Hour 2: The List & Taj Gibson

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast — Hour 2: The List & Taj Gibson

Date: August 6, 2026
Hosts: Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Guest: Taj Gibson

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Episode Overview

In this hour, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg, and Don La Greca start with passionate discourse around Yankees fandom and expectations, juxtaposing them with the Red Sox trajectory. They take listener calls on the state of New York sports, express skepticism and hope about local football, and have a lively, insightful conversation with former Knick Taj Gibson about the Knicks' culture, Jalen Brunson, and his New York community involvement. The episode also features Rosenberg’s signature “List” segment, counting down elite athletes who made a second successful career in a different field.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

I. Yankees, Red Sox, and the Meaning of Contention

(00:39–12:22)

• Recurring Yankee Struggles: Alan laments yet another year with "anemic" offense, referencing the frustration and “Groundhog Day” feeling among fans.
  • "It's almost like fugazi contending. ... If you have a winning record every year, that's good ... but at some point, you want...a year where you’re like, yeah, they've got it.” — Alan Hahn [01:10]
• Comparing Fan Expectations: Inspired by a tweet, hosts discuss whether Yankees fans would tolerate the kinds of ups and downs Boston has had since 2010 (multiple last-place finishes but 2 World Series).
  • Peter challenges the logic: “That’s not as bad as he just painted it to be.” [03:39]
• Callers’ Perspectives: Callers reminisce about old Yankees days and express both gratitude and disenchantment with the current state. Alan stresses that the Yankees’ baseline for success (consistent winning) creates inherently higher expectations:
  • “Your baseline as a Yankee fan is different than everybody else. … So you can't tell me, ‘Well, you should be happy with that.’ … That's now the baseline. That’s the standard." — Alan Hahn [09:28]

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II. Football (and the Hall of Fame Game Antics)

(12:42–18:42)

• Hall of Fame Game Hype: Conversation shifts to NFL preseason hype, with humor about the lo-fi appeal of tonight’s Carolina-Arizona matchup and its absence of star power.
  • "If tonight were a regular Thursday ... I’d put the baby down ... get in my bed, turn on DirecTV ... and go, ‘Oh, oh. Carolina, Arizona, backups. Oh, my God. ... Kurt Warner is not walking through those doors.’” — Peter Rosenberg [17:19]
• Meta TV Banter: Jokes about what non-sports fans would be watching instead (T. Rex races, corgi races, etc.) underscore the summer sports landscape.
• Family Over Football: Alan and Peter both share that they’ll skip the game for family time, with Alan's bittersweet reflection on his children leaving for college:
  • "Haven’t been one in the house in 25 years. Just one in the house.” — Alan Hahn [21:04]
  • “Wow. This is like empty nested Jays.” — Peter Rosenberg [21:09]

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III. The “List” Segment: Greatest Athlete-Turned-Something-Else Careers

(25:14–36:10)

• Opening Premise: Rosenberg honors Brock Lesnar’s retirement and uses it to spark a list of top athletes who became top figures in a different field.
• List Breakdown:
  • #1 — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: Not a football superstar but became the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood.
    • "The Rock played at the U. ... He goes on to be the single highest grossing actor ... in Hollywood.” — Peter Rosenberg [28:02]
  • #2 — Arnold Schwarzenegger: From bodybuilding to movie stardom to Governor of California.
  • #3 — Bill Bradley: Knicks legend and U.S. Senator.
    • “He’s a world champion who then goes on to be a senator for ... a really important politician for a long time.” — Peter Rosenberg [33:51]
  • #4 — Ronald Reagan: College football at Eureka, then actor, then U.S. President.
    • “The man became president, United States. I put him at number four.” — Peter Rosenberg [30:01]
  • #5 — Jim Brown: NFL great, actor, and activist.
• Honorable Mentions:
  • O.J. Simpson (actor/sportscaster, before notoriety), Bob Uecker (catcher/announcer), other wrestler-athletes like Roman Reigns and Goldberg.
• Notable List Frustrations: Alan misses Bill Bradley, prompting some playful ribbing about his “pre-1980” blind spots:
  • “You’ll be ashamed of yourself and you’ll leave the show.” — Peter Rosenberg [32:13]

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IV. Interview with Taj Gibson: Knicks Culture, Jalen Brunson & Giving Back

(39:09–52:22)

a. Reflections on the Knicks’ Championship

• Pride and Connection: Taj expresses fulfillment seeing the team’s success, even from afar, feeling he helped lay the groundwork for their culture change:
  • “We understood that. And Leon and West, everybody, each year, it always felt like a family ... Everybody was super happy. ... It was a lot of years of guys putting in the time, the work, and I’m just happy guys got it done.” — Taj Gibson [40:46]

b. On Jalen Brunson’s Leadership

• Winners’ Intangibles: Taj credits Brunson’s upbringing, work ethic and unselfishness, saying his leadership and sacrifice made him “not surprised” at the Knicks’ title:
  • “He comes from a great family. His dad ... was a great veteran, a great pro. ... Once the Knicks got him, I was like, they got a proven point guard who wants to win. ... How selfless can he be? Taking a pay cut ... make sure he takes good care of his teammates.” — Taj Gibson [42:00]

c. Next Season Outlook

• Taj believes the Knicks are poised for another run, doubting other East contenders have improved enough to match their toughness.

d. Taj’s Future: Retirement and Coaching?

• Still Ready, Still Training:
  • “I’m always in shape. Like, I’m 240. I’m in shape right now. ... It’s just a part of my regimen. I’m a professional.” — Taj Gibson [46:07]
• Coaching Aspirations: Taj sees coaching as his post-playing future but jokes that “every time I think I’m done, the phone rings.”
  • “When the time comes, I’m going to go right into coaching.” — Taj Gibson [45:41]

e. Community Impact: Brooklyn Project

• Revamping the Neighborhood: Gibson describes his efforts in transforming a former Boys and Girls Club by the Brooklyn Navy Yard into housing, a new school, and a cultural arts center.
  • “We can build equity and actually rebuild the culture of downtown Brooklyn. ... A lot of things have just been closing down. ... We’re looking forward to bringing almost 1500 units, 300 to 400 almost affordable, brand new school, 21,000 square foot public space, cultural arts center, all for the community.” — Taj Gibson [47:34]

f. Words on Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT)

