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Hey everyone, thanks for joining us on another edition of This League Uncut. We are taping this on Thursday night, only one game tonight. Everybody out there focused on the NFL Draft, Not Stein, not Haynes. We're here talking hoops, also decompressing after an absolutely crazy Wednesday. Chris, I know you were on the sidelines for Warriors Kings, which, as amazing as that was. We can barely get to because later in the show we're gonna be joined by Grizzlies
legend Zach Randolph. He help us preview tonight's and I say tonight's because of course this will be dropping Friday, so z Bowl help us preview Game six of grizz Lakers. See if the Grizzlies can make good on Desmond Bain's prediction that this thing is going seven. Blakers better finish it off. I would not want to be going to Memphis for a Game seven if I'm them, But again, not much bandwidth in space to talk about Lakers, Gris or even Warriors Kings, or even the Knicks advancing and
the Calves being eliminated. We will get to all that eventually, but we got we got to start with with the Bucks losing that game five. I'm still trying to digest it. I've been trying to write all day, putting this in perspective with the printed word, because yes, we've seen number eight beat number ones before, but not like this, not you know, obviously jannas Attakumpo not being able to Basically he only played eleven minutes in the first three games.
That's certainly a factor, and probably a factor people aren't discussing enough. But to lose that game five at home, I mean, at the very least, after Jimmy Butler rumbles for fifty six, at the very least, you think Milwaukee's gonna win at home and take this thing back to Miami, and instead it was just I mean, it was just
a flat out I mean, choke job is polite. I mean, they had a sixteen point lead going to the fourth quarter, and just throughout the fourth quarter in overtime, they looked like a team that had never been there, and this is a team that won it all two years ago. I don't I mean, ch I don't know how you could have monitored it because your game was going on at the same time. I mean, that was the air. Thing was just crazy last night trying to keep track
of both of these games. So I'm sure when you came away from Warriors Kings, which was plenty heated and tight and wild itself, you just must have been show saw what happened to the Bucks?
Yeah, I couldn't. I couldn't keep up because, yeah, I was doing that game. But the last thing I saw, you know, Lakers Memphis. I saw the Lakers were close with Memphis. That's the last I saw. I saw the Bucks had a good lead on the Miami Heat. That was the last I saw. And I was monitoring a little bit of the Cleveland and New York series, which it just looked like from the start that the Knicks were going to take that.
So I wasn't.
Surprised with that, but I was surprised with the Lakers, and I was surprised with the more the Roucke Bucks folding like.
That, and that is brutal. You know.
I covered the Miami Heats that that play the play in that they had to beat the Chicago Bulls to get into the postseason, and so I was thinking, like, wow, that's that's surprise.
You get in, and.
You get in because no the Bulls, because no, excuse me, Miami Heat. They lost their first player, remember that, who do they play their first playing game?
Yeah, they lost to Atlanta. They had to come from behind to beat Chicago. From exactly, they did not look good in the playing round whatsoever. You looked very good in your all white suit, but the heat in the playing.
Game I didn't see. I didn't see this at all. So I'm like, okay, well, you did all that work to get into the playoffs. Good luck, got the Milwaukee Bucks first round number one seed, and then Jimmy just turns it up like that. Man, God, I don't know who could have imagine that. I surely didn't. And that is it definitely puts the Markeye Bucks in a bit of a conundrum this offseason as far as what do they do next?
Yeah, I mean, look, the first focus is going to be Mike Budenholzer. And there's so many things went wrong in Game five, and it's not just that I mean, again, this this team was championship or bust, and to own you win one game in the first round. Look, Mike Budenholzer was under huge pressure the year they won it all, and obviously winning the championship quieted that. But you know, now, you know, is this something, is this kind of exit
something he can recover from? And when you talk to people around the league, you know there's a lot of skepticism that there's any way back for him at this point. Now he still has two years left on his deal, sixteen million. Those are substantial figures. But you know, Milwaukee doesn't have flexibility to change the roster. I mean, they're going to be you know, they've got Chris Middleton as
a player option, Brook Lopez heading for free agency. With the new tax rules coming in, it's going to make team building very complicated. A coaching change might be the only really significant change that they can make. Everybody in the league's talking about this right now and wondering how drastic the changes are going to be. I mean, you obviously know Joannis quite well, and you had to, you know, pretty in depth interview him right at the end of
the regular season. We all saw him in his postgame interview and you could already see how hard he's taking this. But I guess I really don't want to ask you to jump into his head, but I guess I am kind of asking to jump into his head. Like, what do you see for Milwaukee's immediate future?
