Full Show: Actor Anthony Anderson battles Mercenaries | Athlete’s talent goes beyond Basketball | Game changing aerospace engineer. - podcast episode cover

Full Show: Actor Anthony Anderson battles Mercenaries | Athlete’s talent goes beyond Basketball | Game changing aerospace engineer.

Apr 07, 20251 hr 15 min
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Episode description

Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.

Support the show: http://www.youtube.com/@stephenasmith

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Speaker 1

What's up, everybody.

Speaker 2

Welcome to the special edition of the Steph Nick Smiths Cheral, coming at you as I love to do it, if very least three times.

Speaker 1

A week over the digital airways of YouTube and of course our heart Radio.

Speaker 2

I'll be giving you interviews all week long because your brother's on vacation for a change. Thank the good Lord, I needed the rest. Got an NBA playoff uh coming up, and that's gonna be big time, make no mistake about it.

Speaker 1

There's a lot of stuff to get into.

Speaker 2

Got a National Championship game taking place tonight in the NC Double A Tournament. There's a lot of stuff to get into. But there's a lot of people to talk to. So I got a few interviews coming your way today. One is going to involve the NC Double A, so stick around for that, and you'd be surprised at who I'm about to talk to, so make sure you look for that as well. But there's some great, great people to talk to, and one of them is my next guest.

Speaker 1

He's somebody I've known for years.

Speaker 2

He's somebody that you all have known for years, practically family to a lot of us.

Speaker 1

He starred in Blackish, has starred in.

Speaker 2

An an ordinate amount of movies throughout the years, not to mention he's been on Law and Order on National on television for quite some time.

Speaker 1

Throughout the years as well. He's a spectacular actor.

Speaker 2

Could be drama, could be comedy, could be the combination of both.

Speaker 1

It doesn't matter.

Speaker 2

Whatever the assignment calls for, he's more than capable of pulling off. He's also somebody that's been a good friend of mine for many, many years. I'm looking forward to talking to him, finding out what's going on with him, what he's about to engage in and embark upon. You know him A double A one and only Anthony Anderson. He's up next right here on the Stephen Nate Smithshaw.

Speaker 1

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Speaker 2

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We gotta keep going with but how are we gonna find line? We don't.

Speaker 4

Lama and I had a lot talking when she got elected that if anything like this, whatever happened, it was my job to get you two out, and no.

Speaker 1

Matter what happens to her, I'm the look out for you. Let's go.

Speaker 2

My next guest is starring in the new Prime Video original movie G twenty, streaming on April tenth. He's perhaps best known for his role as Andre Johnson on a hit ABC sitcom Blackish. I know from a whole bunch of movies not to mention a law and order. One of the great great actors of our time, as far as I'm concerned, please welcome Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor do one and only Anthony Anderson to the house.

Speaker 1

What up, Fred?

Speaker 5

What up?

Speaker 1

Double A? How you doing?

Speaker 5

Bro?

Speaker 1

How's everything everything?

Speaker 5

He's going? Good? Baby?

Speaker 4

My hey, my system is falling apart on me. Steve, my bad, baby.

Speaker 5

My bad.

Speaker 1

You can handle it. You can handle it. It's all good man.

Speaker 2

Let's get right into it because I want to have I want to get into this before you get cut off with your damn electronic ass self. I mean you electronic inhibited itself. I don't know what technological inhibited. Listen, this film looks like a wild rid in it. Just start alongside the great Viola Davis and your daughter from Blackest Marci Martin.

Speaker 1

Explain the premise and your character.

Speaker 4

Please, Well, you know what, I'm the first man you know, by over, Davis is the President of the United States. I'm or a husband, and I'm the first man of the United States man. So that's my character.

Speaker 2

Now listen, I know you personally, your friend of mine. I got mad love for you. You as the first man thinking about the power of the presidency. Well, the presidency is under a microscope. The first man might be a little bit different, not so much. What kind of nonsense did you get yourself into as the first man? I mean, what kind of ideas were you throwing out there? Because I can only imagine.

Speaker 4

Well, you know what, man as the first man, like most first ladies, hur our voice really isn't heard that much.

Speaker 5

But uh, we had a great time.

Speaker 4

You know, I'm there supporting Viola's character, supporting our family.

Speaker 5

Uh, you know, I'm gonna stay at home.

Speaker 4

Dad, ex military, married to the President of the United States, who happens to go over to Cape Town for the g twenty World Summit, and it happens to be attacked by terrorists and we have a great time doing it. Man, we kick a lot of butt, get a lot of butt kicked. We're both ex military in this film, so it makes sense for us to do what we're doing. And uh, it's action packed and it's fun field.

Speaker 2

So it's action packed, but it's not it's not comedic. I mean, because it's you. I mean, anytime we see you, you're making us laugh. It's not comedic.

Speaker 5

No, no, not not comedic at all.

Speaker 4

They may there may be some comedic elements here and there, uh, but but definitely not a comedy.

Speaker 5

Uh. You know.

Speaker 4

We we may have a joker to to add some levity, but it's uh, this is serious business team, this is serious business.

Speaker 5

Man.

Speaker 2

So as the first man, I mean, as you imagine a man being in the second position, I mean deferential to his woman. As black men, we know that that's just figured because we all know that listen, ninety five percent of the time the women to get what the hell a want.

Speaker 1

The five percent of the.

Speaker 2

Time, as Chris Rock will say, give us the big pieces of chicken. I mean, our rites are very very limited when it comes to our black women. So I want to know what kind was that part of Was that a part of the character that was portrayed by you and obviously by Viola Davis at all?

Speaker 1

She's in charge, I.

Speaker 5

Mean, she's in charge.

Speaker 4

And for some reason, on repeat Beyonce song was playing We Run the World, We Run the World, and so that was just I was just playing all day for six months in Cape Town, South Africa.

Speaker 3

Man.

Speaker 4

So I just had to fall in line, Steven, I just had to fall in line and play my position, as we all do.

Speaker 2

When you think about what you've done in your career, comedic and obviously some serious roles, watching Law and Order, in various other roles. At this point in time of your career, what do you enjoy most?

Speaker 5

You know, one, I enjoy going to work.

Speaker 4

You know, this is something that I've always wanted to do since I was nine years old, and I've been blessed with the gift. I don't call it a talent, I call it a gift. And it's my responsibility to share this gift that I've been blessed with with the world. So first and foremost going to work, getting to do what I do, but then getting to work with people like Viola Davis, Anthony Starts, you know, Marseille Martin, and just the luminaries that I've been able to work with

over the years in my career. That's what drives me and that's what satisfies me, and this hunger that I have as an actor getting up and going to work and gracing the stage and gracing the screen with some of our elite.

Speaker 2

So I'm looking at it from nas standpoint, and you know, you talk about the work, and obviously in this day and age, if you work and you living good, because Lord knows this, there's not enough people that's working in this day and age, and what have you. As you think about what's going on again, the first man in this film by Ola Davis is the President G twenty coming out April tenth, I'm thinking about the climate the times that we're living in. How much did that play

a role? A in your willingness to accept such a role and b in what you guys actually did for the project itself. How much does the president administration or the president political climate play a role in all of that?

Speaker 5

I'll answer the former than the latter.

Speaker 4

You know, while we were filming this, this is over a year ago, so you know, Vice President Kamala Harris was vine for the office herself, right, and you know we thought this, you know, we thought we were hoping that she would be in office that you know, with with would resonate with an audience, you know, while we

were making this film. But given the current uh political climate and the new administration off uh the new administrators that are in office right now, I think, uh, that's going to drive people to see this movie and gives it a set of legs, and and and an a set of eyes that we probably wouldn't have had on it to begin with, having Viola Davis as an African American woman being president of the United States, and and and running things the way that we would hope and want

this administration to run these things. So I I think it's a great juxta juxtaposition of what's happening in real life and working parallel with what's going on, uh in this film that we're doing.

Speaker 2

This administration has called out George Clooney and numerous other contemporaries in your industry for things that have been said, manners in which the president has been portrayed, et cetera, et cetera, And one with surmise that at some point in time, folks in Hollywood may feel a bit compelled to be careful about what they do and how they do it, and an effort to be is really not as a as authentic to their craft as they could possibly be while not provoking the ire of politicians in

this day and age, particularly doing the show of this nature.

