Club 520 - Master P & Chris Johnson on CRAZY Jimmy Butler story, AAU & NIL

Summary

Podcast Summary: Club Shay Shay - Club 520 Episode Featuring Master P & Chris Johnson

Title: Club 520 - Master P & Chris Johnson on CRAZY Jimmy Butler Story, AAU & NIL
Release Date: April 3, 2025
Host/Authors: iHeartPodcasts, The Volume, and Shay Shay Media
Description: NFL legend Shannon Sharpe—3x Super Bowl champion and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame—sits down with the biggest athletes, celebrities, and influencers to discuss their accomplishments, challenges, and everything in-between.

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Introduction

The episode kicks off with DJ Wells welcoming listeners to Club 520, introducing his guests: basketball legends Master P and Chris Johnson. The conversation is set against the backdrop of basketball culture, youth development, and the evolving landscape of collegiate sports.

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Connecting with the Past: Master P, Coach P, and Jeff Teague

Timestamp [04:28]:
Coach P (Paul Gnardic):
"When I was growing up in Boston and attended practices at Boston University, Rick Pitino was the head coach. Jeff's dad, Sean Teague, was there. He was one tough son of a bitch."

Jeff Teague shares his childhood experiences, highlighting his father’s influence and tough demeanor. This segue leads to discussions about the longstanding relationships within the basketball community.

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The McDonald's All-American Selection Process

The conversation naturally flows into the McDonald's All-American selections, with Coach P providing his insights.

Timestamp [11:00]:
Coach P:
"It's not about. It's the 24 best players in the committee's mind based on the criteria that they give you, which is who can be a pro, who's dominated the game at the high school level, and who has the greatest upside among the group."

Chris Johnson emphasizes the competitive nature and the narrow selection process, noting the challenges in accommodating talented players from diverse backgrounds.

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Jimmy Butler’s Development: A Closer Look

A significant portion of the episode delves into the development of Jimmy Butler, showcasing Chris Johnson's pivotal role.

Timestamp [13:06]:
Chris Johnson:
"Jimmy has what you need to be a pro. It really doesn't matter how you start, but when you pick him up, you know that I gotta prove something. I gotta go out and change my life."

Jeff Teague recounts his time with Butler in Minnesota, highlighting Butler's relentless work ethic and determination to elevate his team's performance despite personal setbacks.

Timestamp [14:27]:
Chris Johnson:
"Jimmy could have canceled the season for sure. I told him once again, cancel the season. He looked at me and was like, 'Minnesota has never been in the playoffs in 14 years. I'm going to make us go to the playoffs and sacrifice my body for this team and organization.'"

This segment underscores Butler's resilience and the mentorship provided by Johnson and Coach P, illustrating the profound impact of dedicated coaching on an athlete's trajectory.

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Navigating NIL: Impacts on Young Athletes

The discussion shifts to the implications of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies on young athletes.

Timestamp [26:12]:
Coach P:
"When kids get NIL, I take a look to see if their game starts to digress because of all the distractions. Your brand is not your brand. Your game is your brand."

Chris Johnson addresses the challenges parents face in managing their children’s burgeoning opportunities, emphasizing the importance of building supportive systems and educating young athletes on managing their newfound visibility and financial opportunities.

Timestamp [27:57]:
Chris Johnson:
"We need to educate kids on how to utilize the platform of social media to be beneficial. Just hire a team to manage those things so they can keep the main thing."

This segment highlights the delicate balance between leveraging NIL opportunities and maintaining athletic and academic performance.

---

Master P’s Journey: From Music to Basketball Leadership

Master P shares his unique journey from a music mogul to becoming the President of Operations at the University of New Orleans, intertwining his experiences in hip-hop with his commitment to fostering athletic talent.

Timestamp [34:26]:
Master P:
"Black athletes, a lot of people don't understand our culture. Coming from hip-hop history and being a coach, this is big for our culture and our people because we always talk about the negative things."

He elaborates on his mission to create a supportive environment for athletes, focusing on education, mental wellness, and building generational wealth.

Timestamp [40:19]:
Master P:
"Wisdom is advancing. So I'm going to show the next generation how we advance. The comparison game is the quickest way to fizzle out of anything."

Master P's philosophy centers on personal growth, wisdom, and preparing athletes for life beyond their playing careers, stressing the importance of financial literacy and long-term planning.

---

Influence and Legacy: Building a Community

The conversation underscores the importance of community and mentorship in athletics.

Timestamp [52:04]:
Coach P:
"The biggest problem that kids are experiencing is not on the court but social media. The one game I tell everyone not to play is the comparison game. It's a never-ending game."

Master P shares anecdotes about transformative moments with players like DeMar DeRozan and emphasizes the role of leaders in guiding young athletes through personal and professional challenges.

Timestamp [55:52]:
Master P:
"Wisdom is the most important thing that we could have. Just think about it. Most of us pray for money. If you get the wisdom, the money’s gonna come."

---

Conclusion: Empowering the Next Generation

The episode concludes with a powerful message from Master P and Coach P, urging athletes, coaches, and parents to focus on personal growth, wisdom, and community support to navigate the complexities of modern athletics.

Timestamp [67:17]:
Master P:
"I'm looking for players that they done gave up on. We're gonna have an opportunity if you really about changing growth. I'm a living testimony that if you put your trust and faith in God, you could actually go to the next level."

Coach P reinforces the importance of supporting athletes beyond their playing days, fostering enduring relationships that contribute to their holistic development.

---

Notable Quotes

• Coach P (Paul Gnardic) [04:28]:
  "When I was growing up in Boston... Jeff's dad, Sean Teague, was there. He was one tough son of a bitch."

• Chris Johnson [13:06]:
  "Jimmy has what you need to be a pro. It really doesn't matter how you start."

• Master P [34:26]:
  "Black athletes, a lot of people don't understand our culture."

• Master P [40:19]:
  "Wisdom is advancing. So I'm going to show the next generation how we advance."

• Master P [55:52]:
  "Wisdom is the most important thing that we could have. If you get the wisdom, the money’s gonna come."

---

Key Takeaways

1. Mentorship Matters: The development and success of athletes like Jimmy Butler are significantly influenced by dedicated mentors who prioritize personal growth alongside athletic performance.

2. Navigating NIL: The introduction of NIL policies presents both opportunities and challenges, requiring structured support systems to help young athletes manage their brands without compromising their academic and athletic commitments.

3. Community and Wisdom: Building a strong community and focusing on wisdom and personal development are crucial for athletes to sustain success beyond their playing careers.

4. Master P’s Impact: Transitioning from music to basketball leadership, Master P exemplifies how diverse experiences can enrich athletic mentorship and foster holistic growth in athletes.

---

Conclusion

This episode of Club 520 offers a deep dive into the interplay between mentorship, community support, and the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics. Through the insights of Master P and Chris Johnson, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted challenges and opportunities facing young athletes today.

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Listen to the full episode on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform to explore more inspiring stories and expert insights.

Transcript

[Jeff Teague]

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[Laura Carrenti]

Hey, all you women's hoops fans and folks who just don't know yet that they're women's hoops fans, We've got a big week over at Good Game with Sarah Spain as we near the end of one of the most exciting women's college basketball seasons ever. The most parody we've seen in years. With games coming down to the wire and everyone wondering which team will be crowned national champions this weekend in Tampa. Listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up? I'm Laura, host of the podcast Courtside with Laura Carrenti, a masterclass case study of the business of women's sports. I'll be chatting with leaders like tennis icon Alana Kloss.

[DJ Wells]

I don't do what I do only for women.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I do it for everyone.

[Laura Carrenti]

And I want the whole market and innovators like Jenny win. I would say 50% of the people that come visit the Sports Bra aren't sports fans. They come to be in community. They come to be part of this culture. Courtside with Laura Carrenti is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Courtside with Laura carenti on the iHeartRadio app as Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iheart Women's Sports. What's up y'all? I'm AJ Andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst, and the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove. On my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds. We dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing powerful Stories, insights, and conversations that inspire and empower. It's time to drop bombs and diamonds. Dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of iheart Women's sports network.

