Richard Jefferson Discusses Life On and Off the Court

from the King of Sports Books bet MGM. Now on this episode, it's time to talk coops and we've got an NBA legend on the show. Richard Jefferson will be joining us to talk about his amazing NBA career and life on and off the court. But right now, let's talk about the current NBA landscape and the playoffs. Olivia, what are the big storylines at the moment? Yeah, and Speedy, I can't wait to have Richard Jefferson on to tell us his thoughts as well. No one knows all these players,

all these teams in the landscape better than him. He played seventeen years. He's going to be a fantastic guest. But it's so weird right now with the regular season over, there are twenty NBA teams buying for a title. It's the first year of this play in system started Tuesday night, and four teams from each conference are competing to secure the final two spots. And there are conference so two teams will survive seven, Plane eight, nine Plane ten in

team seven and eight. Whoever wins locks up that seventh seed and it is safe. But the loser gets to play the winner of nine verse ten. So the nine ten teams have to win two straight games to get in. It's kind of confusing. I think it took everyone a second to get used to the vernacular and looking at it differently. But it share has provided a great end

to the regular season. It definitely did. And and I'm one of those people who it took an extra second to get a just oh me too, me too, you know, I need you know, it's the first time I've been watching hoops my whole life, and this is the first time, you know, we're seeing something like this. But talked to us about the Eastern Conference specifically what teams are locked in right now? So again, six teams are locked in. I'll walk you through the matchups, but the top two

teams don't know their matchup yet. Obviously they'll play the winner of the play in. So the seventies sixers in the East, they clinched the conference. Such an exciting turnaround. They have a new president, a new coach, to new starters and Joel em bead is having the best season

of his career. They've been sitting pretty comfortable at the top most of this season, and they're really a heavy favorite to make the Eastern Conference Finals behind their great defense, especially and then in the number two spots, Speedy, it's your team, the Brooklyn Nets you talked about of all season. You love them. They've won five straight to finish the regular season, so they're the hottest team right now in

the conference. They obviously made all those big additions to their roster, and we've documented that at the trade deadline. You know, overall, they've struggled to stay healthy. Harden and kd with hamstring injuries, Kyrie Irving with some personal reasons, and small injuries, so that big three that we've been so intossipating, they need to stay healthy. They've only played eight games together, so when they're together, they're one of the most potent offenses in the league. So that's exciting

to watch their health. Number three Milwaukee Bucks. Now we start knowing who they're playing. So three Milwaukee Bucks take on six Miami Heat. The Bucks clinched the Central Division and they upgraded from Eric Bledsoe to Drew Holiday that was a big trade. They added p J. Tucker as well for some versatility, and of course their headlined by

the name everyone loves to say. Janis at Takumpo, the reigning m v P, and everyone's just looking at the Bucks with the side I because their last two playoffs they've really disappointed. They've had an inability to adjust with Mike Budenholzer, so everyone's kind of seen if they can pull off what they haven't been able to with a

great roster. I mentioned they're playing the heat. They've had a ton of injuries and COVID issues and inconsistency across the board, and they have tough matchups across the board. With Milwaukee, they're much better defensively with Jimmy Butler in the lineup. So I think really that it will be a great series. The next matchup the Knicks first the Hawks.

This would be a great story for the Knicks if they can advance after all the drama, all the coaching changes, the consistent lack of success in general the last couple of years. But now they've got Julius Randall who was on an absolute tear earning his first All Star appearance, and now he's playing in his first postseason. You know, I didn't even realize that when I read that speedy, I couldn't believe Julius Randall is just now playing in

his first postseason. But in general him and his teammates, there's not much playoff experience on that Knick's roster. As for the Hawks, you know, Clint Capella will have his hands full with Julius Randall in that first round. And the Hawks have kind of been up and down. It's almost like they've had two seasons. They fired their coach mid season and then they went twenty seven and eleven under Nate McMillan. Their in room and they climbed their way up the standing. So here they sit now at

number five. And as I mentioned, the play in start on Tuesday, so it's Boston versus Washington. That winner is safe. The loser plays the winner of Indiana Charlotte, so it's gonna be good in the East. Olivia, honestly, I'm excited that you are so liberal when describing the knicks lack of success As the last couple of years, it's being quite a few, but let's just roll with a couple that makes me feel better. About. Yeah, I'm trying to be nice. I know you love them too. Yeah, yeah,

you listen, You're making me feel a lot better. But you know, let's shift over to the Western Conference. What do we need to know about these top six teams that are already locked Well, like is the case so many years, the West truly earns the nickname the Wild Wild West. I have no idea what to expect out of this side of the NBA. It all is around Utah though they have the best record in the NBA. They're sitting at number one in the West, and they've

been so consistently good. They have put together win streaks of eleven games, two different streaks of nine games, and what I love is they've won thirty nine games by double digits. That is absolutely insane. It's mostly revolving around All star center Rudy Bear. He's been absolutely incredible for them. They're fun to watch those speed either big three point shooting team. They're high flying, they're fast. But we're not sure when Donovan Mitchell's returning. He sprained his right ankle.