• Growth and Maturity: Gibson shares pride in seeing KAT become a more mature, winning player on the Knicks, citing a personal story:
  • “I said, everything’s okay? ... He’s like, ‘Yeah, man, it’s part of it. ... I have to be ready, and I’m ready for it.’ ... He not moving the same way anymore. He’s ready to win the championship.” — Taj Gibson [50:05]

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V. Notable Quotes & Moments

• Alan on Yankees' Standards:
  • “That’s the expectation. ... How are you supposed to be happy with just being standard?” [09:28]
• Peter on Preseason Football:
  • “Kurt Warner is not walking through those doors. ... It hits in your veins.” [17:19]
• Taj on Knicks Fulfillment:
  • “Seeing Leon, the rest of the guys at summer league, it was special.” [39:37]
• Taj’s Advice to Young Pros:
  • “I tell the young players all the time, you never know, just run your race.” [44:36]
• Taj on Civic Contribution:
  • “It’s a great feeling just to … have a say and make sure everybody in the community gets what they need.” [47:34]
• Alan on Family Transitions:
  • “Haven’t been one in the house in 25 years. Just one in the house.” [21:04]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Yankees & Red Sox Expectations: 00:39–12:22
• Football/Hall of Fame Game Talk: 12:42–18:42
• Family & Back-to-School Reflections: 18:58–21:23
• The List (Best Athlete Second Careers): 25:14–36:10
• Taj Gibson Interview: 39:09–52:22
  • Knicks’ Culture & Championship [39:37]
  • On Jalen Brunson [42:00]
  • Season Outlook [43:18]
  • Retirement/Coaching [44:36, 45:41]
  • Community Projects in Brooklyn [47:34]
  • On Karl-Anthony Towns [49:58]

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Tone & Style

The hour features classic New York sports talk: sharp, fast, nostalgic, and sometimes irreverent. Alan asserts perspective with steady, studied fandom; Peter infuses humor and pop culture; and Taj Gibson brings grounded, grateful energy—with a deep focus on mentorship and community. The vibe is relaxed but insightful, full of banter, warmth, and plenty of good-natured ribbing.

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For those seeking a window into New York sports fan psyche, the evolution of professional athletes after playing days, or the city’s on-court and off-court heroes—this episode delivers a thorough, engaging, and memorable listen.

Transcript

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[Don Hahn]

this is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Alan Hahn]

We were just talking Yankees for the first hour. 800-919-3776 for your two cents on their offense, which has been anemic. Not even worth 2 cents. Can't even get the 2 runs per game. 6 of last 7 didn't score more than 2 last night. 1 it was a run that was, it was it was scored walking with the bases loaded. Couldn't even get it was 0 for 10 would run in scoring position. It has been a major issue there offense and it's something that feels like a Groundhog Day conversation that we tend to have with this team. A lot of frustration before we get into the football because it was a tweet I saw and it and it's reasonable to say this, so I get it, but B. Dilly says Yankee fans would have burned Yankee Stadium to the ground if they finished in last place six times and missed the playoffs 10 times in the last 16 years, even with two World Series, which is what Boston has done since 2010. And he said that's not taking anything away from the Red Sox championships. But the idea that a Yankee fan base would be more accepting of that than contending every year is ludicrous. Now it's an extreme to say to be the Red Sox because clearly Boston has had, you know, they had their own troubles up there. They have, they have gone through a lot. They've been mismanaged. They have ownership issues there as well. A lot of people think John Henry and company really aren't as invested and dialed in anymore as they used to be. So I guess using that as an example is probably not the right apples to, you know, apples to apples. But I think it's more of the it's almost like fugazi contending. If you are if you have a winning record every year, that's good. Of course it is. They've been doing it for 30 years, almost 40 years now that they've Been doing that. But at some point, you want to have a feel that the team that is always top three, top five in payroll, that has star players on it and has a brand as big as the Yankees, they got to have a year where you're like, yeah, they've got it. I could see it. Not in February, where you're going, look, with all this talent, they can win a World Series.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What? No.

[Alan Hahn]

Get me to July feeling that way about a team. And I just. We haven't had that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Alan, what. What stat did the guy actually give in the. In the tweet? What did he say?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, it was. It was, you know, finished last place six times, missed the playoffs 10 times in the last 16 years, even with two World Series. Now, I know the math doesn't matter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Just real quick. They won the World Series in 2013.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They lost in the ALDS in 16 and 17.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They won in 18. They lost in the CS in 21, and they lost in the wild card in 25. I don't know that with a couple of World Series. And I can only speak for me and you to his point of, well, they'd burn down Yankee stadiums because of our. Our expectations.

[Alan Hahn]

But that's what he's supposed to do. Yeah, you're supposed to be demanding more.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But, like, that's not as bad as he just painted that to be.

[Caller/Listener]

I know.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, again, he was being dramatic. It's.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And by the way, you were right. The Red Sox also. The Red Sox made a. The Red Sox. The Red Sox. Listen, I wouldn't have included in that. Make a Babe Ruth level bad trade with Mookie Bets. I didn't say make horrifying organization organizational decisions. I'm not saying that because the Red Sox have tried to ruin it. I'm just saying there are teams in this league who win championships, and they may not win 95 games every year, but every few years, they truly contend versus what we're doing now, which, let's be honest, Alan, it feels like is fake contending every year. That's sort of what it feels like.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, It's. It's like you're there, but are you? Because I am trying to remember the last time where they were playing later in the year. And you're like, they gotta. They gotta look about them. Right? Like, oh, this team's gotta look about him. You could just feel it. Not the. Well, if this guy gets healthy and they can get healthy and. You know what I mean? That's the part that, like, I've been waiting for is when did. When do you have that. That feeling like they're in it team. And this year you don't have that. There's other teams that are more it teams than they are right now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Certainly right now. Yes.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Jeff in Albany. One more thing on the Yankees. Good, Jeff.

[Caller/Listener]

Hey, my guys. First off, first time caller, long time listener. You guys got me through the pandemic. I work from home all the time. Before I get into my point, Peter, you're awesome. I love it when you guys talk music, whether people get on you or not. I grew up. Alan, you're great addition to the show. I grew up listening to music from Chicago and Eagles and all that kind of stuff. So love it all. But you guys are awesome. I did like Michael K. I still listen to him and watch him. But I think you're a great addition to the show. So that's what I wanted to say. You got it. My point on the Yankees is, and I brought this up to some of my friends. I'm 47, Peter. I were. I think we're the same age. My birthday was last Wednesday, so.

Oh, wow.