Speaker 1

Is that something that entered your.

Speaker 2

Mind, of Iola Davis's mind at all, or is it about I don't give a damn. I'm Anthony Anderson and this is the role that it calls for me to play, and I'm gonna do what I do.

Speaker 4

You know, I can't speak for vile. I can only speak for myself. But you know, we have our First Amendment right, you know, to free speech, and we have our own opinions about the world in which we live. And you know, as long as I can be my authentic self, live in my truth and speak my truth from my position and my perspective, I want people to respect that, just like I would respect their position and their perspective. So and it's not about you know what

I'm me. I'm Anthony Anderson, and this is what I say, and this is how I'm going to live, and this is what I'm going to do. We also have to be conscious of what it is that we say and how it may not only affect our livelihood, but how it may affect the people that are part of what it is that we do.

Speaker 5

But we also have to be informed.

Speaker 4

About the things that we are going to say, about the positions that we want to take, and not just jump on a bandwagon and say, oh, well I heard this. You know, we have to do the work ourselves and find out so we're not misinformed and we're spreading misinformation. And again, it's just our opinion, our individual opinions on the world in which we live and how we see it and how it's affecting us.

Speaker 5

And I think that's only fair.

Speaker 2

Let me go back to the film, because the film Like You Told You, Like You Articulated was shot in Cape down South Africa. What is this some hand about? You ended up in the emergency room after the fight seeing gone wrong. Explain yourself, Anthony Anderson, Explain yourself, what the hell happened to you?

Speaker 4

You know what, some guys got a little Overzea was on set, Steven and uh, you know, an accident happen. It was a fight scene. We were supposed to do some things. I was supposed to be thrown into a chair, but they threw me into the chair and missed it, and the arm of the chair hit me in the small of my back and it felt as if it had touched my kidney man and I immediately dropped to the floor and found out that I had a deep muscle bruise that that was just gonna take weeks to heal from within.

Speaker 5

But one monkey, don't stop, no show man.

Speaker 4

I continued throughout the night and work and ended up in the emergency.

Speaker 5

Room for five hours.

Speaker 4

Nothing was fractured, nothing was broking, and uh, it just gave me a story to tell.

Speaker 5

As I'm sitting here talking to you.

Speaker 2

I am mad at that. As long as you are right, I'm all right. Why Cape Town, South Africa?

Speaker 6

Though?

Speaker 1

Why there?

Speaker 5

You know that?

Speaker 4

That that's you know, the G twenty Summit Global Summit takes place all over the world, and this particular year was taking place in Cape Town. Uh and uh we're in our film. Uh, so that's where why we decided to go there, exotic locale. The people there were great, the production uh team that was there.

Speaker 5

I you know, it was.

Speaker 4

A beautiful thing working amongst our brothers and sisters in Cape Town, South Africa. Bringing a production like that, this huge American production to South Africa was great for the country. It was great for us. And uh, I'm thinking about going there and buying the house.

Speaker 1

Man.

Speaker 4

That that's how beautiful it really. How welcome, Yeah, that's how welcoming it was.

Speaker 5

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Wow, you know, I mean, listen, I got to get over there. I've been promising. I'm going to get over there, or some of my boys have asked me to come to Gone and somebody asked me to come to Rwanda, and obviously Cape Town and Johannesburg, there's definitely someplace I'm planning on visiting as well. I got to ask you this, as as you sit here right now doing the kind of things that you're doing, you reflect on the career

that you've had. What do you miss most right now in this time and your at this time in your life, about whatever most joyous perspective that you've had in your career.

Speaker 1

What's missing right now? If anything at all?

Speaker 6

Uh?

Speaker 5

Wow, good, great, great question, man, great question.

Speaker 4

What's missing? I don't think anything is really missing. It's always about the next adventure.

Speaker 6

Now.

Speaker 5

You know, I had a long run with our television show Blackish for eight years on ABBC.

Speaker 4

I missed the family there that I built with this cast of eight years. You know, I've watched these these young children that we got to hand pick and be a part of our show grow into young adults now and to be a part of their informative lives or

be an informative part of their lives growing up. Was was was a blessing, you know, to have children of my own, uh, and then to have this second set of children that that I got to work closely with, sometimes even more intimately than than my own children, because I spent so much time on set.

Speaker 5

So I will say anything is missing from my life or my career like that, but I missed.

Speaker 4

Those times that that I spent on that that set, uh with with with my cast, you know, Tracy, Jennifer Lawrence and and everybody. You know, it's one of the reasons Marseille Martin is n G twenty. You know, we were looking for a daughter, and I was like, you've got to hire Marseille because I know what she's going to bring to this role for this and I had a great chant, I had a great time working with for eight years.

Speaker 5

Let's do it on the big screen.

Speaker 2

And why, by the way, the young lady is already an executive producer creating content and all of that stuff. She's a star, make no mistake about it. Let's not forget in. We all love Tracy and the rest of the crew. You know, I'm thinking about that. And when you think about the Blackish Family, remember when we first came you came on First Take my day job at ESPN every weekday morning from ten am the noon. He came on First Take to promote Blackish before it launched.

And remember what I said to you, I said, the only thing I worried about is the name. Are you sure that the name ain't gonna, ain't gonna, ain't gonna provide an impediment to y'all success? And you were supremely confident that it would not get in the way, that, if anything, y'all were gonna be able to build off of it and make it into the kind of show that it was.

Speaker 1

And lo and behold, we went from raving for.

Speaker 2

Decades about the Cosby's to raving about Blackish.

Speaker 1

I know you saw success coming. Did you see that?

Speaker 6

Uh?

Speaker 4

We hoped for that, Stephen, You know you can only dream for things like that. You know when when Kenya and I sat down and talked about what we wanted to produce for television, before we even had come up with the idea of Blackish, we.

Speaker 5

Were just sharing ideas about our family.

Speaker 4

And it was Kenya's idea to call it that because he said, you know what, Anthony, I feel like I went from raising a black family to a Blackish Family and called me a few weeks after and said, I got the title for our show. And you know a lot of people were hesitant about, you know, even tuning in to watching it because of what the name is or and I was like, Yo, that has nothing to do with the quality and the portrayal of these characters what we were going to do. And you know, Ish

is a jacent too. We're not making a mockery of anything. So come watch this and you know, the issue is now in the zeitgeist. You know, they're all kinds of issues out there that you know, have come to like since the creation of our show. So we are happy and ecstatic about that. We were able to get two spinoffs, Grownish and Mixed Fish on the air that that's said a great time. And so for us to build that type of franchise and that family amongst the shows was

just amazing for us. And that's something that we always saw, you know, we always saw that, and we took a page from Cosby. We took a page from what they did from the Cosby Show and a Different World and things like that, So you know, that's where it all came from.

Speaker 5

That's where it all stemmed from.

Speaker 2

I Love You on Blackish, no doubt about it as much, and as long as we've known each other, I've never told you what your favorite role was?

Speaker 1

What was my favorite role of you, of your portrayal in this movie. We can play that game.

Speaker 2

Two can play that game with Morris Chestnut and Vivica finds man you Because you know, it's like when I watch so many movies, right, I ain't gonna say nagg because I don't want to throw no shade on anybody, but I see stars and I see cats and they've got like one of their boys that they're tight with. But the advice is all it's always it's always lacking with Two can play that game. You were breaking it down the Morris Chesna. You were giving it to them,

and I was like, take the words. I mean, it was just it's the kind of stuff that I would say to my boys, you know what I mean? You had it like that. What was your favorite role?

Speaker 1

Uh?

Speaker 5

You know, we'll start, We'll start with that one.

Speaker 4

And I'm like, Okay, that's the way they game for a second, because yes, I watched it a few weeks ago in the middle of the night. It's like, maybe three point thirty in the morning, twift it through television and it came on and I watched it in its entirety, and I had to send Vivca and Morris a text message like five in the morning. It was like, look, I know it's early. I know y'all not gonna see there's no time soon. But I just watched you for play that game. And I haven't seen this movie in

almost twenty years. I said, it still holds up. It's still funny, and the things that we are saying in this movie is still relevant today. And what's crazy, Stephen, is that my twenty five year old son was going through the same thing that Morris Chestnuts character was going through just a few months ago. And he and his boy were sitting in my house in my kitchen, and I was like yo. I was like, yo, Nate, your boy is me in my movie. I did a movie about what you're going through right now.