He is out for the foreseeable future, so that is going to be a huge for them. Um One thing though, with Utah, you need to know they have one of the highest attendance rates in the country right now in terms of COVID and what's allowed. They're allowing seventy percent capacity. I think that's going to be as big a factor as anything in these playoffs and what games they're able to host. It definitely can. The number two team in

the West are the Phoenix Suns. They won their division behind Chris Paul, first playoff birth for the Suns in eleven years. They've been pretty healthy to ill season. Devin Booker DeAndre Ayton bridges they could meet the Lakers in the first round, which would be really tough. I think all the West kind of goes as the Lakers go, so that'll be so interesting. So now we start getting into matchups. So first we know Denver is playing Portland.

The last time the teams met in the playoffs, it was just nineteen It went to seven games, including a four overtime Game three, So this is going to be a heated rivalry, almost for the fan base more than anyone. The Blazers ended up winning that one, but Denver's just on a tear right now. Nicola Yokich is playing great he's a favorite from VP right now. But a big injury for the Nuggets is Jamal Murray. He is out indefinitely,

so that's going to be a good storyline. As for Portland's they've just been all over the place this season. They've gone months without Yusuf Nurkic and friend of the podcast c J McCullum. But of course, as always, Dame Lillard has put the team on his back and he'll be going against Aaron Gordon. They'll match up in round one, so this is gonna be really good. But the Blazers round out that locked in Group six. In the West,

the next matchup is Clippers versus Dallas. The Clippers fell in the second round in last year's Bubble and they've had a chip on their shoulder ever since. That has been their theme. You know what's interesting those speedy about this matchup is that they us to Dallas earlier this season by fifty one points, and their meetings have really gotten chippy, especially with Marcus Morris and Luca don Chech. So to me, the most unpredictable series, at least in

the West is this Clippers Dallas series. It's going to be really good and of course Wednesday Night Lakers Warriors, that game is going to be huge. By the time this airs Thursday, we will know the winner of that. But the Lakers are such a major storyline in the West this season. This new format was going to leave some teams out of that safe six and that's exactly

what Lebron James was worried about. He missed time with an injury, a d suffered a calf and achilles strain and his right legs of both have missed time with injury, and they fell to that number seven spot. So if their full strength, that is going to be huge on deciding who's going to be a first round early exit. Well, thank you for that, Olivia. Let me just get your quick opinion. Who well win it all when it's all said and done, Lock it in? Who's Olivia's Lions? Lock?

Who do you? Who do you think? I gotta say I really like Utah. I feel like the way they play is the way the NBA operates right now. And we're going to talk later with Richard Jefferson about this of you know, defense wins championships, sure, but how do you keep up with their scoring? I think they're too big of a threat. I think they've been too consistently good all season that they're not going to let their foot off the pedal. So I really like Utah. You

already know who I'm rocking it. I know, all right. Well, with that, let us please welcome in NBA veteran Richard Jefferson.

Richard Jefferson joins us now. He's a seventeen year NBA vet. He's an NBA champion in a current analyst for ESPN, YES Network and Pact twelve Network. You've also seen him on YouTube and in the podcast Space. Man. What a busy guy. Thanks for many good time to guys. Richard. Honestly, thank you guys for having me. Man, I'm so excited to chop it up and you know, talk a little hoop, talk a little life. Yeah, yeah, this is great. Let's

get into it. I had to refresh myself on your transition from Arizona to the league, and I didn't realize that it was back to back to back. You play in a national championship two thousand one and then go to back to back finals. That doesn't happen to anyone. Can you describe what that three year trajectory was like? Well, let me say it might have happened to people, but at least most of the people win. One of them. I went a nice little over out the gates. Yeah clean,

you know what it was. And it's like, you don't. We're still in a very pivotal time in your life. When you're two, you're still kind of learning things. And I think that really kind of set me up from a person that like the only thing I cared about was winning. It wasn't like money and accolades and all those things are like exciting and like those are a part of the journey, but at the forefront, like I go from so part of the Arizona go back half

a step. Arizona wins a national championship in nine seven. I'm a recruit in so like part of the reason why I go to Arizona is like I just want to win a national championship. If this is what it's about, and I can do it here, this is my goal. Fast forward, were losing the national Championship game, but ultimately, like you came very very close to accomplishing a once in a lifetime goal. And then I fast forward. I go to a couple of NBA finals and now it's

like my brain it's at that point is triggered. Only that that matters is winning, Like I don't care about anything else winning. So no, it was. It was great and I got to, you know, I got to later on in my career kind of use those experiences and that definitely helped me later in my career. Let me ask you this, dude, Duke fans still heckle you, like

if you're in the airport or something. I wouldn't say heckle me because I you know, I've at an age now we're like only like an older generation understands that and remember that, and like grown older men aren't coming up to me and like hackling me. But I will say this. I will say this. I don't take pictures with anybody wearing Duke paraphernalia, like a guy I can be wearing a Duke cat, like hell, who you ever?

