How Kon Knueppel Reignited Dale Jr’s Love For Basketball

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dale Jr. Download

Episode: How Kon Knueppel Reignited Dale Jr’s Love For Basketball
Date: May 13, 2026
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Dirty Mo Media, SiriusXM)
Guest: Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets shooting guard/small forward

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Episode Overview

This episode features Dale Earnhardt Jr. in conversation with Kon Knueppel, the Charlotte Hornets’ standout rookie, reflecting on his first NBA season and its impact both on and off the court—including how Knueppel reignited Dale Jr’s personal enthusiasm for basketball and sports card collecting. The discussion traverses the Hornets’ culture shift, the grind of a rookie season, family basketball roots, the NBA draft process, and the mental and physical aspects of Knueppel’s journey. The show is richly infused with Dale Jr’s fan perspective, candid insights, and personal investment as a Charlotte sports supporter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dale Jr.'s Rekindled Basketball Fandom & Card Collecting

• Dale Jr. shares how Knueppel’s rise reignited his enthusiasm for the Hornets and led him back into sports card collecting.
  • “I got back into [collecting cards]... you were a big reason for that. The hype around your cards and excitement around you as a player, being from a team that I love, that motivated me to get more back into the hobby.” – Dale Jr. (05:04)
• Reflects on the Hornets’ rollercoaster history, Michael Jordan’s previous ownership, and the renewed energy surrounding the team.

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2. Surviving and Thriving in a Grueling Rookie NBA Season

• Knueppel describes the physical and mental grind of moving from college (Duke) to the NBA:
  • The season’s relentless pace compared to college ball.
  • Importance of taking time off: “After the season was over this year... I just went home, didn't touch a ball, just try to get away from it for a little bit.” – Kon Knueppel (07:33)
• Notes how returning to work with teammates builds readiness and camaraderie for the next season.

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3. Family, Upbringing, and Basketball Roots

• Raised in Milwaukee in a basketball-centric family (multiple siblings in elite Wisconsin high school programs, relative played overseas and for the Bucks).
• Initially lacked passion for the sport, inspired instead by basketball video games and history.
  • “I didn't really like it at first... didn’t really get into it till like, you know, second or third grade. It really started from like video games... then I got obsessed with like the history of the game.” – Kon Knueppel (08:59)
• Discusses the approach to guiding younger brothers through recruiting, emphasizing letting them make independent choices.

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4. College Experience & Transition to NBA

• Walks through Duke recruitment—late but life-changing offer, initial homesickness, and acclimation support from coaches and teammates.
  • “At Duke, or things surrounding Duke are like a... you’re on the main stage in that realm.” – Kon Knueppel (12:26)
  • “Being intimidated by bigger universities... I loved how the school was small [at Duke]”—Kon Knueppel (12:50)
• Compares playing alongside former teammate and NBA rookie of the year Cooper Flag at Duke versus carving his own NBA path.

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5. Hornets’ Culture Shift & Locker Room Dynamics

• Describes the importance of positive energy and veteran presence (Lamelo Ball, Grant Williams, Pat Connaughton).
  • “The staff does a really good job of bringing the juice every day.” – Kon Knueppel (22:09)
• Shift from previous Hornets struggles to palpable fun, camaraderie, and “play-in” playoff chase.

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6. NBA Draft & Early Professional Experiences

• Knueppel talks about the intensity of solo pre-draft workouts and uncertainty of team selection.
  • “I did [workouts] all by myself... They make the workouts harder than anything you've ever done... they're really just trying to see what you kind of push through... more about toughness.” – Kon Knueppel (25:34)
  • Knew Charlotte had interest, but no guarantee: “I felt really good about [Charlotte], but... you never really know.” (25:43)
• Shares feelings of elation and relief upon being drafted: "If you would have told me that that's how I played... this is how your season would go, I would have taken it 100%." – (66:23)

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7. The Physical & Mental Game

• Discusses keeping healthy (sleep, diet, injury management) and staying mentally strong.
  • “Diet and sleep, those two areas, that'll help guys in the long run, for sure.” – Kon Knueppel (31:50)
  • Uses check-ins with athletic trainers and open communication for injury prevention and recovery.
• Talks about mental side of shooting slumps and pressure, making parallels to golf’s “chasing your swing.”
  • “Sometimes the shot just doesn't feel good... you can have days where it feels off but it goes in, or feels good and it doesn’t.” – Kon Knueppel (35:30)

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8. On Personal Accolades: Rookie of the Year Candidacy

• Addresses the nationwide debate and personal feelings on not winning Rookie of the Year.
  • "Obviously I wanted to win it... I did all I could. Maybe I wish I could have shot it better at the end of the season, but... I did all I could. I was willing to live with the result." – Kon Knueppel (66:23)
• Emphasizes support for close friend and winner Cooper Flag and values simply being part of the conversation.

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9. Team Building, Draft Prospects, and the Path Forward

• Looks at what the Hornets need to go further—physicality, toughness, and continued roster development.
  • “The weight room right now is really important for us... we had some issues with teams that were more physical." – Kon Knueppel (48:13)
• Shares thoughts on Summer League and G-League as essential developmental steps, noting the leap in level from G-League to NBA.
• Gives fan perspective on draft prospects and values team building for sustained success.

