The Draymond Green Show - Kenny Smith

Draymond Green Show. This next guest, I'm honored to have a guy who I'm actually able to call a teammate now but two time world champion hell and from Queens, New York where grew up in Queens, New York, New York City point guard, which we're gonna talk something about New York City point guards in this interview you. But I'm honored to have of Kenny to Jeff Smith, my brother, thank you for absolutely man looking forward to I mean,

let's get right into it. I mean just speaking on growing up in New York, Um, what did that do for you and in your basketball career, but also just in life like I think, you know, we grow up in in in the environments that we grow up in

and they shape who you are as a person. What they're growing up in New York City do for you, Well, you know, definitely dre it's different era now, but what you know in terms of from a personal standpoint, you you're you're antennas of life up quicker, so you you're able to read situations by people's body language, by body movements.

Because there's such good people in New York and there's such bad people in New York and so you have to be able to really at an early age figure out who as whom And for me that was that helped me as a person. Um it helped me stay focused because my my dad could always point and my mom could always point to say or do you want to be like him? Or do you want to be like him? Or do you want to be like him?

Like the people that they were talking about, it's such a melting pot of people trade that everyone's right into your neighborhood, Like did the guy five blocks from you makes a million dollars and the guys flop blocks back from you doesn't make a dollar? And have all these melting box pots of cultures mixed in. The craziest thing though,

was food. You know, we didn't even like when I went to the University of North Carolina, right, I was at breakfast the first time we go to team breakfast, I said, let me have some bagels and locks and they were like, and what are you talking about bagels and locks? I did not know that bagels and locks was in Jewish food because I just grew around. I didn't, like, I really know pizza was ethnic. It was like Italian.

I didn't know Jamaican making, but I did not know like it was just oh, that's a dollar fifty, that's two dollars. I never associated with ethic goose so like things like that. Growing up in New York, you have a like to me, I had a good spread of wealth of like just being around rounded person. That's a very interesting thing. I'll tell you something funny about me growing up in Sacking On, Michigan. I didn't And Jewish is a religion, but it's it's also it acts almost

as a race. Like it's a religion, but it acts almost as a race. I actually I actually didn't know growing up in Sacking all like that there were Jewish people, like I just thought there were white people and like black people, like growing up in Sacking, I never knew that was a thing till I got to college and and so you could see the drastic difference. And like growing up in a place like New York City tough as nails, but bigger, more diverse, you're kind of exposed everything.

Me growing up in Sagina on a place that's tough in a totally different way than New York City. Yeah, I was. I did not know anything. Yeah, I'll tell you what. Like even because the crazy part, like you see all of the Mafia stories, there's so many of their kids that were all my basketball teams that I didn't know that that's what their dads did. And I was like, I just would not. I had no clue because Queens, for some reason was a nexting ground for

those guys in those in those eras. So all of that they said to all their kids to Catholic school, private schools. I went to a pap Catholic high school, and that people would be like, oh, don't mess with don't mess with Billy. Why not, Like now I just don't mess with Billy, don't mess with. And then by my senior year, I understood who that dads were and what they were doing because I started seeing them on

the front page in New York papers. I was like, Oh, this is food Billy's that wanted to the city because of that. Because you think about this, like most of us, we grew up in the hood, Like all the guys in our neighborhood were doing bad or doing dirt, so to speak. They're like, okay, Drake, we're about to do something. Get out the way. We don't want you. We know that you have a future in basketball, right, well, you

have a future to go to college. I had the same thing, but then you compile that with I had the mafia's families, the Jewish families that were in positive or negative. So everyone collectively in New York City was looking out for me. I could walk through New York City and skate through the city and I never felt threatened at all because of that is what basketball did for me. Do you still feel like that today when you walk through New York City without questions like New

York Yeah, I joke around. I'm like, my name is not Kenny, It's Kenny, and why so I'm like I could walk around because literally the I told you, we had those guys at our school. The head of the police chief came from my high school New York City, so I had the chief police chief, who becomes the ultimate police chief. The guy was doing doing all the dirt.

I live in a neighborhood that's got all of the different things with eighties and nineties babies, so we cracked babies and all of that time, you know people around us, So we got that going so every sink. But then most of the guys from my high school we worked on Wall Street as well. So when I go, so you got Wall Street, you got drugs, you got money, you got every element. And there's nowhere in New York City. I don't know anyone. It's it's impossible for me to

walk anywhere not know anyone. That's impressive, man, That's that's impressive. It actually was fun. It was fun growing up in New York for me, even though it's danger, but it was fun. It was fun. And and speaking of New York City and growing up there, uh St. John's is there? You chose to go play at North Carolina for Dean Smith? Why North Carolina over St. John's now, I would never play for St. John's only because my high school I

had to take the bus by St. John's. So I was like, I'm not getting on the same bus to go to college. I am not. There was no way I had. I could fathom having a bus pass to go to college. I just couldn't. I was like, there's no way. And Lou Kona Second, who was there at the time, like he is a New York icon, Like he still tweeted me like I was in New York, like I was one of St. John's guy. When he saw me, he'd see me, Hey, Kenny, how you doing. Hey,

we got some stinkers. Give Kenny some stinkers if you want to run. And he just knew. I wasn't ever gonna transfer from North Carolina to State John's, but he just was. He was there epitome of the New York basketball grandfather. And St. John's was our I went to Maloit High School, which was the subsidiary of St. John's, So St. John's was the same diocese of priests that went there to my call school. So like people taught at St. John's taught at my high school, or vice versa.

So we had a real coach connection with St. John's University. But I was never gonna take a bus to that school, bro Never no chance, no no chance. I wanted to see what that look like. You know the movies with the frat houses, you know, with Michigan. I wanted all that.

I wanted all that, the proper college experience. I always say, I'm not sure I would want would have wanted to go to school in New York, UM or go to school in l A. Like college And because the experience that I had at Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, you can't get that experience as a college player in New York. You can't get that experience as a college player in l A. And and that's always been my thing, is like even if you do great in l A, CE l A can do great, U c l A

has done great, UM USC can do great. They've done The Lakers are still there, like the New York Knicks are still in New York City. If you win a championship the same year that the New York Knicks went in championship, they may not even have a parade for you. Like that's how drastic they sell for St. John's, you know, because I know Mark Jackson's my guy. That's my guy. I know they're gonna be like, oh, he's killing say. What they sell is New York is your campus. They

say your campus is New York City. And that's how they sell to people who aren't there. They're like, your campus is New York City. And for me, I was like, I lived there my whole life. It's always been my campus. Some called and I'm gone, it's been my campus, my

old Like, I don't need it no more. The restaurants in New York City they still cost the same if you go to St. John's, right, No, I'm meeting this way because you're on the front page back then, before social media, you're on the front page of the newspaper, back page of the newspaper. You're not paying for nothing. If you go to St. Johns and you're Walter Berry, you're Mark Jackson, and you're Chris Marlin, you're not being

nothing in New York City. But everybody that's three guys. Yeah, I mean, but no, I'm talking about the whole St. John's team. Those guys have. They did have some really great privileges to being in St. Johns I would say that, I would say that some privileges. Okay, what that works then, because if I if I'm a college shoot and nowadays n I L. It's different, and we'll we'll talk a

little bit about that. But if I'm a college student in New York City and and and I'm not getting those privileges, then then then you're essentially like living a life of a peasant because we don't have any money. Yeah, you're broken and even you know what else, D like, what you always want is you want to feel appreciated, even more than getting a dollar or n I L. Deal.