So I'd a big fan love the nets, like oh that's cool, we can have a picture, but like, not with a Duke cat. I make kids take off sweatshirts or jersey anything. I will not take a picture with anybody and they don't even know. A twenty two year old kid can walk up to me like, I'm a huge fan. He's wearing a Duke jersey, has no idea. I M like, dude, I don't like Duke. I don't need to get into why I don't, but I just don't like Dukes. So if you want a picture, you've

got to take off the jersey. So that's kind of fun to watch people like disrobe their Duke paraphernalia and like eliminate that just so they can get a picture, which I don't know why they never do that. Have you ever had the person who took the low road and was like, man, I'm not taking this off so it's a picture with Duke or nothing. I feel like we used to do it at my basketball camp. We used to do it like kids with a stuff. So I think I would. I think that's actually, in my opinion,

that's kind of the high road, right. It's like you're making somebody make a decision. Is it more important to you to wrap Duke or is it more important to you to get the picture. And if you tell me, like, dude, I'm a lifelong Dukie, like I love you and I would love a picture, but I'm not going to like take off something of my favorite team to get a picture with you. I would respect that you respect that. Yeah, because I've had kids, they're like, no, I'm not taking

it off. It's like, dude, that's fine, I respect it, but I'm not taking a picture with you in it. And like, you can call me a bad guy. I don't like. It's all. It's all in good fun. But that's kind of the way it goes. The only reason I asked is because my husband also lost a duke in the National Championship. And understand ever we go duke fans and this more recent, but oh, they're the worst. They are. They are the worst. And like I say

this knowing that you know the history. It's like, I don't really give a damn about Wisconsin after what they did to my Arizona Wildcats two different times stopping us. We're going to the final four. Haven't been to the Final four since that, oh one year, but we have like four elite eights. So look, I don't have the same like hatred towards Wisconsin as I do du but I'm glad that me and him can at least, you know,

relate on our mutual hatred of dude. But that love for your college team, though I find most athletes it seems like it gets stronger almost the further removed you are. And you've given so much money to the program. I think you're the highest owner of former athletes in Arizona history, if I'm not mistaken. Why does that matter so much to you? I think it's it's just why does it matter so much? One, Because once you get to the

other league, you start to see their fraternities even closer. Right, So once you make it, and then it's just like you see the like for me again, I'm older, but you would see the Sean Elliott's to Steve Kerrs like coming up to me, it's like, hey, man, congratulations, how's

it going, And hey, here's this guy. You know, there's such a like oh wow, these guys are like looking out for me, Like, yeah, they would look out for you when in college, but when you're on the same court with them and they would kind of say some things to you. Even Steve Kerr, who's a great broadcaster, Seawan Elliott. When I got into broadcasting, these are the same guys giving me advice. So you look at like your connection to certain schools can be a lifelong like hey,

they help recruit me. Then when I got to the league and they were gone, they encourage Meanwhile I was there. Then I get into you know, the NBA, and they're encouraging me. Then I'm playing and they're retired doing basketball?

Are there retired? Whether it's coaching. You look at Steve Kerr brought in Luke Walton as one of his top assistance, which helped Luke Walton get the Laker job in the Sacramento CA job, And so you see how there is an unspoken like respect, like, hey, you come from the same thing, we committed, We did all these things, so if I can help you out or encourage you, and I just think that makes your connection to the younger group. And I was like, hey, guys, I'm here for you.

Anything that I can do, anything that I and help you guys with, please like use me because I'm just paying it forward. I love that. Well, you mentioned this younger generation and obviously now they're going to be kids who just see you on their TV, you know, being an analyst, and that's such a different realm. But I think a lot of people still associate you with that Calves team. What was the mentality at the age you're at it. I did not roll my eyes. I just

kind of listen. I just like rolled my eyes from like a moment of like, oh, this is just such a great time, not like I roll my eyes of like oh here we go. Different when you kind of like have that flashback moment of like you're rolling your eyes, like oh man, this is gonna be I'm glad you clarify positive. There's two teams that I associate with three there's legitimately it's the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Brooklyn Nets, and Arizona Wildcats. These are my that that's my mouth rushmore

totally fair. And I know Speedy stopping me just because he's such a Nets fan. So he's like, no, that's not come on, Speedy, come on, come on, come on. I will say I am, I'm a new found Nets fan. But but when I see so, I've covered the NBA Finals for a few years now, and when I watched the playoffs and finals, it seemed like you were having so much fun because you were kind of in a different place in your career than you were maybe back

in you know, two thousand one, two thousand two. Where did that year rank for you when it came to kind of having fun and is that why you rolled your eyes in that way. Well, I will say this anybody that has like you know again, I guess it's been the last couple of years, but have kind of followed what I do from the broadcasting standpoint, I like

to have fun. My sense of humor, how I approach things is from a very lighthearted stands and so for me, like cracking jokes and humor is like a it's a crutch. And I mean this in a positive way. It's like I do these things whenever, Like it's like when everything's get awkward or when everything's like I'm the person that immediately goes to humor, whether it's in a sad moment a serious moment. My brain is always looking for humor

and things. And so part of me having so much fun was so I didn't think about the seriousness and the weight of what was at hand. Because I have the longest gap between NBA finals. So I started in the NBA finals in my second year and in my fifteenth year, so there was a thirteen year gap. So when I get there, I'm like, this might never happen again.