[Peter Rosenberg]

We really are the same age. Happy birthday, my dude.

[Caller/Listener]

Well, thank you. Happy birthday to you. But I grew up when I was 12, I started delivering newspapers and every morning I would check them for the standings and we were always in last place. I was a huge Don Mattingly fan. Modeled my batting swing after him, all that kind of stuff. But I grew up with the Danny Chartable, Steve Balboni. Oh, yeah, Moss, all that kind of stuff. So I lived through the doldrums and then I was lucky enough to live through 96 through 2000. And it was great. And like I said, I worked in Cooperstown my whole life. Worked at the hall of Fame, got to have breakfast with Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Dore, met Whitey Ford, all those guys. I've met Dave Winfield in my job, Andy Pettit, Roger Clemens. I've seen Odell Beckham Jr. Play as a youth, Garrett Cole, everything in between. But that's not my point. My point is, to me, I'm not trying to defend Brian Cashman. To me, stick built those teams. And I give Cashman credit in the early days. But my point is, is in those days, they go get David justice or even Jose Canseco or add those pieces.

[Alan Hahn]

Peripherals, Right. Like compliment, complimentary pieces. Absolutely true. Absolutely true.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

And I don't seem to do that. No, no, because you're. It does feel different. The approach does feel different. How much of that Is of course, you know, the budget. But I keep going back to the same thing when anybody wants to bring up the spending from the past compared to today. And Jeff, thanks for the call and for the kind words too, is it's as simple as it's not Hal Steinbrenner, are you spending enough money? It's are you spending it wisely? Like, that's all I've ever asked is just can someone ever get that answer out of House Steinbrenner? The budget you give is still top five in the league. So it's not like you're being cheap, you're being top five spending teams. But is that, is that money being spent? Well, the answer can't be yes. It can't be in comparison to the past. No, it can't be yes. Ron in Florida. Ron, you're up next.

[Caller/Listener]

What's up, as you mentioned before about the Red Sox, as a dara Yankee fan, who in the right mind as a Yankee fan wouldn't want to take the Red Sox? They have four World Series and we have one. I know they brought them out, but he says Brian Cashmere preaches championships, but he hasn't got one since 09 and the Reds have won four. So as someone that's a Yankees fan like myself, I love the Yankees. I would take the Red Sox because I know they bought them out, but at least they have won, even though all about winning. So let's. So, so, so who cares if you bottom out, it'll make the playoffs. It's about winning Yankees. I know they win up here, but they don't win the World Series. So I'd rather be the Red Sox if, like I'm a Yankees fan.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, if you know what you have, Ron, and thanks for the call and it's a good point. But that's, that's also knowing that they have those, the four championships and then there's two in their pocket. Right. Like you already know those were there. But that's, that's kind of the difference here is they just, they maintain their good every year. And we're being told that. That's where I always tell people to back off. Because when you, when you start being told by other fan bases that you're supposed to be happy with this, I'm telling you, everybody has a baseline. Every fan base has it. Your baseline is what you're used to. And so your baseline as a Yankee fan is different than everybody else. Your baseline has to do with history, but it also has to do with recent history. And if you're telling me for the last 30 years, this team has always had a winning record? That's your baseline expectation every year. That. There's no excuse. Right. Because this is what you are every year. So you can't tell me. Well, you should be happy with that. Why? That's been 30 years of it. That's now the baseline. That's the expectation. That's the standard that they have created. How are you supposed to be happy with just being standard? It's not the standard of the rest of the league. It's the standard that you set. It's a different conversation, and I don't know why some fans just don't. Don't get it. So you don't tell me that I can't raise my expectations, my demand. That's why the guy that tweeted that Yankee fans would have burned down the stadium. Of course, because your expectation is to win. But now you're being. You're kind of being pacified with, hey, just be happy that you're winning. You know, it could be worse. You could be the Mets. Right. Like, you could have to deal with what Met fans have to deal with. Sure, but that's why I'm not a Met fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Exactly.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, one more on this, because everybody wants to talk about it. Ivan in Connecticut, because I like this point. Get.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Ivan.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah.

[Taj Gibson]

Hey, how are you guys?

[Caller/Listener]

Big fan.

[Taj Gibson]

First things first.

[Caller/Listener]

Nixon.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Five.

[Alan Hahn]

So, five.

[Don Hahn]

But.

[Caller/Listener]

But, yeah, just like, I guess I want to. I like to be in the moment, but I got to think ahead. Like, even if we get to the playoffs, you know, Judge is coming back, what, two weeks before the playoffs? And then. Stan, that's a huge question.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. You can tell me he's coming back in two weeks before the playoffs. You can tell me he's coming back a month before, a day before. No, Ivan, nobody knows. They have no idea.

[Caller/Listener]

Yep. Yeah. But, yeah, it proves my point. But even when we get to plays, like, the way this team's playing, you know, maybe it's foreshadowing there. It's just, you know, then we're gonna have the whole conversation again. We're like, well, see, this is. Here we go again. And, you know, where we're at now. So it's just. I don't know.

[Taj Gibson]

I'm kind of prepared for the worst,

[Caller/Listener]

if that makes sense at this point.

[Alan Hahn]

So, you know, with all this news, Ivan, thank you for the call. What a terrible place to be. I'm like, what, what are they, 13, 14? 13 or 12 games over. 500. I'm preparing for the worst.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I get it.

[Alan Hahn]

Like, this is exactly the problem. It's exactly the problem. All right, well, we can keep discussing this. The mets just won 13 6. That game's over, so they get a sweep. So we'll get into Mets a little bit later on. But let's just transition for a moment here, if we could, Peter, into just catching up everybody, on what's happening locally with football. Yeah, there is football tonight.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Football.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

If you smell. Yeah, yeah, it smells like a. Tonight's game. Smells like a Tuesday in late June during.

[Don Hahn]

On.

[Peter Rosenberg]

On. On Hallmark Channel.

[Caller/Listener]

I don't want to put you guys on the spot.

[Taj Gibson]

Yeah.

[Caller/Listener]

But I'm gonna do it anyway.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You want me to make a pick in the Carolina?

[Caller/Listener]

God, no. We have a number for that, but

[Alan Hahn]

can you get help?

[Caller/Listener]

Have you seen Adam Schefter's tweet of the graphic that they put up for this game tonight? Okay. No, I'm gonna send it to you. Can you name the two players that

[Alan Hahn]

are in the graph, the promo?