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10. Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

Dale Jr. fan confession (opening):

• “This season was incredible. You were a big reason for that. A lot of things happened in the last year that brought you to this table...” (02:10)

Locker room dynamics:

• “Lamel is just positive energy all the time... having those guys [veterans] was good for us young guys.” – Kon Knueppel (22:09)

Injury/Recovery:

• “Every day something was bugging me, I would make sure I let [my athletic trainer] know.” – Kon Knueppel (30:33)

Mental approach:

• “I always try to remind myself of a couple of mechanics things... just as good reminders.” – Kon Knueppel (35:39)

Leadership & Team Focus:

• “The goal is always to win... to make the game as easy as possible for my teammates. That’s always a good distraction from any personal stuff.” – Kon Knueppel (37:53)

On rookie year comparison:

• “I would have won it [Rookie of the Year] in a lot of different years… Cooper was also very deserving.” – Kon Knueppel (67:13)

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Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Dale Jr. welcomes Knueppel and Hornets’ season impact: 01:08–04:48
• Card collecting & pandemic hobby resurgence: 04:48–05:28
• Knueppel on rookie season grind and recovery: 06:40–07:53
• Family background & basketball origins: 07:53–09:50
• Duke recruitment and experience: 11:36–14:54
• **Hornets culture and locker room: **21:39–22:59
• NBA Draft process & being selected: 24:19–27:27
• Handling slumps and shooting philosophy: 33:58–35:56
• Reflections on Rookie of the Year, accolades: 66:23–67:41
• NBA vs G-League developmental path: 63:02–64:57
• Draft talk and future aspirations for Hornets: 54:30–58:05
• Final Dale Jr. reflections on the episode: 69:54–81:42

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Quotes Highlight (Speaker Attribution & Timestamp)

• “I didn’t really know I wanted to play basketball until video games and basketball history sucked me in.”
  – Kon Knueppel (08:59)
• “Sometimes the shot just doesn’t feel good. Doesn’t mean you can’t make them. Some days it’s off and goes in, some days it feels good and it doesn’t.”
  – Kon Knueppel (35:30)
• “If you’d have told me that’s how I played this season, I’d have taken it 100%. I did all I could.”
  – Kon Knueppel (66:23)
• “I just needed to shape for him, what led to this opportunity... this is what I love doing the show for… to talk to people I want to talk to and tell them what I want to tell them.”
  – Dale Jr. (69:54)

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Tone & Language

The conversation is candid, enthusiastic, and personal. Dale Jr. is unashamedly a fan, blending curiosity with admiration and honest sports talk. Knueppel is measured, humble, and process-focused, frequently centering hard work and team success. Banter is natural, friendly, and often reveals shared vulnerability about navigating new professional landscapes.

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Takeaway

This episode is an affectionate and insightful look at an NBA rookie’s journey and the impact a player can have on team culture—and, in this case, on a community’s sports fandom. Whether exploring basketball mechanics, the emotional toll of close losses, or what it takes to grow as a pro athlete, Kon Knueppel and Dale Jr. offer a rich, relatable conversation suited to fans of both basketball and heartfelt sports storytelling.

Transcript

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[Dale Jr.]

production of Dirty Mo Media.

[Con Knipple]

You're Dale Jr. Should I say it still Jr. Podcast.

[Dale Jr.]

I gotta say it. Hey everybody, it's Dale Jr. Back again for another episode of the Dale Jr. Download. We got a great guest for you today here. But first off I want to tell you about Arby's here, the Arby studio. Don't forget about their new meet in three box. You get more meal for your money at Arby's. We have the meets and we've got a great guest. Con Knipple is coming on to to talk about NBA, the Hornets basketball. This guy is a shooting guard, small forward for the Charlotte hornets. He was fourth overall pick in 2025. Had a great season, shot a ton of three pointers. We're going to talk about that almost, you know, kind of. We did, we got into the play in, I'd say we made the playoffs. We didn't get to the first round, but we got close. We are close, man. We won a lot of games this year. We're knocking on the door but. And he's a big part of that. I've been wanting to get him on the show and I think some of our, you know, some of the things we've said in this room at this table have helped.

[Show Producer/Host]

Yeah, going forward we're just going to tag every person we want.

[Dale Jr.]

We're just going to an emotional plea. Warfare.

[Show Producer/Host]

Come on.

[Dale Jr.]

Here he is. So I'm excited about it. I've got a lot of cards here that I'm trying to gain the courage to ask him to sign after the show's over with. And so I've got some from a little buddy of mine down the street. So, anyways, we're gonna have some fun, sign some cards. We're gonna talk basketball. Let's bring Khan into the room, get started. First off, I've grown up here, grew up a Charlotte Tornado fan. They moved away. They become the Bobcats. We're back to, you know, we're kind of back to square one. It's been a long journey with a lot of ups and downs. We had Michael as an owner for a long time, which was badass. I mean, that dude's North Carolina. He's now in the, you know, in nascar, doing good things. But you are now a Charlotte Hornet, and you had an incredible rookie year. I've kind of always followed the team and went to a handful of games here and there every season, but it's kind of, you know, it's been tough, and we haven't had a ton of success this year. Insanely, insanely different. And I know, I know you'll. You'll say that, you know, still, long way to go. Long ways to go, and a lot of. A lot of things to improve on. But just in general, as a. As a fan that's lived around here, this was a. This was a blast. This season was incredible. You were a big reason for that. I became. A lot of things kind of happened in. In the last year that's brought you to this table outside of what's been going on in your own life. But I, you know, know became a fan of yours over this past year, watching, you know, watching you and the team and hearing all these great things about your work ethic, your personality, and how hard you try to, you know, you were credited as. As I'm sure you'll tell us. There's a lot of reasons why the culture improved over the course of this past season, but you were a part of that. You were a cog in the wheel. And the reason for that, for that, for that change. And you could see it. You could see it in the locker room after games. You could see it, the camaraderi and happiness and joy among teammates. All those things that we'll talk about later. But I also got back into collecting cards.

[Con Knipple]

Okay.