And I go from all these finals and going to the Olympics and getting a bronze, and and it's like again, because this is my history, I don't expect other people to know this. But we lost to Detroit in seven games, and we were up three to Detroit goes on to win the championship. We lose to Miami and we were tied to two. Miami goes on to win the championship. So it was like I lost to the champion about

seven times over the course of my life's career. So I was always on very very good teams and ran into some teams that were better or we're playing better at the moment. But so for me when it was at that moment in two thousand and sixteen, like yes, I was there to have fun, but I was also like, hey, the more fun I have, like off the court and away from it, the less I'm going to think about like this might be my last chance to win a championship,

considering the last time was a state championship. So I was I was locked in. See that's what I was gonna ask. Was the change in mentality from really just an age standpoint of did the weight sink in of this is kind of my last shot, and but you said you were so lighthearted and having so much fun and approached it with levity. Yeah, well, I tried not

to think about it. That was my thing, that was my I tried not to think about it because it was it was I was a ball of stress that who time, Like, there's a reason why I retired when I when I was like in that last game, becuse I was like, I can't do this anymore. I'm tired, I'm old, I'm exhausted. You play until there's nothing left. And I wasn't in my prime obviously, I was thirty five, but I was given everything that I had at that point in time. And it's like my default is humor.

So like when everyone looked like I was having fun, it's really because I was really really stressed out, and so all of a sudden, I channeled that energy into like, well, let's go have some fun and not think about it, sir.

And it looked like you were having fun, I will say, and I think back to one of my favorite moments from this era of you having fun, and and so I'm gonna ask you, can you paint a picture of the time where you and Channing Fry dropped a bag on a jukebox to play the Thong song like fifteen times in a row. Oh yeah, okay, So let me first say this. I always like to give credit because

I do this often. Like my favorite thing is listened to the comedy stations, and so I just hear stuff all the time, so like, yes, I might regurgitate it, but I'm not, you know, stealing jokes. The big thing in comedy. It was from Oh my god, what's his name? Mullaney Mullaney. He's on s n L. John Mullaney, John Mullaney,

So John Mulaney. He does this bit where he talks about he goes into a diner and they put in a bunch of money and they play something from Tom Jones like What's Up pussy Cat or something like that, And so he tells the whole story about how the first couple of times him and his buddy are just in the diner like eating a sandwich, kind of looking around seeing if anybody's gonna notice it, and then he says, by like the fourth or fifth time, like all of

a sudden, like they just hear guys like screaming back like who the hell you know? Going nuts? So I think that's hilarious. So me and Channing, I was like, Channing like, let's just play the Thong song a bunch of times. I don't know why we came up with that song, just something that was random. So we were in Ohio at Ohio State and we put a ton of money. You now, most of these places have like a default button or they have like a reset button

in case someone plays terrible like music. But that song is so like subtle and it's just kind of flowing that it takes it like three or four times before you realize that this song is on repeat and then sadly, I think the worst part about it is that like people started doing it and then tagging us in it, and it that just being made it that made it a lot more fun. I feel bad for all the jukebox owners out there, but it's a great bit. But I gotta give John Mulaney the credit for that, Like

how much money are we talking enough? Until we well again, you don't want to put too much in because they can they can reset it right, and then you lose your bread, then you lose your breath. But is any amount of money too much for that type of body joke, Like how much would you think I would say it hard? Yes, But just if you can sit in a place like how often can you just go like we see practical joking shows, we see all this stuff. How often can you go into a place with another person and just

be like, let's see what's about to happen? So you didn't put this on and you just get to sit back. People like to people watch, but how often do you get to create the environment that you get to people watch? So it's like all of a sudden, you sit back and you're just like looking at the bartender, You're looking at like the chefs in the back, you're looking at the patroons, you're looking at the mom with the kids and the dad, and you're just like, I wonder how

long to anyone notices it? And so that that to me is like the ultimate joy, where like you're really the only person that understands a joke. So anybody that wants to do a practical television joke show, you could just go to your local bar and just play like times and do it yourself, and it only costs you a couple of bucks. And I'll tell you what here I am talking to you guys about it. So these stories the last bread get paid for itself, paid for

itself in spades easily. I do it again. So we've talked so much about your different stops in NBA and your different triumphs in the NBA. But there's one story I really love from your rookie year. And I know you've told it a ton, but I'd love you to tell our audience this because this is interesting to everyone across the board. It's Michael Jordan. He's forty years old. You're a rookie. Yeah, y'all had just given him the worst loss of his career, and he did sit the

second half. Yes, you play again. When he's in Washington, you play again. And how much did you drop on you? Like fifty years So he dropped boardy on us. He dropped fifty on somebody else. So he was the first forty year old to go for forty. Luckily he went for fifty on somebody else shortly there after. I don't remember, but you know what, it was weird because we were still in the era of like the Michael Jordan's era. Like just understand, all the best players in the league

had played against Michael Jordan's in the highest level. There wasn't a great player in the league that hadn't been dominated by Michael Jordan at some point in time. So like my rookie year, we lose to the Shack and Kobe Lakers, but Shack had lost to MJ in in the postseason, so like this was still a MJ dominant league.

