Transcript
Speaker: Back again, BiggerTalks, IG Live Edition.
Speaker: We're talking sports politics and hoop and basketball, NBA with my guy, my man, a hundred grand.
Speaker: I know him as Q, son of Goldie.
Speaker: Quincy that is, that's his name, but he goes by the hoop lord.
Speaker: The hoop lord official.
Speaker: So let's get into it.
Speaker: We're going to talk basketball, the current state of the NBA, women's hoop.
Speaker: We're going to talk it all.
Speaker: So I'm going to see if he on here.
Speaker: Dame Dollar, Pete.
Speaker: What up, Pete?
Speaker: That's my guy.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: Let me see.
Speaker: Let's see.
Speaker: Where's my guy?
Speaker: Where's my guy?
Speaker: Invite the hoop lord.
Speaker: The hoop lord.
Speaker: There you go.
Speaker: What's going on, everybody?
Speaker: Webb, Webb, what up, baby?
Speaker: There you go.
Speaker: There you go.
Speaker: What's up, buddy?
Speaker: How you doing, man?
Speaker: How you feeling?
Speaker: I'm good, man.
Speaker: I'm good.
Speaker: Man, good to see you, man.
Speaker: The hoop lord.
Speaker: man thank you for having me on yo you hear me good you got a microphone or something yeah hold on because i would my okay okay uh-oh we're buffering we're buffering
Speaker: Can you hear me?
Speaker: All right, we back.
Speaker: We back, we back, we back.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: So to people who don't know, this is Quincy Q. I call him.
Speaker: He's also known as my barber.
Speaker: He's a creative.
Speaker: He's done like national commercials, billboards.
Speaker: He's also a former hooper in his day.
Speaker: He's an artist.
Speaker: He creates music.
Speaker: He has a young son who's like a phenom at three years old.
Speaker: And he's a very intellectual being.
Speaker: He's really he just tapped in a whole nother way.
Speaker: He's always talking basketball.
Speaker: So we always have like deep discussions about ball, life.
Speaker: And we just want to talk a little bit of hoops and we'll get right into it.
Speaker: So before we dig into basketball and sports politics, just giving people a debrief, just, you know,
Speaker: You were born and raised Philadelphia, right?
Speaker: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: Born and raised Philadelphia, you know.
Speaker: I'm just like a, I don't know.
Speaker: I'm like an artist at heart, man.
Speaker: I like to do everything involving arts and everything like that.
Speaker: But as far as, you know, hooping and everything, I grew up hooping.
Speaker: I grew up hooping with some of the
Speaker: best ballers in Philly and like the best era in Philly coming up, you know, guys that went to the league and stuff like that.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: I just, I just love the game.
Speaker: Just passionate about the game.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: I'm just, I always was very passionate about the game.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: I love coaching.
Speaker: I love every aspect of the game.
Speaker: Honestly, man, I study it.
Speaker: I really, you know, I'm into it, you know, and I'm like you said, I'm raising a hooper.
Speaker: So, you know, I just emerged myself into the, into the culture like that.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: Yeah, that's what it is.
Speaker: So I've never asked you this, but I always assumed that maybe it wasn't your dad or maybe your mom.
Speaker: Well, who was the first person to introduce you to basketball?
Speaker: Like who put the ball in your hand?
Speaker: Like who inspired you to play ball from, you know, from watching growing up playing ball?
Speaker: Just someone in general like his son or who inspired you?
Speaker: Man, I just was always inspired by, I always wanted to, I used to idolize people like even like from like when I was a fan of just wrestling and you know, watching the different characters, different personalities.
Speaker: And then I gravitated towards football and I, you know, I always gravitate towards like people like Deion Sanders and like Eric Dickerson and certain players that I would just like identify with.
Speaker: And then,
Speaker: Once I got to the age where it was like, because I always was playing basketball, but I really, really, really started really, really loving the game and wanting to play it when I started to realize I probably wasn't going to be the football star that I wanted to be.
Speaker: But I really, I like players like Jason Kidd, you know, coming up, you know, in college.
Speaker: I love the Fab Five.
Speaker: I fell in love with the whole Fab Five Michigan thing.
Speaker: I fell in love with...
Speaker: you know ncaa that was my first love right there college basketball for real for damon stoudemire and those guys like that it's a bunch of you know i'm saying and then um you know when when iverson took over the the world you know i'm saying i'm in philly it was a wrap you know i mean i wanted to become a high like he put that battery and everybody back like yo you can do it so you know i mean i just really just
Speaker: stay hooping and just try to stay around the game and you know the streets and everything and politics and stuff coming away and my mind wasn't on you know in the right place at the at a young age so I didn't go to college to play ball I had scholarship offers a couple of them and it was just like you know I didn't value the school or whatever I had my mind on something it was just
Speaker: I was reckless at the time, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker: And I know at some point you had developed a friendship or, you know, a relationship with Allen Iverson at the time.
Speaker: First years in Philly, I don't know if you can go into details, but you kind of just speak on that and like what you saw in him, what you know about, you know,
Speaker: being that type of athlete and ball player from your perspective, what it takes, what it looks like.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You understand outside looking in, because we only know what the TV show is, what we know, but you was around me.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It's energy at times.
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: I know you was rapping because you was a rap star.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Can you just kind of give us a debrief on that, I think?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: We met Iverson through,
Speaker: through a friend named Ty Gracie, he's like, he grew up with AI, right?
Speaker: And we was doing our rap thing.
Speaker: We was on the radio in Philly.
Speaker: So they wanted to link up with some dudes that was popping in the city while they was doing a rap thing.
Speaker: And, you know, Chuck, you know, that's what we call him, Chuck.
Speaker: He really just, you know, took a liking to me and my guys.
Speaker: And it was like family, like, you know what I mean?
Speaker: He was just such a real dude that he never separated who he was
Speaker: from the professional, you know what I mean?
Speaker: That he was, he's in a league, but really he's, he out like, he, from the streets, like, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker: You know, he brought everything to the game.
Speaker: He brought the hood to the game.
Speaker: He was like a Tupac of the NBA for real, for real.
Speaker: He revolutionized like the way people play, people look, you know what I mean?
Speaker: He really brought the soul to the game.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: From the braids to the tattoos, to the, just the fashion of it.
Speaker: Like, you know, the sleeve, you know what I mean?
Speaker: Just a straight,
Speaker: trendsetter and just observing how he, you know, how tough it was kind of handling
Speaker: everything around him at the time, because it was a lot on his shoulders, making a lot of money.
Speaker: You know, he got all the women, you know, everything, you know, all the jewelry, he was like a rap star.
Speaker: So we'll be around him a lot of times.
Speaker: And it's like, you know, when do we practice?
Speaker: When do we work out?
Speaker: When is he perfecting his craft?
Speaker: When does all these things happen?
Speaker: And it's like, oh, it's really not happening.
Speaker: He just was gifted.
Speaker: Born to do it.
Speaker: So it's not somebody that you can look at and really follow his blueprint to be successful in nothing that you're doing.
Speaker: because he just got it and he had it and everybody, you know, he inspired everybody, but he, you know, he inspired people to work hard to be like him because he just had it and he didn't have a work ethic.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: That's beautiful.
Speaker: I always, you know, like, and what was the rap group you was in back in the day?
Speaker: Cause I don't want to get it wrong.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, we was called the Dole Stackers in Philly.
Speaker: For a while it was F-E-B-S, Feds, but it stands for forever, Dole Stackers, so we cut it to Dole Stackers.
Speaker: And, you know, we had a buzz in the city, did songs with people like, you know, Gilly, Freeway, did songs with Cam'ron, Raekwon, I, you know, did a few things.
Speaker: So, you know, to speak on that, like that, those type of folks or those type of people,
Speaker: I'm always admired by like, how did you attract that type of person?
Speaker: How are you able to get that person's frequency?
Speaker: And as always, I feel like it's from what's going on in the inside and what you think and what you believe.
Speaker: And, you know, I remember when you first met me back in probably like 2013 or 14, you was cutting my hair.
Speaker: You was like, you thought I already was where I was at, you know?
Speaker: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: A lot about how you think, your character, and what you know about people.
Speaker: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: I say all that to say, you know, as we move into like the basketball talk and the sports talk, what do you think?
Speaker: Why do you think?