Man?
Yeah, so obviously coach Blutenholzer is going to get a lot of scrutiny, and he has and you have to yeah, I mean, I definitely think his role is going to be evaluated. The only question I have when it comes to that is who else is out there? Where's the upgrade?
So you can make the case that Nick Nurse is out there, Kenny Atkinson, well, Goden State Warriors, Like, is there another name out there that brings championship cachet, that brings instant credibility and someone who you can clearly say, yeah, that's an upgrade over Blotenholzer. Is that candidate out there? Then you look at does tylu become available? I don't
think so. I know we'll touch on the Clippers a little bit later, but I just don't know if there's you know, it's it's like the Portland trail Blazers, for one use of Nrkis gets a lot of crap thrown his way on social media's and the airwaves, you know, talking about his inconsistencies and a no valid you know, some of the things are valid, but still nurk as Is is a top what he's a top eight center in the league. So you take him out, like, where's the up great and how can you get that upgrade?
And so that's what I look at when I look at this situation with the Markey Bucks. Uh, it's tough, but definitely I think something has to be done. And oftentimes the coaches the first move to make.
Yeah, look, if we're talking championship coaches at this point, Nick Nurse is the only one who's you know, available and has that championship pedigree that that obviously jumps out.
But you know, by the same token, when you see that Toronto didn't get em Udoka and emy Udoka is going to Houston, and and so when you see the initial names of that Toronto is looking at, I mean they're they're pretty much all from the assistant ranks and it's the same thing that you know, Toronto felt like a new voice was needed after five years of Nick Nurse, and you know that will be the question in Milwaukee.
Is it just a matter of not necessarily that you know there's a coach with five, but is it just maybe time for a different voice and a different approach, because look, the Bucks won the championship in twenty twenty one, first title for that franchise in fifty years, and not a soul can take that away. But when they've lost in the playoffs over these last five years, it's been rough.
And this was the roughest of them all. I mean, the stat is astounding that in franchise history, with a double digit lead in the fourth quarter, in franchise history. The Bucks were seventy four and one in the playoffs and then they lose Game four in Game five, blowing a double digit lead in the fourth quarter, and Giannis
played both those games. Now, maybe he's compromised them, hut because of the back, but Yiannis was out there for the last two and for them to lose in that fashion, I mean, this series is rough anyway you look at it.
I know, Honest's phone is being ringing off the hook, whether that's calls or texts from players trying to see what you're gonna do.
What you're gonna do what you're thinking. I know that for sure. Just I'll just say that.
But does he even listen to that or you know, I I guess I was always under the impression that he tunes that stuff out.
Tunes it out.
Uh when you what do you mean listen? You mean listening like as he entertains it.
Yeah, yeah, I don't. I don't. I don't think he's reached that.
I don't think he's ever reached that point where he's entertained it, entertained it.
But hey, and he look, he's got a decision. You know, he's eligible for an extension in September. Is that something he wants to pursue or with I think two guaranteed years on left on his deal, would he rather just you know, play it out and see where the franchise is.
You know?
So he he's got decisions to make. But yeah, I mean that organization, it's going to be a lot of difficult choices and nothing is super easy. And I think we can say the same for the clips. You know, we're recording this on a Thursday for release Friday. Lawrence Frank did his season ending media today in clipper Land and it's the same thing. You know, they have no
easy way. They're so far into the tax already, and with the new CBA, you know, do the Clippers really have the option of trying to retool or do they just have to hope that they can finally keep Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the court and get something closer to a full season from them. Are they going to be able to keep Eric Gordon and Mason Plumley? Are they gonna be able to re sign Russell Westbrook with the constraints that are coming in because the tax
is going to be so much more punitive. You know, it's at you when you Lawrence Frank today, it sounds like he wants to bring everyone back. He said, they do want to re sign Russell Westbrook. He said he has no reason to believe that ty Lu wouldn't be back as coach. That they want to keep building around Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. But just like Giannis, Kawhi and PG, they're also both eligible for major extensions this summer.
