1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,680 There's like this whole balance of what it takes to be successful, 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:04,760 and there's different ways to do it. 3 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,199 I think it's it's helped me a lot in terms of how I communicate and how I see things, 4 00:00:09,199 --> 00:00:13,119 because I've seen success done so many different ways. 5 00:00:17,321 --> 00:00:21,039 Welcome to another episode of Nasdaq's The Winning Formula, 6 00:00:21,039 --> 00:00:24,700 presented by the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team. 7 00:00:24,700 --> 00:00:26,740 We have a very special guest today, 8 00:00:26,740 --> 00:00:31,260 president of the NBA most Improved Player in 2016, 9 00:00:31,260 --> 00:00:33,160 NBA vet CJ McCollum. 10 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:34,660 Thank you so much for joining us today. 11 00:00:34,660 --> 00:00:35,200 Thanks for having. 12 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:35,540 Me. 13 00:00:35,540 --> 00:00:36,920 Appreciate it. Yes, sir. 14 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:38,419 Uh, I want to, you know, 15 00:00:38,419 --> 00:00:39,759 before we get to the off the court stuff, 16 00:00:39,759 --> 00:00:42,980 I really want to actually talk about this past season where, you know, 17 00:00:42,980 --> 00:00:44,540 obviously it was, uh, 18 00:00:44,540 --> 00:00:47,200 injuries that affected the team's kind of progress in the year. 19 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:48,920 But from an output perspective, 20 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:50,199 at this juncture of your career, 21 00:00:50,199 --> 00:00:52,599 we're seeing still high output games, 22 00:00:52,599 --> 00:00:56,660 great productivity at this juncture of your career now being, you know, firmly in vet. 23 00:00:56,660 --> 00:00:58,880 What do you owe kind of the longevity and 24 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,589 the consistency you've been able to kind of put out, you know, 25 00:01:01,589 --> 00:01:03,490 coming from Portland all the way to this point, 26 00:01:03,490 --> 00:01:05,409 because the longevity part sometimes is the 27 00:01:05,409 --> 00:01:08,010 hardest to maintain in an NBA. That's always changing. 28 00:01:08,010 --> 00:01:09,930 No, I think it's the the mindset. 29 00:01:09,930 --> 00:01:11,170 It's how you approach the game. 30 00:01:11,170 --> 00:01:12,529 It's what you dedicate towards it, 31 00:01:12,529 --> 00:01:14,030 the consistency and the work ethic, 32 00:01:14,030 --> 00:01:15,469 the preparation, what you eat, 33 00:01:15,469 --> 00:01:16,529 what time you go to sleep, 34 00:01:16,529 --> 00:01:17,650 how you train, when you train, 35 00:01:17,650 --> 00:01:18,949 when you take days off, 36 00:01:18,949 --> 00:01:20,170 what you do to decompress. 37 00:01:20,170 --> 00:01:21,650 I think all those things factor in. 38 00:01:21,650 --> 00:01:23,209 Obviously, you get a little bit of luck in terms 39 00:01:23,209 --> 00:01:24,890 of injuries and being able to avoid things, 40 00:01:24,890 --> 00:01:27,510 but I think the harder you work, the luckier you get. 41 00:01:27,510 --> 00:01:29,950 And I work extremely hard to be able to, you know, 42 00:01:29,950 --> 00:01:34,249 maximize my window of opportunity to play and to be able to finish my, 43 00:01:34,249 --> 00:01:35,690 you know, 12th season. 44 00:01:35,690 --> 00:01:37,589 You know, I, you know, 45 00:01:37,589 --> 00:01:40,970 ten straight years of 20 plus points per game, 46 00:01:40,970 --> 00:01:43,570 being able to stay healthy, being able to stay right. 47 00:01:43,570 --> 00:01:45,990 Mind you know, through the you know, 48 00:01:45,990 --> 00:01:47,830 good nights, bad nights, you know, 49 00:01:47,830 --> 00:01:53,010 55 win seasons or whatever we've had and 24 win seasons. 50 00:01:53,010 --> 00:01:57,090 Being able to stay consistent with the approaching from a professionalism standpoint, 51 00:01:57,090 --> 00:02:01,019 I think is a it's a is a credit to my ability 52 00:02:01,019 --> 00:02:05,020 to just lock in and focus and try to take advantage of the blessing. 53 00:02:05,020 --> 00:02:07,620 Nice. And you know, it's something I want to kind of have as 54 00:02:07,620 --> 00:02:10,580 a theme here is around like the changing the state of the NBA. 55 00:02:10,580 --> 00:02:14,220 When you came in in 2013 as a 10th pick to like now, 56 00:02:14,220 --> 00:02:17,759 would you say the state of financial literacy and what the what 57 00:02:17,759 --> 00:02:19,939 the conversation was in the locker rooms when you first 58 00:02:19,939 --> 00:02:22,260 came in the league to now is night and day? 59 00:02:22,260 --> 00:02:23,680 Is it completely different now? 60 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:27,520 You know, for yourself, moving into that veteran role and seeing the new players come in, 61 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,500 do you feel like the energy is different in the understanding of that is different? 62 00:02:30,500 --> 00:02:34,760 Yeah, I would say that people are more openly willing to talk about finances now, 63 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:39,180 whereas in past years guys didn't want to talk about what they're investing in, 64 00:02:39,180 --> 00:02:40,480 what they're doing with their money, 65 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:42,920 you know, ideas, whether that's real estate, whether that's, 66 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:45,180 you know, private investments, 67 00:02:45,180 --> 00:02:46,559 whether that's, you know, 68 00:02:46,559 --> 00:02:50,280 food and beverage industry guys are more willing to share now, 69 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,460 more comfortable with just kind of talking about what we may be doing in our spare time. 70 00:02:53,460 --> 00:02:55,899 Or like, maybe I get a deal or something comes across my table and I'm like, 71 00:02:55,899 --> 00:02:57,119 yo, check this out, 72 00:02:57,119 --> 00:02:58,689 send this to your financial you know, 73 00:02:58,689 --> 00:03:00,510 your financial team where guys will ask me like, 74 00:03:00,510 --> 00:03:01,870 hey, what are you investing in? 75 00:03:01,870 --> 00:03:03,510 Can you send me some stuff that you're getting? 76 00:03:03,510 --> 00:03:08,169 So it's like now it's more of a an open dialogue and obviously success helps, 77 00:03:08,169 --> 00:03:10,590 like having successful track records or being 78 00:03:10,590 --> 00:03:13,210 known as someone who does certain things at a high level. 79 00:03:13,210 --> 00:03:15,470 I think it helps with the comfort standpoint. 80 00:03:15,470 --> 00:03:18,030 Like guys know, like I don't play with my money, like I'm not playing around. 81 00:03:18,030 --> 00:03:19,990 So it's like if there's things that I'm doing, 82 00:03:19,990 --> 00:03:21,870 a lot of it's working and if it's not working, 83 00:03:21,870 --> 00:03:24,250 I'll tell you, like, hey, I tried this, stay away from this. 84 00:03:24,250 --> 00:03:25,710 Maybe you should look towards that. 85 00:03:25,710 --> 00:03:29,170 But I think it's just about guys being more willing to share. 