Speaker: basketball players per se are so idolized now than they were before.
Speaker: I feel like Jordan was the biggest idol of all of them back in the day.
Speaker: Like it wasn't too many like Jordan.
Speaker: Then you had Iverson and you got everybody from the LeBrons to the Lucas to the Dane Dollars to, I mean, LaMelo Ball.
Speaker: I mean, there's so many.
Speaker: Why do you think basketball,
Speaker: basketball players, NBA players to be exact, are so idolized as not only like athletes, but as people off the court that people look up to or they wanna be like.
Speaker: What is that?
Speaker: Like, when did that change?
Speaker: It's the phenomenon where it's like, it's kind of like death of a superstar.
Speaker: It's like the death of the superstar.
Speaker: It's this new era where you gotta think like, what is an influencer?
Speaker: Yeah, true.
Speaker: We're influencers.
Speaker: We're influencing somebody.
Speaker: right?
Speaker: So those players all understand their, their individual brand and they are influencers, whatever they do, whatever lifestyle they do, they, they, they promote it.
Speaker: It's a, it's a, it's a lane for it.
Speaker: It's a marketing strategy around it.
Speaker: So they, they, they, they took the blueprint from a, you know, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and then boom,
Speaker: Michael Jordan, it was a wrap.
Speaker: Once them Jordans hit the feet, it was a wrap.
Speaker: So, you know, they make superstars, you know, in every, and then the talent, everybody evolved.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: The talent level evolved.
Speaker: Like you said, back then, Jordan was a one of one and he's still a one of one, but it was like the second guy was so far away from him.
Speaker: Now you got guys that they all bunched in.
Speaker: We don't know who better out of this bunch.
Speaker: they are all amazing.
Speaker: I'm talking about superhuman abilities.
Speaker: Like, we don't know how you compare, you know, Steph and Dame, you know, KB, LeBron, like, you know, like, what are these people?
Speaker: Like, you know what I mean?
Speaker: Like, what is a James Harden and KB?
Speaker: Kyrie Irving, what?
Speaker: Get about those guys, because you got the new guys, the Lucas, the Trae Young.
Speaker: And then you got, you understand?
Speaker: So it's like, it got to the point where talent and everything.
Speaker: And that's getting to what I was saying about how the league is overcrowded, I think, because so much elite talent.
Speaker: how you gonna market all these people is a lot of people getting overlooked.
Speaker: And then for the people that's getting overlooked, then you got the other guys that just won't get a chance.
Speaker: And in a whole nother era, they would have been stars.
Speaker: But it's like,
Speaker: the regular player is ready to be obsolete.
Speaker: You have to make yourself an established brand on that court that have a reason to keep you on that roster now.
Speaker: Right, even to be on the team if you got, you know, endorsement deals.
Speaker: Like I look at someone like Kyle Kuzma, I think he's a great player, you know.
Speaker: He's great because he lives in LA.
Speaker: He has a look, so gets him like sponsorships and then even who he's dating.
Speaker: I don't know if he's still dating a young lady, but
Speaker: that matters right who you date your style your swag that can keep you on the team longer than your game sometimes a lot of it a lot of it is political yo is what you and and a lot of it kind of always not always but it usually because these companies are smarter than to invest in somebody who ain't you know who they not going to get their return on investment so it's like
Speaker: Them guys got to live up to something.
Speaker: It kind of shows a lot about a person that's out there getting endorsement deals or even starting his own brand or, you know, putting himself out there as this guy, as this guy.
Speaker: You know they confident about themselves.
Speaker: You look at the kid Anthony Edwards.
Speaker: He do interviews and he's like a comedian.
Speaker: Like he charismatic.
Speaker: But you got to show your personality because like, you know,
Speaker: we don't know this guy, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker: So he's showing his person out.
Speaker: He gonna get a bunch of endorsement deals, do a bunch of commercials probably, you know what I mean?
Speaker: He established himself as more than just a player.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: I'm really a superstar.
Speaker: I'm gonna be here for a long time.
Speaker: And on the other hand, LaMelo had all his time establishing himself as a person, but it was growing up being a goofy kid.
Speaker: And now he's more reserved because it's like, yo,
Speaker: I can't, I might, I might ain't mature enough.
Speaker: I might ain't even mature in my life as much as my game has these past few years.
Speaker: So I'm a hold back on the, on the interview clowning, but I'm gonna let my game do the talking.
Speaker: So it's, it's, it's, you know.
Speaker: Got it.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: So, you know, we move into the next phase.
Speaker: It's kind of like rapid fire.
Speaker: I'm gonna name some players and whatever comes to mind, just want you to say.
Speaker: So it's gonna be like, um,
Speaker: You ready?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Russell Westbrook.
Speaker: Legend.
Speaker: I like that.
Speaker: Luca.
Speaker: Future.
Speaker: LaMelo Ball.
Speaker: Special.
Speaker: LeBron James.
Speaker: King.
Speaker: KD.
Speaker: Sniper.
Speaker: You good, boy.
Speaker: All right, let's go to the NBA.
Speaker: We're going to do NBA awards.
Speaker: I'm kind of switching it up.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So this year, 2020, 2021, it's been a different year because we got fresh off a pandemic, early season.
Speaker: A lot of guys getting injured.
Speaker: A lot of guys are showing up and paying their dues and making their dues.
Speaker: So we're going to start from the young guys.
Speaker: Rookie of the year, who you going with, man?
Speaker: Rookie of the year.
Speaker: Don't be biased, man.
Speaker: Rookie of the year is like this.
Speaker: No, no, this the thing.
Speaker: I'm glad you said that.
Speaker: You see me, I'm invested, right?
Speaker: I got, I got, I got, I got, you know, from day one, right?
Speaker: You see me, right?
Speaker: You see me.
Speaker: You see, you see, you know what I mean?
Speaker: You see me.
Speaker: But look, this is what I'm going to say.
Speaker: They both are great, the two top contestants, right?
Speaker: You know, you got LaMelo Ball, you got Anthony Edwards.
Speaker: They both are great.
Speaker: When LaMelo Ball, before the injury, he was runaway rookie of the year.
Speaker: He got injured.
Speaker: Anthony Edwards stays steadily improving his scoring and just, you know, been on a tear.
Speaker: Scored two 40-point games, right?
Speaker: He's a great player.
Speaker: What we have to understand is that at this point, he's not playing for anything but to try to secure the rookie of the year.
Speaker: And LaMelo is coming back from an injury in the middle of a playoff push.
Speaker: So his team needed to rush a 19-year-old back from a season-ending injury for a playoff push.
Speaker: It's a different type of guy.
Speaker: It's a different type of guy.
Speaker: It's a lot riding on this kid.
Speaker: So therefore...
Speaker: If Anthony Edwards is special, LaMelo is special in different ways, but they both the future, you do what happened in I think 95 when it was Jason Kidd and Grant Hill, they both won the award.
Speaker: And that's the appropriate thing to do this year.
Speaker: It's appropriate.
Speaker: And I just put on my page as like a joke, but it's real.
Speaker: Why, like in the basketball community, you got division all over just like you do in society, right?
Speaker: The GOAT debates, the KD, whatever debates you want, the staff, whatever.
Speaker: In this rookie of the year debate, like in this rookie of the year of race, it is an opportunity that the NBA has to kind of
Speaker: set a precedent for the future in the way we look at players and try to put them against each other.
Speaker: Give it to them both to end the fighting between the fans because
Speaker: they gonna be fighting for 25 years.
Speaker: These kids are great players, they're young.
Speaker: And why deprive one of them of something that you know they deserve?
Speaker: Both of them deserve it.
Speaker: And that's the thing, you talk about J.Kidd and Grant Hill,
Speaker: And I think Steve Francis and Elton Brand got it too one year, right?
Speaker: At the same time?
Speaker: If I'm not mistaken, they did.
Speaker: But it's happening.
Speaker: I do feel like when LeBron got it, I feel like Mello should have got a rookie the year too.
Speaker: Should have been co-MVP.
Speaker: I mean, co-Review.
Speaker: But I get politics.
Speaker: That's why we're talking politics.
Speaker: The politics wadding LeBron favor, high school, money behind them.
Speaker: But Mello still averaged 21 in his rookie year.
Speaker: And I think he even went to the point.
Speaker: So it's like...
