Club Shay Shay - Tristan Thompson Part 1

Summary

Club Shay Shay – Tristan Thompson Part 1

Podcast: Club Shay Shay by Shay Shay Media & Playmaker
Date: July 1, 2026
Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: Tristan Thompson
Episode Section Covered: Part 1

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Main Theme / Purpose

In this episode, Shannon Sharpe sits down with NBA veteran and 2016 champion Tristan Thompson. The conversation dives deep into Thompson’s journey in the NBA, including the legendary Cavaliers 2016 championship run, brotherhood and team dynamics, the role of group chats, sacrifices for team success, NBA financial realities, and the legacies built by Thompson and his teammates. The tone is spirited, candid, brotherly, and often comedic, as Sharpe and Thompson swap industry insights and reminisce about moments on and off the court.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Breaking Down Brotherhood and "The 2016 Cavs"

• Reunion in Europe: The 10th-anniversary Cavs reunion took place in Saint-Tropez, organized by Kevin Love. It was the first time the core had gathered physically in a decade, despite regular contact in their group chat.
  • "We've had a group chat going on consistent for 10 years...it's like we never missed a beat. If you were sitting there just observing, you're like, wait, how long since those last few years all together? Like, 10 years."
    — Tristan Thompson (11:23)
• Trip Planning & Team Chemistry: The squad always envisioned going big for the anniversary, settling on an overseas golf trip because it matched the team’s style and personalities.
• Team Roles Remain: Even after years apart, every player naturally slipped back into their old locker-room personalities—Tristan as the youngest with energy, J.R. as the wildcard, etc.
• Paying the Bill: At dinners, the bills rotated instead of being split—a matter of pride and brotherhood. "We're not cutting the bill six ways in front of people that gonna judge us."
  — Tristan Thompson (20:15)

The Cavaliers' Unique Bond

• Deeper than Basketball: Tristan emphasizes how shared life challenges (births, deaths, personal struggles) bonded the group, not just on-court achievements.
  • "There's so much moments in that journey as a team where, like, we all went through, like, life situations, like, real life situations…"
    — Tristan Thompson (20:50)
• Emotional Moments: Reference to hugging Kevin Love after Love's father passed—a demonstration of the depth of their friendship.
  • "When I gave him a hug, I said, you know, brother, it’s gonna be good. We gained a guardian angel, right?...Forget basketball. This is my brother first and foremost."
    — Tristan Thompson (22:22)

Group Chat Dynamics (26:07)

• Types in the Chat: Kevin Love is the organizer; Channing Frye is the most eager responder; J.R. Smith the random responder; Richard Jefferson uses the most emojis; LeBron is the ghoster—rare to reply, and when he does, it’s “a ChatGPT response.”
  • "We be trying to get something out of him…he must have been doing voice text or something."
    — Tristan Thompson (27:50)

NBA What-Ifs & Rivalries

• 2016 Cavs vs. 2026 Knicks: Both agree the 2016 Cavs would beat the '26 Knicks, citing LeBron and Kyrie’s unmatched abilities.
  • "No one’s going to be able to guard Kyrie…Nobody can guard finals Bron. 41, 11 and 11. Come on now."
    — Tristan Thompson (28:11)
• All-Time Team Rankings: 2017–18 Warriors are acknowledged as the hardest matchup; Cavs are put in the upper tier due to their depth and resilience.
  • "That 2017–18 team…let’s give them the credit. They're probably the best team of all time."
    — Tristan Thompson (29:24)
• Kyrie Irving’s Talent: Thompson argues if Kyrie was two inches taller, he could be the greatest ever due to his unique skill set.
  • "Have you ever seen Kyrie get a shot blocked? Never. And he…could do anything. He has no flaws in his game.”
    — Tristan Thompson (30:50)

NBA Finals—Inside the Locker Room

• The Series Turnaround: When down 3–1, it was LeBron’s legendary leadership and mental drive that fueled the comeback.
  • "Bron sent that text—don’t come on that plane if you don’t think we can win."
    — Tristan Thompson (76:05)
  • "You accomplished something that can never be taken away…We going—we gonna be echoing eternity for the rest of basketball history."
    — Tristan Thompson (36:13)
• Winning Formula: Importance of teammates accepting roles for success—Tristan sacrificing personal stats for the team and to help fulfill LeBron's promise to Cleveland.
  • "I told myself, I’m not going to be the reason why he (LeBron) doesn’t accomplish that goal."
    — Tristan Thompson (45:14)
• Big Shot Moments: Candidly describing the awkwardness of Cavs Coach David Blatt drawing up a game-winner for J.R. Smith instead of LeBron—and Bron just taking over the play.
  • "Yeah, Bron really scribbled that. Nah, I’m just going to get the ball and score."
    — Tristan Thompson (73:21)

The Business & Money Side of the NBA

• Negotiating Contracts: Details of Thompson’s tense contract showdown with Cavs management, ultimately pushing for a fully-guaranteed deal.

  • "I don't get on the court unless it's all guaranteed. I don't do KPIs. I'm not in the business of performance stuff. You're gonna give me all my money."
    — Tristan Thompson (58:45)
  • "Is fighting for over $12 million worth of it to win a championship? He said, rather win a champion than argue over $12 million. But then go pay the man the money."
    — Tristan Thompson (59:54)

• Players Getting Paid for Winning: Thompson compares his contract to other bigs, noting that being on a winning team is more valuable than stats on a losing one.

  • "When you win, you gotta get paid…Numbers don’t quantify a contract."
    — Tristan Thompson (61:30)

• Team Dinners & Rookie Duties: The NBA rookie dinner check isn’t as wild as in the NFL—runs around $10,000. They joke about expensive bottles and not letting people order take-home "doggy bags."

• First Big Purchases: Thompson immediately bought luxury cars with his rookie and second contract—“only as many cars as your garage can hold.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The best parts are just being with my guys…we don't want to go home, man."
  — Tristan Thompson, on the anniversary trip (11:10)
• "Once you get traded, you don't really talk to them no more. Think about it. We've all been on so many different teams since being with the Cavs…and we're still as thick as ever."
  — Tristan Thompson (11:55)
• "Kevin Love is the organizer…Channing respond to anything. Channing is more than anything. Channing is active."
  — Group chat breakdown, Tristan Thompson (27:05)
• "You need a guy that can catch at the elbow. That's why Jason Tatum is so valuable...They can catch at the elbow, and it's either you have nothing. You have nothing to stop him."
  — On modern NBA, Tristan Thompson (52:54)
• "Only people that got discounts to win championships is the San Antonio Spurs. And that was a moment of time that will never happen again."
  — On NBA salary realities, Tristan Thompson (62:07)
• "My financial advisor said, only have as many cars as your garage can hold."
  — Tristan Thompson (67:04)
• "David Blatt got hired to coach…myself, Kyrie, Deion Waiters, Tyler Zeller. He didn't get hired for LeBron James and Kevin Love to come…be contenders."
  — On Cavs coaching drama, Tristan Thompson (70:33)
• "Bron says, now I’m taking that shot."
  — On Blatt drawing up a play for J.R. Smith in the playoffs, Tristan Thompson (74:00)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:43] – Introduction of Tristan Thompson & Resume by Shannon Sharpe
• [06:26] – Discussing the Europe Trip and 10-year Cavaliers Reunion
• [11:10 / 20:50] – Reflections on Team Brotherhood & Life Situations
• [20:37] – Why the Group Remains Close
• [26:07] – Group Chat Personalities
• [28:11] – 2016 Cavs vs. 2026 Knicks & All-Time Team Comparisons
• [32:31] – The 2015–2016 NBA Finals and What-Ifs
• [45:14] – Sacrificing Personal Stats for Team Success
• [58:02] – Negotiating the Second NBA Contract (Money Talk)
• [66:08] – First Big Purchases: Car Talk
• [70:33] – The David Blatt/Ty Lue Coaching Transition
• [75:08] – 2016 NBA Finals: Down 3-1, LeBron’s Leadership, and Championship Mindset
• [78:16] – Game 7: The Mindset and Cavs Victory
• [79:34] – Episode Wrap-up

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Additional Highlights

• Financial Wisdom: Thompson spread early investment success stories (e.g., investing in Poppy).
• "Players' League" Dynamics: Describes NBA as a players' league—when LeBron says he’s taking the shot, "that’s the play."
• Sacrifices for Winning: How Thompson embraced a role-player mindset for the greater good (with the backing of mentors like Rich Paul).
• NBA Nostalgia: Sharpe and Thompson exchange lighthearted stories about NBA and NFL rookie dinner bills and first big purchases.
• Kyrie’s Absence from Reunion: Clarifies there was no ill will—Kyrie was simply overseas on business.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a rich, inside look at what made the Cavaliers’ championship culture unique, the lasting bonds of NBA brotherhood, how elite athletes cope with major life changes, and the business and personal realities that come with chasing basketball immortality. Both Sharpe and Thompson keep the tone real, raw, and often hilarious, making this a must-listen for NBA fans and those who want to understand the inner workings of greatness.

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For the rest of the conversation, head to Part 2 of the episode on your podcast platform.

Transcript

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[Tristan Thompson]

I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's the rage bait.

[Tristan Thompson]

It feels like it's trying to divide people. We got clear facts.

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[Shannon Sharpe]

trimfireadio.com Drake put you in his lyrics.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's your relationship with Drake?

[Tristan Thompson]

Drake's my brother. I've known him since I've been 17. That's family. He was there when my mom passed away. The beauty about us, all of us Canadians, you know, we all root for each other. I love the weekend. That's my brother as well. Party next door. Love him as well. Like those are all, that's all family. The way we look at like Toronto versus the world.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what. But it might take you to get Drake and Bron back together. You working on that?

[Tristan Thompson]

All my life been grinding all my life Sacrifice hustle, paid the price, wanna slice got to roll the dice that's

[Shannon Sharpe]

why all my life I be grinding

[Tristan Thompson]

all my life all my life been grinding all my life Sacrifice hustle, paid the price, wanna slice got to roll a dice to swap all my life

[Shannon Sharpe]

I've been grinding all my life we would first like to thank Double Barrel and the Whiskey Shop for having us today's episode of Club Shay Shay. If you're in Beverly Hills, come by for a drink in this elegant lounge. Now onto today's episode. Hello. Welcome to another episode of Club Shay Shay. I am your host Shannon Sharpa, also the proprietor of Club Shay Shay. Stopping by for conversation on the drink Today is a 14 year NBA vet. He helped the Cavaliers make history by coming for a 31 deficit in the NBA Finals to end Cleveland's 52 year championship drought in and helped the CAVS win the first NBA title. He was the first player in Cavs franchise history to play in 447 consecutive regular season games. He's one of four Cavaliers players in franchise history to have at least 5,000 points and 5,000 rebounds in a career. He holds the Cavs franchise record for the most offensive rebounds in a single season. He was the highest drafted Canadian born player at the time of his election. He's since been passed by RJ Barrett. He's the first Canadian ever to earn rookie of the All Rookie team honors in the NBA. He's the Big 12 freshman of the year. A McDonald's All American. Here he is, Double T Tristan Thompson. Woo.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yes sir. Thank you for having me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Appreciate you bro.