86 00:03:29,170 --> 00:03:32,870 And are there veterans that you remember that stood out to you from when you first came 87 00:03:32,870 --> 00:03:36,550 in that almost showed you the ropes in that in their way as well, 88 00:03:36,550 --> 00:03:39,750 whether it was on the court or off the court that you remember when you first come in. 89 00:03:39,750 --> 00:03:42,529 And now you've obviously grown into that role yourself with the with 90 00:03:42,529 --> 00:03:45,570 the players on your team that kind of stick out to you. 91 00:03:45,570 --> 00:03:48,830 Yeah. Um, obviously super vets, right. 92 00:03:48,830 --> 00:03:51,030 Like just, you know, the cayman's of the world. 93 00:03:51,030 --> 00:03:53,150 Earl Watson's the right obviously. 94 00:03:53,150 --> 00:03:55,410 Mo Williams I played with I played with a lot of vets. 95 00:03:55,410 --> 00:03:56,589 And then, you know, for me, 96 00:03:56,589 --> 00:03:59,230 it was in my household with my brother. He's 37. 97 00:03:59,230 --> 00:04:01,490 He's played overseas for 15 or 16 years. 98 00:04:01,490 --> 00:04:03,290 And I mean, he's in real estate. 99 00:04:03,290 --> 00:04:05,930 So that's kind of helped me kind of learn about real estate from afar. 100 00:04:05,930 --> 00:04:09,550 And we've been able to invest together in different projects and, um, 101 00:04:09,550 --> 00:04:12,710 being able to see how he's kind of approached, 102 00:04:12,710 --> 00:04:14,110 you know, going from, you know, 103 00:04:14,110 --> 00:04:16,389 16 properties to 25 properties, you know, 104 00:04:16,389 --> 00:04:19,510 being able to see how he's done it strategically and what that's looked like. 105 00:04:19,510 --> 00:04:21,089 We always try to do things on our own 106 00:04:21,089 --> 00:04:23,130 first to figure out whether or not it's going to be successful. 107 00:04:23,130 --> 00:04:24,809 Then we come together and do it because we don't want to 108 00:04:24,809 --> 00:04:26,610 bring each other in on a bad project. 109 00:04:26,610 --> 00:04:28,770 So he's gone and done some things, 110 00:04:28,770 --> 00:04:30,410 and then he's kind of showed me the results. 111 00:04:30,410 --> 00:04:33,289 And we've gone in together and I've gone and done some things and show him the results, 112 00:04:33,289 --> 00:04:34,370 and we've gone in together. 113 00:04:34,370 --> 00:04:37,650 So it's been cool to be able to do some of those things. 114 00:04:37,650 --> 00:04:39,370 And then just structurally just 115 00:04:39,370 --> 00:04:41,510 learning and asking questions I think is really important. 116 00:04:41,510 --> 00:04:43,370 And there's some players that have been helpful, 117 00:04:43,370 --> 00:04:45,070 but there's more like, may he rest in peace, 118 00:04:45,070 --> 00:04:46,750 junior Bridgeman before, you know, 119 00:04:46,750 --> 00:04:48,350 I got into franchising, 120 00:04:48,350 --> 00:04:49,930 I called him and asked him some questions. 121 00:04:49,930 --> 00:04:53,549 My financial advisor kind of set us up to kind of talk and from a mentorship standpoint, 122 00:04:53,549 --> 00:04:54,895 be able to kind of pick his brain. 123 00:04:54,895 --> 00:04:57,399 And before I start getting into real estate, you know, 124 00:04:57,399 --> 00:05:00,699 Don Peebles was someone that we reached out to and, you know, 125 00:05:00,699 --> 00:05:02,240 set up dinner so we could kind of talk through, 126 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:04,180 like, strategically, like, how do you do certain things? 127 00:05:04,180 --> 00:05:05,220 Why do you do them this way? 128 00:05:05,220 --> 00:05:07,400 What stage should I look at? How should I structure things? 129 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:09,500 And it's been helpful to go to people who have 130 00:05:09,500 --> 00:05:12,260 done it at a high level and been very successful. 131 00:05:12,260 --> 00:05:14,160 I love that. And, you know, 132 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,260 for yourself, I would actually, you know, piggyback off of that. 133 00:05:17,260 --> 00:05:21,619 I want to talk about what was the genesis for not just you've mentioned this before, 134 00:05:21,619 --> 00:05:23,319 but not just the CJ McCollum, 135 00:05:23,319 --> 00:05:25,100 the the 91 Heritage wine, 136 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:27,600 but also participating in the media. 137 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:29,779 I know for sometimes the the athlete, 138 00:05:29,779 --> 00:05:31,100 they may look at the media almost in 139 00:05:31,100 --> 00:05:33,860 a standoffish way depending on how things are covered. 140 00:05:33,860 --> 00:05:36,179 What was the when was the moment that you realized, 141 00:05:36,179 --> 00:05:37,420 hey, I have a voice, I want to use it. 142 00:05:37,420 --> 00:05:39,420 And I have a perspective that's unique and 143 00:05:39,420 --> 00:05:41,920 useful to kind of framing the game of basketball. 144 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,899 Yeah, man. I majored in journalism and mass communication and sociology, 145 00:05:45,899 --> 00:05:47,740 so I've been working for Lehigh Sports, 146 00:05:47,740 --> 00:05:50,519 I interned, I covered games, I covered soccer, 147 00:05:50,519 --> 00:05:52,680 lacrosse, field hockey, football, 148 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:54,030 volleyball, tennis I tennis. 149 00:05:54,030 --> 00:05:57,430 I cover the Patriot League championship and the Patriot League Tournament of Tennis. 150 00:05:57,430 --> 00:05:59,149 So I've done every phase of journalism, 151 00:05:59,149 --> 00:06:02,070 from interviews to being behind the camera to writing stories, 152 00:06:02,070 --> 00:06:04,270 feature stories, all of those things. 153 00:06:04,270 --> 00:06:05,750 I was the editor for The Brown and White, 154 00:06:05,750 --> 00:06:06,789 which is a school newspaper, 155 00:06:06,789 --> 00:06:10,570 so I kind of started off doing that while I was playing, and I loved it. 156 00:06:10,570 --> 00:06:11,950 And may he rest in peace. 157 00:06:11,950 --> 00:06:13,149 I love Stuart Scott, 158 00:06:13,149 --> 00:06:15,249 I watched ESPN, I watched Sportscenter, 159 00:06:15,249 --> 00:06:18,789 I just loved the process of analyzing games, 160 00:06:18,789 --> 00:06:20,030 and I was like, yo, I want to play. 161 00:06:20,030 --> 00:06:22,090 But if I can't one day it stops. 162 00:06:22,090 --> 00:06:23,850 I want to be able to talk about sports, 163 00:06:23,850 --> 00:06:26,310 be around sports, cover sports. 164 00:06:26,310 --> 00:06:28,870 And that's kind of positioned me to, 165 00:06:28,870 --> 00:06:31,070 you know, start with the internship. 166 00:06:31,070 --> 00:06:32,370 And then I had a radio show. 167 00:06:32,370 --> 00:06:34,910 I did a deal with Sirius XM radio my rookie year. 168 00:06:34,910 --> 00:06:36,050 I had Rookie Diary, 169 00:06:36,050 --> 00:06:37,729 and then I had to deal with, 170 00:06:37,729 --> 00:06:39,130 you know, iHeart radio. 171 00:06:39,130 --> 00:06:41,510 I had a 175 playlist. 172 00:06:41,510 --> 00:06:44,610 I had a morning radio show on 7:20 a.m., 173 00:06:44,610 --> 00:06:46,829 so I had multiple shows in radio, 174 00:06:46,829 --> 00:06:50,370 and then I got pitched to podcast in like 2014. 175 00:06:50,370 --> 00:06:52,610 I was like, no, like I'm doing too much media. 176 00:06:52,610 --> 00:06:54,260 I had covered the finals at that point, 177 00:06:54,260 --> 00:06:57,480 like I was doing stuff for ESPN and Sportscenter and I was like, 178 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,400 I'm being known more as a journalist than a hooper. 179 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,040 And I was like, there's a negative connotation associated 180 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,840 with that right now because of how we're viewed as athletes. 