And if you're the Clippers, you know, do you commit to those based on the injury history that those guys have?
And I think we talked about our last episode, like with that new arena into it, don that's going to be ready for the twenty twenty four twenty five season. I don't think you can do much that on that roster. That's going to jeopardize taking you out of contention to be a you know, to pursue a title. You know, let's say Kawhi and Paul George, both of those guys, like, I don't do they look at.
Trying to move one of those guys. I don't know, Yeah, I mean they can.
I have a hard time seeing it even if they really did look into.
Yeah, I do too, because I think even if you even if you make them available and try to move them, what kind of value are you gonna get given the injuries that these guys have been piling up. I mean, they're obviously a force when they're out there together, but they played in less than forty games together this season.
Tylu said, when Kawhi and Paul George plays in the series when they're healthy, they haven't lost. That speaks volumes on the tenure of those guys as Clippers. Thus far, they haven't lost, but yet they continue to lose. If that makes sense.
And look, even in this series, I mean even with just Kawhi in the first two games, I mean they had the Sons very concerned. And you know, the last two three months of the season, we were all saying it, this looks like Kawhi at his Toronto best. There are so many teams in this in this league right now that are kind of at this just facing major, major, major decisions. I mean, Minnesota out now, what are they
gonna do. Are they going to actually consider shopping Karl Anthony Towns because obviously Anthony Edwards is the build around piece now and I don't think they're gonna have much luck if they try to move Go Bear after the debut season he had in Minnesota. So what's Minnesota gonna do, What's Dallas gonna do, What's Portland gonna do? And that's that's just the West. You know, Golden State would fall
into that category if they lost early. But now as we record this, the Warriors have seized the three to two lead and have a chance to finish the Kings off at home. You know, Washington in the East, Toronto in the East. Milwaukee. Now with question, I mean, it's at least a third of the league that that has, you know, that is looking at just major, major decisions here in the offseason.
What did you think about the revelation Steyn of Kawhi Leonard torn meniscus.
Yeah, you know that that whole thing was just crazy. I mean, it's just very you know, he went from playing the first two games to to suddenly he's out, and you know it was only announced as a knee sprain and then it comes out right after was it right after the series or late in the series? That's yeah, it's it's it's a torn meniscus, they say. I guess the early projections are you know, Lawrence Frank was pretty adamant that Kawhi is going to be recovered by the
start of the season. But it's just how many times? How many times is something like this going to happen?
Yeah, Kawhi as told to me, he's still trying to figure out his plan of attack and how he's going to handle this. It sergely going to be required. Is this something you can just rehab on his own? So he's in the process of trying to figure that out right now.
All right, Well, let's spin it forward, because again, this is dropping on Friday morning. Tonight later tonight, huge Game six in LA.
We have a special guest.
Well, this is a rare treat arranged by mister Haynes this podcast. We're putting this out on the morning of Game six, a pivotal Game six, Grizzlies at Lakers, and to my great surprise, but a welcome surprise, Grizzlies Royalty is joining us. Now you know him as ze Bo. Zach Randolph is here making his debut on the This League Uncut podcast. Mister Randolph, how are you, sir?
I'm good, Mark? How you doing, Chris? How you doing? Man? Glad to be here?
All right, man, it's all love, bro love. We've been wanting to do this for a four minutes, so glad we got to it.
Well, let's just get right to it. Desmond Bain says, your Grizzlies are going to win this Game six and force it to a game seven. What do you see in the Zach Randolph crystal ball?
I agree with Desmond. I think they got their momentum going. You know, you got that win. You got these guys coming in playing confident and believe they can win. And once you got that in you you could believe you can win. You go into their home and you shock everybody, and that's how they go.
Zach, you can't.
You came up in the era man where well you didn't do too much talking. You had to talk when when it was necessary. But people knew not to not to you know, not to take it there. If they wanted to take it there, they knew there'd be some smoke. So but nowadays you got you got the Memphis Grizzlies, who you know, they've been bringing it.
They've been bringing it with their with their mouths, and they bring it.
They brought it with their game to a certain point, but it hasn't gotten to that level. So when you hear all the criticism about the Memphis Grizzlies and they're doing too much talking, they haven't accomplish anything enough to be dancing, talking, parading around like their Muhammad Ali or something like that.