[Tristan Thompson]

Man, that's a pretty good resume.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Not too bad man, that ain't too bad, man.

[Tristan Thompson]

14 years.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got it in, bro. How you been?

[Tristan Thompson]

I'm good, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Man, you know what you done with basketball?

[Tristan Thompson]

You know? Listen, if the phone ring, I'm gonna pick it up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, you gonna pick it up.

[Tristan Thompson]

You always gonna pick it up, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

See what they gotta say.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You keep yourself in shape.

[Tristan Thompson]

Always.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, okay. Well, I guess one little drink ain't gonna hurt us.

[Tristan Thompson]

No, it ain't gonna hurt us, man. Cheers that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Congrats on a great NBA career. And if you go back, appreciate

[Tristan Thompson]

the tradition here, man. This is this. I'm excited, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

This is it.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Thank you for coming by, bro.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, no, of course. First of all. So hold on now. So this is the summertime, right? Now, I see the Grays going. Yeah, you and Bron letting down, man. What y' all got? Y' all discuss this or what's going on?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, the thing is, with Bron, I'm old. I'm pushing 60. And I think Bron's like, you know what? Nobody's gonna really see me. I'm not gonna be in anybody's presence. I'm not playing basketball. I'm not going or anything. He's like, man, the maintenance, the upkeep, let it go. I think probably next year. I don't see him coloring it. I don't see him coloring it anymore.

[Tristan Thompson]

Listen, I think he should keep the grays out. Imagine you dropping 30 and 10 on a young kid.

[Ashley I]

Oh, bro.

[Tristan Thompson]

And then, like, you gotta reevaluate, like, if that's my son, like, yo, son, you can't have someone with the grays drop a 30 and 10 on you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, this is unacceptable, man. Dropped 30 and 10 and 5.

[Tristan Thompson]

You gotta pop up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's it. But he gonna say, hey, bro, that's Ron. He gonna be able to do that with that thing fully gray, let alone with some grays sprinkled in.

[Tristan Thompson]

He gonna have the Grays with the Doc Rivers. Oh, man, he gonna be going to town on them, boys.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let's start with the. The European trip.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The 10 year anniversary of you guys winning the championship. Coming back from 3, 1 down, beating a 73. 9 team. The most regular season wins in the. In the regular. In NBA history. A unanimous MVP. Back to back MVPs on that roster. How did this. How was this plan? How did this about.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, I mean, we've been talking about this, like every summer we talk about it. Everyone's like, yo, we got to get together. You know, one time I was like, hey, let's go to Portland. Go Drink some wine, cuz Channing live in Portland, he got the winery. Or we're like, let's do the Hamptons, cuz. Kay Love in Hamptons or me and Brian in la. We're like, God, just come to la. But everyone's schedule was never like on the same page, never a line. And every year we're like, you know what, it's 10 years. Someone's got to basically take the bull by his horn and say, you know what, we're going to plan this and everyone's gotta show up. So like gotta give a big shout out to K. Love. Like Caleb, K. Love put it together. Listen, if you had to look at your bingo card and guess who would put it together back then you would've said Caleb. But Caleb been in Miami, he been taking that leadership role and he's done the group chat, okay? So I'm like, yo, shout out Caleb for doing it. Him, he put his mind to it, got his team, you know, K. Love got a good team. He clean cut guy. He's a Wall Street, Hamptons, Miami guy now. So he looks different. So he put the team and squad together and we all showed up, man, it was amazing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you guys in group chat, obviously there's the reports that you guys have a group chat and you go back and forth, you have fun. If I'm not mistaken, I think LeBron might be the only one that still. Kevin Love, he was in Utah, but So Kevin and LeBron are still playing. You other guys have since retired and doing other things. And so, okay, Portland. Nah, Louisiana. Are we really going to do this? Because that's normally how it happens. Everybody have these great expectations, man, we ought to get a trip.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And then when it comes right down to it, don't nothing happen. So how did you guys determine that you were going out of the country to celebrate the 10th, the 10th anniversary of your championship?

[Tristan Thompson]

I mean, think about it. We going to do it, we're going to do it big. I mean, look at the squad we got, right? Like, listen, if you look at everyone's Instagram, you got Bron traveling. He's. He's hitting golf balls off a yacht that's probably costing about a million dollars a week. You got Caleb, he be jet setting. You don't know where he's going to be selling pizza or doing whatever. He might be in Iceland getting recovery. And then you got me international. You know me, I'd be in the Middle east, right? So if we're going to do this, especially the fashion of this team, the way we won with the. With. With, you know, all the chips against us, stacked against us. We got to go overseas with this. Like, at the end of the day, when we were all together, we were the Beatles, right? But nobody was topping us out, you know, like, we run around when we get to hotels, everyone's doing it. So, like, go big or go home, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

So when you. How did you decide where to go? I think that's the biggest thing, because, like you said at first, you're like, let's go to Portland. No. Maybe la. Or we could do Miami. Miami's popping. You have the Hamptons. How did you decide where to?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, I think, like, if we're gonna go and leave the country, we gotta have a good time. So I think the last part of Trip to San Tropez, that was like, automatic, right? But I think. Cause everyone now is getting this golf. Okay, listen, the golf is, like taking over his life, man. It's like, first of all, it's like, first Junior started, by the way. You know, JR would golf during the playoffs. And back then, Brown and, you know, guys would be frustrated, like, come on, swish. Like, you don't need to be golfing now. These boys don't wanna stop golfing. And then they wanna walk. They don't wanna use a caddy. Huh?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really, man. They want to.

[Tristan Thompson]

Listen, man, I'm walking. I'm like, you guys love this game. Like, but, you know, I think for, like, you know, Bron especially, you know, he want to be the best at everything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

And, you know, he's trying to be the greatest golfer of all time in one year. I'm like, no, no, it takes time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It takes time.

[Tristan Thompson]

It takes time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got to put a lot of time and effort and energy in that game to be good at it. And yesterday has nothing to do with today, and today has nothing to do with tomorrow. You could go out there and play a great round of golf today.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And tomorrow you be terrible and make you want to quit.

[Tristan Thompson]

Oh, trust me, I know. I was the worst one guy, like, listen, listen. I play around the rim. Listen, I'm a star in my role, right? So I don't know if you've seen the video on me bringing the drinks. Listen, there's no ego on our trip. We know what we're great at, right, Bron? Listen, he got the power.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

And guess what he's got much better. His swing look much better. K. Love is. He's exactly what you think he is.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

You know. You know, Caucasian man, Live Wall Street. He know how to do a little something something swish. Swish is swish. And then myself, RJ Channing is all right because he live in Portland, because he really got good weather. Portland and Scotland is damn near the same weather. You know, they don't really get much sun. So Channing, good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So this year. So he'll probably be better on a links course than a traditional course. Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

Okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But let me ask you a question. What was your favorite part of this. Of this trip? What's your favorite when you look back on, you know, five years or 10 years or 20 years from now? Because I think this is the first anniversary of it. So you might have a 15 year, you might have a 20 year, so forth and so on. When you look back on it, what's going to be your favorite part of this trip? Your favorite memory?

[Tristan Thompson]

Man, I'm not gonna lie to you. The best. The best parts are just being with my guys. Like, it was so, like, when you sit back and look at it, you're just thinking about. You're like, man, we haven't. We haven't all been together in the same room in over 10 years.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

But we've had a group chat going on consistent for 10 years. No matter if it's good, boy, if it's me doing something crazy or Brian or switch, whatever it is, we always communicating, but it's like we never missed a beat. If you were sitting there just observing, you're like, wait, how long is those last few years all together? Like, 10 years. But it's like the synergy was there, right? And like, that's when, you know, it's like real brotherhood and friendship. And it's not just like colleagues, like, you know, it's like, you know, for you as a player, you'd have your teammate that was just your team. Like, you guys are just cool. All your teammates.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We're teammates once you're not trading. We're friendly, but we're not friends.

[Tristan Thompson]

And then once you get traded, you don't really talk to them no more.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nope.

[Tristan Thompson]

Think about it. We've all been on so many different teams since being with the Cavs, right? And we're still like, this thick. As, like, thick as ever. So, you know, that was like, we all had almost emotional moments where we're like, we don't want this to end. We're like, we don't want to go home, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what? And this. That's what I tell people. People ask, like, what do you miss about the game? I say, You. I. Me, personally, I don't miss playing. I miss the camaraderie. I miss the bus rides. I miss the plane rides. And I think that because what you guys had for that week, I don't know how long you guys went, you guys would have that 50 times a year. Because you're on the plane together and you do so much traveling. You're in the hotels, you're on the bus, you're on all those things. And then once it's over and like you said, you're in a group chat, but you don't really see these guys. You know, Bron is going off in la and Junior is doing his thing, and Shump and Deli and you. And see, and Love is doing their things. And he's like, well, damn. And we finally come back together, and because you were so close, it's like we didn't even miss a beat.

[Tristan Thompson]

No, didn't miss a beat. And, you know, it's a funny thing. It's like 10 years ago, we all had kind of like, you knew, like, so I'm the. Like, I'm the youngest one that's, like, funny and wild. Then you got, like, Swish. He's like. He'll say how he feels. Then you got Deli with his accent, and you got Shump with like, his Georgia Tech mix of Chicago. And it's like, when we came together, we all had the same roles. Like, the roles never changed, which is like. It's like, oh, some things never change. Like, it was just perfect. Like, it was like the puzzle pieces all came together.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But I saw on the video where Channing's like, man, five straight days of playing golf. I'm done with this. Nah, I can't be done. Cause I already paid for this. So I'mma get new rounds.

[Tristan Thompson]

Oh, it was achieved now. This trip was achieved, man. This trip, it comes a good bankroll now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really, man.

[Tristan Thompson]

It was a good. Listen, listen. If I'm. I always tell myself, and I think all the fellows are the same way, if we're going to leave our house.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

We got to do it right. Because at the end of the day, what we accomplished coming back from 3 1, winning in Golden State and shutting down Oracle Arena.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

And closing them doors down forever. Like, we got to make sure this is something because. And also, you know, we got a little bit of ego. We knew the Knicks won, but we wanted to put on a show. Yes, the Knicks. Like, we. Like, if you look on social media, we were competing with the Knicks on who had a better Rollout.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

And, and, and I might be biased, but our rollout was much better. You know what I'm saying? Like listen, I love the Knicks. Congratulations. But one of the rollout was. And I played for Mike Brown. Him singing who let the Dogs out compared to us being chopper Three helicopters pulling up to a. A golf course. A prestigious golf course.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

Come on now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

There's levels.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

So we gotta do it right now. We gotta flex.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Tristan Thompson]

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of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.