181 00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:08,500 And I was like, yo, I got to get better at basketball and be able to play more 182 00:07:08,500 --> 00:07:12,400 and be more of a mainstay before I can carve out this whole journalism career. 183 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,200 So I kind of paused. 184 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:15,959 I won Most Improved Player of the year, 185 00:07:15,959 --> 00:07:17,480 and then I launched the podcast the next year. 186 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:19,080 But I had kind of like established myself. 187 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:21,179 I had had some injuries, I wasn't playing, 188 00:07:21,179 --> 00:07:23,700 and I was like, I don't like where this is going. 189 00:07:23,700 --> 00:07:26,959 I know I'm building out like a great legacy and this is important to me, 190 00:07:26,959 --> 00:07:29,339 but I'm being judged for doing, 191 00:07:29,339 --> 00:07:30,960 like what I went to school for. 192 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,240 And it's like it's productive to society. 193 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:34,880 I'm not like out, like wild and out. 194 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:38,320 I'm literally using my major and doing it at a high level. 195 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,480 But I'm being judged as like, 196 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:42,560 oh, he just cares about all these other things besides basketball. 197 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:44,920 So I was like, all right, let me just take care of this. 198 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:46,140 This is how I provide. 199 00:07:46,140 --> 00:07:47,320 And then we'll go back and do it. 200 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:48,440 And that's kind of how we did it. 201 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:53,170 And then obviously I did a deal with ESPN for multiple years, and we kind of did that. 202 00:07:53,170 --> 00:07:57,610 And then I had my second baby and travel and doing the podcast, 203 00:07:57,610 --> 00:07:58,690 and it was just it was too much, 204 00:07:58,690 --> 00:08:01,430 and I needed to kind of take a step back and be able to, 205 00:08:01,430 --> 00:08:02,730 to really evaluate my life, 206 00:08:02,730 --> 00:08:05,630 spend more time with my family and these, you know, young, 207 00:08:05,630 --> 00:08:07,730 important, impressionable years for my kids and be 208 00:08:07,730 --> 00:08:10,170 around my wife and be able to work out. 209 00:08:10,170 --> 00:08:11,210 And I got a lot going on. 210 00:08:11,210 --> 00:08:15,750 So it was like, let me take a step back and then we'll reevaluate going forward. 211 00:08:15,750 --> 00:08:18,430 That's a great point. And I feel like the, you know, 212 00:08:18,430 --> 00:08:20,669 the important note you made about was also like, 213 00:08:20,669 --> 00:08:22,510 I am a hooper as well. 214 00:08:22,510 --> 00:08:25,090 Like, this is something I enjoy doing, but you know. 215 00:08:25,090 --> 00:08:28,930 Right. For some reason, people think that those two things can't like kind of coexist. 216 00:08:28,930 --> 00:08:31,770 At what point when you came into the league, 217 00:08:31,770 --> 00:08:33,190 you know, there might always be. 218 00:08:33,190 --> 00:08:34,490 And then it depends on a player, 219 00:08:34,490 --> 00:08:36,870 this feeling of, you know, 220 00:08:36,870 --> 00:08:38,210 not do I belong here? 221 00:08:38,210 --> 00:08:40,610 But like staying here and like working really hard to 222 00:08:40,610 --> 00:08:43,190 make sure that you get your seat and you keep your seat. 223 00:08:43,190 --> 00:08:44,530 Was there a moment in time? 224 00:08:44,530 --> 00:08:47,150 Could have been in your rookie season or another season where you felt like, 225 00:08:47,150 --> 00:08:49,670 okay, you know what, I'm going to be here a while. You know what I mean? 226 00:08:49,670 --> 00:08:52,379 It could have been a breakout game or a moment where you were like, 227 00:08:52,379 --> 00:08:53,760 you know what? I'm comfortable here. 228 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:55,780 It's slowing down for me a little bit. 229 00:08:55,780 --> 00:08:57,760 I don't feel like the game is moving too fast. 230 00:08:57,760 --> 00:08:59,180 Was there a moment that you remember where you're like, 231 00:08:59,180 --> 00:09:00,560 you know, I'm going to be in this league a while? 232 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:03,160 Two. I had some really good practices where like, 233 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,140 it was like I was in a matrix and I was like, 234 00:09:05,140 --> 00:09:07,060 okay, this feels just like college. 235 00:09:07,060 --> 00:09:09,200 This feels just how it felt. 236 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:10,459 The ball was comfortable, 237 00:09:10,459 --> 00:09:11,660 the flow I was moving, 238 00:09:11,660 --> 00:09:13,980 I was able to kind of get my game off. 239 00:09:13,980 --> 00:09:16,060 I was like, okay, like, I can do this now. 240 00:09:16,060 --> 00:09:17,100 How do I get more efficient? 241 00:09:17,100 --> 00:09:18,420 How do I become more consistent? 242 00:09:18,420 --> 00:09:20,740 How do I like, master this version of 243 00:09:20,740 --> 00:09:23,560 myself so that I can put this version out consistently? 244 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:26,300 And then you fast forward to my second year. 245 00:09:26,300 --> 00:09:29,540 Wesley Matthews goes down with an Achilles injury. 246 00:09:29,540 --> 00:09:31,300 Aaron falters his shoulder. 247 00:09:31,300 --> 00:09:33,100 They have to play me. I was like, third string. 248 00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:36,200 I start playing, I start really killing. 249 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,840 Then we go into the playoffs going against Tony Allen. 250 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,120 I have six points, 251 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,879 eight points and then I have 20, 252 00:09:44,879 --> 00:09:47,980 eight, 25, 37, something like that. 253 00:09:47,980 --> 00:09:52,810 And I'm like, okay, if Tony Allen can't really mess with me, I'm gonna be all right. 254 00:09:52,810 --> 00:09:55,170 Like, he's having really he's having difficulty. 255 00:09:55,170 --> 00:09:58,090 He's like the best defender I've probably gone against, 256 00:09:58,090 --> 00:09:59,410 especially up to that point. 257 00:09:59,410 --> 00:10:00,970 It's like he's having problems with me. 258 00:10:00,970 --> 00:10:02,289 Like, okay, I'm gonna be okay. 259 00:10:02,289 --> 00:10:04,470 That's interesting that the level of defender that you 260 00:10:04,470 --> 00:10:06,629 respect is like a barometer almost of like, 261 00:10:06,629 --> 00:10:08,329 okay, if this person's like, 262 00:10:08,329 --> 00:10:10,530 you know, struggling a little bit like this thing. 263 00:10:10,530 --> 00:10:13,610 Was there a moment between the sixth to eighth and 27th where 264 00:10:13,610 --> 00:10:16,790 something shifted or you noticed something or you were just like, okay, actually, 265 00:10:16,790 --> 00:10:18,750 I can exploit this or they're not as 266 00:10:18,750 --> 00:10:20,870 good here or this is something he's not comfortable with, 267 00:10:20,870 --> 00:10:23,490 that let's you like kind of having those extra. 