think that's that's what I like about it. You know, it's it's it's a home for all of us and Ultimately, the more success you have and DJ and Mike, the more success I have, the more success I have, the more success you have, and I think it's a beautiful thing. So really really happy that y'all came over because the audience that y'all bring.

Also, it's a different audience, you know what I'm saying.

It's an audience that, like you got to Draymond Green Show, it's more about basketball, Like it's an audience that is driven by basketball, but also there's a there's kind of a comedy spin on what y'all do as well, and and then more importantly, there's a realness. And so you get that group of like people seeking the real stuff.

And I always have an appreciation for that.

I appreciate that, But uh, as a podcast for myself, Enough about podcasts, and I want to talk about your career because for me, for you to become an All Star.

At the time where the point.

Guard position was probably deep as it's ever been in the NBA.

You're talking Steph Russ.

Dane.

Kyle, Laurie, John wall A.

Man, Chris Paul at a time where the point and by the way, I'm sure we're missing seven names that came like at a time where the point guard position was as deep as it's ever been. You became an All Star? Yeah, what was that experience like for you? Did you believe, like before you became an All Star, did you believe that you were that caliber player? And then if so, what was it like to then actually become an All Star? Whence you got the nod?

Nah?

I told one of my best friend's named Lou back home, it was maybe two three years before that I was gonna make the All Star Game in New York.

He was like what.

I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna write it down. I'm gonna make the All Star Game in New York and I'm gonna shake Jay z Hen at half court and all that happened, by the way, So I was hyped, Like I knew I was gonna make it in New York. I had no question, Like I knew that's I already had that in my head. The problem is, I ain't make no more goals after that. That's where it got spooky. I ain't right down after that. But no, I knew I was gonna make it then, but I knew I was going in the right way.

Like every year I was getting better and better.

Then Coach Budd came and I had a score of mindset, like I want to score.

I want to average twenty points. That was my goal to average twenty points.

And he came to me and he was like, you would be All Star if you have a sixteen and eight and we win fifty games.

I believed him, and it happened.

And I hold him at a certain standard as a coach because he's unbelievable.

But I just knew I was gonna make it the year. I don't know how I did it. I don't know. I just knew, and it happened, and it was cool.

Y'all won a bunch of games, got four All Stars in but the people want to know, Yeah, so I must ask, shit, there have only been three, though.

I ain't gonna lie. Kyle was the main like he was so much of a focal point. Our team made all of our jobs so much easier. I got to go to my right hand anytime I wanted to. Because Kyle was sitting in that corner. You couldn't leave him, so I was walking to the basket. So I'm not gonna say he shouldn't have been an All Star. But his numbers and stuff like that, I mean, whatever, but

Kyle was on the floor.

You had to account for him, like he was almost like to go to player for us, Like people had to take him out the game because we ran our flow offense and it was based off him shooting threes. And when he wasn't making threes, we were tough, like we was in a tough situation. When he made threes, we scored a hundred thirty points. So I don't know. People say a lot of times like you shouldn't have made it, but I was happy he made it.

He was one of my favorite teammates.

It's interesting because when I think back to playing against those teams, to your point, a bunch of y'all sets were him coming off flying off, you get slips, you get you know, guys completely fucking up the matchup for sure, and if not he coming off dying as someone who averaged eight points and made an All Star game, you're not going.

To get me to sit say his numbers wasn't right, but he shouldn't have.

Made it the poortant part. Bro, I tell everybody, and we used to play, y'all. I hate it playing y'all because maybe like back off of Draymond, but then you can pass and you see the whole floor. But then you will go dribble handoff with step and they don't got nobody to help up with me, and it's like, you know, that's good. Same thing with Clay. And I'm like, y'all, understand what this man is doing. He the point guard.

This is the point guard.