Speaker: But that's even here or there.
Speaker: So with all the information and all the details you just, you know, elaborated on, you think both should be rookie to you?
Speaker: I think it'd be.
Speaker: With Luka and Drake.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker: I think it's all about how, you know, of course it's going to come down to the voters and what they value.
Speaker: And I don't think.
Speaker: It's like this, if the voters have been watching this one kid grow up and they did not think he was gonna be this guy.
Speaker: That's giving them a little bit more.
Speaker: Anthony Edwards, they didn't watch him grow up.
Speaker: They don't hate his dad.
Speaker: They don't know his dad.
Speaker: They don't know his brother.
Speaker: So what I always tell people that try to hate on LaMelo on my page
Speaker: in favor of Anthony Edwards, I say, listen, man, I love Anthony Edwards.
Speaker: You ain't gonna get me to say I hate him, but that's the problem.
Speaker: Go tell your boy to get his haters up.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Where your haters at?
Speaker: Oh, that's a good point.
Speaker: Where are your haters at?
Speaker: If you're not polarizing, if you're not somebody that a lot of people love and a lot of people hate, if you're just the guy that's just loved,
Speaker: you might can get forgotten about.
Speaker: Absolutely, you will get forgotten about.
Speaker: You'll get forgotten about.
Speaker: Perfect example, even though, you know, I probably was going to go to this example for another question ahead or whatever if you were going to ask me, but like about like Tony Parker.
Speaker: He's a great player.
Speaker: And he has like four championship rings.
Speaker: And people don't bring him up when they talk about the greatest point guards ever.
Speaker: He's on Netflix.
Speaker: No one's talking about it.
Speaker: So it's like, you know what I mean?
Speaker: Do you want to be, I mean, you know, you gotta be remembered.
Speaker: You gotta be polarized.
Speaker: And that's not a good, that's not an example like towards like Anthony Edwards.
Speaker: Cause I do believe he's going to be polarizing.
Speaker: He's building his character up.
Speaker: Like he's showing the world that he's a character.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: And, um,
Speaker: But it's like, I just think he's so lovable.
Speaker: Honestly, like, and him and Melo, they played twice this year.
Speaker: It wasn't no bad blood, no future rivalry that you sense gonna happen.
Speaker: So it's like, it's respect there.
Speaker: Those dudes is like, too, they Barry Pollard, they special kids, man.
Speaker: I don't like putting them against each other, man.
Speaker: No, I respect that.
Speaker: I mean, I would say they should get, they both earned it.
Speaker: I mean, Buddy was number one as well.
Speaker: It's like he lived up to being number one.
Speaker: You know, and the hype.
Speaker: It's like I got Melo's rookie card.
Speaker: It's like, I don't know what he going to be 10 years, but if he could take on his process, he can be.
Speaker: I got some Anthony Edwards joints on the way.
Speaker: I got to Anthony Edwards on the way.
Speaker: I got some of the meadows.
Speaker: I got some, I got some ant man's on the way.
Speaker: So we got that out of the way.
Speaker: So let's go to a most improved player.
Speaker: Most improved player.
Speaker: has to be Julius Randle.
Speaker: Yeah, I like that.
Speaker: Because he's a leader and a winner, you know, this year and skill wise, just he's improved his game.
Speaker: He has more range.
Speaker: He has more in his bag off the triple threat, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: He just playing winning basketball, you know what I mean?
Speaker: For real.
Speaker: And he made that jump.
Speaker: I think he's going to be like first or second team all NBA this year, you know what I mean?
Speaker: So I would give it to him.
Speaker: Sabonis, he put in work, bro.
Speaker: I watch him work.
Speaker: I think he's putting- Sabonis you said?
Speaker: You said Sabonis you said?
Speaker: No, I said he's going to get a bonus.
Speaker: Oh, no.
Speaker: Salary bonus.
Speaker: He earned it.
Speaker: I watched him work out on YouTube over the summer with, I think, his trainer is Drew Halen.
Speaker: He trains like him, Bradley Bill, Tatum, MB, and what's the other kid?
Speaker: Another guy he got that's really good.
Speaker: I can't remember, but them guys get it in.
Speaker: Them guys have been most improved.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: But anyway, yeah, that makes sense for sure.
Speaker: If it was an award for, I'm going to say this, if it was an award for just most improved shooter, I would have to go with my man, Zo.
Speaker: He had 33 points in a span of three days.
Speaker: He had 33 points twice in a span of three days.
Speaker: One of them was a revenge game against Steph.
Speaker: Steph lit his ass up and he got on the phone.
Speaker: But look, this is the best though.
Speaker: He got on the phone after that and called Zion and said, yo, I let you down.
Speaker: I got you tomorrow.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: And then he told Jello 30 ball coming.
Speaker: And then he had 33 and a win.
Speaker: So that just goes to show people that not only confidence could go a long way because people still question his own confidence, but it's not that.
Speaker: It's like,
Speaker: He believes in the work, the actual work that he put in.
Speaker: So all he doing is, it ain't even no belief.
Speaker: It's not belief, it's not confidence.
Speaker: It's trusting the work that you have done to pay off.
Speaker: And he put it like, when you come in a league and you shooting from this side, and now you corrected it, and this money is like,
Speaker: That's all he's doing is just trusting the work.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: I think that's dope.
Speaker: I think, you know, he's a testament of, you know, confidence, you know, from a spiritual sense, it means with faith.
Speaker: That's what it means.
Speaker: That's the terminology of confidence, with faith.
Speaker: So if you don't have faithful belief in what you're doing and it's like, what are you doing it for?
Speaker: And, you know,
Speaker: over time you just get better because subconsciously you know that this shot is going to go in.
Speaker: Like I know no matter what, if I'm shooting it feels like this is going to go in.
Speaker: And he had a lot of pressure on him coming in the league.
Speaker: Usually with someone they even they're out of there three to four years because you're not as good as you are.
Speaker: He's improved every year.
Speaker: If you look at his stats, he's improved every year.
Speaker: So shots out.
Speaker: I mean, he curbed the torch for his family, his little brothers.
Speaker: He did it.
Speaker: So, I mean, he made it to the league so his little brother can come and shine.
Speaker: So I respect that.
Speaker: So, yeah, most improved.
Speaker: You got Julius Randle.
Speaker: Who gets six man of the year?
Speaker: Six man of the year.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: You know what's so crazy?
Speaker: I'm going to go with –
Speaker: Clarkson.
Speaker: That's what I already said.
Speaker: I'm going to go with Jordan Clarkson because winning is a big thing.
Speaker: And plus, Jordan Clarkson is like not only six man a year, but you got to think.
Speaker: He's got to be mentioned with most improved.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: To accept the role and not only accept it, like he's excelling it and attacking this role and headlocking this role to the point where
Speaker: You can tell already, I'm gonna predict it already.
Speaker: In his contracts and everything, future and moving forward.
Speaker: Yo, bro, don't start me, bro.
Speaker: Do not, listen, don't start.
Speaker: Want some Lou Will-ish?
Speaker: I'm the new Lou Will.
Speaker: I'm going for the off the bench numbers because you know what?
Speaker: I don't need that responsibility as a starter, but keep me in mind as a closer.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It ain't about because he understands it's not about who starts, it's who finishes.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: He understands.
Speaker: Those are valid.
Speaker: So now we go defensive player of the year.
Speaker: Who gets the defensive player of the year?
Speaker: Now the defensive player of the year, this way, this way the hater probably going to come out.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I mean, because I don't think it's Ben Simmons.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: We're going to talk about Ben Simmons.
Speaker: I got some energy for him.
Speaker: I got my notes for you brother.
Speaker: So it's right.
Speaker: So for the defensive player of the year, I'm going to go with somebody like Dan, they got an impact winning too.
Speaker: A great defender on a winning team.
Speaker: That's really good.
Speaker: I might have to go with Rudy again.
Speaker: Everybody hate on Rudy Gobert.
Speaker: But I'm going to go with him again because when them dudes be putting up them big numbers on them, that was like all a part of the plan for Utah.
Speaker: Like Utah be winning them games.
Speaker: But they win.
Speaker: They're like, we're going to let you go off.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: I like Rudy because, you know, he hang his hat on defense.
Speaker: And he ain't switch.
