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Digital Social Hour
Kristopher London: How a Career-Ending Injury Created a YouTube Legend | DSH #1577
01:03:26
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- [00:00]
Chris London
No, dude, I haven't played Fortnite in years. I'm on MLB the Show right now. That's why I like it, because I'm like, yo, this is a challenge. And then now you got to compete with cheaters with rigged controllers and stuff. That's really why I don't game anymore. It's just there's too many cheaters. I'm very competitive, so in the eyes of playing online, I want it to be fair. So I just. All right, I'll be an offline player. Plus I'm an old head now, so I've just accepted my fate.
- [00:23]
Interviewer
Yeah. All right, guys. Got someone taller than me today.
- [00:30]
Chris London
Hello.
- [00:30]
Interviewer
Yeah, it's only happened, I think five times on the show.
- [00:32]
Chris London
You know, I'm always that guy. Yeah, just, you know, be the taller person for the day. And some people need it, you know, just to kind of someone to look up to for once.
- [00:42]
Interviewer
I'm sure it's the most common question you get asked how tall you are.
- [00:44]
Chris London
I'm 6 foot 10, but, you know, I've been gaming for about a decade now, so I'm probably like six, nine, to be honest.
- [00:51]
Interviewer
You do shrink as you age, you.
- [00:53]
Chris London
Know, because especially sitting in a chair, a lot of times, you know, you kind of shrink and I got bad posture, so.
- [00:58]
Interviewer
Fortnite.
- [01:00]
Chris London
No, dude, I haven't played Fortnite in years. I'm more. I'm on MLB the Show right now.
- [01:04]
Interviewer
Whoa.
- [01:05]
Chris London
I was a 2k guy, but, you know, now I'm playing baseball and I'm ass.
- [01:10]
Interviewer
Damn, that sounds like a hard game to get good up.
- [01:12]
Chris London
No, it is actually very hard, but that's why I like it because I'm like, yo, this is a challenge. And now I'm, you know, I'm actually hitting the ball on rookie, so. Okay, okay, I'm getting there.
- [01:22]
Interviewer
Were you nice at 2k? Were you playing ranked and everything?
- [01:24]
Chris London
Um, you know, I like to say I was a Entertainer on the 2k sticks. I wasn't competitive.
- [01:30]
Interviewer
Yeah, that makes sense. Those. Those guys that compete are insane. They don't miss.
- [01:33]
Chris London
They like glitches, man. And then now you gotta compete with cheaters with rigged controllers and stuff. So I'm good.
- [01:39]
Interviewer
Is that a thing?
- [01:39]
Chris London
No, that's really why I don't game anymore. It's just there's too many cheaters and it's like I'm very competitive. So in the eyes of playing online, I. I want it to be fair. And a lot of companies just don't have good anti cheat, so I just all right. I'll be an offline player. Plus I'm an old head now, so I've just accepted my fate. Yeah.
- [02:00]
Interviewer
You know, that's crazy that people are cheating on controller now because I've been a PC gamer my whole life and people always cheated, but never on controllers growing up.
- [02:07]
Chris London
Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, with the technology now too. I don't know if it's just a thing to, you know, hard to keep up with or what. But yeah, there's definitely. Guys. I think it's called a Zen. I don't know what it is. And 20, 25, but yeah, for the last few years, man, guys have been just zening on 2K and you can.
- [02:24]
Interviewer
Notice it if they're using it.
- [02:25]
Chris London
Oh, yeah, yeah, you'll know.
- [02:27]
Interviewer
What are they doing? Like, how do you know?
- [02:29]
Chris London
So it's like you get a perfect release from like half court consistently. Like one. Okay. But like three, dude. Like, it's just, it's. And they don't even hide it because they know like they're not going to get banned or whatever. So once I seen that. And again, I haven't played 25, so I don't know if they actually did get patched, but 24, 23, like, yeah, it was good.
- [02:49]
Interviewer
What's the best 2K in your opinion?
- [02:51]
Chris London
Ooh, great question. As an OG, man, I was really like, I gotta say, 16 and 17 were my favorite.
- [03:00]
Interviewer
Warriors.
- [03:02]
Chris London
Yeah. 2K, 16, 17. I think it was KD on the COVID And Paul George. Paul George might have been 18, I don't know. Whatever. Paul George was on the COVID That was probably my favorite.
- [03:14]
Interviewer
PG was on the COVID Yeah, it was like, was that him on the Thunder or was.
- [03:18]
Chris London
I think it was Pacers.
- [03:19]
Interviewer
Oh, Pacers.
- [03:20]
Chris London
Okay. Yeah. Right before he got like started getting traded, the injuries.
- [03:24]
Interviewer
Yeah. What a career he could have had, right?
- [03:27]
Chris London
You know? Yeah, man, he could have been. I feel like he was on his way to be mvp.
- [03:33]
Interviewer
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. He was competing with Braun.
- [03:36]
Chris London
Yeah, there was one year and I think it was recently with the Clippers. Like he was in top three running. And then the injuries, just, just. He's just battling injuries constantly.
- [03:44]
Interviewer
And you can relate to that issue.
- [03:46]
Chris London
I can, I can. That's pretty much my story, man, on how I even got here in the first place. Like, if it wasn't for injuries, I probably wouldn't be sitting here, honestly.
- [03:55]
Interviewer
Injuries and concussions.
- [03:56]
Chris London
Concussions, yes. I've had my history with those. Not even basketball related. Crazy enough, everyone kind of Assumes like, oh, how do you get, you know, concussion in basketball? Well, it didn't start in basketball. I was just in two bad car accidents in high school that kind of followed into my basketball career because I was more receptive to having a concussion with any kind of blow to the head. And I got elbowed a couple times and, like, right in between the eyes. And then I was getting concussions in games. And then I lost my scholarships. You know, just kind of talking about that. Yeah, there was a. I think it was going into my junior year when the accident happened, the car accident. And I had about 10 D1 offers. And then I missed that whole summer because I just couldn't play without it. I actually tried to play. I went to an AAU circuit here in Vegas.
- [04:52]
Interviewer
Oh, yeah.
- [04:52]
Chris London
And I just couldn't do it. Like, the lights. I remember just it. I could not play.
- [04:58]
Interviewer
That was a bad accident.
- [04:59]
Chris London
Yeah, it was really bad.
- [05:01]
Interviewer
How fast were they going?
- [05:03]
Chris London
Dude, I'll be honest. I don't. It was like a country road. It's kind of like a traumatic story a little bit, just because a lot, like, the people involved, like, there's so many things that I wasn't aware of because, like, my dad, like, sued, like, the girl, like, everything. And. And I'm not trying to bring that back up. And I don't know, you know, what they're doing. Like, I have no idea who these people are anymore because it was, like, in high school, you know, 10, 12 years ago.
- [05:36]
Interviewer
Jeez.
- [05:37]
Chris London
And, yeah, long story short, basically, like, my dad, I think he made a lawsuit from it because of all the scholarships that I, like, lost. So that's money that I lost. But. And then I think we got some back. And because of that. And I had no idea. So then the guy that I was in the car with, that was his girl at the time. And, yeah, we, like, swerved off the road. It was raining, and it was some crazy. You would not believe, like, how that even transpired, because it's like, why would she take the keys out of the car with it while you're driving? Like, what's funny about that? Like, I saw a tick tock the other day where they were making a skit of how, like, a girl would like to grab the wheel and swerve it just to be funny. And that's literally what happened. She was just trying to be funny by touching the wheel, grabbing it, making him kind of. Seriously, because there's no one there. It's like a backcountry road. And then it just Started raining. And I'm like. I just remember telling her, like, hey, guys. Like, this isn't funny. Like, what the fuck are we doing? And we're on the way to a basketball game. I'm going to my high school basketball game. And lock. Before you know it, he couldn't get control. Hit a stop sign at a tree, rolled over. Like, it's crazy. That's the last thing I remember. I woke up in the hospital.