Speaker 5

You're making the same mistake that Morris chess Nut made. You need to see this movie so you can understand me, so you can understand this problem.

Speaker 4

That you're going through. Steeve Man, he watched the movie. He was like, damn, Dad, you right man, he said, what did y'all make this movie? I said, May, I was twenty years ago, son, and everything we talk about it, it's still relevant.

Speaker 2

I gotta look out for your son. I gotta look out for your son right now. I gotta make sure I give you an opportunity to office. Norris's nose was wide open.

Speaker 1

I mean he was going.

Speaker 5

He was going.

Speaker 2

Man had a whip. Now you understand, I mean that's what That's what happened. You remember when you told you coming through the glass window and he's just sitting in the way in the gym, staring in the space, and you like to see the light.

Speaker 1

See the light. I'm like, yo, you so I want to make it.

Speaker 2

You want to make sure you give give your son an opportunity for Pops to help him out here. You ain't doing you ain't doing that to yourself. It wasn't like that, was it.

Speaker 5

No, Hey a a see my son showed up at her house.

Speaker 6

Man.

Speaker 5

I was like, son, you can't do that. Are you prepared to see what you gonna see if you show up on announce?

Speaker 4

And my son was a man about it, and he was like, you know what, Dad, I was ready. I was ready to see whatever I needed to see. Man, But I just had to go make this move. I had to do this. And I say all this to say he and his lady have a great relationship and they work through whatever it is they needed to work out. But I was like, son, we need to watch this movie next time before you go make mistakes like that.

Speaker 1

That's right, That's right, no question about it.

Speaker 2

So other than two could play that game, anything else stand out in your mind. I want to make sure because I know you love all the stuff that you've done, but all the else stand out.

Speaker 1

I just want to make sure.

Speaker 4

Look here man, the Departed, you know, getting to work with your past that I got to work with, and and being directed by Martin Jack Nixon. Yes, yeah, yeah, it just the list goes on and on. Man, Romeo must die. You know, I got to work with the great Leah and and and Jet Lee and things like that. Me myself and I ring Jim Carrey. I mean, yeah, I've been very fortunate in my career, Steve. So those are and look, I ain't gonna lie. I enjoyed working on Kangaroo Jack.

Speaker 5

Man.

Speaker 4

You know, I catch a lot of hell, but from behind now with me I was saying, Yo, I love doing Kangaroo Jack as well.

Speaker 2

I got you, I got you. Listen, I know you love working with the people that you work with too. And recently I had the lovely, the incomparable. I mean, she's mama to us, all the lovely Jennifer Lewis. She was right here on this show. And yeah, she told she wanted to tell me, she wants she wanted to give you.

Speaker 1

A couple of words, a few words. Play this, please play.

Speaker 2

This, please and give Anthony Anthony and just in my love and telling me he's an asshole and I.

Speaker 5

Loved him, make sure to do it. Can you imagine working with that fool eight years?

Speaker 1

Oh my god, you did it.

Speaker 3

You did it.

Speaker 5

He won my heart, Anthony, So give him a bill right his. That's crazy, that's good, you know what.

Speaker 4

I don't know if she was on or off her medicine that that day that she was on your show, but I love her. Hey, Jennifer, that's that is my baby. That that is my second mother right there. That's the mother of all black Hollywood right there. Yo, that's serious.

Speaker 2

I don't I don't think it's an exaggeration when you think about black mamas in Hollywood.

Speaker 1

It's it's it's Hallowretta Divine. It's one of the two.

Speaker 4

To me, Yeah, yeah, yeah, And I've worked for both of them. The Redda Divine didn't play my mama. She played my auntie. Whoopy Goldberg played my mom in this this other movie called Kingdom Come and Jennifer Lewis. So I've been surrounded by the mamas in the unties my entire career, and.

Speaker 5

I love it.

Speaker 1

There you go, there you go.

Speaker 2

Let me transition to something else that's near dear to your heart. Evidently you and Cedric Did Entertainer are serious barbecue enthusiasts, with a line of sauces, rubs, and products called ac Barbecue. How did y'all come up with the recipes for somebody's family recipe?

Speaker 1

I mean, what's that about? Double A? What's going on?

Speaker 4

You know, we looked at the We looked at you know, we're started taking barbecue to fast casual man.

Speaker 5

We were opening up a restaurant here at the Century.

Speaker 4

City Mall or the Westfield Mall in Century City. You know, Set and I have a love for food. We you know, we take these fellows trips. We always rent these extravagant homes and sed and I are always the ones that are cooking and barbecueing it. We just had this opportunity to get in this space and there's no one that

looks like us that are in that space. And we are talking about, you know, bringing barbecue back to what it once was, or not bringing it back, but just talking about what it is, the community of it, the community aspect of it, the the lovingness, the family buy of what the spirit of barbecue is and where it comes from. And so we started AC Barbecue and we're having a great time where we've licensed our kitchen on seven colleges and universities.

Speaker 5

We have this first.

Speaker 4

Restaurant that's about to open uh here in April May uh at the Westfield Mall, and so we're excited about that. We got products and stores, so we couldn't have been more excited about it. We we have this I can't tell you about this collaboration that we had, but we have a collaboration that you will hear about in a month and it's about to be big with us and another fresh food franchise. Uh So we're excited about that.

Speaker 2

Okay, And you also partnered with Magic Johnson's what is it Dexo Magic to take AC Barbecue to HBCU campuses.

Speaker 4

Yeah, Yeah, we partnered with Sedexo Magic and that's how we got our kitchen. AC Barbecue Kitchens on these HBCUs and colleges and other all colleges and universities. We're in a University of Cincinnati, Jackson State University, Howard University, and there are four or five other universities that have AC Barbecue kitchens on them. So we're just excited about that. Our partnership with the Dexso Magic is beautiful and we're just here to do it man, and just you know, being a lane.

Speaker 5

You know.

Speaker 4

Look, one of our one of our sayings is, you know, we're rooted in culture and fueled by community. That's what AC Barbecue is all about. Rooted in culture and fueled by community. Just bringing everybody together to celebrate and to love on one another through the spirit of barbecue.

Speaker 1

Stay with HBCUs.

Speaker 2

You left Howard University after your junior year, I think, and I think it was you talked about it being because of financial issues or whatever.

Speaker 1

But how did it feel to recently receive your degree.

Speaker 2

From the chad with Bozman College of Fine Arts in twenty twenty two.

Speaker 1

How did that feel?

Speaker 4

It felt great, Stephen And I'll tell you about this full circle moment. Taraji Henson gave the commencement speech the year I received my degree. Karaji and I were classmates at Howard University in the College of Fine Arts. Denise Saunders, who was the assistant Dean of the College of Fine Arts, helped me assisted me in getting back into school to finish my senior year. She and I were classmates at

Howard University and the College of Fine Arts. Doctor Felicia Rashad is the dean of the College of Fine Arts. She and I are colleagues and friends in this industry. She handed me my degree from the College of Fine Arts. And that year that I received my degree in twenty twenty two was the very first year that they renamed the school and it was renamed to the Chadwick A. Boseman School of Fine Arts. And he and I were

colleagues in this industry and friendly with one another. So it was a beautiful full circle moment for me to go back to the beginning. Really for me, you know, it took thirty five years in the making. I started Howard University as a friend in nineteen eighty eight and left after my junior year due to financial reasons, and had every.

Speaker 5

Intention on going back.

Speaker 4

And I was finally able to go back and receive my degree in twenty twenty two.

Speaker 2

I was getting ready to ask you how much of a role did Nathan play in inspiring you?

Speaker 1

Says he's also a Howard grad.

Speaker 5

Yeah, well, he played a great role.

Speaker 4

He's unfortunately he didn't graduate yet, but he was. He got accepted in twenty eighteen, and he inspired me to go back to school. I always wanted to go back to school, and I said, you know what, son, You've inspired me to go back to Howard.