So I'm yelling at falling him, like guard him, Like y'all guard me, get up, and they like, no, no, we got to back up. He ain't gonna shoot it, man. I'm like, y'all, tripping, he's Rondeau. This is Rondou. He's just a taller rondo. But that's part of the game.

A lot of teams did it. A lot of teams do it. And I absolutely love when tripping, bro, All right, are you just gonna let me sit here in this pocket.

And pick you apart?

Tripping Kenny Akason. You know, you know Kenny, he was the first one.

Me and him talked.

About it for hours, like Kenny is a great basketball man, and me and him, he's like, you gotta get up on Draymond.

You gotta get up on round though.

You cannot let him sit back there like Tom Brady gonna pick you apart, but nobody would listen to him. I believe. I'm like, Kenny was my guy. So I'm like, Kenny, you right, I'm watching tape. You gotta get up on him. I was like, and you dang near gotta switch. You gotta make Draymond school. You gotta make he gonna get twenty five. And you got the billy.

Time we played you, you was killing I was and you was talking so much like yeah, motherfucker. We kept up.

We just doubling the ball. You was getting in the pocket. He was making floaterstoing lives and bog and ship. I'm like, all right, man, fuck it. I'm like like, man, I hate this dude.

Man. He was like, yeah, you better get out of that. This shit ain't gonna work tonight. But you that's what you did, bro. You unbelievable.

No I appreciate it, bro. I'll never forget my first basket in the NBA. My first field goal I made was against y'all. I got the text smooth, stood under the rail and was like I came off the down screen. I caught it at the top of the key. He stood under there.

I hit the three, like, yeah, you better get your ass out.

First basket in the NBA been the story of my career ever since.

Man legendary story though, for sure.

For sure, So I'm definitely rocking with that. But Al Horford, yep, Yeah, teammate of yours just got his first championship.

So happy for him, definitely, so happy for him.

What's what.

Like? What were those feelings in watching? I know ever man all kind of had a thing in our finals. I don't know how he feel about it. I don't take them personal.

Maybe he do. I really don't give a ship.

But a lot.

Like he may he may fucking hate me. I don't really care. But a lot of people, and including me, are happy as hell for him. What was that like for you?

Somebody who kind of started him on that trajectory with those teams that y'all had, but it wasn't able to get over the hump.

In year seventeen, he finally gets it done.

What was social for Big al Man because I know how hard he work and I know how bad he wanted to win a championship. He always would talk about winning in at Florida, went back to back championships, and he's like, man, I used to make a joke like when we went in Atlanta, I'm gonna be on the Magic City float. And he used to be like, only you would say that. Only you would say that. He's like, let's just win and just get on a float, but it has to be Magic City. And I'm like, yeah,

I have that happened for him I was like, yeah, no doubt hip for you.

Bro Absolutely.

In our careers, I always say, we all play to get replaced, coach to get fired. Uh, general managers create teams to get fired. That's just the business that when we get older, our talents deteriorate. I'm kind of headed towards that path. Now, what was it like for you? Well, I thought at the time you were still at the top of your game, like still playing at an elite level, and then for a team to move on and kind of go with Schroeder after all that you have been doing.

In that organization.

Yeah, So that year was a tough year because I had I had a tearing my patella the whole year, so I'm doing I had to do PRP injection all this stuff after the season, and I was just kind of upset because I want an extension, Like I had just made the All Star year a year before and we had a pretty decent year that year. I had shot like forty something from the three in my first time in my career, and I was like sixteen something. I just want to extension. I didn't want nothing crazy.

I was hurt. Then Coach Bubba was I can't do you like that? Where you want to go?

And I was literally sitting on my porch in my house and at the end of my brother I was like, I want to play for the pacers. He was all right, I got you. I'm gonna trade you to the pacers. I'm gonna call him and were gonna figure out how to get you to the pacers. He was like, that's what my favorite I'm gonna do for you. He was, I hope you signed an extension there. I hope you stayed there for a long time. I love you, man, I'm gonna do that for you. Then you trade me to the Pacers.