- [06:55]
Interviewer
So that's not. It's crazy how one moment can just change the trajectory of your life because you were training your whole life to be a pro. Hooper. Right?
- [07:02]
Chris London
Yeah. I wanted to go to the NBA, play Division 1 basketball. And, you know, thankfully, I still had one D1 offer at Oral Roberts. That's actually where my dad went to school. So I had a lot of connections, like, from the coaches, because they actually. The coaching staff at that time played with my dad. So that connection was, like, already there. And they really liked my game. And plus the scholarship that I wanted, I wanted to either, like, red shirt because I was really skinny. I wanted to still develop. I was young, and I felt like if I just put on the weight, I can make an impact right away. But my body was just still growing. I was growing 3 inches a year in high school. Like, I came in at 5:11. I left six, eight nuts.
- [07:45]
Interviewer
So you had stretch marks for days about.
- [07:46]
Chris London
No, dude. Like, my knee. And that's how I blew out my knee in sophomore year is because my bones were just growing way faster than my muscles.
- [07:55]
Interviewer
So, jeez.
- [07:56]
Chris London
There was one tournament where I just was, like, on a fast break, wide open. I thought somebody, like, hacked me, but everybody's telling me, like, no, bro. Like, you were. Like, no one was around you. And it was just an easy. Like, I was going up for a dunk, and my knee just exploded.
- [08:12]
Interviewer
Holy crap. Yeah.
- [08:14]
Chris London
So then I had, like, a couple screws in my knee for years. Took them out in college, and I just kept getting concussions, man, and lost my scholarship. I was playing at Newman University as a D2 school because at that time, I'm kind of fast forwarding my whole YouTube story. But, um, I went to D2 school because back then you couldn't have a YouTube channel playing Division 1. So when I transferred from Oral Roberts, I went overseas to get medically cleared because I was having, like, a heart issue as well. I had irregular heart rhythm, and they couldn't figure out, like, what was going on. And one practice, I actually had passed out and hit my head. So I got another Concussion from that. And that's like, the whole thing. So they were like, oh, you need a pacemaker for like, eight months. So we want you to sit out another year. Because I was red trading at Oral Roberts, I was like, dude, no way in hell I'm sitting another year of Oral Roberts. Like, I don't know if you know Oral Roberts, but it's not co ed. Dorms is like, you know, girls over here, guys over here. The first day of the month. Like, the first of the month, you can have the door open for an hour if you got a girl. And it's monitored. Like, wow. They're not. Yeah. It's not the college experience I was looking for. So I felt healthy, too, you know, and I wanted to hoop. I was just like, I'm ready to play now. I was playing, like, the best basketball ever because I was on the scout team, and, you know, coaches were telling me, man, I was going to be an All American.
- [09:46]
Interviewer
Holy crap.
- [09:47]
Chris London
And so once I heard that from the head coach, I was just kind of like, okay, now I see what's going on. Like, I just can't. I don't want to lose time, you know? So even though I know if I did take that time there, and I would probably, like, start that next year after the pacemaker trials or whatever, but I was like, no, I just go overseas where my family is in London, get medically cleared there. And then I played professional with the professional team, went to school there, but I didn't take the money because I didn't want to lose my eligibility. So I had them pay for my school while I was out there and got cleared, but I actually tore a ligament in my foot.
- [10:27]
Interviewer
Geez.
- [10:28]
Chris London
So that's what put me into depression, was like, these injuries, man. I just kept battling and battling, like, yo, this may be, like, basketball isn't for me, because it's like, I feel like every time I was kind of on my way to. To that pro level, that level that I wanted to be at, an injury would come around, and it's like, damn, is this just, like a sign? Like, this isn't for me?
- [10:49]
Interviewer
Like, yeah.
- [10:50]
Chris London
And so I had to really just reflect. And in my time in London, I had no friend, like, no friends there. All my friends were back home. And I actually didn't like London because when I was growing up, I was born in London. That's why I'm named Chris London. That's not my actual name, but I just moved from London in sixth grade to Houston. And so I kind of had Like a little accent. And everybody called me London. And that's where I kind of got the name Chris London. But basically when I moved, it was so traumatic for me because it's like going to a whole new country and I had all these friends in America and I was just like, bro, I hate it here. Like, you know, so when I went back in 2012, I was just like, I'm back here where I just like despise like playing ball too. It was like, dude, I was in sixth grade, like hooping with 20 year olds because that's how bad they were over there at the time, right? Everything's. Yeah, everything's a little more developed now. Like, people can hoop there now. But back then it was very hard to find competition, especially where I lived. I'd have to drive or take a bus or a train two hours up north just to find good coffee. Yeah, and then there was no gyms either. So it's like if I really wanted to be in the gym, like, I gotta, you know, really go. And I, My passion just wasn't. That's when I knew too. Like thinking back, I was like, my passion for basketball wasn't really there because I'm not taking a bus or a two hour train ride to go work out like that. I didn't want it that bad. Right? And that's kind of where I found myself with this YouTube. I was like, okay. I really wanted to like make content, just to like make people laugh, make people realize I'm more than just a basketball player. So I set out to be, you know, making skits online, like literally just sitting down. I didn't want people to know who I was, like off, offline and being a tall guy, because then they would just assume. And then I ask all this basketball shit, which is very emotional for me at the time. So I built up an audience through that. And once I hit 100k, that's when I was like, okay, I'll start to tell people who I am, like what I. What I did do and what I still striving to do. And that's when I went to college in Newman. And I was kind of like showing people, like, oh, I play, but also I can make funny videos too. And then I got introduced to the 2K community and that's where the kind of changed my life popped off. Yeah, forever. Because it was like they saw me play 2K and they didn't realize, like, I actually like hooped. But then I thought, okay, what if I took my skits and merged it with how I make 2k videos. And then that's where I met like Jesser and Cash Nasty and we kind of came up with these concepts of playing like 1v1s in real life rather than wagers. And in the FIFA community like we were inspired by like the sidemen, you know, KSI. Like I know Jesse like he would show me, you know like the KSI like FIFA edits and things and I was like we'd always talk about how we could kind of do that within the 2K videos because that's never, that hasn't been done yet. And you know, then I kind of just strive to be like, you know, a pillar in the basketball community from that point.
- [14:04]
Interviewer
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- [14:35]
Chris London
Long story short, we all just moved in together eventually after a few years of doing that. And then that's how it all started with like 2 hype and just IRL basketball content where it is today. I feel like that's kind of where it started.
- [14:50]
Interviewer
And you were so early, dude, dude.
- [14:53]
Chris London
So early now one that was, that was 2016. 17. Holy crap.
- [15:00]
Interviewer
Yeah, that's so early now. One on one is like a whole genre.
- [15:03]
Chris London
Oh I know. And it's like. And even just basketball personality content too. And that's in every sport now. You know, I remember I met, I think they're called like good, Good golf or good golf. It's a like huge, huge golf channel I just recently seen. I remember meeting those guys and they're like yo, we like, you know, watch Too hype and your 2k videos and like we're gonna try to like you know, bring that to the golf world. And so seeing them where they're at today, like, I mean dude, they're massive. Like I think from what I understand it seems like they have their own like fucking golf brand. Damn.
