Draymond Green Show - Jrue Holiday

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What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. This next guest as a brother of mine, one of my golden brothers. We want to gold medal together. That is just one of his many accomplishments. He is a twenty twenty one NBA champion, two time NBA All Star, three time NBA All Defensive First Seam, probably slided a little bit there, Two time All NBA Defensive Second Team. You can have those, because I got too many of those, and.

He should be on first team all the time.

This last one is one of my favorites because this is him in a nutshell and life.

This is him in basketball.

Like I said, I had the opportunity to play with him three time NBA Teammate of the Year.

Drew Holliday, what's up, my brother, man.

Glad, Glad Glad. I'm glad we can make this work. Man, Glad, I could be on here.

Man. I appreciate you.

And we've been making efforts to make this happen, and Drew been making efforts and our you know, our schedules get a little crazy at times, and then you got the West Coast and the East Coast.

And all of those things.

But we wanted to bring you all this and we're doing and Drew, I thank you for coming on the show.

Brother.

Sure for sure.

Ah Man, let's just take me back number one, like or just for starters, your your parents both played at Arizona State, played basketball at Arizona State. Just talk to me about like growing up in a household with parents that played at a high level that understood that because y'all are an extremely athletic family.

Yeah, I think, honestly, it was it was competitive, but it was so natural for us.

Like everything that we did. Yeah, it was.

It was competition, but I think our parents knew because they were competitors, that when it comes to family, that comes first. So that was one of the big things. You obviously played with my older brother Justin, and you've seen my little brother trying to do his thing in Houston.

But we've always we've always tried to be able.

To cheer for each other, you know what I'm saying, through our successes, help each other through our downfalls. But I think my parents did a really good job of keeping us.

Competitive and then at the same time like loving on each other. So it's been bro, it's been.

The hell of a ride. Being able to kind of talk about my family. People don't even know about my sisters. She played basketball, but just really being able to, uh.

Be competitors and then just love each other through all the other bs.

You know what I'm saying, absolutely, how was that growing up? Like you being middle child and just but in particular up the boys and Justin Justin being older than you?

What was that like?

Because you're way, like the way thicker than Justin Justine skinny as hell a twig? Like, what was that like growing up and y'all two playing against each other two totally different games as well?

Man, I tell people all the time, my brother made me who I am? Uh, he's taller than me. Uh, longer arms, you can jump higher. So all the finishing and stuff that I usually do over people and trying to do it over you know, length and people that are tall to me was because of him, and obviously him being older, Like I looked up to him. A lot of the stuff that he did, I always wanted to do. So I follow his game, I mirror him, and then once I kind of got.

A chance to like be on the same level or try to. When we play one on one.

Or two on two, he would like always block my shot, he'd always take the ball from me. But I mean, shoot, he made me better just because we had battle every day.

Bro, every day we battle.

We fight, going side for twenty minutes, cool off, and then come back outside and start start hooping again. So it was a man.

I so much credit goes to my big brother for just the player that I am.

No, that's fire.

And you went to Campbell Hall back when we were in high school. For those of y'all that don't know me and Drew is the same high school class. And then look up our high school rankings. You'll find Drew pretty fast. It will take you a long time with your magnifying glass to find me on those rankings. Nonetheless, it was rightfully, so I was not bea you know, It's okay. It all worked out at the end of the day. But there's a lot of kids in LA now attending Camber Hall wasn't quite that way.

When you attended Camber Hall.

What was it that drove you and your family to or you to go to Campbell Hall in in the first place.

So my mom works there. My mom's worked there probably ten years before I got there. I had some I had, like my auntie and my cousins that went to school there. So we're actually going there for a better education. It was nothing about sports, nothing for sports. It was about getting a better education. We got to get to college. We got to graduate from college. My mom being a teacher and an educator, that was what was most important to her. She would always tell us like, if you're

Kids in private.

School and doing all that, and obviously being in LA, the abundance of Hoopers that you have in kind of this small area. It's been crazy and it's been fun to watch kind of kind of from a distance up. Yeah, when I went to Campbell hall Man, it was it was me and my brother and uh, I mean a couple other dudes from from Pasadena or whoever, and then all of a sudden, it's like blowing up.

Yeah, No, it's crazy to watch.

I think, like I remember, if I remember correctly, y'all had an ESPN game was in high school we did. I remember watching that, yes, which is why I watched it because Delvon we were both going to Michigan State. I remember that, definitely remember that game. But then you stay home, you go to u c.

L A for one year.

What was it like, like, what did it do for you at that time to have another guy like Darren Collison on your team where you're coming out your top five, but don't have to shoulder all the responsibility at point guard because you got a vet like Darren Collison?

What what was that like man college.

Yeah, I think it was a blessing in disguise, you know, obviously going into college, especially nowadays, where like you see freshmen coming in and they kind of had a world on their shoulders, a lot of pressure to do a lot as a freshman, I mean an eighteen or nineteen year old kid, where that could be hard for me.

I had somebody who's a season vet went to two or three final fours and made some big.

Plays and had some big games and kind of ran you sell a basketball and kind of the whole campus and everything. So it was cool just learning from him and then being able to get drafted with him the same year, and then and then play against him in the league for so long it's been it's been cool. Definitely, like a bigger break there to be able to kind of step into college life with in the the NBA.