And so you go back. He all had his Michael Jordan basketball camp in Santa Barbara where all the young players like myself and and Gilbert Arenas and Michael Dunlevy, Jay Williams, all of these guys, Marice Dottomeyer, we would

go and be counselors at that basketball camp. So when I get to the league, I kind of like grew up watching Michael, but I had worked as basketball camp, I had done different things with them, so like I wasn't like a starry eyed against him like as you would say most players, but you still understand that this is MJ. Like you just never got a chance to see it and like feel it for yourself. So the funniest thing for it is that we were playing against m J, and m J was one of those guys.

He remembers he remembers like, I know you see this in like the last dance you see us. But at the end of the day, here's another random example, we go give him the worst loss. Now, I don't want to put Michael Jordan's business out there, but once he started retiring, he was a very social guy. So you know, he was in New York. He was in New York, maybe he was out, you know, smoking too many cigars, having to tequila's, and was just, oh, we'll be fine.

And then he realized like, oh geez, like these nets guys run and jump and I'm forty years old, like I needed to get my rest. Well, he got his rest, and he remembered, and in Michael Jordan's fashion, give him a beat down or something doesn't go his way. He has an ability, probably like not many we've ever seen on this planet before, to show up and set the record straight. And we had a ton of defenders that year with me, Jason Kidd, Kenny Martin carry kittles and

he was giving me buckets. And I remember looking over at these guys, mainly Jay Kidd, like hey, are we gonna switch, because that's what we do when anyone got hot. We would just give him a different look, and Jay Kidd looked at me like, man, you're doing as good as anybody. Just keep it going. And I was like,

damn guys. Yeah, so it made it fun. But do you remember like a look in his eye or thinks he would be saying because he was just a notorious talker, he wasn't you know what I remembered the most about it about that game, And I'm gonna like, not really, I think I'm in a butcher and all the fact checkers will get me, but I feel like they only scored like nineties something points, right, because this was back in the day when like this wasn't oh you scored

you know, fifty and your team scored one twenty, or you scored forty five and your team scored one oh eight. No, no, no, this man had forty and it's in the in like

the score was like eighty eight to ninety four. So it was like this dude had handles points, teams points, half the team points, right, which now when you look at the average scoring of one tint I did a game that was one forty eight to one fifty in regulation, right, So you're like, in that moment, you know, but that's what I remember most is that this dude had half of their team's points and was giving it to every

single defender. That this just stopped that it was so smooth, so effortless, and there was just it was just one of those days. It was like everyone just kind of tipped their hat. It's like yo Ambius having one of those rare nights. Yeah, that sounds like one of those rare nights that we've heard of. And we can glance over this lightly because we know we're not supposed to

go here. But when you speak about a lot this high scoring that we're seeing these days, with the NBA playoffs here right before us, who do you anticipate to continue doing well and maybe who do you anticipate to kind of not do so welcome playoff time. Well, it's tough because, like we look at so many of the top teams right, pretty much every single team if I'm looking at you know, there's no team that doesn't have some injury component that you're worried. Right, So let's talk

about the Utah Jazz. You got Donovan Mitchell who is not back yet and they're not sure like he'll be back, but they're not sure what he like. He hasn't played in weeks, so you know he's not gonna be in his best version. The Phoenix Suns, like Chris Paul, has had some playoff injuries. You go and look at the Brooklyn Nets. They haven't played many with all of their three. You look at Philadelphia last year or this year. Some Joel Embide last year, Ben Simmons, you know, got hurt

in the postseason. So Lakers have you know, Lebron and a d situation. So you look across the league and it's hard to pick this year because there's no team to Roland. There's no team mess this and a lot of it is because of the schedule and guys are broken down and beaten down. But I think it's the same thing that goes on every single time. It doesn't matter if the scoring is at one, forty, one fifty. The teams that play the best defense in the postseason

are typically going to be the team to succeed. Now, where your defense can fluctuate is on how great your offense is. So if you have the best offense, like let's say the Brooklyn Nets, you can be the twelveth ranked defense, the third teenth ranked defense, and overcome. But if you're the twenty second defense you have the number one offense, that's just not going to sustain because it's going to be a team that has the fifth best offense but the eighth best defense. Those things catch up

to you. So I don't know. I just feel like, of all, the team's health is number one, and we see it with so many teams. I would say Milwaukee's the one team that like, they don't really have an injury question. Most of their guys are kind of healthy and ready to go. And even them, they haven't had a ton of playoffs success, so you can't really point

to them and be like, oh, they're going to be it. Well, this season finished in such exciting fashion because every game mattered, and now the Lakers have found themselves in the play in Lebron was worried about it. Now this is where they're at with a healthy Lebron and a d Are they I mean, because it seems like they shouldn't have ever fallen to seven, But is this the biggest threat in the West to kind of come up and upset first round? Well, again, you don't know who they're playing.