Wow?

Yeah, wow, So you got a lot of love. Oh.

I love coach budd bro because he didn't have to do that. He could have traded me to Philly and that's when Philly was down bad. He was just like, we want to get a draft pick or something. Then he was like me, he did too much for me. I mean, I just got paid twenty five million. He's like, you deserve to get paid. But I don't really control that. But I he was running the team, but he was like the owner and assistant GM. Theydn't really want to

That's fine.

Yeah. So I appreciated that because I was at the crib. Now, it's the funniest you ever played playing basketball.

I was just about to ask you, like, what was that like going home to play having all your guys, they're all your family there.

For most people, that can be a distraction what was it like for you?

See my family, they don't. We don't really take like the NBA too serious. Like it's like, all right, you're playing the NBA, but you just little Jeff you not your you bro, You that's you. I can't really say, I camera, I tell you what day, bro. But they called me that at the crib. But when I was at home, but everybody just treat me like that, Like I don't when I go places.

I go to the hole in the wall. Bro. I don't got to worry about nobody trying to. I'll tell you what up.

Bro.

It's just like Jeff, Bro, they ain't. It's different. I don't know if you feel like that when you go home.

I do. I think it's the same way. Like I don't go home much. I'm from sacking Off, Yeah, Indianapolis, although it ain't want of the greater her NBA cities.

It's definitely not.

I mean, it's a better city than sacking Off.

So I don't go home a Bunton, but when I do, it's the same thing. Like the people that I've known my whole life, I'm still just day that, Like that's just what it is like.

And I'm never going to approach it like.

Anything other than that, like you should look at me different, or you should like I am just day that by the way, I actually appreciate that way more.

Yeah, that's what I love too.

Absolutely like going home and people like be hearing one of the guys on the podcast he has a brunch that he does once a month, and I go, people just like, tee, what's happening, Well, I know you're gonna be in here on something, like they know I'm coming, Like they even like they don't even think I play basketball.

They don't even look at it like that.

Bro, It's just like it's just jeff Like, I don't I got no change, I don't got no jury. I never I got one watch my mom bought me.

I never wore. I don't do I drive a pickup truck. I don't know.

I'm just trying to be normal as possible, and I don't really trying to do anything too much out of the norm. Man.

I think people appreciate that back home, so they just kind of treat me like one of the guys, neighborhood hero. I won't even say that, just one of the guys, one of the guys.

No doubt. What was it like for you being in the NBA. Obviously, we grow up with these dreams of making it to the NBA. We share these dreams with our siblings. I had a brother who's two years older than me. He never made it to the NBA, but that was a dream that we shared together. I can only imagine that was a dream that you and markt shared together. By the way that Nigga took my draft spot, and I ain't never forgetting that.

You make sure you let him know. I still feel away. I got nothing, beloved.

I guarantee you what, traj.

He took my spot and it's cool, and I had to go second round. It worked out, but ah, I could have been in Chicago, right near the crib. I had to go all the way to Cali addressed to excuse me adjust to a new way of life that I felt like I was in It's them ball or something. I was so far away from home, home sick. So you just let him know. He ruined my life for the first two years of my career. But it's cool.

Man, that was an unbelievable feeling. Like we knew he was going to the NBA. I mean, he was number one player all that stuff since he was seventh grade, so I knew he was going to NBA. But it was just still a moment where it was like, damn, man, your dream really came true because my dream wasn't the NBA.

Really.

I mean, you know, as a little kid, I want to make to the NBA.

But when I start getting older, I started realizing, Like I played against Eric Gordon in high school, I'm like, okay, that was like an NBA player. I probably not an NBA player. He got thirty. I got thirty, but he's thirty a little easier than my thirty. And then like when I went to college, I went to Wake for us, we weren't that good. And I've seen James Johnson, I'm like,

Would all this never in a thousand years what I thought this would happen.