- [15:41]
Interviewer
Here. So you inspired other sports too, you know.
- [15:43]
Chris London
And it's. And it's beautiful bro. Like that's what, that's why I love YouTube. That's why I love content creation. That's why I encourage everybody to just, like, keep looking for another door. Like, one door closed for me and another one open. And I just want to be, like, living proof that you just don't stop. Just find another outlet, find what you love to do, and then make a career out of it.
- [16:05]
Interviewer
I love that. Now you're literally working with NBA. Like, you're playing tonight.
- [16:09]
Chris London
Yeah, I'm playing tonight. Creator Cup. I've been doing that for a few years. And I would, like. I've told people this too. You know, I've been working with the NBA for, like, eight years. Wow. And that's because, like, when I saw where it was going in, like, 2016, the NBA market wasn't even, like, tapped into yet. And I was like, dude, why is the NBA not have a YouTube channel? Like, why are they not posting videos with their NBA players? Like, how I post videos or even, like, I was trying to be that bridge where it's like, hey, let's collab. You know, show your personality so your fans feel really connected. And so I was. I've constantly, like, met with the NBA this, like, every all Star weekend. And then I saw that they bought, at the time, playmakers, and then it was NBA playmakers and broadband. And that's when I knew, like, okay, now they're starting to understand. So let me, like, start to talk to them even more to really help them, like, shape the model and, yeah, everything. And then, you know, they kind of move slow because they're the higher ups. It's like, I get it. Like, you know, you put an idea out, it probably won't come to fruition for another two years because they have to get it approved and everything. And that's kind of how this Creator cup came about, too. Like, we've been trying to do creator games for the longest with the NBA, like, sponsored by the NBA and stuff, and on the NBA networks, too. It's just. It's just a blessing, man, to see how it's all come about year in, year out. So, yeah, I'm thankful for that, for sure.
- [17:35]
Interviewer
I have an interesting take with NBA because I know their ratings are down, but I think more people are just watching them on short form.
- [17:41]
Chris London
Oh, yeah, short form. I mean, I. I doom scroll all the time just watching short.
- [17:47]
Interviewer
Yeah, I watch the highlights.
- [17:48]
Chris London
That's how I get my NBA news. It's not on ESPN anymore. It's literally like, if that. If it's not on their Instagram, I probably won't know about, like, a trade or, you know, something going along there.
- [17:59]
Interviewer
Yeah, no same dude highlights. I watch on YouTube now. I don't watch the full games as much as I used to.
- [18:04]
Chris London
It's just a lot. I mean, especially because we're older too. I feel like I'm curious what like, sports consumption is like for, you know, 10 to 18, right. Because for me or for us, like, growing up. Yeah. You had to like, watch TV to get that access and that thrill of watching, you know, sports and everything. But now it's so accessible, like on a phone and like you said, short form. So it's interesting, man. Like, I don't know. And now the streaming world is taking a storm.
- [18:36]
Interviewer
I was just going to bring that up. Yeah, you're going hard on that, right?
- [18:38]
Chris London
Yeah, I mean, I. I personally, I'm not. I'm not really hip or like, like streaming too much just because, like, I like Tick Tock. Like Tick Tock Live. I've been doing that just because it's a little less pressure. I feel like it's more like authentic a little bit. But like the Twitch stuff, like that shit scares me. I don't know. It's.
- [18:59]
Interviewer
I have on a lot of streamers.
- [19:01]
Chris London
Like, it's. Because it has to be very structured. I feel like the. It's. I don't want to call it saturated because, like every platform saturated.
- [19:09]
Interviewer
Yeah, but.
- [19:10]
Chris London
And I still don't get it. Like, I feel like I'm so, like, outdated. Like, I'm seeing these IRL kits. Like the guys that like the biggest streamers, they'll break down their setups to me and I'm just like, bro, it's like, this is different. Like, back when I was was streaming on Twitch, like, you couldn't even do irl, like, the way that they're doing it now. And it's just like, it's crazy. But it's so cool because now there's so many more ideas that you can, like, do. But then it also is like, I feel like everything's been done, so things are have to get kind of crazier. And then if things get crazier, then it's like, it's a little scary. And then it's like, where's the line? Right? So. And now I'm seeing kids blow up their houses. Like, I saw the amp guys, like, they are crazy, dude. Shout out to them. But, man, the damage they did to that house. I'm just like, okay, how far is the skit going, man? Like, did y' all just want to build a new crib and this is your way to, like, break it down, like, instead of hiring a contractor to do it. Like, which, if that's the case, then that's fucking genius. But I don't think that was the play there. But yeah, and then back to the NBA and, you know, the player streaming. I think it's cool seeing more and more guys come into league and, you know, utilize their personal brand with social media. And, you know, I've seen guys, they stream on TikTok, Twitch, even interacting with streamers now, too. I think it's really cool. I think just, you know, connecting that bridge is dope for both parties, right? The streamer and the athlete and sport. Right, right. Because like you said, the. The numbers are declining. But if you got guys that come into your league that have a presence online, that's how you really, like, get eyeballs, is because they. The. The viewers feel like there's no real connection. I have a real connection with Kai Sinat, but I don't really have one with Steph Curry or LeBron because they're just so, you know, big. But, you know, you could make an argument that Kai's more popular than Steph. Like, you could argue that. But is he reality? Probably not. Like, there's a little. It depends on, like, you know, the crowd, but long term, they're gonna have to realize you kind of have to, you know, get the young audience to follow along your journey to, you know, really convert viewership.
- [21:37]
Interviewer
I love that they're getting into media. They have podcasts now. Some of them are live streaming. Kyrie, I think Carl Anthony Towns live streams too.
- [21:44]
Chris London
Oh, yeah. Kyrie's really tapped in.
- [21:45]
Interviewer
Yeah.
- [21:46]
Chris London
And I. And that's another thing, too. That's crazy. Is like a lot of rookies like that are in the league now watched our videos, and it's like, it's. It's so cool. Like, I remember, I'll never forget the interact interaction I had with de' Aaron Fox, where it was like me and Jesse were, like, kind of nervous, you know, meeting him and things, because he just got drafted into the NBA and then. And we were vlogging this too. This is Nvidia. And then we go up to him like, yo, dear, what's up, man? He's like, Chris Jesser. Like, dude, I was nervous coming up to you guys. Like, he started naming all the videos and things, and it's just like, then it just made everything cool. And then we just started kicking in. Now we, like, we're became friends and everything, and it's just like, it's a small World, bro. And, you know, you never know who's watching. And more and more I just find out more players watch the videos or did watch back because I've been doing this since 2014.
- [22:37]
Interviewer
Jeez.
- [22:37]
Chris London
So it's like 10 years in. You know, if a kid was 10, he's 20 now, in the lead, like, he's. There's a chance, like, he probably came across a vid.
- [22:47]
Interviewer
That's not.
- [22:48]
Chris London
So it's just nuts seeing that. And that's. That's going to be like that with these streamers. So I think that's good for the league because now they're like, okay. I'm familiar with how these guys had their personal brand. Like these streamers. Now they can kind of like coexist and help build their brand. Like, I've had NBA guys reach out to me, like, how to strategize their YouTube channels and things, and I help with that. And I think it's cool. I think it's. They need to do that. Not that they need any more money. I just think it's good for their.
- [23:20]
Interviewer
Audience, their mental health too.
- [23:21]
Chris London
Yeah.
- [23:21]
Interviewer
To have purpose after they retire.