[Dale Jr.]

And I used to collect cards in the late 90s or the early 90s, late 80s, back in the junk wax era, and got out of it and. But, you know, after the pandemic, everybody's kind of jumped back into this, and it's blown up. It's really exploded. I'm sure you've recognized Some of the

[Con Knipple]

hype around it, it's been huge.

[Dale Jr.]

Right. Well, I got back into that. Right. And I, And I would say that you were a big reason for that. Like your, you know, the hype around your cards and excitement around you as a player, being from, you know, a team that I love or a team that I want to pull for that motivated me to get more back into the hobby. And that's been a lot of fun. Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

Awesome.

[Dale Jr.]

So when you, you know, we're running in the. Running for the rookie year, dude, everybody around this area was pulling for you massively when. And we reached out trying to figure out how to get you on the show. And I know now that season's over and you got some, you know, got a little more free time on your hands here. Here we are. So thank you. I just need to get all that out of the way. Your. So the season ends. What does, what does that look like for you? You've had, you know, you've got your first. I remember when I went into my first season in the Cup Series in nascar. I was really blown away by how grueling it was, how I thought I knew what racing for a season, racing during a year was like. But I bet that you learned quite a few things about mental toughness, health, and just a, you know, how your body needs to be in a certain shape to be able to go through the course of the season. What was the end of the year like? Trying to get it. Get it to the finish line. I know you guys wanted to go further into the playoffs, but, you know, where are you at now mentally and physically?

[Con Knipple]

I'm in a pretty good spot. I think, like a rookie season is just one of those things. Like, you just gotta. You gotta get through it. You know, you don't really know. Like, you kind of think. You think 82 games is a lot. Like, I played. I played 39 at Duke. Yeah. And you don't realize how many that really is. It's like that first, that first three games of the season, we had a game day off and then a back to back and it's like, okay, now we'll rest for like three days. It's like, nope. You have like maybe one or two days off and then you're playing again. Yeah. And so it just keeps going, coming at you. So I think you really just got to get through that first year, especially with all the draft prep you got to do, and you don't really have much of an off season between college and then draft combine and then Summer league. Basically. Like you're playing for a whole, you know, two years straight.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And so it was important that after the season was over this year to. We got three weeks where we could go wherever we wanted. I just went home, didn't touch a ball, just try to get away from it for a little bit. It's been a really long stretch, but now that I'm back in town, we got. We got a bunch of guys in from the team, working out and getting ready to go for next season.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, just like that.

[Con Knipple]

Yep.

[Dale Jr.]

So home. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You grew up around a family of basketball players. Your brothers, your dad, your mom. Everywhere you went. I mean, you had a basketball court in the house somewhere.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, we have. Well, like a mini. Yeah, mini hoop. Full court, mini hoop in the, in the playroom.

[Dale Jr.]

Nice.

[Con Knipple]

There was a clip of my brother trying to dunk on Lamello in the playroom. But yeah, that's where we. A lot of battles actually the first day when I got back, we played two on two in there and just like absolute barn ball tackling.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh my.

[Con Knipple]

My dad was a little bit worried about people getting thrown through a window or something. But yeah, that was, that was a spot where we played a lot growing up.

[Dale Jr.]

What was the, you know, imagine. I could probably relate to growing up around a sport like that and wanting to. Seeing your parents succeed and wanting to, you know, falling in love with it with ease. Is that really how it went? I mean, you. From the day you remember you wanted to play ball for a living or.

[Con Knipple]

Well, my. I didn't really like it at first. My parents were kind of worried, I guess you could say that. They told people, like, yeah, he just doesn't like basketball. Yeah. And so I didn't really get into it till like, you know, second or third grade. And it really started from like video games, playing NBA, 2K, NBA Jam. And then obviously my parents or my dad was playing all the time, he still plays. So I would go to the gym and be in the gym. I still still plays, still kicking it and then just reading. I got obsessed with like the history of the game. Just like, you know, you're playing 2K and you're playing with like David Robinson, Tim Duncan or something like that. And I got obsessed with those players and that's really how I got into it. And then, you know, from there my parents were pumped and had me in the gym all the time.

[Dale Jr.]

How old are your brothers?

[Con Knipple]

Junior, sophomore, freshman and eighth grade.

[Dale Jr.]

Younger? Yeah, all of them.

[Con Knipple]

All of them younger.

[Dale Jr.]

Are they good?

[Con Knipple]

Yes.

[Dale Jr.]

Gotta be Good players?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, the one, the next oldest is really, really good. Got a bunch of schools recruiting him.

[Dale Jr.]

Really?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, the three of them are on the high school team together. So we're now three time defending state champs in Wisconsin. So, yeah, they're really good players.

[Dale Jr.]

Really smart, I imagine. Your dad, I know your mom's brother was a big player from Milwaukee. Play for the Bucs.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, he played for like half a season with the Bucks. He was an all time great player at UW Green Bay. Same school my mom went to, and then he had a long career overseas.

[Dale Jr.]

So will you be influential, I suppose, in guiding your brothers through whatever process they have going forward, trying to get accepted or trying to get opportunities and scholarships and so forth?