Yeah. No, And man, I remember that we went further than y'all our freshman year, but he went on to the league seventeenth pick, seventeenth pick after freshman year, drafted by the seventy six ers in the two.

Thousand and nine NBA Draft.

You then go on to become the youngest All Star at least at the time. I'm not sure if it still stands, but you're going to become the youngest All Star in seventy six or history, and then the next year you're traded. I remember talking to Andre Godala. You know Andre obviously we played many years together, and he specifically talked about when they traded you just us before, and he was like, I was talking to Drew, Like I can't remember the story vividly, but something I was

Noel Man, I didn't know what to think. Like you said, I just became an All Star. I just signed an extension, And I mean I thought I was one of the cornerstone pieces or one of the major pieces of seventy six years basketball, like Philadelphia basketball me Evan Turner. D Young was still there. I think they had already traded Dre, they'd already traded lou Will, but it was like Dang, I was on my way to a Dodger game.

I just did a camp.

I just did a camp in Orange County at one of my best friends colleges in Orange County.

We went our way to a Dodger game, and I.

Get a call from Sam Henkey like, Amen, we've never met because this is when he started taking over that year.

Yeah, He's like, hey, man, I know we've never met her. Great things about you over trading to New Orleans for It was like a thirty second conversation.

I never met him or talked to him before. I think at this point, I don't even know what Bro looked like.

So wow. Yeah, So we was.

We was on our way with me, I think, my brother and so my best friends on the way to the Dodger game. And next thing, I'm like, next thing, you know, I get off the phone. I'm like, hey, I just got traded. They're like, no, you didn't, like all right. Two seconds later, pops up on the on the little screen ESPN drew how that got traded.

For number six pick? That's crazy And that's how you found up bro. Yeah, just like that.

That's the only conversation you've ever had with Sam.

I haven't spoken to him before or after that. Wow, the only conversation I've had.

He came in and did that. Let's look back at that, all right, when he starts turning, weel.

That Michael Carter Williams. Remember Michael Carter Williams.

I think that rookie going keep going, keep going. Tell me somebody else.

But I mean, I think I was, like, I like to think I was the start of the process.

You want to start the process. I'm just not sure the processes ever worked.

He could still be going, yeah, I don't know.

I mean, you get Joel, right, like, all right, so you got Joel.

Everything else outside of that process didn't work.

Yeah that's tough, like Joel.

Is obviously, but everything else outside of the process fail.

I mean yeah, yeah.

I mean they traded Evan away after me. I mean, and I called Evan right away because Von was my dog.

Like I got I got drafted.

The next year, Evan Turner got drafted, and he like, there's no way that they just trade you. I'm like, bro, look like we are not. Like me and Evan thought we'd be teammates forever. We thought we were the youngest, the two best players and team. We thought it would be teammates forever and just like that literally thirty second conversation.

That's crazy, man. That's the NBA for y'all, folks.

Yeah, and it and it ain't any different now.

It might even be a little worse now because you have Twitter, you have Instagram, but you have these other outlets, media outlets that will catch it before you do, and maybe that hurts lit a little worse. Like I've seen a couple of teammates come in from a game and find out they get cut. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like, I know you've experienced it too, Like you've seen teammates just like dang bro, like I had no clue and they didn't have the boss to tell you face to face.

No, I think it's it actually should be illegal. I agree, Like because if I came out and said something about the trade before, I get fined for sure.

So why is it that.

They can announce me being traded and my feelings just gotta be hurt, right, and I'm left to pick up the pieces of my feelings. I'm left to pick up the pieces of my life. I'm left like, I'm just left to pick up the pieces. But if I said that first, no problem, Like, I mean, come off the bread. Yeah it should, it should be illegal. Take take me through the process. This time though, this time around, there's a bunch of reporting that going on that Damian Lillard is going to get traded.

No one knows where.

He keeps saying Miami or people keep saying he Miami's number one choice or the Knicks Bucks. Isn't even a conversation. Ah, And then like, how soon with that? Did you know that you were getting traded?

And yeah, I was. I mean, so I.

Through the week, you know, in the off season, you go in, I'm already Milwaukee because my kids go to school there and they started school and we're working out.

I mean most of the teams they're working out.

Monday Tuesday will workout. I take Wednesday off kind of do my own thing, recovery day, and then Thursday Friday I workout, and then the weekends I can'd of.

Do my own thing. Me and my wife.

Well, Wednesday was my day off and I'm taking a nap and I'm taking then and I got my.

I got my watch on my have a watch on and I see the text. I see a call from the GM and I'm like, I'll call him back, like I'm deep in this nop too.

What I'm saying, it's a good one. And then two seconds later my agent coffee. I'm like, all right, so I picked a his call. He's like, you talked to him. I'm like, nah, bro, I'm sleeping. He's like, well, you just got traded, so you should probably call him back. And then I ended up looking at my phone. He ended up texting me everything that was happening, like yeah, we traded you here here, And then I ended up calling him and ended up saying like, yeah, we traded

He did tell me. I think before it broke on.

Twitter and all that the world kind of knew.

But I think for me.