- [23:23]
Chris London
Yeah, that's a big thing, too. I think a lot of guys just don't really have that after they retire. They don't. And they don't know any better. You know, I'm even. I've been talking with the NBA to kind of like during the summer league, I like, have a. I don't know what you want to call it, like a panel for rookies and, you know, building their social media presence and just kind of lay it down, like, hey, you know, you guys are coming into league. This is what you could do online to help your personal brand and what you shouldn't do.
- [23:54]
Interviewer
Yeah.
- [23:55]
Chris London
Because they definitely need to know, like, what you shouldn't do. But yeah, and I think that's just pretty important to just going into the. Going into.
- [24:05]
Interviewer
I think so too, man. Because the average NBA career is three years, right?
- [24:08]
Chris London
I don't know. Is it three?
- [24:09]
Interviewer
It's something like that. Yeah. I know. NFL is 2.4. NBA is a little longer, I believe.
- [24:14]
Chris London
Has to be a little longer, I would hope.
- [24:15]
Interviewer
Yeah.
- [24:16]
Chris London
NFL, yeah. That's gotta be super short, bro.
- [24:18]
Interviewer
Either way, it's not long, though.
- [24:20]
Chris London
Yeah. And that's the thing, dude. Like, my. My dream was literally just to be like the 15th player in the NBA. Like, not like you never see me on the court.
- [24:29]
Interviewer
You just wanted to make a roster.
- [24:30]
Chris London
I just wanted to be on the roster, make my M's and Fucking use it to build a business like that. That was my end goal. And funny enough, I'm kind of doing the same thing, but a little more fun. And I'm like, going to the NBA games, interacting with the NBA.
- [24:45]
Interviewer
You got more fun making money.
- [24:46]
Chris London
Yeah, exactly. So it's like, you know the comments of like, oh, tall for nothing. You know, this, that. And the third people say that, oh, dude, tall for nothing. Wasted height. How's this guy not in the NBA? All these things. But, you know, in another world, I'm in the NBA kind of, you know.
- [25:06]
Interviewer
Well, there's thousands of six, 10 people. Yeah. So I don't know if that's a good argument.
- [25:10]
Chris London
Yeah. You know, dude, I could go on for days about my thoughts on just, like, being a tall person and how people kind of like, look at me as not a human. Like, it's like, for example, it's like, if I go into a store, right? The first thing they say to me is, like, who do you play for?
- [25:29]
Interviewer
Like, that's crazy.
- [25:30]
Chris London
Like, you know what I mean? It's not like, hey, how you doing? I'm really like, you're really tall. Like, you know, kind of start the conversation. Nah, who do you play for? Oh, you don't play in the NBA? Fuck off. Like, yo, I. I don't know, man. That used to, like, hurt me, you know, back when I was in, you know, my depression of just, like, I couldn't look at a basketball for, like, two years because of just how I felt. Like, I felt like I failed, like, my life, right? Just because, like, those, like, people would come up to me daily, like, reminding me, like, that I should be playing.
- [26:02]
Interviewer
Geez.
- [26:03]
Chris London
But it's like, I don't want to or I can't. Like, it's not like I just. I was. There's all these mental hurdles, right? And, you know, it took a really long time for me to just be confident in myself, right. And find that peace. Because I just was pressured by outside noise and, like, living through other people, not through myself, right? Because I. There was times where, like, random dudes, like, random people. I was at working in a suit and tie store. I'll never. I. I talked about this on my videos where a guy just came in. And this is when I, like, quit basketball. I dropped out of school. I was working two jobs, trying to build my YouTube career, really, like, get it going. So I had to get, you know, another, like, two, like, real jobs. And then I was filming videos. I started. Just started my gaming channel and everything. And a Guy randomly comes into the store. It's like, I know who you are, man. And you got to get back out there. You got the talent. And don't let this, like, injuries, all this stuff, like, fool you. Like, you can do it. Just go out there and do it, but you're wasting your life here. Like, just straight up, this random. Like, I don't even know this dude is. And I genuinely was like, yo, is this, like, a message from God? Like, like, what is this? Like, this is crazy. But then one of my co workers, he was an older guy, like my OG kind of thing, and he just pulled me to the side, like, telling me how, like, now that, like, he's just deflecting onto you, like, he wants you to live his dream. Like, let's say you go play, hurt yourself, get another concussion, can't remember your name. You got kids, can't remember, like, you know what I'm saying? Just all those things that come from multiple concussions. And where's he going to be? He's not going to talk to you or know where you're at or check on you if you're in the hospital. And that kind of perspective just changed, like, everything for me. I was like, damn. Yeah. So all these people that I'm trying to, like, impress, right? Or, like, live for, like, you know what I mean? Because I really just want to feel like, as an entertainer, that's, like, what you do is, like, you try to entertain people and please the masses and everything. But once I started making content for just me, like, and just, you know, I saw, like, another clip a while ago where it was, like, the best way to get out of, you know, being sad is, like, do something to make somebody else smile. So that's where I came with, like, the comedy skit. So if I'm making people laugh, eventually I'm gonna start laughing, too. And then, yeah, that's kind of how I live with my content. Right? It's like, I try to make people, kids, like, enjoy the game in a different perspective so they can. They don't have to be the most skilled player. They can just go out there and have fun with their friends.
- [28:45]
Interviewer
I love that dude. Cause I hear a lot of pressure on these kids in the AAU circuit these days, and a lot of their parents are living through them and they want them to play pro and stuff.
- [28:53]
Chris London
Exactly. I have kids now, and I'm trying to figure out that path for how I want to guide them into sports and maybe not be so aggressive as I was and how my dad kind of trained me because I think just training so early and so aggressively, you kind of get burnt out. I mean, just naturally, right? And I think that's happening in today's league. I mean, you can see guys getting drafted, and you don't really see, like, the emotion behind it. And it's because, like, it's instilled in them, like, I should be here. Like, I'm. I've been training since I was three years old. Like, this moment here, like, was already destined, like, you know what I mean? Rather than, like, you see a guy just, like, overly, like, crying and, like. You know what I mean? It's. And I. And I saw somebody talk about how, like, the kids seem ungrateful and everything, but I don't think it's them being ungrateful. I think it's just. They're just that good and confident in themselves because they've been putting in the work. You know what I mean? Because there's two different sides, right? You could have the guy that, you know, came from nothing and everything, but I don't. I don't think you should take away from a guy that did have everything and all the resources to get to that level, right? And I think that's kind of what this draft class people were, like, speculating. Like, there's a lot of kids that had dads that played in the league, and they don't have any hunger and everything. But it's like, I would actually say, like, they could be just as hungry because they. They don't have to play the game. So, you know, when they decide to wake up at 6am every day, put the work in. Why you already. Your dad could, you know, have you go do something else. He probably even said you don't even need to play ball. It's like Bronnie, right? For example, I think him getting the criticism that he gets, it's like. I think it's impressive how he shows up for work and how he shows up for the grind when your dad is, like, the greatest player of all time, you know, that says a lot about him, right? And trying to make a name for himself and still show up. Like, I think kids that. That kind of have that, you know, the money, everything, they wouldn't wake up and do the work, right?
- [31:07]
Interviewer
So, yeah, I definitely agree.
- [31:08]
Chris London
Man.
- [31:09]
Interviewer
Shout out to Bronnie.
- [31:10]
Chris London
Yeah, shout out to Bronnie. And shout out to the kids, man. You guys make the league what it is today. So keep working.