Speaker 5

So this is what I'm going to do.

Speaker 4

I'm going to walk with you in twenty twenty two, and unfortunately, real life got.

Speaker 5

In the way of him. Of my son.

Speaker 4

You know, my son's a young artist, a musician, and an actor, and his career started.

Speaker 5

Taking off, so he followed that path.

Speaker 4

But I stayed true to mine as a promise to myself and as a promise to him and my family and my mom and everybody, because when I started Howard, I would have been the first person in my family to graduate from a college or university, and so I had to finish the task that I started, and it took thirty five years to do so, but I was able to do it.

Speaker 2

He was also honored with how with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the university.

Speaker 5

Right, yes I was, Yes, I was.

Speaker 1

I can't imagine how that must have felt for you.

Speaker 4

It felt great, you know, to receive not only that award, but the United Negro College Fund gave me an award the following week for the work that I've been doing with him in raising scholarship money for other HBCU students. And you know, I have my own family foundation, the Anderson Family Foundation that this year I'm transitioning from the charities that I've been donating to for the last six years.

But in my seventh year, because I went back to Howard University and received my degree, I'm starting a scholarship at Howard University. Uh So, you know, some students don't have to go through what I went through and put that on hold for as long as I put it on hold.

Speaker 2

You often tag your social media post just a kid from Compton, because that's where you're from, Compton in La I want to know, did you say out or do you say go ahead dog? When you saw Kendrick Lamar giving it to Drake. That's what I wanted to That's what I want I want.

Speaker 4

Well, look, hey, first off, I gotta say this, I'm a fan of both of the artists. So yeah, but you know what, it was great to see what Kayo was doing for the culture, for the city of Compton and what he did, so I had to root for him, you know, a thousand percent.

Speaker 5

And just to see where he is, where his career has elevated.

Speaker 4

To from where it once was. I mean, you know, he was always a star in our eyes. But to see you know, this this last year and a half of where it's gone. Uh, and just to see it's halftime performance show and just what it symbolizes and what.

Speaker 5

It meant, uh, you know, to people who were watching who understood it, what it meant to the.

Speaker 4

Culture, and what it spoke to and what it spoke about was just Uh, it was just a beautiful thing.

Speaker 1

So I'll let you get on out of here.

Speaker 5

Man.

Speaker 2

You would diagnose with type two diabetes at age twenty nine. You've been a vocal advocate for better understanding and management of the condition, particularly in a black community. I want you to talk real quickly about what life changes you've made and how important of an issue this is for you, because it definitely is for me. I was like point one point away from being a full blown diabetic a few years ago until I really prioritize my health in a in a big time fashion.

Speaker 1

Talk to me about yourself and your journey in this regard.

Speaker 4

Uh, yeah, you know I've become a diabetic at that age, man, and you know I always took it seriously. But you know that it comes a time where you just have to make dramatic changes in your life and your lifestyle. And that's what I did. Unfortunately, I lost my father to complications from diabetes and once but I was the first person diagnosed with diabetes in my family. My father had gone unchecked for over for more than twenty twenty five years.

Speaker 5

And.

Speaker 4

I realized that once I was diagnosed, I look back at the symptoms that my father had when I was growing up, and they were the same as the symptoms that I was having now. And so that's when my dad got checked out, and so we lost them to that, and that's why I partnered with Noble Orders to bring awareness to everybody out there who may be suffering from

it or adjacent to it. We started a campaign called get Real about Diabetes, and they can go to get real about diabetes dot com to find out information about this disease. And it's really informed. And I go out to the communities and I talk to the communities, but in particular Black men, because.

Speaker 5

We are the ones that rarely go to the doctors. You know, myself included.

Speaker 4

My dad didn't go for twenty twenty five years and we lost him because of that.

Speaker 5

So I get out on this campaign and I share.

Speaker 4

My story and my testimony with them, and I just talk about the changes that I've made in my life in order to live with the disease and manage it instead of dying from it. And it comes with sacrifice, it comes with hard work, but in the end, in the long run, it pays off.

Speaker 2

That's your personal journey, obviously, you're trying to help many, many lives, not just yourself. Tribute to you for doing that, major, major props to you for that. That's on a personal level, on a professional level, considering all that you have done and considering the show that you're on here talking about right now. G twenty streaming April tenth on Prime Video, Starr, You,

Viola Davis, and others. Of course, when you talk about it, when you think about what you shared on a personal level, what are you on a mission to share at this point professionally since you're clearly qualified to share because you've done so many great things.

Speaker 4

I just want to continue to make opportunities for myself and make opportunities for my mother, but also, you know, make opportunities.

Speaker 2

Pause right now, no one who's better than you at Domino's. Let's not forget that.

Speaker 4

What I mean, Yeah, yes he is. You know, I learned from the best, you know. But I just want to continue to make opportunities for creators and storytellers, like people made opportunities for me to come out and be my authentic self and tell my stories from my point of view.

Speaker 3

Uh.

Speaker 4

And I just want to continue to be a part of that, you know, So that that's what I'm striving for. To start directing more, to start creating more, uh, and to start collaborating more with people that you know, you would never know.

Speaker 5

I was like, oh, I never knew this is what you did? Or this is what you wanted to do, let me be a part of.

Speaker 4

That, because you didn't know this is what I wanted to do and be a part of. So it's all about collaborations and just telling you know, and being your authentic self and being in that space.

Speaker 2

Love you, bro, Proud of you, So good to see you, looking forward to connecting yet again. I know you've been on the road a lot, doing a lot of great things. I'm just happy for you, happy to see you in this space, in this place in your life right now, Really proud of you, really happy for you. You want of the great ones? You know how I feel about you. Nor much love I got for you, so much so that I got a surprise for you. Because my career is kind of going decent. You know, I'm doing all right,

you know, okay, And I got something. I got something new coming up. I have been I have been asked to appear or law and order.

Speaker 1

I'll take it up there After I was like, what what.

Speaker 5

What I mean?

Speaker 1

I mean?

Speaker 2

I got I got to get I got to get some tips from my brother.

Speaker 1

I got to get some tips. Man.

Speaker 5

Let let me know.

Speaker 4

I'll run lines with you if that's what you need, Steve, we can do it. Got you, Hey, welcome to the Leno family.

Speaker 1

Baby, Then did you know?

Speaker 2

I mean, there are worse things to achieve in life, no doubt about that. I mean everybody has anybody been on law and order. So that's the way I arn is to start.

Speaker 1

Of something new. Appreciate you, bro, love you man, appreciate.

Speaker 5

It even always great seeing you're my friend.

Speaker 1

No doubt. All right, talk to you so fix.

Speaker 2

It's my man, Anthony, and it'son Always a pleasure talking to that brother. It seems like you learn something new every single day. But no matter what he's taught us via our conversation with one another in front of you all, I doubt that he's going to be able to teach us to the degree that the next guest is going to teach us. I don't know if I haven't thought about it, introducing or interviewing an ash or somebody that's going into space, you know, aerodynamics and all of this

other stuff. Davin, I don't even know what the hell it comes with the industry for crying a lot. But I'm about to learn because it's a sister that I'm about to talk to who is a star who's about to go up in space. Like literally, I'm not speaking metaphorically or figuratively. I'm talking about literally, she's about to go up in space.

Speaker 3

Okay.

Speaker 2

A marvelous, marvelous young sister who is doing big, big things and wants to come on this show to talk about it. Inspiring young ladies everywhere of all ethnicities. Her name is Aisha Bow. She's the real deal.

Speaker 1

I think I'm lying. Listen to her speak up next right here on Stephen E.

Speaker 2

Smithshew, My next guest is a former NASA Rocket science entrepreneur and global STEM advocate. Oh and did I mention she will make history as one of six women on Billionaire Jeff Bezos is eleventh Blue Origin and S thirty one space flight on April fourteenth, Please welcome the one and only Miss Ashabo.

Speaker 1

How are you? How's everything?

Speaker 2

I'm good, It's nice to finally meet you. First of all, I'm very very proud of you. Congratulations on all your success, and I'm especially proud because you're working in partnership with my alma mater, wister, Salem State University. Tell an audience about that, please, let's get let's got a touch on that first listen.