It's like you walk on campus and things stop because of what you're doing and how much work you're putting in on the campus and how much notoriety you bring it to the school. If you don't have that, it is it's a bad feeling. And I would never want that feeling. That's where you know, when I went to North Carolina and I'm walking around with Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan's and I'm walking around and I'm seeing with these guys and how they being entertained just by just

at presence. I was like, like Drake when we used to go, oh, Duke is a duke was out rival well that school and Durham, North Carolina and Central sits in the middle hbc U, So if you want to get your hair cut, you're going to North Caroline Central. They got the best barbers, they got their whole student union. So this was showed that we were better than them at this time. When we came in there dre they would shut down the barber shop and no one could

come in the shop. And I never forget this. Johnny Dawkins comes and trying to get a haircut as and he's a duke player at the time, who's now the head you know, a basketball coaching college basketball, and they wouldn't let him in. Join It was like if you open that door, we will never come back to get a haircut. And they didn't let him in. I was like, yes, we had to hurt, had to hurt. They didn't let him because they used to shut it down for them

or for us. So when when we were in there first, they mind, now we're here, don't throw that door for them. So all the kids and knock Outie sent you and a little they would come and just look at us getting here because we were like because there was no NBA teams. We were rock stars. It was rock star status in North Callina. Probably it's absolutely rock star status. That's a that's incredible. And speaking of speaking of Michael Jordan,

want to roll into your North Carolina days? Um, you go to North Carolina Dean Smith's to coach the legend Dean Smith r P. What was it like going to play for a coach like Dean Smith? And at that time, like so now we all look at Dean Smith like the legend. At that time, did it have that same feel of going to play for a legend as it has now, like we look at him as the legend? Or was he just kind of still going through making him making his name. No, he he was a legend

for sure. Me being a New Yorker, I was about I was a pro basketball family while I was a college basketball fan, so I knew, but I didn't know until I got there. And there's so many things which is interesting, Drake, Like, I just finished writing a book and it's called it's called Talker Champions and what it is. It's a tell all book about everything I learned great from people, oh only so And each chapter is named

after a Pacific person and everything. I learned great from them, and I wish I could, and I've been stowing that onto my kids in the world so that you could have it early and get it all together. But if I knew it all that one time, man, it'd be crazy. So when with Dean smept the most unique thing. There's a lot of great things about it, but one of the most unique things that he could have done to recruit me and got me to sign instantly. I got down there, I had no idea. I knew what Charlie

Scott was because he played in the NBA. He was an NBA All Star at the time, but I didn't know he was the first African American player in the A c C. And I didn't know the first. And he played for North Carolina and Dean Smith recruited him and said he's the first. If you walk into any African American home and said I recruit the first African American basketball player to ever play at the University of North Carolina or the a c C, you know, everyone

would go, oh, I'm coming to your school. There's not even I'm not even there's no debate. And I asked him, I said, why didn't you ever tell me that? And he said, I didn't recruit African American Charlie Scott. I recruited Charlie Scott. Wow. And and from then he said the second thing, he says, now that you're here, this was when a part time was going on with with all of the things in Africa. We had the shanties on the on the on the campus, and it was

protests about Mandela. And he goes, now, the second thing, now, as an African American student, what are you going to do that is not related to basketball with this I didn't even know what a part time was at that time. I'm coming out of high school, not really into politically smart, you know what I mean. And that was the first two things he said to me. I was like, that's a different individual, without question. So yes, it was for

me was an out of boutics experience. It was like playing for Mandela's, playing for Mother Teresa, playing for all of the Luther King like he it was like his knowledge and awareness of self was I had never experienced anything like that, and especially from someone who was non African American. That was the first time that I ever read a white man that ever asked me, what are you gonna do for black people like me? That's the first white person that ever asked me that question. What

did you didn't do? I found? I did research. I was like, damn, I don't even know what a party really is. I just read about it on the headlines. So I researched it. Then they had the shanties on campus, so we helped build some of the shanties on campus. You know, like I just did small things, gave some

time here and then. But I wasn't aware. He just made me aware of something that I probably would have asked the athlete didn't could have skated by because you know, because at this time, it wasn't like it is today. You know, Mohammad Ali was the only one that people asked about, you know, what was going on in other

than his sport. And so for meeting him, for him to say that, and and it challenged me as an African American young man, and and the and I don't even think I had a black coach that ever challenged me like that. That's interesting. That's a that's that's very interesting. Um you you go on, and by the way, you said, I gave a little bit of time for for for those listening to this, I don't think you understand what given a little bit of time in college means, like

you don't have time exactly, you don't have time. Your schedule is not your schedule. Your life is not your life, like you don't have time. So Number one, for Dean Smith to ask you that, I think it is incredible. Number two for him to allow you to have the time to do that, like you don't have time in college, you don't. I think that's honorable. Think it's very honorable. Yeah, it's a different experience. You joined the team with Michael

Jordan and Sam Perkins. When you when you arrive and you join those guys on that team, obviously looking at Michael Jordan. Then no one's saying, oh man, I see him. This guy is gonna be the greatest player ever to play. But did you see something in him different at that time, maybe work ethic, maybe athleticism, something that made you think he was special or was it just like no, like,

that's Michael Jordan's my teammate. He's really good. I think um, it was after it was the summers that I noticed it. It was his work ethic in the summertime. During the season, we're all working the same amount, so no one's getting an edge on work ethic, like we're all doing the same stuff. But in the all season when the pros at that time, you know, we probably had twenty two guys who were in the NBA from North Carolina and they all would come back and play and he would

just dominate guys. And these are guys who are NBA All Stars and I wanted, like I wanted to get their autograph, and he would just dominate Dre in terms of like everyone has a day, like I'm sure that when East lankson, you had a day or two a week ago, but it was every day that he did it. And he was the first guy that I saw because I'm a trash talking I'm from New York. That's all we do. Talk talk talk, so but he was the first guy that I saw that could back up everything

he said. He could back it up, and he was the I always said to him, I'm like, yo, you're the perfect basketball body. He's like, what do you mean. I'm like, you're six ft six. She could play with the bigs, and you're six ft six and you can guard the smallest and you have super athleticism. And then in college he had a perfect jump shot. So I used to be like, how do you miss your jump shot? Your elbows always in you shaid never miss. The one thing that I thought we did they didn't have when

I was a freshman was his ball handling. He was very he was good at dotting to the rim tree, but he couldn't shake you. So I used to be like, oh, I got Mike. I got Mike. And he's like, oh, you're gonna guard me. I'm like, yeah, you can't trouble. You can't got back that we stay handed. You ain't got no hand due so long story short, be playing pick up blah blah blah blah. So next year comes and he goes you called me like, yeah, I got my right handles ridiculous. He's like, I gotta handle now.

