Club 520 - Dwight Howard REGRETS leaving Magic, LeBron vs. Kobe, Derrick Rose MVP battle

Summary

Podcast Summary: Club Shay Shay - Episode: Club 520 - Dwight Howard REGRETS Leaving Magic, LeBron vs. Kobe, Derrick Rose MVP Battle

Release Date: June 2, 2025

In this engaging episode of Club Shay Shay, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe sits down with seasoned basketball personalities Ryan Seacrest, Tom Brokaw, Lester Holt, and Gilbert Arenas to delve deep into the world of basketball. The conversation spans from personal high school experiences to pivotal moments in the NBA, including Dwight Howard's reflections on his career decisions, the iconic LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant debate, and the contentious Derrick Rose MVP battle.

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1. Introduction and Setting the Stage (00:00 - 02:35)

The episode begins with a brief exchange among the hosts, setting a casual and friendly tone. Dwight Howard introduces his dogs, Bishop B and Young Nacho, adding a personal touch to the conversation.

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2. The Big Three and Upcoming Conference (02:35 - 05:30)

Ryan Seacrest: Expresses excitement about participating in the "Big Three" basketball conference, highlighting his transition from the five-on-five league to a more competitive three-on-three format.

Lester Holt shares his eagerness to compete, mentioning his past achievements and his anticipation for the current tournament.

Notable Quote:

"Man, I'm really excited about playing in the big three, man. I played. I done graduated from the five on five league. I done got my hat, my jacket, my award." ([03:15])

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3. Challenges of Three-on-Three Basketball (05:30 - 12:00)

The hosts discuss the differences between traditional five-on-five and the more fast-paced three-on-three basketball. Dwight Howard emphasizes the increased physical demand and the strategic shift required.

Ryan Seacrest recounts a devastating loss against Jordan Crawford's team, emphasizing the fatigue and the tactical shortcomings in their gameplay.

Notable Quote:

"The biggest difference here is, like. It's like playing 21 when you was growing up. So if you get the rebound, somebody's running to the three. And if you tired and don't close out, everybody can shoot. You gonna get blown out." ([04:43])

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4. High School Basketball Memories and Nurturing Talent (12:00 - 22:00)

The conversation shifts to high school basketball experiences, with Lester Holt reminiscing about his time at a small church school in Georgia. He discusses the tight-knit environment and the challenges of playing in packed tournaments.

Dwight Howard recalls memorable matchups and the competitive landscape, highlighting teams like the Indy Heat featuring future NBA stars like Mike Conley and Eric Gordon.

Notable Quote:

"We was number three in the nation. We was playing in big time tournaments every summer, man. And that's what we really got. Our name playing out here in the big time tournament." ([12:21])

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5. The Impact of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) in High School and College Basketball (22:00 - 35:00)

Lester Holt voices his concerns about the introduction of NIL deals in high school and college basketball. He argues that monetizing young athletes can detract from their passion for the game and potentially lead to corruption.

Ryan Seacrest counters by appreciating the financial support NIL provides, especially for those who might skip college altogether to pursue professional careers.

Notable Quote:

"I don't really like the NIL thing. I think only reason I say I don't like it is because once the money get involved in a lot of things that kind of mess up the game." ([05:37])

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6. Reflections on Team Loyalty and MVP Debates (35:00 - 50:00)

The hosts delve into the complexities of MVP selections, with Lester Holt expressing his belief that he deserved the MVP over Derrick Rose during his prime. Dwight Howard and Ryan Seacrest discuss the factors influencing MVP awards, including team performance and individual statistics.

They also debate historical MVP snubs, mentioning legends like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant who they feel were underrated in their MVP candidacies.

Notable Quote:

"They should have gave you the MVP over D. Rose." ([45:18])

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7. Comparing Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (50:00 - 70:00)

A significant portion of the discussion centers around comparing two of basketball's greatest: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Lester Holt asserts that while Kobe was a more ruthless scorer, LeBron's longevity and versatility make him a formidable contender.

Dwight Howard leans towards Kobe for his scoring prowess, while acknowledging LeBron's impressive career achievements.

Notable Quote:

"Like Kobe. Kobe's an asshole. Not saying he's an asshole to me. I'm just saying like his personality, like he a asshole. Like he don't give a fuck. Yeah, Bron give a fuck." ([55:06])

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8. The NBA Bubble Experience and Personal Struggles (70:00 - 83:45)

Lester Holt opens up about his challenging time in the NBA bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. He shares the emotional toll of being separated from his son and dealing with intense physical injuries, specifically a herniated disc.

The discussion highlights the mental and physical strains athletes endure, especially during unprecedented times like a global pandemic.

Notable Quote:

"I had back surgery that year. So that year was crazy for me physically, because I don't think people understand. A herniated disc in your back is probably one of the worst injuries you could have in life, not just basketball." ([76:30])

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9. Future of the NBA and Player Legacies (83:45 - End)

Concluding the episode, the hosts speculate on the future landscape of the NBA, discussing potential Hall of Fame inductees and the impact of current players like Giannis Antetokounmpo. They emphasize the importance of team loyalty and strategic career moves to maximize legacy and championships.

Lester Holt advises players like Giannis to remain with their current teams to solidify their legacies rather than seeking external validation through team changes.

Notable Quote:

"I just think that he gotta shut all the noise off. Stay silent, man. Cause people gonna say whatever they wanna say." ([80:28])

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10. Closing Remarks and Call to Action (End)

The episode wraps up with a lighthearted discussion about potential future endeavors and team additions. The hosts promote their own podcast, Above the Rim, encouraging listeners to tune in for more basketball insights and stories.

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Conclusion

This episode of Club Shay Shay offers a candid and comprehensive look into the lives and opinions of former athletes navigating the evolving landscape of basketball. Through personal anecdotes, debates on MVP selections, and reflections on team dynamics, the conversation provides valuable insights for both avid fans and casual listeners alike.

Highlighted Quotes:

• "Man, I'm really excited about playing in the big three, man. I played. I done graduated from the five on five league. I done got my hat, my jacket, my award." — Lester Holt ([03:15])

• "The biggest difference here is, like. It's like playing 21 when you was growing up. So if you get the rebound, somebody's running to the three. And if you tired and don't close out, everybody can shoot. You gonna get blown out." — Ryan Seacrest ([04:43])

• "I don't really like the NIL thing. I think only reason I say I don't like it is because once the money get involved in a lot of things that kind of mess up the game." — Lester Holt ([05:37])

• "They should have gave you the MVP over D. Rose." — Lester Holt ([45:18])

• "Like Kobe. Kobe's an asshole. Not saying he's an asshole to me. I'm just saying like his personality, like he a asshole. Like he don't give a fuck. Yeah, Bron give a fuck." — Lester Holt ([55:06])

• "I had back surgery that year. So that year was crazy for me physically, because I don't think people understand. A herniated disc in your back is probably one of the worst injuries you could have in life, not just basketball." — Lester Holt ([76:30])

• "I just think that he gotta shut all the noise off. Stay silent, man. Cause people gonna say whatever they wanna say." — Lester Holt ([80:28])

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Note: This summary excludes all advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the substantive discussions and insights shared during the episode.

Transcript

[Ryan Seacrest]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Tom Brokaw]

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[Lester Holt]

The NBC Nightly News legacy isn't handed.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Down or NBC News.

[Tom Brokaw]

I'm Tom Brokaw.

[Colin Cowherd]

We hope to see you back here.

[Lester Holt]

I'm Lester Holt. It's carried forward.

[Dwight Howard]

Tom Yamaz is there for us.

[Tom Yamas]

Firefighters are still working around the clock.

[Lester Holt]

As the world changes, we look for what endures.

[Tom Brokaw]

We are coming on the air with.

[Tom Yamas]

Breaking news right now.

[Lester Holt]

We look for a constant and from one era to the next. Trust is the anchor. For NBC Nightly News, I'm Tom Yamas. A new chapter begins. NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Evenings on NBC.

[Tom Yamas]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Tom Brokaw]

All Right. We back another episode of Club 520 podcast brought to you by Boost Mobile. We live in Vegas with a big three draft. It's only right, man. We got some special guests in the building. We're gonna introduce them last to my far left, we got dog Bishop B hitting out the priest. How you what?

[Lester Holt]

Nasty.

[Dwight Howard]

Sad and nasty. Let's get to it, bro.

[Tom Brokaw]

For sure. Long away the episode to my far right, my dog, Young Nacho. Young T, how you what?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Chilling, bro. Chilling. Chilling, bro.

[Tom Brokaw]

We did the origin story of Freaky Mike, man. We're gonna have to do order story of young Nacho one day, man. Y' all gonna have tap into the Patreon for that show, man. We got some special guests in the building, man, like we said out here for the big three. The new Squiddy La, right? You know what I'm saying? They holding down the set, man. We got the gang in the building. You know the vibes.

[Lester Holt]

I'm about to start a ride.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, I had this night. What's happening, brothers? How y' all doing, man?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Good, man.

[Lester Holt]

Thanks for having us on, man.

[Tom Brokaw]

Come on, man. Long awaited episode, man. Appreciate y' all pulling up now. Listen, man, you got a lot of conferences going on with now. Big three, man. What's up, Big three?

[Lester Holt]

Man, I'm really excited about playing in the big three, man. I played. I done graduated from the five on five league. I done got my. My hat, my jacket, my award. So, you know, I haven't played 303 basketball since, you know, sometimes we have it in practice or whatever. We might do three on three. But this will be my first time hooping with the three on three. So I'm looking forward to it, man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Most definitely.

[Tom Brokaw]

Like you said, man. Congratulations as well, man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Thank you.

[Tom Brokaw]

Well deserved, brother. Well deserved for sure. Three on three basketball. Listen, man, you still got, you know what I'm saying? You could probably get some minutes in the league now. You in the big three with it. Hey, man, we got high expectations, Dwight. You gotta get out here and kill these niggas.

[Lester Holt]

You right.

[Dwight Howard]

You're supposed to get MVP.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, already you already.

[Dwight Howard]

You already preseason MVP doing three a days.

[Lester Holt]

Y' all can't just let me. I'm 39.

[Tom Brokaw]

We just went to the combine, Dwight. No excuses.

[Dwight Howard]

Everybody old that motherfucker.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I ain't gonna lie. It's kind of hard to play though.

[Dwight Howard]

Why?

[Ryan Seacrest]

You get tired? You get tired fast as hell.

[Lester Holt]

303 different.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, you got, you know, it's half court. Yeah, you get tired fast. I didn't expect it last year, but.

[Dwight Howard]

They just gonna feed the post, bro.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Ah, hell yeah.

[Gilbert Arenas]

What's the biggest difference with 3 on 3 and 5' 5?

[Ryan Seacrest]

The biggest difference here is, like. It's like playing 21 when you was growing up. So if you get the rebound, somebody's running to the three. And if you tired and don't close out, everybody can shoot. You gonna get blown out. I remember last year we played in Portland. We got beat by like 40.

[Dwight Howard]

Damn.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Jordan Crawford. Yeah, they beat us by like 40. I think we had, like six points in the first half. We were so tired.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Against Jordan Crawford.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yup. Yeah, that was that game we us. I flew in the same day. It was like, terrible, like, flights and stuff. But crossing, it was, like, real fucked up.

[Gilbert Arenas]

You can't beat him. Join them. Y' all gotta come join the right.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I know. I seen JC yesterday, man. I told him, y' all gotta put me on the team.

[Tom Brokaw]

I'll take it to the preacher pool.

[Dwight Howard]

What's up?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Y' all gotta put me on the team.