[Master P]

The Volume.

[DJ Wells]

Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, nyc. What's happening? Yeah, we in nyc. Oh, don't start. You know, T got home court, nyc, but you know what I'm saying, that's off the books for sure, man. First things first, we appreciate y'all pulling up. Shout out to my guy Marcus for having us. Fueled by culture, we appreciate y'all, man. It's Club Five Twenty, man. I'm the host. My name is DJ Wells. I got my gang with me to my far, far left, my dog Bishop B hitting out the Pearlies. How you. What Nasty.

[Jeff Teague]

Cool and nasty. What's up, New York?

[DJ Wells]

You know the vibes to my right back home. Yeah, but sure. Still to my right, my dog Young Nacho, Young Teague.

[Jeff Teague]

How you up, brother? Man, I'm cooling, man. I'm happy to be here. It's a good vibe in here already. We can be ourselves. So that's all I needed to hear.

[DJ Wells]

Oh, yeah. He already set the tone, man. Listen, man, we gonna have some great guests today. Let's start it off right, man. We got two of basketball sponsors joining us on the stage right now. We got from the legends, basketball Svon, my man Chris. And last but certainly not least, one of the best talented evaluators in basketball, Coach P. Paul Gnardic. Appreciate y'all come on up, y'all. Show him some love. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Hey, show the DJ some love. My boy going crazy with the segments. Tap him in for sure. Show him some love. Now, listen, man, it's a lot of basketball up here, but first things first, you know what I'm saying? We love having a good story time here at Club 5 20. But Coach PNT, y'all got a connection from way back, man. Let the people know about it.

[Jeff Teague]

Oh, yeah, he told me today.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, you work.

[Jeff Teague]

He knew my father. So I'll let you explain it first and then I could comment about it.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

So when I was grew up in Boston and I used to attend practices at Boston University, when rick Pitino, your St. John's coach, was the head coach. Let's hear from Rick and St. John's.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, one time for the Johnny show some love.

[Jeff Teague]

Oh, there it is.

[DJ Wells]

There we go.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

So I'm a young college player trying to walk on Division 3 and I'd go to all the practices in Boston. So I went to Boston University, watched Patino practice. Jeff's dad, Sean Teague was there. He was one tough son of a bitch. I can say that, right?

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Hey, Marcus.

[Master P]

I was gonna say anything I want.

[Jeff Teague]

That's part of my allegiance.

[DJ Wells]

Pop your shit, coach.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Am I right though? Your dad, tough, hard nosed player?

[Jeff Teague]

I don't know. Yeah, he was, he was sad to me, but I'll let you go.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

It's not what I saw him practice.

[Jeff Teague]

Nah. So you telling me that and he gonna watch this show and you giving him all that love now I'm gonna have to hear that for the rest of my life. That he was a good player. And every day I tell him he sucks.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

So he's an OG man.

[Jeff Teague]

Don't say that now. He got OG title. It's crazy.

[DJ Wells]

For sure, man. Listen, one of my favorite things about basketball is you got a lot of vantage points, a lot of people are play a part in people being successful. One of the best trainers around, Chris, man, please tell the people how you got started into helping people get to the next level.

[Chris Johnson]

I mean, first of all, shout out to Marcus, my guy. I met Marcus at USA Basketball, okay? So I had a couple of players on the USA team and I met him with Tobias Harris. So Tobias and him are really good friends and I've been a part of the Harris family for a while. And we met gambling with me, him and Russell Westbrook.

[Jeff Teague]

So we, we would boy some names in there, okay?

[Chris Johnson]

We were gambling and me and Marcus was looking like, hey, double down on zero. We was telling Russia the next one they hit was zero, which payout is like 33 to 1. And nobody played on it. But that's how I met Marcus. And you know, being in the basketball space is all about community and it's all about, you know, the youth, the grassroots, and it's all about, you know, it's a small circle. And I went from being a player and understanding like what my true craft is. So my true craft is not hooping. My true craft is developing people and really taking it into like a science of like, understanding, like mental, mental health, mental wellness, like understanding moods, you know, looking at people and being able to identify not just what their skill set is, but who they really are. So basketball for me has been great. And to be around the world, to be able to touch People around the world through basketball has just been a great vehicle.

[DJ Wells]

Most definitely. One thing I like about you, Chris, is the fact that you said off the court is just as important as on the court. And coach. You can contest to this. When you evaluate talent, you have to evaluate the person as well. Do you keep that in your mind when you go through rankings and stuff like that? It's like on court, but off the court is just as important.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Absolutely. I put a big emphasis on traits, not just talent. There's a lot of talent out there, but talent doesn't develop without traits. I believe that your traits can protect your talent and it can grow your talent. A lot of talented guys with red flags, that's why they don't make it in the basketball space and sometimes they don't make it in the professional space. So character to me is huge. Every high school player I have a chance to talk to, I tell them three things. Focus on character, academics and talent. I tell them to chase the cat. That's the acronym so far.

[DJ Wells]

That's a hell of an acronym, coach. That might get you in trouble too, y'all.

[Chris Johnson]

Wow.

[DJ Wells]

So far as the talent side of.

[Jeff Teague]

It though, how you go about like.

[Chris Johnson]

Ranking a player, like what are, what are the steps?

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Well, I coach for a long time, so I have that. Hopefully I have the experience right. And background in seeing the players at the highest level of college. I coached at Ohio State, Boston College, so I know what the high major looks like. Been a head coach at Wright State, mid major, and I was an assistant with rick Majeris at St. Louis University. Then he passed away. So for 22 years I've been in the college game as a head coach or an assistant. So I look at different categories that are important to the game, talent wise. First, athleticism. You have to see who has the athleticism, who has the measurables skill level, who can impact the game without scoring. For me, and I know for Chris, basketball IQ is missing in the game and it's needed. And I look for kids that understand what they're doing and why they're doing it. Quick story on that. Talked to an NBA assistant coach just this year and he said half our team doesn't know where to go on the court. They don't know when I say cut, they don't understand when I say screen, they don't know how. And this is a high level NBA assistant. So basketball IQ is another factor. And then I put the traits competitiveness, coachability, body language and being a caring teammate. Those are my top four Cause you.

[Jeff Teague]

Had Jeff ranked so low when he.

[Master P]

Was in high school, so I just wanted to.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I'm gonna. I checked that before I came.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Okay. All right, well, here's the disclaimer. I wasn't doing it then. I was coaching in St. Louis when you come out of high school. So blame the guy before me.

[Jeff Teague]

I need to talk to him.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

What's that?

[Jeff Teague]

They had me at 154.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Yeah, they didn't know what they. That's why I got the job.

[Jeff Teague]

They have bad eyes. You're right.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I had your brother up high.

[DJ Wells]

You did. Shout out to.520.

[Master P]

Move.

[Jeff Teague]

Shout out to him.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Okay.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

So thank you for that, though. You're trying to put me in a corner. You can't put a boss guy in the corner in New York.

[DJ Wells]

Not good. Yeah, he tried to load it up for you. Pause. But listen, we're at nyc. Hey, y'all know what time it is? We playing them games. I said pause. Relax now. You know what I'm saying? We only got introduce to each other. Why is Kai and Anthony not McDonald's all American?

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah.

[Chris Johnson]

What you got to do with that? I need to know.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Yeah, Committee votes.

[Chris Johnson]

Who is the committee? Yes.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

A lot of people.

[Chris Johnson]

Who?

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Oh, different people. There's a whole list of people.

[Chris Johnson]

We live in 2020.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

You got to reach out to McDonald's to get that. That. That's information they didn't want me to give out. So if you reach out, they'll give it to you.