So even like that, you know, the documentary says he thinks of things even when he doesn't. Probably probably don't remember saying it. But he came back a year later and the first thing he says, well, I gotta handle now, and he worked on I'll say this about Andre, he's the only bed player in basketball history that the things he came in that were he that was his weaknesses. Where his strengths when he left the league. His ball handling, his shooting, his turnaround jump shot, his post game was

probably some of his weaknesses. Those were his strengths when he left the league. There's nobody else like that, right, Yeah, I'm telling me Kobe it what did Kobe? Wasn't that Kobe's as a rookie. He was of stuff as a rookie. It was fast, it was fancy, but I don't think it was like like he was doing the long crossover stuff, but it wasn't a tight hand. It was couldn't do a long crossover when he got to leave. He couldn't

that that pull back on Brian Russell. He would have never been able to do that when he first got in the league. There was like no way that I would imagine he's doing that move to win an NBA finals. That's what I mean. Like that move for Kobe, I would still be like, Okay, he likes to do all that he could. I would never imagine Mike that would be his signature move that like couldn't define his career, could could define his career. Like I just think that.

I mean, Kobe might be that guy, but I don't know any other like that. Every weakness was his strength at the end. That's impressive. That's so so Mike leaves the team. The team once he leaves the team kind of becomes yours. You become a consensus all American going to be the number six pick by the Sacramento Kings. What was your experience like in getting drafted to Sacramento because I know for me, like you went from New York to North Carolina, that's a big difference. I got

drafted to go to state worries. I had never been out of I had never been out of the state of Michigan. So I was homesick going to California. And I don't think people people would ask me, like, Yo, what's it like out there? I would just say different. They're like, what's different? I don't really know how to explained different to you, but it was just it's just different. And that was a big thing for me my rookie year.

Then if from being honest with you almost cost me my career because I was so homesick, Like I was just turned off by all of it. What was that experience like for you getting drafted to Sacramento. These tears coming down my high. I was ready to cry. First of all, I didn't even know him, like they don't. They didn't come on TV. They had terrible management and

ownership at that time. But the one caveat was Bill Russell had just taken a job over so Bill I had the distinction of being the only player that Bill Russell has drafted. I drafted me into the NBA, you know. And so the great thing about that experience was every day Bill had a rule that I had to sit next day on all team planes and all team busses, and he said and he I had to hear. I heard every Boston Celtics story. I heard every civil rights story I heard because he never slept on any of

the planes or the things. So I had rookie, Rookie, you didn't sleep last night, So I heard every story. That was a great caveat of that relationship. I became very close with Bill Russell, even till this day. I still speak to his wife, you know, I mean, like really close with him. In six months. The downfall of that is the team was terrible and the organization wasn't a championship mix so meeting like North Carolina has a rule. D swift at a rule if a player calls him

in the office, he's gonna pick up the phone. Roy Williams did it, and I'm sure Huban Davids is doing it now. He's gonna pick up the phone regardless of he's talking to the President of the United States, unless he's talking to another player. That's the only time he won't pick up for you. I get drafted. All Draft night, Drake. Hey, you get drafted, they give you know how to give you the phone you talking. I was at home champ so I don't know all that, but you get that

experience people listing funny. You can remember I forgot about that. So you pick up the phone and they go, I'm like, hey, this is Kenney Smith. The secretary goes one second, I'm on the phone for like three minutes. This is all draft night. Right after I get about the stage, she gets back, she goes, Hi, Sacramental team Kings may help you. I go, this is Kenny Smith. I just got drafted. Produ I'm this is Kenny Smith. I'm here to talk to Bill Russell. I didn't say drafted yet, And so

she goes one second, another four minutes, come and go by. Hi, the Sacramental Kings might help you. Who's calling? I said this, Kenny Smith. I get drafted, So right then I'm turned off, Like I'm like, I just got drafted six and I'm going to a place that don't value. They don't value me, They don't even they don't value what's going on now. Obviously coach Russell hadn't been there long enough to change the culture. You know, he was a new just like me.

So the culture was so bad in Sacramento. We used to we used to do our own laundry. Guys would forget their jerseys dre because they're doing their own laundry at home and they're packing their bags. You know how the team takes care of you. Stick every team and

even in the nineties, man teams did that. They you're doing all of that and you're trying to play and concentrate, and they're like, oh, you want your laundry done, you gotta pay a hundred dollars a month, which is nothing but the fact that they would make you paid to have someone do their laundry to show that they didn't care about you. That's all it does because hundred dollards doesn't hurt me, it doesn't hurt the team. It just shows me that you don't care. That's absolutely I didn't

like that experience. Going to Houston was like a godsend. Yeah, he's like a breath of freshman. You go to Houston. You're then when her king what what? What's something that people don't know about her Kim that made him special? Like obviously we all know the footwork was incredible, but what was something that he did on the basketball court that was more of an underrated thing that people don't quite give credit for. That was actually one of the

things that really made him great. Before I go to basketball, I've been blessed to play with great people and be around great mentors. That's why I wrote the book. Honestly, he's the most honorable man I've ever met in my life. Most horrible, Like if a if a key, Like right now, if I was stuck on the highway and they gave me a cell phone, he said, you've got three people to call it, come get you. I'm calling a key.

He's gonna be one of the three. He's always gonna do exactly what he's gonna what he says, what he's gonna do. He never variants from what he says. He's so honorable and what his word is. Like we all we had to saying the New York word is born, word is born. Your word is Bob, Like no, his word is bond. Well, it is a hundred percent of what it is. He means it all the time. Always, the most honorable dude I've ever been around. So on a basketball court, you're gonna trust it, Yo, Kenny, I'm

gonna be there. I'm coming. Don't worry if he he's gonna be there. He said it, he's gonna be there. He's gonna be there. So the most underrated thing was his word. The second most under as a physical standpoint was he would be unbelievable in today's game because he could switch one to five and so he could God come up the pick and you got the one. Oh, he's moving his feet and if you throw the law, he's going back to still try to contest the law

I had. I've never seen a player that could don't go in the pick and roll and get back to this man on the role and still block the shot. He was the most unique athlete in terms of instinct, like he just knew when the leave, he knew when the state, he knew when to come. I know you're a great defensive player, and that's why I kind of watched certain things that you do on the pick and roll, and it's very okay. Imagine if you were six ten and and your athleticism was Blake Griffin, that was a key.