It was just a shock because I had no clue, like out the blue, and I think a part of me thinking like maybe I felt like I not that I was untouchable but maybe I had done enough to at least let me know twenty four hours in advance, not five minutes in advance. And maybe I'm asking for too much. I don't know, but it's kind of like, I mean, we want I won there.

You know what I'm saying.

We won there, so how many championships in Bucks history? Yeah, you ain't asking for too much, yer span, But.

Again I'm not. I'm not upset with it. Yeah, I'm not.

I'm not upset with it. It was just more of a shock, Like I didn't I didn't think that if I was going to get traded. I thought I would at least know in advance. I can prepare my family, I can prepare my kid like we had a life there and like I said, my kids were already in school. And then that next Sunday or that next Monday was training camp.

Wow.

So like it wasn't like in the middle of the summer or the middle of the off season, Like, no, we had four days. So I have to figure out how to who my family.

I got to figure out from one, I got to figure out where I'm going, yause I didn't end up staying in And that also took a minute too. So I'm in limbo for three days, like not really knowing what's going on, and then when it all kind of came together at the end. I mean, I really thank God for Portland and and Chancey and the GM there because they really liked did good bye me, just really asking me and talking to me where I wanted to go and if I was on the same timeline as them and.

All that, and they did it. I mean, I love them for that, but.

It was just such a shot. And then being thrown into another system that I had no clue about, but being traded four days ago and then having just to fly there and go straight in the training camp was crazy.

Did you get a chance to talk to Gianni's dang anybody?

Like? Uh? I talked to Dan.

I was like, uh, hey, bro, you're gonna love it here. I think, like because honestly, just like everybody else think, I thought Dame was a good fit with Yanni.

Like how they play together.

The pick and roll addam came into that and you got you got Brooked obviously stretching the floor. You got Bobby stretching the floor and being a bully in the paint.

I thought it was a good.

I thought it was a good fit for him. So I ain't had no no hate or anything. I talked to Giannis a little bit, but the first person that called me was Chris and he came. He came to the house, and uh, we had a we had a deep conversation.

We had we had a good conversation. So uh yeah, yeah, came in my boy.

So it was it was good to kind of talk it through with him, because honestly, I think a lot of them were just as shocked as as I was. Like, I don't think anybody knew. I think they kind of kept it close to the chest for the most part.

Again, I don't know who knows who knew like the whole story and who didn't, So I can't speak on all that, but like I know, I know a lot of them they just kept it close because if it did get out. Yeah, again, I don't know. For me, it's like I'm a grown man and if you tell me that, like I'm possibly gonna get traded them and be like all.

Right, yeah, I think that's a tough thing to do though for a GM for being who you are and what you meant to that team, and like, like you have to play well for that team to win. If they're like, yo, you may get traded and then all of a sudden you don't. That could be tough because like, all right, trade me, then like like get me out of here. So I get that from a certain extent,

Don't understand the way Janni's.

And Brooke play in the drop that only works in today NBA. If you have a guard that a doesn't get screened and chases over the ball like a hawk, Like he chases over the screen like a hawk, And with you chasing over the screens, they can sit in that drop and you're good enough to funnel them to the drop. All of a sudden, you remove that and you don't have anyone to do that, and Grayson Allen was gone, who also thought was your second best perimeter defender, like defense to a huge hit.

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When I tell people during that time because me and Grayson just ironically, me and Grayson didn't go in the same day the day that we got traded.

Grayson also been going that day, which I don't know. I don't know why.

Grayson was killing this offseason. Grayson put in work and he was killing. I'm like, he is the best player on the court this offseason, So I think all of it kind of like, looking back at it, I'm like, man, it was I do think defensively it was.

A big It hurt him a lot, But you know.

Trades can be made and you can try to find defense and do all that.

But I agree with you.

I think that I was kind of perfectly put or I fit perfectly and funneling guys to Brook, who I.

Think last year had career hiring blocks.

Obviously, you see what Giannis does blocking shots and stuff, so I was like, I was meant for that.

But yeah, for sure, brook Brook was mentioned as defensive possibly defensive Player of the Year last year, and I don't remember nobody ever mentioned a brook for Nobody's defensive Player of the Year. So that does definitely show your impact. But I did so, so you pretty much chose to go to the Celtics, like the Blazers kind of gave you that right to just kind of Yeah.

There were other teams that I wanted to. They were one of the teams that I wanted to.

Try to go to. Obviously they had pieces. I think something.

Happened with Brot with Malcolm earlier where he didn't go to the Clippers, so I think he was maybe looking to go somewhere else and he was definitely one of the teams. But I want to go to contendent. I mean, this is a few of them out there where I felt like I could make my impact. It was like, there's the Clippers at the time, it's Miami, there's Celtics, and I think maybe those.

Are the like the big three, the ones that I felt like, you know what, if I go there, I could.

Really really do something, and you know, after you get traded sometimes you kind of question not your abilities, but like sometimes your confidence, Like am I.

As good as I think I am? Because like I.

Can just be traded for nothing or not even know about it. But to see so many people kind of text me and be like dang, Like I didn't see that coming getting those text messages. Man, I'm like, you know what, like, yeah I can still It ain't mean I'm still nice.

So it was cool. It was cool to kind of have that fee back.

But what was your reaction, like initially, like y'all just finished playing the Celtics and back and forth the last few years and you know that thing has grown into a rivalry.