[DJ Wells]

I put on Ronald McDonald, but honestly.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

It'S always been a vote. Look, I recruited McDonald's all Americans. Now I'm voting for them. There's so many great players every year. And Cayenne's a great basketball player, especially on the offensive end, and he's a really likable kid not to get voted in. Somebody has to get left out. There's other guys, too, that had great high school careers this year.

[Jeff Teague]

Great.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I mean, great. I don't throw out compliments unless they're. They're earned. They didn't make it either.

[Chris Johnson]

So on the west coast, I think six to eight McDonald's all Americans. In California at one point. It used to be like two per state.

[Master P]

Yeah.

[Chris Johnson]

And so now.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Yeah, they don't do that. It's not about. It's the 24 best players in the committee's mind based on the criteria that they give you, which is who can be a pro, who's dominated the game at the high school level, and who has the greatest upside among the group. And that gets difficult, as you know, you make a list, top 100, top 200, somebody's going to be left off that could be deserving. Just like the NCAA tournament. We were talking about that in the back room.

[DJ Wells]

Yes, sir.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Teams that got in maybe shouldn't have teams that didn't make it.

[DJ Wells]

North Carolina.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Okay. And other, you know, other people didn't make the tournament. That's the unfortunate part of making a list.

[Jeff Teague]

Okay. I guess that was a PR answer.

[Master P]

Respect.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

What would you like me to say?

[Master P]

The truth.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I just did. He didn't make it. He didn't get voted in.

[Jeff Teague]

Hey, I like who, Coach.

[DJ Wells]

You gotta watch him. You gotta watch him.

[Jeff Teague]

Chris, I want to ask you, like.

[Chris Johnson]

I'm good.

[Master P]

I got you.

[Chris Johnson]

I'm back on you. Next.

[Jeff Teague]

Hold on. That's crazy.

[Chris Johnson]

Come on, y'all, relax.

[Jeff Teague]

You know, you know.

[Master P]

Yeah.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Hey, Jeff.

[Jeff Teague]

Jeff.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

This wasn't in the contract.

[Master P]

Go ahead. Nah.

[Jeff Teague]

Chris, I wanted to ask you, like.

[Master P]

Who was that first player did you develop in. In high school, college, or the pros?

[DJ Wells]

Like.

[Chris Johnson]

Yeah. Or even that you. You might have started with a pro. I heard you basically change Jimmy Butler game around.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah, I remember him in Minnesota.

[Master P]

Yeah.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah.

[Chris Johnson]

Shout out to Jimmy's, because getting traded to Golden State, I think they're like 15 and 2, something like that.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah.

[Chris Johnson]

And love Jimmy. With Jimmy. Jimmy's very interesting because Jimmy does all the things that you just mentioned, Right. He wasn't ranked in high school. He wasn't ranked in the city of Houston, where I'm from. He wasn't on the top scholarship boards. Yeah. Coach Buzz Williams gave him a scholarship going to Marquette, the 30th pick in the draft. So when he got to me, when I looked at Jimmy, Jimmy has what you need to be a pro. It really doesn't matter how you start, but when you pick up, you know that I gotta prove something. I gotta go out and change my life. I come from nothing. When. When I get that type of ingredients, like a player like Jimmy.

[Master P]

Yeah.

[Chris Johnson]

It's easy to develop because he already had the mindset, he already had the competition. He already had the will and the want to be that. So I put Jimmy on a five day workout plan. Like five workouts a day. Like, in my group, I had him train with the point guards. I had him train with two guards, the forwards and the centers. So when you watch him play now we'll go to State. He can play anywhere on the court. Yeah, he got all the footwork and he has the Ability to make the team better. And so that journey with Jimmy was great because he gave me an opportunity, a platform to be able to build him and to build him into something great. And that year, people don't know Jeff. When he was in Chicago, Jimmy had a contract, I think about 46 million. He came to me and was like, say, bro, I'm gonna decline it. I was like, bro, I can't tell you to decline. 48 million. I ain't got 48 million. Yeah, I can't tell you to decline. He was like, no, I'm gonna get max. I put in the work. I'm focused, and I don't give a. And he turned it down. And once he turned it down, at the end of the year, he was most improved player of the year. First team all NBA. NBA all star. Got a picture of us taking that picture of signing a $100 million max contract for the Chicago Bulls. And that's a player that wasn't ranked.

[DJ Wells]

Yes, sir.

[Chris Johnson]

He wasn't on nobody board. It just comes from pure desire of what you want to become.

[Jeff Teague]

That's a fact.

[DJ Wells]

Now, listen, if they ain't the best advertisement, just happen with Chris with your train on what to tell you. Goddamn it.

[Jeff Teague]

Well, you just sold the shit out of me. I'm about to get back out.

[DJ Wells]

Get out.

[Jeff Teague]

You would have took that risk. Hell, yeah. No, no, that 48 would have been signed.

[Master P]

That's a good.

[Jeff Teague]

See, I said, chris, you right.

[Master P]

No, you can't.

[Chris Johnson]

You can't take that risk because there's so many players that have had your teammate before. I think you got to Minnesota, took that risk. I ain't gonna say his name, but he w up in China the next year.

[Jeff Teague]

Damn. Oh, I know. You're talking about.

[Chris Johnson]

48 on the table.

[Jeff Teague]

Yep.

[Chris Johnson]

And he was like, I want 60.

[Jeff Teague]

Yep.

[Chris Johnson]

And he was in China the next year.

[Jeff Teague]

Not me.

[Chris Johnson]

Nah.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Say his name.

[DJ Wells]

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[Laura Carrenti]

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[DJ Wells]

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[Laura Carrenti]

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[DJ Wells]

Hey, what's going on? It's DJ Wells from Club 520.

[Jeff Teague]

Behem from Club 520. What's up?

[DJ Wells]

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[Master P]

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[Jeff Teague]

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[Chris Johnson]

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[DJ Wells]

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[Master P]

Make sure you go to the site.

[Chris Johnson]

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[DJ Wells]

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[Jeff Teague]

Yo, what's good? It's Jeff T from Club 520 podcast here with my latest fresh take on the 2025 NCAA tournament brought to you by Wendy's, the official hamburger of March Madness. What a weekend. Easily my two favorite games from the Elite 8 were Duke beating Alabama, Florida beating Texas Tech, Duke beat Alabama with their defense being able to attack and transition and getting out on the open floor, finding Cooper Flag and all their talented players and Florida beating Texas Tech. What a win by them coming up big in the end. Now with my Final four is set. I like Florida beating Auburn because of the way they play. They they got a closer and Clayton Jr. And I got Duke playing Houston and I got Houston being my champions in a 2025 NCAA tournament. It should be a good game, should be exciting weekend. I'm looking forward to it. We'll see if I'm right. But while you watching the games in the meantime, remember the Freshest Deal in Fast Food's Gotta be Wendy's Right now you can get a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger or a double stack for $1 with an in app offer and a purchase. Again, head to Wendy's app to grab a $1 junior bacon cheeseburger, a $1 double stack with an in app offer and a purchase for the freshest hamburgers around. Gotta be Wendy's, the official hamburger of March Madness.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

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[Laura Carrenti]

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[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

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[Laura Carrenti]

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[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

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[Laura Carrenti]

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[DJ Wells]

Is DJ Wells from Club Five Twenty podcast and this show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in person therapy can cost anywhere from 100 to 250 per session, which adds up pretty fast. But with Better Help online therapy you can save up to an average of 50% per session. Therapy should feel very accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. It's helpful for learning positive coping skills and how to set boundaries, and it empowers you to be the best version of yourself. With over 30,000 therapists, Better Help is the world's largest or live therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient too. You can join the session with just a click of a button, helping you fit therapy into a busy life. Plus switch therapists at any Time. Your well being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.comclub to get 10% off your first month. That's better. Help. Help. H E L p.comclub it's Julie Stewart Banks.

[Laura Carrenti]

I'm doing a new podcast from iHeart Podcasts and the National Hockey League. And I'm paired up with one of my favorite players, the always corner, quotable Nate Thompson.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I wore nine NHL sweaters and I have story after story to share.