I mean, Jesus, he's on a defensive end at six ten with Blake Griffin young athleticism. That's so he is. That's impressive. You know. I heard something about her king Um that I think is even more impressive than anything he's done about I heard her king owners like half of Houston. I heard he's a real estate guru. And

I don't know if that's true or not. But if that is true and he's a real estate guru like that, the fact that he is that you don't hear anything from him, you don't see anything like and so the fact I've heard that, and then corporation is real. And the crazy thing is he started it in college. Really he he was living in a town home in college. He gets drafted by Houston and his first purchase he bought the condom that he was in, and then it

just so on and so on. Then he moved, got out kept and it just but it's he is the most underrated wealthy man in the NBA. Underrated his wealth. Not only that, but just his business savvy and you know, to have to have that kind of mindset he's always had. I've never walked in the room or to his house or to anything and said, man, what is this dude doing a ray key? Never that his company that he keeps. You're like, man, can I know you? Can I get to know who you are? Can I figure out how

to be next to you? His company was impeccable, Like I said, the most honorable person I've ever met. Tip off the NBA season with fan Duel, America's number one sports book. New customers get a hundred and fifty bucks in free bets guaranteed hundred and fifty bucks when you place your first five dollar bet plus vandals. The only sports book gives all its customers three months of NBA League pass cool when they make a five dollar bet.

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West Virginia. That's impressing and speaking of a king obviously dominated with his back to the basket, do you think that style will ever come back into the NBA with the way the NBA has transitioned to more like I, centers in the NBA, maybe even more can't play with their back to the basket today. Yeah, he would, He would kill He would kill us era only because he was actually the king of the mid range shot too.

So like he his whole thing was I'm gonna face you and and like do inside pivots and do guard moves as a big we so he and I Vernon Maxwell and although we sometimes we shoot at the practice and we he would just do all cart moves. He's about Kenny. It's the same moves on the box up and under his step throughs out front, you know, crossover headving. It's the same stuff. I'm gonna do all your moves, let's go, let's go. And he does. But then with

with underrating, he never would take him. But you know, I shot a lot of three, so he would always get into three shooting contests and he can make five out of eight threes from each five like easily. But in the game he's like, and I said, Dream, why don't you shoot threes? Because you know, he's like, why are we going to shoot threes? I only have to play three times a year, Patrick Ewey, David Robinson and

well and shot that's it. Everyone else like Hill. It's like he's like, so he's like, no one else could call me in. There's them, that's it. I move out. And he said, the only time I moved up to the block is against those three guys because no one else could call me. But he could shoot the three. He led the league and steals one year. So defensively he was incredible defensive player they year m v P.

His mid range game was crazy. His his picking role lob to the rim would have been Blake Griffin like, and he would have shot the three. He would have been like I'm trying to think of. He would have been able to finish like Clint Canteller compeller on the on the lobs because he read that he knows when

to leave. He would have been defensively six ten you and he would have probably been who takes that mid range jumper down at the vibe on the point range Jay Joel, Joe, he's an athletic Joe, l E and B Me and Seth canseell cause Sambo, you know, ask my guy. He always puts me on the phone when he's on the bus with all his seventy sixes and they have this argument about how Dream couldn't be guard Joel.

He came on Kitty called now tell him Kitty and he's an athletic Joel Me like Joel is athletic, but he's not. He's more brute strength. But he they play a lot of like a lot of like that midrange shot. He kind of backs you in. But I just think he's a much better defender than Joel. That's it. He's just a much better defender and strong enough. He had to be strong enough, right he guard shot? Yeah, yeah, shot. I've never seen anyone not be outpowered by shock but him.

I don't know if it was because it's his footwork, his strength, or just his tenacity like Dre like and you'd like him. He's got a lot of that in you. Like before he went to debout Muslim Like, it was like teams were fearful not only of him as a defender, but they were a little bit scared of his physicality, you know, and how he would treat you if you showed any type of So I had dog had him Vernon Maxwell, I was talking, so I was so happy I had them dogs around me. Man, those two dudes,

Oh my god. Unbelievable, unbelievable, my baborite teammate up all time. It's probably Chucky Brown just because we vote from New York. We have, but Vernon Maxwell and Sam Counsel and Mario Ellie, we should just sit on the bus and do this all day. Uh dre just just what we're doing. So when I'm in, when I'm when I'm on TV, when I first got all the used to be like, man, you should pay us, should just saying stuff we said in the back of the post all of yea, So

those are my guys. Man, that's incredible. That's incredible. Speaking of y'all time. With the Houston Rockets, I hate it because I've heard similar stuff like that with our championships. Not exactly the same, but along the lines, people say, if Michael Jordan's didn't leave for those two years, do y'all still win those two championships. Quite frankly, it don't matter your Chammian, but it matters. It matters what it does.

So so what do you feel about that? What do you think happens if m j does not leave those two years. I'm gonna say this, Michael Jordan is to me the best greatest player that I ever touched the basketball And I'm actually glad that we didn't play them because I love the resume that he has that he's never lost in the finals, because as a fan of basketball fan, I think that's a great resume. But they wouldn't beat us. They would not have beaten us straight

because of two things. Not because he wasn't the greatest player, because Akim was also the number He would have been number one or two player in the world at that time too, and those championship runs, but they were the Bulls were too little. Then people forget they had. The reason they lost to Orlando wasn't shock, it was Harsh Grant was gone and hards. Grant was there, and they lifted Hard ran up after the series because he dominated

the series more than he's ever done offensively. Because they were too little. So all of those guys, and they were just too little for Dream Weddington and Phil Jackson didn't double team. The next year, we wanted they he comes back, they hadn't had Rodman, Robin wasn't there yet. There's still too little. So they just would have not been able to dominates because in those that first championship years when they won I think three in a row. You know we're in the East and West. She only

played him twice. We went six and two in the regular season against him. Now it's not the playoffs like it's different, but that just shows that like we all in three years the only beat them twice. Like wait a minute, Like that's that's saying a lot that they had trouble with us. Even when they were winning championships. They used to come to Houston and get elves so and then was because they wouldn't double and then when they and then they were too slow on the perimeter.