[Caller/Listener]

Because you only show the best of the best in the graphic.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, I'm looking at it.

[Caller/Listener]

So Alan's got it. Peter. It'll be on your phone.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'm loading it right now.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, boy. Carolina.

[Caller/Listener]

I only got one. Jacob got the same one I got.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, so the quarterback. That's the quarterback on the left.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, that's.

[Caller/Listener]

Yes. Carson. Beck.

[Alan Hahn]

Carson.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Beck.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Carson.

[Alan Hahn]

Entering entering the NFL at the age of 30.

[Caller/Listener]

Got off of the table. He just got off the. He just went to the Venetian. Hour on table five. They finally got to them, and they gave them the scraps, and now he's gonna go play in the hall of Fame game.

[Alan Hahn]

I kind of like Beck. I actually think he's gonna be pretty good.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Caller/Listener]

I don't want to disrespect him because he was.

[Alan Hahn]

The other guy. Could be Jake Delome for all I know. Carolina Panthers.

[Caller/Listener]

Honestly. And this is not an insult. No, you're not going to get it.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Caller/Listener]

Who is it?

Who is Kenny Pickett?

[Alan Hahn]

That is Pickett.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow.

[Caller/Listener]

He's on the. First of all, Kenny Pickett's a Carolina Panther.

[Alan Hahn]

Kenny.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Congratulations.

[Alan Hahn]

You know what he's doing, though, if you take a look at him? Kenny Pickett is heading into his Justin Herbert era. Look at his look.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

You know what I mean?

[Caller/Listener]

He's given.

[Alan Hahn]

He's given, like, you know, Timu Justin Herbert.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's not going to be throwing the ball like Justin.

[Alan Hahn]

I didn't say. I said. That's why I said Timo that's right.

[Caller/Listener]

So tonight, if you're, if you're indulging in the hall of Fame game, you're going to see the, the big battle between an offense run by Carson Beck, who Arizona hopes is going to be the quarterback of the future. That's not nothing if you're a Cardinals fan.

[Alan Hahn]

No.

[Caller/Listener]

And Kenny Pickett.

[Alan Hahn]

Do you think they're hoping Beck is the quarterback of the future or are they hoping their quarterback of the future is coming in the next.

[Caller/Listener]

Well, I don't think Jacoby Brissette is the quarterback out of everybody that's on the roster. Yeah, I would say that the person will be a quarterback pass this year is probably. All right, Carson.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, since we're all having this discussion again, eight o', clock, NBC. By the way, like you dream about hall of Fame came on nb if, like, what would be on tonight instead that somebody who's not a. Not a sports fan.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, Thursday, 8 o'.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Clock.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Tonight's the Cosby Show.

[Alan Hahn]

This is.

[Caller/Listener]

No, that would be in Celebrity Family Feuds on tonight.

[Taj Gibson]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

On. On NBC.

[Caller/Listener]

Not on NBC.

[Alan Hahn]

No, that's what I'm saying. What would normally be in this time slot that someone who would like. It's probably all reruns. Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it might be a. Tonight might be a Brewster night. It's Punky Brewster.

[Caller/Listener]

I think the ojo's on tonight. Hang on now.

[Alan Hahn]

Somebody's so frustrated that they're like, what's this, what's this football game on? I don't.

[Caller/Listener]

Okay, hang on, hang on, everybody. No, no, no.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then when they watch it and they go, is this football?

[Caller/Listener]

8pm on ESPN2.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Caller/Listener]

The T. Rex World Championship Races.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hey, now.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Caller/Listener]

At 8:30, the 2026 corgi races.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, seriously?

[Caller/Listener]

Yes, love.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, I got, I got a dvr.

[Caller/Listener]

The Meadowlands Racetrack, Wiener Dog Derby.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, tonight's a big night.

[Caller/Listener]

And at 10, the great Bahamian crab races.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay, I am DVRing everything happening on TV.

[Alan Hahn]

Except the football.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Except the football. Which will be.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, so in reality, again, eight o', clock, NBC. How much are you going to. Because it's football, as Shefty said. And so it begins. How much are you, honestly, how much are you dialing in of this game? Is it just because, remember, this is football. We crave it. Are you watching? Just because.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I am. Not personally.

[Alan Hahn]

Not at all.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I am doing something glorious tonight.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, you have plans, which is why,

[Peter Rosenberg]

of course I have glorious plans that I'll get into a little bit later. But so for me, if I were home, if tonight were a regular Thursday at home.

[Alan Hahn]

Thursday, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I'd put the baby down around 8, 8:15. I would then forget the game was on. Then I would get in my bed and I would turn on DirecTV and it would show it. It would be like hall of Fame. Game would be up as one of the options, and I would go, oh, oh. Carolina, Arizona, backups. Oh, my God. I got news. Kurt Warner is not walking through those doors. You know what I mean?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

David Boston isn't walking through those doors.

[Alan Hahn]

Boston, he says, okay, all right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You want to. We could go all night if you want to.

[Alan Hahn]

Rod Tidwell. Rod Tidwell is not walking through that door.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, there's. Neil Lomax is not walking through those doors. Okay. So the truth is, I would throw it on because I like the feeling of just seeing football for that first time. It.

[Taj Gibson]

It.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It hits in your veins.

[Alan Hahn]

It does. It does.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And you go, oh, my God, there it is. You hear who?

[Taj Gibson]

It'll.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It'll be Tirico tonight. You'll hear a little Tirico. It'll feel good to hear him. Little Collinsworth. And then I go, all right, let's. What are we watching, Matt? What episode of Mad Men are we on? I'm not. Alan. There was a time I would have watched the whole thing. I love the NFL as much as ever, but I'm not keeping it on all night anymore.

[Caller/Listener]

Are you?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, there was definitely a time you'd have it on the background. Just have it on maybe, like I said, the first series or two, just because you want to see it. And then you're like, all right, I think I.

[Don Hahn]

But you've got.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You've got dwindling days with your kids right now. Whatever they want to watch, whatever they want to do.

[Alan Hahn]

Tonight's like a last supper.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wait, really?

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, a little emotional.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Who's leaving tonight?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, no one. It's not leaving tonight. It's just the last of us going out as a family. Because Emma's already gone. She's down in Florida. She's all. She's setting up. Gracie is going away Saturday. To go where? School.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Why?

[Alan Hahn]

College. Because that's what.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

That's what.