[DJ Wells]

And believe it or not, I have.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Plenty to say, and not just about hockey.

[Laura Carrenti]

Believe me, he does. Energy Line with Nate and JSB is the name of the podcast. And it's gonna be, well, it's gonna be quite the ride. We're officially linemates, Nate. We're the Energy Line.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

We'll have plenty of folks join us, current players, some of my former teammates, hall of Famers, and wait to see some of the connections that Julie has. She has quite the Rolodex.

[Laura Carrenti]

Okay. We'll lean into Nate's playing experience and tap into our interests away from hockey and try to do what energy lines are supposed to do, provide an emotional boost. How do you feel about all that, Nate?

[DJ Wells]

I'm vibing Julie.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I'm ready to roll.

[Laura Carrenti]

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jeff Teague]

That boy could have said, you want.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

To know who's on the committee? Say his name.

[Jeff Teague]

There we go.

[Master P]

Talk to him, Coach.

[Jeff Teague]

So where was you at when Jimmy went crazy on us? You was part of that?

[Master P]

Oh, he was.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, he was a part of that. Listen, so you called Rachel Nichols?

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah, he. He trained him.

[Master P]

I'mma tell you.

[Chris Johnson]

Jimmy's a true competitor. Right, Jimmy Crazy swap.

[Master P]

Hey, yo.

[Jeff Teague]

He said, Trey B. Mike.

[Master P]

Let me put this down.

[Chris Johnson]

Jimmy is the type of guy to keep receipts. Let's just start there. He ain't forgetting he plays dominoes.

[Jeff Teague]

He's.

[Chris Johnson]

He's ultra competitive, you know, and sometimes guys that are really competitive, they just black out and they just focus on what's that in the moment. And him going to practice was just a buildup of what was going on in his life at that moment. And when you have that in you, where he started from nothing, playing with the third team and going after Cad and going after people, those are true stories. But he was there to show them that he wanted to win so bad. Now, Jeff, before you got there, the year before, let's talk about this after All Star Break. Jimmy tore his meniscus. He euro stepped against the Rockets.

[Jeff Teague]

Oh, no, I was there.

[Chris Johnson]

Oh, you was on the team?

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah, we came the same year.

[Chris Johnson]

Yep.

[Jeff Teague]

So Jimmy called me. I wish he wouldn't have.

[Master P]

He should have told me he was.

[Jeff Teague]

Gonna do that shit. I would say to Indiana, but.

[Chris Johnson]

Exactly. But. But to show you the type of competitor he is, show you that practice. Jimmy could have canceled the season for sure. I told him once again, cancel the season. He looked at me and was like, Minnesota had never been in the playoffs, like in 14 years or something. He was like, I'm going to come back. I'm going to make us go to the playoffs and I'm going sacrifice my body for. For this team and for the organization. And we left. We went to California and we trained. He went out of surgery. We started training the next day, sitting in a chair, dribbling. Four weeks later he was back. And I think he had like 38, 36.

[Jeff Teague]

First game back was in LA. I told him to sit out. I was trying to kill. They was in there that night. I was trying. I had seen some people. I wanted to.

[DJ Wells]

Crazy. All right, man. Before we get out of here, I want to ask both of you gentlemen, keep it as brief as you can. Obviously, is there a big change or how you go across dealing with younger athletes with the NIL effects?

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Well, nil now is in the high school game. 40 states allow nil and the other states will eventually. Doesn't affect what I do at all. It's more so what happens to the players, the public schools. Public schools have lost a lot of kids going to private schools because a lot of the public schools. And Jeff, you could probably speak on this, being the head coach at Pike High School, kids will leave for the private schools because the NIL is more open. Each state association makes their own rules. But at the end of the day, the government is going to decide nil, not state associations. But for what I do, the only thing I notice is when kids get nil, I take a look to see if their game starts to digress because of all the distractions. I tell every kid that will listen and parent, you know, your brand is not your brand. Your game is your brand, ours. And when they decide to have a brand, to have a business, to make money, we're all cool with that. But when it affects your game or your grades, it's not a good thing. So. And it's a hard thing to balance because adults can't balance money and game. So now you have a teenager grades, school game, money. It's a hard balancing act. But for Me, I just continue to watch the progression or the digression of them on the court, their talent, their impact, and then I always keep an eye on their traits.

[DJ Wells]

Most definitely. Chris, I want to ask you this as a parent of a kid is going crazy right now. You know, saying, obviously you got the game and the knowledge, but you see as other teammates, how is that for them to kind of adjust to this new type of lifestyle or opportunity? You got a lot of kids, like you said, they come from nothing. Somebody wave a check in your face, you can change your mama life today, but that check may not last longer if you go crazy later and get more money.

[Chris Johnson]

Yeah. As a parent, my son going to Colorado. Shout out to Colorado Big 12.

[DJ Wells]

Yes, sir.

[Chris Johnson]

And he's, yeah, Tabboy. He can play. I think the big thing is building a system and community around the kids. Right? The money's always been there, so the money's not changing kids. Social media has changed kids in the fact of, like, showcasing what you actually have. So you just need to educate kids on how to utilize the platform of social media to be beneficial. So versus them having to do it themselves. Just hire a team, you know, so it's there. So we just need to educate the kids, the community, the system, the people around them of how to hire people to put in place that can manage those things for them so they can keep the main thing. The main thing. Now, what I've learned, having people, kids that come from affluent houses, those are your top basketball players right now. The people that can afford training. You don't see a lot of kids in the hood getting the right training because they can't afford it. It's become a business now. So, like, for myself, if I got a person that's in the hood, I make enough money where I can just, hey, you good? I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna build you from the ground up. So his sacrifice would be different. But you find people now that parents can afford training, their skill sets are much better. So it really has nothing to do with Nil. It really comes down to what's in your chest, who's around you. If you want to really play basketball or you want to be a celebrity or influencer, because there's three different levels to that. So we can't box a kid in. Because I got people that parents are filthy rich and play basketball in the NBA. There's so many kids that I have that dad played in the NBA. That's better than a kid straight out the hood. But because he has more opportunity to get trained and to be developed. So that's why you look at an NBA now you see a lot of kids of dads that played in the NBA because they have the resources to be able to get to that level.

[Jeff Teague]

But do you think it lacked passion now? Cause like I think when you come from nothing and you start hooping, the passion be a little different.

[Chris Johnson]

It does be a little different. But then I look at Steph Curry.

[Master P]

Curry.

[Jeff Teague]

But then I look at Anthony Edwards, I think we all can relate to him a little different than we can to Steph Curry.

[Chris Johnson]

Right. I mean, but we can relate. But when I look at Steph, I look at Clay, I look at some of the two parent households that are in the NBA that people don't talk about because the game of basketball, no offense, Paul, is a black dominated game. And so when you look at that, no offense, but is is dominated by, by black players. And so a lot of people don't talk about two parents, I'm not black. They don't talk about the two parent household. You know, and so being a two parent household, you can produce a mentally tough kid. You don't have to be abused to be mentally tough.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Yes, sir, Go ahead. Right.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

We're down on time. But I want to tell this for everyone watching whoever coaches trains, parents. We talked about social media, you talked about mental wellness. We can talk about basketball all day long. And the biggest thing that I've noticed, whether it was millennials, generation Z and now it's, I think it's Generation Alpha. The biggest problem that kids are experiencing is not on a court social media. First was the Internet, now it's social media. And the one game I tell everyone not to play is the comparison game. It's a never ending game. You can never win the comparison game. And so many kids are playing that comparison game. And it's a recipe for unhappiness. So you don't even get to the trainer, you don't get to the coach. You're just unhappy all the time because you're constantly comparing what other kids have versus what you don't have. So if I can encourage everyone to help kids not to play the comparison game, someone's always going to be better than you, you're going to be better than somebody else. That's the way life goes. But if you can keep them focused on their own growth, their own development, they'll be happier and they'll make faster progress. The comparison game is the quickest way to fizzle out of anything. Whether it's somebody at work or somebody in sports. I just want to get that in.