You don't know who they're playing and they're again with the injury thing. That makes it very very difficult. And I think if you want, if anything, that you could do to point to the Lakers and where they are viewed and respected, Like the Clippers lost their last three games just to not be on the same side as the Lakers, right the Clippers were like, now we'd rather get to the four five, so that like we're going

to end up in some other spots. So ultimately, I think like the Lakers are gonna be They're going to be right there. You don't know who they're gonna play in the first round, and either way, are gonna play a great team. They're like, if they're gonna get the Phoenix Sounds of the Utah Jazz, you're still playing the teams that have had the best records in the league.

So I know that the Lakers will be good, but it's like, yo, your reward is playing one of the better teams in the league and you admittedly on a percent because of health. Now, you know, we we've seen how you know, basketball and culture have kind of overlapped a lot, particularly basketball and hip hop music, but now we're seeing it overlap more than we've maybe ever seen and with that, you've got a guy like Jake Cole who has decided to play basketball professionally. He's now playing

in the Basketball Africa League. I'm just wondering, have you gotten a chance to check out his skills over there? And you know what, do you think the ceiling? Maybe for him? No, you've not seen him play? No? Okay, okay, guys, okay, we don't like it, you know like it. I love it for j Cole, for Jake Cole, I love it that this is where it's It's so tough because I definitely have a reputation for being a bit of a

troll and this is the thing I posed. But again, but it's all just in fun, right, like your best friends, may I don't know, females are a little different. You're best friends do all you do is just crack jokes and talk ship to them? Yeah, of course, yeah, that's it. We're just like, oh you were trash, Like dude, my my, my best ranto order like extra large fries. I'm like, dude, you're so fat. What do you do it? Just like dude,

It dude is a professional effort. Like we're just if there's a level of friendship that comes, and that's always been my approach that now to say that I respect everyone chasing their dream. I respect all of that. I don't mind what J Cole is doing. I love the journey that he's on, Like, go and do whatever it

is that you want to do with your life. That being said, no person can ever be successful if every step of the way they are being scrutinized, right, and they are being dissected like look, J Coles first game, four points to assist, one rebound in seventeen minutes. It's like, we should not be reporting on this if you truly want this man to be successful. And I understand who he is. I understand that's the only reason why he

got the opportunity. I understand all the things that go into this, but ultimately it's like, guys, like, come on, I'd rather then focus on like like how the women played, right, I'd rather than focus on the w n B A. I'd rather than focus on finding the next high school star and giving her some PUBM. I know J Cole is gonna get some clicks, but ultimately, like, what is that really doing for bigging up the game of basketball? Like,

then this is not a knock on J Cole. The man's got a billion fans, He's made a hundred million dollars streaming. He's one of the greatest artists of all time. Right, No, not, But like, does the basketball community need to be bigging him up? Or should we be bigging up the w n b A, should we be bigging up these people?

And you can do both. But understand, we all know, because we're all in media, that we're going to see more things about J Cole playing basketball and the memes then we will about the defending national champions in Stanford, you know, women's basketball and NC double. We're gonna see more about that. And I'm just like, I don't care if it drives clicks. That's not what we should be talking about. I think that's really well said. Yeah, and that's fair. That's that's very fair. Now, No, you know

r J, we all know you to be. Now you're gonna ask me another question. You'renna ask me another question about Jacob not as I love J Cole is one of my favorite. Doesn't can't express that enough, but like this is not why it's like Tim Tebow playing tight end like guys like, yeah, no, I was going to bring up that comparison because it's there. It's but hey, at least he was, I mean, a former NFL player. I don't buy it, and I don't and I don't

buy the whole Oh, you're taking an opportunity away. I don't. I don't. If Tim Tebow is the reason why you didn't make the NFL at this point in time you're life, you weren't gonna make it anything, right, like you weren't gonna make J Cole is the reason why you didn't make it to the NBA. You weren't gonna make it anybody. So I don't buy that narrative of you're taking an opportunity from somebody. That's bs. But should that amount of attention be given to somebody because of what they've done

in other spaces? I don't know if that's best that's necessary? No, no, no no, completely fair, And we can move on from J Cole. This is just my last thing. You know, everyone knows you to be very trolly, uh, and so I just I have a question back to you. You know, we've seen NBA and culture, like I said, kind of

become intertwined. There are entire Instagram pages that have become dedicated to like NBA players and tattoos, and I'm just wondering why you think you're r J. Tat hasn't gotten much love over the course of the years, particularly on some of these Instagram pages. Well because mine is the most famous, Like mine is the most famous, Like it's without a doubt, like like, don't get me wrong, some other people got some really you know, notable ink but

like I don't know if there's more. And let's looked good and bad, white famous. But I will say give it a world, fire over the world, enjoy it. There are people that have gotten my tattoo in a mocking manner. Look my tattoo is like look, look my head tattoo is not the best tattoo. It is a trash tattoo.