What was your reaction to that was?

It was it more like damn, I don't know if I want to go or because of the way they traded you, it was just like, no, I actually want to go there and get.

Back at them.

Uh.

It was more like, yeah, I want to go there and win.

It wasn't necessarily to get back at them because, like I told you about my first trade experience, it's happened to me before. I've been traded without knowing I've been traded for I mean, for whatever reason and it just go like like thirty second call, I'm somewhere else. So and I still love the guys on the team, you know what I'm saying, But I also want to beat them. Yeah, also you know what I'm saying, I also want to beat them. So it's not like in spite I didn't

Like it wasn't just right. It wasn't just me.

Going after them, like they also pursued me too, So I think it was that definitely worked, But it wouldn't I wasn't going there like yeah, I'm gonna get back at the at the Bucks.

It was like, well, I'm gonna go there and win. If we got to go through the Bucks, then be.

Going through absolutely, And I you know, I can appreciate that, and I love it because see what people and you know, people get mixed up all the time and they forget these these these time of these events. Marcus Smart was already traded. The Celtics didn't have a point guard going into the season, Like again, four days away from training camp,

We know we about to pay JT. We might as well start getting off some stuff now.

It was almost like a panic and like them letting go the rope how I viewed it, and then all of a sudden you pop up and everybody's like, oh, Drew's in Portland.

But Drew said he not standing in Portland. He's available, and they come up on you, and I mean, it's changed everything.

It's a it's been fun, bro, I'm not gonna lie, it's been it's been fun. The culture here in Boston, what it means to win, the history that it has, Like me being from La growing up a Laker fan. That was probably the weirdest part for me, Like being in that green being like being a Celtic, knowing that I was gonna sign and be a Celtic was like, like, am I portraying my roots? Like where I came from?

Where I came from?

Because all my family to this day still Lakers fans. Like I got family that came to the game in Boston with Lakers stuff on. I'm like, You've got me messed up. Watch this game with a Lebron jersey on?

Like what is wrong with you?

Right right?

I got like like I got family.

From La who still came to the game with Lakers stuff. I'm like, yeah, that's that's crazy to me. But that's the rivalry. That's like the history behind it. But being in at set the Green bro like it, Like the pressure is like it's different. I mean you can probably attest.

To it, like being on top for so long or even then like kind.

Of doubt you like you can't win, Like all they talk about here is winning and the only thing that is important is winning.

And I'm like, man, I'm here for it, bro, Like I'm here for the ride. So I'm excited. I'm excited to be here.

Now that's crazy, but that's also a different type of pressure. Like even for us when we came in here this like we made it to the playoff my rookie year, we pour water on each other, like Mark Jackson, don't don't do liquor, Like we had a water celebration, not chap but because that was like I mean, the biggest moment was was the we Believe season and like since seventy five, that was the biggest moment in history was

That's it here in Boston.

I mean, you played, you played in the garden. You know what the fans are like, you know how crazy, right, It's like it's it's live or died, like they something's

Yeah, I think that playing with them and seeing like now that I'm on this side and seeing like the pressure that they go through and how they handle themselves is like is ultimate professional. Like I don't think a lot of people would be able to do what they do now.

That's incredible, and they carry it well because it doesn't come off that way like obviously we all here the talking heads on ESPN or on this shore, like, but to be feeling that pressure at home, you know what I'm saying, Like to be feeling that pressure from your fans to like, that's a different type a thing to handle because when at any moment, like you hit a rough patch, yeah, like they you should trade this person, you should trade that person, And yet you still got

To do that's that's a tough thing to do.

And I don't think people realize how much that takes and how much that says about those two and just where they are and their maturity.

Yeah, no, it's and I saw that from day one, bro, like, and you know JT, and I mean you know JB two but you know JT like super cool and calm.

It don't seem like anything mess with him and all that. But I know, like again, just being here and seeing.

That type of pressure, Bro, I'm like, man like, I really admire it, like and they do with such a grace and just how to handle themself is like way wiser or like wise beyond the year.

So it's been has been cool to kind of see that.

That's super dope being on the other side and now being with them.

You coming to the Celtics, your role has changed quite a bit offensively, But in that change offensively me having the opportunity to play with you, watching you play, you don't get off on offense. Like you're more than capable of scoring the ball at any level, which I think most people don't understand. You can take guys to the post. You are a great finisher around the rim. You have a floater, you have a mid range, you have a

White, some nice, it's our some nights, it's Peyton something like.

It's so free flowing outside of those two getting the shots that they're going to get every night. And your role has changed great. Granted I understand that maybe people don't understand that, but I don't really want to talk

And I see y'all doing more of that now with you.

How has that been for you, adjusting to that role as opposed to being the gardener dominant ball handler.

It's been a different experience for sure, because, like you said, and especially when we first came into the league, it was like you guarded your matchup absolutely.

If I was the point guard, I guarded the point guard. If I was the two, I guarded the two.

Uh.

And honestly, my first few years or whatever, like I don't ever think I guarded a three like a small forward or whatever. Was it the point guard or shooting guard now and then it became like hound the ball, best player, don't matter if they six, eight, don't matter if they five.

To ten, hound them.