[DJ Wells]

Well said, Coach. I need to hear that.

[Jeff Teague]

Amen.

[DJ Wells]

We gotta move on. Make some love for Coach P and Chris Johnson.

[Master P]

For sure.

[DJ Wells]

Gentlemen, we appreciate y'all gonna take a quick break and be back at it. We get to be in the presence of a mogul, philanthropist, and most importantly, right now, President P. Man, we got the one and only Master P in the building. Make some love for Master P, man. Thank you, man. It's an honor to be in your presence tonight, big dog.

[Jeff Teague]

Hey, before we start, can I say something, P?

[DJ Wells]

Yeah.

[Jeff Teague]

Hey, dj, can you play Break a Mile song real quick for me?

[Master P]

Yeah.

[DJ Wells]

We gotta set the vibe. Act like we ain't got Master P up here.

[Jeff Teague]

They know in my household this like a national anthem. No, no, no, no, no, no. Not. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Break them off something. Hold on, hold on. They don't got that. That's cool. Respect. Respect. Don't worry about it. He ain't hurt.

[Master P]

Oh, there we go. Now the vibe's getting right. Here we go. Hey, you understand I had to do.

[Jeff Teague]

This for my sister. She said if you don't tell him how we feel about this, I ain't gonna never forget you. Yeah, what they say? How you started off? Hustle ball against the cat pillar.

[Master P]

Who I beat your neighborhood drug dealer. A young nigga. Hey, turn me up, T. Okay, my fault. Oh, me, oh, me.

[Jeff Teague]

All right, all right, all right. My fault, dj. I just had a show. I had a show.

[Master P]

Yeah. All right. The vibes is right now.

[Jeff Teague]

We locked in. Turn me up, T. That's my song, man. That's my song for sure.

[DJ Wells]

Listen, man, first things first. Congratulations on your new role. You know what I'm saying? New Orleans holding down the president of operations. Man, tell us what inspired you to take that role, man? You're so successful with everything you've ever done. What made you go on this journey?

[Master P]

Well, so black athletes, right? A lot of these people don't understand us. They don't understand our culture. And for me to be a coach and to be president of operations of a major university, and coming from hip hop history, and I'm just letting God lead me on this journey. Y'all know where I come from, and this. This is big for our culture and our people because we always talk about the negative things. So think about it. It's been 25 years that I've been doing right. And so I know that this is the way that God blessed me and I'm just taking this journey.

[DJ Wells]

Most definitely. T. Listen, you got a little bit of lineage with Master P, and he don't even know it. Let him know about it.

[Jeff Teague]

Nah. So you remember when y'all went to ABCD camp, you took Romeo and DeMar DeRozan? Well, I happened to be on the team with DeMar DeRozan, and I was having some bright moments at that camp, and you tapped me on my shoulder at one time, and you was like, hey, man, you nice. He was like, but it's a cat on your team right there. He was like, man, trust him. He can play, too. And you told me, drive the ball to the lane and throw it up. I promise he'll go get it. We played the next game. I threw it up to demar. He went and go get it, and I ain't get the ball no more. It became his team. It was my team for a minute. The next thing you know, it was his team.

[Master P]

And so that's what I want to tell y'all, right? When you look at DeMar DeRozan, Lance Stevenson, I coached all those guys. Jalen, Suz, Big Chad, Hogan. And my thing is those guys come from real community places of poverty. And I think a lot of these coaches, they give up on our kids. And that's why I tell any kid in college right now, right? The reason why you want to play for me at the University of New Orleans, I want nothing but dogs, no puppies allowed. And I know real talent. But I'm also going to help these kids get to the next. The next level, whether it's to the NBA or even your education is more important, because I call it, we all should be seeking wisdom and not money, right? Think about it. A lot of us use wisdom and as avoidance stuff. No, you don't avoid wisdom. Wisdom is advancing. So I'm going to show the next generation how we advance. And so when you look at me and say, man, I grew up in the Calio Project, just like you was listening to Break them Off, right? So if you follow me on that journey, then you're going to follow me on this journey, showing our people how to get our money, how to take care of our families, how to build generational wealth. And so that's the journey I'm on right now, educating our people. And so y'all give yourself a round of applause in here, because everybody in here, we on that mission. We want to get better, right? Y'all know that I was able to accomplish this. I mean, I lived in a project with My grandparents and they had 12 kids. Me and my brother made 14. That's 16 people in a three bedroom project. And so my goals was to get my grandmother house. So that was my motivation. One day I want to get my grandmother house. So you also have to have that why? And if you have that, why, you can be successful most definitely.

[DJ Wells]

And with you, like you said, accomplished so many things across the board. The discipline, the things, the foundation in place helped you accomplish that. And listen, we love basketball. We're going to talk about it. How was that like making it to the NBA?

[Master P]

You know, it was something. I think basketball changed my life and saved my life. So I've been playing with all the, all my life, right? But the thing about it is, right, people didn't understand that because I had made it in music. And so people forgot that this was my first love. This is where I came from. This is what took me out the ghetto. And so I've always was putting in the work. And I showed my son, My son right now played for University of Houston. They're the number two team in the country. And I showed him hard work because I know if you stay in the gym, it's like anything in life. This, the game of life, it's not just basketball. So I just use that as, as just what took me out the projects, but I also use that in my business. So it, it teach you dedication, it teach you consistency, because it's all about consistency. So think about, I wouldn't be here where I'm at if, if I, if I didn't put the work in. And so basketball gave me that. And so, you know, think about it. We all sitting up here, but you gonna get older. You can't play basketball forever. You can't do what, what you used to do on a basketball court.

[Jeff Teague]

Hold on now.

[Master P]

You can't do that right now.

[Jeff Teague]

Hold on, hold on now.

[Master P]

You can't do that. I know you can't.

[Jeff Teague]

I was rolling with you, Pete, bro.

[Master P]

You can't do what you used to do back in the day.

[Jeff Teague]

You want to tie him up or what? Cause you act like you want to play.

[Master P]

See that? See that? Y'all see how you know, that's what it do, too? That's why it's a mental thing, right? You like start thinking that you could do what you used to do back in the days. And you know, I mean, look at Michael Jordan. That's why, that's why we having this conversation.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah.

[Master P]

Product outweighs talent. So think about it. Product going to be around when we not around. And so when you look at it, the reason why Michael Jordan is still so successful, because of those shoes. Think about it. You still wearing them now.

[Jeff Teague]

That's a fact.

[Master P]

And he ain't even playing no more. And if you ask Michael Jordan that same thing, he'll probably say, man, oh, yeah, I can do it. You can't. It's called Fall to Time, right? I'm only 36, bro. That's old in basketball.

[Jeff Teague]

No respect.

[Master P]

In basketball. When I was playing with the Hornets, yeah. I mean, my music is what got me out the lead. It wasn't basketball. So the GM was listening to the ice Cream, man, and I'm like, man, what you. Where you get that from? So I knew y'all. I was done. So I walked in there and sit down. This older white man by bass, he not here now no more. But he sent me down. He said, man, your music is pure filth. It's a bible built state. And your music is pure Phil. He said, I love your basketball. You tough. Cause he seen me and Anthony Mason get into it. So he said, why you not scared of Anthony Mason, man? Anthony Mason was a tough dude on the basketball court. Like, for real, when I got to the gym, Anthony Mason said, I'm from New York. Give me the ball. I'm like, damn, big dog, for real. I just got in here. I just got in there, man. And so what I like about it, right? I have five Anthony Mason, right? And he was like, man, rookie. When I get in the back, I'm about to whoop you. So I'm thinking to myself, damn, them over like 6, 10. I was like, all right, I got to get back to that locker room first, right? So I got back to the locker room first. I was ready. You said, nah, big dog, I like you. We ended up being friends, but. And the GM couldn't understand that. He said, so your music pure filled, and you ain't afraid of Andy Mason, man. We decided to go another direction.