Do you still want to be a high school coach?

I'm my high school coach.

You coached?

Yeah, I did it. I coached him the head coach I played high school? Really?

Yep, y'all weak?

We was last year. We ain't gonna be this year though. We was last year.

It was a week But we're gonna be better next year, though, are y'all? Are y'all able to recruit players down there? No, So you got to live in the neighborhood. They just opened up where it's like to open the school gates whatever you want to call it, where we can like get guys from different Yeah, but barely at pbably not really barely. You gotta kind of be kind of recruit I guess you can say suggested to go here or whatever. But it's getting better. But we got a really good team.

Speaking to James Johnson, uh, probably the most fear of man in the NBA.

I seen him in actions for real.

So I was just like you, like, have you ever seen him get at something?

Yeah, I've seen him.

So that's why when people be like, oh, it's a story, is it, Bro, I've seen this in real life, y'all.

Do not want that. Bro.

I tell everybody he knock out three dudes at one time, knock knock out seven footer.

I haven't seen it all. Like, he not nothing to play with, Bro.

And he get into a kickboxing stance, so like you know you're about to fight somebody square up. He he pulling his pants up kickboxing style Like I'm like nah, And I remember one time I told him like, I don't care about to show me that whole day in practice, Bro, I was in there thinking like if this, if this dude really showed me, Bro, I ain't gonna make it home. Bro,

His hands is different.

Bro, that's hilarious.

Man.

All right, y'all still close to that. I know he he been in with the patience.

My god.

I don't see him as much because you know, you know how the NBA is. I'm chilling, he moving around, But that's my guy. When I see him, it's my brother.

Bro. We did so much in school and being together.

Man. The nicest dude in the world. Bro, He'll give you a shirt off his back. And how you treat people, it's unbelievable. But when when he's turned on that switch to beat a black belt James Johnson, Bro, nobody wants that.

Bro.

And I've seen videos of his whole family. His whole family black belts really from the pops. His mom, she's some more like their whole family is leath.

Okay, this is all starting to make.

So his whole family, I think it's got like it's like six of them, right, brothers. He got videos his dad beating his legs with like wood to keep like but they got their feet up six inches beating his legs was so when you see James' legs is massive and super strong, but it's for kickboxing, so' nah, he's different.

Bro. Yeah, somebody trying. Bro.

I'm telling y'all, y'all see, bro, it's crazy. It's what What is all so crazy is what he does for that team.

No one will ever know.

And I know what he does for the team because playing against them young dudes, the demeanor they carry is almost as such a like, y'all ain't gonna do nothing, and it's.

As such like if you know, you know why?

Absolutely, So they out there, they just playing free as hell and ultimately knowing like, ain't nobody gonna mess with us?

And it allows them to just ball.

It allows them to just play free, which is their style, which is their brand of basketball.

And when they didn't bring.

Him in initially last year, I was like, they know how they enforce her, it's gonna look a lot different.

I'm not I probably should know.

I don't know who the hell is the general manager of the Indiana Pacers.

Oh he's still there, kp still there? Wow?

I didn't know he was still there, Okay, Kevin Pritchard. I did not know he was still there. He realized really quick. We should get him back.

In at Milwaukee situation, they said, yeah, God, bring JJ back.

Yeah sure, But that's how I was in college.

Bro.

Our freshman year, they kept calling me Mike Conley when I came to wait for us, the football players, and they used to It would piss me off, like he like, yo, They's like Mike Conley, what's up? And I'm like, Bro, don't call me Mike Conley. Bro and JJ we didn't really know.

Each other yet. He was like you calling Mike Conley again and knock you out?

But didn't nobody know who that he had this kickboxing resume, and we like, I'm like, damn, bro right on.

He like, nah, I'm tired of him say that. Bro.

He sayd again, i'mkock you out. You know, football players like what showed me? James Like come on, football players were just talking shit.