[Lester Holt]

You playing, right? You playing, but not the whole time.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, I play. I just gotta do some stuff. At high school basketball, we got June ball. Gotta go to some of the college campuses.

[Lester Holt]

How was that coaching, man?

[Ryan Seacrest]

It's cool. I enjoy it. Probably the funnest part of my life right now. Besides being married, that's cool, too. But coaching basketball, that's cool too. Coaching basketball. Gotta throw that in there for sure.

[Tom Brokaw]

Speaking of high school basketball, obviously, you know what I'm saying, Your trajectory, how you got to the NBA. How would you feel about the Nil in high school?

[Lester Holt]

To be honest, man, I don't really like the Nil thing. I think only reason I say I don't like it is because once the money get involved in a lot of things that kind of mess up the game. The passion, the love. I know on the NBA level, so much money involved in it, it take away from how you might feel. Cause you know you might not play. Cause the people up top making a decision, it ain't got nothing to do with you or how good you are. And, you know, I just feel like now they bringing that down to high school, college, stuff like that, where people getting paid. And now it can devalue some of these guys from once they try to get to the professional side.

[Ryan Seacrest]

So, yeah, I mean, I like it to the point, like, see, you ain't go to college, so you don't know that feeling. You ain't got no money, like you broke as hell, trying to make it.

[Tom Brokaw]

He don't know about that basketball.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He don't know about that getting that Pell Grant. But, like, it's cool for that point. Like, man, you could take care of yourself in school and have money in your pocket. I think it's cool. But I mean, like, I couldn't imagine making four or five million dollars in college, bro. I would have been filthy. I would have never made to the NBA. That would have been my NBA. I would have been good.

[Gilbert Arenas]

He's the lowest amount of people into the draft this year.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, I bet. I mean, if you. We got some kids at Indiana who could have went to the draft, but he went to Louisville, got three damn near $3 million. He like, shout out to RA.

[Dwight Howard]

That's a game changer.

[Lester Holt]

So I could see on both sides how it could be good. And, you know, like you said, well, my side, I'm like, man, I ain't never experienced going to college, so I do not understand that part. So I guess the part that I'm looking at it is from being in the league for so long and seeing the corrupt. I would say the corrupt side of sports and stuff like that. And I don't want these parents and these kids to really get involved in that part, but you can't keep it away from them. But.

[Ryan Seacrest]

So it's already corrupt. Like, it's probably was people you was number one player in the country. It's probably people already betting on you on the side. I was 60, and people was trying to give me money on the side even to go to college. They was trying to give you money and stuff. So it was happening anyway. It's just cool that it's in the open now because, I mean, we got money when I was in school, so.

[Dwight Howard]

So I think Josh. I think Josh Smith would have. Pro. Would have took that paper. He would have been an I.U. if they went, Josh, we got 10 for you.

[Ryan Seacrest]

10 million?

[Lester Holt]

Yeah. Over going to the league?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, I think he over to the league.

[Lester Holt]

He going to the league. He going. He wasn't gonna stay in Indiana for what?

[Dwight Howard]

For tms. Smooth is going to Bloomington.

[Lester Holt]

Remember what he said?

[Dwight Howard]

Remember what he said on the pie? He was like. My daddy was like, man, that ain't no money in college. So if they would offer him some bread. I'm just thinking from that side.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

Cause you young. He like, if we can go get 10 real quick, it.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

That's the only reason why I brought up Josh, because he said that on.

[Tom Brokaw]

The pod, 10 million is a lot to do.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He probably would have they offered him about 2 or 3 million? He probably would have went.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, is a lot for college.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

What crazy.

[Tom Brokaw]

Even at that time, period. Three is a lot.

[Lester Holt]

How long Josh would have stayed?

[Dwight Howard]

Probably a year.

[Lester Holt]

A year?

[Tom Brokaw]

He couldn't have stayed in.

[Lester Holt]

He couldn't have stayed more than a year because it would have got to him.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, you gotta get out of there. Get in, get out. Do that little six months of slide.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's Robert.

[Lester Holt]

How was college? Like, people saying that if I would have went to college, I probably would have wanted to stay all four years.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hell no.

[Tom Yamas]

They lying.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Who told you that lie?

[Dwight Howard]

Would you went to unc?

[Lester Holt]

I was thinking about going to.

[Ryan Seacrest]

People be lying, bro.

[Tom Brokaw]

You said people be lying.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They just be loving they school, bro. Don't nobody want to stay in college, bro. That shit is awful. Doing homework, bro? Hell no.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Now you got.

[Lester Holt]

I swear, everybody was telling me, man, you would have loved college, man. I'm like, for what, man? I ain't want to go to school when I was in high school.

[Tom Brokaw]

You love campus. Campus would have been fun. But as far as going to class, why the fuck am I. I go to class where I'm a basketball player, bro.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I love the NBA, bro. Facts. Like, what are we talking about? Everybody that say I love college, they must have been a star in college.

[Lester Holt]

True.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You the man on campus or whatever, but you was the man in the league.

[Dwight Howard]

There's different experiences though too though, for people.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, that's sad. People. Nah, I'm telling you, look at.

[Dwight Howard]

Them. Said they had fun.

[Ryan Seacrest]

The Marcus was gassing Vuk with the uk. They could have used do nothing. They couldn't even do nothing.

[Tom Brokaw]

They had the real nil, though. That was before the game.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They couldn't even do nothing. Look, I'm telling you the truth, bro. I always keep it real, bro. When you go to college, it's fun like for a second, bro. When you go to the NBA, bro.

[Dwight Howard]

Well, yeah, of course.

[Lester Holt]

That's.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Our line. They say, I want to go back. No, I want to go back to the NBA right now. What are you talking about?

[Dwight Howard]

So was that an automatic for you though? I know you said unc, but when did you make that choice to make.

[Lester Holt]

That leap to go to the league, man? I was saying 10th grade.

[Dwight Howard]

Oh, okay.

[Lester Holt]

In 10th grade. Nah, for real. I said I don't want to go to college. I feel like that's going to be a waste of time for me and the school. I really just want to go to the league and hoop. It was nothing else that I Wanted to do besides hoop.

[Tom Brokaw]

So you know what's interesting? I wanted to ask you about this. Melo was just talking about on the pod shout out to J.R. smith. He's talking about he pulled up to McDonald's game and seeing how y' all was playing, he was just like. I looked around and seen, oh, yeah, they can go to the league right now. What's that moment when you get around those people that's in the league? That's just like reaffirming that you already.

[Lester Holt]

Know that I was gonna be. That I could go, man. Every tournament. Every tournament, we played in the McDonald's game. That's when I kind of like. I was like, this is it, man. I'm mvp. Me and JR Shout to sn. I knew I had a shot. I knew I had a shot then to be the number one pick. But I was just so headstrong on making sure I went number one that, you know, that was my only mission in the first pick.

[Dwight Howard]

You played on a hell of a AAU team, too.

[Tom Brokaw]

That was about to segue that. This is shit right here. That was a classic debate.

[Lester Holt]

Third best.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Third best is the first, bro. No, no, it's Indiana. Indiana.

[Dwight Howard]

Nobody's fucking with Shaqa White. I tell these niggas all the time. You niggas don't understand how good Randolph was either.

[Lester Holt]

Cold.

[Dwight Howard]

Y' all had the coldest front court bro. Of all time, bro. Swear to God. In high school basketball, in any era, bro. Him, Randolph and Josh.

[Lester Holt]

Josh. And then we have Javaris, Duane Day.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah. Mike Mercer.

[Ryan Seacrest]

B Rush. One game.

[Lester Holt]

I said we did tournament.

[Tom Brokaw]

I said, what the hell is B.

[Lester Holt]

Rush going on this team? We had a squad.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That nigga is from Missouri.

[Lester Holt]

It all started. We used to come out here in Vegas and play in all the tournament. The big time tournament out here in Vegas. My youngest memories is coming out here with the Atlanta Celtics. And back then, they used to have.

[Tom Brokaw]

Them little Atlanta Celtics.

[Lester Holt]

Nah, coming out here, they used to have these little cars like to the escorts. You know what I'm talking about? We came back and they used to have a car. Yeah, the Real World promo.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's.

[Lester Holt]

I remember our coach. Not our coach, but Wallace prayed the God rest his soul. Started a wholesale just. He said, if any of y' all mess with any of these escorts, y' all would never play Celtics basketball again. I said, man, shit, I ain't gonna try this. Cause I wanna go to the league. Everybody was afraid. Cause they was passing out the cards everywhere. But, man, we used to come here every Summer, man. And that's what we really got. Our name playing out here in the big time tournament. Playing around.

[Dwight Howard]

Any memorable matchups from back then.

[Lester Holt]

Damn, that was a long time ago.

[Dwight Howard]

What?

[Gilbert Arenas]

You said Bassey said he beat y' all Team Bassey.

[Lester Holt]

That was our high school team. Nope. Nobody was. Well, the team that beat us was pump and run from la, Jordan Farmar.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Okay.

[Lester Holt]

What'S the big. He was a center. Some dude. Mata. Alonzo Mata. He was a. He was a glue guy. Yeah, but he was good, man. But they used to always beat us, man. That was the only team that beat us. Is the team out of la. Jordan Farmar.

[Dwight Howard]

Damn.

[Tom Brokaw]

At the crib, we always talk about the Indie Heat team. Versha.

[Lester Holt]

Indie Heat team.

[Ryan Seacrest]

It was. Who was on that team?

[Dwight Howard]

Josh McRoberts. Daquan Cook.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Mike Conley.

[Dwight Howard]

Eric Gordon. Mike Conley. They was pretty cool.

[Lester Holt]

That's a five squad high school. That's fine.

[Dwight Howard]

It was pretty.

[Ryan Seacrest]

DQ was nasty.

[Dwight Howard]

Josh McGr was Josh the Colonist White boy at that time for sure. He definitely had bounce.

[Lester Holt]

Greg. Odin.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, Mike's still playing.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Mike?

[Tom Brokaw]

Oh, we just watched Mike in the claps.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. Just hit a three the other night. I couldn't believe the shit. Oh, my gosh. Damn. He still playing, man.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's crazy.

[Lester Holt]

So what I think nobody talk about Indiana hoops like that. They should be talked about more.

[Tom Brokaw]

Most definitely.

[Dwight Howard]

I mean, we tried.

[Lester Holt]

Y' all got some Hoopers, though.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, we got a lot. We got a lot, bro. For real.

[Tom Brokaw]

We just don't have a lot of superstars as compared to some of the bigger cities as far as consistent players and stuff like that. Yeah, we keep some of them around.

[Gilbert Arenas]

So which state got the best Hoopers?

[Tom Brokaw]

Which state?

[Dwight Howard]

Oh, it's us, bro. We got all the goo, guys.

[Lester Holt]

Jersey.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Jersey.

[Tom Brokaw]

Nah. Oh, Jersey.

[Lester Holt]

Jersey. Jersey.

[Ryan Seacrest]

It's California.

[Dwight Howard]

That's where you from, huh?

[Lester Holt]

From Jersey.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah.

[Tom Brokaw]

I see the bias in there. I love you, shaq.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Kyrie.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah.

[Gilbert Arenas]

J.R. smith.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. Y' all cooked after that.

[Tom Brokaw]

Jalen Brunson, y' all. JB for Show.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Carl Towns.

[Lester Holt]

Okay.

[Dwight Howard]

I'm on Mama.

[Tom Brokaw]

J' all take a cat cheat. But I don't respect Chicago, though. He played in high school.

[Lester Holt]

He go to high school.

[Tom Brokaw]

Chicago.