[Tristan Thompson]

I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's the rage bait.

[Tristan Thompson]

It feels like it's trying to divide people. We got clear facts.

[Kal Penn]

Maybe we can calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News, reporting for America.

[Ashley I]

This is Ashley I from the Almost Famous podcast. Can I be honest for a second? Some mornings I look in the mirror and I think, why do I look this tired puffiness around the eyes dullness. Because sometimes stress starts showing up on your face before you even realize it. And that's why I've been loving this holistic goddess organic castor oil roll on with frankincense. No crazy chemicals, no expensive treatments. It's just organic castor oil, frankincense and this rose quartz roller that feels so good on tired stressed skin. I look for anything that can depuff me and this really did my under eyes look brighter? My face looked way more refreshed. It's almost like my just exhaled. So try the holistic goddess organic castor oil roll on with frankincense yourself. Use my promo code [e-mail] ashley for 15 off promo code [e-mail] ashley it's

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[Kal Penn]

Hey everyone, it's Kal Penn, host of Irsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I'm sitting down with Divergent author Veronica Roth to talk about her sprawling new novel, Seek the Traitor's Son. It's a sci fi fantasy epic about two protagonists on opposite sides of a war and a prophecy neither of them wanted.

[Advertiser / Narrator]

My first book was Divergent, and when

[Tristan Thompson]

that came out, like, because it was

[Advertiser / Narrator]

so popular, I think it attracted like, mostly positivity, but the negativity I sucked in like a sponge. And I think it was like, critiques of things I liked. When I was like, you know, I was 23 and I wrote this book, book, and it had all my, like, dorky little cheesy or maybe unrealistic loves in it. And I started to feel a lot of shame about those things.

[Tristan Thompson]

And so for the rest of my

[Advertiser / Narrator]

career, I steered away from those little things that like, make you feel pleasure when you read. But I also was like, saying no to these parts of myself that I

[Tristan Thompson]

then was like, screw it. Yeah, so that's this book.

[Kal Penn]

Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I've seen friends and a lot of times it's women, but it's sometimes it happened with guys is that you Go on a big trip like this and you go to a dinner, you go somewhere and it's like, man, I ain't had nothing but hamburger, fries, and a drink, man. I ain't finna put. So how do you determine the bill? Cause it seemed like you guys, you had big, nice bottles. And I know Bron. Bron loves his wine.

[Tristan Thompson]

Good vino.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes. Yeah, he's a protrus child.

[Tristan Thompson]

Or.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Or Bordeaux. Yeah, he's a that type of guy. And those bottles aren't cheap. So how do you determine, like. Come on now, Brian. Brian, you still playing? You still. Come on now. Nike. Hey, them Nike checks still clear, bro.

[Tristan Thompson]

We listen. Them bottles is good now. And then you know who had come sprinkle in? Corey Gamble now. So you know he come with the bottles too.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, he was there.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. Cory Gamble came and pulled up. Corey Gamble, he caught a 10 day real quick with the Cavs.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, so you know CG coming there now. So, you know, we got the protruse going. We got high level.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

And you know, one thing about us, once you have one sit, we just like, all right, man. I guess it is what it is. But you know one thing about us, like, we all took turns on the bill.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Tristan Thompson]

These all gentlemen with this were like, you know, like Bron Kaleb. They're like, we got one of these. Next one. Swish got one, and I took one. Rj. So we all took our turn just holding down the bill, which is good. Like, at the end of the day, we're gentlemen. One thing we're not going to do is going to sit around a check and be like, five credit cards split. No, no, no, no, no, no. I learned it at an early age because especially as us as brothers now, right. We work hard to get where we at.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

And one thing we're not gonna do is look janky. So we're not cutting the bill six ways in front of people that gonna judge us.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

You know what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because you know what's gonna happen? That's gonna get out.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

If you put six credit cards down there and it's all of you guys and they splitting it like, man, they put down six credit cards, man, Busting

[Tristan Thompson]

it down like it's per diem. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We're not doing that. No, no, no, sir.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Why do you believe you guys have remained such close friends? Obviously, you. Look, there are people that, you know teams. You win things together and guys go on their certain ways. But why do you Feel that you guys have been. Been able to remain so close.

[Tristan Thompson]

I think, to be honest, like, we all went through, like, winning a championship's hard, but the fashion. But we also. There's so much moments in that journey as a team where like, we all went through, like, life situations, like, real life situations. Whether it's, you know, Bron leaving our preseason game because Zuri's being born, or like Swish having Dakota would be a preemie. Or me, like going through my life situations. Like, we all had even like Kayla with his situation. Like, we all had real life stuff that's like bigger than basketball. And we were all there for each other and like real brotherhood. Like, not just like, hey, man, you gonna figure it out with your crew? It's like, nah, we here together. Like, we in the thick of things, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I remember the situation, the viral video when Kevin Love you were hugging Kevin Love when his dad passed away and even he started crying. What did that. What did that moment? Why would. And obviously, you know, obviously people go through certain things in life and you don't really know it's a situation. I mean, what do I say? Can I say the right. Do I say anything him? Do I let him know that our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family? What was it about that moment that you felt that you needed to do what you did?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, because, you know, my mom passed away about three years ago. So prior to that was two years ago. So you know, that that shook the whole group, right? Because my mom was super close to all the players on the team. Everyone knew my mom, she was bubbly and. And she's, you know, mom's mom. And everyone knew. So, you know, with Kevin going through that and you know, him and his dad's relationship, you know, I felt for him and he understands that we go through the same thing. And like, you know, I always tell Kev, tell people, like, me and Kev, we're like brothers. Like, to be honest, like, he really the brother and I might be the little.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Might be the little light skinned one.

[Tristan Thompson]

I'm the other brother. But so like, we're literally like, I tell everyone, like, me and Kev, we're twins. Like, we like, are so in sync. And I think that especially as being bigs and like protecting the paint and being out there, like being the muscle, we just connected. So when I gave him a hug, I said, you know, brother, it's gonna be good. Like, we gained a guardian angel, right? Like, not many people can understand that, but I mean, when I saw him, I was like, forget basketball. Like, this is my brother first and foremost. And whether the guys on the Heat didn't like it or guys on the Cavs didn't like it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

I might care, because ain't nobody gonna tell me nothing anyway. So at the end of the day, that's my brother. I'm always gonna have his back.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The group chat. So if everybody. So obviously there's 15 guys on the team. How many guys are. Are. Was. Is in the group chat that you guys have? Is everybo group chat or there are five guys? There are 50. You know, obviously, I think there's, like, six guys. And then Shump and Deli showed up. So I think you guys will have, like, six guys, seven guys to begin with. And then Shump and Deli showed up. So is everyone from that team in that particular chat, or do you have a chat where it's just you guys and then we have another chat where it's everybody in it? I mean, so how is that broken up?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. No, so this chat. So. So this how the chat started. It used to be a dinner crew.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Tristan Thompson]

So one thing Brian would always do, and this will actually try to do with other teams that I was on and actually worked when I was a boss. I know, like, JT and jb they do it now, but, like, whenever we got to the city, Brown would be like, all right, dinner. Whoever want to come can come.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Tristan Thompson]

So the consistent guys was, like, myself, JR Caleb, Channing, rj. They were consistent. Shump would come sometimes. Depends on what he was doing. Or Deli would come sometimes. So the main group is, like, everyone. Like, so those guys I mentioned, mine is Deli and Shump. So that was kind of just a dinner crew. And then from then, we just kept in that chat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Tristan Thompson]

And then it kind of started from dinner, and we built it out. But, like, you know, what is, like, not every. Like, you'll have different chats with different people. Yes, Right. Like, the chat that I'm gonna have with me and my homies not gonna be a chat to have my brothers.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

The chat with my brothers might be a different conversation.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

It might be more transactional, but it is a little different chat than me and my boys talking about having a good time. So, I mean, you get it. But, I mean, it's. It's. We held it strong.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But the thing is, I. I hate group chats.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, you do. You hate group chat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Why? I'm not in the group chat.

[Tristan Thompson]

You're not in one.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Not one. I was in one. One time.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And the reason why I was in that chat, because it cut down on the money, because they was calling. I said, nah, just send one message. Yeah, Everybody get this message. Don't be sending me. And then send that one. What? Message go out. But no, because I don't like the fact of getting notifications, man. Somebody tried to. As a matter of fact, SAP put me in a group chat. Him and Derrick Brooks. One of y' all did that. I said, man, take me out this group chat.

[Tristan Thompson]

So, you know. Okay, so let me ask. So you have friends, obviously, don't you have. Okay. You don't have friends that have. Like, they all know each other?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, yeah, they do. And if they want to talk. When I talk to Tristan, I want to talk to Tristan. I don't want nobody else to know Tristan and I having a conversation.

[Tristan Thompson]

Okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

If I want to talk to Jordan, I'm going to talk to Jordan. If I want to talk to cj, all this. No ting, ting, ting. I'mma block you.

[Tristan Thompson]

But you know, there's a. Do not disturb him.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, really? But still, I don't.

[Tristan Thompson]

I don't hear.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause I be looking and I see all these numbers. I mean, all these names up there. Now I'll say I'm good.

[Tristan Thompson]

So what if it's something funny you see online that you want everyone to catch? You gonna send individually?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No. You know what? I do? I'll send it. If I see something online, I'll send it to Jordan. I say, jordan, send it to me in a text.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And then I'll text it to each individual person that I want. But it ain't but like, two people. Normally, it's like. It's like, you know, it's only like, my sister or my brother or something like that. But he don't like group chat. Chat. She doesn't like group chat.

[Tristan Thompson]

Really?

[Shannon Sharpe]

My kids don't put me in no group chat. Cause they already. And my kids.

[Tristan Thompson]

You have a group chat with the kids?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hell, no.

[Tristan Thompson]

Oh,

[Shannon Sharpe]

and my teammates from the Broncos, they're like, man, y' all know, man, take Sharpe out of. Y' all know how Sharp gonna be?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sharp. About to cut y' all out and block every last move.

[Tristan Thompson]

So you want undivided attention with everyone?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I don't like the group chat.

[Tristan Thompson]

Oh, okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So I can commend you guys. Okay. There are five types of people in the group chat. Let me see if I can. The group event organizer. Well, you already told me that. It's K. Love is the organizer. Yeah, I would have thought bronze because Randy, you know, Randy is right handed.

[Tristan Thompson]

Together.

[Tab Ramos]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Setting everything up. So I would have said Bron and Randy. Those are the ones that. The organizer, but it's Kevin Love. Eager to respond. Let me see. Eager to respond.

[Tristan Thompson]

Oh, you should know who this one is going to be.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I would probably say.