With with the with the chatter, what do you see? I know you're close to it, but what do you see?
How do you assess how the Memphis Grizzlies conduct themselves.
I think they conduct theirself like any other young NBA team that's in the you know, just playing all these guys are young. To me, they all do it, you know, not the Grizzlies, you know, the Rockets, you know, all these young guys. That's what they do now. It's the generation. And I think I like it. You know what I'm saying. I like trash talking. I like them going back and forth it. You know what I'm saying. It's part of
the game. Make the game better, make the game fund as long as you keep the game fun and clean. But you know, I think they just like any other young team in the league that do do the same amount talking.
You know, you're playing days, who was the best trash talker or who was.
Someone that you felt like, Man, you're doing all this trash talking, but you ain't did nothing yet?
Was that what comes to mind when I say that? Man, that's a good question.
See, Like you know, I know KG used to talk a lot, but you know KG back it up though for sure, for sure, So you know he ain't want of them guys. But you know, you know, like our area a little different, man, we ain't really you know, guys didn't really do that too much, you know what I mean, Like I didn't. I never had to argue with no guy or you know, you know, me and Reggie Evans, we used to get into it, but you know we wouldn't.
You know, we was for real, you know, he was gonna fight. I was gonna fight.
So it was like, you know, we talking each other on the load, like you know it's gonna go down. But like it's just different now. I think a lot of guys just you know, they ain't fight. But I like it, you know, I like it. You know, I like word set, like how they go at each other now and you know they let it go a little bit.
So I like that that part of the game. Word set. But I ain't.
Ain't too many guys back then, really, you know, they talk talk stuff. You know, you like KG he talk a lot of crap, you know what I'm saying, But he bagged it up.
You know, you because got into a little bit. Yeah, that went viral.
Your team was so loved in Memphis. I mean John Hollinger, who used to work in the front office there, would I remember I you know, I stole this from him. He would call it Mount Grismore and you Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Tony Allen, like the four faces of that era. I know you still love this franchise obviously, but you know they there is a lot of criticism that they
need veteran guidance. Like, you know, if we could drop you in that locker room and like as the Eudonis Haslam, what would you be telling Jah or Dylan Brooks in general about the noise about the playoffs? Like what if you were in that role? How would you handle it?
Man?
I just tell me, young guys, you know, it's a different game. You know, let's be prepared, like you know they are prepared. It's gonna be ups and downs, and you know, everybody know our.
X and os. They know our X and o's, we know the xnos.
So it's gonna be about just so just you know, keeping them in the track because like you said, Mark every I think all these teams need a veteran guy on our team, you know what I mean, to keep it. You know, let these young guys know, you know what I mean, because they've been through the been through the ropes. We've been through the ropes, so we can help them and tell them, you know, hey, man, let's go just get ready or this, you know, try not to do
this or even off the court stuff. So you know, having that veteran guy around helps a lot.
I know you're certainly not there every day anymore, but I'm guessing you do make I know you do make an appearance or two in Memphis on occasion. So what what kind of interactions have you had with these guys and how open are they to veteran advice?
Many open, man.
The young guys are good, great man, great young guys the way Zachlan did. And you know, guys up there organization buildings, teams, great man, and the guys they listen, you know what I mean.
Young guys are.
Hungry, and you know they want to win and they believe they can win. Their confident but not only that, they're good guys and they always open to learning more.
And you know I talked to Lofton Junior.
You know, I talk the job all them guys, exaviers, spartant guys, and just tell them, man, keep working, man, the sky is the limit.
Zach I gotta touch on this because people don't know. City of Memphis ain't no joke, you know what I mean. It's shit going on every day in Memphis. Man, if you put yourself in the wrong circle of people, man, it can it can be costly. The city of Memphis love the Grizzlies, especially when the Grizzlies are relevant, especially when they got guys that they feel that represent them,
represent their culture you know over there in Memphis. So can you speak to just the the dynamic of you know, the streets in Memphis and the connection that has to the to the basketball you know some of you know, some of you stars and how careful do you have to be in combining all that together.
Can you just speak on that dynamic.
I mean I think, like you know, Memphis city is you know, like it's it's it's not you know Myphis got a bad name or like you said, it's just but you know, it's any city. And he's certain parts, you know, like any other city you be in the certain parts you be in. But like you said, with that, they you know, they are with the team, you know what I mean. And you got to like you said, have you know, find it, you know, the good parts and still be able to get back to the community like I did.