[Gilbert Arenas]

He from Jersey.

[Lester Holt]

Cat from Chicago. Nah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Jayla, bro.

[Lester Holt]

Jalen Bronson.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Chicago in high school.

[Dwight Howard]

That's a Fire 5. That's fine.

[Lester Holt]

New Jersey. Nice.

[Ryan Seacrest]

But if you go with la, bro.

[Lester Holt]

It'S crazy who LA is. It is.

[Dwight Howard]

Okay.

[Lester Holt]

Well, you might have to take LA.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Out of there, though.

[Lester Holt]

Put it in regions.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Well, this like when. Cause you got just damn near Compton alone. You got.

[Tom Brokaw]

You got three hall of Famers.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

You got three other hall of Famers from Compton.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's true.

[Dwight Howard]

Russ, James, DeMar. Shit. That's enough right there.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You can stop right there.

[Lester Holt]

You can stop right there.

[Dwight Howard]

I give it to on some real shit though. State wise. I give it to New York. Pure basketball.

[Lester Holt]

New York.

[Tom Brokaw]

I'll go Cali over New York.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Hey, Bassey said you can't put New York over Jersey. Look at the lineup.

[Dwight Howard]

Pure basketball, bro. I'm just talking about outside of NBA players, just overall basketball players, who coaches.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I ain't really got that many Hoopers though from there.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, from New York.

[Lester Holt]

Not a lot.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Not a lot. I'm telling you.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Stefan Marbury, it's like Kimba.

[Tom Brokaw]

What's that guy shout out to Cardiac, right?

[Ryan Seacrest]

For all kids.

[Dwight Howard]

He's from New York.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Like Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson, like that. Like.

[Dwight Howard]

Alimo, Ali, Mo from New York.

[Lester Holt]

I know, but it's not, it's not a lot of. I think what he's saying is there's not a lot of super superstars from New York City.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Yeah, it's a street ball legend. Street ball.

[Lester Holt]

It's a street ball.

[Dwight Howard]

They don't count.

[Gilbert Arenas]

DMV. I know DeMarcus and Quinn said DMV, PG county and stuff.

[Tom Brokaw]

They got some killers too.

[Gilbert Arenas]

They got some Hoopers, kd, Mello, Bez, Bees.

[Dwight Howard]

That's enough.

[Lester Holt]

That's three right there.

[Dwight Howard]

That was crazy. Well, I'm still taking that though. I'm still taking. I'm taking Indiana, bro.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Indiana.

[Lester Holt]

Growing up for us, Indiana was like. They used to always tell us Indiana's where the Hoopers come from, I guess. Cause what's the coach name who choked the player?

[Tom Brokaw]

Bob Knight.

[Lester Holt]

Bob Knight. Yeah. I remember in high school they wanted us to meet Bob Knight. So that was the time I traveled up to Indiana.

[Gilbert Arenas]

So who came out of Indiana?

[Lester Holt]

Who came out of Indiana?

[Ryan Seacrest]

I mean, we just. Like he said, we got A.J.

[Lester Holt]

Moyer.

[Tom Brokaw]

Shout out to A.J. moyer.

[Dwight Howard]

No, he did not.

[Lester Holt]

That's my dog from Atlanta.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Had to throw him out there.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, he had crazy shit at IU too.

[Dwight Howard]

AJ was the first father 11, power forward.

[Lester Holt]

That's crazy. When he was in high school, he played power forward and he's only 5 11.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, bro, we know about AJ Moya number two.

[Lester Holt]

He had bounce for real. He could play. About to say AJ Moyer. He was cold.

[Tom Brokaw]

Most definitely. Yeah. Indiana, especially high school wise, we. We keep some like every year we gonna keep some of dollars. All Americans.

[Dwight Howard]

Nah, facts. How was that rookie year though, bro? Getting drafted? Like, how was that shit?

[Tom Brokaw]

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[Tom Brokaw]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Lester Holt]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Dwight Howard]

Boost Mobile is Now legit nationwide 5G network. They've invested billions of dollars across the country.

[Lester Holt]

Listen.

[Tom Brokaw]

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[Lester Holt]

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[Tom Brokaw]

They ain't switching up.

[Dwight Howard]

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[Tom Brokaw]

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[Dwight Howard]

Tap in boost mobile.com man, y' all.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Better tap in 25, man, forever.

[Tom Brokaw]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

Head to your local Walmart or Target and try the OG degree Cool Rush for yourself.

[Tom Yamas]

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[Tom Brokaw]

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[Lester Holt]

Man, it was a world where being drafted at 18 coming into a league where you asked to be the franchise player. I went to the smallest school in Georgia when they had 16 people in my class. So now going from small school like that to the league was like a shell shock for me. I was. I ain't know nothing about nothing coming into the league. That was a real story. I just knew how to hoop.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Yeah, Javar's Critten went there too.

[Lester Holt]

Javar's okay.

[Dwight Howard]

Okay.

[Gilbert Arenas]

That shit's small as.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, I see that shit like a damn cool. Yeah, my house is in the league about biggest. My school.

[Dwight Howard]

Wow, bro. Okay.

[Lester Holt]

I had a small school, man. Yeah, like we really. It was. It was 10 girls in our class, six boys.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Damn.

[Lester Holt]

We had three.

[Ryan Seacrest]

What made you go there?

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, I know we backpedaling, but damn, we gotta tap into that.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, it was a church school, so. My church, we started a school and I just stayed there my whole life.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Yeah, five.

[Lester Holt]

I ain't go nowhere else.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Five to 18.

[Lester Holt]

Five to 18. I went to the same school. I ain't know nothing besides the school. Then I got to the league. I ain't know nothing but the league. I was really the bubble boy like in the movie.

[Dwight Howard]

I didn't know that. Five to 18, that's tough.

[Tom Brokaw]

I know y' all prom.

[Ryan Seacrest]

What? He crashed going to a church school.

[Dwight Howard]

I would have crashed out.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I know my first year in the league, I would have been filthy.

[Dwight Howard]

You one of pastor's kid?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

I was.

[Tom Brokaw]

Locked up as a rookie out Atlanta League. And kids, I'm rich and I got this on here. It's up to Atlanta League.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You got to think cuz at pike we got like what, 4,000 students? Yeah, our Was like a mini college.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, nice.

[Tom Brokaw]

Y' all got 4,000 students, and pike was 60% black.

[Lester Holt]

I don't even know what it's like to go to school with that many people. Like, I ain't never seen that many people until I started going to basketball games in the league, seeing thousands and thousands of people.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, that's hype.

[Tom Brokaw]

So what y' all. I mean, obviously the hype was there. Know how good you was. Like, was y' all games crazy? Like, was people pulling up to the games?

[Lester Holt]

Our games was crazy.

[Tom Brokaw]

Okay.

[Lester Holt]

We couldn't play at our. At our gym.

[Tom Brokaw]

Impossible.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I was like, yeah, there's no way. I feel.

[Lester Holt]

I think we played one game there. It was the first game, but it was so packed that they was about to shut the. What they call the fire. The fire marshal might come. So we had to play at one of the colleges.

[Dwight Howard]

Damn.

[Lester Holt]

That was a time, man, playing in high school, when games is packed.

[Gilbert Arenas]

And what was y' all ranked?

[Lester Holt]

We was number three in the nation.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Did y' all play Lou Will?

[Lester Holt]

Nah, we didn't play Louville. Nah, he. He was a little bit after me. It was a year after me, but he was. He was like 5A.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh, okay.

[Lester Holt]

5A, 6A. So they playing all the big schools?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. Cause they school big as shit. I went to that school.

[Dwight Howard]

Gwinnett.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, that's a big school.

[Dwight Howard]

Nah, for sure.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Our school was small.

[Tom Brokaw]

And it's sweet now. Cause, like, he's the coach of our alma mater now. And, like, we was lit. Pike was a really, really good, prominent basketball school. And, like, people didn't even care. Like, people came to games to support shit, but, like, people didn't care. We know niggas good.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, that's. Damn.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They was number two in the nation after LeBron.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

LeBron Senior. Yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah. That was 03. Yeah.

[Tom Brokaw]

So, like, it was. The support was always there. But to like. To hear that perspective, to have no one player in a small school like that, and then for y' all to be as good as y' all were, like, putting out pros every three years and everybody, like, people supportive. It was like, all right, cool. We just going to the game Friday night.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, that's how it was. It wasn't even a big deal.

[Lester Holt]

And we played games was lit.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I could imagine, though.

[Dwight Howard]

That's crazy. You got that personality, bro. You went to a school from 5 to 18 that was on the same school. Yeah, bro. Cause with your personality, you would think that you went to a school like us. You feel me? Like it's like you real social.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, I would imagine you was like a class clown, but with five people in your class. You damn hurricane clown. School clown.

[Lester Holt]

I was a school clown. On, God.

[Tom Brokaw]

I was teaching you like, dwight, I'm gonna have you again next year and.

[Ryan Seacrest]

The year after that. Tighten up, nigga. I'm gonna see you tomorrow.

[Lester Holt]

That's what I'm saying.

[Dwight Howard]

You don't even have the. You couldn't even switch classes. You don't even know what that's like to just.

[Lester Holt]

Nah, when you. You right. We was in the same class all day, and the teacher would come to our class.

[Ryan Seacrest]

All.

[Lester Holt]

We just had one teacher. Did you have, like, a role at the school? Like a. I was the. I was the school president. Like, we had like a little, you.

[Dwight Howard]

Know, I don't know, little scale crew.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Who did the election. Just.

[Lester Holt]

Hey, we went with the white grown already. You.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's crazy.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's funny as hell. I want to ask you this question. You talked about this recently regarding, like, the Y situation. You say the grass might always be greener. I love to have that conversation with you here because I know T talked about that. His old teammate, you know, the landscape of the NBA. You know, people always talk about moving around and stuff, but some of these stars is like, you might as well just be where you at and just make it your own.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, man. One of the craziest things I think I did was just leaving Orlando, not knowing what I had until it was really gone, and not seeing, like, when you go somewhere else, you really in somebody else shit, and you think you can come over there and take it, but, nah, it ain't like that. So, you know, being in Orlando, I ain't realized I'm young as hell, man. 22 in the finals, you know what I'm saying? 22, one of the best players already. MVP and all that stuff talk. And I ain't know what I was doing down there, you know what I'm saying? So I just tell Giannis, man, you are Milwaukee.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's true.

[Lester Holt]

Where's you going? You know what I'm saying? It ain't going. Ain't nothing else gonna hit right after that, you know what I'm saying? So I just think that his best bet is to just stay put. I mean, they add pieces around him, you know what I'm saying? So it ain't the other way around. Like, he don't need to go nowhere else and try to figure it out. They gonna bring whatever he. And he already won. He already won. What Else do he gotta do? He gonna get his. If he stays, he gonna get a statue. The NASA's will get a statue.

[Ryan Seacrest]

If he stays.

[Lester Holt]

Right now, the Nastas coaching job, Swear to God. For real, he need to stay, man. Like, I understand wanting to leave and playing with these guys and chasing the ring, but for real, like, that's the one thing I don't like, and I wish I didn't do it, was chase after a ring, you know what I'm saying? Going to teams, trying to figure it out. So I would say, you gotta stay home, stay put.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah. Cause when you was in Orlando, I tell everybody you was the most dominant player, and it was like you was joking with people. Like, we had four. We had four or five bigs. We had five. We had all these old teams.