[Tristan Thompson]

Here, let me get the name so then you can break it down again. So you got Caleb.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

Bron.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

J. R. Yeah. Richard Jefferson. Channing Frye, Tristan Thompson.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So we got the event organizer. Eager to respond. Random responder, Emoji responder. Ghoster. Eager to respond. I would say that's Braun because of his personality.

[Tristan Thompson]

You know what?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Mm.

[Tristan Thompson]

Mm. No. Channing. Channing respond to anything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn.

[Tristan Thompson]

Channing is more than anything. Channing is active.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He need more time. He need a hobby.

[Tristan Thompson]

Channing got like four kids. But, you know, his kids are older now, so they all grown. So like he. He probably the house is drinking wine by himself in the backyard.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, random responder. I would probably say Junior.

[Tristan Thompson]

Okay. We can say jr. We can say jr A little random.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Emoji responder.

[Tristan Thompson]

Oh, you should. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Richard Jefferson.

[Tristan Thompson]

Richard Jefferson. You already knew. He's gonna get Richard Jefferson. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And the ghoster, well, ain't got no choice. It's gotta be.

[Tristan Thompson]

You don't play.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he's gotta be Brian.

[Tristan Thompson]

He's the only one that's got, you know, Brian do treatment.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And we be trying.

[Tristan Thompson]

We be trying to get something out of him. We're like. And one time he responded and he gave us like a. I remember he responded. I said, bro, what kind of chat GBT response is this? I said, it's the group chat, bro. You don't respond like that. He started laughing. I said, he must have been doing voice text or something.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Junior on the 2016 Cav versus the 26. 2026 Knicks. Junior went viral saying the 26 Cavs would beat the Knicks. Do you agree?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, we would beat them. And not to take away from them. Listen, their chance. Much love.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

But I'm not. I'm betting with my guys because I mean, even if you look at the matchups, right, no one's going to be able to guard Kyrie.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely not.

[Tristan Thompson]

No one can guard Kyrie.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[Tristan Thompson]

Nobody can guard Kyrie.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[Tristan Thompson]

And then no one could guard finals Braun. No. 41, 11 and 11. Come on now. So that's what we're talking about.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

And then obviously like JR got side. So he. We're gonna put him on Brunson and Don't worry. Like, Brunson gonna do his thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

But I think just having those two guys, Braun and Kyrie, compared to Brunson and Cat, and we still got K love, right? Come on now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

Who gonna touch Kaylov?

[Shannon Sharpe]

And then you could. And then you can switch Sean.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Bronson.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you got, you know, I'm gonna

[Tristan Thompson]

cover the defense and I'll be in the paint.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

And Mr. Robinson, he gonna jump for every pump. Fake.

[Kal Penn]

Birdie.

[Tristan Thompson]

Birdie. Yeah, he gonna be Birdie. You know, so. No, I'm taking. I'm taking our. Our 2016 team. But I mean, yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What would. As far as great teams, where would you rank? Because, you know, you talk about the. The 86 Celtics, and you talk about Jordan's Bulls. Some of Jordan's Bulls, and you talk about the 01 Lakers, and you talk about maybe 17 or 18 Warriors. Where would you rank your 2016 Cavaliers in the mix of great champion teams?

[Tristan Thompson]

I mean, the reality is that that 2017-18 warriors team is a cheat code.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

I mean, they literally made the NBA say, you know what? Forget vets. We're going to go all young guys on the bench. I mean, think about it. If you think about when that team came together, only four teams thought they had a chance to really make a run. Warriors, Rockets, Cavs, and a coin flip of the east team was probably the Celtics because they were just prideful.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

Everyone else, they just started packing it in and saying, like, we just gonna rebuild.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

So that 2017-18 team, let's give them the credit, they're probably the best team of all time. Talented. You know, I love Shaq and he's, you know, I have much. Shaq, one of my favorite players. And Kobe and Shaq. But I'm gonna put us up there. Like, I think, like, we had just so much depth compared to that Lakers team.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

Obviously, like the 86 Celtics, like, you know, the Celtics and the Bulls. But those teams that were like, top heavy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

But didn't have as much as a bench.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

But then, like, you know, I don't wanna be the guy that don't give the OGs respect. Cause, you know, sometimes guys come on here and they be like, man, you don't Wanna respect the OGs. I love the OGs, but I'm being. We got to go.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you do. And Bron, and then you had Kyrie, that was just coming into his own, and he was at peak of his power.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, there was nothing. Nobody could. Nobody could do if Kyrie was 2

[Tristan Thompson]

inches taller, he'd be the best player to ever touch a basketball on planet Earth.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Would that. What with those kind of handles in that shot.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yes, because think about, first of all, have you ever seen Kyrie get a shot blocked? Never.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Never.

[Tristan Thompson]

And he. And he's only what, six, two, six, three? Yeah, but so imagine he was six, five. What he could do right now. No, it would be out of the world. Like, even if you ask Braun, like, Kyrie's probably the most talented. Like, you put Kyrie in a workout, he could do anything. He has no flaws in his game.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

Like it's.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's out of this world three levels. I mean, he can shoot to three, he can get to the midi handle. He's the best finisher of below the rim that you'll ever see. Nobody has the kind of English up and under, left or right, it does

[Tristan Thompson]

not matter how you want it. Like, I remember even, like when we were playing against Roy Hibbert his rookie year. And this is Roy Hibbert, defensive player of the year. He laying him up like it's nothing. Roy Hibbert on the Indian like nothing. I'm like, this kid's special.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And the shot he got off against Steph and then come back that Christmas. Remember the shot he got off against

[Tristan Thompson]

Clay, the high release jumper?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

Can't block the shot. So like, Kyrie is like, he's out of this world. He's one of one.

[Shannon Sharpe]

There was. Look, what are you.

[Tristan Thompson]

Hold on. Where do you rank that? Where do you rank the Cavs with all those great teams? Come on now, your answer better be right for me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

For me, I think the 1718 warriors is as good as it gets. You look at what they got with kd, Steph, Klay and Draymond. Yeah, I know, they're a little heavy. Their bench was solid, though. You know, you're getting Livingston coming off the bench. They were solid. You got some McGrath, but it's that four that you got to deal with. Kevin Durant is so efficient. Steph Curry is going to run and he's the greatest shooter of all time. And you can make the case that Klay Thompson is a top five shooter of all time. So you got the most, one of the most, if not the most efficient scorer of all time. You got the greatest shooter of all time, another top five shooter of all time, and then you got Draymond. That's a jack of all trade. He can defend one through five and

[Tristan Thompson]

he'll make a three timely three out of nowhere.

[Tab Ramos]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm not so sure. Had they not won 2016, Draymond wouldn't have been the MVP.

[Tristan Thompson]

Let me tell you. Let me tell you something right now. If they win that, Draymond get MVP. He had 30. 10 and 10 or something.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, he had like 30. Yeah, he had like 30. Yeah, he almost. He was one assist or a rebound away from a triple double.

[Tristan Thompson]

You know what? Even crazier about that, when we think about that, we ask oursel, like, listen, you. You have to win, right? Because we. Cuz because we lose 15, we have to win in 16 or it gets a little scary. Yeah, but we always say to oursel, right, like, let's say we won 15.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

16. If we lose, they don't get Kevin Durant. Nope. But they pay Harrison Barnes. We give one up, we might get them next two. 17 and 18.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

You. You lose 16, but you get 17 because they're gonna lock up Harrison Barnes. Katie gonna go back to OKC on a one year deal and then figure it out. We might be able to run. May have three instead of one. With hindsight.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What about this? If Kyrie doesn't get hurt in overtime, you don't lose Kevin Love going into the finals. You probably gonna win 15.

[Tristan Thompson]

No, you win 15. 100%. You win 15, you win 15, you probably win 16. Cause they're not gonna be able to make any. They're not gonna be able to sign nobody.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

But what happens is, you win 15, 16, they're gonna go crab KD for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

So at least you get two.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes. You definitely would've got two.

[Tristan Thompson]

We think about that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's a situation. You got three to talk about that.

[Tristan Thompson]

Oh, of course we talk about. We're like, yo, if you give. You get 15, you give away 16, you get the other two. We talk about it. We think about all the time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Tristan Thompson]

It's so. But that's. That's what shows you how delicate winning a champion and how hard is like, it's like luck, precision, feel, and like, almost like the perfect storm.

[Tab Ramos]

It's hard.

[Tristan Thompson]

People think it's just like, slap a team together and going like, listen, like, what the fuck you.

[Advertiser / Narrator]

Okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

See, Found that out. It is hard.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And that's why you haven't had a repeat since the warriors since 18. So 19, 20, 21. All the way through, it's been a single champion.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. And the league's getting better. Like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

Even if you look at, like, okay, see the situation right now where, listen, Wemby's still there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes. Oh, there's no guarantee. There's no guarantee that they gonna get another one.

[Tristan Thompson]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Just because they got the. And Shay is phenomenal.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he is. But the fact that everybody is getting better in the west,

[Tristan Thompson]

because Castle will get better, Fox gonna be there, harbor gonna get better.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

And then, you know, in the west, they're gonna make some signings. There's some trades.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

You know, so, like, it's. It's hard. It's hard to run it back. Back to backs.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, it's.

[Tristan Thompson]

It's hard, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When Junior posted, you know, he went viral. Said missing none. He invited. Cause he's like, he posted. You guys were having a good time, and I guess somebody responded about, where is Kyrie? And I woke up and seen.

[Tristan Thompson]

I said, oh. I said, oh, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he said, missing none. He was invited. Ghosted us all, so. Stop the bs. He was referring to Kyrie. You know, Kyrie's like, all for one, one for all. We completed the mission together as brothers, and that's all that matters to me. But he also said when he gets back to the state, he's gonna pop in with him and do what he did. I knew how that was going to be perceived. I think everybody knew that. How. And J.R. was like, Nah, we invited him. And so when you. So you woke up in the morning, you're like, oh, Lord have mercy on me.

[Tristan Thompson]

I'm like, because, you know, listen, we knew. So we invited Kai, but obviously, no, like, Kai is a businessman.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He gotta go.

[Tristan Thompson]

He gotta go do his China trip with Antha. And listen, Antha pay him a lot of money. So I get it. Go get the money. Go get the money. So we get it. So, you know, obviously, we love to have him there, but listen, him and Bron, business, business. At the end of the day, we ain't got much to say. We got more free time. So listen, we gotta make sure the big dogs take care of their business first. Cause, you know, we respect it. But, you know, I'm glad that, like, Kai said what he said and, like, kind of said, like, at the end of the day, we're brothers. Cause listen, at the end of the

[Shannon Sharpe]

day, like, you accomplished something that can never be taken away.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. And regardless of, like, people don't see eye to eye or there might be some issue. And I'm not saying there's issue, but I'm saying regardless of where people are in their life, right. We did something that is. We going. We gonna be echoing eternity for the rest of basketball history. Like, this team should be in the Basketball hall of Fame if they could put teams in there, right? Cause what we did, next to none.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You and Kyrie were in the same draft. He was number one overall. Obviously, you were the fourth pick in the draft. What was your relationship? Because, you know, what was your relationship like with Kyrie when you got there? Because obviously Bron had gone and, you know, the ring remnants of LeBron, he had won the league. He's won the MVP back to back years. And he had taken a team at 22 years of age to the NBA Finals. Ran up against that great spurs team with Tim Duncan, Manu and Tony Parker. What was your relationship like with Kyrie when you guys arrived and what did you guys talk about? Cause normally when guys come in together as a draft. I remember my draft class in 90. We talked about, man, I want to make the team. Obviously that wasn't a concern of you guys, but, man, but it'd be cool if we, you know, won playoff games together. We won a Super bowl together, do things like that together. Did you and Kyrie have those type of conversations?