Because myself, Burning and and and Sam at that time we were I was a jet for a reason. I could get by people sitting Burning get by people easily. Sam could dribble by people. They were just too slow with b J, Steve and they on the perimeter, so we got we got baskets a little bit more frequently too. So now I don't think they would have beat us man, I don't. I think they were too little. Now, if

they had Robman, they would have beat this probably. I think I would have been like I didn't know about But no, Robin, no, no, Grants were smacking them. Why do they beat you all of hey high Rodman, do you think robbing would have guard a Dream? Well, it's just the second top shot opportunities, Like we were getting second shot opportunities. You know, you don't have to like Dream is gonna be efficient, but he might not be a dominant in one game in the series. Like so

you haven't eat you get even it out. It's like every series. Like okay, when y'all played Cleveland, who'd you guard it? Kevin Love? Okay, take you out of there. How many rebounds is Kevin Love him? Yet? Hell of a rebounder, top three and that era he wasn top three powder forward in the game twelve rebounds. You can book it. You can book it now, not only rebound offensively around putbacks. You're like, no, no, no, no, no, you don't do a little bit of that. But we're

shutting some of that down. That's what they could have done. They could have shut it down without them. Nah, we're wild on the boards, we all. He's all over the rim. He's an animal over the It's too much, it was, and we're shooting threes and we're the first team to shoot threes, Drake, it's too much. We we we created the four out one in offense. Nobody was doing that and before us we were all everybody else was doing

to guard fronts. We're the first team to win an NBA championship playing four out in one end too much? It was too much for so what happens? I think a lot of people don't understand from year to year championship teams are different. Even if you go back to back, it's a different team. Like very seldomly does an NBA team come back the exact same from one year to

the next. And it could be one or two pieces that the public may not see and they leave and and you know on that team, like, man, we missed this guy, We missed that guy. Was there something someone that y'all lost after the second championship that changed the whole dynamic for y'all? Team I think it was management. The belief was that dream and Clyde got it done. Uh huh. You know, in the moment, no one's believing that, Oh it's a team. Everybody's did they Kenny, you broke

the NBA record for threes that game. Sam you came in and got thirty in game two, and it in Mario you e the kiss of death like everybody. Everybody remembers that in the moment. Then about a year and a half removed, they don't remember that, and they go, we can get a guy, we can get a guy to do it. I'm gonna go here with you. We didn't get a guy to do with Gary Payton. J Third does Oh no you can't. Oh no, you can't.

Now somebody might run into that role. But if you're gonna miss it, and you're like, you're gonna miss g P three, this role is big with Big two rather right, G two, you gonna miss g P two, Like you

gotta miss this guy. So like I thought that they thought we were three point shooting team, and they forgot the fact that we were three were able to get threes off because if you ran out of us, we went by you where Then they brought and other guys around dreaming and Clyde that they were just three point shoes and so they really couldn't create offense for themselves if they if they ran at them like you know, you're that Steff, He's gonna go buy you, You're that

Clay got the two triple pull up, those guys are like, no, we're standing in this spot, We're not moving black and yeah, And I thought they just management didn't really they took didn't take what Sam Consel did. They didn't take what Robert already did. They didn't take what myself did or married Mario. They kept. But I didn't think they thought that the value that the three of us brought was

just the spacing of the floor. Absolutely, And speaking of management question, I actually had that I wanted to ask you. A few years back. Your name would constantly come up and and and when head coaching jobs will open up, your name will come up that you wanted to get into coaching. Um, is that something you still want to do? And well, let's just start there. Is that something that you still want to do? Do you want to be a head coach in the NBA? Well? Interested in love?

I've only once told some I never had an agent initially that would even look for those things. I was just getting called so like, just like you said, I'll be on the set. Literally my phone would ring and they were like, Kenny, what you just said makes sense. Would you want an interview for the job is coaching? So I did like three of those, and I was like, YEO, I might need an agent. So I never pursued the first three. So I had no idea what even an

interview would look like. I didn't know what you're supposed to come in thinking or anything like that. I think I've gotten past the stage where now the phone rings and they go, would you be interested in running our team? And uh and so because of Dre, I think the now I know most to the guys who are presidents of teams. I know a bunch of general managers. I know a bunch of agents, so it's like my relationships.

I know a bunch of players. I'm in the gym in the summertime in in l A, watching dudes and hanging out with dudes and watching dudes because I happened younger sons, so I take them to the pickup games where k D and Kyrie and and Trey Young and all those dudes go, I'm like, Yo, let's go, let's go watch. Well, I'm a rude person, so my relationships are are real enough where I think they're starting to say that. And I've gotten one last year and I said, no,

I'm not ready. I just didn't want to. I just didn't think that they were ready. And so now I think I'm getting those calls about can you help put a team together? Because I got my ear into the street so to speak. Yeah, absolutely absolutely, And at Turner and all you guys just signed new deals, Like how

much longer do you see yourself doing that? It's been twenty five years, which is absolutely insane, insane, Like I could do this forever, honestly, because I could watch your game, and in the first six minutes of the game, I could I could say it's an eight point game. I can't say it before the game, but once I see the first like six seven minutes and the trend of the game, I'm nine percent, right, like ninety percent. At the time, I'm like, if they don't do this, it's

gonna not gonna happen. Because as Golden State you're looking, I always sell like I talked to even Bob. Sometimes you know you got minds. I'm like I said, the teams a lot of times. You guys, as a general manager, president, you're you have you're looking at it like this, so you only see your hand. My job is to pay attention to the twenty seven teams that like the twenty teams that have a chance to win it right, that's gonna make the playoffs and have a chance to win.

I gotta pay attention to those. So I'm seeing all of their trends. I've seen what they're doing over here before you even play him. You might, you might play the Knicks once, but I'm watching the Knicks twenty times. So I just I just know all the trends in the league that I'm not looking at it like this. Yes. Yes. And do you feel comfortable, like with the way players have changed, because it's been a long time since you've had to deal with players and I'm telling you that,

I'm I'm on, I'm in your left. These young dudes different, man. Do you feel comfortable with having to deal with young talents coming in because it's just a totally different generation and these young dudes different man. And this is saying that you know already, like as Draymond's green changed when he's gotten you know, these big contracts. As you lead, the people around you change. That's the fact I ain't changing, Like the one thing I know about you just because

you come into the studio. You know, guys come in and want a regular to our studio, the honesty wins. Like honesty, you ain't gotta be brutal and be you know, like you don't have to be condescending. But no, like, oh this is really what I see, you know, And I knew it was different. And I know if if this guy took criticism, than anybody could two guys, honestly. But Lebron was the first guy I went on tour with him when he was when he that movie came

out about his life. So they asked me to him seeing all of his different cities and yeah, that he had won the m v P. They didn't win the championship that year, but now he's got a movie made about his life. So he's talking. We're in the back, you know how everybody in the back you start talking. It's like, man, what do you you know? Kenny? What do you see? And I said Lebron like, I don't

know if you're gonna hear what I'm saying. He's like, what do you mean, I'm not gonna hear what you're saying, Kenny, He's like, because I said, because you're the greatest player in the world right now, you got a movie made about your life that I'm am seeing, and you still got holes in your game. And sometimes I said, and there's a and I said, there's a saying that my dad used always tell me. And he's just saying, it's hard to work hard when you're sleeping in silk ropes.