[Lester Holt]

Thomas, Josh Powell, Jason Collins. Jason Collins, one of the grants with the loan.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, yeah, we had a bunch of people. We had Al Horbatron, Zaza, Zaza, Patuya. Yeah, we had a whole squad to stop you. In my rookie year, y' all beat us by like, 40 year game. But our second year, I used to say every game y' all did in the playoffs, y' all beat us by.

[Lester Holt]

Like, 40 with Gilbert, right?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, we beat y' all with Gil. Yeah, but y' all first year, I think y' all had heedoo.

[Lester Holt]

Oh, y' all did?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, we had, like, the biggest margin of victory and, like, NBA history against y' all. Y' all. Like, Woody was a coach. We was getting our ass beat. Then the next year, we played y' all, and we was like, we gonna let Dwight score 50 in the first game. You had like, 36 in the first quarter, like in the first half. And I'm like, hey, man, this nigga might really score 50, y' all. They like, nah, it's cool, it's cool. We gotta eliminate the threes. But I was just telling people how dominant you were. Like, it was crazy. You couldn't get a layup. Like, I used to shoot floaters at the top of the rack board. And he would be just laughing like, don't come back here. Don't go. Let him go. Let him go. Hey, let him go. I'm like, man, what the fuck? Jameer and them just let you go to the basket. He'll block it. He's a cheat code.

[Lester Holt]

It was fun as hell, man. And I think people took me laughing and joking as not taking the game serious. But I practiced so hard. I worked so hard out outside of the games before the game started that by the time we got playing, I'm like, man, this is fun. Going out there, dominating, dunking, blocking shots, doing all that I'm doing. This is fun. Cause I done put in all the hard work, so now it's really a show. That's how I'm taking it. Like, man, I'm finna put on a show. We got all these fans, they ain't never seen me play live. I'm finna go crazy. I'm finna block a shot, smile, talk some trash to the. You know, I didn't mean no harm by it. It's just. I just had so much passion about playing.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, you was dominant, bro. I' ma always give you your flyers on that. That shit was crazy.

[Gilbert Arenas]

I think Gilbert had brought it up on the pod when they played Atlanta. His stats was like crazy.

[Lester Holt]

Like 40.

[Tom Brokaw]

Like 40.

[Lester Holt]

Oh, we played against Atlanta? Yeah, 35.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Whatever.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh, yeah. It's like he had something against us.

[Lester Holt]

That's what I was about to ask.

[Tom Brokaw]

Being from Atlanta, what was it?

[Lester Holt]

I did one. I was mad cause I wanted to play in Atlanta, you know what I'm saying? So I was like, man, they ain't even. I'm from Atlanta. They could have drafted me. But then it was just like I wanted to beat the Hawks. Cause every game I saw somebody that I knew from growing up talking trash and they cheering for the Hawks. I was like, man, I gotta. And the Hawks, like had like five bigs too. I wanted to destroy every single big. Like that was my whole mission.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, they didn't have no chance to dominate me.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, they didn't have no chance.

[Dwight Howard]

They had no chance.

[Lester Holt]

So that was y' all whole game plan to let me score?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. That second time we played, we beat y' all. My second year, the first year, y' all blew us out. But my second year, they was like, let Dwight kill and you was killing shit. But nobody else was really scoring like that. Cause we was just staying at home and you was just playing one on one and was killing. Well, I don't know. We figured it out. Jamal had a big sense.

[Lester Holt]

It was a smart ass game player.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, that's what it was.

[Lester Holt]

For real. Cause I'm like, man, I could keep cooking, but then my teammates wasn't as involved as one. Four, five. Yeah, that wasn't good.

[Gilbert Arenas]

When you played with Atlanta, you wasn't on that team.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nope. I left the Yuri camp.

[Lester Holt]

That would have been fire.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

What did you hit the weight room. When you got to the league, what kind of play was you home?

[Lester Holt]

I did I was skinny. I tried to lift weights before I got to the league. My regiment before I got to the league was I was waking up. It's every day in high school, I was waking up, 4am going to the track, then the weight room, then the gym. But I couldn't gain no weight. None of that stuff happened. Then when I got to the league, I started doing Olympic lifting with our trainer in Orlando. And I would say after the first. The first year is what hit me. I started playing against the guys that was big and strong. And I was like, man, I'm not gonna get pushed around no more. So I just started lifting and eating weights. Then I got too big. I got too big.

[Dwight Howard]

That's why I asked.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, I went and got a weight room at my house. Every day I'm doing the bench press. I'm trying to get my bench right. I'm like, man, I gotta get close to 500 in the bench.

[Tom Brokaw]

I'm trying to get my bench right.

[Lester Holt]

Nigga, you bitching. 500. I'm trying to get to 500. Yeah. I'm like, man, yeah, the bench press. We was trying to. We was doing thousand push ups every day, nigga.

[Dwight Howard]

No wonder then. Cause I'm like, they shot the white with that strongest or something. The highest in high school.

[Lester Holt]

I was 185. Then I got up to 220. 224. And then when I got to the league, they got me all the way up to 265, 270.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's crazy.

[Dwight Howard]

That's crazy.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's big, though, and that's crazy. Cause, like, they always compare, like you and yon said, situations, like when y' all first came into the league. And then, like a couple years.

[Lester Holt]

I can see that.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, y' all became fucking monsters.

[Lester Holt]

I could see that. I could see that. I think that he was. He is a. Like Dwight Howard with that could play with handles and, you know, being able to go full court and all that stuff. In my era, they weren't allowing the bigs to do that. And he had just came in at the right time where he could play one on one as a five, full court, bring the ball down. I remember playing in Orlando, the coach was telling him every time I dribbled the ball, it tell them to come take it, don't dribble. So that's the only thing I could do is the jump hooks and dunk the ball.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's crazy. And the Atlanto team, we always give y' all credit. And y' all Flowers, because y' all were early. Y' all set the trend like that, especially in this era.

[Lester Holt]

Y' all would have dominated with the threes. Keep the floor space with the threes.

[Tom Brokaw]

Come on, man. He do target as the de facto point guard at 6 9.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Ryan Anderson.

[Lester Holt]

Ryan Anderson shooting threes. Crazy. Nobody talk about how Jameer played, man, but Jameer was cold, man. His. The way he shot the ball, it was underrated. I don't think people really talked about him. I think after he hurt his shoulder that year. But then having the two OG point guards, Skip Tamalu and Anthony Johnson.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Aj yeah, we saw him.

[Lester Holt]

No Neck. That's crazy. Anthony no Neck Johnson. That was my dog. He was one of my favorite point guards. And every time in the game when he got in trouble, he'd just be like, Dwight and throw the ball up for a lob. I'd be like, dog, just anytime you get in trouble, just throw that bitch.

[Tom Brokaw]

Up to the rim.

[Lester Holt]

I go get it.

[Tom Brokaw]

Don't talk about that team too. Like you said, Jameer Nelson was doing his thing for sure. Skip to my little hooping. He just hooped like it was N1 every hoop on y' all team.

[Dwight Howard]

How was that playing with him, bro?

[Lester Holt]

Man, that was so much fun. He's one of my all time favorites because I used to watch. I grew up watching. And one.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

So like seeing him on and one and then actually being on his team, I'm like, yo, this is sick, yo. Like, this is really skipped to my loop facts. He was one of the coldest, man, but he though was one of my craziest teammates. He was cold and coldest. 610 can shoot anywhere on the floor. Post up, you got handles. I think the NBA back then was such a. Like, I can't. I don't want to hate on the guys now that's playing. But I feel like we was. Our era. Like, that era was really nice.

[Ryan Seacrest]

It was a good time. I mean, I think it was a lot of cold people and we. I think like the best players to hoop was in that era. Like all of y' all are like hall of Famers.

[Lester Holt]

Just think about the names of the era. You talking about the dirt and the whiskeys, the kgs, the Tim Duncan. You got Amari Stoudemire, you got LeBron, you got. The era that we had in like.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That was like, say it was all like hall of Famers.

[Lester Holt]

It was probably one of the coldest eras of basket and the basketball back then was so hard because now the floor is spaced out so you getting all these points, but back then, everybody boxes and elbows. It's hard to score. It's hard to get 20 points a game in that league.

[Gilbert Arenas]

But then only 10 people.

[Lester Holt]

It was only 10 people scoring 20 points. So you see how cold the league was back then.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tom Brokaw]

You talk about the spacing. There wasn't no spacing. They had traditional power forwards and traditional fives.

[Lester Holt]

Yes.

[Tom Brokaw]

And they wasn't shooting threes.

[Ryan Seacrest]

None until they got them. When they start putting Rashad Lewis and Ryan Iverson out there.

[Lester Holt]

Rashad Lewis was one of the first ones. I think it was Rashad. Rasheed Lewis, too. Cause we kind of got that from the Pistons. See, Detroit beat us two years in a row in the playoffs when I first got into the league. Rashid Louis. Rasheed Wallace. Rasheed Wallace. That's what I meant to say. Rasheed Wallace.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

I said Rashad.

[Tom Brokaw]

Talk about me.

[Lester Holt]

I'm sorry to say Rashad name debo me out. But no Rasheed Wallace. I would say how Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace and then the guys they had on their team, they kind of gave us the blueprint of what we needed to do to be successful. Like, I need to change my mentality to be a beast in the paint. So watching and playing against guys like Ben Wallace, Jason Maxill, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio Mendice. This is all on the Pistons team. So that team right there, the league can blame them for me wanting to get in the weight room and wanting to, like, go after people. Because for two years straight, they bullied us, man.

[Dwight Howard]

Damn.

[Lester Holt]

They bullied us. And we couldn't beat em in the playoffs our regular season. Damn.

[Dwight Howard]

Nah, that was crazy.

[Tom Brokaw]

Shout out to that Pistons team. Jason Maxill and Ben Watt. That's a crazy front court.

[Lester Holt]

And I'm saying people forgetting about Rasheed Wallace.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yo, people wonder how strong Antonio McDyess was. He was strong as shit.

[Tom Brokaw]

And he had the nuggets was getting buckets.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, he was cold.

[Lester Holt]

He was cold.

[Dwight Howard]

But Jason Maxell was. What's he, like? Six.

[Lester Holt]

Six Jason Max, six. Three. With a. With a eight foot three.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

That nigga Long Ass ar looking like a Ninja Turtle.

[Tom Brokaw]

For the others who don't know who y' all talking about. What's my name? Isaiah up in Detroit.

[Lester Holt]

N. Jason was original Jason Max Facts. Y' all see that video? Him chasing the dude in China.

[Ryan Seacrest]

China, bro. He was trying to kill that boy.

[Lester Holt]

He would have killed that man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He trying to kill that.

[Tom Brokaw]

Hey, that basketball get different for show, man.

[Lester Holt]

Yo. Oh, God. Man, it was sometimes over there I want to scrap tell you why you cannot find me.

[Tom Brokaw]

They would have canceled your visa. Threw a guy over there.

[Lester Holt]

Me, I remember the guy that you threw.

[Ryan Seacrest]

No, excuse me.

[Lester Holt]

He just talking shit.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, we gonna pass.

[Tom Brokaw]

They gonna be in comments and be like, yep, this one right here.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, TikTok don't find y' all.

[Lester Holt]

But in China, we did get on Taiwan. We got into a. My team got into a fight. I got kicked out the game. I didn't even fight. I was on the bench. That was the one time I actually didn't do nothing to deserve a take. So it was pretty intense.

[Gilbert Arenas]

We gotta get you overseas, man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Over Me?

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Ah, it's probably over for me.

[Gilbert Arenas]

10 days.

[Ryan Seacrest]

10 days. I could do 10 days. How about I say tat?

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, 10 days, man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I could do 10 days.