And those two are kind of the same though, Like I still had the hound because you know, when we came in the point guard is just the one who brings it down, sets people up and does all that. But they didn't pretty much the main ball handler getting it to the guy in the spot where the guy yes absolutely.

Now it's like.

I think our first time we played Philly Usguard and Joel like seven to I'm six four and I some day six y five, depending on if I got my hair. You know what I'm saying, And I think kind of like being a roamer or disrupting.

Kind of like what you said, has been so fun to me. It's been so fun because.

I see the game in a different way. Now I see the reason why I'm on this person. I start to catching Now. Me and Joe talk about that quite a bit, Like I start to catch with Joe is thinking defensively before he tells me. I'd be like, hey, you want to do this, You'd be like, yeah, yeah, that's what I want to do it. I'm like, see,

Game that way. I was always the person who had to hear people tell.

Me what to do, which is a scare re feeling. You're out there on that island. Everything's happening behind you. Yeah, but you can't turn and look, and you just have to do it like you're at the mercy of whether the big wants to talk.

Or not for sure one hundred percent. And then yeah, So I learned early to let my.

Biggs get the rebounds and feed them the ball and stuff, because then they talk. But now I'm the one screaming. I'm like you, I'm trying to be loud, I'm trying to be crazy. So like my teammates ain't getting smacked by scream, so they know what's going on in situations. And I think that that was something a little different from me because I've always been like a quiet player because I didn't.

Really have to say much. I was always on the ball, you know what I'm saying.

So it's it's been a cool experience, Like I guess, I'm I'm I'm like Draymond Green, not way.

Better, way better. And I include myself and this.

Anytime someone talks about a defender being overrated in the NBA, I cannot recall ever seeing one person say another name outside of you, Yeah, you've never finished higher than seven place in defensive playerity of your voter.

What do you make of that?

Because that to me, I know the type of defender you are number one, and playing against you and watching you play, I know the type of respect that people have for you as a defender, especially those guys that you are guarden.

But what do you make of that thing?

I think that for the most or.

The people, the players in the NBA and a lot of the coaches in the NBA see how good of the defender I am, and that's all I need. Like I could see the respect when somebody when my guys going up to set a screen and they're like, no, go to the next one. You know what I'm saying. What I'm like, all right, respect to me, Like that's what I mean. I don't really care for the accolades.

And I know that they affect the game, but like not all the time.

They not guarding the best players night, and that they're not affecting the game in that way where they got to fight over screens or chase them around or pound them full court. Like not saying that it is easy because I can't block shots. I'm not averaging five five blocks a game. But you would know, like you have to guard. You have to guard the best players at the end of the day, you had to you they were either trying to get away from you or you would go and seek them out.

Because you knew, like I'm that guy, I'm tend to.

So when Marcus got it, I was like so excited because I'm like, all right, well we trending in a direction now where I feel like they could possibly go to guards and do all that, but me not getting it.

Man, I could I could care less. Now I wouldn't say care less. I wouldn't say careless, but like I'm I don't know the sleepover it.

You got more.

You have more respect from your peers as a defender as I wouldn't say more. You have as much respect from your peers as a defender as Steph has as a shooter, or as like from I mean the guys you've guarded, Like if you talk to the guys that you've guarded, like they don't think for a second like oh, Drew Holliday, like like you asked Drew Holiday, Like no question,

It's the same. It's true holiday, no, no question.

And I think and as you just like that's that's that's the biggest compliment one could ever get.

Ever, that's that's crazy to me, that like it's not even a question. It's not even like yeah, like when I hear people are when I hear that, like every time I hear it, Bro, I'm like, yeah, that's that's insane to me. But that's that's a good feeling. That's I think part of the reason why, Like I know, I mean going to sleep at night, bro, I'm good, yeah.

No, and gearing up for.

You know, you guys are the best record in the NBA by probably double digit games at this point, playing better basketball or as good as basketball as anyone.

I think Denver. Denver is playing great basketball right now too.

So who's playing better Tomato Tomato, probably you guys and the way y'all been.

Winning as well.

But what do you feel as a champion on a team with guys who's gotten there conference finals, gotten to the NBA Finals, yet haven't been able to get on over the hump as a champion. What is it that you see that it's going to be important for y'all to be for you and the Celtics to be able to get over that hump that they haven't been able to get over.

Man. I think it's this sense of.

Consistency, but like calm through the storm, because you know, in every series, in every playoff run, something goes to shit, some go bad. You got to have a little bit of luck. You gotta have a lot of bit of luck and a lot of bit of health and stuff going your way to get to where you want to

I think that I think that it's been really good.

Like our mindset hasn't been even when we up double digit games or even when we're playing against the worst teams in the league.

It's always like our mindset is to win this game, like go for the kill. And you know how it is, sometimes especially at this time and the at the end of the year, it get hard to play. Sometimes just get me to the playoffs. We already we already up in games or whatever, like give me to the playoffs, and I'm looking forward to.

But I feel like as a team, we're kind of in the place where it's like we can still learn from each game, and I think that's going to kind of take us and carry us over the top whenever we get to that point, if we.

Ever do no.

And I just think like the things that y'all are doing again, like just going back to the way y'all been winning, Like when you're doing things like that, that to me is like, Okay, they ready, you know what I'm saying, Like they are ready to win a championship, you know, not blowing games, you know, not like you guys supposed to be the team y'all beating them, you know what I'm saying, Like beating them handedly sitting fourth quarters like and so to me and watching, it's like,

And I see that y'all y'all have been able to benefit from that.