[Con Knipple]

You know, my parents talked to me. I've tried to like kind of stay away from it a little bit and let them go through it. I think, you know, if they ask me questions and what they think I've had. One of my cousins is a really good player too, and he, he had some questions about the process and so I'm there for that. But I don't want to, like, the Cater's getting recruited by Duke now. I don't want to like, encourage. I love it, I loved it there. But like, I don't want to, you know, necessarily pressure him into that or make him feel like he should. So, you know, try to let them go through their process, make their own decision.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, you, you did play basketball at Duke and you know, I'm curious as to what that experience is like to get recruited by programs that are so successful.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think, I think I remember when I was getting recruited and you know, I didn't really have like, that's a. We call them a blue blood, a blue blood program. Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, those type of schools. And so a bunch of the schools recruited me, you know, good, good programs. Alabama, Wisconsin, Marquette, Virginia, like really good high level programs. But they weren't necessarily that. And so I remember when I got offered by them, like I had a bunch of texts, like people texting me like, oh, wow, like Duke. And I didn't really have that for much of many other schools. And that wasn't like a, that didn't mean anything like decision wise, but it was like, dang, that is. This is a big deal. And so that was kind of like the first taste of like at Duke or things surrounding Duke are like a very. You're on the main stage in that realm.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. So were you surprised, I guess, or were you expecting those opportunities?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I didn't really. I don't really think so because they recruited me kind of late. They offered me in July before my senior year. And, you know, there's schools that had been recruiting me since my freshman year in the spring and in the summer.

[Dale Jr.]

Really?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And so, you know, they came on kind of late, and I, you know, I went and visited and I loved it. I loved how, like, the school was small and all. Yeah, I was a little bit intimidated by some of the bigger, bigger universities. And so I love that about Duke. And then, you know, obviously, all the basketball stuff is, you know, the best. First class. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

So what about distance from home? Was there any. I mean, you'd been recruited by Alabama. You mentioned them and a couple other schools. Usc.

[Con Knipple]

USC was in there. They didn't recruit me that hard.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, but like, you, you know, in your mind, distance and.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, you know, it was something I was a little worried about at first. And then, you know, I felt like I really liked Marquette. Know, they were 10 minutes from home, and I was like, well, if Duke was 10 minutes from home, I would. I would go there 100%.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

You know, so, you know, trying to take that out of it a little bit. And it was. It was tough at first. You know, I was pretty homesick in the summer when we went down there. And, you know, we have, you know, close family, close group, so, you know, that was tough getting away from that. But, you know, ultimately, I think, you know, it was. It was a great decision and so many good people down there that helped me through that and know just a lot of really, really great relationships.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Who are some of the people that helped you, you know, kind of get acclimated with. With college life at Duke?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I think coaches are really influential in that, you know, Shire just sitting down, talking with them. Emmanuel Dildy, who was the assistant that I worked with, like, player development wise, you know, those two guys were great. They. They were confident that, you know, it was going to be a good year for me and we're going to have a good team and have a lot of fun. So it was just kind of getting through those first couple weeks back after the summer, too.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And, you know, I got. I got in a good spot. You get in a rhythm, you get so busy, you stop worrying about it a little bit. But. And then obviously, teammates, you know, teammates are a good resource. You know, still have, you know, a lot of close, close buddies. You know, some of them are in the NBA, and so they're. They're they're great, too.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. I mean, Cooper was on the team as well now in the NBA, and you guys kind of had a. Almost a parallel season this year. I know he had a different experience through injuries and so forth, but you and him both had incredible years. You know, when. When you're playing with him at Duke, you know, he's, He's. We all. I remember when the tournament started and everybody was talking about him and how incredible he was last year, and we all, you know, I say we, but like, me and all my friends, you know, we watched. Watched him play all that out and, you know, how. How was that? Being on. Being on the court with him, knowing his potential. Right. And knowing. Knowing what kind of player he was going to be. You know, I want to kind of push that forward to this year where, you know, you became a star in your own right. You know, on. On the team with him. You guys are all sharing roles, and none of us casual fans can see what your real potential is going to be once you get to the NBA, because there's a lot of great, great players that played incredible ball in college that didn't translate to the NBA, but, you know, you had an incredible year this year. Contrast, I guess, sharing the court with him as a teammate versus not being on the court with him the following year and having to, like, you know, work around these new guys.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think, you know, he's a really special player. I remember the first time we played pickup, you know, kind of with our team and with our group, and it was before even, like, summer workouts started, and like, we were playing on the same team or we were. We switched teams, like, midway through. So the first group, like, whoever was on his team, won, and then he switched teams. We, like, switched, like, one guy and then that team won. So I remember telling my dad, like, you know, you gotta be pretty good to be able to do that. And so, you know, he's a really smart player. And what I love about him most is that, you know, he just makes the right play. He's all about making the right play. You know, some guys are really good, talented scorers, but they're always looking to score. Like, he. He doesn't care if he scores 20 or 10. You know, he's just trying to. He's just trying to make the right basketball play that leads to the win. And so, you know, it was easy to play with him, I think, you know, when you have a player like that and he was super talented and, you know, the weight of the world's on his shoulders, too. And I thought he handled that better than, you know, anybody that I've seen. And so it was a thrill to play with them. And then, you know, this year, not playing with them, like, there's other talented guys you got to get used to, right? You know, it's NBA. Everybody's. Everybody was the best player in college. Everybody's good. And so, you know, it was. It was a real. Real fun. You know, I think part of my game that. That is good is that I can, you know, I can kind of go out there with anybody and, you know, elevate and make. Make the team better. And I could kind of fit in with different. Different types of players. And so, you know, it was a blast playing with Lamelo this year and Brandon and. And Miles and all in our group. And Moussa, you know, it's fun playing with the guys. And Coach Lee made it a, you know, a great. A great style of basketball that was fun to play, and I'm sure it was fun for the fan to watch.

[Dale Jr.]

He just. Coach just got extended.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, he did.

[Dale Jr.]

You know, how excited were you guys to. To know? I mean, the. I think the. If, you know, the one thing that fans worry about is, you know, keeping it together. Right. We got a lot. There's great potential. There's good draft capital. There's real opportunity. And I think extending him is a great sign, not only to the fan base, but to you guys. Right.