268 00:10:23,490 --> 00:10:26,489 I think it was comfortability nerves, 269 00:10:26,489 --> 00:10:28,849 level of aggression, confidence 270 00:10:28,849 --> 00:10:31,070 like all that kind of wavers as you go throughout the game. 271 00:10:31,070 --> 00:10:33,590 Missed shots, especially when you're younger, missed shots. 272 00:10:33,590 --> 00:10:35,570 You know, maybe you're not getting touches. 273 00:10:35,570 --> 00:10:37,830 Like maybe you're just trying to do all the things the right way. 274 00:10:37,830 --> 00:10:39,449 But like, you just, you know, 275 00:10:39,449 --> 00:10:41,470 you're not allowing the game to come 276 00:10:41,470 --> 00:10:43,390 to you and you're not really maximizing opportunities. 277 00:10:43,390 --> 00:10:45,070 You're just kind of like out there. 278 00:10:45,070 --> 00:10:48,650 And then as it goes, you have a bad game or like a poor shooting performance. 279 00:10:48,650 --> 00:10:50,830 And you're like, huh? All right, I'm just gonna go whoop. 280 00:10:50,830 --> 00:10:52,550 I'm gonna make shots. I'm gonna miss shots. 281 00:10:52,550 --> 00:10:53,970 I'm gonna turn the ball over. 282 00:10:53,970 --> 00:10:55,890 I'm gonna remember plays. I'm gonna forget plays. 283 00:10:55,890 --> 00:10:57,150 Especially when you're younger. 284 00:10:57,150 --> 00:10:58,630 I'm just gonna play. 285 00:10:58,630 --> 00:11:00,590 I'm gonna play like I'm in the backyard. 286 00:11:00,590 --> 00:11:02,270 I'm gonna play like I'm back in the hood. 287 00:11:02,270 --> 00:11:03,550 I'll play like I'm back at Lehigh. 288 00:11:03,550 --> 00:11:06,530 Like I'm just going to go back to that mentality. 289 00:11:06,530 --> 00:11:07,690 And it's going to be what it's going to be. 290 00:11:07,690 --> 00:11:10,570 I've already gone, you know, three for 12. 291 00:11:10,570 --> 00:11:15,030 What's worse two for 12 is like I the only regret is I should have shot more. 292 00:11:15,030 --> 00:11:17,050 Maybe I should have been two for 20, you know what I mean? 293 00:11:17,050 --> 00:11:19,410 So it's like that's how I looked at it, like I'm gonna go hoop. 294 00:11:19,410 --> 00:11:21,050 It's going to be. It's going to be. This is a great defender. 295 00:11:21,050 --> 00:11:22,310 This is a really good team. 296 00:11:22,310 --> 00:11:24,270 You're going to score. Sometimes you're going to not score. 297 00:11:24,270 --> 00:11:27,830 Make a make a good play every time and be aggressive every time you touch the ball. 298 00:11:27,830 --> 00:11:30,810 That's a great point you made because a lot of what you mentioned is mental. 299 00:11:30,810 --> 00:11:32,929 We had the Hall of Famer Isaiah Thomas on and he was 300 00:11:32,929 --> 00:11:35,230 like basketball is actually a thinking man's game. 301 00:11:35,230 --> 00:11:36,850 Like that's what he he said to me. 302 00:11:36,850 --> 00:11:40,610 And he was telling me how a lot of especially later in his career, what he, 303 00:11:40,610 --> 00:11:42,809 what he separated like good and great players from 304 00:11:42,809 --> 00:11:44,910 is just the mind like the mental aspect of it. 305 00:11:44,910 --> 00:11:48,260 Like mentally strong teams were the ones that were toughest to beat. 306 00:11:48,260 --> 00:11:49,899 And it's interesting that you mentioned that just now, 307 00:11:49,899 --> 00:11:52,180 because a lot of what you said is really based in confidence. 308 00:11:52,180 --> 00:11:53,520 Would you even say that? 309 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:55,460 You know, that is just as important as 310 00:11:55,460 --> 00:11:59,000 the athleticism as the shot making and just the pure kind of raw talent, 311 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:04,120 the ability to maintain confidence and kind of stick through it even in rough patches? 312 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,280 Yeah. I mean, the mind is very powerful, man. 313 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:07,700 What you speak becomes your reality. 314 00:12:07,700 --> 00:12:08,880 And I think, you know, 315 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:11,740 I've spoken a lot of this life into existence through hard work. 316 00:12:11,740 --> 00:12:13,420 So you speak it and then you go get it. 317 00:12:13,420 --> 00:12:16,200 And I think a lot of players, they waver. 318 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,940 Confidence wavers, concentration wavers. 319 00:12:18,940 --> 00:12:20,020 There's distractions. 320 00:12:20,020 --> 00:12:22,640 There's good cities, bad cities, nightlife. 321 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:24,800 There's all these distractions. 322 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:29,640 Family, women, money. And then you got a game, 323 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:31,060 family, women, money game. 324 00:12:31,060 --> 00:12:33,260 It's like a constant, especially for a younger player. 325 00:12:33,260 --> 00:12:34,880 So there's all these things, 326 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:36,180 all the things you've ever wanted. 327 00:12:36,180 --> 00:12:37,740 You can have. You can go buy it. 328 00:12:37,740 --> 00:12:39,420 You can go this vacation, go that vacation. 329 00:12:39,420 --> 00:12:43,100 So there's all these built in distractions that you consistently have to maneuver. 330 00:12:43,100 --> 00:12:46,025 How is your focus in those moments when no one's watching? 331 00:12:46,025 --> 00:12:48,890 How is your focus in those moments when everyone is watching? 332 00:12:48,890 --> 00:12:50,430 How is your discipline? 333 00:12:50,430 --> 00:12:53,170 How consistent are you with your approach? What's your attitude? 334 00:12:53,170 --> 00:12:54,290 Good nights, bad nights. 335 00:12:54,290 --> 00:12:55,850 Good games, bad games. 336 00:12:55,850 --> 00:12:57,690 Home's going well. Home's not going well. 337 00:12:57,690 --> 00:12:59,250 How do you block it out and go hoop? 338 00:12:59,250 --> 00:13:00,670 Everybody can't do it. 339 00:13:00,670 --> 00:13:02,650 So you have to maneuver all of that stuff. 340 00:13:02,650 --> 00:13:04,090 Still focus and concentrate. 341 00:13:04,090 --> 00:13:06,590 A lot of money on the line. Take care of your body. 342 00:13:06,590 --> 00:13:08,350 Contract. Year. Not a contract year. 343 00:13:08,350 --> 00:13:10,370 They draft another player. He's your age. 344 00:13:10,370 --> 00:13:11,730 He's younger than you. 345 00:13:11,730 --> 00:13:13,370 These guys are moving faster. 346 00:13:13,370 --> 00:13:15,310 You're moving slower. You're getting older. 347 00:13:15,310 --> 00:13:17,270 It's like all of these things that are happening. 348 00:13:17,270 --> 00:13:19,830 How do you stay focused, concentrate, 349 00:13:19,830 --> 00:13:22,910 lock in, still have the self-belief. 350 00:13:22,910 --> 00:13:25,410 Not not allowed but doubt to creep in, 351 00:13:25,410 --> 00:13:27,930 still work, still produce. 352 00:13:27,930 --> 00:13:29,550 Be consistent with your production. 353 00:13:29,550 --> 00:13:32,470 How do you do it? Consistently. It's hard. 354 00:13:32,470 --> 00:13:34,830 Everybody can't do it. That's why guys are in the league. Then they're out. 355 00:13:34,830 --> 00:13:37,870 That's why guys have great years and then they boom. 356 00:13:37,870 --> 00:13:40,270 Not because they can't hoop, because everybody can hoop. 357 00:13:40,270 --> 00:13:42,290 How mentally locked in are you? 358 00:13:42,290 --> 00:13:44,090 Ten shots in a row. You miss ten. 359 00:13:44,090 --> 00:13:47,560 Do you shoot the 11th with the same way Steph Curry misses ten. 360 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:50,380 No one cares. He shoots the 11th one. 361 00:13:50,380 --> 00:13:51,900 Some guys won't shoot it. 362 00:13:51,900 --> 00:13:53,680 They'll start cutting. They'll start passing. 