I gave back to the neighborhood.
But you know I still they respected me because I respected them, and you know, I didn't try to act as a certain way. I just you know, I come in there, I feed the hood, and you know, I go back and they come support the games. And you know, that's how it's supposed to be. I don't think you know,
no type of you know what level you on. The whole city is supposed to community to keep to come together with every NBA team and every city from poor people to the rich people to the to the end between, and bring everybody together.
And that's how I feel. You know, that's how the city of Memphis is. You know, yeah, they right, they ride and die with y'all for show.
It's just you know, I think a lot of player and to your point, it ain't it's not Memphis. There's it's it's cities all around. But I think Memphis because it's so small, and you know, a lot of times you guys, especially you know the grind City days, they resonate with you guys, and so there's there's a connection, and so.
You know, I think it's easy for a lot of few people. It's usually easy for.
Some players to kind of go down that path and start trying to associate themselves with the wrong people. You know, have you ever had you ain't got to mention names. But have you ever had to I don't know if that was something personally you had to deal with or if you ever had to advise other guys on how to navigate. Look, we hoopers, you know what I'm saying. Let's keep that first and foremost. Let's leave the streets ship to the to the streets. How how have you
had to handle that all the time. I tell these young guys all the time. You know, still like you said, leave it, lead that street ship to the street ship and knowing that because when you come like I come from that, I come from the poor neighborhood that I come from, mother and.
Welfare, single parent, shoot Kimsen and that's nothing. But so you stay away from that. And if you guys gonna respect you and that you know, they gonna respect you for being yourself, you know, And if you be yourself, that's what you're gonna get respect. Don't try to be some that you're not. And I never tried to be there.
And that's what I tell the young guys, you know, you know, man, keep the first thing I tell them, stay out of trouble, keep your nose clean, Gonna get your name and nothing because that's gonna mess your money up. So you want to keep your nose clean, and you don't want to you want to stay out the clubs because all that shit I've been through Christ So I can tell you, I can tell oft the junior.
I can tell them guys. You know what I'm saying. You know what I've been through.
Right, And they don't want to hear it from outsiders. No, But I'm guessing when it comes from you, it's different.
Yeah, it's different when you know it's come from guys, guys that they respect, and you know they respect me, so you know, and I just tell you know, I'm gonna keep it one hundred with the mark, and that's what I do.
When you first went there, how long did it take you to feel? I mean, like, now, you know we associate you with Memphis, But how long did that take where? You know?
Man? You know, it's so crazy. People don't know. My father's from Memphis. I met him when I was thirty two.
But you know, when I came into the league, me and Quintel, which Quintel came to the League my second year. He's from South Memphis, so me and him we connected asap.
That was my best friend.
So every summer, like I was in Memphis, he was in Indiana and we were together, you know, a summer league after that. So like I already been before I got trade to Memphis, already got an eight.
Nine year history in with Memphis. So it was all love.
When I was coming here, I was like, wow, you know, I already got family here, my daddy from here.
It was like, you know, it's what God wanted, ze Bo.
When you think about the era of social media, and again we talk about, you know, you being so valuable not just to the Memphis Grizzly organization but just people in general because you've had your We all have our past. We all have our past, we struggled. I mean, you guys are growing up with millions of dollars at a
young age. You're growing up with that. So everything that you're learning, everything you're going through, you're going through in the public eye, right and so but I don't think you didn't have social media earlier.
On Thank God Ship God Ship see.
Man can case like when you look at the social media landscape now and how everything is just plastic plastered out there, like what what what.
I would imagine?
That's uh you can kind of feel for the athletes and the players in that regard, you know, having to grow up in front of us and have social media right there to kind of just plaster everything out there.
You know.
It's so funny. Me and my homeboy, my cousin was talking about the the other day. Boy, if it was social media back then, man, you know, you don't know where you beat today, because man, you know, like you said, we all guys young, we all been through it, like you said, coming in millions of dollars young at the young age, you know, come from poverty, not knowing money, no money, literacy or none of that. So just you know, coming in like that, man, a lot of guys could
have been in some ship. Man that social media would have been you know, been back around gluing myself because you know, everything you do now you got it.