[Lester Holt]

I started a league over in. In Asia a couple years ago after my first year in Taiwan. And reason being is a lot of guys who've played in the NBA or tried to make it to the NBA once, they don't make it or something like that, they usually tend to just be like, fuck it, you know what I'm saying? Go down the rabbit hole of why they played or whatever. And I really wanted to give a lot of guys opportunities to hoop across the water. The international game, the international love, international money, it's all out there. And I feel like sometimes, you know, we just put ourselves in a box. If we don't make it here, then that's the end. All be all. So we started the league three years ago, and it's been booming, man. We got Boogie played. Boogie came and played in it. Quinn Cook came and played. We got a guy, 7 foot 7, that was playing in the league for a couple years now. But we got about eight, nine teams. The league is.

[Dwight Howard]

Where your boy at? From Boston. That was on the pod. Big talk. Nick can't wear Taco.

[Lester Holt]

Taco fall. He was about to come actually. He was about to come actually and play over there. He went to mainland China and played, but.

[Tom Brokaw]

Shout out to Taco.

[Lester Holt]

Shout out to Taco man. I remember watching him at ucf. And UCF stands for you can't finish. He was at the right school. He could not finish in the paint. I'm like, bro, you seven foot nine, bro?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, bro.

[Tom Brokaw]

He ain't got taco fries.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They supposed to be Duke.

[Tom Brokaw]

They got cheated.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They did get cheated.

[Lester Holt]

I love Taco man. For real. Just to see his real progress. Like, he came into the league, he was not that skilled as he is now. He done Got so much better. And he dunk. I know he's 7 foot, 5 six, but he dunking on like he ain't playing around. So shout out to Taco man.

[Tom Brokaw]

It's always funny, like, you see, like, NBA players outside the NBA. Cause we always talk about, like, the Mitchell Robinson highlights. I'm about him not hitting free throws, but he pulling up for transition threes in the summer. Taco Fo got a crazy summer mixtape. He out there putting pats on niggas and shit.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I said, damn, I gotta check this shit out.

[Lester Holt]

It's different. I think it's different in the league. Sometimes you get. They give you a role or, like, man, you playing against really the best of the best. So defense gonna be on point. Guys is gonna be really ready to lock you down, whatever it may be when you go overseas or something like that. You get the green light. You trying anything, you gonna look like Mitchell Robinson. He got the green light when he out there playing in the park or whatever it's at. So shoot, I do the same thing, for sure.

[Dwight Howard]

At what point in your career did you, like, figure out, like, you was the one in the NBA? Like, when did you feel like, all right, I can start taking over and leading my team?

[Lester Holt]

I would say my damn third year. Third, fourth year. Then we went to the finals. And then I would say going to the Olympics, too, Man, there's so many different situations. Playing on Olympic team, starting on Olympic team. That's when I'm like, man, I'm one of these guys. I'm here with Kobe Braun, Jason Kidd, Melo. You know, I'm starting with these guys. And the league was just so crazy back then. Just to be mentioned with Kobe and.

[Dwight Howard]

Bron, you know, that's MVP talks.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, he ruined the commercial. The they folks had that finals.

[Tom Brokaw]

Come on. I know Adidas loved you for that, boy.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You fucked up a whole Nike. Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Oh, you talk about the.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They had the puppets and Shamal.

[Lester Holt]

I made my own puppets. Hell, I still got him at the crib.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Since you brought up mvp, I know that Derrick Rose. What you said he was number two that year.

[Lester Holt]

Derrick Rose got it.

[Gilbert Arenas]

So everybody in the comments, like, man, you wasn't getting that shit over D. Rose. What y' all think?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, you wasn't getting that shit over D. Rose.

[Lester Holt]

All hell to Dwight what happened that year. Why he should have got it, bro.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He had that Bulls team rocking, bro. He was number one.

[Gilbert Arenas]

And you had to guard. You had to guard.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, he fucked up.

[Lester Holt]

They had a whole.

[Dwight Howard]

They had boozer they had a good team.

[Lester Holt]

They had a good squad. It wasn't just you did too.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, it was just him.

[Lester Holt]

It was not him.

[Ryan Seacrest]

My man Lu Aldean, when he got hurt.

[Lester Holt]

Boozer, they good.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They good players. But it was all cause of Pooh, though. Like, Pooh made the engine like he was the engine. If they ain't had him, bro, it.

[Tom Brokaw]

Wasn'T even hard and he had the city cracking. I think that goes to the effect too. His effect of being at the crib and pulling the Bulls back up like that.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. After Mike.

[Lester Holt]

Same thing with the Magic. We did the same.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I ain't saying you did.

[Dwight Howard]

You did. You did your. You did your big one, bro. But that.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That shit was crazy, bro.

[Lester Holt]

In Chicago.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, it's just a better market. He was just exciting. He was a small guard, bro. And they like, bro said, bro, they was number one bro in the league. They was.

[Gilbert Arenas]

That's good that y' all said that. So Shay or Jokic this year?

[Tom Brokaw]

This year it's gotta be Shay.

[Dwight Howard]

You asked them?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, Shay's gonna win. Jokic is the mvp.

[Tom Brokaw]

Jokic having. But last year they told Shade that he has to do more and he should. Got MVP last year. Best work in the league. He has to get it. We know the Joker's the best player in the league. Nobody gonna argue that. Yeah, but this sga, first big to.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Average a triple double, though.

[Tom Brokaw]

That, bro, he's one of Dakotas. He's one of the best centers of all time. There's no question. But SGA gotta get the mvp, bro. They out of pocket.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He gonna win mvp.

[Lester Holt]

He got to.

[Ryan Seacrest]

But D. Rose that year, bro, like, people had to link up to beat him.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, beating the Magic, who they made.

[Ryan Seacrest]

To the Eastern Conference finals.

[Gilbert Arenas]

When they got hurt. When he got hurt, though, they. They still was number one. Like the next year, I think.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, hell no.

[Gilbert Arenas]

I think that that's when Jimmy Butler had.

[Dwight Howard]

He probably with Jordan left the Bulls.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, they weren't number one in the East. They were still top.

[Tom Brokaw]

I mean.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Cause Nate Robinson was hooping that year and shit. But it wasn't the same, bro.

[Dwight Howard]

I mean, take you off the Orlando Magic team.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They asked too. Not ass, but they would.

[Lester Holt]

Hey, my team was cold, man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

If you don't play, though.

[Dwight Howard]

If you don't play.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Who was y' all backup center?

[Lester Holt]

Gore.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Tez.

[Lester Holt]

Marcine Gorez. He was a great backup. Shout out to Marcine, man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, he was good.

[Tom Brokaw]

Em. And John Watt was fucking shit up for a minute. They had a crazy pick and roll man, that little.

[Lester Holt]

What they call that pick and roll.

[Ryan Seacrest]

The Gore Tes Screen.

[Lester Holt]

He got his own screen name. That's cold now. To be in the league and have a screen or whatever name after you, that's pretty tough.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, he was clothesline niggas on the screen.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You think you should have got the MVP over D. Rose?

[Lester Holt]

I'm gonna be. Yeah. I mean, I can't say that. I thought that was my year. I thought that was my year. I mean, obviously, you know, I ain't gonna never hate on D Rose. Cause that's my dog. He's been with Adidas. You know, that's when we first started, you know, kicking it a little bit. Yeah, but he. I was like, dang, I thought that was my year, bro.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I thought that was our year.

[Tom Brokaw]

You know what's crazy? I think, obviously a crazy hypothetical. If you did that in Atlanta, they would have gave you the mvp. I think the city effect that he had obviously played for now. But the way that he brought that city up and that support behind him was so crazy, they was damn near, like, undeniable. Because that was a basketball city that missed Jordan. And they just like, oh, we got the next he from here. He got savior type shit. And it didn't help he was killing either.

[Gilbert Arenas]

So what was the biggest snub MVP snub to y' all?

[Ryan Seacrest]

It gotta be.

[Lester Holt]

It gotta be Steve. Nashville.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Steve. Nas.

[Tom Brokaw]

Got to be.

[Gilbert Arenas]

I think that, too.

[Lester Holt]

I was gonna say that one.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, that's tough.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, that's a tough question. I hesitate.

[Lester Holt]

The biggest snub.

[Tom Brokaw]

Shaq could have got one of them.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Shaq could have won.

[Lester Holt]

I was gonna say the Shaq and the Kobe one.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Shaq or Kobe should have got them.

[Dwight Howard]

MVPs, but Shaq should have won.

[Tom Brokaw]

Every year, say, every year.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Damn, niggas.

[Dwight Howard]

Early 2000s, bro.

[Lester Holt]

Every year. You should have won in the early 2000s.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah. For him to only have one is out of five.

[Lester Holt]

Why you only think he got one?

[Dwight Howard]

I. I don't know, bro. Cause it's bullshit.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Cause Yokich about to have four and.

[Tom Brokaw]

But he.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He really killed in the playoffs, though.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah. Was he killing the regular season?

[Ryan Seacrest]

He killed.

[Tom Brokaw]

But, I mean, the documentary. He was coasting until it was time to kill.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, he killed in the playoffs.

[Tom Brokaw]

He was still shot. He gonna get 25 and 10.

[Dwight Howard]

I mean, which. I know who I am, though, bro. Shaq. Yeah. Cause I mean, shit, they don't give you the MVP till, what, damn near the finals.

[Ryan Seacrest]

But it's for the season, though.

[Lester Holt]

It's funny. What is the actual rules on it? Cause it seemed like every year. Switch up.

[Dwight Howard]

Thank you, Dwayne.

[Tom Brokaw]

It's supposed to be French season announcing the postseason, but everybody feels way. So we be like, all right, if the MVP losing the first round, he might not get mvp.

[Lester Holt]

They need to switch all that up. Yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

And the qualifications of it just I think it should be who the most important player on the team. Like if we take this off the team, how good would this team be? Realistically, I think that's how the MVP should be.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I mean, but that's every team though. Nah, bro, that means everybody gonna have them there an MVP candidate.

[Dwight Howard]

Nah, nah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

If your team is like top five.

[Dwight Howard]

But I'm saying like, yo, Jokic, however you say his name.

[Lester Holt]

Joker.

[Dwight Howard]

Joker. Take him off the team, bro. They mid, bro.

[Ryan Seacrest]

But you take.

[Dwight Howard]

If you take Jason Tatum off the.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Celtics, you take Jalen Brunson off the Knicks playoffs.

[Tom Brokaw]

So we all made mistakes, right? But owning up to them, it's the right thing to do. But we all know degree Cool Rush deodorant. Well, last year they changed the formula and it did not go over well with the fans. The grease, whole thing, it turns up sweat or protection when you turn up the effort. And good thing it does because Cool Rush fans really turned up the effort to bring back the OG formula. One guy even started online petition and degree listen, they admitted they effed up and are bringing back that OG Cool Rush scent back. And it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. It's back at Walmart, Target and other stores for under $4. There's a reason why it's been the number one men's antiperspirant for the last decade. It's the same reason why people are not happy when the recipe was changed. So listen, if you've never tried, it might be a good time to try. See what the fuss is about.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Head to your local Walmart or Target and try the OG degree Cool Rush for yourself.

[Tom Yamas]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Tom Brokaw]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

The hell no.

[Tom Brokaw]

No, it's quiet.

[Lester Holt]

You said it's curtains for him.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. No disrespect to Campaign. Campaign is the point guard for the Knicks right now.

[Lester Holt]

They they out Campaign the strongest left handed. Yeah, he's so left handed he's crazy.

[Tom Brokaw]

I need you from his ankle.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yesterday he does.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Yesterday when Jalen got fouled out.