[Alan Hahn]

That's what little do, Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But isn't she sticking near us, though?

[Alan Hahn]

She's. She's in the vicinity. Okay, but she's got to live on campus. She's volleyball player.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And it's our. And she's leaving that early?

[Alan Hahn]

Well, because practice begins Monday. Yeah, two days. By the way. They don't mess around. Malloy. Two a day.

[Caller/Listener]

What's next?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Marco and Jalen going off to college next week, too?

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, if you do the math, a couple of years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So. So tonight. What are you guys doing tonight, though? You're not watching hall of Fame games? What? You're not?

[Alan Hahn]

No, I'm not watching. No, no. It's Zach's birthday today. It's everybody's birthday. It's Anthony Pusick's birthday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, my gosh.

[Alan Hahn]

To the glue.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No ice cream cake for the glue of the show.

[Alan Hahn]

No, no, we can. We can doordash a little.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Caller/Listener]

I'm good. I appreciate it.

[Alan Hahn]

All right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, once we're all together, we're going to do something. Taking the more dragons at dinner.

[Caller/Listener]

By the way, it's so much better to go onto campus when nobody's there. So she's got a maid, she can move in. There's not like 800 other people trying to move in around her.

[Alan Hahn]

That's fall sports athlete move in this weekend. And so she's. She's moving in, getting set, getting settled in with her teammates. And then I love it because the coaches are like, all right, come in, get settled in. You got Sunday, and guess what? Monday, 2A days, let's go right at it. It's great, man.

[Taj Gibson]

That is serious.

[Alan Hahn]

But, yeah, so tonight for Zach's birthday, we're just, you know, gonna see my guy Dennis at Mateo's and we're gonna have a nice family dinner. And then Friday's more of the packing up, getting ready to go for Saturday. Yeah, man. And then we're down like. And then Zach's gotta go in another week, I think, or two. And then. And then we're down to one in the house.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Crazy.

[Alan Hahn]

Haven't been one in the house in 25 years. Just one in the house.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow. This is like empty nested Jays.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, very close.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What. What grade is she going into?

[Alan Hahn]

Cali. Yeah, she's going into six.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right.

[Caller/Listener]

Okay.

[Alan Hahn]

And she's already got plans to play hockey in prep school, so we've got like three years left of her.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What you think? You think she's in a leave for prep school?

[Taj Gibson]

You do.

[Alan Hahn]

She's already planning it.

[Taj Gibson]

My God,

[Alan Hahn]

we're gonna have seven dogs in the house. If I know Stephanie.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah, you know what? I support this.

[Alan Hahn]

Let's, let's. Yeah,

[Peter Rosenberg]

you go ahead.

[Alan Hahn]

I was gonna say I support an idea that you had before the show.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, oh, yes, before you tell me that I. Because now that we're on the whole sad everyone's getting older. College Note. I'm in D.C. because I wanted to come down here. My brother has gotten back into wrestling after 35, 40 years.

[Alan Hahn]

He's wrestling again.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's not, no, no, he's not wrestling himself. That's what Anthony said too. Anthony thought he was signing up for nxt.

[Alan Hahn]

I was very excited when I heard this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, he's a little bit of ways away from that gym wise. But he, he's been enjoying it. And his kids, my niece and nephew leave for college the next two weeks.

[Caller/Listener]

Oh.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And so he, WWE is doing a non televised showdown here by George Mason University. And he was telling me, he's like, hey, do you think I get tickets for, you know, me and the kids? And I was like, oh, sure, let me see what I can do.

[Caller/Listener]

Right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

And then I thought, wait a second, I'm not missing this. They're going to go to their first ever WWE show and I'm not going

[Alan Hahn]

to be there, please.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And they're about to leave for college,

[Alan Hahn]

so I'm there to tell them like you're, it's exactly what you should be, is have them there and get them the experience of a lifetime.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah, and by the way, the tickets just came through front row. Oh, we are going to be splitting

[Alan Hahn]

oil all over them.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, yeah. Booing the bad guys, rubbing the good guys so I get the oil on my arm. It's going to be a great time.

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[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Taj Gibson]

Just made the list, buddy.

[Don Hahn]

This is the list with Don Han and Rosenberg brought to you by the Allore Group.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, Peter, so you have a list. It's based off of some recent activity among people that we know in the world of sports and entertainment and you've created this very, very interesting list that I think is going to also create a very interesting conversation.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, that's right. I'm glad you brought that up, Alan. That's right. Had to hit you with another one. We didn't really get to it much this week, but one of the greatest. Oh, you had a different pro wrestlers of all time. Called it a career this week. Brock Lesnar ended his incredible career after losing to Obafemi at SummerSlam on Saturday night. He actually got on the mic and he said, I am the past, he is the future. Literally passed the torch in sort of as aggressive and beautiful a way as humanly possible. Anthony, I know we just talked about this, but I forget, were you in the day Brock came in?

[Caller/Listener]

Oh, yeah, yeah, I was.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It was like totally. It like totally changed the way you thought of it when you see him on tv, didn't it?

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah, he was, he was super nice and I think I still, if I'm not mistaken, I still have some of the dry rub from that he gave us. So you got that too?

[Alan Hahn]

Excuse me.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He has a barbecue product. Barbecue.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What are little dry rub. Anyways, he did the K show during the Pandemic and he was, it was really, it took Being around him in person for me to realize he was actually a human being because he's so scary as a pro wrestler. And of course, that's not just the fact that he looks like a beast. He is one of the greatest amateur wrestlers of all time. Dominated at the University of Minnesota, made it to the NFL very briefly for the Minnesota Vikings. That didn't work out. He goes to wwe, then at one point, after getting bored, leaves wwe, says, I'm going to try out this UFC thing, becomes heavyweight champion in ufc and then goes out and closes out his wrestling career. So truly one of the best to ever do it. And it got me thinking, okay, who are the best combinations of were a great athlete and turned it into something else awesome.