[Tristan Thompson]

So, you know, I've known kyrie since the 10th grade. Cause, you know, I went to high school in New Jersey, so Kai from New Jersey as well.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Tristan Thompson]

So I went to St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, shout out, Newark Market, and MLK street, and then Kai went to St. Pat. So we were actually rivals.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Tristan Thompson]

But we've known each other. Cause we're in the same high school class, we're in the same circus. So I've known Kai since I was 16. So we did the McDonald's game together. Hoop Summit, Jordan Brand Classic. He goes to Duke, I go to Texas. So we've always been in contact. I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's the rage bait.

[Tristan Thompson]

It feels like it's trying to divide people. We got clear facts.

[Kal Penn]

Maybe we could calm down a little bit. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News, reporting for America.

[Ashley I]

This is Ashley I from the Almost Famous podcast. Can I be honest for a second? Some mornings I look in the mirror and I think, why do I look this tired? Puffiness around the eyes, dullness? Because sometimes stress starts showing up on your face before you even realize it. And that's why I've been loving this holistic goddess. Organic castor oil roll on with. With frankincense. No crazy chemicals, no expensive treatments. It's just organic castor oil, Frankincense, and this rose quartz roller that feels so good on tired stressed skin. I look for anything that can depuff me and this really did my under eyes look brighter? My face looked way more refreshed. It's almost like my face just exhaled. So try the Holistic Goddess Organic Castor Oil. Roll on with frankincense yourself. Use my promo code [e-mail] ashley for 15% off promo code [e-mail] ashley it's

[Discover Card / Advertiser]

smart to always have a few financial goals and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover you can get this. Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. I mean, after all, you listen to this show see [e-mail] credit card hey

[Kal Penn]

everyone, it's Kal Penn. I'm the host of Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project, Hail Mary Massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Tristan Thompson]

I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections and it's like, okay, yo, yo, yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it.

[Kal Penn]

I was like, no.

[Tristan Thompson]

At this point it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that deeply, emotionally affected me and I left

[Advertiser / Narrator]

it on the mic.

[Tristan Thompson]

That's great because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's like, yeah, dude, me too.

[Kal Penn]

Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Advertiser / Narrator]

Summer is here at Orderly Meds. We know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started Started is fast, convenient, and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward. Compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Tristan Thompson]

So now when we get drafted to Cleveland and you know, draft night, we get, we both get announced we're going to Cleveland. Like, yo, let's, let's do something special, right? Like, okay, guard big. Let's run it up like, because we know at the end of the day, we know how Cleveland is, right? Bron left. The city is sad. Everyone's sad. They need some type of hope. So we come in and we play well, like, and you know, Kyrie averages 19 his first year. I average 10, then average a double wide. So for us, we're like, yo, let's build something special here. Post Bron, right? And at the end of the day, you know, Bron's like my brother. I know since he's been 17. So I already knew at some point, if we put ourselves in position to be competitive, we give ourself a chance to get him back.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You thinking that far in advance?

[Tristan Thompson]

Of course, if you look, first of all, we were thinking that the whole time. And like, remember Rich? Rich is my agent and that's my brother. So Rich is like, hey, keep sharpening that knife. Cause you Never know what 23 is going to do. Listen, he in Miami, but doesn't mean he's gonna be there forever. You don't know what's gonna happen. So like, get yourself ready. And I remember when we were in Orlando for the All Star weekend when me and Kai were doing a rookie sophomore game, you know, we're bronze, little bro. So bronze's like, hey, I'm watching you guys. Keep getting better, keep working on your game and like, you know, good things are gonna come and happen in your guys career. So once he told that, me and Kai looked at each other and we're like, you know, when you're young, you like, oh, he coming back for sure. So me and Kai were like, yo,

[Shannon Sharpe]

we gotta get in the gym, right? Right?

[Tristan Thompson]

And kid you, not our third year. LeBron said, I'm coming home and he's gonna come just deliver this. Cleveland.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Kyrie signed this huge extension about two weeks before LeBron signed. And you said that. We were thinking, like, rich is your agent. You're a representative of Clutch. And I don't think it was called Clutch at the time. Maybe it was, but he was your agent. He's Bron's agent, obviously, and Kai. And so you guys like, okay, Kai signs a big contract extension, and then you find out, like, LeBron is coming back. Was everybody excited about LeBron coming back? Was there something like, well, damn, I think we can. You know, I think we only on a great track. I think we're heading in the right trajectory with everyone excited about LeBron coming back.

[Tristan Thompson]

If you weren't excited, you probably were gone by the time you signed him. We were all excited. We were in Vegas. So we're in Vegas for summer league, and that's when, like, you know, me and Kai weren't playing. But we'll go to summer league to go, like, support the guys, right? So we wake up in the morning and we see the announcement, bron come back. So my phone's going crazy. So we're excited. We're hype at the time. It's me, Kai, Deion Waiters, Tyler Zeller. That's kind of like the young four guys.

[Tab Ramos]

Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

So, you know, all four of us were super hype and excited, obviously, with Tyler, he got traded. He got traded to make the money work. But Deion and all of us were there, and we were happy. We were like, we go from being a team that's like, trying to make the playoffs and not because the season before, we finished, like, a nine season. So we go from that to being, like, contenders.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

We're like, oh, the spotlight's up. And I remember. It's crazy. I remember Al Harrington texting me, saying, like, now the game's really beginning, and you're gonna be on a spotlight now, like a big stage. Like, the show's back now, so just be ready to, like, go produce and then kid you not. It was like, Bron was in there after Labor Day working out on the Versaclimber training. I said, oh. Cause, you know, me and Kyle come, like, 45 minutes before practice, thinking we extra early. He in there about 90 minutes early, and we're like, oh, wow. Like, this is different. Like, this is not for child's play no more. This is a real thing. Like, the way I took it was like, this is not even about me. This is about me helping someone fulfill their legacy, right? Which is delivering a championship to Cleveland, because he made that promise. And I told myself, I'm not going to be the reason why he doesn't accomplish that goal.

[Kal Penn]

Wow.

[Tristan Thompson]

That's what I told myself. I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure he accomplishes that goal. And it happened.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you understand what comes along with playing with a guy like that? You know that he's gonna be hard on you? You know, and the thing is, is that what I tell people, what people don't realize, that when there's a historically and transcendent great player, everything's come easy to him. And you like, bro, you did like, bro, if I could do that, I would be you. It's easy to you. It ain't easy to me. But in their mind, it's like, bro, why can't he do this? Why can't he pick this up?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I think one thing I love about Braun, and I think this will make him such a great leader, because people ask me, like, a pair, like, you know, Jordan LeBron, or like, Kobe and Bron, I said, like, the thing that separates Bron compared to those two gentlemen is that his leadership and him being able to be so much of a basketball savant where, like, he's going to put you in certain roles that he knows. A method to the madness. Right. So before Bron coming back, I'm averaging 12 and 10. You know, I'm getting ISOs in the block.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

Turn five, double T, go to work. Floaters, I'm going to work. I'm having a good time. When LeBron come, he's like, double T, screen, roll, duck it into paint and guard. Make sure no one scores on you. And we're gonna get you everything around the rim. And, you know, as a young guy, you're like, man, I was just getting.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I was just getting started.

[Tristan Thompson]

I was just getting started. Like, I'm going at, you know, I'm going at All Stars and having great nights. I'm playing against Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap and having good nights, giving them the blues. Yeah, right. So in my head, I'm like. Like, I'm about to be an All Star. I could be an All Star. But I said, you know what? Like, I remember Rich called me. He said, double T. Like, it could go two ways. Either you gonna buy into what. What needs to be done to win a champ. And remember, we had Kevin Love as well.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

So now I gotta sacrifice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Cause now you get Kevin Love back.

[Tristan Thompson]

You gotta throw him the ball in the post. And I get it. Kevin Love is a 30. He's a 30 and 20 guy in Minnesota?

[Kal Penn]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

So I'm looking 30 and 20 and 12 and 10. I said, you know what? I'm gonna make the executive decision for my career. And I'm. And I'm a sacrifice. And you know, I did that. And then Rich's like, yo, it's either you're gonna sacrifice or you might be gone. And, you know, once you get moved, you don't know what's gonna look like. You don't know which team you're gonna go to. So I said, you know what? I'm gonna stay right here and I'm gonna enjoy this ride. And sure enough, it was a good ride.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But the thing is, you mentioned, like, you're just starting to come into your own. Yeah, you're doing it. You double double. You're 12 and 10. Now they sign Kevin Love. Kevin Love goes into the starting lineup. You go to a reserve role. How difficult was that to you? Because you were a high draft pick. And like you said, man, I got. I want to be an All Star, man. Hey, I see the money All Stars make. Let me get a piece of that. But you had to, like you said, you're sacrificing. Kevin Love comes in. Kevin Love's gonna start. Now you move to the reserve role. How did you handle that mentally, that all of a sudden you're not gonna be getting that 35, 37 minutes that you probably normally would get?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, well, we had Bare Joe starting at Senator starts.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Tristan Thompson]

And you know, Coach Black started him just cause Andy was much older. But I mean, once we got into practice, I said, you know what? What if Kevin gonna start? I'm coming for Andy's spot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Tristan Thompson]

And sure enough, you know, I love Andy. He's one of my vets, and I. And I love him. But I knew that he was getting older. Yeah. So I knew that. Yeah. Listen, it's not about who starts, who finishes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

So Andy would start. But I'm coming in six minutes in, and I'm still playing 25 minutes plus, and I'm finishing the game. So for me, it's like. But I. I only know that and learned that because I have great mentors, you know, Rich Bron talking to me. But also this. The problem with the young guys right now is that they don't listen. They don't listen. They feed into the ego of what their peers are telling them. Because the homies could tell. My friends could tell me, double T, man, you should be starting. You're the fourth pick. You're averaging double double. Let's go somewhere Else they could start feeding that into your ear and then mess up the ball.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They start to believe in it.