Speaker: He ain't trying to switch the narrative for his career midway through and just become a defender.
Speaker: Like, nah.
Speaker: Well, so, all right, Kyle, that's fair.
Speaker: Now we got what else we got?
Speaker: We got what?
Speaker: NBA MVP.
Speaker: Who gets it?
Speaker: This is probably the first year that I've been like, damn, even players on the losing team feel like they can get it.
Speaker: Like it's weird.
Speaker: Like I think about Steph, I think about Joel Embiid, I think about,
Speaker: LeBron's not in there.
Speaker: Jason Tatum, even though he's not really winning.
Speaker: I can't say Kyrie, but I mean, Kyrie's been, I don't know, bro.
Speaker: I don't.
Speaker: All right, I'll make it easier for you because it's a process of elimination.
Speaker: LeBron, you're out of here.
Speaker: Because the game's played.
Speaker: And B might be disqualified because the game's played, but I'm not sure.
Speaker: I think right now Joker should be – the Joker, right?
Speaker: Got Chris Paul.
Speaker: He's been playing decent.
Speaker: I think Chris Paul – I'm going to get to Chris Paul real quick.
Speaker: But guys that –
Speaker: really impact the game so much this year that was in the running.
Speaker: Like guys like James Harden, like, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker: He was up there, you know what I mean?
Speaker: But a lot of dudes, mostly all of them dudes from the top, they, they,
Speaker: They got, you know, the games played really messed them up.
Speaker: But Giannis, right?
Speaker: Giannis, this would have been, what, his third MVP in a row.
Speaker: So he's disqualified because the narrative.
Speaker: We ain't trying to get you three in a row.
Speaker: Boom, so you ain't getting it.
Speaker: And B, probably not, but what's her name, right?
Speaker: I said the Joker.
Speaker: Now, look, you said Chris Paul, right?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: People are starting to mention Chris Paul in there.
Speaker: And I'm thinking like, okay, I get it, but that's like a,
Speaker: You want to factor in like the fact that every team he been with, he made it.
Speaker: No, let's talk about this season and let's talk about what he did for this team.
Speaker: Great, right?
Speaker: Took him to the playoffs and everything.
Speaker: But I think like how rookie of the year, I said co-rookie of the year, right?
Speaker: If you give it to Chris Paul, you would have to just say, you know what, to make it right with the hoop lord.
Speaker: please be dual MVPs and say, only if we giving it to Chris Paul, we're gonna say Devin Booker too.
Speaker: And I know that ain't gonna happen.
Speaker: But all I'm saying is because of this, I know the NBA be owing people awards or feeling like they owe people awards and that's why they give it to them, right?
Speaker: I don't think it'd be fair to give Chris Paul any more awards under Devin Booker's watch because that is Devin Booker's city that he'd been struggling in for a while.
Speaker: And the only opportunity he did have to do something on his own, he did it last season in the bubble.
Speaker: They said you have to win every game.
Speaker: So what did Devin Booker go out and do?
Speaker: Win every game.
Speaker: and he didn't make the playoffs.
Speaker: Then he was not selected to the All-Star game.
Speaker: Chris Paul came and got selected to the All-Star game.
Speaker: So what does Devin Booker get for being Devin Booker?
Speaker: Because Chris Paul, you ain't go join a bum.
Speaker: You join Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and all them do.
Speaker: So all I'm saying is like, yo, Chris Paul, you might be canceled out because you have Devin Booker too, bro.
Speaker: So I don't know.
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: I just think it's unfair to Devin Booker.
Speaker: Yeah, so then you got Chris Paul.
Speaker: Give it to Joker.
Speaker: Give it to Joker.
Speaker: Hey, respect.
Speaker: Joker's been playing his butt off.
Speaker: Jamal Murray got hurt.
Speaker: Some guys got traded.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Got injured.
Speaker: Fair game.
Speaker: All right, let's get into these playoffs, man.
Speaker: I think like three or two games away from the NBA playoffs.
Speaker: Shouts out to the hoop lord.
Speaker: It's crazy.
Speaker: The play-in.
Speaker: The play-in, you mean.
Speaker: Elaborate on that.
Speaker: What is the play-in and why do we have the play-in?
Speaker: What is this all about?
Speaker: Is it a money generator?
Speaker: Is it to extend the postseason so we can have more TV time?
Speaker: I don't understand it.
Speaker: Where does this come from and why?
Speaker: If I'm not mistaken, it definitely gives players an opportunity to...
Speaker: to have memorable breakouts, right?
Speaker: And a play-in, memorable breakouts.
Speaker: So when we look at back in history, if I'm not mistaken, it was a bubble MVP given out last year for Michael Porter Jr. I don't know if that was the play-in per se MVP, but it may be.
Speaker: I mean, I don't know what that was specifically, but maybe they'll have like some play-in awards maybe, and there's an opportunity to pad your accolades.
Speaker: But as far as the...
Speaker: what it does, I guess it shows, it gives you the opportunity.
Speaker: Let's say if you was hobbled by COVID and injuries and stuff like that, right?
Speaker: And your record is not really what it is.
Speaker: Like, yo, we're better than this if we would have had our guys.
Speaker: That's the only reason why we attempt seed.
Speaker: Well, guess what?
Speaker: you can prove that y'all better than the six seed by playing them.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: So it is like teams get hot later and teams get healthy later.
Speaker: It can hurt or harm you, man.
Speaker: You can be trying to play yourself into that eighth spot or secure that eighth spot so bad and then your guys is worn out.
Speaker: for the play in.
Speaker: Look at Bradley Bill.
Speaker: Is his hamstring and ankle gonna be ready for the play in?
Speaker: Cause he out today.
Speaker: He out today.
Speaker: And an eight for the ninth seed, the Wizards.
Speaker: 10th.
Speaker: 10th, okay, okay, okay.
Speaker: So Russ is, you know, Russ playing for the record right now and he ready to have to do the impossible and win without Bill.
Speaker: And they need this game.
Speaker: They got hurt today or yesterday?
Speaker: the last minute of the last game when he had 50.
Speaker: Oh, he had 50?
Speaker: See, I haven't been watching the Wizards.
Speaker: I know, I just know Russ had shots from your highlights.
Speaker: He blocked the shots.
Speaker: That was that game.
Speaker: Russ had an unbelievable triple-double again, and Bill had 50 that game.
Speaker: Did he break the record for Oscar Robinson?
Speaker: He tied it.
Speaker: He's breaking it today.
Speaker: Okay, got it.
Speaker: That's amazing.
Speaker: Shouts out to Russ, man.
Speaker: I don't know the guy, but the guy is phenomenal.
Speaker: I love Russ.
Speaker: 2020, you know what I mean?
Speaker: I love Russ, man.
Speaker: So, you know, are the Lakers in the eighth seed or seventh seed?
Speaker: Lakers currently are in.
Speaker: They in the play-in.
Speaker: Just know that they in the play-in.
Speaker: They in the seventh seed currently.
Speaker: So what teams have to play in the last three?
Speaker: Six, seven, and eight?
Speaker: I think seven.
Speaker: Seven through ten.
Speaker: Oh, okay.
Speaker: That's fair.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: That should be, man, that should be.
Speaker: Yeah, I think so.
Speaker: And who's number one in the West and who's number one in the East?
Speaker: Is it the Nets and the Jazz?
Speaker: No, that's, yeah, it's the Jazz for sure and Sixers.
Speaker: What?
Speaker: Huh?
Speaker: When did they, what?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So the Sixers made number one with Doc Rivers into the season.
Speaker: They got your boy Jolette Embiid.
Speaker: They got J. Cole.
Speaker: I mean, Tobias Hurst.
Speaker: And then got a defensive player of the year.
Speaker: I mean, Ben Simmons.
Speaker: I'm sorry.
Speaker: Or supposed to be defensive player of the year.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: Let's talk about that guy.
Speaker: Ben Simmons.
Speaker: BS.
Speaker: So what is –
Speaker: I don't really want to say it's hate, but I feel like you like to challenge guys that are great because you see so much potential in them.
Speaker: What is it about Ben Simmons that you would like to see from him?
Speaker: Or what is it from Ben Simmons you would like for him to do for them to be a contender?
Speaker: Because I feel like he has so much potential, but I feel like him not taking jump shots does affect the entire team because it's part of the game.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: This is a three point error we live in and everybody can agree with that.