- [31:19]
Interviewer
It's the next era. Speaking of Bronnie, twenty five Hundred dollar tickets tomorrow to his game.
- [31:24]
Chris London
Dude, that's insane for a summer league. Like, could you like, bro, watching old summer league clips, they got these raggedy ass practice jerseys. Like, you're paying $2,500 for practice jerseys. But I think that's what the game has turned into, man. It's like, that is. I mean, I'm not going to lie. Bronnie and Cooper Flag, Cooper's debut game, these guys. And that's from. You know, why that much? Because these guys have built a personal brand that people are actually interested in. They want to see the phase Bronnie Hoop against Cooper Flag. Like, you know what I mean? So I think that comes with just the social media presence that they've built over their time in high school and college. And now you're seeing what it can turn into. Like, you know, business 100% for the game.
- [32:14]
Interviewer
Yeah, because when you were playing, you said you couldn't use social media at the same time.
- [32:18]
Chris London
Dude, I couldn't, bro. They really tried to make me delete all my videos. Couldn't make monetization. I, like, I could keep the videos. I just had to turn off the monetization, which is really crazy if you think about it. It's like they're controlling you in a sense that like, I didn't sign any contract. Maybe it's in the contract when you sign the letter of intent for your scholarship. But yeah, man, I just, I always say this too. I was like, I was born too early, man. I would be nil 10 years too early.
- [32:44]
Interviewer
Oh my God, you would have made millions, bro.
- [32:47]
Chris London
Like, and it doesn't even. I don't get the numbers sometimes because I'm like, I go to these kids, like, social medias and things, and it's not like they got millions of followers, but I see their nil is like four, like two to four a year.
- [33:02]
Interviewer
I think it's a donor network too.
- [33:04]
Chris London
Yeah. And I'm like, okay, what are they? Like, what are their deliverable? Like, you know, I know how like brand deals and everything work. Like, what is it? Is a. Is the games really, like that crazy?
- [33:14]
Interviewer
Like, I think they could possibly be investing in their future as well.
- [33:18]
Chris London
But what's the. Like, there's a. There's got to be a catch.
- [33:21]
Interviewer
Like, yeah, like, it doesn't seem like a roi Is there? Sometimes? Yeah.
- [33:25]
Chris London
But I just think these guys, these, you know, boosters got so much bread, they don't even fucking care.
- [33:30]
Interviewer
They want their college to win. They'll invest millions, you know, that's where.
- [33:32]
Chris London
It gets a little, little crazy. I mean, I, I saw something. I don't know if it was true or not. Where was his name? Phil Knight, Nike Guy was like, yeah, he'll just do whatever it takes for Oregon.
- [33:44]
Interviewer
Like, I want to be like, you.
- [33:45]
Chris London
Compete with the CEO of Nike. Like, how do you, like, how do you manage that, bro? Like, it's like, all right, fuck it, pay him 10m's he's coming here. And it's like you look at the salary cap there and it's like their salary is like hundreds, millions. Oregon. No, I'm just saying, like, what if, if that's the case, if they're allowed to do that?
- [34:05]
Interviewer
Yeah, yeah.
- [34:05]
Chris London
Who's stopping? You know, a guy that's, you know, on his way out doesn't just once.
- [34:11]
Interviewer
It'S pay to play. I mean, NBA is a little similar, right? With the big market teams.
- [34:16]
Chris London
Well, there's a salary cap. That's the thing. I don't think you. It's not like baseball where you can, you know, sign guys for 10 billion or a billion and pay them out, you know, 500k, but 10, 10 million a year for 25 years. Like, you can't do contracts like that in the NBA. But that's another thing too. Like NBA money is crazy right now.
- [34:36]
Interviewer
250 for Chet.
- [34:37]
Chris London
For Chet.
- [34:39]
Interviewer
Oh, you just did a video with him a few months ago.
- [34:41]
Chris London
I did, I did.
- [34:42]
Interviewer
Now the guy's worth a quarter of a billion.
- [34:43]
Chris London
Quarter of a billion. See like you know things like that. When I read articles, I'm just, when I'm holding my. I have a two month old son and I'm just like beating him. Just like, bro, the moment you turn three, man, you're lacing them up like, like, you better be ready, boy. And my daughter too, you know, we gonna be in the lab.
- [35:03]
Interviewer
WNBA money will be good by then.
- [35:05]
Chris London
I know it will be. I think like the wnba, all jokes aside, is growing and it's growing because of social media. Like it's in like the personal brands. Like it always comes back to that. Like these girls that have followings and they go to the league, like it's inevitably going to grow the, like the wnba. And it's like speaking of that, I don't know how Caitlin, like Nike's fumbling. Caitlin Clark's like just bag right now. I don't know who's managing her, but like, how does she not have a shoe? Like how, Like, I know it takes some time. Like I know the back end of like Creating a signature shoe. But y' all are fumbling. Like. Like, I feel like in with injuries, too. So if she's getting hurt, she's falling off more like, you know what I'm saying? Like, her. If she would have dropped a shoe, like, year one or just right at the end going into year two, dude, like, we'd all be.
- [35:59]
Interviewer
Come on, nine figures.
- [36:00]
Chris London
Like, what? But the more years you wait, like, the less you're going to make like. And Paige is hooping. You know, I saw Angel Reese just dropped a shoe, so good for her. On the COVID of 2K as well.
- [36:13]
Interviewer
Wow.
- [36:14]
Chris London
Shout out to her. You know, having a daughter myself, man, it does kind of, like, hurt to see how they get criticized online, but that's just the nature of NBA Twitter for you. And, like, it was funny when they first started, like, getting all this attention and they were clapping back at all these trolls. I'm like, y' all don't. Haven't seen the worst. Y' all think this is bad. You don't want the growth in the WNBA because this isn't nothing what the NBA guys get, so. But I think, I hope they got some good media training over in the wnba, because it's going to get worse and it's coming.
- [36:50]
Interviewer
Where do you stand on the lowering the rims debate with the wnba?
- [36:53]
Chris London
Ooh, see, here's my take. The ball is already smaller, so if you lower the rim, how is that affecting the, I guess, the respect of the game for women? Right. And I just think it'll make it a little more entertaining. And I mean,.5 inches. Like, is it really, like, that crazy of a dis? Like, because I feel like, you know, they feel they may feel disrespect. I don't want to put feelings onto them or whatever, but from my opinion, hey, if y' all don't want to lower the rims, fine. All right, well, just don't complain when, you know, the ratings are what they are. And I'm just. I think it's just a decent idea to increase ratings, which is ultimately, like, the goal for the WNBA business. It's not about the accolades. How many championships, like, and let's be honest, women in the sport that have multiple championships, are they getting the love that they should be? No. And why is that? Because it's already, like, in some fashion, disrespected. Unfortunately, it is what it is. So if you're, you know, fighting for that, it ain't going to be with 10 foot. 10 foot goals, you know, So I would love to see it, just to get a little more dunks. But girls are starting to like. I've been seeing some highlights on online of girls in high school and college dunking like yammin off gun. And so it's coming into the WNBA eventually and I think just as a natural evolution of humans, like girls are going to be able to dunk more and more just genetically. So, you know, hey, hopefully my daughter got some bounce. I got bounce.
- [38:41]
Interviewer
So she'll have the height, that's for sure.
- [38:42]
Chris London
Yeah. But yeah, I don't think there's an issue with that at all. I'm curious. What. I would love to see an actual survey in the WNBA anonymously and see what they think and what the percentage would be if they would be open to it.
- [39:00]
Interviewer
You got to convince them to do that.