[Alan Hahn]

Now when you say great athlete, you're talking about elite level. Because like for instance, you could make the case that Dwayne the Rock Johnson. Well, Dwayne the Rock Johnson does he considered. Was he

[Peter Rosenberg]

Dwayne the Rock Johnson, since you just put it out there, basically, I'll take it as a guess.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Dwayne the Rock Johnson played under Dennis Erickson at Miami.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, he's number.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's number one on the list.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, he's number one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's number one now, now listen, he was not the greatest football player of all time, but at a time in which Miami was becoming Miami. Yeah, the Rock played at the U. They were becoming the.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

You.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Um, at that, I mean, Ed Orgeron was the coordinator. This was the. This team was really beginning the beginning days of the U. The Rock was there. He goes on to be the single highest grossing actor, I believe, in the history of Hollywood. So Dwayne the Rock Johnson's number one now, since he's the only wrestler on the list. Just a couple of other honorable mentions. Obviously Roman Reigns played with Calvin Johnson at Georgia Tech, a very legitimate football player. He's now as big as you could be in WWE. The late great after losing his battle sadly with ALS, the late great Steve Mongo. McMichael had a great career in WCW as a wrestler. Goldberg played big time college football briefly on the Atlanta Falcons. And then Ron Simmons was an incredible college football player and world champion in wrestling as well. Couple other honorable mentions I'll get to afterwards. But I wanted to mention those football people, so, I mean those wrestling people, I should say. So number one, you have Dwayne the Rock Johnson. I'm going to tell you right now, Alan, as a hint, there are a couple people on the list where, like for example, one's athletic Career is not that great, but the heights that they made it to otherwise required me to put them on the list.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, that's what I'm trying, I'm trying to do that now in my brain.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think with a gun to your head, you could not have guessed where this person played college football.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But the fact that they did play college football and went on to be what they went on to be. Put them on the list.

[Alan Hahn]

Don Johnson.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Close. Ron Reagan.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. And by the way, perfect opportunity to play more drops again. Jacob.

[Alan Hahn]

Close. Mispronounce some of those names in there. You did, you did.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Played football for four years at Eureka College, of course did Ronald Reagan before going on to play the Gipper.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So he, even though he was not a great, great athlete, the man became president, United States. I put him at number four on the list.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Hein.

[Caller/Listener]

Shown.

[Alan Hahn]

We love Dutch. Old Dutch.

[Peter Rosenberg]

What about Coven.

[Alan Hahn]

That.

[Caller/Listener]

That's so they couldn't, they couldn't be, they couldn't be a great athlete and then do great things after.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, no. The, the, the, he, the other, the other three were really great. Were great, great athletes, but they didn't get to the heights of President of the United States.

[Don Hahn]

President, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

President. And he was a well known respecter actor too.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, sorry. Thank you, Alan. Huge actor first, then president.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah, yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

No Dutch. All right, so would Carl Weathers. Apollo Creed thought about it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thought about it.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, he did play in the NFL.

[Taj Gibson]

He.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I did not. I got to tell you, I did not realize the extent of Carl Weather's football career.

[Alan Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I think, I think you'll feel good with who you're taking out.

[Alan Hahn]

All right, well, John Cena's got to be one.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no more wrestlers.

[Alan Hahn]

Big screen. Oh, no more wrestlers.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yes, now, now, no more wrestlers. I will say. Okay, One of them is in the WWE hall of Fame, but is not a wrestler.

[Caller/Listener]

I have one that's not on there. But what about. Jacob said it's not a bad one. So if you, if you laugh at me, I'll take it. George Foreman.

[Alan Hahn]

Excellent.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, what are we. Oh, because he went on with the Grills.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah, I know it sounds dumb, but.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, no, he went on to be an excellent businessman. Yeah, I did not think about it. That's a fair point. Incredibly incredible boxing career, world champ and then has one of the great businesses of all time.

[Alan Hahn]

Yes. His. Everything that he did personality didn't, I didn't consider him.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But that's, I don't hate that.

[Taj Gibson]

Okay, okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right. I'll I'll give you. Do you want hints or you want me to just go one? Don Allen, one is staring you right in the face. 1. You'll be ashamed of yourself and you'll leave the show.

[Alan Hahn]

O.J. simpson.

[Peter Rosenberg]

O.J. simpson is an honorable mention.

[Alan Hahn]

That is an honorable mention.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But that's not the one that. No, Allen. Spike will. Spike will disown you. Both spikes. Alan. Both spikes. Will disown both.

[Alan Hahn]

Both spikes. Not Jordan. Can't be Jordan.

[Caller/Listener]

No.

[Alan Hahn]

Who am I missing? Why it hit me. Just hit me with it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Staring you right in the face.

[Caller/Listener]

Jacob and I are racking our brains on the WWE hall of Famer.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Anthony. You don't know who I'm thinking about. Great athlete who went on to something more. And it's so in Alan's wheelhouse that he'll be ashamed.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm going to be ashamed. I know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Anybody.

[Caller/Listener]

We're all going to feel ashamed.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. I don't know why I'm blanking right now, but that's because I've been watching too much.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Did anything eventful happen this summer?

[Alan Hahn]

The Knicks won the championship.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Yeah. Yeah. And when was the last time they won?

[Alan Hahn]

73.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And when before that?

[Alan Hahn]

70.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How about Senator Bill Brown?

[Caller/Listener]

I was gonna say the senator.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. I don't. I gotta be honest with you. I'm thinking he doesn't. He's not on your radar. That's what I'm thinking.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's a world champion. He's a world champion who then goes on to be a senator for, you know, a really important politician for a long time.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

An integral part of American.

[Alan Hahn]

I did not think he would resonate at all with you.

[Caller/Listener]

Wow. So.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So write this down. Alan has zero respect for me as a person.

[Caller/Listener]

I have that in the recap.

[Alan Hahn]

You are. You are a guy that. You're very, very much somebody that if it happened before 1980, it didn't really. Did it really happen?

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But think about the household I grew up in. I've known about Bill Bradley since I was a baby.

[Alan Hahn]

I. I should have thought that way, but I wasn't.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, so we got. We have. We have Reagan at four. We have Bradley three. We have. We have the rocket one. It leaves two and five. I know. I'm going to speed things along. So we have to get to our guests. Taj coming up.

[Alan Hahn]

Yep.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Number five. There are people who could argue higher. When you think about how great a player he was, the activist and the actor. Jim Brown.

[Alan Hahn]

Jim Brown, number five on the list. I was thinking about that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's a big acting career, you know, really well known as an activist. And of course, yes, Alan, he's in the conversation for greatest football player of all time.

[Alan Hahn]

Of all time, Craig. So Dirty Dozen was phenomenal.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So when you think, when you add it all up, how good a player he was with how big an actor he could have been. Higher than five.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah. Yeah, that's good.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Number two is a little wonky because you wouldn't have thought. And this is the one who's in the WWE hall of Fame. You wouldn't have thought of him as an athlete per se, but what he did was an athletic endeavor. And then he goes on to be one of the biggest stars in the world and a major politician. And it is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Taj Gibson]

There you go.