[Tristan Thompson]

They start to believe it. So for me, it was like, I've always respected my elders and respected my OGs and really knew they had my best interest at heart. So I knew, like, play this position correctly, I'm going to be able to get that starting spot. And then soon enough, when the trade deadline happens, we get rid of Verajan. I start. So imagine if I don't do that. Imagine if I become a headache in the locker and start complaining and whining. I can be in, who knows, New Orleans or something, where I'm not trying to be like, I like gumbo, but I don't like it that much.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The first year, you guys go. Bron comes back, you go. I mean, gets off. I mean, Everybody. Everybody hated LeBron around the league, but I'm sure you guys were very excited to have him back. Get off to that slow start, and then you guys take off, and then you get into the post season and you get. I mean, it wasn't easy, but you guys get through, and you go to the finals, and everybody's looking at it. Cause I think the warriors had the best record. I think they were 67 and 15 that year. Steph had run the MVP. Shooting lights out, Clay. Shooting lights out. When you guys get into that finals, what chance you like? Man, we can beat these guys. I understand that they're a great team, and they probably won 10, 12 more games than we did, but we can beat that team.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. I mean, that was Golden State's first year because, you know, the year before, I think they lose to the Clippers or somebody. Right. So this is the first year of Steph, like, really being like. Like. Like Chef Curry.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

So, like, we understand he can shoot, but it's not like the. The way we looked at him that year compared to looking in 2017, it was totally different. So we're like, yo, like, Steph's good. He's mvp. Much respect. But we feel like we have a team that can compete because we're looking at our roster. And remember, we have Kyrie before he gets hurt. We're like, we can outrun these guys because, you know, Bo gets a little older and slow, so we feel like we could do something. But obviously, when Kyrie gets hurt, I mean, now we got Deli.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. And you asking, it's not so much. It's because Kyrie's gonna give you somewhere between 25 and 30 a night. Deli's gonna play outstanding defense. He's gonna do what Dele does. But nobody's gonna confuse Deli's offensive game with Kyrie's offensive game. And so that's what you lost. And then they make the switch. And I don't know how that happened. Cause I think you got.

[Tristan Thompson]

Well, let me tell you how it happened. This. We talking about the switch with the.

[Shannon Sharpe]

With the Iggy and Bogan.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. So what happens is. Is that. So they're a video guy, man. This video guy, he deserved to be a head coach somewhere, because him figuring it out one of my championships. So they're video guy. This is what happened. So remember, we lose Kevin Love.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

We got no Kyrie going into game two, three, four, five, and so on, right? So what happens is that me and Mozgov start so that when I come out the game, David Lee come in. So remember, David Lee loses spot to Draymond Green.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Draymond.

[Tristan Thompson]

So now David Lee getting like, dmp. We're not really playing that much. So game four. No, game three. Game three, we're spanking them. They throw David Lee out there. That's the end of the game. Just go get some reps. Dave Lee is cooking. Has like 10 points in the last, like, eight minutes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

Against James Jones. Yeah. Champ. Champ. Champ. Ain't no center.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[Tristan Thompson]

We run out of bigs, we got Champ in there. So what the video guy says, yo, Steve Kerr, you gotta play David Lee. So he played David Lee now. And we have no answer for our bench. Our bench got no answer to guard him. And he's a deciding factor. He changed the whole series, right. We got nothing, no answer.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When did. When, who. Whose spot did Iggy. Iggy took Bogan spot.

[Tristan Thompson]

Iggy took bogus spot because they want to go small. But I worked for me because I started getting all the rebounds, right? Because they couldn't box me out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Tristan Thompson]

Because one thing about Bogut, we just put him in every pick and roll. He much older, too, and he, you know, he old school big like Andrew Bonham. Where they sit him so far back in the paint, right? Deli come in with floaters. Bron come in, floater, dunk on him. So then we go small, and they start switching 1, 2, 5. So it helps us get extra possession rebound wise. But David Lee go to town.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you believe that had Kyrie. Not even if Kevin Love. Obviously you love to have Kevin Love, because Kevin Love is a double double guy. But if Kyrie doesn't dislocate his kneecap in that overtime game of game one, you believe you guys win that series 100%.

[Tristan Thompson]

We win that series 100% because we have another closer. That was the problem that we ran into. Right. When the game is going back and forth, there's moments and times. And this is why I tell people it's so important to have a guard that can close out, because you gotta be able to give the guy the ball and say, go get a bucket. Or a foul. It's tough for Biggs because the NBA is so different now. You can double team. It's not like when Shaq came. He's just going to duck you in, and he's just going to score every time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

You need a guy that can catch at the elbow. That's why Jason Tatum is so valuable. That's why, you know, Luke is so valuable. They can catch at the elbow. And it's either you have nothing. You have nothing to stop him. Yeah, so we missed that. It's only so much Bron could do. The man had. He led the Finals at points, rebounds and assists.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. He averaged 30. Basically 36, 13, 9, 1.3 steals and a half a block. Do you believe, based on those numbers, he should have been Finals mvp? Cause Iggy ended up winning it.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. If you give it to Jerry west back in the day, why can't you give it to Bron? Yeah, Jerry west got it. Yeah. What's the difference?

[Shannon Sharpe]

That was the first year they actually. 1969. That was the first year that they actually instituted the mvp.

[Tristan Thompson]

But. But, you know, like, you gotta give a shout to Iggy Cummins. Like, we played our percentages. Like, we looked at everyone that shot threes, and it was between him and Harrison Barnes. And Iggy was shooting, like, 25% from three. Harrison was shooting 31%, man. And Iggy made five threes on us. And then he was doing all the celebration and stuff and tongue out and stuff. He's, like, running around, made me sick. He worked for the pa. I'm like, I'm not gonna vote for him. Love you. Yeah. Cosby championship, man. He on Jimmy Fallon, laughing and Kiki and stuff. But, no, I love Yiggy, man. I'm just. I turned off news altogether. I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's the rage bait.

[Tristan Thompson]

It feels like it's trying to divide people. We got clear facts.

[Kal Penn]

Maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America, this is

[Ashley I]

Ashley I from the Almost Famous podcast. Can I be honest for a second? Some mornings I look in the mirror and I think, why do I look this tired? Puffiness around the eyes? Dullness. Because sometimes stress starts showing up on your face before you even realize it. And that's why I've been loving this Holistic Goddess Organic Castor oil Roll on with frankincense. No crazy chemicals, no expensive treatments. It's just organic castor oil, frankincense, and this rose quartz roller that feels so good on tired stressed skin. I look for anything that can depuff me. And this really did my under eyes look brighter? My face look looked way more refreshed. It's almost like my face just exhaled. So try the holistic goddess organic castor oil roll on with Frankincense yourself. Use my promo code [e-mail] ashley for 15 off promo code [e-mail] ashley it's

[Discover Card / Advertiser]

smart to always have a few financial goals, and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover, you can get this. Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. I mean, after all, you listen to this show. See [e-mail] credit card.

[Kal Penn]

Hey, everyone, it's Kal Penn, host of Earsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I'm sitting down with Wil Wheaton and who played Gordie Lachance in stand by me 40 years ago and now narrates Stephen King's the Body, the novella that inspired it all. We talk about what it's like to return to a story that shaped his life, channeling his memories of River Phoenix in the recording booth, and why the friendships you have at 12 might be the most important ones you'll ever have. I know Gordie Lachance. I am Gordie Lachance. Like, I mean, even when I was a little kid, I was Gordy la Chance when I didn't know it. Listen to Hearsay, the Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Advertiser / Narrator]

Summer is here at Orderly Meds. We know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you if you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started is fast, convenient, and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward, compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That offseason you ended up re signing with the Cavs big contract. Were you close to signing with another team or you just were like, you know what? I got drafted here. We almost won a championship here. If I'm going to win a championship, I want it to be here.

[Tristan Thompson]

You know, this is part of cba. This is the problem. This is not an issue, but this is where it gives the teams a lot of control, right? So when you're a restricted free agent, like, you know, the team always can match an offer, right? And for me at the time, I think it was like, I think Enes Kanter got 4 years 70 from OKC. So a lot of the cap was taken away and more of the cap money was going to be for the following year. The cap spiked even more. So for me, you know, I didn't, I didn't sign to the Cavs till three days before the first record season game. I missed all preseason.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Tristan Thompson]

Cavs go.05. They bring Sasha Khan in. They run an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer acting like Sasha Khan can replace Tristan Thompson. I don't know what, I don't know what they was, what they was doing over there. So I remember I'm in Fort Lauderdale, and I kid you not, I'm in Fort Lauderdale working out, and I look at Rich, I said, listen, if this drags out, I'm gonna sell the whole year. Or I'm take the qualifying offer and play 30 games. Because once you sign a qualifying offer, you can technically pick how many games you want to play and you can't get fined or nothing like that. That's a good thing. So, you know, it was a battle with us today at Gilbert and them, because we started from four years $34 million, and then we get to four years 54, then we get to five years 70, then we get to five years 82. But the only one makes 70 guaranteed. I said, I don't get on the court unless it's all guaranteed. I don't do KPIs. I'm not in the business of performance and stuff. You're gonna give me all my money, right? So CAS go owing five. Regular season's about to start. And the beauty is that it's very like, like Draymond. Like you gotta have the perfect scenario with your team. LeBron comes back, doesn't win a championship he wants to win. You have to do whatever it takes to win that championship. And it's a simple thing. What Rich said to Dan, he said, is it worth arguing $12 million to win a championship? Is fighting for over $12 million worth of it to win a championship. He said, rather win a champion than argue over $12 million. But then go pay the man of money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Tristan Thompson]

And that's all it happens. I signed three days before, three days before the season starts. We play Bulls opening nights in Chicago. And you know, I have about 17 rebounds, about 15 offensive rebounds. You know, Joe Kim and them couldn't keep me off the glass. So I, I, I, I, I earned a ch, I earned the money that night.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So that's life changing moment. Yes. You get that contract, obviously, you know, you compensated, you number four pick in the draft, you're compensated. But this is, everybody's trying to get that second contract because the first contract is easy to get you drafted to a certain, you're drafted in a certain slot, you're gonna make X amount of dollars if you, if you want to, if you, you wanna be special, you wanna be people to think you're what you think you are, get a second contract, get a third contract. You were able to get that second contract. What went through your mind when you got that second contract and said, you know what I mean? But thinking to yourself, mom, we made. Hey, I can do all the things that I wanted to do. You ain't got to worry about nothing ever in life again.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, no, I mean, that's the exact first person that was my mom. I literally called my mom, by the way. So when I get drafted, I tell my mom she can retire because she was doing school bus driving. And my brother who has epilepsy, it was hard, it was hard for her to manage both. So, you know, obviously retired. But, you know, the monthly check she gets on a rookie deal different than the monthly check she get on the second deal.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what I'm saying? Absolutely.