But how what what is it that you've seen now this year and being on the side that you on as opposed to side that you were on with Jason Tatum, Like what is it that makes JT so special that you've been able to see now?

I think when I was going against him, I just saw him as an opponent. I didn't really take him for everything else, you know, like everything else off the court that plays into maybe the person he is or even the player that he is. I think it was just an opponent like him and JB, Like, these are my opponents. I got to beat my opponents.

Now that I see JT.

And obviously like yeah, we played with him on the on the Olympic team and all that, but like really getting the gnaw now and you learn somebody on a deeper level, you can see honestly just how good of a person he is. And to me, I know that that doesn't always I know that that doesn't always matter in winning, but to me, I think it matters. I think it matters how you treat people, not just in the organization the people that you work with, but like how.

You treat people off the court.

Every time I see JT with fans bro, I'm like, he literally like doesn't take this for granted, you know what I'm saying when he's talking to a little kid, or he sees a little kid as his jersey, or I don't know, if somebody says something to him and he's.

Turning in a way then and I'm like, he don't have to do that. Like y'all came here to see him, y'all came here to see him perform.

But like he's giving y'all kind of like a piece of him, which I feel like means a lot, and it's genuine, and I think that that's the biggest part, Like how genuine and how great a character.

That he has.

I feel like that plays onto the court because i mean, look, God loves the winner. God loves a give or too, and he's giving. He's giving more than he has to out of the kindness of his heart. So I feel like that translates on the court and you can tell, like he cares about this game.

Yeah, and it's not just sets, it's not just how I.

Look that night on the stat sheet, Like he cares about basketball. And you can tell on the court, but off the court.

You go often too.

No, that's absolutely amazing. And also now being on the other side with JB. To me and watching him play, it seems to me like he's taking even more steps. And I've always been a fan of JB because, you know, being out here in the Bay, I remember going to his game at Cal and watching him and being like, oh, man, this kid is a good athlete.

Do not great shot not great, but he's a good athlete.

Got a great body, like super athletic, like you know, can score a little bit. And to see the player that he is today, where the way he can handle the ball, the way he can shoot the ball, like he is one of those guys to me that you see every year he gets better every year, and to me it seems like this year he's even taking a

Playing against him is kind of like what you said, there's always something that he couldn't do.

He didn't shoot well enough. He finishes at the rim. Well, he's an athlete, but he doesn't shoot well enough. Or it could be like you said this handle isn't good enough. And I think coming into this season and throughout the season, he's just shown that, like when people doubt him, he really take that the heart, bro.

Like, oh, you don't have a left hand. And if y'all really look at JB game this year, he's been finishing crazy with his left and it's like, I don't know if it's he do it on you know what I'm saying, Like, I don't know if he was just practicing that in the off season or or whatever it is.

But like literally everything that you that they've talked about him not that good of a shooter, he's shooting the three.

Very well this year, like one of like one of our go to three point shooters, you know what I'm saying.

Before our defense, but go ahead.

Yeah, we was like, oh JB shoot it every time? Every time shoot the ball? Can you shoot? He like, yeah, all right, shoot it. But he brouh.

I feel like everything, whenever somebody doubts him, he's like, all right, I'm a pretty.

Wrong And that's a dog to me. That's a dog to me. Like he he.

Just he got that that barking him, He got that tough in him. That's like I really want to win. And I saw it before like playing against him, that he really wanted to win. But it's even born now because like you hear the doubts that people had about him, And can j B and JT do it together?

And you will?

And you see how they play together, bro, It's like like they play well together. They both work on that game. And JB's mid range is going crazy. His finishes at the.

Rim are going crazy. It's three points going crazy. So, man, I don't know. JB is a complete player to me, and to hear the thing he don't.

We got him in the corner at times, like coming off down screens, catching off downscreens and making moves that way, and then we'll have him bring it down and him run point guard and him running off screen and rolls and making plays and diamond people.

I'm like, he has such a complete game to me that I love. I love playing with JT.

I mean, Ja's definitely he's definitely put it together, that's for sure. Just switching switching gears a little bit before we get out of here.

I'd be remiss if I didn't ask about your wife, who you Jeezon already.

That's my girl.

But a few questions about your wife, but number one Lauren, who's incredible World Cup gold medalists and soccer. For those of y'all that don't know, I was diagnosed some years back, I think in twenty sixteen with a brain tumor. And you number one, you're a solid as a person as they come, but you taking time away from the season

What was that whole process like for you or her?

For me, it was the easiest decision I made because as much as I love basketball, it's always been God family basketball. So growing up being in the church obviously, you know, growing up your mama dragged the church and all that.

You don't want to go.

But when you're faithful, I feel like God blesses you and He's done that in my life so many time. And another thing that my family has always taught me is that my family is most important. Obviously I loved again in basketball, and I've loved it since I was two or three years old, but I've loved my family more so. Again, you see my family league. We've talked

Same faith. Not only that, though, but she's always pushed me in my career and she's always had my back in my career. Like when I had doubts about uh ME being traded from Philly to New.