[Con Knipple]

Right. You know, I was pumped with, like, how we handled this season. You know, we started poorly, had some injuries, got everybody back, went on, like, a little bit of a run. And, you know, like, most teams would have just, like, all right, we're tanking this year. We're going to try to get another good pick, add another piece. And I was kind of. I was. I was happy that they let us ride that out. You know, it builds some. You know, the players want to go out there and they want to win and they want to compete. So, you know, that builds some trust within the organization and the players. And so, I mean, we're super pumped to have C. Lee back and extended because we want to keep building. And I think what Jeff talks about a lot is he doesn't want to skip steps and maybe, you know, put a lot of stuff together and go and go, maybe try to get some guy that, you know, maybe that doesn't work out, or maybe it's only for one or two years. And so we want to keep building together. And, you know, I think. I think it'll be be really good that way and just keep adding guys through through the draft. You know, we get a couple, couple of first round picks this year and you know, hopefully get two more studs and and keep building this thing.

[Dale Jr.]

Hey, this is Dale Hart Jr and for all the latest Dale Jr download gear including the I'm old, Drink some beer T shirt we've been talking about here around the office, head over to shop.dirtymomedia.com for all the latest merch.

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[Dale Jr.]

Who is the leader in terms of so like you see the post game locker room celebrations. Those are, those are relatively new for fans. You know, it's not stuff that we're privy to over the, over the years we haven't seen that kind of energy and excitement, happiness, joy.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

What. Who is responsible for that? Or is that just a, is there a couple of personalities in the room that sort of lead that?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean I think it's a, it's a, it's a pretty collective effort. I think the staff, the coaching staff does a really, really good job just bringing that energy every day. And then obviously, you know, we got some, we got some big personalities in the locker room. Lamel is just positive energy all the time, so that's good to have. And then, you know, guys that have been around in the league for a bit with Connaughton and Grant Williams and Miles, like, having those guys was good for us young guys. And, you know, I think we'll keep growing in all, in all those areas and becoming everybody, becoming more vocal and holding each other more accountable. And, you know, that's just, you know, getting older and being in this league a little bit longer. But, you know, I think the staff does a really good job of bringing the juice every day.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, for sure. You mentioned that you guys had three weeks off and you're back at it. So, um, are you really in the gym every day for the entire year? You're between those three weeks. What other time do you have, really to yourself?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, we got, we got some more time in July to go home. So this, this kind of time. Well, there'll be pre draft workouts. Guys will be coming in for rookie, potential rookie picks. But, you know, we're not like going balls to the wall right now. We're getting on the court, working on fundamentals in the weight room.

[Dale Jr.]

When you, you mentioned the pre draft workouts, do you guys get to engage with those guys?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think so.

[Dale Jr.]

Like, that'll be pretty cool. Yeah, like potential draft, potential guys that may be on the team, may not, but you still get to kind of get to know who they are.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I remember, you know, there's a couple guys watching my pre draft workout. Well, there was actually like, I was, I walked in, there was like 60 people from the organization. It was just me in there.

[Dale Jr.]

Really?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. But yeah, there was a couple guys, so I look forward to doing that. But you know, it's, it's fun right now. Like, I wasn't on the team for this, this part of the season last year, so it's, it's good right now. It's, it's fun keeping it light and, you know, we'll, we'll start to ramp up more in June and that'll be a big month for us. But it's been good.

[Dale Jr.]

What was that like to walk in the room and see all those people that were wanting to see you?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, that was a little intimidating. It was my first pre draft workout too, and I hadn't played in a couple weeks because I, I sprained my ankle, so I was a little nervous.

[Dale Jr.]

But how many of those did you do for other teams?

[Con Knipple]

I did it for Charlotte, Utah, Washington, New Orleans and Brooklyn. Yeah. So got a lot of work on me.

[Dale Jr.]

Experiences.

[Con Knipple]

Um, there's a couple more were a little different. I. They're all. So I did them all by myself. You know, sometimes there's a group of three or four guys that are potential guys that they draft together, and I did all mine individual. So that you're just. You're not sharing any reps. Yeah. And so it's. Yeah. A little. A little harder. And just like. I mean, they make the workouts harder than anything you've ever done on the court. So you're. You're. You're completely wasted, and they're really just trying to see what you kind of push through. It's more of that stuff than interesting. They know what you're capable of on the court with the skills you have, but it's more about, you know, shape and, like, what are you. What are you willing to do?

[Dale Jr.]

Toughness.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

So do you have a pretty decent idea that you're going to get picked by Charlotte?

[Con Knipple]

I felt good about it.

[Dale Jr.]

How much do you truly know and understand?

[Con Knipple]

You don't. You don't really, unless they tell. Like, you know, sometimes teams will tell you, we're taking you at this. But at 4, I didn't know. I felt really good about Celie and Jeff, and I felt like we had a good relationship. And, you know, I knew that Rick Schnall, the ownership, and some of the guys in the ownership are big, you know, Duke fans, and they go to K Academy, which is like, Coach K's, like, fantasy camp. So I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but I knew they had seen me a lot and been around a little bit, so I kind of felt good about it in that way. But other than that, you never really know.

[Dale Jr.]

Do you remember the feeling that you had when you got called?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. I was pumped. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Is it like, is there any. I know there's elation, right. And happiness and excitement around that, but is there also relief that you put. You. You got 20, you know, you got 18 years of work.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

You got all this.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. Yeah. There's a little bit of relief. I mean, I never really. I didn't really think about playing in the NBA really, until, like, my senior year of high school. And even then, it's like, you don't. You don't really know how college is going to go.