Bro. We cool, Bro.

And then somebody told him, like one of the coach was like, hey, Bro, leave him alone. He know who y'all think he is. And everybody like what do you do? And the coaches started telling him like Bro, he had kickboxing and so we didn't know either. So we had had a meeting as a team this dude had a kickboxing match set up while we're in college.

No, this is real, the true story. Yeah. I told y'all plenty of time.

The coach has to sit us down and tell us, like, Yo, are you gonna be a kickbox or a basketball player? He like, I need some money. He like, damn, you about to go fight for money. I'm not fucking with this dude. You're different, bro, You're about to really go fight. He's like, yeah, I think he was like ten and oh or something. He had a record already. He was just like, I'm like ten and oh on kickboxing. I need some extra money around here. He had a match

Was what the fourth picking of the six.

Sixteen sixteen he went sixteen?

He wanted to kickbox.

I'm telling you that's what he said he was gonna do when he retired. There's a much better life being in basketball away.

He said that he retires, he's gonna be a kickboxing You're gonna go back. You don't see him talk crazy to John Jones. I know he's not doing that, but John Jones is different.

J J.

I lave you to death, listen, I don't know that. That's a different world. I don't want no smoke with either one of y'all. But he said he wanted to fight John Jones. I'm like, all right, that's crazy.

I'm cool on that.

I'm cool, bro, I'm cool on that.

I've heard you talk about the the Minnesota timberwol practice with Jimmy where Jimmy kind of called out everybody. You just kind of mentioned it in the sense that he took guys and beat everybody. What was there always tension? Like that day is infamous and everybody knows about that day, but like.

The guys in the locker room are still the same guys.

Was there always that type of tension amongst that group, because.

I mean, let's just face it, some guys are a little softer than others.

Now, it wasn't that, Like it really was based off of Jimmy wanted to be paid. That's where it came from. Like, it wasn't about Cat, it wasn't about Wig, it wasn't about me, taj d Rose, none of that. It was about him getting paid. And when he came here, Tivs told him, like, Yo, we're gonna take care of you.

So he was like, I'm gonna make I'll never forget.

Jimmy called me and was like, y'all come to Minnesota, and I'm like, all right, he got Taje you come now, We're come to Minnesota, Jamal to come. We all coming. He's like, we're gonna win, bro. He was like, we're gonna be a top five seed New West. We're gonna win. We're gonna shock the world. People don't believe me. He was like, I'm not good. I was like, Damn, Jimmy, I'm good too, Like you know what I mean, Like, Nah, I'm not good, bro, I'm gonna change this whole thing around.

Damn.

We forgot about Cat and Wigs, Like we weren't even thinking about them until we got the practice and I've seen Cat and I'm like, hey, he the best player on the team.

And Jimmy like he the best one. Then I'm like Wig dynamic too.

He was like, Cat going everage twenty five, Wig gonna everage twenty something.

I'm an average, like eighteen.

He was like, you're gonna get your fourteen, Tis gonna get his twelve thirteen whatever. He was like, but they're gonna be the mother focal point. I'm gonna do all the little things. I'm like cool. First two games of the season, we wasn't looking that good. Jimmy coming to the locker room, he was like, fuck this sick. I gotta be me. I gotta take over this whole thing. He started killing. We going this run. We start winning games, and he just started like they ain't the once, like

He's not one bit.

He looking at me, I like Jimmy. So Jimmy heard that and was like, I'm rocking with Wig.

Too.

But Cat he Cat like Jimmy, but the way he used to talk to people, Cat just really couldn't handle it. Jimmy get hurt. We went from three to the A seed, like fighting and getting the playoffs. Jimmy realized that Jimmy came back for like three games, were getting the playoffs. When we losing the first round whatever, Jimmy was still hurt that summer. Jimmy like, y'all see when I'm out with the team, looked like when I'm in, what we look like? Take care of me. I want to get

Tips.