And I don't know if you're sleeping in silk ropes. So he's like, no, no, tell me. I said. The one thing I see is like, you're back to the basket game. It's just averaged. I said, And at times you you pass up an open shot for the greatest shot, but the greatest shot is your open shot. Yeah. Now, I don't know if he one day out the other and he's just it that naturally, but I'm able to I'm able to tell him that, and he was able to respond to this is the m v P of

the league at that time. So I'm like, I can tell him, man, I'll tell anybody anybody like, like, it's not guys. The guys recross real they know what it is and they know when they're faking. You're faking it, Dre. You know when a general manager or president of team walks to you and he's faking this speech facts, you know for us to read it, you can see right through it. You can see right through it. And you're like, I'm not and we're from we're from neighborhoods that we

have to read people fast. You have to because it's like if you go there, that's the difference, right, Like there are other people's decisions have consequences, always had life for death consequences, So you gotta read fast. I know, I'm in a room with Drake. I'm like, I'm I'm not faking anything I see or here, and I don't but that even that it's not even my nature. So yeah, and then do I know damn basketball, I know it better than yeah. I don't think there's nobody knows more

than me that do what I do. So of course, like I'm coming to Dre, I'm gonna be like, yo, Drake, listen, this altercation you had like there's nobody in the in the NBA that's not had a fight. Bro, there's nobody in the league. I'm not bringing you guys together. You bring you all together and I'll see you along and I'm walking out the room. That's it. What am I gonna bring you in the room? Have you talk like now? You're looking at me like, oh, he's trying to be

some fake police cop and trying to know Dre. You know how, you don't have many we have we even in areas where we've had many of this where you gotta do have something like that happened and that dude ride on the bus s netch to you in school. That happens after day in our neighborhoods growing up. It's not unusual. It's just unusual. It was on camera. Now I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go, you know what, trade you handle him. I'm gonna hand to the media. See

you later. That's it. How are you gonna feeling that you're gonna be like, okay, out of it. That's really I'm not faking it. You gotta handle it because number one, it's been the ball has just been thrown back into your court. What you're gonna do with it? You can't felt in that moment, right you shot you all to do that because I can bring you all that all day. But if y'all don't like each other, y'all don't get it. Resolves and he resolved anyway. So what am I doing?

I'm just yelling, but I'm telling who's gotta handle it, and I'm out, But I'm gonna. I know how to handle Charles stephen A Smith, Shock, I know how to handle Ernie. I know how to handle with everybody on TV. I know how to talk to that. I got this, I got that speaking of speaking of Shock, Charles, Ernie, and I've been up there on the self. I've had the pleasure and honor of being on the set with you guys. But this is something that I truly wonder.

Do y'all view that as a team and there's roles within that team when y'all step up on the stage, because it's an entire production like that show, that show has gotten bigger than anybody, like than any one person, and it's an entire production, and I feel like everyone makes it work in their own way. Do y'all feel like it's a team and you have roles and what you do up there, Drima said. And the one thing that I've learned that and you've learned being my championship teams,

I'm sure, is that everyone's role is really valuable. Like it's I'm not running into a Christmas Street, bro, but we need that, you know what I'm saying. Charles is not running to the board and break it down and put the next dose and going industreet, But we need that. Charles is gonna come with an unfiltered filter coffee machine, a black coffee and you're gonna taste it. But we need that. Ernie is gonna just be the ability to

understand when to move on to the next segment. We need that so like at no point do we ever look here it is and I don't know if you felt like this, and you can agree. When you're on a championship team, I never feel in competition with the guy next to me. Never, there is never. I don't feel competition with them anymore. I've I've gone past that, you know initially and then you get now you get

you've gone We've gone past that. You know. I'm never sitting on the bench hoping Sam cansell miss is a shot so I can get back in the damn game. I'm like, y'all kill this dude, Sam, You know what I mean, Like, I never feel in competition like and that's how I feel on our show. I never feel in competition with those guys. Have you ever felt like

shock shocking and uh, chuck. We'll really get into it because I don't think people realize, like some of those moments you have up there, like you're still a human being, You're still having a pen and at the end of the day, we're all competitive as hell. Yeah that's my job. So that's my job, Like I'm gonna throat gasoline on the fire, but I also I know I'm in charge

of the extinguisher too. So when it gets that point and their their egos are here, absolutely absolutely, I know my job at time is to take the pressure off of it being about chucking him and making about me and him, or making it about me and Chuck at times two. So it's not where he's just like, it's them because they are here and they're ready to come. And then five minutes later, that's what I'm saying. Five minutes later we're in the back there, they're they're picking

each other up. Shack is like, I bet I could lift you up. I bet I could bench fresh you five minutes after they were ready to. Just that's what we know. We we we grew up in that, we understand that that's not long lasting. But it's real. It's real. And in speaking of TV, Um, you, you've done something on TV and I have an opinion about it, well, not necessarily an opinion, but thoughts okay, and so I guess it is an opinion of what I think I see personally. Um, you and your ex wife y'all had

a reality TV show. Did you feel like having the reality TV show ultimately affected your marriage in a negative way? No, I don't think that was it at all, because d I was never all in because and I produced it, so I was the executive producer and producer. I went to termine because at the time in my household, my daughter who's now on n C I L S and l A and she's L l j's daughter on the show, so she's so she's done like ten and twelve episodes.

My other daughter just finished a Disney movie, and my ex was she wanted to be in in television, So I was like, as a as a as a man, whenever all of those things are in your household, You're like, how could I help? You know? And I was like, I was like, look, I don't want to do this. I'm doing this for you guys. So I'm just wanting to shine light on you guys so it can possibly

help propel your career. And through that, that show got my daughter record deal, got my other daughter of managing, So it did move into right directions because I was never like, he was never gonna hear like I'm like, biggie, I'm old school. I'm like, probably with my wife, don't discuss them. Let just I lost someone, you know what I mean. So you're never gonna see any of that. And that's why we only did one season because you're

never gonna see any of that. Um. I think that if there was one reason or anyone if you have a girlfriend x, a wife ex wife, there's one reason why you're not together, you would still be together. There's never one reason it's gonna be. It's gotta be a multiple multitude of things to end something so big where families involved, and you know, friends are involved, her friends and your friends. Yeah, it's gotta be a multitude of things. They could be a mult to do the small things,

but then there's a multitude. But yeah, I don't think that. Actually that was fun. And I hint you on this because my kids would going to college, my older kids, so it was the first time that they were back. Everybody was in the house for the first time. So we were playing board games, so we were telling stories that we had forgotten. So that actually helped it goes then it probably said it. Probably it helped go longer because of that. We we became a little bit more

of a unit again and so everything. Do you have any regrets as far as your marriage goes? Or I mean really honestly, because I really believe Trey. Like for me, when I hear people from where we come from, when you hear about the boys, you hear like, oh he was cheating, she was cheating, somebody was fighting, somebody be somebody else. When none of those things happened, I'm always in the mindset of like, oh, it's still we're still gonna work because none of those things where I played.