- [39:02]
Chris London
I'm not the guy to do that.
- [39:05]
Interviewer
I think they should try for the summer league games and one season.
- [39:08]
Chris London
That's the thing. Incorporate it and maybe like another league. Like I saw they had that three on three league, maybe try there. I mean, they already got some wacky rules anyway, so why not lower the rim? But yeah, test it in the summer league. I mean, that's what they do for the G league. They try new rules and then if it seems right, they incorporate it into the NBA. So I don't, I don't know. There's not really much room for the WNBA to have their own G league, but that's why a summer league is a good idea.
- [39:39]
Interviewer
Yeah. You think the three on three stuff's gonna take off the big threes?
- [39:43]
Chris London
Oh, like for men's?
- [39:45]
Interviewer
Yeah, I guess it's only. Is it only men's?
- [39:46]
Chris London
Yeah. Big three. Big three. I think again, it comes down to like the personal brands. I saw Lance Stevenson and Michael Beasley. Their whole thing with the next chapter was really cool. And to be honest with you, if they weren't playing in the big three, I probably wouldn't have seen as much like clips or been in like intrigued on that league. So I think it's important for the people that are involved in the big three to have a presence online and shit talk on social media just to keep people engaged. Because I think just naturally like trying to find a big three game or going to it, there's not enough draw for me to like really tune in. Unless like, you know, guys that I've followed in the NBA, you know, are still saying like, yo, I'm, I'm hooping here, like, come watch me or something.
- [40:35]
Interviewer
Same here. Because it's been around for like, years. But this is the first season where I'm watching game highlights. Because Dwight Howard's in it too now.
- [40:41]
Chris London
Yeah, exactly. And like, what is he doing? He's on social media, like, all the time. Like, I just did a video with him too.
- [40:48]
Interviewer
Oh, yeah.
- [40:49]
Chris London
I don't think it's coming out until the season. NBA season. But yeah, he's. He's dope. He's cool.
- [40:56]
Interviewer
Tall motherfucker.
- [40:58]
Chris London
Huge, bro.
- [40:59]
Interviewer
What is he, 76 or something?
- [41:00]
Chris London
No, no, no. I mean, He's. He's like 7 foot. Like 6 11. He's taller than me. So he's got to be like seven foot. Like, we're like, pretty eye to height.
- [41:08]
Interviewer
Oh, no. That was Yao Ming, though. Seven. Yeah, he's seven, I think.
- [41:11]
Chris London
How do you get Yao Ming and Dwight Howard confused?
- [41:14]
Interviewer
Well, 76 just stuck with me because. I don't know, I just used to. I'm a stats guy, so I look at that. I look at heights.
- [41:21]
Chris London
Is there any seven I haven't seen? Well, Wimby. I think Wimby's 7 5.
- [41:26]
Interviewer
He's tall.
- [41:27]
Chris London
No, dude. Like, that's the one, dude. Like, I did a video with him and he actually made me feel like six foot, like, dead. Like, I've never in my life. Like, there's two people that have made me actually feel small. And it's Wimby and Joel Embiid. Joel Embiid. I. When I saw it, like, bro, that is a big motherfucker. Like, he's tall and like, I didn't know he was like, stocky like that, bro. Like, so I can see why he's fucking as dominant as he is.
- [41:58]
Interviewer
He's probably £300.
- [42:00]
Chris London
Oh, but that's also why he gets hurt. I mean, dude, that, like, bro, your feet. There's no way your feet are handling that. Like, sorry. But I mean, that's what happened to Yao Ming too. He just got too heavy. Yeah, A lot of big guys, like, you know, they. I think there was a mindset, and there still is today where when you're tall, like, you got to put on all this weight. But our bodies, like, can't really. Not everyone can handle all that. So being light isn't really like, that bad. As long as you're able to move in, you're strong. And you're seeing that today in the NBA. Like, there's hella skinny dudes. Like, when I was coming up, I feel like if you were skinny, you were frowned upon and, like, just brushed away. But now, bro, there's Guys that are like six eight, one sixty, bro, you know what I mean? And then they're just going to be put on a program, but they can still compete and still are, like, given the time of day, because they could just ball out. But in my time, I feel like coaches would just scrutinize you for like, you could, like, I couldn't even practice unless I made a weight.
- [43:03]
Interviewer
Wow.
- [43:03]
Chris London
Yeah, dude. Like, yeah, it was crazy. And I feel like that is also hard on the mental for just speaking on mental health for athletes. It's like imagine like I had to go into practice like, yo, I'm chugging protein shakes, chugging gallons of water just to make, you know, my weight so, like, coach doesn't get onto me. And then I got to go hoop. So I'm playing sluggish because, like, I'm over here just trying to make weight and like, what am I making weight for? I'm here to hoop. I'm not here to like be a bodybuilder or anything.
- [43:34]
Interviewer
But it should be based off your results.
- [43:36]
Chris London
Was the science back in the day. And I just think like, now there's just so much science back that's able to prove, like, you don't actually need necessarily that much weight or like that quickly. I guess it's always good to pack on weight and everything, but I think the way they were doing it was completely wrong, 100%.
- [43:54]
Interviewer
Would you rather be taller or shorter?
- [43:56]
Chris London
No, I'd rather be taller. I think there's a lot more benefits being tall. But also I think there's nothing wrong with being short. I think it's just about finding your strengths and whatever, you know, the cards you were dealt.
- [44:08]
Interviewer
So you would take 7ft over 6ft?
- [44:11]
Chris London
Yeah, I would. Just because it's unique. Right. I think there's a lot less seven footers, obviously than six foot. So it kind of. That's cool. And you know, being this tall, you know, it does come with a lot of just like, you know, negative things. But I think there's more positives. You just got to look for the positives. Right, right. And I. Even being six foot, if you're six foot, there's more. There's probably more positives. It's just on how you look at life, man. It's like I try not to look at things negative at all. Like, I don't even want negative thoughts in my head, you know, especially now where I only have so much emotional and mental capacity. You know, I'm a married man, family man. When I'm in my Household. I want to be, you know, level happy because, you know, dealing with toddlers.
- [45:01]
Interviewer
It'S easy to get stressed.
- [45:02]
Chris London
Pregnant wife, like, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. So I'm just grateful, bro.
- [45:09]
Interviewer
I love that, man. It's cool to see that journey in you because I know you had your battles over the years.
- [45:13]
Chris London
Yeah, no, it's been special, for real. And I think that's what's cool about documenting it too, because can inspire maybe that somebody could relate, you know, even if it's just one person. I think just kind of changing somebody to really shift their mind into, you know, becoming a better version of themselves is great. And that's what I encourage with my stuff. And now I'm working more towards on making content that's more catered towards just self improvement. Right. Not really. Like, I'm not trying to be like a self improvement guru cause I'm still learning things every day myself. Right. But it's just, you can see it through my progression of content. Right. You saw, if you were with me from 2014 to 2025, you could see my first video. It was a weird little cringy skit. And then fast forward today it's just me, you know, hooping at the NBA Creator cup, you know, with all these big creators and kids just like really enjoying the content. And then even seeing parents, I love seeing parents now happy like that. They just have, like, they feel like they have a safe place to just feel happy in their living rooms watching our content and just feel good.
- [46:27]
Interviewer
I love that not a lot of people make it in content for as long as you have. Was there any points where you almost quit content?