I can't do it. It's like paying tipsis. I can't do it. I literally can't do it. Jimmy's I'm out, we have a meeting. I'm like, Jimmy, please, I'm calling. I don't even know why I was calling him because I didn't even care. I mean, this is just me beer. I didn't care I'm like, Jimmy, if you want to leave, go leave. I just signed it. I'm mad you brought me here because I could have stayed at Indiana.

But if you go leave, leave, Bro, all right, we gonna hoo regardless.

I love you to death, but I can't be begging no man in station where I don't care that much. He like, yeah, I'm out to you. I'm like, all right, we have a meeting. TAJ like, no, Jimmy can't do that to me. He was, I'm gonna have a meeting. If anybody tell anybody that's how jim was talking to us. You got me messed up. Anybody tell anybody about this meeting. I'm out. I bust out, laughing, like, Bro, all right, we lead a meeting.

Bro.

Literally, Jimmy tweets I'm out and we like from.

What nobody said, nothing like he having a meeting where he's doing the show with Rachel Nichols.

Bro, you about to talk about it? You crazy to hell? Bro, But I love Jimmy though he crazy, but it was just money.

I can dig that before we get out of here. I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about championship.

Man, you got to talk about that now.

I got some things that I want to know as well. But and also as an NBA champion, I must talk about that because.

There's a certain level of respect that comes from me for champions because that shit is hard to do it, and it.

Is hard whether you are the first option or whether you are the fifteenth man. For sure, it is extremely hard for that shit to come together and to win a championship and a lot of luck and people don't take that into a car. I have a huge appreciation for people that win a championship and a huge respect because also you also create your luck too, you know what I'm saying. And so you go to Milwaukee reunited.

With coach Budd. What was it like with that team?

Did you guys like believe initially like, yo, we got a championship team.

It kind of had to come together.

What was it like then going to play Coach Budd, Giannis, Chris Drew and ultimately winning championship with the Bucks.

So I started that year off with Boston and that's when I met j T Jason Tay, that's my guy's one of my good friends, him, j Be and all them guys, And I thought that was like a championship team. I'm like, I'm going to Boston and I started off the season playing pretty good there and I'm like, yeah, this is a team I think we can win. Kimball was out though, so Kimball was hurt for a little bit. And when Kimball came back, you know, the chemistry was

Play that much. Coach Budd lied to me, but it's all good. And then ty Lou called me.

It was like, come to the Clippers, bro, We play everybody like we didn't brought Reggie Jackson back to life. We bring people back to life. Like, if you want to play, come play here. Coach Budd called me again, like we're gonna win the championship. I'm a rock with Bud Man. I know, Bud, go there, good year. You can tell we had something. But I didn't know if we had championship. I never been on the championship team, so I don't know what that feels like. I just

You know, PJ. Tucker, my dog, So he complaining about every play like.

I don't get the bomb, Like, man, y'all, this's on your team. You got to get the ball, go to the corner. So what you're gonna do with it? Dribble, hand offf lit go to the quarter. Talk you about dog, but look, go to the quarter. So being Hill was joking every day and Coach bub was like, I think we're gonna win a champion.

You kept saying that to me.

We started playing KD Kyrie, I mean Kadi James hor and Kyrie. The first game, we get beat about like forty. I go to this office like coach, I'll think a He like like he felt like he was about to get fired. I never forget that. He like, he being real with me. He kind of like I felt like it was like over, like you know, this.

Room was over in Milwaukee. Me like, I'm I'm low key.

I'm like, man, I think the Pacers gonna hire you like they I'm kind of like I'm setting myself because I know I live in Indiana.

So I'm like, if the Pacers hire you, like you know, sawn me like I wanna be a coach.