[Dale Jr.]

Yep.

[Con Knipple]

So I didn't think about it much. I thought about just, you know, getting better each day, and I think that was a good approach for me. But, yeah, it was awesome. I was pumped. And it's good to find out where you're going, where you're moving. You know, I think that's. That's. That's a big piece of it, too. It's like you have no idea where you could. Where you could be living next year. And so I was. I was. I was pumped to stay in state, too, where I'd been the year before.

[Dale Jr.]

So you had a decent idea of what the weather was like, what it looked like, terrain wise.

[Con Knipple]

Yep. So that was. That was also a plus.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Your time in Duke, though, I mean, it's literally like, what, 16 months in total?

[Con Knipple]

Not even. Yeah, I'd say you get there in July, and I was out by. Duke graduates in, like, late April, so. I was out by April, so.

[Dale Jr.]

Forgive my ignorance, but is that, like. Is that your expectation going in?

[Con Knipple]

No.

[Dale Jr.]

Right? You're thinking it could be your three, four years?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. Yeah. I had no expectations, anticipation, or expectation to be Division one. Do some guys one and done.

[Dale Jr.]

Do some guys have that locked in their mind and, like, oh, yeah, that's my. That's my goal. That's what's happening.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. I mean, like, Cooper was, like, the number one player in the country, so he was like. Everybody was already saying he was the number one pick. And so, you know, he probably, like, he knows it was. It happened, like, pretty early on where I was like, oh, okay. Like, I think. I think I'll be able to go, but I had no idea. I just kind of wanted to throw myself into that. And that was kind of a. It's kind of a goal, I'd say.

[Dale Jr.]

Is it your choice entirely?

[Con Knipple]

I mean, you can stay. You see now that, you know, kids that are kind of borderline in that. In that, like, lottery. Lottery to, like, late first round range are going back because they're getting paid.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

Paid a lot. So.

[Dale Jr.]

Plus, there is. Is it realistic to think they got a better shot at a higher pick the second year or.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. You know, age starts to become a thing where it's like, oh, you're old, you're a little older, so you don't get picked as early.

[Dale Jr.]

Like, what age is getting old?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think, you know, like, sometimes being like a. Like 22, like a scene, like, if you want four years and you're 22, like, that. Sometimes that dings you a little bit.

[Dale Jr.]

Really?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. But then you see those guys will come in and be awesome.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

So I don't know if that thought process is changing a little bit, but sometimes it does kind of thing. Guys. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

How do you handle talking about dings? How do you handle the nicks and bruises? Right. Because you talked about the intensity of the season and game after game and not many nights off. You know, you have, you have things you have to play through, but some things you can't play through. How do you manage?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think we in the NBA we have. So we have four athletic trainers and then I had athletic trainer. And so they each have like three or four guys that they work with. And I think that we did a really, really good job, me and my players.

[Dale Jr.]

So you're part. The team's parted out to these dudes. So you got your own guy and you're sharing it with a couple other players.

[Con Knipple]

They all work for the team. They kind of like split up into pods. And so me specifically and my guy, Harrison. Harrison. Herman. We did a really good job of, you know, communicating and just working through everything. Every day something was bugging me. I would make sure I let him know.

[Dale Jr.]

What would be bugging you?

[Con Knipple]

I shoulder. My shoulder some is just kind of, kind of been something that's been. Been bothering me for a couple years now. So we worked through that and you know, I didn't really have much of much trouble with it during the season. You know, the low back sometimes gets a little tight. That was something that came on this year. I sprained the ankle. Only missed one game. That was mostly because we started doing treatment for it in the third quarter of the game. I sprained it. So they're really on top of it. Yeah. And you know, if you really pour into that and like are open with them and share stuff going, going on transparent.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

They'll do the best to, you know, get you out there and get you feeling Good. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

At 20 years old, you know, you want to. I noticed that in conversation here today, you haven't ever really like looked too far ahead. You just kind of tried to be good that day, get better tomorrow than the day after that. But like when you, you're in the league 20 years old, you know, how do you know how much information do you get from some of the veterans around maintaining your health and taking care of yourself for that 10 year run and trying to be as good as you possibly can during this window of opportunity.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I think some of the things that we talk about and it's with the whole group and how important sleep is and diet, like, those things can really, really help you just feeling fresher. Sleep's a big one. Like, I wasn't a big nap guy, and I'm still not a huge fan of, like, taking naps. I wake up sometimes a little groggy. But, you know, most players, it's like every game day, they're taking that nap, having that. Having a, you know, maybe an hour or two of nap. And so, you know, I try to get, you know, 30 to 45. I just get so antsy before the game on game day. So, you know, I try to get some of that in just that extra sleep, the extra recovery, and then, you know, diet is something, you know, I'm working on to get. Get a little bit better at. I don't know. I'm 20 years old, so I've been, you know, I. I didn't. I didn't. We had pretty good at home, but, you know, I like to. I like to eat. So, you know, trying to. Trying to clean that up a little bit. Yeah. You know, those. Those are two areas that'll help help guys in the long run, for sure.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. What about. What about shooting? So, you know, there's. We saw late in the season, I think you were dealing with some injuries and stuff, some challenges that were making things difficult for you in the final. You know, a little stretch there. But I. I want to compare it kind of to, like, a golfer, you know, who. Who's always chasing his swing. Right. Golfers are never guaranteed anything. Right. Every. They've got to go out there, they've got to hit this. You know, they got to hit balls all day long. They're always. No matter how good they are, how good they're perceived, they're at the. You know, they're. They're at a tee, practicing their shot, and they're swinging and working on their swing all the time. And I imagine just casually following over the last decade or two, I hear about shot mechanics and. And guys even trying to change how they shoot the ball once they get to the NBA because they've been allowed to sort of do it incorrectly through college.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