So now I'm like I had to get out of mind. Queens left frank City mode and saying what this is? Why this is not like you know what I mean? Because Left franc City kitty is different from the kitty that was here here. You know what I'm saying, something like talking about like what this is? None of this, none of that, none of this that way this is

we're not feeling good about each other. That was that was I had to get into, like another space of intellect that I probably will help me in the future because where I come from, those are the only three things that you get. You know, you know me, that's not your girl. I'm gonna forget white. That ain't my girl because I cheated on we or she's fighting. She cheated on me, or fight or we just argued all day.

That's the only reason. So for me that that level of intelligence to kind of come to and have more an emotional intelligence about it. Um. But what I always realized, dre is in life when you when you this is when I feel good about myself. And it wasn't really just her, but just in general, when I realized, like I'm great for me, I'm good enough for me, but I don't have to be good enough for Draymond. And when you get it, like it's easy, said than none.

But when you can accept that, you're like life is good, like you walk around smiling all the time, and people like, man, yo, you still how you look so young? And now I'm like yo, because I smile a lot. Bro, because I know I'm okay with not being good enough, just being good enough for me. I'm okay with that. I respect. I got a few more questions. We've been going for

an hour. Be conscious of your time now, and two of them are advice and then one I want your opinion or something because it's something that's very close to me and then very close to you, but that's gonna be the last one. Number one is what would your advice be to me? Someone that's actually I got four more questions. What would your advice be to me someone that's looking to go into television? Um, when I'm done playing,

what is something that what would your advice be? And what's something that you would have done differently than you actually did? For you, I would say that my advice for you is the more you win now on your way out in the last five six years of his career, the more longer your television career will be. So now you've established yourself as the guy who we can talk to not just about the game, but about politics, about

social issues. Everyone has already established that you know. So now the more you win, it's the more insight you have on everything else, because you're gonna have one as a young player, you're gonna be one of young as a great player, You're gonna learn it as the best player. You're gonna let as the best defender. Then you're gonna learn you're gonna be at a minimum role how to win. So you're gonna be able to talk to about everybody and how they feel in the locker room, and nobody

else will be able to do what you do. So the more you win now, so now my focus would be let me lock in how do we win more championships because my role is so different from when I was. Like when you first got there, it's like, yo, Drake, don't get twelve rebounds and sixteen points, they might not win. Now it's like if you don't like then he became,

if he don't lock down the guy and get twelve. Now, every your role just so you're gonna know what every player feels and to me, win more, and the more you will, you'll be doing this for thirty years, you'll be like he said, twenty I did it thirty like, because you have an insight when everybody's talking about something that goes no. I think that's one of the values that I have right now. I was in high school McGonagall American voted top thirty five player ever in high

school basketball. When you get a ball for that, I looked on that ball, I was like shock and KG and Kyrie, I'm like, damn, I'm on a crazy ball. Right college, I was a college player to year Donald, I mean player to year in college and playing out a story program one two NBA championships, and then also at the end of the career, I was like, oh, damn, my role is so diminished. So now I know I had never had a DNP until my tenth year in

the league. Wow, I had never I had never not started on a team ever until my ninth year in the league. I've never come off the bench high schools, college or pro until my ninth year in the league. So I used to I got a different appreciation in my last year and a half about guys, how they come off the bench, how they might not play that night. Like I was like, holy gee, this is it. I was like, oh my god. I used to laugh at these dudes and ask them why the ain't not ready?

How did you come in the game and you're not excited? I understood it. You're gonna understand what champions state? So did that? Did it? Did it really affect you in the negative way in the ninth season once? What once you realize you were coming off the bench, Like what was your attitude? What was your mind set? Initially? I thought I could always contribute until it was one you know, they say there's one play. It was one play for me, Drey when I used to get it steal right, I

get it still. You know, you take a picture to see who's tracing you guys, and I would just see guys like and about my knife being the league. I saw guys doing this. I'm like, damn, they think they could catch me and then they won't catching me, Like make it lay up. I have to do where before I was just going and I'm dunking I couldn't. I'm like, dam I can't dunk it. I can't, I can't break it. I'm like, it's time to get it up, because no

matter how much money you make the feeling and feeling inferior. Yes, there's no value on that. And I was starting to feel inferior. And when I feel in fury and anything, I'm like, I cannot be part of this. And I had another deal to s first called me and we're like, you know, you want to come be back up for a v. Johnson. I was like, no, I do not

want to feel inferior. And there was the best decision I made because I stayed at TNT so so so in your mind, what what Russell Westbrook is during this honorable? But I don't takeous but he's playing well and he's taking on that role and he and in terms of you know, getting to the rim, he still gets there. I don't know if he's at that point I think and I just said got there where he was probably like, yo, I can't get by people like I used to with

the crossover. You know, Russ is about a year about another year away from that. But what he's doing and his mental for the two to live in Los Angeles, be from Los Angeles, and they make every game like it's a playoff game. Every play is like a playoff play and still have the energy and the excitement to play. I've never seen that. No, I don't think I could

do that. I would be like trading me. I. I just couldn't do that in that environment, knowing that and see I knowing that the guy in front of me I'm better than, Like he really knows he's better than the guy in front of him. Absolutely guys in front of him knows he's better than him. And I commend him for that, I don't think, and that's why I actext I don't think people are speaking enough about what he's doing, the way people were beating him down about

when it's not one to come off the bench. Now he's accepted and he's playing well, and all of a sudden, it's not even a story anymore. That be my problem. That be my problem when I speak on new media.

That be my problem with media. It's like that's bullshit, Like this man was getting destroyed and destroyed by everybody taking hits at his character, which I think he's a very high character individual, getting destroyed, and then he does exactly what everyone says he needs to do, take on that role, playing as good as any six man in the NBA right now, and it's not a story. That's bullshit because he's a guy. At one time he couldn't

even yawn on the bench. Yes, now you know how when you're on the bench, this happens to every player And and and what I realized when about in the league, the yawning is from you you're needing oxygen. It is not from you being tired sometimes and you know you're like you're sitting at the bench up and you do. If he did that, it would have been all over the muscle breast, foot board with the game like no, if you keep a camel. Every NBA player has done

that and does that all the time. You y'are playing four games. If at night you need oxygen and you're gonna yawn, and the excitement and the energy of the arena makes you yawn. They like that happens. It's not only because you're tiring. But he couldn't do it, and I recommend him. I think, what what do you what do you make of player driven media? I've gotten the media, Patrick Braverley, c J mccollor, but a lot of guys are starting to do podcasts, a lot of guys are

starting to do different things. What do you make of the player driven media side. Obviously you still have traditional media, but what do you make of the player driven media movement that's been taking place over the last year. I didn't have the mental fortitude to do what you do, honestly,

because I took things to heart. So when I used to go on talk radio and you know, and I call in and be like, hey, we want you to have you on, I'd be like, I'm not taking callers like why because I don't want John from Indiana who's sitting in his basement to ask me a question and affects my psyche of the game, who has no idea. I'm like, you're supposed to be an expert. I like

this show. I'll come on. You allow yourself to be open to guys who do not know basketball, like they have no clue, and you answer questions or answer their comments. I just I don't have to thick enough skin. I'm not gonna lie. I just would it would affect me in a negative way to where it would affect my play. Like for you, I don't know how you and c J do it, because neither wanted. C J is still getting like you're doing it. I couldn't do that because

I just felt that people just don't know enough. I agree. I mean people don't know. People don't know enough. And I speak on that all the time, just how everyone thinks they know basketball. Like, but this question I after you, Drake is like why My question is you is why would you alive? Miles? Miles Davis, jay Z? We all that of basketball? We are the your most unique people in the world. Why jay Z is not letting somebody come in the session and tell them how to run?