363 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:55,040 They'll start thinking. 364 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:57,880 Or they don't even have the license to shoot ten. 365 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:01,080 So it's like there's all these factors that play a role, 366 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:03,980 but it all comes down to how consistent you are mentally. 367 00:14:03,980 --> 00:14:10,519 And can you eliminate distractions enough to be successful for long enough, 368 00:14:10,519 --> 00:14:11,960 like the best players in the world, 369 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:15,520 like LeBron, been in the league 20 years. 370 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:17,740 His ability to lock in and focus. 371 00:14:17,740 --> 00:14:19,920 It's like you can question how many championships or whatever, 372 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:23,120 blah blah blah. Money on the line. 373 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:28,480 He locking in a random Tuesday in Charlotte. 374 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:30,720 He locking in. You know what I mean. 375 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:32,360 It's like and this is like he's done it. 376 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:33,620 He's played at the biggest stage. 377 00:14:33,620 --> 00:14:34,700 Olympic gold medals. 378 00:14:34,700 --> 00:14:35,480 Yeah. Legacy he's. 379 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:38,700 Built. Tiger woods locking in when he has to. 380 00:14:38,700 --> 00:14:42,520 Venus. Serena. The best NASCAR person. 381 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:43,970 The best formula one driver. 382 00:14:43,970 --> 00:14:45,750 Like when they lock in, they lock in. 383 00:14:45,750 --> 00:14:48,970 So it's like there's good drivers, 384 00:14:48,970 --> 00:14:50,410 there's bad drivers, there's good hoopers. 385 00:14:50,410 --> 00:14:51,530 I'm not gonna say there's bad hoopers. 386 00:14:51,530 --> 00:14:53,870 There's just hoopers that lack discipline. They're not bad. 387 00:14:53,870 --> 00:14:56,410 They don't have discipline. They don't have consistency. 388 00:14:56,410 --> 00:14:59,370 Mentally they may not be as strong. 389 00:14:59,370 --> 00:15:02,490 So they waver and then the shot doesn't look the same. 390 00:15:02,490 --> 00:15:03,730 The handle don't look the same. 391 00:15:03,730 --> 00:15:04,850 They start thinking. 392 00:15:04,850 --> 00:15:07,770 And this paralysis by analysis. 393 00:15:07,770 --> 00:15:10,010 You know what a great answer. And thank you for that. 394 00:15:10,010 --> 00:15:13,429 Something that actually personally for me stuck out is a, uh, 395 00:15:13,429 --> 00:15:17,630 a post-game conference that you gave in the 2019 playoffs, 396 00:15:17,630 --> 00:15:21,450 talking about how you couldn't make a graduation and during those playoffs, 397 00:15:21,450 --> 00:15:24,030 because in 2018, uh, you know, 398 00:15:24,030 --> 00:15:26,310 there was a rough patch where you were swept by the, uh, 399 00:15:26,310 --> 00:15:28,650 you were swept by the Pelicans in the 2018 playoffs. 400 00:15:28,650 --> 00:15:31,390 But then 2019 went all the way to the Western Conference finals. 401 00:15:31,390 --> 00:15:33,750 And you were talking about in this post-game conference, 402 00:15:33,750 --> 00:15:35,010 like, you know, this year, like, 403 00:15:35,010 --> 00:15:38,990 we're not going to have time in April and May like to go to these things like I'm here, 404 00:15:38,990 --> 00:15:41,630 like I'm because you made a deep playoff run the following year. 405 00:15:41,630 --> 00:15:45,539 Right? And it stuck out to me because the mentality was there of just like, no, 406 00:15:45,539 --> 00:15:46,739 we're not like after last year, 407 00:15:46,739 --> 00:15:48,160 we're not going to just, you know, 408 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:49,980 accept what it was and just say it is what it like. 409 00:15:49,980 --> 00:15:52,500 We're going to come back and we're going to make sure we make a deep run this time. 410 00:15:52,500 --> 00:15:55,340 That was not our expectation as the Blazers. 411 00:15:55,340 --> 00:15:59,260 Uh, is it hard to kind of or for you, maybe not. 412 00:15:59,260 --> 00:16:01,940 But in general, how much impact is like losing or having 413 00:16:01,940 --> 00:16:04,760 a losing culture in in a locker room impact? 414 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:06,980 The other things that you just mentioned, discipline. 415 00:16:06,980 --> 00:16:08,700 Because I'm not saying you had a losing culture, 416 00:16:08,700 --> 00:16:11,180 but sometimes a tough loss can that like that can have impact on 417 00:16:11,180 --> 00:16:14,260 someone's mentality or team's mentality even of like, can we get there? 418 00:16:14,260 --> 00:16:15,360 Can we get over the hurdle? 419 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:16,980 No. It affects you for sure, man. 420 00:16:16,980 --> 00:16:19,320 Looking at the last season, right. 421 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:23,360 Like that's the most losing I've ever done ever. 422 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,280 So like mentally it starts to creep in. 423 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:27,540 Like why am I playing. 424 00:16:27,540 --> 00:16:28,880 Do I really want to keep doing this? 425 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:30,040 Like, how long do I want to play? 426 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,259 Like, if this is what it's going to be like, 427 00:16:31,259 --> 00:16:34,380 you have all of those moments. 428 00:16:34,380 --> 00:16:36,100 Like, I put in extra work. 429 00:16:36,100 --> 00:16:37,980 Like, why am I putting all this extra work in? 430 00:16:37,980 --> 00:16:39,360 Like, is it going to pay off? 431 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:40,620 We're still losing. You know what I mean? 432 00:16:40,620 --> 00:16:43,330 It's like all of these things, but then you just stick to like, 433 00:16:43,330 --> 00:16:46,210 this is why I play I love basketball. 434 00:16:46,210 --> 00:16:48,910 Basketball allows me to provide for my family. I played it for free. 435 00:16:48,910 --> 00:16:50,810 I play it now because I make money. 436 00:16:50,810 --> 00:16:53,610 It's great. I would still play it if it was for free. Like, it's. 437 00:16:53,610 --> 00:16:55,670 I still have the joy and the passion. 438 00:16:55,670 --> 00:16:58,450 I have a legacy, I have kids, I have a wife. 439 00:16:58,450 --> 00:17:00,989 My job is to provide. I want my son to see and 440 00:17:00,989 --> 00:17:03,730 want my daughter to see that you have to work hard for the things that you want. 441 00:17:03,730 --> 00:17:04,950 Sometimes you got to sacrifice. 442 00:17:04,950 --> 00:17:06,710 You got to spend your time wisely, 443 00:17:06,710 --> 00:17:11,690 and you have to utilize your talents so it becomes more of like, 444 00:17:11,690 --> 00:17:13,850 money's great success is great fame. 445 00:17:13,850 --> 00:17:17,390 Like, all those things are cool, but it's like God gave me specific talents. 