[Chris Johnson]

Man.

[Master P]

They changed the codes on the. So think about it, y'all. Right?

[Chris Johnson]

Yeah.

[Master P]

By the time I left, I had left something in there. My code wasn't working no more. I had to call security. So that's why I said, right, we have to start thinking about being entrepreneurs. Cause, you know, we get locked out of situations when it's over for us. And it had nothing to do with basketball. I was going hard every night. I mean, they had some great players on that team. BJ Armstrong used to tell me, slow down. You'll ask him this story when you see him. And I was outrunning everybody. BJ Armstrong said, Man, we got 82 games. Why you running so fast? I was so used to running from the police, dog. This was nothing for me. This was nothing. And I'm thinking, man, I'm on this team.

[Jeff Teague]

Y'all ever play one on one at practice?

[Master P]

Against who?

[Jeff Teague]

Like, I'm just anybody. Like, we always used to play ones at practice. Anybody play ones playing with everybody. Who you be?

[Master P]

Man, come on, dog. You acting like I ain't from the project. Dog, I just told you I grew up in the project with 14 people.

[Jeff Teague]

That's what I'm saying. You played BJ Armstrong 101.

[Master P]

You beat everybody. I played Steph Curry, Daddy. His dad was on the team. Yeah.

[DJ Wells]

Okay. Caught the ones with Dale turn up.

[Master P]

Yeah, he was. Man, you know what? You had to foul Dale back in the way, so I know. That's why I snuff so good. Soon as he touched the ball, I'm slapping.

[Jeff Teague]

He can shoot too good.

[Master P]

He shoot too good.

[Jeff Teague]

Now you can shoot, though. I ain't gonna lie. You got a jumper. I've been watching you, man.

[Master P]

I learned how to shoot in a project with no lights, but damn, that. So imagine when the lights come on.

[Jeff Teague]

I'm like, man, what? That'll do. Look at that light right there.

[DJ Wells]

You were shooting here.

[Master P]

I ain't.

[Jeff Teague]

Look, I ain't gonna get no shooting contest with you. I ain't seen you, too.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, most definitely. One thing I like about you is that everything is always based on family. And, like, we always talked about this. We was in the age where we saw them shows on tv, you know what I'm saying? Everybody remember themselves on Nickelodeon. We remember the movies. Uncle P come on tap in.

[Jeff Teague]

I don't know.

[DJ Wells]

We too old. But y'all remember that. The dope part about it is you have Demar Derosan. You have the Brandon jr. They get to see that type of life as an influence. What's that? Being able to pull your family up as you excel as well.

[Master P]

Yeah, no, I mean, I'm grateful and thankful. I just talked to Brandon Jennings the other day, and I was like, brandon, what. What made you make it? He said, coach P. Cause I. I'm like. And I'm Coach P for real. Right? I started thinking, because, you know, it don't hit you till you get older. And he was like, you know, you. You believed in me when nobody didn't believe in me. And then you showed me stuff because you already had the mansions. You had the nice cars, all this stuff he said that made me go harder. And so I do the same thing with my family, with my kids, right? So I didn't give my son. He's one of the top players in Cal. He's the number one player in California, and he's a freshman at Houston right now. He didn't get a car till he got to Houston. So I start realizing right there, you gotta start making people work for what they want. And I think with this generation, we give these kids everything they want. Even if you look at it right now, we gotta stop that and we just gotta start being real parents and make them appreciate everything that you give them.

[DJ Wells]

That's a bar for sure.

[Jeff Teague]

Yo, what's good? It's Jeff T from Club 520 podcast here with my latest fresh take on 2025 NCAA tournament brought to you by Wendy's, the official hamburger of March Madness. What a weekend. Easily my two favorite games from the Elite 8 were Duke beating Alabama, Florida beating Texas Tech, Duke beat Alabama with their defense being able to attack and transition and getting out on the open floor, finding Cooper flag and all their talented players, and Florida beating Texas Tech. What a win by them. Coming up big in the end. Now with my final four is set. I like Florida beating Auburn because of the way they play. They got a closer and Clayton Jr. And I got Duke playing Houston and I got Houston being my championship in a 2025 NCAA tournament. It should be a good game, should be exciting weekend. I'm looking forward to it. We'll see if I'm right. But while you watching the games in the meantime, remember, the freshest deal in fast food's gotta be Wendy's. Right now you can get a junior bacon cheeseburger or a double stack for $1 with an in app offer and a purchase. Again, head to Wendy's app to grab a $1 Junior bacon cheeseburger, a $1 double stack with an in app offer and a purchase for the freshest hamburgers around. Gotta be Wendy's, the official hamburger of March Madness.

[Laura Carrenti]

It's Julie Stewart Banks. I'm doing a new podcast from iHeart Podcasts and the National Hockey League and I'm paired up with one of my favorite players, the always quotable Nate Thompson.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I wore nine NHL sweaters and I have story after story to share.

[DJ Wells]

And believe it or not, I have.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Plenty to say and not just about hockey.

[Laura Carrenti]

Believe me, he does Energy line with Nate and JSB is the name of the podcast and it's going to be well, it's going to be quite the ride. We're officially linemates, Nate. We're the Energy Line.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

We'll have plenty of folks join us, current players, some of my former teammates, hall of Famers, and wait to see some of the connections that Julie has. She has quite the Rolodex.

[Laura Carrenti]

Okay, we'll lean into Nate's playing experience and tap into our interests away from hockey and try to do what energy lines are supposed to do, provide an emotional boost. How do you feel about all that, Nate?

[DJ Wells]

I'm vibing, Julie.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I'm ready to roll.

[Laura Carrenti]

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell bent effort to sabotage a world.

[Master P]

J edga was furious.

[Laura Carrenti]

Somebody violated the FBI and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

The FBI went around to all their.

[Master P]

Neighbors and said to them, do you.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Think these people are good Americans? It's got heists, tragedy, a trial of.

[Laura Carrenti]

The century, and the God damnedest love.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

Story you've ever heard.

[Laura Carrenti]

I picked up the phone and my thought was, this is the most important.

[Master P]

Phone call I'll ever make in my life.

[Laura Carrenti]

I couldn't believe it. I mean, Brendan, it was divine intervention. Listen to Divine intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Camila Ramon, Peloton's first Spanish speaking.

[DJ Wells]

Cycling and tread instructor.

[Laura Carrenti]

I'm an athlete, entrepreneur, and almost most importantly, a pareo enthusiast. And I'm Liz Ortiz, former pro soccer player and Olympian. And like call me a parrello enthusiast. Come on, who is it? Our podcast, Hasta Vajo is where sports, music and fitness collide and we cover it all, the Arriva hasta sit downs with real game changers in the sports world like Miami Dolphins CMO Priscilla Shumate, who is redefining what it means to be a Latina leader. It all changed when I had the this guy come to me, he said to me, you know, you're not Latina enough. First of all, what is that? My mouth is wide open. Yeah. History makers like the Sucard family who became the first Peruvians to win a Grammy.

[Jeff Teague]

It was a very special moment for us. It's been 15 years for me in this career. Finally things are starting to shift into a different level.

[Laura Carrenti]

Listen to Hasta ajo on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Chris Johnson]

Listen, where do you see New Orleans going?