[Alan Hahn]

I was wondering if you were going to go there too, because I don't know, again, would you have considered him an athlete? Although, of course, you know you have to, right? Yes, Mr. Olympia. Yeah.

[Peter Rosenberg]

How do you not. So it's number five, the great Jim Brown.

[Alan Hahn]

Four.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, Ronald Reagan.

[Caller/Listener]

Three.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Bill Bradley. Two. Arnold Schwarzenegger won the rock. I thought about O.J. simpson. I thought about the late, great Bob Euchre. We mentioned all the great wrestlers.

[Caller/Listener]

Also WWE hall of Famer, by the way.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Who's that?

[Caller/Listener]

Euchre.

[Alan Hahn]

You.

[Peter Rosenberg]

That's right. The UK is in the WWE hall of Fame. All right, that is your top five. If you guys think of any good ones, feel free to protect.

[Alan Hahn]

Throw them in the chat. Throw them. Throw them in the tweets and all that other stuff and we'll read them coming up later on the show. I see lists are fun. That's the fun thing is they create a lot of good conversation. It was, of course, based off of the Brock Lesnar news. So that's. That's all. That's all good stuff, Pete. I love that idea.

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[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I didn't listen to anything you just said.

[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alan Hahn]

You know right now, friend of the show, let's bring him on. Taj Gibson, still doing great things on the basketball court. Great things in here, this hometown city of New York. Joining us right now, Taj, it's great to have you on. It's good to catch up with you and I would love you're a guy that you spent in two different stints. You spent time here in New York playing for your hometown team, playing for the Knicks to see them win the championship. What? What did that mean for you?

[Taj Gibson]

Man, I had a good. I took a shot, raised it in the air, and just was happy. That's what more can I say, you know, you know how hard we work to help the guys get there. The mission was accomplished. And just seeing Leon, the rest of the guys at. During summer league, it was, it was, it was special.

[Alan Hahn]

I'm glad you said that part, which is to help them get there, because that can't be lost right along the way of this build from when Leon Rose took over this team six years ago and, and rebuilt it and, and the idea of changing the culture had to do with bringing in different players who could help do that, not just the, the star players. Obviously, what Jalen Brunson has been able to do here has been talked about plenty. But having guys like you come in as well and, and, and lay that kind of groundwork. So for that, like, there had to have been a source of pride for you. There was a lot of guys I talked to that had that feeling, almost like, you know, I'm not watching it, feeling disconnected. I feel connected to this because I was part of laying the groundwork for this, because six years ago, nobody would have believed that this could have happened without a question.

[Taj Gibson]

I remember everybody just giving us slack, this one to come. Come to New York now and back then. And then, now we look at it now, it's just so good to see guys wanting to come. Guys are saying, I want to go play championship basketball. It's the whole culture now. That was what everybody that was wearing the jersey was trying to do at the time. And we understood that. And Leon and West, everybody, each year, it always felt like a family. And even when I see those guys now, even if I'm on the other side of opposing side, you see the love. Every time I play the Knicks, it's just that genuine. So, again, everybody was prideful. Everybody was super happy. And you can tell guys deserve it. It was a lot of years of guys putting in the time, the work, and I'm just happy guys got it done.

[Alan Hahn]

What did you see from Jalen Brunson? Was there something that, with being teammates with him or even watching from afar that told you? I've asked a lot of guys about this that wore the jersey that just told you, like, you know, he's somebody, he's a champ, like, he's a champion. What do you see in him? And especially what he was able to do in those NBA finals against Wembanyama.

[Taj Gibson]

One thing about him, he comes from a great family. His dad is his dad Raised us. His dad was a great veteran, a great pro. And then you can tell that new generation of just him just elevating his game, just taking it one day at a time. But I seen it ever since I was going to Villanova with his dad to watch him play in these big time games. And I kind of had. He always had that sense, even since high school, like, he was a winner. And then once the Knicks got him, I was like, they got a proven point guard who wants to win. And it showed. Like, how selfless can he be? Just taking the pay cut, make sure everybody's coming to town, make sure he takes good care of his teammates off the court. He's phenomenal. Like, I was just in awe just watching him grow up and then to become a pro, be a great teammate, just be a leader and then kill the way he killed in the playoffs. Like, I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised because he puts the work in those guys. If you play for the Knicks, you understand, up in Westchester, you understand he put that work in that gym now

[Peter Rosenberg]

because they are the team that. A team that does work that way. And they've shown what they've shown. Do you like their odds to make a run of it again next year in spite of how much craziness has happened just within the division, of course,

[Taj Gibson]

we can go down the line. We can go on the list of the teams that everybody who played in the playoffs last year and asked ourselves, did they get better enough to compete against the Knicks again? We go down the list with Cleveland, the way they got swept, they need some toughness. I don't see them kind of matching up the way they are. Philly could be, but it's a whole new team. You still got to go through the woes of just having guys wanting to have great nights where they're getting great shots and it's a whole new team. And then BJ's gonna have to take a whole new step. He's young. So we'll see about that. Boston, did they really get better beat the Knicks? I don't think so. I see this guy, I see the Knicks getting back. Really. They proven they're tough. And that, that group, that group that you see went through so much. So now you got a taste of champagne and running.

[Alan Hahn]

Oh, it's over once you break the seal, right? Like that's what it's. It's now you just. There's no doubt anymore in your mind with that in mind. So you just turned 41. You and I have birthdays close to each other. And you, you, you played last year, 17 seasons, you played in the NBA. What's the future hold for you? Because there is a roster spot open here in New York. Just throwing that out there.

[Taj Gibson]

Oh, man. First thing, I'm just super blessed. Just been. It's been a roller coaster. I tell the young players all the time, you never know, just run your race. I really enjoy just the whole aspect of being a professional, Working out, doing what I have to do. And I've been great. Just been so gracious, getting the deals. And it's funny you said that. I don't know about the Knicks. It's been. I've been so blessed with that organization. They called me time and time again. I would chuckle if it happened. But I'm just looking to see what's going to happen next. I know that a lot of speculation is talking about what I may do this year, but just wait and see what my agent's going to say. And if it's time to bow out, I'll bow out. But every time I think I'm done, the phone rings. And it's like, I always chuckled because Leon started it, because every time I thought I was done, Leon would say, you guys, hey, you got some time. You got 10 days for you, and I will always come. And it was just so fun. And I'm just chuckling with it right now. Be honest with you. I'm just taking it day by day. And when the time come, I'm going to go right into coaching, you know?