Orleans, Like why would they do that after I had this type of season, Like am I just expendable? She like, not, you're the best player, No, you are the best players.

I wouldn't I wouldn't know what to do if I.

Didn't have her, So it was it was an easy decision for me to take care of my family. And my daughter was also being born. So first my daughter had to be born. She was five and a half weeks early. She was born premature. And then a month later, my wife had surgery. All this happened at Duke in Carolina, right.

So we got a new born.

We got to make sure that she's okay, and say she's in Nikki for seven or eight days. My wife is going crazy because she's like she should be home with us. And I also still have to recover because I have surgery a month later, and it's like it's gonna it's gonna be okay. And then my wife had

Them, you know what I'm saying.

So not only are we waiting to see what happens at the end of the day, like she's also waiting. And it was like the longest ten.

Hours in my life. I'm not gonna lie to you.

But we had support from my family, her family, our friends. It was like we got a really good community. But it was, bro, It's hard. It's hard to think that somebody who was the best athlete in your family, somebody who's at i mean especially health wise, like the best health.

Of her life, she just had a brain tumor and to.

Go through this.

So like I'm kind of hurting for her because I'm like, I'm an athlete, Like what if that would happen to me, you know what I'm saying, Like and me not knowing what's going on. So it was it was definitely a crazy time, but we did it together.

Bro, And I mean I think I think that we made it through.

And God bless us with a healthy child and we got another healthy child. My daughter's seven and my son is three, so and my wife is healthy too, So I'm not I'm not a set And.

Then I just put in perspective what basketball really was.

It's a platform to show this ability that God gave me, and the glory goes to him, but also it goes to show like, as serious as I take this game, there are things.

That are more serious, Yes, more important.

Man. That's that's number one. That's crazy, but very special to see.

I've been married now for a year and a half, but like to see that bond and like just being so willing, Like, you know, people sign up for marriage for a lot of reasons, and oftentimes people don't think, like, yo, I'm a have to deal with a woman that has a brain tumor and like take on all these things. And we have a one month old baby, and now I have to take care of the one month old and.

My wife.

And I mean, let's face it, man, we like your wife obviously an athlete and doing her own thing on the athletics side, but man, there's still so much that we don't so much of the burden that we don't have to carry due to our wives, you know, and to now have the person who lifts all the burdens up off you.

Not be a burden to you, because it's not a burden.

It's something like, I'm with you no matter what, but not be able to lift one of the biggest burdens, which is a newborn baby. And then also you, you know, having to be so relying up on you herself for you to just pull everything together, and that says so much about your strength. And obviously I've all you know, I've known for years, like I said before, one of the most solid people that I've ever met, you.

Know what I'm saying, And I've known that for years.

But to just hear that, like and how you spoke about that, and to relive that, man, that's so special. That is because again, like you said, she's extremely healthy. And not only is she healthy person, she's thriving in her career.

All right, bro, all right, like one of the best to ever do it. Yeah, crazy and number one.

Just have to abruptly stop and like deal with all of those things.

Man.

I take my hat off to her.

I take my hat off to you and and your and y'all family, because that that's man like, that's just out of god, Lee, I couldn't imagine.

Well not I appreciate it.

It was.

It was the time in my life where like it was definitely hard.

Actually, I'm not sure I really told anybody outside of like my close friends is but like I didn't tell my wife how I felt or what I was going through in those moments, like in that year span or however long we knew until two years after.

Like that two years later, I broke down and told her, Like, by the way, I think maybe it was a year or two after the whole thing went down, We in our bathroom and.

I'm like, oh, by the way, like this is what I like, this is how I felt during that time, you know, like I felt like I had to be strong for him, but like internally, like I was scared shitless, you know what I'm saying. Like I was, I was like I was scared out of my mind to lose my best friend. I know, I didn't know what was gonna happen my daughter. But I ended up telling her just one random day, like, hey, so this is actually what I was feeling back back when. Back then, I just wanted to.

Let you know and get that out there. She was like to keep long enough because I mean because she cause she know me.

That in that time like, I'm also hurting too, but also she also felt like I had to be tough for her, and she was like, yeah, it took you long enough.

I'm like, yeah, my bad in my own time. I mean, I had to tell her.

So that's fire, that's fire. And she how she knows she's good enough.

Great, great, God is good.

God is good.

Man, Bro, I appreciate you taking the time before we get out of here.

We're going to end it on a much lighter note than that.

But there's, as you know, like there's this influx of NBA brothers, there's this influx of NBA father, NBA sons, there's this there's just this influx of all of these things.

You got the brothers and y'all. You got the curries.

Well, Idlan will add dell in for the curries, will take them back to his prime for the curries.

There we go.

We put all y'all up against each other.

You got the Thompsons, you got Michael Thompson, Klay Thompson, Mikey Thompson, you got Cody Zeller, Tyler Zeller. You got Mason plumb Lee, Miles Plumbley. The other brother wasn't quite good enough.

But you got the Boss, you got the locals twins. Uh, you got the Morris twin. Brother, there's a grip of them.

It's crazy. Who winning these games? Who winning these games? Y'all taking them easy?

Oh, it ain't easy because they the NBA players, But come on, now, we've got dogs over here.

It's your whole family. Brothers don't make sense to me. It's your mom, it's your dad, it's sister. You with your brothers. It's crazy.