You gotta live like you you.
Know, you always got a camera on you and it ain't just a camera, but it's a camera to the whole wide world.
And that's the difference, you know what I mean.
You all you gotta lens everybody you know on Snapchat, on Facebook or live.
You know, it's so it's always the internet.
Yeah, It's one thing like even if even if one of your incidents you know, is in the press, is in print, it's in print, it's a whole. It taken to a whole other level with it's on video and then seeing you right, it's a whole.
It's a difference, right, or even when you're talking on the radio about it or on the TV, it's the difference that you got that video.
You're like, oh, Man, what's it like for you to go to games now? As a fan? I love go to it to go watch the Grizzlies. What is that like for you?
Man?
I love it, Mark, I love it. I love them guys men out there, the fans, the city. It's still like it's still like I'm playing. You know, when I go to Memphis, I still get to love man, and that's my city and that's home for me. Always going to have a special heart, special place in my heart for Memphis. But just going there, man, making me feel great, seeing what we a foundation we laid down. You know they GrITT and grind. I'm young guys taking that and
still out there grinding it. You know that's how we was. You know, we were out there we're grinding we were tough and that's the identity they taken and man feels good to see that and that the fans still you know, no.
No to grint and grind. No, you know what we went through in and to where we're at now.
Do you see this team as an extension of that or should we describe them with different terms than GrITT and grind?
Yeah, we gotta describe them a little bit, Mark. I mean, you know, Jay is is different, man, you know what I mean? Just with him and you know jaaring down there. You know, I don't know they they're they're I don't know, Flash Gordon or something. I gotta seek this man, Ay, you know say special so you.
Can't, don't. You know? They are grid and grind.
They always keep that identity and keep that in their heart because that's how you you got to have it hard to win. But like you know, they create their own idea.
You know, mhm Zebo. You're definitely known as uh one of the heart, you heart.
And soul figures of that Memphis Grizzlies ten year squad, Grit and grind. But you spent your first six years in Portland and those those are you know coming up you know, young into the uh into the league. If you're talking, if you're talking, if you're being candid with I guess a youngster, UH that's coming into the league yourself, and a youngster asked you, z Bo, what's one thing you regret in your first three or four years in the league. How would you handle something differently? What would
you what would you reveal to them? How would you and what would you tell them?
I say, be patient, stay in the gym like I did. You know I stayed in the gym at a young age. And being patient, you know, keeping your circle small, not going out all the time, not being in clubs, not being seen, you know every now and then it's okay, you know, but you know, keeping a low profile, you know, you know things like that, you know that nature or like keeping herself out of trouble, keeping themself you know off the scene.
You mentioned patience.
You stepped into a Let me see Portland they were pretty competitive.
Who was the vests you had your first couple of years?
My vests damn missed out of my you know, or viatas sabone is for she Bunzie Wells, Steve Kerr, Chris Duley, guys, like that.
Yeah, they were making these real vets, real vets.
So when you talk about patience, I'm sick of just basketball court right now.
We talking about patients.
Like that's kind of tough when that that team is they're prepared to win it all. Like how how difficult is that for a young guy, you know coming into the league.
That's that's real difficult, you know, coming in the league. And you know back then, you you know, guys can sit on the bench. We should sit on the floor. So sitting on that damn floor, my ass.
Hurt every day. Hold on you, you're the first round picks on the floor, man, every game.
But now it's just like you said, just having just going through that, just and still learning and still having patience, but always you know, wanting to be out there, but.
Still put your work in and whenever your number called, stay ready.
Like when coach called me when my chance came in, when she got spind it or whatever for the playoffs, I got the chance, I stayed ready, and I was patient, always worked it. You know, I was a student of the game. I listened, you know, to all my vests, to all my coaches. Well my time was called, I was ready.
Yeah, So obviously we asked you about job what you would kind of how you would kind of advise him and talk to him. Dylan Brooks is certainly not keeping a low profile. I mean, he's been under scrutiny this whole postseason. You know, he's you know, issued these challenges to Lebron James, which may or may not have been a smart idea. I mean, what what what like? What do you how do you evaluate his approach to these playoffs?
I like it. I like the fire, you know, I like the fire.