Speaker 6

We couldnt go to space without Winston Salem. When I embarked upon this mission, it was important for me to conduct science and to do it with a world class institution like Winston Salem. I long admire their astropotany lab from when I was at NASA, and I am privileged that the opportunity to genetically sequence plants in space with them.

Speaker 2

How do you feel about this? I mean they say this is the lady's time. I mean, with all the ladies going on this historic trip, who'll be joining? Tell an audience who will be joining you on this flight?

Speaker 7

Sure?

Speaker 6

I'm joined by Gil King, Katie Perry, Lauren Sanchez, Carrie, Anne Flynn, and Amanda.

Speaker 2

Win Now those ladies that elected to join you, what kind of advice have you given them? I'd like to know this, because you know, Gail is usually one that gives advice now takes it.

Speaker 1

I know she's a friend of mine and she's so bossy. I say that affectionately.

Speaker 2

What are the kind of things you told her about what she's about to embark upon?

Speaker 6

Pleasant planning and preparation, right, I look at this similar to athletics. It's important to visualize. It's important to prepare and to be in the moment. We're getting ready to go on a journey that almost everyone who has gone on it has come back forever changed. And for people around the world who are writing me, who are engaging with the mission and seeing a little bit of themselves in us, it's important that we show up, we meet the moment.

Speaker 2

Tell the folks out there about yourself in terms of who you are and how this all came to be. I mean, when we think about I mean, there's a lot of aspirations. People are very aspirational in this day and age, but you don't see too often somebody engaging in this kind of stuff where you're going up in space, girl, you're going above the earth, crying out loud.

Speaker 1

I mean, how did all of this come to be?

Speaker 7

I'm the person who never thought that I would be here.

Speaker 6

I started out as someone who wasn't high performing in high school. In fact, I went to my community sorry, I went to community college, and I didn't even apply to college. After asking my high school guidance.

Speaker 7

Counselor what she thought I could do, and she.

Speaker 6

Said, I think you'd better be better be off pursuing cosmetology, and you know.

Speaker 1

I hold on cosmetology.

Speaker 6

Yeah, and you know, I pause here because I'm looking at you and I'm looking at this, and this was all.

Speaker 7

It was all a dream.

Speaker 6

And I did not apply to college because I thought I wasn't.

Speaker 7

Smart enough to go.

Speaker 6

I did not have the dream of working at NASA because I I thought that I couldn't make it.

Speaker 7

And so when I went.

Speaker 6

To school, I said, you know what, Ayisha, you're in community college, but you have taken everything that someone else has told you about yourself to be true, and it is not. And so let's focus only on what it is that you want to do. And what I wanted to do was wake up every day and look at my face and be proud. I want to look in the mirror and say that my black was beautiful.

Speaker 7

And I wanted to live a life.

Speaker 6

That was a testimony. And so I said I'm going to become a rocket scientist.

Speaker 7

And people laughed.

Speaker 6

I mean they still laugh at me. Today's spoiler alert. I'm like, google me, I'll wait right, But they laughed because they didn't think that I could do it. And so I started my aerospace engineering degree with pre algebra in this community college.

Speaker 7

I went to Michigan Aerospace.

Speaker 6

I got a master's in Space systems engineering, and then I went to NASA and I said, I'm going to commit my life to telling people that being realistic is the most commonly travel path to mediocrity.

Speaker 1

I had the.

Speaker 2

Pleasure meeting your wonderful mama. She's standing right over there. I see where she gets here, I see where you get it from. Okay, let me just say that very very complimentary. I might add, but here's the deal. Wasn't it your dad that first mentioned to you or suggested that you might want to take this path?

Speaker 1

And if that is so, if that is so, what is it that he saw that you didn't see.

Speaker 2

At that particular moment in time that made him make that suggestion.

Speaker 6

Well, my dad, who's from the Bahamas, decided that when he heard what the guidance counselor said, he would go and give her a piece of his mind.

Speaker 7

He was told not to come back.

Speaker 2

So he did go and give her a piece of his mind, and they told him not to come back.

Speaker 7

Correct.

Speaker 6

Okay, Okay, say you know you cannot allow others to define you in life. And I want you to know that you were smarter than what they think you are, and you were better, and so he would challenge me at the dinner table. He would ask me to write, like you know, write down equations and things, and then he would tear them up and he would tell me that the only thing that someone can't take from you is the stuff that's in your mind. And he said, I assure you can do whatever it is that you

put your mind to, So go do the math. I will pay for it. You'll take the class again. And so I started over the classes I was taking in high school that I didn't do well in. I started over in community college because he told me that I.

Speaker 2

Could, and I'm thinking about it for along the way he had to see something is in terms of it's one thing to believe in you because he loves you daily and he believes that you have a level of intellect that they're underestimating. It's another thing important entirely to see a particular gift. You got to be gifted to do what you're doing right here, because so you're clearly a gifted young lady. I'm saying, did he see that expertise in math? Your interests elevated when it came to that subject.

Speaker 6

What was it, you know, I think he saw potential. Everyone needs someone who believes in them.

Speaker 1

You know.

Speaker 6

One of the things I loved about the Venus and Serena moving was that the father spoke power over them before they were champing bands. He was really deliberate about making sure that no one would tell them that they are going to be anything better than the best. And my dad, in that moment, told me the same thing. It wasn't because I had previously demonstrated it. It was because he saw potential, and I grew into my potential. Heck,

I'm still growing into it. I went from being at NASA to running two companies, to making education product to being on the show talking to you. I'm still learning how to do. But what I stand for is the dream. I stand for the idea that there is no dream too big and nothing too audacious.

Speaker 3

Was folks?

Speaker 2

Were folks derailing your dreams? Or was your actions derailing your dreams because you didn't believe you were as nearly as focused as you ultimately became, Which was the biggest impediment to you getting to where you are today?

Speaker 6

In your estimation, I think I was the biggest impediment because I had to learn how to think. I had to learn how to view myself as a computer that needed to be pushed new prog Essentially, I controlled the narrative in my mind, and so if I consistently reinforced how I think and how I respond to the things around me, then I can change reality to be what it is that.

Speaker 7

I wanted to be.

Speaker 1

How were you able to do that?

Speaker 2

When you use the word reinforcement, because I'm peeling apart some of the words that you're saying, and you talked about reinforce, well, that means it was there, but something inside of you was willing to put forth the due diligence, the level of tenacity, etc. That you were not willing to do in the past. Was the inspiration there because you wanted to make your daddy proud? Was the inspiration there because you wanted to debunk and ultimately dismiss what

the teacher who referred you to cosmatology recommended. I mean, when we think about the word reinforce, it emanates from somewhere, which was the motivation for you.

Speaker 7

I was tired of feeling bad. I wanted to feel good.

Speaker 6

When I woke up, I looked at my reflection and I didn't like what I saw, and when I really started to think of it, here was I had someone that loved me and thought I was so great, But I didn't think that way. I didn't feel that way, and I could not feel good without taking control of me. And so I said, I am strong enough to overcome whatever challenges are before me. And I do that every

single day, even to this day. I wake up and before I start everyone else's day, I start mine, and I have affirmations, I have meditation, I pray, and then.

Speaker 7

I get going.

Speaker 2

Does meditation really work? I've been that's been referred to me on many many occasions. I'm going like this, it's kind of impossible. That requires me to shut up and just sit there and empt in my mind. And I just think there's a lot of things in life I could pull off. I don't know if I could pull that off. Can you pull that off? How hard is it to learn how to meditate?

Speaker 7

Listen? I like to meditate, and when I meditated, like to do it in the Bahamas.

Speaker 1

Resident. You know I'm from Virginalais. Now my family's from same time as Virginalais.

Speaker 7

Listen, i'ma how about that?

Speaker 1

How about that.

Speaker 2

But I mean, I look at you now, and we all have to just stand down and marvel at the accomplishments that you've achieved to this degree. When I think about what you're doing moving forward, particularly with this mission, and how it's going to resonate not just in America but throughout the world as you go and you talk to young ladies throughout the country, because I know you do.

Speaker 1

What are the kind of things you say to them?

Speaker 7

I tell them that space is for all and not for some.