- [46:33]
Chris London
Never quit. But I mean, definitely took a step back just because I felt like I was going in a, in a route where it wasn't healthy for me or the people around me. And I recognized that. You know, I've had my fair share of beefs and cancellations online due to things that were in my personal life and you know, as. Even though a lot of it wasn't per se true about me, I think it kind of made me realize like, or opened my eyes to who I was and perceived online and who I really was. I just wanted to like take a step back and ask myself, who is it that I want to be? Because you do lose yourself in this content. I'll admit that, yeah, I've done things that I'm not proud of or treated people unfairly within like the workspace and everything. Because in my head I think I'm doing the Right thing. But it's because I never put myself in others shoes or I wasn't very empathetic before because I was raised on just like grind and you know, if people are slowing you down, get out of my way. Right. So just head down, work. But now I'm more like, I like to work in a sense of like, I make sure everyone around me is mentally good and I'm mentally straight because I also dealt with things in my personal life that I didn't really know how to process. And I think at a young age we don't understand how to process feelings, especially as men. And you know, I've been going seeing a therapist, you know, once a week for the last like three, four years. So I think through that journey has also taught me that there was a lot of feelings that I had never processed. And now that I've been able to, I'm more at peace with things that. And the people that I did wrong in the past and you know, we've made amends and talked it out and you know, obviously the people online don't know that because it's not shown. Yeah, right. So I just think with that, for me, as, as a human, it's been great. Like, I think the growth is there and you know, if people. I feel like when I first started content I was trying to prove myself to people and now I'm really just doing things to. For myself, like proven to myself, not the audience. And I think when you try to make videos and content to just please any and everybody, it gets bad.
- [49:06]
Interviewer
It's impossible. You can't please everyone.
- [49:07]
Chris London
Yeah. And then you get like, it's toxic too, I think to an extent. And so even though it may seem like the audience, and that's why streaming is very like, like hard for me just because. And hard to see all these creators like, you know, catering to their audience. And it's like, dude, you're going to get trapped in this like loophole. You see it all the time. Like, you know, we've seen creators do some crazy stuff.
- [49:32]
Interviewer
Vitali.
- [49:33]
Chris London
I mean, the list goes Logan, Paul. And that's because mentally they're not thinking as like, as a human, they're thinking as a content creator. And like once you recognize that you're in that kind of like zone of you're not thinking like a good human right now. You're thinking like a good, like, I guess content, not a good. I don't even want to say a good content creator, but I'm basically trying to say like, you need More time to reflect and be in the moment, not thinking about views and what's gonna bang and all this stuff, which is what I was doing. What you should because I think it is a job too. So I think also I was doing that because I was so hungry on making it right. Right. And now that I, I feel like I've kind of made it in a sense it's giving me more time to work on my personal life and that's what I've been focusing on. You know, I've. I've got a two year old daughter, two month old son. So I took a step back from content to kind of reflect on like what I want to be as a content creator now. Because I think every like three to five, four years I like reinvent myself a little bit. Like adapt to like what it is because I mean, I've done that. I mean I started with skits, my first hundred thousand. After that I kind of went into like vlogging and then I found a gaming channel I made that went into GTA 5. I don't even know if people know that that follow me. And then I found 2k and then I was making 2k videos for the longest and then I kind of fused 2K into IRL basketball content. And then I was just doing anything and everything at that point. And yeah, losing a lot of subs in a very like short time was a crazy like feeling in time because it was like I could quit now. And honestly I think if I was to go back, I wish I just would have just kept going. But it was so like personal for me. Like it was more like, damn, I don't have time to just be me, like, because I feel like I'm in this like hamster wheel where if I don't upload, I'm gonna fall off and right. I'm gonna lose everything I've built over the last decade. But I was like, is it worth my piece? And so I just decided to like, just take a step back and focus on my piece because that's what, that's really. All you have is yourself and your family. So if I'm losing that or losing sight of that while trying to make a name for myself in my career, what's the, what's the point of having a career if you don't know yourself or have a healthy relationship with your, your wife, your kids and your friends around you? And so I think that's what I prioritize now and that's what I've learned being a content creator. I think I always try to encourage creators to not get trapped in that hamster wheel as much as you think you're not. I can tell when guys are.
- [52:33]
Interviewer
Oh, it's so easy. I'm guilty of this. A lot of people tie their identity to their followers, their subs, their views. Like, I'm definitely, like, I'm even thinking.
- [52:40]
Chris London
About, like, changing my, like, I'm making this new channel for my vlog channel and just making it my actual name, Chris Obersec.
- [52:47]
Interviewer
Really?
- [52:48]
Chris London
Yeah.
- [52:48]
Interviewer
You're ready to go full on out then?
- [52:50]
Chris London
Yeah, it's that time of. In my life. It's just chapters, man.
- [52:54]
Interviewer
You think you'll go the family channel route with the kids?
- [52:58]
Chris London
Yeah, I think so. I think not in this. Not in the traditional sense of like, you know, the family, like, skits and challenges and per se, because I actually am pretty reserved. But I don't know, I don't want to say I'm not because, you know, I could change my mind on the fly. But, you know, my wife and I, we talk about it all the time and just kind of think when we're ready, we're slowly kind of starting to integrate it. And I think once our kids are a little more in tune with routines and things and we're comfortable. Yeah, I could see that.
- [53:33]
Interviewer
I have this debate with my fiance all the time about are we going to let our kids on social media and there's pros and cons to it.
- [53:39]
Chris London
There's a lot of pros and cons. That's what kind of prevents me from going full on with Family Channel. Because I don't want to. I. I really don't like recording videos. And in the back of my head, I'm like, okay, dude. What? Dude? The house isn't really picked up. People are going to say this about the house. Is my wife going to be upset if I show? Like, my shorts are on the ground right there and I pick it up like, you know, and, oh, my. My daughter's like, you know, she's eating and like, I accidentally had her in the background eating and like, you know, there's. It's all. There's so many things, right? So I think until I have like, a clear vision and like, I'm not so in my head about it, I'll be down to do it, but I don't know if that'll ever come.
- [54:22]
Interviewer
We'll see. We'll see. Let's end off with Paul Pierce's recent video.
- [54:27]
Chris London
Paul Pierce.
- [54:28]
Interviewer
He said he's the greatest scorer of all Time. What are your thoughts on that terrible take?
- [54:34]
Chris London
I would give it a 6 out of 10. Rage bait. Nobody takes Paul Pierce seriously. Haven't taken him seriously since he won an NBA championship and consider himself the best player in the world when LeBron was at his absolute peak. But I will say I think he can hoop. He could. He's definitely like a top scorer. And I did see the video where he said who we could outscore and he said everybody. Not a better scorer than T. Mac. I don't think he's. Dude, I don't even think. I don't think he's better than Curry. And also, it's weird when old players kind of compare themselves to today's era just because the game is so different, right? It's so different. It's almost like it's impossible to basically say you're better than somebody that's playing in a time where kids are literally East Baying with ease and in. In the layup lines and things. Like, I seen a clip of Amin Thompson, right? This was before he got drafted. And I kid you not, bro, this kid's athleticism is something that if he was put in the 80s and 90s, I'm not sure if Michael Jordan would be talked about the way like that. No, I'm just saying because like I'm. It's almost as if I'm. And I'm not even trying to discredit or disrespect Mike, but put the two highlights side by side. And this is when he was in high school. Granted, now he is playing high school players, but his layup package is something I've never seen combined with his dunk package. Like you can't even create this in 2K.
- [56:18]
Interviewer
Damn.
- [56:19]
Chris London
That's how good and crazy it is. And I didn't even know he had it like that. I just seen it recently because I knew he could ball out. He had a pretty good season. His first year or the second year?