Speaker: The three pointer has changed the way everybody watches the game, analyze the game and everything is a big part of the game.
Speaker: And it's flat out worth more than two.
Speaker: You can't have a player on your team that's reluctant to shoot or do anything to help the team win for that matter.
Speaker: So if there's something on a team that any player refuses to do,
Speaker: then I'm not rocking with that.
Speaker: Especially if he's the quote unquote point guard and felt entitled to that position.
Speaker: Like, yo, I'm the point guard, put the ball in my hand.
Speaker: And he talks like he's a point guard.
Speaker: He passes and everything like a point guard, but it's like this, bro.
Speaker: You can't be...
Speaker: hesitant or just flat out reluctant to shoot the ball.
Speaker: Because at that point, it doesn't make basketball sense.
Speaker: It's not really good basketball as far as spacing the floor.
Speaker: It's playing four on five offensively.
Speaker: We can get somebody smaller and more willing to shoot the ball.
Speaker: I mean, you can't be unwilling to do nothing on a basketball court.
Speaker: It's something that's general, like shooting a basketball.
Speaker: I mean, look at Giannis.
Speaker: Giannis is not a great shooter, but
Speaker: shoots the ball.
Speaker: Even Eric Snow back in the day shot the ball.
Speaker: Rajah Rondo shoots the ball.
Speaker: Like these guys are not great shooters, but they shoot the ball.
Speaker: Magic Johnson.
Speaker: I mean, just enough to keep the defense honest.
Speaker: Even Mark L. Foltz.
Speaker: Yo, you brought up Mark L. Foltz, right?
Speaker: Think about Mark L. Foltz for a minute.
Speaker: This kid...
Speaker: had an unforeseen freak accident that he probably wasn't even able to share with people what exactly happened, because he probably messed this contract up.
Speaker: It was off the court injury, and then some workouts, whatever they said, he was shooting with weight balls, whatever happened,
Speaker: he lost the whole muscle memory of his jump shot.
Speaker: Like it was off, ligament damage or something.
Speaker: And he had to reconstruct his jump shot and it looked terrible.
Speaker: One of the worst jump shots we ever seen in the NBA.
Speaker: And he shot through it.
Speaker: He shot through it looking like the guard version of Bill Cartwright out there, looking crazy.
Speaker: And he was willing to look crazy, but you're not going to just dare me to shoot out here.
Speaker: You're not just going to let me.
Speaker: Lonzo Ball in his first game, and I think Patrick Beverly was terrorizing him.
Speaker: Lonzo Ball was shooting that broke shit.
Speaker: He was like 1 to 15.
Speaker: Doing, doing, doing, doing.
Speaker: I'm shooting it, they leaving me open.
Speaker: Another example, in this right here, I put it in my book.
Speaker: I'm not even gonna get a title in my book right now.
Speaker: I know you know it, but- I was talking about it, I got it in my notes.
Speaker: Okay, yeah, for sure, man.
Speaker: I put it in my book for a reason because I think it sums up my problem with Ben Simmons.
Speaker: Because people say, well, that's not what he's out there to do.
Speaker: He's not a shooter.
Speaker: That's not his role on the team.
Speaker: Anybody to say that, I challenge them.
Speaker: Is Zion's role a three-point shooter?
Speaker: No.
Speaker: No.
Speaker: He's not a shooter.
Speaker: He's not a three-point shooter.
Speaker: But in his very first game, his very first game, he was having a –
Speaker: Very underwhelming performance.
Speaker: Everybody was like hyped to see something.
Speaker: We wasn't seeing none.
Speaker: He wasn't showing us nothing.
Speaker: And then Papa Bitch said, you know what?
Speaker: Put a nail in the coffin.
Speaker: Let the rookie, leave him wide open.
Speaker: He ain't gonna do nothing.
Speaker: He ain't about that life.
Speaker: And the boy hit four straight threes.
Speaker: Blew everybody's mind because he was willing to shoot the ball.
Speaker: You have to be willing to shoot the ball.
Speaker: Great things happen when you just let it fly.
Speaker: It's basketball.
Speaker: I say in my book, I say something like a painter paints, a singer sings.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: Like certain things you just got to do.
Speaker: A batter swings, you know what I'm saying?
Speaker: But basically just shoot the damn ball.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: It's basketball.
Speaker: And I think the thing for me from a psychological position or human psychology position when I'm looking at him, I think the sad thing from my perspective is that I know he knows it affects him.
Speaker: his game and his team.
Speaker: It's like he knows.
Speaker: I remember back in junior college, I got recruited to be a point guard my last year, high school up, I started, I ran to one.
Speaker: But I didn't really, it wasn't a traditional point guard.
Speaker: I just, I knew how to get people to ball, I knew how to, you know,
Speaker: But then we had like a second year senior in gym college strapping me up, right, in practice.
Speaker: You know, I'm a freshman.
Speaker: I ain't really lift weights like that.
Speaker: And so the guys on the sideline are like, yo, call the cops, call the cops.
Speaker: We need help.
Speaker: We need help.
Speaker: I felt it because I was Apple turnover.
Speaker: They put that pressure on.
Speaker: shaky.
Speaker: And so I knew, you know instinctively that this was affecting my confidence and affected how my coach viewed me and the team in general.
Speaker: Despite anything else I did well, that was fine.
Speaker: So as a player, when you get paid the amount of money he's getting paid, I don't think it's about the pay scale, it's about just being a professional.
Speaker: I feel like you're held accountable and you're held to a higher standard.
Speaker: I keep down in his subconscious mind, he knows he has to get his shot right.
Speaker: or he is not going to work.
Speaker: Like it's not his, it's like even LeBron shot the ball.
Speaker: He wasn't a great shooter his freshman, sophomore year.
Speaker: He shot the ball, bro.
Speaker: So I would like to question his team and the people around him.
Speaker: Like what is the feedback?
Speaker: Because if he my homie, hey, bro, you got to shoot the ball.
Speaker: Yeah, man, I don't come still getting like 15 and 10.
Speaker: Like, yeah, but they ain't going to cut it in the playoffs.
Speaker: It's one thing to have, it's one thing to lack confidence.
Speaker: And then it's a whole other thing to have confidence and just be so stubborn, unwilling and toxic that you just don't care who your choices affect.
Speaker: Like, yo, I don't want to shoot because y'all too worried about me shooting.
Speaker: No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker: You see, you focus on the fact that we would love you to shoot.
Speaker: You focus on that too much.
Speaker: We only would love you to shoot because it's a major part of basketball.
Speaker: You will be better.
Speaker: We will be better.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It will be like we'll all be having an understanding.
Speaker: We like so he really throwing off a lot of things and he confuses me man.
Speaker: It's mind boggling.
Speaker: And the thing is I let you know I got a note and I was going to talk about Russell Westbrook.
Speaker: It's like Russell Westbrook has the athleticism that Ben Simmons owns and has right now, sees the floor.
Speaker: He can do everything Ben Simmons does.
Speaker: And this jump shot is not the best.
Speaker: He shoots the ball, though.
Speaker: So what's your difference when we talk about confidence and showing up as a professional and doing the work?
Speaker: How do you describe, how do you see, what makes Russell Westbrook so good outside of all the things we know?
Speaker: He's good at it.
Speaker: He's athletic.
Speaker: He's driven.
Speaker: He's confident.
Speaker: Why do you think he's able to average triple doubles for seasons?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I always say,
Speaker: It's not the person's game, it's who they are, right?
Speaker: It's the little things they do well and what they know about their skill.
Speaker: Some people say AI, he just had it.
Speaker: It wasn't like he was shooting 100 shots, 1,000 shots a day.
Speaker: That's what Kobe was doing.
Speaker: AI was just coming straight, I'm going to be 35 a night, what's up?
Speaker: Right, right, right.
Speaker: Party and whatever.
Speaker: Who knows?
Speaker: He just had it.
Speaker: So with Russ,
Speaker: What is it about him that you see or that you know?
Speaker: I mean, you used to cut his hair out.
Speaker: You met him.
Speaker: You know, he was in a barbershop, you know.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: You know the guy.
Speaker: I talked to him and, you know, just a guy like that, man.
Speaker: Hey, man, it's one word.