But you know, as long as you stand up, and you stand up and be a man of your word, and you stand you know, taking how it come, win, loser, draw, and still be the man and still hold your head up and just that that's okay, you know.
And you know he I like him. I like him. I like him.
He tough, he's not, you know because a lot of these you know guys were like, you know all you know now and play nice guy.
You know, it's your turn. It's your turn. You know.
It ain't like how it used to be. So I think with that, you know, it makes a game funner.
I hear what you're saying, Z boy. I gotta come back at you on that. Okay, I hear, I hear what you're saying, right, So I love it. First of all, I love try to talking. Terrell Lewens was my favorite player in the NFL when he when he was playing because he I remember, man, you know, if you if you had a problem with him dancing an in his zone, stop him.
I had no I remember when he did it.
And when he's playing the Baltimore Ravens, he would he scored a touchdown on the Ravens and did the ray Lewis dance in the end zone. I'm like, damn, he did this right for the ray Lewis. Love it, love it.
So my thing is so Dylan, you go challenge bron Fuck. I love it.
But you know Dylan walked out after the game, didn't talk to the media.
Stand up. That's the stand up.
Got stand up.
What I'm talking about it.
Man, when lose your drug, you still gotta hold your chest high and you're cheering up and take it.
Yeah.
Instead, I stood on it. We're gonna come back, bounce back, you know, That's what I'm talking about.
Manning up. You got a man up all the way through all the way through for sure. That's what I'm saying.
I have no problem to try atop a stand up,
do your job, you know, dress the media. He deleted, not deleted social media, but like wipe this social media clean and stuff like that, like not, And I don't, cause social media is a different but like, I think the effects of social media has a has had an impact on mental health, and so I don't, like, I don't slight people for how they handle that, but uh, you know they're Dylan said, you know, the villain role was kind of placed on him by the media and all that.
Like, come on, you know, we can't. I can't roll with you right there. Like I feel in everything you're.
Doing, Like I have no problem you bring in the smoke, I have no problem with that, But you got to stand on it. That's that's the only thing that's got a stand on it. That's the only thing my bas time. Go ahead, bad, I'm going on an old man, rent.
No, it's all good. I really wanted to ask you, you know, two years ago it was the one year anniversary of Kobe's passing, and you collaborated with me for a piece I did on your daughter, and I was really honored that you guys, both you and and McKinley were willing to talk to me about that because I just can't even imagine, you know, being thirteen fourteen and losing someone in your life, the role that Kobe had
coaching these young girls. So just, you know, give give us an update from everything I hear McKinley is just crushing it and playing fantastic. Just how she doing. Kind of give us, give us the scouting report on where her game is right now and how much z BO is in her game right now.
Man, McKinley, she's doing great.
Man.
They number one team in the country.
They didn't win the state they got beat they won the year before, but they end it would still be in the number one team in the country.
She's been working hard, man, I'm proud of her. She's a workaholic, you know.
Not only that she gets straight as she made the Dean List, so like she on and off the court, off the course, she's a tremendous young lady.
Man.
It respects everybody and very humble and yes ma'am.
No sir, you know, tired her like that. So I'm proud of her. Man.
As far as the on the court. She's she loved working man and she wanted to be the best, and she put her time in. She just got done working out. I just talked to her before this interview. She was working out her my other daughter. I got another thirteen year old daughter at place too, so they were working out together. So but yeah, I'm proud of Kelly Man, I really am.
That's dope.
Are they both righty's or is there another lefty in the family?
Kelly righty Messiah, she's alrighty. My son he's lefty, he's he can do both hands. My nine year old, so their little brother.
So that's dope. Ze Bo.
I wanted to ask, you know, looking at your numbers. You know, usually when a player of your calibers the league, you start to look at their numbers throughout the career last three years and you start to see a decline in numbers. There really wasn't a decline for you. I mean your last year with the Kings, you average around fourteen to fifteen the game. And so I want to ask, how was how was exit the league at that point when obviously you still could play, Like, how how was it?
How was it for you? That's a good question.