446 00:17:17,390 --> 00:17:20,030 It's a disservice not to utilize them all. 447 00:17:20,030 --> 00:17:22,430 Some talents you utilize more than others. 448 00:17:22,430 --> 00:17:23,910 But like I have a gift. 449 00:17:23,910 --> 00:17:26,109 Utilize the gift until the gift is no longer there, 450 00:17:26,109 --> 00:17:27,230 and then you move on to the next thing. 451 00:17:27,230 --> 00:17:29,370 Utilize that gift and then you give your gifts away. 452 00:17:29,370 --> 00:17:32,550 So it's like I'm not utilizing the gifts that God gave me. 453 00:17:32,550 --> 00:17:34,470 If I don't work hard, if I don't maximize my time, 454 00:17:34,470 --> 00:17:35,510 if I'm not taking care of my body, 455 00:17:35,510 --> 00:17:39,550 if I don't have the right mindset when I'm going into games preparation, 456 00:17:39,550 --> 00:17:42,580 if I'm not leading with love and care, like on the court, 457 00:17:42,580 --> 00:17:43,880 off the court, in my household, 458 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,740 like oozing is difficult, but it's just a game. 459 00:17:46,740 --> 00:17:50,320 You gotta program yourself to give your best effort, your best preparation. 460 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:53,560 You live with the results and you remove yourself from those results when it's over. 461 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:55,140 Success or failure? Great night. 462 00:17:55,140 --> 00:17:56,780 I score 50. I'm back. 463 00:17:56,780 --> 00:17:58,240 Like I like I scored ten. 464 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:00,480 It's the same work ethic. It's the same approach. That's great. 465 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:01,600 I had success in front of you. 466 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:06,200 All that success came from years and years of work, weeks of sacrifice. 467 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:10,539 Two days, six a m's, 11 PMS, 468 00:18:10,539 --> 00:18:14,079 three workouts a day, missed nap times, 469 00:18:14,079 --> 00:18:17,039 missed bedtimes, missed music classes, 470 00:18:17,039 --> 00:18:18,800 missed dinners with my wife. 471 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:20,119 It came with sacrifice, 472 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:21,560 and it's great I get to do all these things, 473 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,520 but like, I know what I missed to get that. 474 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:27,920 Yeah, it's like, how long am I willing to miss that and do these things? 475 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,100 And that's like the the decipher of when guys kind of start to like, 476 00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:32,860 it's too much. I want to walk away. 477 00:18:32,860 --> 00:18:35,160 And would you say you take some of that discipline and 478 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,959 principles and apply it now to something different, 479 00:18:37,959 --> 00:18:40,080 but maybe adjacent the business world. 480 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:42,300 Like, are there things that you look at and 481 00:18:42,300 --> 00:18:44,540 have taken from the discipline that it took you to get 482 00:18:44,540 --> 00:18:46,699 to the success levels that you have in your pro career 483 00:18:46,699 --> 00:18:49,020 and apply those things in any way to the business world, 484 00:18:49,020 --> 00:18:50,380 whether you're looking at deals, 485 00:18:50,380 --> 00:18:52,579 real estate investment like standing up a business, 486 00:18:52,579 --> 00:18:54,640 building out a team, you know, to support you. 487 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:56,699 Like, do you take some of those principles and apply 488 00:18:56,699 --> 00:18:59,100 them when it comes to other ventures off the court? 489 00:18:59,100 --> 00:19:04,180 Absolutely. I think you look at sports in itself, right? 490 00:19:04,180 --> 00:19:06,340 I want my kids to play sports not because I did, 491 00:19:06,340 --> 00:19:08,739 but because what you learn from it communication, 492 00:19:08,739 --> 00:19:09,859 ability to take leadership, 493 00:19:09,859 --> 00:19:12,240 ability to give leadership. Ability to listen. 494 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,880 Ability to do task in groups individually. 495 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:17,840 Being able to work alongside people. 496 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:19,339 People from different walks of life, 497 00:19:19,339 --> 00:19:22,160 different backgrounds, different languages, different upbringings. 498 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,380 Like you get in this big melting pot of 499 00:19:24,380 --> 00:19:26,700 people and you learn how to be yourself within it. 500 00:19:26,700 --> 00:19:27,820 So I think it's really important. 501 00:19:27,820 --> 00:19:31,020 And then on the hiring side and on the business side, 502 00:19:31,020 --> 00:19:36,380 communication cadence, what type of leadership did I receive? 503 00:19:36,380 --> 00:19:38,770 Well, what type of leadership did I not like? 504 00:19:38,770 --> 00:19:43,390 What did I feel should have been better in this environment versus that environment? 505 00:19:43,390 --> 00:19:44,930 What would I have liked to see? 506 00:19:44,930 --> 00:19:50,130 What can I work on and improve upon as as an employee? 507 00:19:50,130 --> 00:19:52,510 As an owner? If I was an owner, 508 00:19:52,510 --> 00:19:54,670 what would I like to see if I was an employee, what would I like to see? 509 00:19:54,670 --> 00:19:58,090 And now, as an owner and operator of multiple businesses, 510 00:19:58,090 --> 00:19:59,550 you're still a work in progress. 511 00:19:59,550 --> 00:20:01,950 But you know what success looks like because you've seen it. 512 00:20:01,950 --> 00:20:04,070 So you're like, okay, we got to do this a little bit better. 513 00:20:04,070 --> 00:20:06,050 We got to do that a little bit better. We got to put more money into this, 514 00:20:06,050 --> 00:20:07,330 take money away from that. 515 00:20:07,330 --> 00:20:11,670 What do what do our support staff need to be successful? 516 00:20:11,670 --> 00:20:13,270 What do we need to be successful? 517 00:20:13,270 --> 00:20:17,330 What type of freedom do you need to give people so that they can go be their best selves? 518 00:20:17,330 --> 00:20:20,570 How do I not micromanage while still knowing what's going on? 519 00:20:20,570 --> 00:20:24,770 How do I empower people around me to know that they're trusted, that we're watching? 520 00:20:24,770 --> 00:20:29,349 There's like this whole balance of what it takes to be successful, 521 00:20:29,349 --> 00:20:30,430 and there's different ways to do it. 522 00:20:30,430 --> 00:20:32,590 Look at the NBA, the MLB, 523 00:20:32,590 --> 00:20:35,510 there's teams that spend money in MLB and don't win, 524 00:20:35,510 --> 00:20:37,280 and there's teams that don't spend money and they win. 525 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,100 So there's a way to do everything and it starts with the culture. 