- [56:29]
Interviewer
Second year, I think.
- [56:30]
Chris London
Yeah. Second year with the Rockets. And I think he's going to be a star if he keeps with like if once he finds his rhythm shooting. Bro, the NBA better be scared if those guys find a jump shot like a consistent jump shot because be unguardable, bro. He was doing windmills off vert like what? Yeah, two hand. Like it. Look it up. It's like, I don't know if it's a TikTok bag work edit or something, but Amend Thompson's highlights out of this world.
- [56:59]
Interviewer
And now they got kd.
- [57:00]
Chris London
They did have KD I. I'm still not sold on the Rockets, man.
- [57:04]
Interviewer
You don't like that trade?
- [57:05]
Chris London
I do for kd. I did not like him on the Suns. He was wasting his time in the Suns. Any. Anytime you go to the Suns, just consider your career in. In the toilet until Bradley Beal is out of there, which I think he's getting bought out, actually.
- [57:19]
Interviewer
I think I saw that. Yeah.
- [57:20]
Chris London
Clippers. And like, the thing is, is Bradley Beal's not a bad player. He just has a very bad contract for his production. That's it. If he wasn't getting paid 50 million a year, nobody would be criticizing Bradley Beal the way he's getting criticized. And that's the thing with the NBA. These contracts are ridiculous. Like, there's guys getting 30, 40 million that shouldn't be. But, I mean, we've seen that since 2000. I mean, I mean, look at Chandler, Parsons, you know, they get the bag.
- [57:47]
Interviewer
And Duncan Robinson, I think, got 60 for three years. Something like that.
- [57:51]
Chris London
It's insane, man. Get your shots up, kids. I mean, the money's there. You just gotta go get it. You know what I'm saying? But I think the Rockets will do. They're always been a good, gritty team. And I think having KD in that locker room with those young guys, the only guy that kind of throws me off is Van Fleet, man. I'm just. His shot selection worries me.
- [58:10]
Interviewer
And I think he's getting older, too.
- [58:12]
Chris London
I think he's got to figure out how to be a better point guard, in my opinion. Yeah. So. But I think they'll go far this next season.
- [58:20]
Interviewer
The west is stacked, man.
- [58:22]
Chris London
The west is too stacked.
- [58:23]
Interviewer
It's way too stacked.
- [58:24]
Chris London
You know, my Lakers, man, I. You know, Ayton, I don't know how to feel about it, L.A. louisiana. Is hard to play, like, because there's so much pressure when you're alongside Luka and LeBron. So I think that, like, this is what happens with Lakers players, new Lakers players. They have that honeymoon phase where, you know things gonna go, right? They're playing well the first couple months. Classic Rui Hotramore, right? Start coming around December. Then we go to All Star break. And then after All Star break is the real defining point of who's actually built for LA basketball. Because when you make. That's enough time to see, okay, are they partying, are they disciplined? And then can they handle criticism because it's playoff approaching, so people are getting scrutinized like crazy.
- [59:09]
Interviewer
But.
- [59:10]
Chris London
And that's where I'm a Little fearful for Ayton. I don't know if he can handle scrutiny.
- [59:15]
Interviewer
I'd be shocked if he could.
- [59:16]
Chris London
And we need a defensive big man. That's I, bro. I was at that elimination game for the Lakers and it was the saddest thing. It might have been the saddest LeBron James basketball game I've ever seen in my life.
- [59:30]
Interviewer
They need to call Dwight Howard back.
- [59:32]
Chris London
Yeah. And JJ, please don't ever play a 40 year old for fucking this whole second half ever again.
- [59:37]
Interviewer
Please. Man, he gave it everything he had.
- [59:41]
Chris London
He is man. And gotta give credit to Bron. He's just an old goat.
- [59:46]
Interviewer
Yeah.
- [59:47]
Chris London
Who's your goat?
- [59:49]
Interviewer
I was gonna ask you that. MJ. MJ, who's your goat?
- [59:52]
Chris London
LeBron.
- [59:53]
Interviewer
Really?
- [59:53]
Chris London
Yeah. I think over MJ. Yeah. And it's not to say, like, because here's my take on goats. It's like subjective, right? It's like, what? Like, you have your reasons why you love Michael Jordan, and I have my reasons why I love LeBron Moore. Right. And I don't think either answer is wrong, right or right. Right. I think it's just. It's up for a discussion because there's no real answer to that. There's not a. It's not a fact. It's just up for a debate and a conversation. And then at the end of that conversation, you leave with either the same answer or you change it. Right. And I think over time the goat conversation changes because of the evolution of the game. So we could see in 20 years, like, are we still going to have Michael Jordan as the comparison to that next, you know, player.
- [60:45]
Interviewer
Right.
- [60:46]
Chris London
Or will it be like LeBron? Because I think we would. There was a, you know, a time where they were having this conversation with like, Michael Jordan and somebody else. Yeah, Right. And then eventually it was just the accolades and the way it was played and. Yeah, man, I just. I don't know.
- [61:02]
Interviewer
I think Bronze had the best career. There's no doubt about that. But when I. I think a goat, I'm like your best seasons. That's kind of what I'm comparing. Yeah. And I think MJ's best six seasons just.
- [61:11]
Chris London
I also think it has to do with the personality side of it too, because there's that drive. Like, I think MJ for sure has the better basketball player drive than LeBron. But I think also I'm just biased too, because I can't. I'm not gonna cap and act like I've watched Michael Jordan to every game and shit and just going off of pure facts of what he's done for the game and like, what he's done outside of the game. You know what I mean? And that's another thing too. It's like, do you add that to your argument of the goat of like, what he does, like off the court, right?
- [61:46]
Interviewer
Some people do.
- [61:47]
Chris London
Yeah, some people do. And for me, man, I just, I just love that 3:1 comeback season and just what he did in Cleveland, you know, I think just getting a championship for your city, like, and coming back and doing that in the fashion that he did for me, like you said, just the single seasons, like, I don't think there's a better season that has ever been done.
- [62:12]
Interviewer
No, I'll agree with you on that.
- [62:13]
Chris London
Yeah. And I just think, like, as far as like championship, like the lore behind it and just the team he did it against, like the greatest team, you know, debatably ever created, they had the.
- [62:25]
Interviewer
Best record of all time.
- [62:26]
Chris London
Best record. I mean, you. We could argue like, you know, the Bulls team versus that warriors team, but coming back from 3:1 in the Finals.
- [62:34]
Interviewer
Yeah.
- [62:34]
Chris London
And every category. LeBron, like, let's go. Shit, man.
- [62:39]
Interviewer
LeBron James.
- [62:40]
Chris London
LeBron James.
- [62:41]
Interviewer
Chris, it's been awesome, man. What are you working on next? Where can people find you and everything?
- [62:45]
Chris London
You guys can find me at Iamchrislondon K R I S. I know a lot of you guys. You know, Chris is with the ch. I'm sorry. It's all about the K's, man. And I'm working on just still finding that balance of family life and content. So I think you're gonna see a lot more like raw vlogs. You can catch me on Tick Tock. I love yapping on Tick Tock live. And. Yeah, man, that's where I'll check them out.
- [63:10]
Interviewer
Good luck tonight, brother.
- [63:11]
Chris London
Thank you, bro. Gotta hit some half court heaves. Let's get it.
- [63:15]
Interviewer
See you guys.
- [63:15]
Chris London
See ya.
- [63:16]
Interviewer
I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. It helps the show a lot with the algorithm. Thank you.