Speaker: It's audacity.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: See, he has the audacity to
Speaker: to do what he does first.
Speaker: That's what he had first.
Speaker: He saw the Michael Jordans, the AIs, the Kobe's.
Speaker: He know everybody that came before him.
Speaker: He knows who gets remembered is the legendary people.
Speaker: He looked up to a guy like Nipsey.
Speaker: He's one of the guys who he knew when Nipsey was alive that Nipsey was driven by something different
Speaker: then these other rappers are driven by.
Speaker: They're driven by, what Nipsey is driven by is like what Russ is driven by.
Speaker: He's driven by the idea of creating a legacy.
Speaker: That is like,
Speaker: for doing the unthinkable.
Speaker: Bigger than what you're doing.
Speaker: That's the unthinkable that really, that's revolutionary.
Speaker: That's pushing the envelope.
Speaker: That's gonna make somebody be the next you.
Speaker: See, people gotta always, when you put yourself in that thing, like, yo, I'm doing this, so the next me is gonna have to work so much hard and just respect the game so much.
Speaker: They're gonna have to respect the game so much.
Speaker: to be the next Russell Westbrook.
Speaker: And that's what people got to understand.
Speaker: Oscar Robinson was a mythical dragon.
Speaker: We used to hear about this guy.
Speaker: He was a myth.
Speaker: We couldn't fathom how it would look for somebody to do it.
Speaker: So what we did was use technology to fathom it.
Speaker: We played video games and tried to go out and have a triple-double.
Speaker: Playing NBA Live.
Speaker: We had to see how this shit must have looked.
Speaker: And Russell Westbrook is a human video game.
Speaker: He's showing you, no, no, no, no.
Speaker: If he can do it, then you know it could be done.
Speaker: Let's stop imagining.
Speaker: Let's be great.
Speaker: So now that Kevin Durant is out my way, what's my motive?
Speaker: What's my, oh, that triple-double.
Speaker: Because the year KD, the year before KD left, Russ damn near averaged a triple-double.
Speaker: Yeah, he did.
Speaker: Russ damn near averaged a triple double.
Speaker: A lot of the years he didn't average a triple double, just like Oscar Robinson was doing.
Speaker: And people always remember the triple double season.
Speaker: And what they don't realize is that they always say, Russ stat pad, or he's trying to do this, trying to do that.
Speaker: That's one of the biggest misconceptions of Russell Westbrook is that like, yo, and Oscar Robinson.
Speaker: Oscar Robinson was trying to do it in order to be great.
Speaker: You have to try to do it first.
Speaker: You have to do it on purpose.
Speaker: This shit is by design.
Speaker: Russell Westbrook is a hunter.
Speaker: He's hunting every rebound, hunting assists, hunting points.
Speaker: So he does this shit on purpose.
Speaker: Absolutely.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: And it do translate to wins.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: I mean, they like to say, man, the Michael Jordan era.
Speaker: I think LeBron and Melo and that era is about to be over.
Speaker: But man, like Russell Westbrook's LeBron, he's in there.
Speaker: KD's in there.
Speaker: Kyrie.
Speaker: Man, let's talk about Steph, bro.
Speaker: Steph Curry, man.
Speaker: He went to Davidson, bro.
Speaker: the Davidson, mid-major, Steph Carradine.
Speaker: He's the reason everybody's shooting three points.
Speaker: He is.
Speaker: Like, come on, Steph, like, who?
Speaker: He revolutionized the game.
Speaker: You know, props to another dude that I met before, Mark Jackson, Coach Mark Jackson.
Speaker: I haven't met Steph before.
Speaker: I met Klay Thompson before.
Speaker: I remember we was blowing.
Speaker: We was blowing the backwoods.
Speaker: I was blowing with Michael Thompson, right?
Speaker: Klay brother.
Speaker: And I was blowing with my man Austin Day too.
Speaker: Shout out to Austin Day.
Speaker: I tried to pass the L to Klay.
Speaker: Klay was looking at me at the club like, yo, you tripping trying to pass him.
Speaker: I'm like, man, he just was blowing, but nah, nothing to hear.
Speaker: But anyway, but yeah, step back to Steph.
Speaker: Listen, Mark Jackson, once he put the battery in his back,
Speaker: and told the world, put the world on notice that he had the Splash Brothers and that they was the best backcourt to ever play the game.
Speaker: It been a wrap.
Speaker: Steph, it's just, once you are allowed, when you're allowed by the coach, the system or whatever, when you're allowed to be great and there's no cap, put on your greatness, sky's the limit.
Speaker: Mark Jackson knows that he's a player's coach.
Speaker: See, player's coaches, they don't even last that long in his league.
Speaker: They empower players too much.
Speaker: Earl Watson, for example,
Speaker: was the coach of Phoenix Suns when Devin Booker had 70.
Speaker: Devin Booker was like 20 years old.
Speaker: He has no business dropping 70.
Speaker: Who would let him do such a thing in a loss?
Speaker: Earl Watson.
Speaker: Earl Watson, a coach that understands I gotta empower him.
Speaker: He wants to be Kobe.
Speaker: Kobe said go out and be great.
Speaker: He's trying it.
Speaker: I wanna sit on a bench and watch him try to be great.
Speaker: Not for this game.
Speaker: for his future yeah empower him so so that's why mark jackson was like go ahead yeah listen 15 threes a game shoot 20. yeah be great no lid on you no lid on you see it was a lid put on island iverson for a while because you had to keep them in some type of you know groove to get where you want to get and i and you know
Speaker: It's just crazy.
Speaker: When you talk about Steph, man, that's all he needed was that.
Speaker: Yeah, and I love Steph because he put in the work.
Speaker: Like, I go watch these guys work out.
Speaker: I want to see the energy.
Speaker: I want to see how they stay consistent, how they, you know, the guy puts in the work, you know, and I respect the work.
Speaker: You know, the reason I like LeBron is LeBron puts in the work.
Speaker: Right now he might have ways I'm like, all right LeBron, you can just be quiet and just show up.
Speaker: But he puts in the work.
Speaker: I mean, a lot of people don't like him, but he does the work.
Speaker: I mean, he's three ball now.
Speaker: He's never shot the three ball.
Speaker: So guys like Steph, Russ, they show up every game.
Speaker: So it's like Ben Simmons, I like Ben Simmons.
Speaker: I'm a fan, but I like him.
Speaker: Ben, I just hit the ball, bro.
Speaker: Listen to this.
Speaker: If Ben Simmons goes to the gym, right?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And puts up a thousand shots.
Speaker: you know what that would be called that'll be called putting in work yeah if lebron james go to the gym and shoot a thousand shots that's called lebron james waking up that's called lebron james tying his shoes that's called lebron james breathing that's just called it ain't work
Speaker: when you love it and know who you are.
Speaker: Dribbling two basketballs every which way and shooting three, that's, I might as well be playing Uno.
Speaker: Like what, this ain't nothing, this ain't work.
Speaker: That's, nigga, what?
Speaker: Give me a challenge.
Speaker: This is nothing.
Speaker: Work is when I gotta put this shit on somebody in the finals and I'm too careless because I'm so confident and damn, I done turned it over.
Speaker: Oh shit, I got locked in.
Speaker: Oh, this shit might get in.
Speaker: That might be a little tougher.
Speaker: But this is me.
Speaker: Russell Westbrook, he loved the process so much that him running up the sand dunes and him doing all that stuff offseason, come on, man.
Speaker: Y'all can look at it as work, but he just like, this is the reason.
Speaker: That's my rebound.
Speaker: Oh, that 50-50 ball?
Speaker: It belongs to me.
Speaker: I'm entitled to every rebound.
Speaker: I'm entitled to every assist.
Speaker: My teammates know it.
Speaker: If Bradley's Bills scored 50, that's because I fed him all game.
Speaker: So to be that great of a player to where you change the system,
Speaker: We talking about Steph, LeBron and Russ, guys like that.
Speaker: You know, the system changes like big men on Russ teams know, I think I should get out on the, you know, go get to my spot because when this ball come off the rim, it's Russ's.
Speaker: It belongs to Russ.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: The system players.
Speaker: Yeah, man.
Speaker: And, you know, you respect those guys.
Speaker: They paid the way for the young guys, the Java Ranks, the Zions, the LaMelo Balls, the Terry Roziers, the Jason Tatums, you know, Josh Shea from Oklahoma.