526 00:20:40,100 --> 00:20:45,880 But I think it's it's helped me a lot in terms of how I communicate and how I see things, 527 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:49,839 because I've seen success done so many different ways. 528 00:20:53,081 --> 00:20:55,900 You mentioned Tony Allen earlier, 529 00:20:55,900 --> 00:20:57,920 toughest defender to this point that you 530 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,199 faced in your career doesn't have to be the toughest, 531 00:21:00,199 --> 00:21:03,480 but one of the toughest that you've played and also the toughest offensive player. 532 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,600 Maybe you've had to guard in your career in recent memory. 533 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:13,520 So toughest defenders I would go Tony Allen just physicality. 534 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:14,640 The refs let him play. 535 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:17,020 Great hands, great anticipation. 536 00:21:17,020 --> 00:21:21,500 Um, ultra ultra aggressive. 537 00:21:21,500 --> 00:21:28,040 Um. Avery Bradley was a really good defender. 538 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:28,960 Good name. Yeah. 539 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,680 Quick. Great hips could get over screens. 540 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:34,100 Great chaser, strong core, good stability. 541 00:21:34,100 --> 00:21:36,270 Like you push him. He don't really move. 542 00:21:36,270 --> 00:21:39,090 Um, team defensively like peak Warriors. 543 00:21:39,090 --> 00:21:40,350 They were just so good defensively. 544 00:21:40,350 --> 00:21:44,770 Like when they had Dre Iggy Klay they were long. 545 00:21:44,770 --> 00:21:47,410 They were athletic obviously KD they just switched everything. 546 00:21:47,410 --> 00:21:48,530 So they kind of jumped the game up. 547 00:21:48,530 --> 00:21:49,710 And now you play ISO. 548 00:21:49,710 --> 00:21:52,910 But Dre just kind of floats right. He's like the free safety. 549 00:21:52,910 --> 00:21:55,070 So like that was just a tough defense to maneuver. 550 00:21:55,070 --> 00:21:58,890 They randomly go box and one triangle and two like they just do different stuff. 551 00:21:58,890 --> 00:22:01,589 So that was difficult to to combat 552 00:22:01,589 --> 00:22:06,350 offensively Steph and Klay like the way they move. It's like art right. 553 00:22:06,350 --> 00:22:10,050 Like they pinch post split split cut action running in circles. 554 00:22:10,050 --> 00:22:13,610 Great conditioned athletes scoring transition. Always got to find them. 555 00:22:13,610 --> 00:22:17,210 Great screeners know how to slip when they 556 00:22:17,210 --> 00:22:20,990 had you know Zaza Pachulia and like some of the best screeners ever. 557 00:22:20,990 --> 00:22:21,570 Mhm. 558 00:22:21,570 --> 00:22:23,430 Hard to get over those screens. 559 00:22:23,430 --> 00:22:25,050 Unsung part of the game. 560 00:22:25,050 --> 00:22:26,430 Like the conditioning. 561 00:22:26,430 --> 00:22:28,070 Yeah. And then you got to be locked in. 562 00:22:28,070 --> 00:22:30,770 You got to be communicating. It's just so much. 563 00:22:30,770 --> 00:22:34,130 And then Steph get bink bink bink pull up like you know what I mean. 564 00:22:34,130 --> 00:22:37,219 All of that James Harden Pete James though like James 565 00:22:37,219 --> 00:22:40,579 is still good but like Houston James where he like dribble dribble 566 00:22:40,579 --> 00:22:45,920 dribble 6015 and 1055 1211 567 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:51,120 like that James was like tween cross tween cross like he had. 568 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:53,940 And he go dunk on your center like that was like 569 00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:58,160 next level Kyrie like I like guarding Kyrie just because it's art. 570 00:22:58,160 --> 00:22:58,880 Mhm. 571 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:01,840 The way he plays it's like a rhythm to it. 572 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:03,120 He don't know what he going to do. 573 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:04,540 You don't know what he going to do. 574 00:23:04,540 --> 00:23:07,840 But he can score from all three levels. Great left hand. 575 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,380 I watch a lot of Kyrie film Shea. 576 00:23:11,380 --> 00:23:12,880 Shea's tough man. 577 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,220 The breaks he got elite breaks. 578 00:23:15,220 --> 00:23:17,920 Great Middie walking 30. 579 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:21,360 I say those guys have been the hardest. 580 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:22,780 I mean there's other players that are hard to guard, 581 00:23:22,780 --> 00:23:28,180 but like the way they they all play is unique and different to the game. 582 00:23:28,180 --> 00:23:32,600 So I would say those guys are like, yeah. 583 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,129 Would you say a 30 point per game score or 584 00:23:35,129 --> 00:23:39,510 all star when you came in versus now seeing this evolution of guards, 585 00:23:39,510 --> 00:23:42,309 you mentioned Shea, but also going as far back as, you know, 586 00:23:42,309 --> 00:23:46,370 folks like Kobe, even like the the dynamic between the two. 587 00:23:46,370 --> 00:23:47,510 Is there a difference in the guards? 588 00:23:47,510 --> 00:23:48,690 Are you seeing an evolution or not? 589 00:23:48,690 --> 00:23:49,930 It's it's completely different. 590 00:23:49,930 --> 00:23:51,349 Yeah. The evolution of the game, 591 00:23:51,349 --> 00:23:52,390 the guards, the skill set. 592 00:23:52,390 --> 00:23:55,209 But also like the pace points per possession, 593 00:23:55,209 --> 00:23:56,870 the the game is completely different. 594 00:23:56,870 --> 00:23:58,970 So Kobe averaging 30 back in the day is nuts. 595 00:23:58,970 --> 00:24:03,230 Mike averaging 30 because the score was 97 to 98. 596 00:24:03,230 --> 00:24:05,930 So the game was slow. The possessions were slow. 597 00:24:05,930 --> 00:24:07,050 They didn't shoot a lot of threes. 598 00:24:07,050 --> 00:24:08,990 Like it was a completely different game. 599 00:24:08,990 --> 00:24:13,630 So he was scoring you know 30 out of 90 now. 600 00:24:13,630 --> 00:24:15,970 And it's no disrespect to like the way the game is played now. 601 00:24:15,970 --> 00:24:17,250 Like I love it. It's free flowing. 602 00:24:17,250 --> 00:24:21,050 There's a lot of threes. It's pace you know points per game. 603 00:24:21,050 --> 00:24:25,070 You know you're looking at you know 1071081 ten 111. 604 00:24:25,070 --> 00:24:28,510 Like offensive rating some teams is like the best team is 115. 605 00:24:28,510 --> 00:24:30,910 That's a lot of possessions. 606 00:24:30,910 --> 00:24:33,360 Shea is just a freak of nature, right? Because he's. 607 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:35,320 He's shooting tough twos and getting dirty. 608 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:37,900 It ain't like he just. He's three dependent. 609 00:24:37,900 --> 00:24:39,240 He's a three level scorer. 610 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:43,460 He just started shooting more threes this year because analytically it makes sense. 611 00:24:43,460 --> 00:24:48,120 But he's a guy so he's shooting tough twos and getting 30. It's like him and Jordan. 612 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:52,440 The only players in the history of the NBA 30 points per game over 50 from the field. 