[Lester Holt]

Who?

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah bro, it's. I think you gotta. I think you should at least be maybe top three seed. Cause I mean y' all not gonna get nobody MVP that's averaging 30 United seventh seed.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Gilbert Arenas]

I mean, Jokic won it one year.

[Lester Holt]

That was like the six. He was like the six.

[Gilbert Arenas]

They gave MVP to players that team wasn't top five.

[Tom Brokaw]

It rarely happened. But I mean, the way that he dominated was undeniable too at that time. Period.

[Dwight Howard]

Cause I think KG could have got it a couple more times too, bro.

[Lester Holt]

In Minnesota.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah. KG used to kill in Minnesota. They just wasn't winning.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He got at the time he needed to get.

[Dwight Howard]

They just wasn't winning, bro.

[Tom Brokaw]

MVPs are just really hard to come by.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I gotta ask you. Cause you played with Bron, you played with Kobe. Like, what was the difference between them two?

[Lester Holt]

Like Kobe. Kobe's an asshole. Not saying he's an asshole to me. I'm just saying like his personality, like he a asshole. Like he don't give a fuck. Yeah, Bron give a fuck. He want everybody to like him. He wants to joke around, laugh, have a good time. I just think they two ends of the spectrum when it comes to their personalities and on the court, Kobe's just trying to get 50. He's trying to kill who you think was better. Shit, scoring wise, you gotta go with Kobe.

[Tom Brokaw]

How though?

[Ryan Seacrest]

And Bron got the most points in league history.

[Lester Holt]

Cause he played for the longest and he getting dunks and layups. I'm talking about it is scoring. It is scoring. But I'm saying like as far as getting buckets like shit all the way.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Around, I mean, how else would we get buckets? If you can't stop me, get to the basket.

[Dwight Howard]

He. Listen, don't fall into that, Dwight.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I'm just saying. I think, I think Bron the best scorer all the time.

[Dwight Howard]

Bron is the best score in different spots though. Kobe could get to it better than Brian.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I ain't got to get to that spot. Just run you over.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Yeah, you can't really. Because Kareem had the most points before.

[Lester Holt]

That's the best score. And I think Kareem. Kareem. I still would think. I'm always going with Kareem. Cause I think he got the one shot. I used to tell them, Kareem the Goat. Cause he got the one shot. Nobody could stop. And he had 30,000 points doing twos. He ain't shooting no threes.

[Dwight Howard]

That is crazy.

[Lester Holt]

He have no threes. He what?

[Dwight Howard]

He was a gun.

[Ryan Seacrest]

But he did play 28 years.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, but he's still doing two points to get 30,000.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That is a lot of money.

[Lester Holt]

He's the greatest height. He did. He got the most high school and college Accolades, all that stuff.

[Tom Brokaw]

His career is insane.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

That what I'm saying.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I'll take Bron.

[Lester Holt]

You would take Bron? Cause it just. Nah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Cause I just watched basketball and I'm like, I would take Bron.

[Dwight Howard]

Kareem is literally one and done.

[Lester Holt]

Who's stopping Kareem?

[Dwight Howard]

But I'm saying, you would never see that ever again.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh, yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

Your dad did not have you in the hood.

[Lester Holt]

Hook shots like Kareem.

[Dwight Howard]

Thousand times.

[Lester Holt]

I was doing hook shots on my own. That was one of my favorite shots.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, but you.

[Lester Holt]

You never let go.

[Dwight Howard]

You never did the.

[Lester Holt]

You never gave me my highlights. Mine was running hooks. I did all running hooks.

[Dwight Howard]

You was not throwing your leg in the air.

[Lester Holt]

I'm wasn't in your.

[Dwight Howard]

Hospital drop B.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You did not say, I want to play like Kareem.

[Lester Holt]

No, I didn't.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hell, no.

[Lester Holt]

No. I don't think nobody said that. He said he made the shot.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Cause they banned dunking.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Right.

[Lester Holt]

I want to know how he. Cause the goals. The goals probably wasn't as strong to handle people dunking like that.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Than they are now. So I can understand that. Cause when I was in high school, and that's not even that long ago, we couldn't duck in warmups. You still can't do that.

[Dwight Howard]

Nah, yo, that's a real rule.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah. Cause you won't break the goals and stuff like that.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, we know in Jersey. They let y' all.

[Lester Holt]

In Jersey. Let y' all do anything, man.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, ain't no rules in Jersey, man.

[Lester Holt]

They about to add the shot clock.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Y' all don't have a shot clock.

[Dwight Howard]

We don't either. What, you had that in Georgia?

[Lester Holt]

I don't even remember. I don't remember saying what.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Like.

[Dwight Howard]

Who was going to talk to.

[Tom Brokaw]

Your wife for 24 seconds?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Facts.

[Dwight Howard]

Was that the. What was that the game plan, though, in high school? Let's get it.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hold on. Yeah, he answered the question, bro.

[Lester Holt]

Who better, bro? Damn.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, I tried letting.

[Dwight Howard]

I was trying.

[Lester Holt]

Dwight with everything. Everything combined. You got to give it to LeBron.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Okay.

[Lester Holt]

Bat scoring wise, I gotta say, I like Kobe. If it's late in the game, I'm giving the ball to Kobe. Yep. I'm not gonna give the ball to LeBron late in the game. I'm gonna give it to Kobe. But LeBron got. He got it.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I take that.

[Tom Brokaw]

That is funny as hell. That LeBron don't get like, get considered as a score. He got the most buckets ever. We understand how. But that's crazy.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I never understood it. He averaged like 25 every year, bro.

[Tom Brokaw]

I have the most buckets ever, bro.

[Dwight Howard]

He don't have a career. He don't have a Kareem stat line bronze score all over the floor. I mean, of course he get majority.

[Lester Holt]

So does Blair have a bag?

[Ryan Seacrest]

I'm bigger, I'm stronger, I'm faster. I don't need a bag. I don't need a bag.

[Dwight Howard]

He don't have a bag.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He don't. He don't do moves.

[Tom Brokaw]

No. First of all, don't disrespect one of the best moves of basketball.

[Lester Holt]

That one. It's no way I'm letting this man look at his hand and the ball. He do he look right at his hand and look at them and go back.

[Dwight Howard]

That's the part.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's how I know he's a goat, bro.

[Lester Holt]

When he was younger, he used to.

[Tom Brokaw]

Get real disrespectful and spit the ball in his hands and J. I'm like, brian is so disrespectful because we know you're not passing, bro.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, I think y' all might got Brian up. Brian got a bag, bro. But he got a bag.

[Lester Holt]

He ain't got no bag. He got.

[Dwight Howard]

He do, bro. Cause his passing is go. It goes into that too.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I mean, he could pass like a month.

[Lester Holt]

He can pass like crazy kind of way. We talking about his bag like.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He'S not a handler.

[Tom Brokaw]

Why is Brian Was there for 300, bro? I don't need a bag, bro. Get out my way or you gonna die, bro.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Facts, facts.

[Dwight Howard]

He don't even know I seen Brian 2020 pull up.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I mean, he nice.

[Lester Holt]

He.

[Ryan Seacrest]

But he ain't got handles like that.

[Lester Holt]

So you say he better than Jordan. Hey, come on now.

[Dwight Howard]

Let's dig a podcast today.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, I think he better than Jordan.

[Lester Holt]

He better than Jordan? Yeah. In what? Shooting Everything.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh, it ain't nothing. He can't do that, Mike.

[Gilbert Arenas]

I don't know about shooting shit.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Mike can't shoot threes. Mm.

[Dwight Howard]

Mm.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Mike had a crazy mid range.

[Tom Brokaw]

Mike shoot threes elite fade away.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, but. Well, he can't do that. Mike did.

[Dwight Howard]

For real. I wanna hear y' all answers besides.

[Ryan Seacrest]

The final stuff, but I feel like me, I feel like Bron played better players in the finals and had to go to some tougher roles like, ooh wee.

[Lester Holt]

Shit, they got Detroit.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Mike didn't play Detroit in the finals. He had to get through Detroit.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, yeah, but he had to play what, the Lakers teams that was older. Magic. That 50 sun scene was Magic.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Was Magic was old Magic was supersonics.

[Dwight Howard]

They played the sun.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Simple Sonics, no disrespect to gp, but.

[Tom Brokaw]

He Curry, Kevin Durant.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, but you just said y' all got the best era.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, we do got the best era.

[Dwight Howard]

That's Brown era, bro.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, I played okc. The one I won. I played three hall of Famers in James Harden, Westbrook and kd.

[Dwight Howard]

He had to get through KG and them.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Then I had to get through Boston.

[Dwight Howard]

Yep.

[Tom Brokaw]

His first season was historically good.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Spurs got five hall of Famers.

[Dwight Howard]

Yep.

[Tom Brokaw]

And that goes to say team's one of the best teams in NBA history.

[Ryan Seacrest]

NBA history. And then who, Bruh? No disrespect to Mike, but he played John Stockton and Karl Malone.

[Dwight Howard]

That was cold though, bro.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They are.

[Tom Brokaw]

But that duo.

[Dwight Howard]

Shout out to Jeff.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That duo is not better than no other duo that we just named Brian played in the finals. You taking.

[Gilbert Arenas]

I don't know.

[Dwight Howard]

Freaky Carl, bro.

[Lester Holt]

Carl Malone.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Y' all taking him over Tim Duncan Parker.

[Lester Holt]

Freaky call though. Crazy.

[Tom Brokaw]

Wow.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

I won't stay out of that one.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You can.

[Lester Holt]

Stay out of.

[Dwight Howard]

Shout out to Frey K. He was. He was a buck.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You think 30,000. You think that's.

[Tom Brokaw]

You take a free score, right?

[Lester Holt]

You take. Why not?

[Tom Brokaw]

No, I'm taking Tim Duncan all day.

[Dwight Howard]

Oh, facts. He's better.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah, I'm just rolling.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, I'm taking Tim Duncan and.

[Tom Brokaw]

Or defensive aspect too.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Yeah, I'm taking argument. Who better, Tim Duncan or kg?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Tim Duncan.

[Tom Brokaw]

Tim Duncan. No disrespect to kg.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Cuz I disrespect Tim Duncan had a better career.

[Dwight Howard]

N. I'm taking kg.

[Ryan Seacrest]

What y want me to do? I got San Antonio lit. Who the fuck want to go San Antonio?

[Tom Brokaw]

If he was more of a selfish player, the stats would have been more.

[Lester Holt]

Rasheed over Tim Duncan.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, I'm not mad.

[Lester Holt]

He must.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He must have gave you buckets.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

No.

[Lester Holt]

Rasheed was cold, man.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He was cold.

[Dwight Howard]

Dwight hit the white room. That type respect.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He earned his stripes against him. But ain't no way in hell he think he better. What? It ain't no way.

[Lester Holt]

Hell, come on. Y' all got crazy. Y' all can't do that because Rashid didn't have those comp. Rashid was more of a team. He ain't really care about having that.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Kind of stage now.

[Tom Brokaw]

I think Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan is the most team friendly.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nigga I ever seen in my life. Even with his paychecks.

[Dwight Howard]

50 games, probably.

[Ryan Seacrest]

What you mean them spurs teams?

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Cause on the back end, he was.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Getting paid of course, he still probably getting paid, but I'm just saying it looked like it looked good.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah. Look at Jalen Brunson. Y' all think he just took a L on. Nah, he gonna have real estate New York.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, for sure.

[Tom Brokaw]

I'm sure some backdoor going on.

[Lester Holt]

So y' all taking? Okay, so kg. R. Rasheed.