Like you know what I mean? Like, Oh, you're a rap fan, but you don't know Cadence, you don't know We don't know how to get there. You don't know beach, you don't know that. You don't know the percussion. How it makes you no no clue? How do you do that every day and allow that to happen? I don't even do that at T and T, Like, how do

you do that? I think for me? Um Number one is I think for me, it's about what you get out of it, right, Like for the most part, I get a laugh out of it, Like I think, like what I take from it is different lessons of how

dumb people are. I feel like it allows me to operate in my everyday life, because you are very dumb if you think you know basketball as well as me, If you know basketball as well as you as you know basketball, it shows me how dumb you are because you think you can watch this maybe two games a day or you know, and no one really watched two games a day, But you think you can consume basketball the little amount that you do, and your understanding of

what's going on is as good as my understanding. It helps. I feel like it helps me in a lot of different areas in life because it gives me a perspective. Because the thing is, like what most people don't understand is I don't care one of the greatest basketball fans. In three hours, you you consumed more basketball than they

will in in three months. Because you've gone to practice, you watch film, you've watched the other team, you've watched your game, you've lifted, you, you're getting prepared, you're doing like nine things consumed about basketball, and they're watching one game. So you you in in three hours, you've done more than most people have done in three months. I can't talk to people like that. I just don't have the patience. But that I just don't I could answer like a

boba shop called, you know, lebron Or or Jordan's. But I'm not talking about how do you think Draymond Green affects the two? No, we're not We're not getting to that. We're not getting to that. Yeah, we're not getting no doubt. Before we get out of here, man, I got one last question I want to ask you, And like I said, it's a it's one that obviously affected me in my life. But you know, in the relationship that I still have with him, but also you hold a relationship with him

as well. What do you make that Here we are eleven years later, Mark Jackson took a franchise that had no success, goes to two straight, two straight playoffs, and gets fired. Now you can make what you want of him getting fired. Everyone can. That's neither here nor there. You got fired, teams move on, and quite frankly, it's hard to say they made the wrong decision. We win a championship the next year. Now you can you can make the argument that, hey, they would have won if

Mark was there next year too. All right, maybe you believe it, maybe you don't, who cares, But what do you make of him not getting a job as an NBA head coach. It's been eleven years now he's still not a head coach. Or well nine since he's been out, so it's nine years since he's been out, he's still not a head coach. And if I'm looking at this, I'm like, well, I watched him go with a young Steph Curry, young Clay Thompson, young Draymond Green, and if

he did nothing else, he gave those guys confidence. Well guess what, half the teams, half the teams in the league needs someone who can go give their guys confidence, who can show them the way young guys. You look at all these teams and super young guys, and he hasn't gotten that opportunity. What do you make of that? I just think that there were facts that were lied upon, and it were lies that now became facts. So there there there's a the message of now each year the

lie gets bigger and the facts get smaller. So there are lies about Mark Jackson right now that I hear and they go, yo, hey, your boy did this and what your boy said that, And I'm like, now that's a lie. I speak to the dude every day like I speak to Mark at least once a week, like no, like Mark doesn't think like that. He didn't say he didn't know, he didn't do that. Oh, this was a fact,

and then he gets lied on. So now as an owner or general manager, they're hearing the lies and then not doing the research to find the truth, because the truth would you would say exactly what you said. Are their coaches that have have done things that you would say, man, why did you do it that way? Of course every coach you probably could do that with with Steve, But then when you add lies to it, there's no one

to defend a lie. And that's the problem. There's no one there to defend the lie on his behalf and Marcus choosing not to defend the lie, and I would defend the lie. Oh day, I'd be on you see me on every stage, I'm like, yo, he's lying, he did this and this is actually what happened. And so but in terms of coaching and basketball knowledge and seeing what he I saw him got out of you and Steph and Steph Curry would be what he before he got there did not play in the fourth quarters of games.

They used to play Ellis and they would say Steph coundnot play in the fourth quarters because defensively he could not handle that. I used to watch the Golden State Wars and they used to say that, and he was going to be traded. It was definitely he was going to be traded until marm Jackson got there. He saved not only the franchise, he saved the league. Like you think of Steph Curry, it's not. He saved basketball by that by making this do what he is and allowing

him to be who he was. He saved basketball and changed the culture of the way we play today based on way Steph plays. But someone had to have the vision to allow that to happen. He was the vision. He was not doing that before he got there. Neither were you. There was no undersize power forwards doing what you do. Clay Thompson didn't have the free rein Ney too. It's a travesty that he's not coaching basketball. I mean, I agree, I know what he did. I always tell

people you can look around the league. You have coaches that give God's confidence, and you have coaches that takes confidence. And he is somebody that gave us, if nothing else, the ultimate confidence. Everybody check us out. I came to you guys as game, and he brought me in the locker room right he was coaching, and he's speaking to the team and he goes, Kenny, I just want you to see the team that's gonna be standing in the

White House. M I definitely remember that. And here y'all all the other last week again standing in the White House yesterday, and I said, I said, Mark, when you when you gave that prophecy, you should have said standing in the White House with me to it. That's why it still happened. You didn't add to me because when he said it, I mom had walked out of it, and I was like, these dudes ain't going to over they find him honestly said that. In my mind, I like,

the cut your step, don't shoot like that. Let's dude, Draymond, non't defend like that, all this stuff he's telling me. I'm like, and here we are. Later, I remember, I remember he said and everybody went crazy and he said I had the greatest shooting backcourt of all time, and everybody like, why would he say that, blah blah blah, and he's like, no, I'm telling you, I got the greatest shooting backcourt of all time. For someone to say that when it wasn't if somebody went on TV to

prove that nothing, no, not at all. If someone did that now just in the TV position and said this is gonna be the greatest backcourt of all time, and then four I mean and then four four years later you're looking at and you're like, Wow, they have a job like that just by saying it on TV TV, actually coaching that, actually coaching that. So no, man, you know, I got mad love for coach Mark Jackson is my first coach in this league. But my brother, I appreciate

you for coming on the show twenty minutes. Bron we can do this again. I appreciate you, and we most definitely will. Alright, alright, I appreciate you, brother,