[Peter Rosenberg]

But when you, when you.

[Alan Hahn]

Coaching is perfect for you. I just thought, Peter, I thought he was going to give us the. He's so New York. He was going to give us the Godfather line.

[Caller/Listener]

Yeah.

[Alan Hahn]

Just when you think they pull me

[Peter Rosenberg]

back in, put me back in now, now. But Taj, that mean. Does that mean, though, that you always are staying in potentially in game shape, or is that just your natural ways to be in the gym? Anyway,

[Taj Gibson]

to be honest with you, Peter, I. I'm always in shape. Like, I'm 240. I'm in shape right now. It's just like, right? I told like, my neighbor, he's from in downtown Brooklyn, and this is one of my old neighbors. He watched me grow up. He always sees me and I'm like, I don't know, og I don't know. He's like, man, you look great. You look like you play a couple more years. I'm like, ah, I feel you, but it's just a part of my regimen. I'M a professional. So when I see the young players, the young guys that's coming in the league, I gotta look the part. So when I do say something like, yo, I have to be, I gotta be held accountable. So that's part of my life. I'm a professional. That's all I know, really.

[Alan Hahn]

I mean, you brought up Brooklyn. And speaking of, every time you get a new contract, it's always good news for the Taj Gibson foundation, right? Like, it's something that is, I know, something that you care about a lot. And it's not just from words that you said, but it's also your actions that you've been a big community guy. You've been. I remember you wearing 67 as a jersey number for the school you attended. It meant something to you to represent for Fort Greene. And you're in the midst right now of doing something in the community there. The old boys and Girls club that was there that you've now, with your partners, taken over and you're trying to turn into something special on your own by the Navy yard. Tell me about what you're working on and tell all our listeners about what you're working on in Brooklyn and why it's so important to you.

[Taj Gibson]

Well, first thing I appreciate you guys is giving a spotlight shout out to Aloe Brooklyn. My partners, my good team at gfb, we just trying to start something special where we can build equity and actually rebuild the culture of downtown Brooklyn. Being down in Brooklyn so long in downtown Brooklyn area, a lot of our schools were just suffering. A lot of things have just been closing down. And we've been able to have the ability to work with a development company in Aloe Brooklyn who sees the same vision of us trying to help the community. And coming up, we're looking forward to bringing almost 1500 units, 300 to 400 almost affordable, brand new school, 21,000 square foot public space, cultural arts center, all for the community. And it's a great feeling just to be able to come in your community and have a say and make sure everybody in the community gets what they need. I just felt like for years the greater downtown community, especially with our resources for our children and our public schools, we need better, we need to do more. And I'm just so blessed to try to help, be able to help my community.

[Alan Hahn]

You're somebody that you went through it, you lived it, so you understand it. And if I know you, you'll be on every P and Q to make sure it all goes the way it's supposed to. Go because of just how focused you are on this stuff. It's something that is great always to see when an athlete who's made it doesn't completely leave and doesn't forget where they come from, and they want to reinvest in where they came from to make sure that the next generation has it a little bit better than you did. So it's a great story, and we'll continue to follow it. I do want to ask you, though, a little bit back to basket, if I could, Todd, because you spent some time in Minnesota as well, and you're a big man and you're a guy who wants to coach. You've said that you've made that clear a couple of times. When you watch Carl Anthony Towns in the playoffs for the Knicks, this, this run, was there a source of pride? Was there something like talking to Patrick about him talking to some of the other former Knicks about what they saw from Cat in this run? There was, like, this sense of pride about how he changed his game. And he looked for the first time in his career like this. Is this when everybody said when he locks in, he could be dangerous? What did you see in Cat?

[Taj Gibson]

Yes, to be honest with you, the relationships I have, the guys in those team, I'm just like the NBA.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

You.

[Taj Gibson]

I'm telling you, it just so crazy. I remember being in Minnesota with a young Karl Anthony Towns, and all he was trying to do was just show the world how good he was and how much of a scorer he can be and lead a team. And over the years, I would just watch. I always listened to the conversations we had, how mature he got and how much he really wanted to take that next step. And soon as I got to. When we played, you got. When we played New York, when I was in Memphis later in the season, he was banged up. He was going through all the nonsense. I was hearing the rumbles. He came down to the visiting locker room and waited for me. He said, I didn't get a chance to see you. I had to come see you, OG And I was like. I said, everything's okay. He's like, yeah, man, it's part of it. The way he responded to my conversation after I was asking him, is he okay? Like, everything's good. He said, don't worry about it, man. It's a part of the. It's a part of the process. I have to be ready, and I'm ready for it. And I was just like, man, like, that's the kind of guy, like, you want to play with. He's he like? He gets it, you know what I'm saying? When he said it to me, I was like, yeah, he not moving the same way anymore. He's ready to win the championship. And from that moment, I knew it. I just had a feeling. And then when I saw him at the Jay Z concert, like I hugged him tight. I was just so proud of him because he sacrificed so much. But at the same time, he never went to the media. He never showed too much. He always kept it solid, always on time. And that was, I'm proud of him. And that was a big step. That's one of the main reasons why I think they have a chance to do running back. And it will come down to him being one of the vocal leads on that team and taking another next step.

[Alan Hahn]

Well, Taj, we gotta have you back on again sometime during the season, whatever it is, wherever you're going to be, because it's always great to talk to you. Your perspective is always good. But you are definitely going to be a coach in this league and because of just the story you just told, because people respect you as a player and what you bring and they'll respect your word. So it's something I certainly look forward to as well as watching this project develop in Brooklyn. Congratulations on that. We gotta run, but thanks so much for the time.

[Caller/Listener]

Thank you, Josh.

[Alan Hahn]

We'll catch up with you soon.

[Taj Gibson]

Yo, thanks guys. I want to give a shout out to Bill from the Market Smart Foundation. Thanks Bill, so much. Yo, Bill. Love you guys.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Appreciate it, appreciate it, man.

[Alan Hahn]

Yeah, we love Bill too.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't want to know how the

[Alan Hahn]

sausage is made, man. I just want to know it's good.

[Don Hahn]

Hear more of Don Allen and Peter weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app and you your smart speakers.

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