[Dwight Howard]

I got kg, I got ticket.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I'm gonna say kg, but Tim Duncan over all them.

[Tom Brokaw]

You can't miss it with either one of them.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Those are all three.

[Tom Brokaw]

Probably the top five ticket was the.

[Dwight Howard]

First one to me to do what he did.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You gonna take that Jazz team over the spurs team? Tim Duncan, Ginobly and I don't even like Utah.

[Dwight Howard]

I don't like none of that.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Cause they said bike played a better team.

[Tom Brokaw]

And respect to Byron Janobi is cooking him for sure. Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Oh.

[Ryan Seacrest]

What?

[Tom Brokaw]

That's what I'm saying.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. Bron played better teams.

[Dwight Howard]

He did, bro. Mono was that nigga shout out to Greg Ulster tag. But.

[Lester Holt]

Well, no, we can't even say. We can't even say Braun did play against better teams.

[Dwight Howard]

Playing against. You got to go through kd, Russ and James Harden.

[Ryan Seacrest]

All I gotta do is beat Charles.

[Dwight Howard]

Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green.

[Lester Holt]

But that's just. We just looking at it from the paper like. Like we not. Actually some of these guys may not didn't have a name like the KGS and all that, but they was cold back then.

[Ryan Seacrest]

They was cold.

[Lester Holt]

They defense and all that stuff.

[Tom Brokaw]

They all ain't bad players.

[Dwight Howard]

Took a 07 Cavs team, which half the world can't remember who was on that team for the finals, bro.

[Tom Brokaw]

He thought.

[Dwight Howard]

Dj, stop.

[Lester Holt]

Help.

[Tom Brokaw]

My fault.

[Dwight Howard]

He got his fingers out.

[Lester Holt]

Count Iron Noble.

[Tom Brokaw]

No.

[Lester Holt]

Denucle.

[Tom Brokaw]

Nah.

[Lester Holt]

Who else is on that team? What's the ball? Head point guard.

[Ryan Seacrest]

See, well, you got to do that.

[Dwight Howard]

We don't even got that much time.

[Lester Holt]

Williams who.

[Dwight Howard]

What's his first name start with an M. Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Oh, he was.

[Tom Brokaw]

That was E. Snow.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, Eric Snow.

[Lester Holt]

Oh, Eric Snow. That's. Hey, that's one of the strongest point guards in the history.

[Dwight Howard]

Another question about his life.

[Ryan Seacrest]

When you guys start saying one of nigga. One of the strongest every ever. You know, you that ain't know. Hell no.

[Lester Holt]

Who was on that team?

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's what I'm saying, bro.

[Lester Holt]

Oh, Anderson Barile.

[Tom Brokaw]

He was.

[Lester Holt]

He was on the team. And the tall. What's the.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Braun was what, 21.

[Dwight Howard]

Freaky Gibb was there. He was at two guard. The point guard.

[Lester Holt]

Gibbs.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Come on, bro. Y. Y' all tripping my booby.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Think about when Brian left. No disrespect to Booby Gibson, but what happened, yo?

[Tom Brokaw]

Not even to the team.

[Lester Holt]

The city died.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

[Lester Holt]

What's gonna happen when Bron retired from the league?

[Dwight Howard]

It's a good hands.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, it's a good hands. Anthony Edwards here for sure.

[Lester Holt]

Okay. Shout out to Atlanta. So he the face.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

So Ja gone. He Ja. Ja blew it up.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He shot it up.

[Tom Brokaw]

I don't think that they wanted Ja to be the face of the league.

[Gilbert Arenas]

What about Wemby?

[Tom Brokaw]

Nah, nah, he ain't got no personality.

[Ryan Seacrest]

No disrespect, but you can't be from a different country and be the face of the.

[Dwight Howard]

To clean his English up some more.

[Lester Holt]

Clean his English up.

[Tom Brokaw]

If that's the case, the joke would be defensively.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, he just can't be.

[Gilbert Arenas]

He don't. He don't even do no media or nothing.

[Tom Brokaw]

But he's white. He's dam, quote unquote out of shape for an athlete. He fits the stereotype of everything they would want to promote as me to face. And he good.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Tom Brokaw]

If he ain't doing it, bro, it's probably not going to be a.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Like even Luca. Like Luca cold. But you can't be the face of the league cuz they. You can barely understand.

[Dwight Howard]

I give it to a.

[Lester Holt]

They gotta win. If he win this shit, they gonna give it.

[Gilbert Arenas]

I think it's gonna be Minnesota versus the Knicks.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, I got Minnesota, Knicks, finals.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's hard. I like that. Finals.

[Gilbert Arenas]

He's crazy.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, basically.

[Tom Brokaw]

I gotta say, I appreciate y' all coming on the show, but the Indiana packs will be in NBA Finals.

[Lester Holt]

You know what I've been having, I've been. I've been rocking with Indiana. I just think that New York might get them this year because they got a big. They got a big. And that can post shoot, do it all. So. So that's why I got Knicks over Indiana.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Why you think Halliburton was voted most hated?

[Tom Brokaw]

Cause they don't like him.

[Lester Holt]

But it's no way. I heard that it was only 13 guys that said that he was overrated. There's only 13 people who did that vote. That wasn't even a whole bunch of people for real. They just blew the whole story.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He not overrated though.

[Lester Holt]

But he not overrated at all. He nice.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He nice.

[Dwight Howard]

He definitely nice. But I think it's cause he was having such a rough. At the beginning of the year, it was rough yeah, yeah, he was rough.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Is he a top 10 point guard.

[Lester Holt]

Right now in the league right now? Hell, yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

Hell, yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

All right, let's name him.

[Lester Holt]

Who better than him? Name eight.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Why are you looking taking Damian Lillard or Tyrese Halliburton right now before the injury?

[Lester Holt]

Tyrese. Ooh, just know right now before the.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Injury, if you go look at Dame's stats.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Dame.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I got Dame.

[Lester Holt]

Any team. Yeah, of course you gotta go with Dame, but I'm taking Tyrese right now.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Okay?

[Dwight Howard]

Jalen Brunson, your Shanghai team, Nigga, Goddamn. Tyrese on your Shanghai team.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You gotta take him to China.

[Lester Holt]

Who you putting if I'm taking right now?

[Gilbert Arenas]

Right now?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh, I'm taking.

[Lester Holt]

Dang.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's how we gonna do this. So you taking. If you guys go to Taiwan, you taking Jalen Brussel or Tyrese Halliburton to Taiwan?

[Lester Holt]

I gotta go with Jalen.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Okay, you take a Ja Morant or Tyrese Halliburton to Taiwan. Okay, let's keep going. You taking Kyrie Irving or Tyrese Halliburton to Taiwan?

[Lester Holt]

Oh, man. Don't take it, Kyrie. Don't even. Halle over here.

[Ryan Seacrest]

All right, all right. This is gonna be a fair one. Trey Young or Tyrese Halliburton in Taiwan?

[Lester Holt]

Oh, Trey Young. Come on.

[Dwight Howard]

Come on.

[Lester Holt]

Bring your ass on, Trey.

[Dwight Howard]

Come on.

[Lester Holt]

To Taiwan.

[Tom Brokaw]

All right, now you in Atlanta. You trying to get the win. You trying to go back to the finals.

[Lester Holt]

Who you taking out of who?

[Tom Brokaw]

All the people we just named.

[Lester Holt]

I'm taking Halle. Halle gonna get me, though.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Hallelujah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, Tyree celebrating the white pick. Roll clip for me, Tyree.

[Lester Holt]

Hey, listen, man, Tyree got that pat. Pat.

[Dwight Howard]

What about Kyrie?

[Lester Holt]

One, two, three, way back, huh? Kyrie, Man, Kyrie is.

[Gilbert Arenas]

He ain't gonna throw you no lives.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, Kyrie gonna throw me ls, but he don't wanna play in Taiwan right now.

[Gilbert Arenas]

But he said on your Orlando team.

[Lester Holt]

Orlando team to go back to the finals.

[Tom Brokaw]

Dwight, Tyrese pick raw feeding families.

[Lester Holt]

I need Halle. Cause he gonna get me a lot of assists. He gonna be in the paint.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He talking about who he would want to play with. He ain't saying who better?

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, I'm not saying who better. I'm saying the person who might make my job easier is Halle. Cause that's what type of point guard he is.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, that's a fact. That's a fact.

[Lester Holt]

So I can't.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I think you'd be good with Trey Young, too.

[Lester Holt]

Cause Trey Young, he throw a lot of lobs. So I'm looking at guys that's going to be good for how I play. Guys that's gonna find me in my spots where I can finish easy and stuff like that. So I know Hallie from how he playing me and him in the pick and roll. You can't drop. It's over with. You can't trap him. Cause he's picking you apart. Now if I'm rolling down the lane, I got my four shooters. It's over with.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah. And I think even. I mean, we're solid scribe, but for the way that our role players excel. But the way he gets them open shots is like really underrated, I think. Cause he. He creates everything when he don't play. We are sad. We are not a good team when he's not on the court.

[Lester Holt]

That's why I think New York might win. Because if Allie ain't out there.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah.

[Tom Brokaw]

Only thing I like my chances with the Knicks is that what cat gonna foul. So I know that Cat's gonna foul my starter. Shoot the three. Kind of keep him out the paint. Their wings are really, really good. They upgraded, obviously, but our wings ain't soft. And I like the physicality.

[Lester Holt]

We shot some good wings now.

[Tom Brokaw]

We not soft.

[Lester Holt]

Y' all not.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Let's not go into this pace of.

[Tom Brokaw]

I'm sorry, we getting on a tangent. Good basketball, you know, I'm talking shit.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah. So without Tyrese.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh, yeah.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah. Get well soon.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah. They going back to New York.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's about to be a totally different team in the next year. There's some major changes. I can imagine it's gonna happen. Cause they trying to get under that seller cap and they gonna have to move some of them contracts.

[Ryan Seacrest]

And they got a new owner, too, so. Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Do y' all think they need some more teams around the league at least?

[Dwight Howard]

That's a good question.

[Tom Brokaw]

Seattle deserves a team.

[Dwight Howard]

Las Vegas deserves some more players.

[Tom Brokaw]

Vegas.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I would love to see a nice team.

[Lester Holt]

Vegas should have a team. And I think. Think Seattle should have a team Vegas. And Seattle should have a team Vegas.

[Gilbert Arenas]

What?

[Lester Holt]

The Vegas Elite. The Vegas. Vegas Escorts. Oh, wow.

[Ryan Seacrest]

And with that being said.

[Lester Holt]

Wow. Did he really just say that?

[Tom Brokaw]

Yo, son, what they mascot gonna be?

[Dwight Howard]

Y.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's crazy.

[Lester Holt]

How did I say that?

[Dwight Howard]

All right, all right.

[Lester Holt]

This ain't no small. I'm just.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I already know.

[Dwight Howard]

Listen, man, don't do it.

[Lester Holt]

We rescinded all that. We say go back to the. I'm resending my. Whatever you want to call it. I'm rescinding. I want to ask Y' all something.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Cause we went to the hall of Fame thing. It's going to be Melo and Dwight.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Next year is going to be a hard decision. I don't think it's a lot of names. Who y' all think it's going to be? Stoudemire, Blake Griffin, John Wall, Andre Guadala and Joe Johnson.

[Lester Holt]

I think go Dala, get in.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, Iggy gonna get in.

[Lester Holt]

I think Blake might.

[Dwight Howard]

He got to.

[Tom Brokaw]

I think Blake should get in.