Speaker: Oh, I love Shea.
Speaker: I love Shea.
Speaker: Yeah, he's great.
Speaker: Let's tap into, like, you know, women's sports and, you know, women's basketball to be exact.
Speaker: You said like a few months ago, and I was like, Q sound crazy.
Speaker: What is he talking about?
Speaker: They should lower the rims.
Speaker: Like, what are you trying to say?
Speaker: Women can't dunk on regular rims, bro?
Speaker: You taking shots at women?
Speaker: These are my thoughts, right?
Speaker: These are my perspective.
Speaker: But then I think a few months after that, you explained it.
Speaker: So can you kind of like break down your analogy or your perception of why you think women
Speaker: the WNBA should lower the rims for women's sports for their game.
Speaker: And how is that beneficial?
Speaker: Not only for the players, but for the game itself from an entertainment standpoint.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Strictly for, for, for entertainment.
Speaker: That's what, that was my initial thing for entertainment.
Speaker: And also,
Speaker: For empowerment, I think it'll empower a lot of women and young females that love this game.
Speaker: It'll empower them to see
Speaker: that representation in a dunking space, right?
Speaker: You have a whole culture that is dunking, right?
Speaker: So to see women representing that better than they're representing now, the whole barely dunking thing.
Speaker: And that's cool.
Speaker: I appreciate the Fran Beliebis and all of the Britney grinders and the women that dunk, but I'm talking about like,
Speaker: In volleyball, when you got a smaller ball for the women, I mean, a smaller net, right?
Speaker: It's not the same height, right?
Speaker: So they're able to spike because that's a part that you can't deprive them of, right?
Speaker: And that's why the basketball is smaller for women.
Speaker: So they can shoot more accurate, right?
Speaker: So it's not nothing derogatory or anything like that to make the game more genetically modified for a woman.
Speaker: As Courtney Williams said, she played for the Atlanta Dream and I had a conversation on live with her.
Speaker: She's in favor of lowering the rim for the women.
Speaker: Atlanta Deladon is in favor of lowering the rim for women.
Speaker: She's a former MVP of the WNBA.
Speaker: Gino Auriemma is the coach for...
Speaker: you know, legendary coach for UConn's women.
Speaker: So he's in favor of it too.
Speaker: So it's plenty of them out there that are in favor of it.
Speaker: And it's some leagues that's going to pop up pretty soon that's going to give these women opportunities.
Speaker: Shout out to Courtney Williams again, because she just put on an event in Atlanta that no WNBA players was allowed to attend because they fear this.
Speaker: You know, but some professionals did attend.
Speaker: It was called Women Above the Rim.
Speaker: And I just think it got, it's a future in the women's dunk.
Speaker: I think it would lead to more endorsements, shoe deals, things like that.
Speaker: Just bring more eyes from the casual basketball fan.
Speaker: Cause I think that matters a lot.
Speaker: The casual fan has to want to watch.
Speaker: I mean, imagine the women just coming down, just dunking on someone.
Speaker: I mean, I would love to see what that looks like.
Speaker: Like,
Speaker: A lot of people would.
Speaker: A lot of people would.
Speaker: And, you know, and I have, you know, I respect the integrity of the game so much that I wouldn't even propose something that's like, that's like taken away from it, but I think that'll enhance it.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And I think women deserve the opportunity to generate more revenue for their sport and for themselves to be a brand outside of sports just like the guys are.
Speaker: I mean, why not?
Speaker: I mean, you got young women coming up that are dunking, but I think the entertainment side and just, you know, the viewership and people wanting to see more because there's girls out there that can really hoop, but we don't know who they are.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: When I was young, when I was coming up, I didn't know how –
Speaker: tall the rim was, I still was trying to dunk it though.
Speaker: But it could have been 80 feet.
Speaker: I still was going to try to.
Speaker: So why not do that?
Speaker: It comes down to really the equal opportunity to entertain and to get that bag.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: Have some separation, have some dominance.
Speaker: Have a woman that's out there.
Speaker: They're like, man, that's not even fair, man.
Speaker: She got crazy hops.
Speaker: And then you got to look at it like, since Duncan is a whole subculture, look at how dribbling and everything kind of got enhanced from the and one league, right?
Speaker: The and one tour.
Speaker: A lot of people look at it, a lot of purists look at it like that's not basketball.
Speaker: So how did Rafer Austin
Speaker: translate fine in the NBA.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: It is basketball.
Speaker: And even if it ain't,
Speaker: It empowered all of them dudes, the hot sauces, the main events, the, you know, the all them characters, the Aaron Owens, the professor.
Speaker: It empowered them.
Speaker: It empowered them through the game of basketball.
Speaker: And it wasn't called the NBA.
Speaker: So another league could pop up and do it if the WNBA ain't careful.
Speaker: And I think they should, man.
Speaker: I think women's sports deserve that, you know, that extra push to generate more revenue for the players.
Speaker: I mean, I don't know any WNBA player that,
Speaker: gets a million dollar contract.
Speaker: No, it ain't happening.
Speaker: They get their money overseas.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And that's messed up.
Speaker: They got to go to another country to get their money.
Speaker: I feel like, you know, that should be what it is.
Speaker: So you spoke briefly that you have a book coming out and you ain't got the title, but just give us, you know, just like in big picture, you know, version, like what is it really about and what was your creation behind it?
Speaker: Because I don't know how long you've been working on it, but I know we talked about it for some time.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I just wanted to put some, I feel like in basketball is a lot of unwritten rules.
Speaker: So I felt as though somebody got to write them.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Don't leave them unwritten.
Speaker: For an example, I got on...
Speaker: I got a chapter about the heat check, right?
Speaker: I got a chapter about the heat check, meaning like you're entitled to another three pointer if you just hit two in a row.
Speaker: The team should look for you.
Speaker: Everybody should be in agreeance that he deserves a heat check.
Speaker: Like little simple things like that.
Speaker: Shooting the ball, you have to be willing
Speaker: to shoot and you should never be unwilling to shoot when open, right?
Speaker: That is a chapter about that.
Speaker: The question I have before you move forward.
Speaker: So what if you can't shoot?
Speaker: What is the solution for that?
Speaker: Like if I'm on your team, you're the point guard, I'm a small forward.
Speaker: I know for sure I can't shoot the ball, but you want me to be willing.
Speaker: How do we fix that within me to make it make sense to that chapter in the book?
Speaker: I can't shoot, I know I can't shoot, but you want me to be willing.
Speaker: No, yeah, I just don't think it's a such thing unless the player, now unless they start letting
Speaker: you know, no disrespect, like paraplegics and people like that, like people with no hands and stuff like that play the game.
Speaker: Like if you're not, because you're able to.
Speaker: Oh, you're saying you're able to.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: If you're able, see, you cannot be unwilling to do anything you're physically able to do.
Speaker: You can't do that in a team sport.
Speaker: You can't do that, yo.
Speaker: You can't do that.
Speaker: You can't even do that in any professional sport.
Speaker: If Floyd Mayweather looked at his dad and looked at his corner and said, I'm not throwing a jab.
Speaker: Forget about it.
Speaker: I'm just not throwing a jab.
Speaker: No.
Speaker: Dad, I hear you, but no.
Speaker: Floyd, you know you dominate with the jab.
Speaker: No.
Speaker: No.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: So it's just different.
Speaker: Like, it's like a batter, like, you know, it's like, it's like if somebody in warmups was hitting, knocking home runs off the park.
Speaker: But in the game, he had five at bats and looked at three strikes.
Speaker: You're out.
Speaker: Why do you swing?
Speaker: I like practice.
Speaker: You're not taking jump shots.
Speaker: You take the jump shots in practice.
Speaker: All you have to do is swing.
Speaker: I know you're not the best hitter.
Speaker: Just swing.
Speaker: Not to mention in warm-ups, he was knocking them out the park.
Speaker: So it's different.
Speaker: Ben Simmons, they hit eight threes in a row in warm-ups.
Speaker: And then not shoot.
Speaker: And then when the game is out of reach, he'll shoot a three.
Speaker: And you'll be like, dang, and drain it.
Speaker: You'll be like, wait, wait a minute.
Speaker: Or you'll have Dwight Howard with more threes this year than you.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I said that as a joke in a B-C-H-E season, but it's real.