You know, talk about, you know, your. Talk about how you had such a great run throughout the year. You're shooting the ball really well. We did see you struggle toward the very end of the season. What are the things that create those challenges?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think. Yeah, towards the end of the season, it just, like, sometimes that shot just doesn't feel good.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And I think, you know, I got. I got into that a little bit I had, I had some. I had a really slow start at Duke, you know, and I didn't shoot it very good to start the season at all. I was thinking I was shooting like maybe high 20 from 3 and I think at there for sure. I definitely like, let it like affect me like mentally, you know, I was turning some down that I shouldn't have been. Oh, some of that really where this year, like I wasn't shooting it good and I had like, no real thought about it, like, other than like, man, I want it to go in. But I thought I did better with, you know, I'm still taking it.

[Dale Jr.]

Mental side of it.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think I did better with mental side of it and sometimes it just doesn't go in. But yeah, I would say that, that golf analogy, like just trying to find your swing, chasing your swing, I feel like that's, that's good sometimes because when you feel good, like you can come off a screen and just throw it up there and it's going, you know, it's going in.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

When you feel really good and sometimes there's days where you gotta, you gotta find it.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And some days there's. It just doesn't feel good. Doesn't mean you can't, you can't make them.

[Dale Jr.]

Like.

[Con Knipple]

I've had days where like, man, my shot just doesn't feel good and they're still going in, which is confusing.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

Or some days it feels really good and they're not going in.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And so I think just finding that comfortability. I always try to remind myself of a couple of like, mechanics things to just like, as good reminders of like making sure I'm focusing on that when I'm, when I'm shooting. And so that, that tends to help.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I, you know, we saw you break a lot of records, especially with three point shooting this year. Broke Kimball Walker's record and had more threes than anybody on the team. When it was all said and done, when you're as that, as you're going through that. So this coincides with this incredible little stretch y' all had right before the halfway part in the season. Are you. Is it. Was it kind of helpful to be almost distracted by the run y' all were trying to maintain and the success and cohesion you had built in the team. Was that almost a nice distraction away from like, hey man, guess what? You're breaking these records. Just, you know, can you keep that up? Because I mean, once you, once you start hitting all these three pointers, everybody's like, just Give him the ball. Make him shoot more threes. Just keep making threes. Just keep making threes, right? Yeah. And that's a lot of pressure for you, I imagine.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think, you know, I think obviously the focus is the team and what's it. What we can do to win. And, you know, so that's what I'm always going to be focused on. And I think Charles, you know, talks to me a lot about, like, you're a really good player. You're not just a shooter.

[Dale Jr.]

Yes.

[Con Knipple]

And so, like, a big thing for me is, you know, I. I try to. To get in, like, to find that. That shot you get. Like, you got to see a couple other things go down or, you know, getting into the game a little bit. So I always feel like, you know, getting a couple rebounds or, you know, maybe getting into the lane, get fouled, you know, the free throw line, you know, get a layup, see the ball go through. And so I think about. Think about those things or, you know, like, playing really good defense, getting a stop, and then that kind of goes all downhill from there and where you can feel comfortable and, like, getting that three up, and then it's like, less. Less pressure on. Oh, man. Like, I got a wide open three to start the game, you know, I got to make it.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

You know, like, so get into the game in a different way. But, yeah, I mean, the goal is always to win and, you know, to make the game as easy as possible for my teammates. And so that's always a good distraction from any personal stuff.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. So at the end of the season, when you sit down and you look at the accomplishments, those are. Just. What kind of pride do you take from that? I mean, you're 20 years old. I don't know that you can truly realize the accomplishment that you actually have at this point. Just maybe something that you look back on when you're 30, 35 and go down. That was cool, man. I didn't know what I did, you know?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Is that kind of where you're at, or did you and. Did you. Did you and Mello have a friendly banter about, you know, who's going to end up on top? Because he closed in the gap a little bit there the year.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why I laughed before when you said that. But, yeah, I think we didn't really have, like, friendly banner, like, during. During it. I think we were trying to make the. The right basketball plays. And so, you know, we talked about it right after. Right after that game. But, yeah, I Think, you know, definitely, like, down the line. I'll probably look back at it. You know, there's some time for reflection, you know, in that three weeks on the season, especially when you're watching, like, playoffs, and, like, man, I wish we were playing right now. And so there's some of that. And that definitely carries over to next season. And that goes back to, like, being glad we have a similar group and getting ready to go for next year, because you leave with that pit of the stomach of how that last game went. And so right now, a lot of the focus is on next year, and I'm sure I'll think about it when I'm a little bit older, too.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. The game before. I know you got eliminated, but the game before that, you had multiple overtimes. Um, the play where Melo basically just takes the ball and scores. And at the end of the game, he gets interviewed and says, I had to do it because I was the one that messed us up. When you see a guy do that, like, I'm gonna tell you, I'm, you know, I want to celebrate you. But that right there was this. That was just really, really impressive. I was. I'm. Not that I didn't think he had it in him, but I love the fact that he wanted to put it on his shoulder. He felt this responsibility to fix it. Right. And that left a mark on me. Like, watching that go down, I couldn't believe it. I was like, hell, wow. We don't do those things. Charlotte. Don't get that stuff. And we got it. You know, that was such a great thing to see. Did you. Did you guys all have a similar reaction to him? You're on the floor. You're so close to it. But that was a really freaking insane series of events. And how much does that help momentum? And what did that change, I guess, in the way you looked at him as a player?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. Well, I think.

[Dale Jr.]