[Master P]

Yeah, so. Oh, for us in New Orleans, what I see, right? And I know a lot of people talk about what went on before I got there. I just got there. So we gonna be way better than, I mean, we was last year. But I'm giving kids second chances that I know that deserve it, that didn't change their lives. Thinking about it, like, none of us are perfect. All of us then did something that we could hide from or go and act like or whatever. But think about it. How do you get to the league if nobody really pull you to the side and believe in you? So I. I told you I coached Lance Stevenson, right? So y'all know Lance Stevenson out here in New York. He was wilding out at first, and so I was able to see the good in him and showed him the value. Like, man, slow down. And me and his dad built a good relationship. So it's also what I'm going to do, is build relationships with these parents. At the same time, it's all about holding accountability. But my thing is asking them, what do they really want out of this? So you got to know what you want, do you really want? Because I had to change. My parents couldn't change me. You know, once you get on that school campus, you could go wild out. And I had to start policing myself. I had to start saying that I want somebody like it. So I'm going to show these kids everything that I've been through. I got a brother dead, I got a brother incarcerated, right? So it's nothing you can fool me with. But I got real love. These kids are part of my family. And so when you use that word, family, that we're going to be able to know each other even after life after basketball and still keeping those relationships. How many of these other coaches do that with us? Because once it's over, they don't care about us no more.

[Jeff Teague]

That's a fact.

[Master P]

Think about it. And that's what I'm going to be able to give the kids that come into my program. Like, I. I mean, I'm looking out here some. I want some of the top kids in New York. We able to give them the same nil deals that we could, that they could get from any other universal. And so I. I think that's going to be the good thing about it. But I want them to know this is about getting the education. Because once that nil money run out, what you gonna do? So I'm gonna teach them how to invest some of that money, you know, and don't just take this money in your personal name. They don't teach our athletes debt. So go get your llc, go get you incorporated business. So now you can write some of that off instead of just taking that money. Even though we call it name and likeness, you know. But we saying now take this money and investors in something. So when them four years come, you got your money to triple, double, quadruple. And so they're not going to teach us that this won't give us the money. And, and, and hopefully if we don't win for them, then we go back to the hood. And I want to change that.

[DJ Wells]

Most definitely. So, yeah, clap it up. That was the bar right there, for sure.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah.

[Master P]

Well, listen, think about it, right? Everybody up here, how many coaches still keep in touch with you? Let's be honest, like, me and all my players, we still in contact.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah, I don't see think about. I definitely ain't talk to none of my coaches. Tibbs, I talk to Tibbs. I talk to Mike Blueholz. That's the NBA, though. Like college and high school. High school. My AAU coach, I still talk to him. But other than that, college, nah, See, it's real.

[Chris Johnson]

It's real.

[Master P]

So think about it. Because all they doing is bring one player in. Then once it's over, they looking for. For the next best player.

[Jeff Teague]

Yeah, that's a fact.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, most definitely.

[Jeff Teague]

Well, we see, like. Cause you coach a bunch of NBA players, you man, you one of the most influential people ever. Will we see a lot of people at New Orleans, like, kind of like Coach Prom did in Colorado.

[Master P]

Man, let me tell y'all something. I model what I'm doing after Coach Prime. Cause he the goat.

[DJ Wells]

Yes, sir.

[Master P]

And to be able to celebrate a black man that did something historical, it let me know that I could do it in basketball, what he done in football. And so you're going to see. You're going to see everybody at our games, but you're going to get a great game. Because these the players that I bring in there, the goal is to get them to the NBA and to create more testimonies and so more players that we get into the NBA. That's when we get more students to the university and we bring enrollment up. And so that's the page I'm on. Like. So the basketball part is one thing, but for me, it's the education and that's. That's about changing lives and saving lives. I feel like this is my most important job, to be a servant. So, yeah, I gotta shout out coach prime man, because he paved the way. And I'm just about to kick the door down. Especially coming from hip hop. Think about. You think they want to give me this job? Coming from hip hop?

[Jeff Teague]

Nah.

[Master P]

So that means I had to be doing right a long time for sure. Because they. They put me under the microscope, right? Like, and it's hard to do. So I had to have a degree, I had to have a good record. So all these things that I want to show our culture, that we could leave the past behind and we could grow up and get better. They do it. They got tattoos under their suits. They done been in trouble before, let's be honest. Yeah, but they get a second chance at changing their lives. That's why I said, I'm looking for dogs. I'm looking for players that they done gave up on. And we gonna have. We're gonna have an opportunity if you really about changing growth. And I'm gonna show them these diamonds in the rough that they forgot about. Like, all they needed was a chance. And that's all I need. I'm a living testimony that if you put your trust and faith in God, you could actually go to the next level.

[DJ Wells]

Most definitely make some lovers to that. What a bar there. Now, I gotta ask. Obviously, you win in many markets that dominated just about. About everything. You did get into the snack world. We all love rap snacks, man. How was that transition going from rap music to making chips?

[Master P]

You know what? Nobody believe in rap snack. Me and James used to go to all these different places and tell people about it. But it's all about the flavor. And think about it. We understand what flavor is in our people. We eat chips, you know, we got the honey buns now. We've been eating this stuff a long time, but we don't think that we can create this stuff. So this has been a journey for over 25 years. I know a lot of people think that it's a success story overnight. It took us 25 years. So how many people willing to be in business that long in the stand business, the sustainability? So when nobody believed that you could put artists that look like us on packages and bags, we did. And that's what changed the game most?

[DJ Wells]

Definitely.

[Jeff Teague]

You like, to my community people, I grew up around you like a superhero. You did everything. You played basketball in the NBA. You rap, you act everything that a black person want to do you did, like, straight up. We all dream to be in tv, movies. Who rap, man? What's that feeling like? Like, you kind of just when you come here, like, you don't. You don't. You probably don't feel that way, but we like, bro, you an icon to us, so it's a little different for us. How'd that feel for you?

[Master P]

So, to be honest, y'all, I'm more thankful. Like, it don't really. It don't really touch me like that, because I know where I come from, and I. I know that I had a lot of coast clothes, close calls in life. And if God didn't spare my life, I wouldn't be here with y'all right now. And I'm all about helping our community and our culture. You know, me and one of my guys was laughing the other day, right? So in California, I got a program called Urban Born. And Nipsey Hussle was in our program in the eighth grade. And so it's all about helping people look like us, knowing that you are important. So I'm. I'm. I'm looking at life thinking, God, like, man, you spared my life because I had a lot of close calls. And. And I'm thankful and grateful that I could be here with y'all and show y'all that we can change and grow. Because a lot of people, they think that we got to be tough, we got to be real. What is that? I never wanted to be tough in all this. I've always just wanted to survive. I wanted to be better. And I tell people all the time that we invest 5, 10, 20 to the life and going to prison. Why can't we invest four years to go to college or to create a business or a brand? And so I'm a living testimony that if you do that, then you can live a legit life. Because think about it. We do all this negative stuff. And so when I start making these movies, I invest my own money into it. I want to show us that if you believe in yourself, put your money into what you believe in, because you're going to get the. The bigger piece of the pie. But when you running around and you want to be pampered, that means you don't want to put the work in. So all those things that you talk about, what I've done, I never been pampered. I've always get out and put the work in, and then I get my bigger piece of the pie, because I made the biggest investment in myself. And so when you look in that mirror. I want y'all to look in that mirror and say, what am I doing? How can I get to the next level? Am I spending my 24 hours wisely? Think about. Because most of us turning up. If you turning up 24 hours, then you're not gonna beat me. You're not gonna beat me at nothing I'm doing. And I think that that's what my motivation is. And I know a lot of people say, pete, you did this, this, and this. But I love what I'm doing. So I don't see it as like, oh, you're doing all these different things. No, they all go together, like, thinking about, like you say, every athlete in the hood, they love music, they love movies, they gonna love products and. And all these different things. I just like this, what we do anyway. And I just said that, you know, when I. When I stopped saying that, I wanted to be a boss and I wanted to be a leader. It's two different things. Because a boss just he control everything. Being a leader, you're going to create more leaders. And so when I got to that point in my life, I feel like that's when God spared my life and saved my life. Say, hey, you know, you can lead the people and the ones that want to listen, because think about where we come from. A lot of us don't want to listen. That's why I told you, I got a brother dead, I got a brother incarcerated. Because that's all about that one word, listening. So you got to be able to listen. You know, they say a wise man learn, but a fool never will. And I learned from not only other people mistakes, but I also look at my life and say, okay, if I go that way, I'm gonna be good. But if I go this way with all my homeboys and I'm going to prison, I stopped getting in the car and wanting to go to jail with my homeboy and say, man, look, I'm. I'm investing my education. I think that was the only thing that changed my life. And that's why I keep telling y'all, wisdom is the most important thing that we could have. Just think about. Most of us pray for money, man. Lord, I need to pay my bills. Help me. No, man, if you get the wisdom, the money gonna come. And that's what's been happening for me my whole life.