He like what, I'm not even thinking about that right now, but I know he was that we got beat by fifty. The second game, we get blasted by like fifty five, Like it's crazy, like it's it's not even close. We like, we don't stand a chance. God Ree rose his ankle third game and you could see like the lights switch it, like we can beat him now. And Yannis stepped up, Chris Drew, they all started just playing phenomenal. And now we knew we get passed them. We was winning championship

They bore me.

I'm like, damn getting booed in Atlanta. I ain't never thought that had happened. But it was a cool run.

So I know what you say, I fielder, like, you know, the championship run was special, But I guess just for me, I always.

Like imagine, like damn, I was in the game, man, I threw a pass to the corner or something good happened while I was in there, and it just didn't happen in the Championship series, but it definitely took a team.

No, that's for sure.

I had this conversation with Matt Barnes before because what I'm picking up from you, you kind of feel like him, Yeah, which is as a true hooper like Matt is, as a real one like Matt is. You're like, yeah, but I ain't really gift to it what I know I would have liked to give to it.

And that's a.

Relevant I hear you've been.

It's different for you, Bro, You've been like in that moment, you've been a guy like you You one of them guys. So like championships were won and lost off stuff you did,

Point, which matters.

It did, and it matters because it gets so thick and like uptight that if somebody is making us life, the benefit that they have on the team keeps us loose, it matters.

Matter of fact, You're right cause t A Suh.

Janni's brother when we went down oh two, he had COVID so he couldn't come to the plane. That's why we went down to Giannis was messed up. Like him and his brother. Bro, they got some different kind of connection. He can't function or play if you don't see his brother. I'm being for real, it's not even it's different.

Bro.

He was like, where t A? Where ta We in the middle of the game. I'm like, bro we in the finals, Bro played like where ta where ta? So t A makes this magic like COVID recovery. I know he still had it. No way, Bro, it's fourteen days, Bro, he's back. In thirty he's back then he see him

This, who cares Yea.

I was like, bro there's no way y'all got him ribbed by himself. Now he just was in the locker room broke.

Yeah, that's wild.

That's wild, but I agree with it because you gotta do it what you gotta do to win a championship.

It's funny. I was about that.

My next question was actually about ta and you just brought him up. He gets this rap on social media because of the funny clips, like people almost try to make him out to be a clown. And I've actually gotten to know the person very very very very solid, good dude, smart, good dude. And I've also talked to people other people that has played on teams with him. I've never heard one bad thing about him as a teammate,

I tell him all the time because we laughed at the clips too. We make fun of it or whatever. You know, we joke all day. But I tell them, like, nah, Bro, he can really hoop. Y'all gotta see his highlights too. Now he got where he dunked on a couple of people. He euro state, like the low lights are funny, and they super funny today.

I ain't gonna lie.

His highlights are amazing too. And I tell people he can really hoop. He not just there because he's Bro. I'm like, y'all know he got picked before in the NBA, Like he got drafted and he played in the NBA before Jannis, Like, he can hoop, bro, And I'm glad you brought that up because ta he do his job very well. I mean, he cheered on the team. He's a great part of that organization. Like he makes it run I'm not gonna lie. He gives that energy, but he can actually yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Man.

I appreciate you coming on the show.

Thanks for having me, Bro.

This has been a.

Blast, absolutely, It's dope. I'm looking forward to coming back on Club five twenty. Yes, sir, have a good time with the fellas. But man, like I said before, I wanna say it again. I love y'all show and what you're doing. I love your trajectory on everything that you're creating.

Bro.

Keep going here, y'all, keep doing.

It, keep bringing the content because I need to watch it out man.

Now, you keep doing your thing.

Bro.

I'm happy to be on this show where I really appreciate the guys. They want to come on your show, so I will do that one day. We got to have it on there.

They're like, damn you gonna do the show without us.

Say yeah, so we'll do that.

Another crossover show.

We'll definitely do that. That's a rock.

This episode of The Draymond Green Show here at Resort World in Vegas, Summer Lead twenty twenty four.

Peace the Volume