Man, see, well, you know, you know around that time, you know, I see, the league was going a lot younger, and you know, I had stuff, you know, with set up in business. I didn't really want to stop playing, but I didn't want to be one of them guys that you know, go to a team and don't play and they gonna say, okay, Zebo, just let the young guys play, because I know I could still play and bring something to the team. So, you know, I just made a decision man that you know, I was thirty eight,
you know, I probably it was maybe thirty seven. So so I was like still at that age, like you know, returning seventeen, and so I was like, you know, I could play a couple of years, maybe get bounced around here or there, you know what I mean. But I just decided to go in and go into with the business, you know, focus on the music industry and you know, the real estate and my business and been well. And I have a lot of time when my kids can go to their game.
So man, I was glad I did what I did.
So it wasn't it wasn't a hard transition for you, you know, sir, Okay, your last season you spent with the Sacramento Kings.
What do you think about what they've done? And yeah, I mean they were they were looking good for a minute and serious against the Golden State Wars.
They were up two. Oh they lost the last three. Now, but what do you think of their story?
Man? Sacramento is a great organization, tremendous man.
But uh, you know revect the owner man, and you know Mike Brown and coach what they're building there with you know, the All Stars and d Fox and some bonus. So I think what they're doing is great, you know, like you said there, you know it's gonna be one of them teams to be reckoned with for a long long time out there, the West Man in the NBA, you know. So it's gonna be the futures great for them.
Last thing and we'll let you get out of here. Miami just knocked off Milwaukee as an eighth seed over a number one seed. I can't forget that you were part of one of those. That's there's only been six in NBA history, number eight over number one. There's only been four in the Best of seven era. But you guys were so crazy. If I remember this right, and you could tell me if I have it wrong, but I think I have it right. The Grizz were tanking their way. They wanted to play San Antonio in the
first round for some crazy reason. But it actually worked. It was actually the right call. And you guys, you guys knocked them out. What do you remember about that run?
That is true, Mark, because I think like we had during the season or are playing against the Spurs. We had the overall record. We thought we matched up with him pretty good, man, And yeah, so we were trying to get to the Spurs.
That is true, man. It was a great, great you.
Know, part of my career I will forget always think about just beating them and then playoff feeling it, you know, just seeing what it's all about.
Man, there's nothing like playoff basketball, Zach.
Before you get out of here, man, I gotta ask you this because this just came across my desk, probably a day last day or so. You really paid Jamar Carroll ten thousand dollars for some Air Force ones?
Hell? No, Oh, did you see did you see him? Did you see him say that? Uh? Uh? Did you call? Hell? No, Damar Carroll? No hold on man, hold on ten thousand? Hold he's gonna give you some shit.
Hold on hold when I realized that, Hey man, I'm in the NBA. These guys got money. My big vet Zach Randolph the best guy. There is no fake about him. So one day I come.
In and he was like, hey, little brother, little bro, come here. And I was like, what's up? What's up?
Bro?
I need you go get me some white, some white ones. I was like, what your white was? And he pulled out a lot of money. It was like some eight.
Thousand he handed to me. I said, I said, what you need on the one? Yeah, I just need one you bring I said, what's all this?
I don't need all this?
Whatever the rest will figure out. I'm like, you know, I'm gonna be smart. He might be testing me. Let me see. I'm grabbed by eight or ten. I brought him back to Change, I think Change probably about six thousand probably, and I was like, here you go, bro.
He was like, nah, you keep that. He grabbed, pulled out another folk down. He was like, make that team. He go, there you go.
I said, what in the world where am I?
That's cap brush cap maybe a few maybe a few hundred or something.
That's a good story, though, it was a long topicgo man, that is memories of them. Yeah, ten thousand and Nike sitting the Air Force one. I haven't I haven't been. It was a long topical, man, that mays a memory.
You membery get bad after a while, man.
Age murray, good guy, that's my that's my young boy.
Yeah, go ahead style we close it out. Story.
Well, look, it's been great to visit with you and tell some old tales. But you really think the Grids are going to win this game six in l A and take this thing back home for a game seven.
I'd be in the building tomorrow. That's right.
Bring them good, bring that good, or to the building tomorrow the Grizzlies.
Man, you'll get a good seat while they get you on the floor.
I want to be on the floor, man, I got a card, pair of man.
See that.
You put me on the floor, we'll be we'll be looking for you. Thanks the mill for joining us. Man, always great to catch up.
Appreciate appreciate you, and that'll do it for us.
See you next time. This League on Cuttage and iHeartRadio Production.
Chris Haines and Mark Steinh