[DJ Wells]

And one thing, I want to applaud you on getting back to the music, obviously your success in it. But the way that you ran your record label needs to be applauded. If you look everywhere from the marketing aspect, when we talk about some of the best people to market, your name seems to be on that list. Everybody here, no a no limit cover when you see it. Marketing genius. The quality, hey, you know, tap in. The quality was there, the marketing was there. And you was a well oiled machine. You look at so many people who have so many sad stories of music. You was an independent. I won't let you talk about the boss and leader, but you was a real boss in the music industry. When you came to that realization, what was like to say, all right, I see what everybody else is doing, but I'm doing this way different and way better.

[Master P]

Yeah. So when I first got in the music business, you know, every business I create, I find a problem. So I found a problem. None of us was making money in the music industry. And a lot of us were superstars. We was on all these billboards, we was on all these records, but we wasn't making no real money. And when you look at the deals was like us making 7%, 12%. The biggest percentage in music was Michael Jackson. He was making 22% of record. And I said, I need to change that. And so. And then I started making my own covers. I came to New York. So when I first did Body, I came to New York. I went to every hood out here. And people was like, man, that's you on that post. I said, nah, man, I'm from New Orleans. We all look alike. But I came out here, y'all, and put my own posters up. Cause think about, you know, back then, you would pay somebody to put your stuff, but you. We don't have social media back then. They might throw it in the garbage can.

[DJ Wells]

Street teams.

[Master P]

I came up, I was my own street team. And so when people start seeing me and then when the girls, you know, I sounded different. So I got this big donkey gold chain on, right? And the girls, I be talking. Yeah, what's up, baby? How you doing? She's like, I like the way you talk. I'm gonna listen to your music. Cause nobody knew who I. And just being able to communicate and network with the people, people that look like us. Even though I sounded different, but New York really gravitated to me. That's when I knew I was like, man, I think I'm gonna make it in this business. Because I come all the way from the south and they started messing with the body. And I tell the DJs and I tell the people in the community out here. I appreciate that because this was the first. First spot that really outside where. Where I came from, because I was in the Bay Area and I was in New Orleans, but to actually see some. A whole different culture because, you know, music started here. So I. I felt like I needed to come here, go in these clubs and test the waters. How can I get New York to like my music? And when I got New York to like my music, I mean, the rest was history because they, they. They jumped around in the clubs and you know that what my music was, it was like, you know, it was all like that military jump around, get you up and let's party. And so now I appreciate you guys. I just always wanted to say thank you, New York, for believing in me.

[Jeff Teague]

Here we go.

[Chris Johnson]

Production.

[Master P]

Yeah. And I want to tell y'all, right, so I know y'all seen me in the music side of the business, making music, but as a young person, I also got into investing into other artists. And so that's when I took on doing concerts and shows. I was able to do the 50 cent first tour and invest into other artists. And so I think that was the part that start taking my business to the next level. Then I signed Snoop Dogg and you know, all these incredible artists that I was able to sign and help their careers and jump start their careers. And it's been a blessing, man, because I feel like when you help other people get to where you going go to keep blessing you, most definitely.

[DJ Wells]

Now you talk about being able to get Snoop Dogg. Is there an artist that you almost had that you wish you got?

[Master P]

I think India, I didn't know, like, that type of music. So she used to come to my house and sing, and I was just like, I just don't want to mess up your career. And I think that was the one that got away that I just could have just. But I didn't know because y'all know dang what I'm saying. That's why I say education is so important, Right. I'm only into the hip hop. And I'm just like, man, I got this diamond in the roof right here. And I wanted to. I'm like, how much you need to do this? But I didn't know personally how to do like an R and B tour. So I told her that. And I think that was. That's probably the one artist that I feel like that I really couldn't.

[DJ Wells]

Let me tell you right now, if you got any re on a no Limit cover, shit would have been crazy.

[Jeff Teague]

I am not my hair.

[Master P]

But that's what I'm. But that's what I'm saying about being about being sincere. I truly didn't know what to do. Like, I've never done that type of music. And so I think that God has blessed her, too, on her journey, because I feel like I probably would have stopped her.

[DJ Wells]

Yeah, yeah, that's real.

[Jeff Teague]

That's definitely real. Because I would never thought India would be. Yeah, I was, too. That. That kind of threw me off, man. But that's how influential you've been. I mean, people just want to be around you. Like we said. I know the show about the end or whatever, but we just really appreciate you even taking time to sit with us.

[Master P]

Yeah. I want to tell y'all, I'm not finished. So if you follow me on my music journey, follow me on this journey with the University of New Orleans. Changing lives, saving lives, helping our future athletes and student athletes get to where they need to go at. Because we give up on us. And I'm not gonna give up on us. I'm gonna give our culture the blueprint. And I want y'all to know that everybody think they got a lot of time, but Junior Bridgman played basketball. He died the other day, right?

[Jeff Teague]

Yes, sir.

[Master P]

Me and him used to sit down and talk about all the things that we was gonna do.

[DJ Wells]

Do.

[Master P]

I want us not to sit down and do that. I want us to move, make moves. Don't wait till it's too late. And. And if you have an idea, bring it to life, because the most treasures are in the grave. And we got to stop that because we keep thinking we got so much time, but use our time wisely. Let's start now. Whatever ideas you have, whatever business you want to start, go for it and create it and do it, and there's no limit from there. I did it. You could do it.

[DJ Wells]

Most definitely. Man. Let's make some Lloyd. Some masterpiece. One time for the one time. Yeah.

[Master P]

The volume.

[Laura Carrenti]

This podcast is supported by BetterHelp, offering licensed therapists you can connect with via video phone or chat. Here's BetterHelp, head of clinical operations, Hesu Jo, discussing who can benefit from therapy. I think a lot of people think that you're supposed to be going to therapy once you're, like, having panic attacks every day. But before you get to that point, I think once you start even noticing that you feel a little bit off and you can't maintain this harmony that you once had in relationships, that could be a sign that maybe you want to go talk to somebody. There's always a benefit in talking to someone because we can all benefit from improved insight about ourselves and who we are and how we behave with other people. So if you're human, that's like a good indicator that you could benefit from talking to somebody. Find out if therapy is right for you. Visit betterhelp.com today. That's betterhelp.com hey, all you women's hoops fans and folks who just don't know yet that they're women's hoops fans. We've got a big week over at Good Game with Sarah Spain as we near the end of one of the most exciting women's college basketball seasons ever. The most parody we've seen in years, with games coming down to the wire and everyone wondering which team will be crowned national champions this weekend in Tampa. Listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up? I'm Laura, host of the podcast Courtside with Laura Carrenti, a masterclass case study of the business of women's sports. I'll be chatting with leaders like tennis icon Alana Kloss.

[DJ Wells]

I don't do what I do only for women.

[Coach P (Paul Gnardic)]

I do it for everyone.

[Laura Carrenti]

And I want the whole market and innovators like Jenny Nguyen. I would say 50% of the people that come visit the Sports Bra aren't sports fans. They come to be in community. They come to be part of this culture. Courtside with Laura Carrenti is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Courtside with Laura carenti on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iheart Women's Sports. What's up, y'all? I'm AJ Andrews, pro softball player, sports analyst and the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove on my new podcast, Dropping Diamonds. We dive headfirst into the world of softball by sharing powerful stories, insights and conversations that inspire and empower. It's time to drop bombs and diamonds. Dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep Blue Sports in Entertainment. Listen to dropping diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports Network.