Speaker 6

I'm literally traveling with postcards that I've asked the students to write their dreams down on because my goal is to be a bedtime story. I want people to tell their children what it is that I did in the hopes of encouraging them to reach for the stars.

Speaker 2

But you're going to carry these postcards from the students, right, And I wanted to ask you what they're going to symbolize.

Speaker 1

But you're taking them up in space with you. Yes, what you're doing.

Speaker 7

You know, thanks to Lauren and Jeff, they're going back.

Speaker 6

To the very same students who wrote them, and so they'll be stamp flown in space and then they're going to bring space back down to Earth.

Speaker 2

Tell me about the significance of the American flos that you know you're going to take in the space.

Speaker 6

When I first started working at NASA, I met a woman named Nancy Conrad. She's the wife of Pete Conrad, the third man to walk on the Moon. She became a very powerful mentor to me. And Pete's story is similar to mine. He was rambunctious and he didn't necessarily fit in the traditional mold of school.

Speaker 7

In the beginning.

Speaker 6

Nancy saw that I wanted to go to space, and she mentored me along the way, and when the mission was confirmed, she said, Ayisha, I want to provide you with the symbol of the past, because you are the future.

And she asked the museum a flight in Seattle to go and get Pete's flag that he took to the Moon with him on Apollo twelve, and they sent it to me, and so I will have an opportunity to put that flag back in space, and then it will have been flown twice and his legacy and my legacy will be shared in the museum.

Speaker 1

How long are you going to be up there?

Speaker 6

Do you know long enough?

Speaker 2

Listen, that's vague, that's vague, I mean specific, you're gonna be in space.

Speaker 1

You know how long are you gonna be up there?

Speaker 6

In?

Speaker 1

Now?

Speaker 6

Yes, so the entire flight will be like maybe eleven minutes, right, and yes, and it's great because one that's enough to study how plans respond to microgravity. And two, my mom knows exactly when I'm coming home.

Speaker 1

Did you just finish saying that the eleven minutes is enough to study? Is that? Would you just say eleven minutes? That's all you.

Speaker 6

Need, that's all you Well, so when you're in microgravity, changes on the molecular level happen instantly, and so we're actually able to genetically sequence plants in that period of time. And this has implications for food security on Earth.

Speaker 1

We know, forgive this.

Speaker 2

Question, it's gonna sound a bit idiotic, maybe, but I gotta ask because you know, we hear politicians all the time talking about taking us into space, they exploring space, what have you. Ultimately, one day we're gonna live on malls and stuff like that.

Speaker 1

And I don't pay much. You're the reason I'm paying attention to it.

Speaker 6

Now.

Speaker 1

You shouldn't be honest with you.

Speaker 2

If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be paying attention to that, you understand, but you got me interested.

Speaker 1

Are we to take that and embrace that seriously?

Speaker 2

That that is an objective and an agenda for astronauts, and that's and everything in between as it pertains to this country, this world and things from an exploration perspective, they're really really plotting to do this.

Speaker 6

Well. We've been studying various elements of space travel for some time.

Speaker 7

We say we humanity massive and what we've.

Speaker 6

Realized is that space is a harsh environment, no surprise there. But what we learn in space has implications here on Earth. So if you can grow plants in space, you can grow them here in food deserts. You can help make sure that people get access to the next generation of antibiotics, and you can also make sure that they get Wi Fi.

Speaker 7

Wherever they are, gotcha.

Speaker 2

So you just utilizing that to bring it back to Earth to make sure we maximize our potential as a human race as opposed to telling us were trying to move the mall.

Speaker 6

That's what you tell them, exactly space for the benefit of Earth.

Speaker 1

That moves me.

Speaker 2

I feel a lot better about that now, a lot more knowledgeable about it.

Speaker 1

How does one prepare for a spaceflight.

Speaker 6

Well, if you're an adrenaline drunkie like me, you have a lot of fun while doing it.

Speaker 7

I just had the opportunity to.

Speaker 6

Fly in L thirty nine, which is a fighter jet, and I successfully completed some aileron rolls and some high speed maneuvers.

Speaker 7

And had a great time.

Speaker 6

But there is a commercial space flight regulation that kind of lays out preparation for space and so I've gone from flying an acrobatic aircraft to hypoxia training to these fighter jet and high G forces six gs.

Speaker 7

I love it.

Speaker 6

I absolutely love it, and so it's important to physically and mentally prepare.

Speaker 2

I give you kudos not just for your accomplishments, but because of your bravery, because they tried to get me up in the fire, the jets years ago, and I told them to go to hell. Don't even think about it, don't even think about coming my way with that nonsense.

Speaker 1

I'm comfortable on land. You understand. I'm not trying to do that. So you're brave than me.

Speaker 7

Just but I got the hook up.

Speaker 6

I know a Bahamia who's a fighter pilot.

Speaker 7

He owns the aircraft.

Speaker 1

Let's go No, Yes, I'm not that brave.

Speaker 7

You can do it.

Speaker 6

No, I can do it.

Speaker 7

You can do it too.

Speaker 2

I know I could do it, but because of me, I ain't gonna be scared as hell when I'm doing at a heart attack.

Speaker 1

You understand what I'm saying.

Speaker 6

Well, look, I think the fear is good.

Speaker 7

You feel the fear, you do it anyway.

Speaker 6

If people ask me, are you nervous, It's like, yes, I'm getting in a rocket and going up. But on the other side of fears everything I've ever wanted.

Speaker 1

Will this mission be carried lives? It will be, It will be.

Speaker 6

It will be broadcast on Blueorgin dot com Wow on April fourteenth. You can tune in, whether in a classroom or you.

Speaker 7

Were at home.

Speaker 2

I want to go to a couple of other things before you depart, and I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule onor to have you here. It means a lot to me that you hear, and it means a lot to me that everybody's gonna know

even more about your story. You found it stem Board, a startup specializing in engineering services for federal and private sector clients without any outside funding, and twenty twenty, it landed on the Ink magazine's five thousand list of the fastest growing privately owned US companies.

Speaker 1

How were you able to do that?

Speaker 6

Dollar and a very supportive dog. Really, I was telling people that, look, I'm going to found a company, and they didn't know any people who look like me with my background who had founded companies and were successful. And so I decided that if you tell me that I can't do it, I'm gonna do it. And over the last twelve years, we've been recognized for hiring veterans, we received a higher vets award from Department of Labor, We've had the opportunity to expand to five states, and we've

been on the INK list now twice. I couldn't, They said, I can't. I did?

Speaker 3

You?

Speaker 6

Did?

Speaker 1

You did?

Speaker 2

You're also doing great work begase kids to consider STEM careers through your ad tech company, LINGO.

Speaker 1

Talk to me about that for a second, and who do you hope to reach?

Speaker 6

Well, it sort of became this year one trick pony thing. Should I'm like, no, I feel like genius is evenly distributed. Opportunity, however, is not, and so how do I take what it is that I've learned and my resources and bring it to students all around the world, and that was through LINGO. Many students had never been taught anything by a black woman that was technical in middle school or high school or college, and so we decided to make self paced

coding kits. We started off by supporting inroads and it bloomed from there. We in the last two years have delivered these kids into the hands of ten thousand students, but we stay teaches us for freshman computer science. We've been bought in ten countries, and I'm delighted to say that we've launched two new space themed lessons so that we can take this mission and we can take the inspiration and we can deliver that into skills that people can use to be employable.

Speaker 7

In the future.

Speaker 2

My last question to you would be this, I know you care about humanity, the human race. I know that you have a special affection for young ladies out there in this world trying to make it happen for themselves. But I imagine as a marvelous black woman, it's very very touching considering the connections to HBCUs and beyond what your accomplishments have meant and will continue to me to young black ladies out there in the years to come.

Can you talk about that for a second and how that vibes with your mission and your aspirations and life as you move forward.

Speaker 7

Yeah.

Speaker 6

I had the opportunity when I was at NASA to speak to Michelle Nichols. And if you know Michelle, you know her from Star Trek, but she also well she was the person who recruited the first class of African American astronauts with NASA. She used her star power to go out there and find many people who you read about in history, and for me, it's the story. I want to know that when I'm gone, that I have left this place better than when I received. And for women, girls, people,

we don't just inspire Black people. We inspire all people, culture, everything around the world. And so for me to be here in this moment, I want to let people know while I would love it if you become a rocket scientist, what I want you to take from this is do not allow anybody to define.