[Tristan Thompson]

You know what I'm saying? So for me, I called Mom, I said, you know, you get a pay raise. Yeah, you get a pay raise. Everyone's getting one, right? So, you know, getting 82. And at that time, because, you know, when I got that deal, a lot of people were hating.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

And a lot of vets were dry hating, too. I'm not gonna say their name because they never understood. Like. So, for instance, when I got my five years 82, there's a lot of bigs that were getting, like, four years 52.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

And my numbers weren't that great. I was only averaging eight and eights. But I'm averaging 88 on a winning team compared to a guy that's averaging 12 and 7 or a dub 10 and 10, his team only winning 25.

[Shannon Sharpe]

30 games.

[Tristan Thompson]

30 games. So, guys, I kid you not, those guys, you'd be surprised. The ones that were hating, really. I mean, talking crazy, like, I can't believe he got that deal. Da, da, da, da. And I'm like, when you win, you got to get paid. So, like, you know, and I don't want to talk about other people, but, like, not someone Draymond and I love. That's why. And me and Dre are super close now. Like, when he gets his deals and people are like, how's he gonna know he earned it? Because he's on a winning team, he's playing winning basketball.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes. He contributes to winning.

[Tristan Thompson]

And you can't quant winning. Numbers don't quantify a contract. It's like, is it worth winning championships? What does it cost to win a championship? You gotta pay to play. Ain't nothing free. Only people that got discounts to win championships is the San Antonio Spurs. And that was a moment of time that will never happen again. Because now guys want real money. Right? You know what I'm saying? And, like, so it's haters.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you. When you got your money, did you have to pay for team dinner? Did you have to do. Is that a thing? Like rookies, like in the NFL?

[Tristan Thompson]

I know the NFL you got. First of all, you guys are wrong for them checks you guys leave for them door. First of all, let me ask you a question. How do those dinners get to, like, 50, 70,000. What are y' all drinking? Y' all ordering Petrus?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

Cause ordering some good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The whole bottle. And then you get the whole bottle of King Louie, and you probably get that big bottle. You know, King Louie got a big, big bottle now. It used to be have that just little bottle.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now they got a bottle by this big. That probably cost. Probably 10,000, 15,000. And you know, what was the check they gave you? Nah, bro, I was a seventh round draft pick. And the thing was, check this out. I dodged a real bullet because I was like, okay guys, I'm gonna take you guys out. And nobody showed up. So I just had to. Yeah, I had.

[Tristan Thompson]

Cause you're not in the group chat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's why.

[Tristan Thompson]

That's why. Cuz you don't want to do the group chat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But, but I, hey, first of all, they wasn't gonna stick me with no. I was a seven round draft pick. I was only making like 6, 60, 3000. So anything over 1500, 1200, 2000, that wasn't gonna get paid. Yeah, I'd whipped everybody in there, made them pay for it. And I took all the food home myself. But is that what you guys do as a rookie? If the first round draft pick, he has to take the team out? I mean, how does that work for us?

[Tristan Thompson]

You know what we do is like, we'll do a team dinner, but we're not running the bill like that. Like y' all ain't run the bill up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You gotta run it up.

[Tristan Thompson]

I've seen you guys go, you guys do like 70, 50 grand. We'll do like we're gonna win a 10k. 10k, 10, 15k. Because like, I don't know then also how many people are coming to the dinner? That team dinner, you just have the whole squad. Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Offensive skill positions. So like there's a running back. So like, okay, Clinton Portis was the second round draft pick. Ashley Lali was the first round draft pick. My first year back in Denver. So that was 2002.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Their bill combined with 22, by the

[Tristan Thompson]

way, y' all were fun to watch. I remember being a young girl.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Appreciate it. I watched on CBS that bill was 22,5. So you gotta get, you gotta send, you gotta send cars to pick people up. Now I, me, I needed a car by myself. So I don't, I don't, don't send. No limit.

[Tristan Thompson]

So no group chat.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nope.

[Tristan Thompson]

You want your own car.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because I already know when I want to leave. I'm gonna want to leave.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And everybody, you know, you know how it is. Yeah, man, I ain't ready to go just yet. When I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go. That's why normally I'll drive myself and not ride with someone. Because when you're ready to go, they're not. And when they're not ready to go, when they're ready to Go. You're not so that problem. The only thing I did is that when I became kind of the leader of the team is that I wouldn't allow people to take stuff home because people had started, they were taking doggy bags. People would order stuff. You know, when my mom coming in town and my such and such coming to town, and they ordering, you know, wagyu, and they taking bottles of wine.

[Tristan Thompson]

That's nasty. You gotta take over meals.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm not gonna let you abuse.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm not gonna let you abuse music, but. So you guys take the team out. So about 10k?

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, about 10k. We wouldn't. We weren't gonna.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Man, that's an average bill. That ain't nothing.

[Tristan Thompson]

Nothing. It's nothing. It's nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause you take out me, you take your family out, it's damn near 10k.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, it's gonna never be because they're gonna eat some mastrone. They're gonna want some high, high shelf. Yeah, they go from going from CVS wine to now they want top shelf. You don't know the difference. And let's be real, unk. If you're not a real wine drinker, after the first glass, it all tastes the same. So you know what I tell them? I'll be the number one. I'll be like, they owed somebody. Like, yo, I'm paying the bill. Go get the next one. Yeah, like, don't be giving. No, you want 42. No, no, no. Give them trano. The.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The rock stuff. The rock stuff. Hey, nah, get some Morgan David or

[Tristan Thompson]

some stuff like that. Yeah, give him Captain Morgan, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Go drink some rum purchases. So when you get that big, obviously you say the rookie contract is one thing. Now you get this big money. What was that? What was something that you purchased with that second contract money that you always wanted.

[Tristan Thompson]

Not gonna lie to you. My rookie deal, I definitely had all the cars that I wanted.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You didn't wait for that?

[Tristan Thompson]

No, I didn't wait. I didn't wait for the first. Yeah, because I remember my first. My first deal, the first car I bought was at Escalade.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[Tristan Thompson]

Then that summer, I bought a Porsche Panamera white. Okay. Still on a rookie deal. First year deal. Second year, I buy a Bentley Continental, the one that looked like the Batmobile back in the day. Braun had a. So Brian had a. You know what happens? There's nothing happening with Bron and Rich when you're around them boys with a bankroll. You see Bron, where he got the matte gray one in Miami, South Beach, Coconut Grove, driving it around. So I get me the black one. So then when I get my next deal, what do I do? Oh, you know, I got what I got the ghost. I got a rose. I stepped up. I went from an S550 in Cleveland, getting potholes every week. Always got a ticket to the Ben store. Go get me a rose. Black on black.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you do realize a Benz, I mean a Bentley, I mean a rose in Cleveland when those pots hold those winners. Yeah, you need them, you need an suv. You could have been good to get a Range Rover. Get you a. Oh, I got me

[Tristan Thompson]

a railroad for two. Yeah. Oh, I used to buy one car, but damn. Yeah, so I had. Yeah, yeah. But you know what I always do. So my financial advisor back there, he said, Tristan, only have as many cars as your garage can hold. So I had a two car garage, but I had outdoor. So I've only had three cars, right? So what I did was when I got the Rolls, I gave back the S550, right? I got rid of the Bentley. Then I got a Range Rover. So what I had in the lot was Rolls. That was like my really nice one. Then I'd have the Range Rover. And then I had a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Drop top, black interior, red guts. Yeah, you know. No, I don't know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

As big as you are with a

[Tristan Thompson]

damn Porsche, if I fit better than the Ferrari, the Ferrari, man, it hurt my knees, man. My 488. Had to give it back after two years, man. It's hurting my knees. So that's all I had. That's all.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's it.

[Tristan Thompson]

That's all. That's what I did. I bought a roll. But what did you buy with your big deal? Because we know you love watches. We know you got all the murakami, Louis. You got the shoes, you got the Jasper, the dons. Come on now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What did I buy, man? I was buying stuff. I ain't have no money. Double T. To be honest with you, man, I was on a. I was making 300,000. Had a Ferrari, had a big Benz, had a. And I was living with my grandma.

[Tristan Thompson]

So what's your.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's how they would make it happen. I was living with Granny.

[Tristan Thompson]

They figured it out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They figured it out. Nah, but who was your biggest deal?

[Tristan Thompson]

Your biggest deal? You had. What was it? 70?

[Shannon Sharpe]

My biggest deal? No, probably like, ooh. Most money I made was. I went to Baltimore. I was on a four year, 14 and a half, okay? I played two years of that. So I Only got basically over half of that money. And so you gotta realize, I came in on the Rookie. I made 63,000 and 73,000. I was the first team all probably Pro Bowl. With three Pro Bowls under my belt and a first team all pro, I made 325, 000.

[Tristan Thompson]

It's crazy now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, guys, you look at guys now guys are getting signing bonus. What I made my entire career.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, even at the tight end position.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I ain't talking about. Forget the quarterbacks. I ain't talking about quarterbacks and receivers.

[Tristan Thompson]

Brandon, what do you got? 21 million signing bonus off the ribbon. He hasn't played a game, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hopefully getting that stuff figured out.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, not figured out. He's a. You.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You invested in Poppy.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. So that's a good one. Early, early, early.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got. You gave him like, seed money.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, seed money. 25k made 7 figures. God is good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You like, man, if I'd known what I know now, I'd have gave y' all a little more.

[Tristan Thompson]

Oh, I would have gave more, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But sometimes seed didn't only allow you to put so much.

[Tristan Thompson]

The limitations. And also, you know what I know now in investing compared to back then, I would have had more exposure to so many other things. There's definitely other opportunities I missed out on. What was another good one?

[Kal Penn]

Whoop.

[Tristan Thompson]

That was the one I missed out on. But I was just so young. Like, when you're 25 and you're making $18 million a year, you're not thinking about investing. You're thinking about more like, let me buy houses and different kind of. You're not thinking about, like, alternative assets. Yeah, right. So, I mean, obviously the Poppy one was great. You know, I remember Rich and Farah put me on that one. So that was a good one. Right? David paper Mykonos trip that I did two years ago.

[Shannon Sharpe]

David Blatt situation now. Now coming back, it looked like it might be Ty Lue getting the job. Ty Lou, David Black. David Black. All of a sudden, I had never heard of David Black before. He gets the job. Had Ty Lue on. Ty Lou said, man, they was paying me more money than some head coaches were making. So I was like, okay, I'll go be number two. Other than that, I wasn't gonna leave dark side. So you get there with David Black. What did you like about his system and what didn't you like about his system?