Yeah, it's in our blood literally, So it's an easy answer to me.

The most athletic family out of La Drew my brother. I can't thank you enough. Last question, are y'all winning the championship?

You know, I think we got a good chance, Bro, I think we got a good chance. I think we got a good chance.

I don't like to speak on it, like, oh, maybe out loud to myself obviously I know what I'm thinking, But I think we got a good chance.

There's a lot of.

Things obviously in place, hell and all that that we got to stay locked into. But man, we got a real good chance. And obviously right now in a month left, like it's a good feeling going in to this process knowing where we are mentally knowing where I'm not mentally feeling feeling real good.

So yeah, man, we got a good chance.

I love it, brother, I love it.

One thing I will tell you about your Eastern Conference playoff series before it starts.

I think y'all handled the Eastern Conference. I really do.

I think y'all are that good. One of the best teams I've seen around since, like our power teams.

You know, like when we were like one of the best, like you, y' y'all got one of the telling you telling me, y'all got one.

Of the best teams since since me.

Honestly, we knew we were going to win the championship. It was just a matter of the date getting there. Like when we got Kevin. It was weird, not weird, like all of us playing together and trying to make it work. It was weird up intil Christmas, and we got smacked on Christmas Day. If I'm not mistake either, we got smacked on Christmas. No, I don't think we

A at a time of us like, yo, we know we win in a championship.

And I'll tell you one of the craziest things for me with those teams, one of the craziest things for me was that you know how coaches always say, like you can't flip the light switch on and off, like you try to flip that light switch on and it don't turn on, Like it just don't work like that.

That is the first time in my life that I learned I was a lot.

We literally like half times during the season where we turning up, we get drunk, we kicking it, and we have times where we walk in and like, yo, for the next two weeks, we're gonna approach this like playoffs, nobody drinking, nobody going out, and let's just see where we are. We win nine games in a row or eight out of nine games, and so that's like or we walk in at halftime, we down twenty points and we're like, yo, turn it up. Now, let's turn it up and go win this game. By the end of

Y'all could have like a thirty point swing in what seven minutes.

Yeah, it was crazy. It was crazy. So I think that's what I like.

That's the thing that stood out most for me is that if we walked in the gym and we said, Yo, this is a game we need to win, or this is a game we need we're going to win, or let's go win this game.

We were gonna win the game like and that like that to me mentally're just on a different level than everybody.

Yeah, and that's that's like I see some of that out of y'all right now, where like y'all coming into these games and it's like, no, we winning this game, like the game didn't like it is what it is.

We win in this game.

And that's like right now, if there's any teams in the NBA that have that is y'all in them, you know, that's like, oh, we winning this game when we walk in. And so, man Bro, I can't thank you enough for coming on the show. It's a good luck in the playoffs. And I'll tell everybody one last story. We want a gold medal in two and twenty one, which was twenty twenty Olympics, and Drew.

Book came in.

All arrived the morning of the game because the playoffs went late that year.

They were playing in the finals.

Drew hops off a plane from La I think or somewhere west of Seattle. Hops on a plane, flies all the way to Japan, comes out the gate, no practice, play thirty one minutes. We end up losing that first game, Evan forty eight played out of his mind. But what you did for offense, Like we got to a point where we lost that first game, we had a player's only meeting and we just talked and we're like, yo, everybody, just play basketball.

Like drive if you can score, go score if you can't kick it out.

And what you did far off, like you just start driving the ball just to kick the ball, and like starting the domino.

And when I watched you play during.

The Olympics, and you did that offensively, and then obviously what you was doing defensively, like I obviously had seen you playing and like all of these things, but that right there for me, when you were doing that, that took you to a whole nother stratosphere for me in my mind to watch that. And I just want to say thank you because you got me another gold medal. I appreciate you, brother. I can't thank you enough.

No, I thank you for saying that, because a lot of people do talk about my defense, but I do take probably in my offense too. You know, absolutely, you know what I'm saying. I work on it and I put in that type of work. But I think knowing what the type of talent that I was playing with, Like, it wasn't really meant for me to score.

We got scoring, but I think getting advantage and just like getting into the paint.

I've seen you do that so many times where you getting to the bank, you draw that person up, you throught a lot, or you draw the person you get the kickout.

So I think, man, it was so fun playing not only like the European game, but.

Playing with like the best players in the world. Bro, Like that's like such an honor because who doesn't want to represent a country and play with the best players in the best league in the world.

So no AGGREI you had, my brother, I appreciate you.

For those of y'all out there watching, I'm about to send Drew a couple of restaurants in Detroit so he can have a whole other sperience in Detroit that these NBA players don't be having. And Detroit is going to become a city, is going to become a player favorite city, y'all just watch, and I'm starting here with Drew.

I can't thank you enough for coming on the show, my brother. Good luck in the playoffs, Bro.

You said, Bro, you know you know I'll see you around hopefully in the finals.

Absolutely, you playing the Olympics this year.

I don't know. I don't know.

Yeah, I I am praise to God Almighty that I could end up carrying somebody backs.

On that team. There we go.

Yeah, hey man, hey, we'll see. We'll see what happens.

Man, Yes, sir much love my dog. Thank you, bro.

For sure.