Speaker 1

You Aisha Bo. The marvelous is Shabo.

Speaker 2

Good luck, continue to make all of us proud, because you're surely making me proud.

Speaker 1

Thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 2

My thanks to the one and only I should vote to all female Blue Origin NS thirty one.

Speaker 1

Space flight is scheduled for April fourteenth. Be sure to check it out.

Speaker 2

Thank you so much. She is an inspiration for sure. As the daddy of two beautiful little girls, I shouldn't call them little anymore, my god, the teenagers, but they make me proud. As Aisha I am sure has made her parents proud. She's special, make no mistake about it. She's going to inspire young ladies everywhere for years and years to come. Let's all keep an eye out for that girl, that young lady, and wish her nothing but the best, the all I support around her, because Lord.

Speaker 1

Knows she deserves it.

Speaker 2

Let me transition to another subject, back to the NCUBA tournament. It's almost over, but there's a lot of interesting storylines that took place during the nc doubaa tournament that still resonates to this day.

Speaker 1

And one of the people that that applies to is R. J.

Speaker 2

Lewis, junior star small forward for the Saint John's Red Storm.

Speaker 1

A lot of people thought they would be playing for the national championship tonight. It was not to be.

Speaker 2

Well, why did that happen? What mistakes were made? What they made by him, what they made by coach Rick Patino? Is that why he's departing from Saint John's? Is that why he decided he might go pro?

Speaker 1

He might even transfer to another school. I don't know, but we're about to find out.

Speaker 2

My next guest is a now former star for Saint John's University. He recently entered the Tree Transferred portal and a clip for the twenty twenty five NBA Draft. If he remains in college, the Big East Player of the Year is expected to make at least one point five million dollars in NIL earnings next season. So joining me now to discuss his future none other than the now former star officer Saint John's himself.

Speaker 1

R J. Luise Junior. What's going on, big time? How are you man? How's everything?

Speaker 3

What's going on? Good afternoon, Good afternoon.

Speaker 2

It's good to see. It's good to finally meet you. You got a lot of friends that are friends of mine. They've been telling me to meet you for quite some time. Congratulations on a great year that you've had. I have to admit and start off with this, I'm still pissed off.

Speaker 1

At Coach Patino.

Speaker 2

I did not like the fact that you were you were on the bench for the damn near last five minutes of that NCAA Tournament game against Arkansas. I want to know that, now that you've had time to reflect on it, how are you feeling about what transpired?

Speaker 1

And where's your head at right now?

Speaker 3

I mean, obviously, you know, during the game was kind of hurt, you know, just not being able to you know, be on my on the court, with my with my team for the last five minutes to you know, be able to win the game. But I mean, you know, coach Coach made a decision that he felt was best, and you know, I have to I have to respect that.

Speaker 2

My attitude, and I think the attitude of most sports fan is that you you use what brought you there. I mean, eighteen point two points game, forty four percent shooting. Throughout the twenty twenty five season, Big East Player of the Year, Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player consisted second Team All American All Right, and Saint John's won the Big East Outright in the regular season for the first time since nineteen eighty five of the Biggest Tournament for the first.

Speaker 1

Time since two thousand.

Speaker 2

Even though you were struggling that game, what was your attitude. Did you feel like, listen, I can I can get through this even though I'm struggling this afternoon. What were you thinking at the time.

Speaker 3

I mean, I definitely was a it was a it was an off day, it was a rough day. Probably wasn't my best game of the year, but I mean I just feel like, you know, there was still five minutes up in the game. I think anything could have happened. When I came out the game, I I shot the two free throws and I cut it down someone possession. So I mean I was thinking, hopefully, you know, I hit those two free throws, I was gonna be able to,

you know, calm down a little bit. But I mean, I think anything could have happened in the last five minutes of the game.

Speaker 2

You know, I wanted to ask you before I show you a quote. I want to know what your teammates said to you at that time when it was going on.

Speaker 1

What were they saying to you or what did they say to you? And the immediate aftermath of the game.

Speaker 3

It was kind of just letting, like everything else soak in, you know, just the season we had, you know, thirty one, thirty one, four thirty one and five since we lost that game. But everybody was just kind of just you know, kind of sad, trying to just you know, just take it in, and they didn't really understand what was going on.

You know, I myself was lost for worse. So it was kind of the first couple of minutes in the locker room was very silent, and then you know, then it hit us and you know, a couple of guys was crying. Some of the seniors was was very upset, you know, just because you know, we weren't able to you know, keep on dancing. But I mean, after that, you know, we just hugged it out. We'd even talk about as far as like individual performances. We just you know,

gave each other a hug. We congratulated each other on a great season. And it just suck to go out that way.

Speaker 2

Coach Rick Patino, when asked about it after the game, wouldn't elaborate on his decision making and why he had made that decision. People like myself and various other pundits, we were calling them out, like what the hell are you doing?

Speaker 1

That's not what you do but.

Speaker 2

Nevertheless, he decided to speak on this recently, within the last forty eight hours or so, and I wanted to see I wanted to show you this quote, and I wanted to get your reaction in real time.

Speaker 1

To what the coach had to say about his decision. Quote.

Speaker 2

It was the right move talking about benching you. It was the right move because of where he was mentally. He was forcing shots and it was affecting the rest of his game. Luis was not only getting down about his game. He wasn't playing the defense we needed. He wasn't playing the transition.

Speaker 1

Defense we needed.

Speaker 2

He wasn't blocking out all the missed shots, and the forced shots were.

Speaker 1

Affecting him him. He just recently gave those quotes the Vice TV. What is your reaction to what your coach said.

Speaker 3

I mean, I'm just hurt, you know. Obviously, like I said, it wasn't it wasn't my best performance. But I think it's a could have you know, could have did a better job, you know, picking my head up, and you know, you know, just just doing a better job, you know, coaching me up, like how he's done the whole year, and it just it just sucks to her, said you know, obviously the way I played and the way we went out in the tournament. Uh, you know, I'm I'm gonna

take that with me, uh, I mean forever. You know, that's my first time participating in March Madness. But I mean, definitely just just hurt. It's one of those you know, you can only control what you can control. And I mean, like I said, you know, Coase Bettino made a decision which he thought was best for the team, and I have to respect that.

Speaker 1

Is that why you're leaving Saint John's? Is there another reason?

Speaker 3

That's not the reason. I mean, I feel like this season I had, I felt like my stock won't be any higher than it is. And I mean, thanks to my coaches and my teammates, you know, they've been able to you know, put me in a position to you know, take the next step in my journey, and obviously that's to play in the NBA. So that's really really my decision is to you know, to go on and you know, start this draft process and to see what what God has in story for me for at the next level.

Speaker 2

I understand that the draft process is the draft process, but is it possible that you could potentially end up transferring to another college or are you all in on entering this NBA draft and that's what you anticipate you will do.

Speaker 3

I mean I'm all in, but I mean worst case scenario. Always got to have a backup plan. So obviously that's why I into the trans supporter. But I mean I'm fully focused and I'm fully focused on the on the drafts.

Speaker 2

What kind of game do you believe you bring to the table, not just for another college team potentially, but for an NBA team. Describe your game in what you believe you bring to the table.

Speaker 3

I'm a two way player, very versatile. I could guard multiple positions. I feel like I could defend at a high level. And I've I've improved that I could score the ball at all three levels. And I'm improving my jump shot, my three point shooting, which is very big in the NBA NBA game. So I mean, I mean as far as what I've done, like the last ten games, I think I've I've sat like fifty percent, uh not mentioning the last game, but I mean I think I

bring a lot. I have a lot of potential. Like you know my persona, my person you know my character, very hard working, very determined. I've earned everything that I've been given, and I mean I just keep on improving.

You know, I'm a late bloomer, like you'll say. You know, it was very under recruited coming out of high school, had to go to prep school, and you know, I just been working, uh, you know, for moments like these, for these opportunities, and you know, I'm just keep on putting the work in too, you know, better my craft and I would've for like you know, NBA teams go to get a great kid, a very humble kid, a very hard working kid, and a kid that wants to compete,

and you know, just went at the highest level.