I got him when I was seventeen. But I will say this maybe because I'm up close, I know people, and I've actually seen people right, and this one left Tracy McGrady, Carmelo Anthony, they literally have the same tattoo where like they got that same tattoo like a basketball with their letters come numbers, names coming out. But the

differences they got full sleeves around it. So it looks like but the skies is it where it's like, oh, it's like, oh, he's got the basketball with this, and then he's got the hawk and he's got all in your list, Like wait a second, go back. I just didn't finish it with a full sleep because I was just being lazy as But that's why. That's the thing. Don't let them fool you and make you say like, oh, Richard has the worst tattoo. No, he had lots of them tattoos like me that are that are bad. I

just didn't hide it with a full sleep. That's that makes sense, makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I just had to google it, and once I did, I realized I very was very much knew it. It's it's beautiful look work of our love. It was, honestly it was. It was done by a person with like four teeth in a back of somebody's basement, like they boughted off. Look,

my brother had some jail house tattoos. My brother was the first person to teach me how to do a jail house tattoo where you could get like a hand in the motor and you could dip it into some ink and you're just like yeah, what on earth was I thinking? But I love the story. I don't give a damn so it makes it fun. I love it. Well, just to wrap up, because we've we've talked so much about your history and people you've played against and experiences you've had, and I so appreciate all the on the

court stuff. But off the court, I was texting with your coworker, someone I've also had the opportunity to work with. I an eagle, fantastic man, fantastic broadcaster, And I asked him, what's something I should ask r J about? What's something kind of off the court? You know what he told me? What he said, the sport your best at is beach volleyball and you still play in a league, and that you own a yoga studio. So I don't think yeah, yeah,

so again you don't know. One of the beautiful things about life in general is you don't know where it's gonna take you. You You don't know how you can get places. Rewind to the lockout. I go to the lockout and I'm getting out of shape. It's tough. We don't know when it's coming. One of my best friends moves down. We start working out, we start training and we start doing hot yoga and I'm like, oh, this is great.

Next year, I moved up to l A. I moved up to Santa Monica, and I'm doing a ton of yoga because look, I'm thirty four at thirty three at the time, and your body is I got a lot of miles at that point in time. So I find yoga. I love it. I'm just like, wow, this is my body feels better. Everyone needs to stretch and that's an hour of stretching and it's a workout your gas. You

feel great. So I had a bunch of friends that were coming up, like driving twenty five minutes to h come do yoga and Santa Monica because there wasn't a yoga studio and her most of beach it wasn't a really nice one. So me and my buddy that I've been training with, I'm like, dude, like so many people are coming up here, why don't we just open up a ton of like a really nice yoga studio there.

And so I moved to Hermosa Beach and we want we opened up one and and we want a ton of local awards and we're a big part of the community. That's probably my favorite things. So hoo yoga. If you guys want to check out, it's right on the pier in Hermosa Beach. And I try and tell people as much as possible, if you're gonna play professional sports, college sports, if you're gonna do that and you're not doing yoga,

you're short changing your career. You're short changing what you can do, what you're capable of doing, because it's like I'll go lift weights for an hour then go do yoga. You're like stretching out these muscles. You're strengthening muscles you didn't know you needed and know that you had. And it's part of the reason why I truly believe that one I played for seventeen years and to so many

more athletes are getting into it. So many more athletes are open minded than they were five ten years ago. Now it's like yo the is a part of like Rondo, Joe Johnson, all of these guys will go in on road trips and do yoga. Teams are bringing in yoga teachers and so I was just fortunate to be a little bit ahead of the curve. That's really cool. I would even argue, regardless of profession. You're short changing yourself if you don't have some kind of yoga or meditation practice.

I think it's life changing thousand per cent. I know I was just speaking to the athletes, but everyone in general, Like, if that's not a part of what you're doing, it doesn't matter if you're a cross bitter, if you're a you know, whatever it is, whatever sport that you're playing, whatever activity, even if you're older and you're like you just want to do a very like slow like it has it for everybody, Like there is no I'm not good at stretching. That's why it's like, dude, that's why

you go. That's the purpose of it. Yeah, yeah, you don't go and like lift weights. You don't say like, oh I can't lift weights because I'm not strong. It's like, well, how then do you think you get strong? Like it's like like everyone's got to start somewhere. So yeah, now that I try and tell so many young athletes that just get involved in it, because even if you're doing it twenty two, it will make your body feel better when you're thirty because these things and these injuries, they

stay with you for a lifetime. I think yoga is especially effective if you're doing it to the Thong song on repeat just for hours, so all the time, all the time at Ohio State. I'd love it. I love it. That might be our next class with that. Richard, thank you, and I mistay, thank you for we appreciate hey, man, guys, I appreciate you guys having me so much. Man. So you guys have a great day. And if you guys ever need anything, just let me know. We'll do it too.