613 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:57,300 He did it three times and he's low to mid 20s. 614 00:24:57,300 --> 00:24:57,860 Yeah. 615 00:24:57,860 --> 00:25:01,480 So it's like game is different blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. 616 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:05,420 But like the skill set he's six six handles Steph six 617 00:25:05,420 --> 00:25:09,920 three you know handles shooting movement like the game is completely different. 618 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:14,280 But the way that they're playing you know they ISO they move a little bit. 619 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:15,420 But it's ISO. 620 00:25:15,420 --> 00:25:17,240 We're going to get our best player the ball. 621 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,200 We're going to find matchups that we like kill. 622 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,300 I love that. And last question here. 623 00:25:22,300 --> 00:25:27,860 Do you have an opinion on the parity that exists now in the NBA. 624 00:25:27,860 --> 00:25:30,280 Right. Yeah there was a dynasty era almost. 625 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:31,839 Or there was even a period of time with 626 00:25:31,839 --> 00:25:35,000 the same 5 or 6 teams from both conferences were always in the finals. 627 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,300 And now we're seeing multiple different winners, different teams. 628 00:25:38,300 --> 00:25:41,260 And you know, there's you can have a discussion around ratings and if that's like 629 00:25:41,260 --> 00:25:44,420 good for viewership or whatnot or small versus big markets etc.. 630 00:25:44,420 --> 00:25:48,200 But do you think in general that aspect of like, 631 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,840 do you like the parity that now exists and feeling like 632 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:53,980 it's anyone's guess who might be in the finals by the end of the year? 633 00:25:53,980 --> 00:25:55,599 And as a player yourself, 634 00:25:55,599 --> 00:25:57,500 does that motivate you and make you feel like, 635 00:25:57,500 --> 00:25:59,400 yeah, like we have a shot at any given year or not? 636 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:01,220 I mean, in a sense there's parity, 637 00:26:01,220 --> 00:26:03,180 but it's also like the best teams are the best teams. 638 00:26:03,180 --> 00:26:06,700 Like this year you play a seven game series. 639 00:26:06,700 --> 00:26:09,660 So like you've got to be better than somebody to beat them four times. 640 00:26:09,660 --> 00:26:12,360 It's not like college basketball where you can get lucky. 641 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:14,420 It's like the NFL. And not that you can get lucky, 642 00:26:14,420 --> 00:26:15,640 but like you beat them once. 643 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:17,020 You might not be the best team all year, 644 00:26:17,020 --> 00:26:19,680 but you were the best team that day at that moment. 645 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:21,700 Injuries and all that stuff kind of plays a factor. 646 00:26:21,700 --> 00:26:23,539 But in terms of the parity, 647 00:26:23,539 --> 00:26:28,080 I think that I don't think there's 30 teams trying to win a championship every year. 648 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:29,905 Like I don't think that's the case in any sport. 649 00:26:29,905 --> 00:26:31,050 There's some teams that just know, 650 00:26:31,050 --> 00:26:33,670 like this is not a championship caliber roster. 651 00:26:33,670 --> 00:26:37,510 This isn't our window and it shows in the performance. 652 00:26:37,510 --> 00:26:39,729 And there's teams that like look at their roster, 653 00:26:39,729 --> 00:26:41,590 the window, the age of the team. 654 00:26:41,590 --> 00:26:42,790 How good is their best player. 655 00:26:42,790 --> 00:26:43,910 How good is their second best player. 656 00:26:43,910 --> 00:26:46,570 What is the roster like. And they know this is the window. 657 00:26:46,570 --> 00:26:48,950 So like teams kind of maneuver based on windows. 658 00:26:48,950 --> 00:26:54,610 But I think there there is a lot more chance for small like you can say small. 659 00:26:54,610 --> 00:26:57,550 There's two small markets in the in the finals. 660 00:26:57,550 --> 00:27:00,470 But OKC has been the best team in the NBA the last 2 or 3 years. 661 00:27:00,470 --> 00:27:01,370 Mhm. 662 00:27:01,370 --> 00:27:05,710 Pre new CBA like they had a great team great roster. 663 00:27:05,710 --> 00:27:08,510 They built it out through draft picks through trades. 664 00:27:08,510 --> 00:27:11,350 Yeah through player development. 665 00:27:11,350 --> 00:27:13,790 They brought in some vets like they did it. 666 00:27:13,790 --> 00:27:15,310 They had time to do it right. 667 00:27:15,310 --> 00:27:18,070 Because you were able to get some losing in and kind of like figure it out. 668 00:27:18,070 --> 00:27:20,090 But they built it a good roster. 669 00:27:20,090 --> 00:27:23,270 Carlisle is a great coach, championship coach. 670 00:27:23,270 --> 00:27:24,730 They did some trades, 671 00:27:24,730 --> 00:27:26,070 they signed some players, 672 00:27:26,070 --> 00:27:27,590 they developed some guys. 673 00:27:27,590 --> 00:27:31,200 And here they are playing a unique brand of basketball that's fast paced. 674 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:33,680 They beat a big market team. 675 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:38,500 They just beat a team that's a team that, 676 00:27:38,500 --> 00:27:41,200 you know, probably has a larger fan base. 677 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:44,980 They just beat them like it's you've got to still line it up like you can. 678 00:27:44,980 --> 00:27:47,200 You can build parameters around a sport. 679 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:48,780 You can build a system. 680 00:27:48,780 --> 00:27:52,200 You can implement rules and regulations on trades and money. 681 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:53,820 People still got to go play. 682 00:27:53,820 --> 00:27:54,780 Mhm. 683 00:27:54,780 --> 00:27:57,620 Pay them 20 million a year or 80. They still got to go hoop. 684 00:27:57,620 --> 00:27:59,920 Pay him 5 or 10 like you still have to go play. 685 00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:02,480 You got to build a roster and you got to construct it the right way. 686 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:06,060 But like Indiana could come back and win the series. Do I think they are? 687 00:28:06,060 --> 00:28:08,000 No. But like they could. 688 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:09,740 And we have nothing to do with that. 689 00:28:09,740 --> 00:28:11,840 Like it's just it's going to be what it's going to be. 690 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:13,960 Yeah. Uh. Wonderful answer. 691 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:15,940 Thank you so much again for the time today, 692 00:28:15,940 --> 00:28:19,960 that was the winning formula presented by the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team. 693 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:21,160 I'm your host Joel Kilani. 694 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:22,320 And this was CJ McCollum. 695 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,400 Thank you, thank you.