Speaker: Two quotes that come up for me for Ben Simmons that, which we resist will persist, and what we don't defeat, we destined to repeat.
Speaker: You know what I'm saying?
Speaker: Yo, wild people says we on porn right now.
Speaker: He said y'all on porn air right now.
Speaker: The fuck is they talking about, man?
Speaker: They think this ain't porn, huh?
Speaker: What the fuck is going
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: That's crazy.
Speaker: But yeah, man.
Speaker: So, you know, we got that.
Speaker: So, come on.
Speaker: It's going to win a championship this year.
Speaker: Man, it's going to come down to who's healthy.
Speaker: It's going to come down to
Speaker: Who's healthy at the right time?
Speaker: Who's superstar is healthy at the right time, man?
Speaker: Because I knew injuries and all type of health protocols and things like that was gonna play a part, but this is crazy.
Speaker: This is crazy.
Speaker: It's so unpredictable.
Speaker: Right now, I don't know.
Speaker: I mean, are we gonna have, is it gonna be Sixers versus Denver?
Speaker: Is it gonna be Brooklyn versus, everybody wanna see Brooklyn versus LA.
Speaker: Everybody wants to see Brooklyn Lakers and it don't look like it's going to be that way.
Speaker: And if LeBron do come back and go crazy and they win it this year, God, that'd be crazy.
Speaker: I don't, I mean, I see them getting, making it to the second round, possibly making it to the rest of the season.
Speaker: I don't feel like they're going to get, I don't know, something like, they're just too banged up, man.
Speaker: Everybody's just so, I mean, everybody's banged up, let's be clear.
Speaker: But, you know, I see, I wouldn't be surprised if Phoenix get to the conference finals, maybe the Clippers.
Speaker: But definitely, I feel like the Nets, they're going to be there for some reason.
Speaker: The next – Nuggets, I don't know.
Speaker: The next one, it's hard to stop.
Speaker: I mean, we ain't see them all three, but you can imagine.
Speaker: I don't know how much defense they – or – I don't know how much defense they going to actually need if nobody had that power – that firepower that they got.
Speaker: 30, 25, and 20 every night.
Speaker: Like, I mean, how can y'all lose?
Speaker: Then you get 17, 12 on the bench or 15 from a few guys.
Speaker: That's hard to beat.
Speaker: Yeah, man.
Speaker: So just briefly, it's a bonus, man.
Speaker: You know your father now.
Speaker: You got a little one, man.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: How does that journey, how has that journey been and how does it make you feel as an individual?
Speaker: And what does it do for you on a day-to-day basis?
Speaker: Because I know you always say every day you learn something different.
Speaker: Yeah, man.
Speaker: I always felt I had purpose, you know what I mean, in life to, like, help people, inspire people, you know, teach what I learn and everything.
Speaker: So I just think that, you know, with having a son now is, like, I really have that purpose manifest.
Speaker: Like, you know what I mean, that he is my purpose.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: So, yeah.
Speaker: So the things that I'm...
Speaker: that i want to do and you know inspire teach help you know love um i got a lot to give you know a lot of wisdom and i believe i got a lot to give so i i have somebody to give it directly to and especially through the game of basketball because it's it's a tough world to navigate through right so i'm never gonna you know leave him alone you know i mean gotta be gotta be a um
Speaker: a great example to him and just, I want to create a platform that he can grow up through the game of basketball and learn life through, through basketball and knowing that, you know, he don't gotta, you know, do it, but, but he going to be, you know, he's going to have all the tools to do it.
Speaker: You know what I mean?
Speaker: And have a life involving basketball.
Speaker: And, you know what I mean?
Speaker: That's the biggest thing to me.
Speaker: I mean, I've watched a young kid.
Speaker: He's three years old, man.
Speaker: Four now.
Speaker: Four now.
Speaker: Oh, he's four now.
Speaker: He's six or seven.
Speaker: He's not a dribble, layup, form.
Speaker: He got a little dance after like he's Steph Curry or LaMelo.
Speaker: He do voiceovers.
Speaker: I mean, kids are phenomenal, man.
Speaker: They inspire me a lot.
Speaker: voiceovers.
Speaker: He's four years old.
Speaker: It's like you put him in a position to give him confidence.
Speaker: And I think that's the most valuable thing you can do for a kid is put him in a position to earn confidence.
Speaker: He's not going to be afraid to speak in front of people.
Speaker: He's not going to be afraid to read out loud.
Speaker: He's not going to be afraid to exercise his gift or his gifting.
Speaker: I think it's very vital and important for parents to know that, yeah, your kids are not going to be perfect and they're not going to do everything you don't need.
Speaker: want them to do but you can put instill confidence within them yeah need to be for themselves outside of what you teach them because even the thing that you give them he also going to find his thing that he likes and he's going to be dominant and so i just respect you for that i like i like that energy on you appreciate you man
Speaker: You know, it's like you really be giving your all to your son and trying to make him the best individual he can be from your perspective.
Speaker: And I guess, for me, I don't really get to see that too often with guys and with their sons.
Speaker: But it looks good.
Speaker: You can see it's transferring over because he's picking it up.
Speaker: He has his ways and his days like we all do.
Speaker: He's a kid.
Speaker: But that's inspirational, bro.
Speaker: So keep that going.
Speaker: Keep it up.
Speaker: My phone is about to die.
Speaker: But anyway, before we get off.
Speaker: Let me get him on here to say hi to him.
Speaker: Say hi to you real quick.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: My guy.
Speaker: Little Q. Lord Jr. Say hi to him.
Speaker: Lord Jr. That's a good name.
Speaker: He wanted to say hi to you.
Speaker: Oh, now he can't see me.
Speaker: Hey, what's up, man?
Speaker: What's up?
Speaker: What you doing?
Speaker: Playing basketball?
Speaker: What you doing?
Speaker: I don't know what you're doing.
Speaker: You don't know what you're doing?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Oh, you don't feel like talking right now?
Speaker: All right, man.
Speaker: All right, little Trey, yo.
Speaker: Little kid.
Speaker: All right, you want to go back in here?
Speaker: All right, here we go.
Speaker: I get so tired.
Speaker: You get so tired?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: He just woke up.
Speaker: You got to let a kid, bro.
Speaker: Getting so tired, yo.
Speaker: He's a finessa, bro.
Speaker: He's good.
Speaker: So yeah, like, you know, you know, so what do you got coming out?
Speaker: I know you got the book coming out soon.
Speaker: You know, this is your official Instagram, the Hoop Lord official.
Speaker: You got one to sign up.
Speaker: That's your personal.
Speaker: But yeah, bro, like, keep doing what you- I appreciate you having me on, man.
Speaker: Yeah, it was fun, man, just to talk basketball.
Speaker: The playoffs about to come, and I think-
Speaker: People will take a lot from this convo.
Speaker: I put it up on my page and it's going to be on my podcast too.
Speaker: So what I'm doing is I'm taking my links from my IG live, putting it on my YouTube and then snatch it off, putting it on my podcast.
Speaker: It's content to live forever.
Speaker: Even if people don't get to see it, they can hear it.
Speaker: Yeah, that's dope.
Speaker: But thank you.
Speaker: Thank you for your time and energy.
Speaker: Yeah, man.
Speaker: Appreciate you, man.
Speaker: I see you soon.
Speaker: By the way, people don't know.
Speaker: I'll be getting my first cuts.
Speaker: Q get me right you know what I'm saying I got you man you do for one bro keep doing big things bro I have no choice my guy peace peace so yeah the hoop lord official follow him that's my guy Q and yeah he talks basketball life he tapped in so follow him
Speaker: get some basketball inspiration.
Speaker: His son, Little Q, Kushan, he actually does voiceovers on his dad's page.
Speaker: Go check it out.
Speaker: It's funny.
Speaker: It's inspirational.
Speaker: Yeah, guys.
Speaker: Thank you for joining me.
Speaker: This will go up on my page.
Speaker: You guys have a phenomenal, phenomenal day.
Speaker: What's today?
Speaker: Monday?
Speaker: Damn, we're back at it again.
Speaker: Happy Monday.
Speaker: Have a great week.
Speaker: Be safe.
Speaker: See you guys soon.
Speaker: Peace and love.
Speaker: Gratitude.