All right, thank you. All right, guys, Now it is

time for this week's Lion's Luck, where our dog Peter Andrew. He's also our honorary co host at this point, but he's here to tell us maybe where we should put our bread. And Peter, this is a relatively big week. What do you got for us? Yeah? So playing tournament done? Now we know who's playing this weekend. I may have told you guys a couple of weeks ago I was on the Sixers bandwagon. I'm gonna kind of stick that route. I love Sixers in some sort of variation to be

in the finals. Two bets that I really like Sixers Clippers to both reach the finals plus fourteen hundred and I know the Lakers are on the downtrend a little bit, but but Sixers Lakers to both reach the finals. At plus twelve hundred, I really think they can upset the Nets come conference finals. So I'm leaning that route. And then maybe a little bit just on the other side, just in case the Sixers don't win, the state of the winning team to be California plus five, So just

a little mini hedge. I think you feel pretty comfortable about one of those three teams winning. And is that for winning at all, Peter, or just winning the web? Yeah, winning it all for California, So plus is to actually win the NBA title. So I'm just hard against the Nets right now. And why is that? Peter just asking that a curiosity? Yeah, there's probably two parts through it. I think from a sports betting perspective, the value is just not there, so I don't think it's worth putting

your money on it. But the other side of it, I think while they have three of arguably the top ten players in the league, I think anything can happen. We've seen injuries a lot this year to the core three, but to some of the other components on the team as well, so I think anything can happen, especially finals, it gets a bit gritty, hard fouls. You never know if Katie Katie can go down, if Kyrie could go down, James Harden. So I think putting your money elsewhere with

the more value makes a ton of sense. What are the best bets in each conference? I mean, is there is there something confidence specific? You know? I think I've started taking it series by series to start. I love So there's the Knicks Hawks series, which is the four five matchup. Nicks are obviously on fire right now, Dually s Randall most improved player, de Rose looks like the Rose from ten years ago. Nicks to win the series

is minus one to me, that's a surefire bet. You're not laying too much to get a nice junk of change. And then I've put a little bit on Nicks to win the series four one. So I think the Hawks squeak went out on at home. But I think the Knicks just clearly the better team. They've showed that the last couple of weeks they've gone out West, had some

impressive games conference games, really really good. And then as you go to the West, you know the Nuggets were worthy, were one of the best teams in the West all year, but lusing Tomal Murray will be really noticeable against the Trailblazers. I mean, you have Lillard, McCollum, Covingtons, all can hit threes. I think they were second in the league in terms of volume of threes they they shot, and I think sixth in efficiency. And you compare that against the Nuggets,

who are twenty sewo and three point defense. It's gonna be a tough series. I think the Nuggets pulled out in seven, but it's gonna go seven. I think that, so for sure, I like Nuggets to win four three and in the the series plus four hundred and then Buck's Heat you mentioned as well over five and a half games at minus one twenty. What do you like there? Yeah, how confident are you? I think the Heat can steal

a couple of games. Bucks are are clearly the better team, They're just not a great shooting team at certain times. I like that game to just get a little scary for them. I think they win in six. But at minus one twenty, again, you're not laying too much, and I think there's some value there. You're not asking the Heat to win the series. You're just asking them to stretch it along a little bit, so I think that to go over five and a half is a good

bet as well. Are there any bets on potential overtime games or just reaching seven games? Yep, there is reaching seven games for every single series on bet MGM. And then, funny enough, you're kind of stealing my segue of our promotion. We have an overtime insurance promotion going live. So if you get your team and they end up losing, the game goes overtime and you're losing over time, you actually get your steak back. So something we're doing a little

bit on top of the sports betting markets. So make sure that we cover both NBA and an NHL fans NHL games of all kind of tourd time this playoff too, So making sure we cover you if your team gets out TENNA end up losing and before we get you out of here, Peter, there was a story that I'm just curious if you heard about. It was this guy who apparently bet the proverbial house on the Blazers winning over forty one and a half games. Did you hear

about that story? I don't think so, what is it? No? Okay, Well, this guy bet that basically that the Blazers were gonna win over forty one and a half games, and it came down to the last game in the season. He tweeted at Damian Lillard at the start of the season like, man, I need you to win forty two games or I will lose my home. And the Blazers did exactly that they want exactly forty two games and saved this guy from being homeless. So I does you would have heard

about the story, but it was it was nuts. I heard about one in the opposite direction for Oklahoma City Thunder. I want to say their total was twenty two and a half in terms of games one and uh, and they finished a half game behind. So it happens to the best of them and to the worst of them. Oh my gosh, I guess probably the best feeling in the world when you when you squeeze out that win, but coming a half game short as well as not pretty. Hey, this is why we're all here. This is why we're

also hooked, right you love it? Exactly? Love the game? Yep, exactly all right, Peter, We thank you has always been joining as Bobbie will. Thanks Peter, Thanks guys all right, guys, Well, that's a rap for Olivia and I. Now make sure to check out all of the action from bet MGM. You can follow them everywhere on social media at bet mgm, and please, as always, leave a review of the show on Apple Podcasts and follow us wherever you listen to podcasts.