[Tristan Thompson]

The reality is this. David Black got hired to coach. Myself, Kyrie, Deion, Waiters, Tyler Zeller. He got Hired before Bron signed back. So he gets hired. Yes. That's what people forget. Like, he got hired to help this young Cavs team mature to be a playoff team.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

He didn't get hired for LeBron James and Kevin Love to come and, you know, come be contenders.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

But the Cavs did a good job because they know David Blatt's coming from Euro League. And he had. Listen, Dave had a lot of success in your league. He had like multiple year leagues. He's like a. When he goes to Israel, he's a Hall of Fame. Like he's a superstar.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

I mean, he had people coming to games in Miami for him. His own section. Yeah. So you bring Ty Lue in and I think the Cavs knew also, like, hey, we got David Black, who has this great potential, but then we also have this young whippersnapper, T. Lou, where if things don't go right with Black, and if we do get a superstar like the LeBron and James to come, we got someone that has credibility with LeBron, that can kind of like make Bron feel comfortable, you know what I'm saying? So, you know, for David Bly, he was kind of a situation where it wasn't his fault. It's kind of like a lose, lose situation. Right. It's like, if you win, you probably will still get fired, and if you lose, you're still gonna get fired. You know what I'm saying? So it's. But Coach Black was a great coach and I loved him. The thing I loved about Coach Black was that he really loved the way I played in terms of, like, he was old school. Like, he believed in, like hard nose play, hard screen, roll, dunk the ball. He didn't like that cute, fancy big man stuff. Right? So he liked the old school, like how the way I play. So. So he loved playing me. And that's probably one reason why I started very early. Like, I didn't start in the beginning, but I started after 20 something games.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

Because he's like, yo, you're the type of guy that I want to play. The tough part for him was just like you coaching a team that needs to win now and you never been in the NBA. Like, it's just hard. It's like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you can't blame Bron and them to be looking at him like, I can't win with this guy. So it was like a tough sting.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you guys are in the huddle, you're in Chicago, and he drawing up that Plate.

[Ashley I]

Oh, Lord.

[Tristan Thompson]

I don't. You.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you look at the plate like, hold on.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, you drew that player for Junior.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And we got Braun. And we got Braun, and it's like, braun, like, that's the play now.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. You know, we talk about this on the trip. We talk about this last trip. Yeah, we talked about the trip.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That. Really. So he really drew a play up

[Tristan Thompson]

with J. R. He drew a play for JR and he drew a play for J.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what was. Braun was. So, please don't. Just don't tell me. LeBron was going to be the screener. Was Brian gonna be the screener?

[Tristan Thompson]

Brown was gonna probably be. Brown was gonna be the last screen. So what we were gonna do is, like, all go and set screens for Junior. Brown was gonna be the last screener, and then he, like, pop back if worst case scenario. Yeah, but remind you, remember D. Rose the game before. Hits a three on me to win the game off the glass.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

So Bron. And Bron said this when we. When we on the trip last week. Bron's like, nah, after. After D. Rose hit that shot on you, double T, I'm getting the last shot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Tristan Thompson]

So, yeah, Bron really scribbled that. Nah, I'm just gonna get the ball and score.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm gonna fake like. I'm gonna go here and I'll pop out, and you just pass it to me right here.

[Tristan Thompson]

Just pass the ball. Deli.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what?

[Tab Ramos]

So.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what did Blatt say?

[Tristan Thompson]

What are you gonna say?

[Shannon Sharpe]

He's like, but, hey, hold on. He like, daddy, the play I drew up, I'm gonna straight your play out.

[Tristan Thompson]

No, no, no. What he gonna do is this. He gonna. He ready to play. Show it to them. Scratch. He's like. He's like, okay, all right, bring it in, then. Bring it in, bring it in, bring it in. What are you gonna say? No, no, no. Cause guess what? Listen, as a coach, it's a players league, right? It is. And. And you know, David Black, that was a crossroad for him. And he knew someone told him, whoever. Whoever was in his ear said, stay out of Lewis. Stay out of this.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

It's some grown man's business. You ain't got nothing to do with this. This ain't your fight. So, yeah, Bron says, now I'm taking that shot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Down three, one in the finals. You got. They win the first two. Game, you win game two. I mean, game three, you lose game four. And everybody's saying. LeBron's like, look, we're gonna go if we go on the road and win game five. We gonna win game six, and then all the pressure will be on them to win game seven in their building. Let's just. If you don't believe that we can win game five, don't even get your ass on the plane. But we gonna win game five. And Bron and Kyrie go crazy. Now. Everybody makes it like, well, Draymond is suspended, and if Draymond's not suspended, okay. But Draymond did come back for game six, and Draymond did come back for game seven. What do you remember about being down three, one going in after. Obviously, you lost game three. You lost game four in your building, and everybody seemingly dejected, but for some reason, Bron found a glimmer of light seemingly at the end of the tunnel that you guys believe made you guys believe that you actually still could win this series.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah. Because, you know, the reality is that, you know, game four, the reason we lose game four is because of us. So Golden State runs this play with Clay. Set a screen for Step, but he slip out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

So, you know, our guards are miscommunicating. They're not talking, and they keep screwing it up. So, like, they used. They went to that play, like, six times, and I think they made, like. They went, like, four for six. So, you know, we come back in the locker room, we're pissed, and we're upset, and we're like, bro, if we just clean it up and just communicate. Because one thing we did realize was that Iggy's body was. Was hurting. Clay had a calf injury. Draymond, he's tossed. And we realize Steph can't guard Kyrie, and Steph is guarding Junior. So we're gonna start when, you know, J.R. you know, J.R. at the time was. You know, he's six'6, 225 J.R. built like a tight end. You know what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

So we're like, yo, if he's gonna guard J.R. we're gonna put J.R. in the post. We're gonna go ahead Steph. Every time. We gonna work Steph, because the other guys are all beat up and banged up. So we said, yo, if we just clean up the stuff, that we can control the controllables.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

We're gonna win this game.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Tristan Thompson]

And then, you know, Bron sent that text. Don't come on that plane if you don't think we can win. And Clay messed up by having that interview and saying, it's a man's game.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

You know, don't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Don't get his feelings.

[Tristan Thompson]

Don't poke the bear. Now, you see, when Brian did that laugh, I said, oh, it's crazy. You did that laugh.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Exactly.

[Tristan Thompson]

You did the laugh right there. See, y' all got the grades, you got the laughs. Man, I'm telling y' all sick, man. Y' all almost had the same birthday.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you get back. So you win game five.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You come back game six. And he said, look, we win game five, they not beating us at home.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He goes crazy.

[Tristan Thompson]

They don't want to come back to Cleveland. Do you think anybody wants to come back to Cleveland in the spring? Exactly. So we know if we win that game, they going to be dreading that flight.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you guys remember because last in 15, they celebrated game six in your building and talking about, oh, it's. You know, when they came back, said, oh, it smelled like champagne and everything, they were gloating about that. But, like, look, they're not going to win game six. So we're going to go back in game seven. And all the pressure on them. Bron has another monster game, Game six. So you going back out there for game seven. And I saw the, you know, the thing, the puzzles. You had to each piece, you got 16 pieces, and it's gonna make the Larry O' Brien trophy. So when you go out there for game seven, what is the mindset and what's the atmosphere like in Oracle?

[Tristan Thompson]

I mean, first, we, like, the pressure's on them. Imagine this, they're up three, one.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Tristan Thompson]

And they trick off two games in a row, one on their court, one on ours. Yes. The pressure's on them for us. We play with the houses bunny. We could do the impossible right now. And, you know, at the end of the day, game seven, LeBron James, right. You gotta bet. You gotta bet on the goat, right? So we felt good going into that game. And obviously with Kyrie, he had the eye of the tiger, he had the tuck tucked out jersey. He locked in, he dialed in. And for Kyrie, you saw something in him where he knew he was better than Stephen Steph in that series. He believed it and he showed it. And I think he wanted to let the world know, like, Steph, the mvp, but he can't guard me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That was his coming out party.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, that was. That was Kyrie's coming out party. Like, yo. Like Steph, cool. You could be the number one, but I'm right behind. I'm on your tail. And. And you saw what he did. Where were you at for in game seven? Where were you watching this game, I

[Shannon Sharpe]

was at home in my basement, just like, did you think we could win?

[Tristan Thompson]

Did you think we could come back?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Tristan Thompson]

Really? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I remember I was on first tape, and I told Skip, I said, man, we gonna. Hey. I said, I'm going to the parade. I said, I'm gonna be driving a fire truck.

[Tristan Thompson]

Really?

[Shannon Sharpe]

He's like, y' all were down too old. I mean, y' all were down too old. Then I said, we gonna come back and win this series. I said, goat James gonna come back. I said, I think that's the time I started calling him Go James. I said, he gonna come. They gonna win the series. And sure enough, firetruck, I end up going. I end up going to the parade.

[Tristan Thompson]

But you were there at the parade.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I was.

[Tristan Thompson]

Why? You ain't tell nobody I was.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I came with oak.

[Tristan Thompson]

You did? Yes. Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So which Was more inspired, LeBron or Tyloo? Ty Lu said he gave a gay man, give me $100, Ty. So he. He took $100 from you guys and put it. And put it in the scene.

[Tristan Thompson]

Bringing that back.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, that what he said. He said, bro, and asked for the money.

[Tristan Thompson]

Yeah, I want my money, too. He said, that's overtaken.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Somebody must have got it. He said, somebody. Ty Lu said he kept that money.

[Tristan Thompson]

He must have been in a carbon or something.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Ty Lu said, man, Braun came to him and asked him, hey, hey, Lou, man, what happened to that money we gave you? Said, man, I don't know. Somebody must have went to the ceiling and got it.

[Tristan Thompson]

Somebody must have told him, Ronnie Lou took that money, spent it for sure. Oh, man. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two is also posted, and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listened to part one on. Just simply go back to Club Shay Shay profile and I'll see you there.

[Discover Card / Advertiser]

It's called soccer.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's called football.

[Discover Card / Advertiser]

Soccer.

[Kal Penn]

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[Discover Card / Advertiser]

We're agree on that?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, fully.

[Discover Card / Advertiser]

So pineapple.

[Kal Penn]

Don't ruin it.

[Discover Card / Advertiser]

Get any pizza, including stuffed crust, with any toppings, for 9.99. Finally, something everyone can get behind. And if the rest disagree, that's between them and Domino's.

[Tristan Thompson]

Which means the only thing left to fight over is who's ordering.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Dom.

[Discover Card / Advertiser]

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[Tab Ramos]

This is Tab Ramos from Inside American Soccer and this summer topgolf is turning into the ultimate soccer destination. They've got a new soccer themed game you can play with your group, exclusive food and drink items. They've even installed full size soccer goals so you can try to hit golf balls right into the net and every match all summer long will be on throughout the venue. And if you want to keep the fun going all summer, you can get the topgolf Summer Fun Pass which lets you play every single day and bring up to five guests every visit. Get yours [e-mail] FunPass Identity theft can

[Discover Card / Advertiser]

cost more than you think.

[Tristan Thompson]

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wages, expenses for lawyers.

[Tristan Thompson]

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[Kal Penn]

Apply hey everyone, it's Kel Penn. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast, HearSay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode I nerd out with amazing guests and dive into the best new audiobooks available on Audible. It's the book club for your ears. Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Advertiser / Narrator]

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