Speaker 2

I'm talking to the Reign and Biggies Player of the Year in the consisting second team All Americans, So we know you can ball.

Speaker 1

When you think.

Speaker 2

About what you have to do, how far you've come, and how you've worked up to this point. Are you of the mindset that you know what you're definitely and definitively ready now and.

Speaker 1

It would be best for you to be in the NBA.

Speaker 2

Now or is there a possibility that you might decide it might be better for you to wait and go back to school for an additional year before going pro. What's the whole mindset that you're dealing with right now?

Speaker 3

Oh, mindset. I feel good. You know, I'm healthy first and foremost, you know, coming off a double shin surgery. So you know, I just give the glory to God, you know, for allowing me to you know, play the sport that I love so much. You know, just obviously just being healthy. That's really the main, the main thing

I took out of this whole year. And obviously you know, the performance I had visually as far as collectively with my team, I think we did something extraordinary, uh this season that Saint John's hasn't seen it, you know, over forty years. So it just feels great. And definitely I

feel like I'm ready. I feel like me going back to school would uh probably be like a burden, you know, just because you know, I've accomplished so much and as far as like accolades and you know, just winning, I feel like it just it would just be hard to you know, kind of replicate that and and uh and match that next year if I were to go back.

Speaker 2

To college, knowing that's still a possibility at the slight chance that you remain in college, What programs are you looking to transfer to or what kind of system do you think better best works for your for your skill set.

Speaker 3

I mean, like I said, uh, fully focused on the draft right now. There's definitely a uh every school in the country has been has been reaching out to to to my agency with Rock Nation, But I'm really not even paying on mindset that right now. You know, obviously, like I said, enter the transporter as a as a backup plan and just fully focus is on the on the draft right now, and if it comes to that, you know, we'll circle back and go back to that

because you know we left that opportunity open. But definitely just I on the prize, just the NBA right now.

Speaker 2

When you talk to NBA scouts, this is something I would know about. Even though your crew, you know, O g One and the rest of the crew looking out for you the way that they that I know they will because they know everybody. When you think about what you've accomplished in your life, not just your career. Knowing NBA personnel the way that I do, they ain't gonna just add they think they've got your game down pat they know what you can bring in what what potential

you may have, et cetera. But you the person when they sit down and they ask you about you and what you will bring to a locker room, what you will bring to a franchise an organization.

Speaker 1

What is it that you like all of these NBA teams to know about you.

Speaker 3

I mean, like I said, a humble kid, uh, you know, a hard worker, a competitor, and I'm just really just you know, just a uh I'm somebodey that knows how to deal with adversity, you know, being overlooked. I kind of have a chip on my shoulder. So really just you know, just going in there determined, and I mean just knowing that, you know, all the hard work that I put has has led me here. You know, I'm gonna keep on doing that, you know, I mean that's

really it. Just you know, bringing in the energy and U do doing the little things that you know that that they need me to do. And obviously you know as I hopefully as I get there, you know, I'll develop, develop my game and you know, just keep on improving as a player and as a person.

Speaker 2

Anyone in particular you modeled your game after, or you'd like to model your game after.

Speaker 3

Uh, nobody in particular, you know, obviously, you know there's there's people I look at, you know, that have the same same body type I like. I like Jason Tatum, I like Devin Booker. Uh, I like Shaane Gildis, Alexander you know, just those big guards that are you know, uh, not able to secure for themselves, but to create for others. And I think that's something that I wasn't able to to demonstrate a whole lot. I think I'm a way better playmaker, and you know what what I've done in college,

you know, just the floor space is very compact. It's a lot of guys in the in the gaps and stuff like that. So I think, you know, just playing in the NBA and is playing on a more spaced out, uh more space out system will allow me to, you know, uh, just showcase my playmaking abilities more.

Speaker 2

Talk about the experience for the NCAA tournament and what you believe is necessary in order to succeed well enough to win a national championship. Just going through what you've been.

Speaker 3

Through, I mean, I wish I could tell you. I mean I think I got a little taste of it. It's kind of hard to really tell you what really takes into that. You know, just because I haven't haven't been a part of that culture, but I mean hopefully I've been part of you know, building that that that little culture at Saint John's and you know, trying to get that program going. But I mean those are those are great programs, great coaches, and I mean it takes a lot, you know, as far as you know, the

trans supporter and stuff like that at it. You know, it's hard to build that type of chemistry. So you know, just just got to, you know, go go where you're able to to build as a as a person, as a player, and obviously, you know, you gotta play with a coaching staff that believes in you, and I mean obviously you gotta gotta put the work in. Nothing's given. And I think all those teams have earned the right to to play in the final four.

Speaker 2

I know you transferred from you Mass after one year to go to Saint John's the last two years, and obviously being at Saint John's did a lot.

Speaker 1

For you your career, your future, et cetera.

Speaker 2

To close out, is there anything you'd like to say to somebody like a Rick Patino before we depart.

Speaker 3

Uh to tell him now, I just tell him, thank you for the opportunity.

Speaker 6

Uh.

Speaker 3

You know, obviously without him, I wouldn't be able to play at Saint John's. And you know, obviously get a get a good education.

Speaker 6

Uh.

Speaker 3

I mean some people may not know, but I'm actually a four point zero student. Oh, I take I take, I take take academics pretty seriously as far as you know basketball, and I mean that's it. I just really just just thank him for the opportunity, just knowing you know, Uh, he took a chance on a care from Miami, and he believed in me to you know, to come into

the Big East and and to perform. And you know, he's he's allowed me to showcase my abilities at the high at the highest level of one of the best conferences in the country.

Speaker 1

You said you're a four point oh student. What's your majorment?

Speaker 3

Sports management?

Speaker 2

Okay, right, so I mean what are you trying to do? Be an agent, own your own agency. I mean, be a future president of basketball operations at GM.

Speaker 1

What's the ultimate goal down the line?

Speaker 3

I mean, if you sit here in my hoodie right here, me and my dad got our own own academy. Really just trying to you know, just help kids from third world countries and really just you know, expand that platform and try to introduce you know, not only basketball but multiple sports, and you know, just give them the opportunity

to come over here. And you know it's not all about you know, finding the next professional, but just give him a chance to you know, succeed in the future and give them a better, better lifestyle.

Speaker 2

You talked about people from you know, from third world countries, of the spots obviously any any particular areas you're talgeting.

Speaker 3

I mean mainly I got the flag right here, so we're just trying to represent the you know, the Dominican community as far as the Ecuadorian community, just big on the Latin community, and you know it's just been a that's also it's been a great blessing. You know, it's to play in New York, the mecca basketball where you know, Dominicans over back home they say, you know, they think

New York is a state of the United States. So I mean I think it's just great, you know to put on and just get all that recognition and love and you know this isld be a proud Hispanic kid. That's you know, put it on for those those third world countries, and it's just truly a blessing. And I'm just trying to, you know, just just embrace the journey and do the best that I can to get back.

Speaker 2

Keep doing your thing, man, Really really proud of You're proud of the year that you have. Man, no matter how it ended, you still had a great, great year. All the best of you in the future moving forward. I know you're gonna do big things. But man, our j Luis Junior, appreciate you, man, thank you so much.

Speaker 3

Appreciate, thank you. God bless all.

Speaker 2

Right, God bless Wish another but the best for that young brother. Hope he gets everything that he's worked for. We none of us ever want to be defined by one of our worst moments. Just remember that had a bad game, no doubt about that, But that doesn't define him as a player. Let's make sure we remember that as he marches forward and moves forward. A lot of

people believe in this kid average eighteen the game. There is a reason to do that, make no mistike about it, and we wish him nothing but the best.

Speaker 1

Our j Luise Junior.

Speaker 2

Hopefully that's not the last time we've heard from him. I suspect it won't be. That's it for this edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. I'll see you in a couple of days. I got more content to bring your way, even from vacation. I won't let you down, so stick around and make sure you catch me until Dan.

Speaker 1

Ladies and gentlemen, be some love.

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