[Lester Holt]

There's a high possibility of him getting in for sure.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I think Joe would get in too.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

Cause Joe should get in second.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Go around.

[Gilbert Arenas]

And Joe seven time all star.

[Lester Holt]

Joe should get in.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, Joe get in.

[Lester Holt]

And you said stat, right?

[Gilbert Arenas]

Stoudemire.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Gilbert Arenas]

I ain't know. Stoudemire wasn't in there.

[Tom Brokaw]

Mark Stoudemire was.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Was.

[Lester Holt]

He was so cold.

[Ryan Seacrest]

It was cold.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah. I think that's what he used to do.

[Dwight Howard]

He used to Tim Duncan up.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, he did.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

I didn't mean to throw that in.

[Ryan Seacrest]

I think I see what you were trying to do.

[Lester Holt]

So if Amari never got hurt, where does that put him in? Power four is also ranking definitely top five.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Top five. He was gonna be top five. He didn't get hurt. Crazy.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Tom Brokaw]

And that's why. And that's no smuth to Steve Nash. But you look at those Phoenix teams and the rosters that they had. Like he had Joe Johnson early, he had stat like Q Rich, Sean Marion.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, they had to give it to.

[Dwight Howard]

They had to give it to Steve Nash though. Man.

[Tom Brokaw]

One may be cool.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah.

[Gilbert Arenas]

But then playing with a point guard like Nash, Mick Stoudemire.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, it did.

[Dwight Howard]

It did. But he was fired on New York too.

[Lester Holt]

He was fired with New York, but it was kind of. He didn't have that.

[Ryan Seacrest]

He didn't have that point guard.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah. But he got hurt.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Cause you got. Like when Chris Paul was with Clint Capella, it's like Clint Capella being, you know, when he left, it wasn't the same. I'd be like saying with him, like if he had like a real pass first, you gotta think he went with Kobe.

[Dwight Howard]

Clint Capella was cold though, with James.

[Lester Holt]

James Harden could pass. He just choose who he want to pass.

[Dwight Howard]

Clint was nice with James.

[Lester Holt]

Cause Clint was.

[Gilbert Arenas]

That's just throwing lives all day.

[Dwight Howard]

You probably would've.

[Lester Holt]

But that's a whole different era. Like, I think Jameer was like that. But then once we started doing the one with a four out, one in, everybody shoot threes, then they kind of wanted a different style from just a pick and roll. Get to the basket, dunk that bitch. They wanted more threes.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah. You might have looked different though, with Rondo.

[Lester Holt]

When I was in my prime with Rondo, yeah.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, it would have been different. It would have been different, bro.

[Gilbert Arenas]

You got to think you played with Kobe, then you went with Harden, then you went with John Wall, then you went with. What was the other guy, Kimball Walker, talking about?

[Lester Holt]

Scoring point guards. That's true.

[Dwight Howard]

That's a good call, bro. I see what you saying.

[Tom Brokaw]

For real, I gotta ask you, what was the crazier season, the Charlotte year or the Washington year?

[Lester Holt]

My Charlotte year. You said crazy year.

[Tom Brokaw]

Yeah.

[Lester Holt]

What was crazy, man? I had in Washington. It was a lot of shit that happened that was like, damn. I had back surgery that year. So that year was crazy. And I was playing on one leg for half the season when I played with Washington. So when I did play for Washington, I was so hurt that I couldn't even tie my shoes. The trainers had to put my shoes on my feet. For me, I couldn't sit down on the bench. Cause my back. I had to stand up during timeouts. I had to stand up the whole time during games on the planes, I couldn't sit down. They had to give me like a bed that I could take everywhere on the buses, I couldn't sit down. So that year was real tough for me physically, because I don't think people understand. A herniated disc in your back is probably one of the worst injuries you could have in life, not just basketball. So me having that injury, trying to play, it was the worst decision I made from doing that. But then I had the surgery, came back, and we won the chip the next year. True.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Respect.

[Tom Brokaw]

That's crazy. They always criticize athletes for like not playing through the pain or stuff like that. But like normal people, they couldn't go to work, right? Bro, you couldn't stand up like, you couldn't tie your own shirt. That's causes for you not to be playing.

[Lester Holt]

I still was hooping. I still went out there and played. I. I couldn't tie my own shoes, like doing like this. I couldn't do that, you know? So just having to go out there and play with that, that's crazy. Yeah. I don't know how I did it, but I was like, man, I gotta keep playing cause I wanna win this chip. That's what I was talking about. Chasing the ring early and all that stuff. I think that's such a bad approach. That's why with Giannis, like, dude, you gonna have some good years and bad years. Michael Jordan played for 14 years. He won six championships, so he didn't win the rest of the years. You know what I'm saying?

[Gilbert Arenas]

That was his quote, remember, in the.

[Lester Holt]

Who, Giannis? Yeah. Oh, he said that? Yeah, he said that last year. Oh, but it's true, though. Like, you know, we as players, we expect to win. Then the fans and everybody else expects for us to win the same way. So now we putting that added pressure on us, you know? And I think Giannis, they lose a couple years, everybody like, man, it's Giannis fault. He gotta do this, he gotta do that, he gotta get better. And it's just all noise, you know what I'm saying? If I could go back, I just shut all that noise off, man, and just continue to focus on getting better. Like, he one of the coldest ever. Like, he should never leave Milwaukee. He gonna get everything he want and more in Milwaukee. He gonna go somewhere else and find out that the people really might not fuck with him like you think they do.

[Gilbert Arenas]

They talking about him, like, going to the Spurs. That might be crazy.

[Lester Holt]

That would be crazy.

[Gilbert Arenas]

Him and Wemby.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, that's gonna be scary.

[Dwight Howard]

I think people would have pulled up on you if you would have stayed in Orlando. I think people would have pulled up on you in Orlando. I don't think niggas is pulling up to Milwaukee to hoop with Giannis.

[Lester Holt]

Nobody was pulling up to Orlando.

[Tom Brokaw]

You said it was quiet.

[Lester Holt]

We was trying. They couldn't get nobody.

[Dwight Howard]

Who was somebody that you wanted to.

[Lester Holt]

Come over there, Stephen Jackson, somebody for defense and stuff like that. Really? I love my squad. I ain't want to trade nobody on my team. When I wanted to leave Orlando, so it was solely, just based off me, my decision. Like, I felt like I needed a new place. Being young at the time. Like, man, everybody telling me, man, you need a new place, man. You been here for so long, man. Go somewhere else and start over. I'm like, dang, maybe that's what I need. You know what I'm saying? So, again, I would say he gotta shut all the noise off. Stay silent, man. Cause people gonna say whatever they wanna say. People gonna tell you how they will handle the situation by but one, they ain't making $200 million.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's a fact.

[Lester Holt]

They ain't the face of a franchise. They ain't got all this stuff riding on them, whatever they choose. You know what I'm saying? So I feel like he gotta get Quiet. Get away from everybody. Let him make his own decision based off what's gonna be best for his life.

[Gilbert Arenas]

They said that to Dame, too. Leaving Portland, I felt like Dame should have.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh, yeah. I don't believe in leaving. Like, if somebody gave me the franchise, I'm staying.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah, he talk about that all the time.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah, I'm. And making 500 million and just chilling.

[Lester Holt]

There's one thing I would say, going back like, damn, when you have something that's yours and it's really yours, that shit was mine. You know what I'm saying? Milwaukee is his. So now you give it up, you leave that bitch hoping for somebody else to come in and take it. You know what I'm saying?

[Tom Brokaw]

And the same people that tell him to leave or criticize him if he goes to work, as soon as it don't work, they're up.

[Ryan Seacrest]

But he should have stayed.

[Lester Holt]

He should have stayed. You shouldn't have left. I know how that feel, man. So I hope he made the right, the best decision for him and not for everybody else. And shoot. I fucked with Milwaukee at one point in my career. I was trying to go to Milwaukee when I played for the Rockets.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Huh?

[Dwight Howard]

Fuck was you on?

[Lester Holt]

You want me to tell y' all the truth?

[Dwight Howard]

Hell, yeah.

[Lester Holt]

I was like, I see some potential in Milwaukee. Before y' all won the championship with Yanis, I was like, man, I see some potential in Milwaukee. I want to play with Giannis and all that. Listen, I played for the Rockets, and then a couple years later, y' all won the chip.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Well, you had the vision. Cause I showed and see that shit.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, you got a different type of vision.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Once you go there.

[Dwight Howard]

Everybody, nigga. And you, the white heart, you out of pocket.

[Gilbert Arenas]

You got two NBA champions, though.

[Ryan Seacrest]

My shit fake. I was just there.

[Gilbert Arenas]

What y' all think about that? People will say they both fake. They say the bubble.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Nah, ours is real, but mine ain't real. I ain't do nothing.

[Dwight Howard]

What was your experience like in the bubble? Speaking of that, did you like that shit or what?

[Lester Holt]

It was. I liked it. Cause I got a chance to just get away from everything. But at the time, my son's mom had just passed, and they wouldn't let him in the bubble. So you know what I'm saying? It was real difficult to be without my son. And first they told me he could come, so that's why I was like, shoot, then I'm gonna go to the bubble if my son can come. And when I got down there, they was like, nah, we gotta stay over Here. And you gotta stay over here.

[Dwight Howard]

Damn.

[Lester Holt]

And so it fucked with me for a couple weeks. Then I just had to lock in and just kind of block everything out and just hoop. But the bubble was cold. It was hard to play out there. Cause you ain't got nothing but time.

[Dwight Howard]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

So it was pure hoops at that time.

[Dwight Howard]

Felt like an AAU tournament. Nigga out there. No fans and shit like that. I think that was different for all the players, though, sitting out there, bro. You gotta be different mentally for that type shit.

[Tom Brokaw]

And people tried discredit it, bro. It was a pandemic, bro.

[Lester Holt]

Like, yeah, that means the whole world is shut down. What are y' all talking about?

[Tom Brokaw]

It was pressure on everybody, bro. Dap up with their family.

[Lester Holt]

Like, people had to go leave their whole family and everything to go down to play, you know, during this time, people get Covid. People get died. George Floyd situation was just going on. It was so much happening. They had a protest outside of the hotel we were staying at when we was there.

[Dwight Howard]

Damn.

[Lester Holt]

So, yeah, it's.

[Dwight Howard]

That's a real champion.

[Lester Holt]

Yeah, that boy.

[Ryan Seacrest]

That's a real chip for sure, man.

[Tom Brokaw]

Listen, man, shout the pod out, man. Let people know where they can find y' all.

[Lester Holt]

Hey, y' all can come find us at above the Rim, the greatest podcast ever. We got my boy Moo Real, Jersey's finest. Our other co host, Snipe, not in the building. Is not here. But yeah, y' all can check us out. Above the Realm podcast. Thanks. Shout out to 520 for having us on, man. Been watching y' all for a while, man. We got some Indiana. I got some friends and family from Indy, so, you know. Yeah, appreciate it, bro.

[Tom Brokaw]

Got some film in that for sure, man. One time for Boost Mobile for making this happen. We appreciate y' all, man. We got some dope stuff on the way. Stay tuned. We'll be back next time. Club five twenty, the volume. Okay. Have you heard about this? Last year, DEGREE changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant. The fans rebel and wanted the old scent back. And degree listen, and that doesn't happen often. They admitted they effed up and are bringing the original Cool Rush scent back. And it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. There's a reason why it's the number one men's antiperspirant. And it's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. So try it and see what the fuss is about about. Head to your local Walmart, Target and try to OG cool rush for yourself.

[Tom Yamas]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

This is an iHeart podcast.