I mean, I'm sure you maybe have seen multiple scenarios of that throughout the season that a lot of us probably didn't even realize were that big of a deal. But that, to me, was a. Was a remarkable.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Play.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. I think the. It just showed, like, that game really showed the fragility of winning and losing. Like, we're up five hero, hits a crazy three in the corner, and then we don't. I mean, we don't really help him. Help mellow out, either on, like, in the outlet or somebody find an outlet for him, but he throws it away and then follows the guy on a three.

[Dale Jr.]

Yep.

[Con Knipple]

And so like, you're up five and like, should be easy win no matter, no matter what, what happens. And then all of a sudden you go from that to down one. And so yeah, I mean, I think it takes a lot of balls to just get the ball and go score. I mean it's, it's hard to do that in the league. And you got. He had a good matchup with Haquez and you know, when it took him and you know, I love that you cleaned up his language a little bit on what he said, what he said in the post game. But you know, I think it um, that's who he is. I mean he doesn't really live in the results. You know, he just, he's just tries to use. He's a, he's a process oriented guy. He's not worried about the result and he has no fear. And I think that's a really good, those are really good attributes to have.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I love that the team, I mean he's all. He's been with us for a while and it's always kind of been like, you can see the glimpses of, of potential in him if he's, if he's in the right scenario. And I feel like, you know, he's finally complimented and you, you know, he complimen and you compliment him and all the players on the team. It's all really been fun to watch. Explain to me the dynamics of the NBA where you can have a game where, you know, you'll have a game where you can easily handle an opponent and then they can come back like later in the year or even a week later and have a completely opposite result to that. So like, you know, you guys did go through such a, an emotional roller coaster in that game and then move on to, to get knocked out in the next game. Explain that whole process of how you feel like you guys allowed that to happen. What would you. What, what was missing? What?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I, I mean my high school coach just asked me that, like how do you guys lose by 30 in an elimination game? And you'll see that a lot in the playoffs. Like, you'll see there's a lot of close games and then there's a lot of blowouts and there's not like many games that are like, oh, they won by 10 unless they made like some free throws at the end. Yeah. Or they won by 15. Like it's like, oh, it's like a two point game or it's like 25.

[Dale Jr.]

Right.

[Con Knipple]

And so, you know, obviously we weren't I mean we just, we didn't, we didn't have it.

[Dale Jr.]

Did you feel like that the game before had had the. How that all played out? Did you guys kind of like, you know, was that, was that a mental taxing result, you know?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I think, I think there's a lot of like that game is. There's a lot of mood, mood swings in that game. I don't know if that really affected. It didn't affect our preparation for the next game. I felt like we were prepared, we knew what we wanted to do and we just didn't execute and that's tough. You know, Orlando came out and also they're on fire right away, hit like five threes and you know, that's not the team they had been for most of the season or all of the season. And so, you know, sometimes that happens and then, you know, you try to overcorrect a little bit and it becomes, you know, well, I'm going to, I'm going to try to do something or you're trying to get it, start trying to get it all back at once and then it just kind of snowballs and that's tough. And especially, you know, you know, 1820 point games in the regular season can be gone like that, you know, because there's not as much pressure. But in the playoffs the game kind of slows down, the possessions slow down. They aren't as numerous as they are in the regular season. And so, you know, sometimes that can kind of play into that too where it's a little bit harder to come back when, when those leads are kind of big.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I find that kind of fascinating because, you know, I don't. It happens in all sports. You know, teams that look like they're unbeatable or invincible will find challenges in some of the strangest areas against some of the, some of the, some, some opponents that you would think that they can manhandle. But yeah, with all that said, man, I was, I'm telling you, I think I speak for all fans of the team. How thankful we were to have so much to enjoy regardless of that final result. There was so much in the middle of that whole season that we got to enjoy that was so unique to us.

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[Dale Jr.]

what is the difference between winning that game and moving forward into the playoffs and really, you know, bringing a good challenge to somebody in the first round? What is the difference between the team you are today and the team that can go do that? What are the missing pieces?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, we're two games, two regular season games away from being like the fifth seed, two wins. And so, you know, you beat Brooklyn at the Barclays center and you beat New Orleans, but we had a bad loss to them. But then there's also, you know, we beat OKC by a bunch in their home court. And so you can, you can kind of pick and choose. But I feel like the, the east is going to be a lot better next year with the Pacers getting healthy and whatever the Wizards, you know, are going to have with Trae Young and Anthony Davis and whatever, whoever they pick at one. And so there's going to be a step up in the, in the East. And so I think, you know, our physicality and toughness, you know, has to, has to come to the next level. You know, hopefully the guys we pick, you know, can, can contribute early. That'd be, that'd be awesome.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And embracing those guys. But I think the weight room right now is, like, really important for us. You know, I think we had some, we had some issues with teams that were, were more physical and stronger. And so, you know, hopefully, you know, adding a little bit more mass collectively as a team, I think that'll be really beneficial. And then, you know, being in the, the next year with some, we can do some more complex stuff offensively with Celi, which I'm really looking forward to, you know, taking the next step in that, in that, in that regard as well.

[Dale Jr.]

When you're talking about putting on muscle, you know, you see a lot of guys, this happens in a lot of different sports where you see guys, you know, put on a lot of body mass and once they get to the pro level. How do you do that without changing your shot? How do you do that?

[Con Knipple]

Changes the shot.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, because, I mean, if you're trying to put on muscle, right. I mean, that's going to. It affects the way. Way Tiger woods swings a golf club. Right?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. And so, yeah, I mean, I. I don't know if I'm like, really a guy that needs to put on, like, more mass. Like, we definitely have guys that could. That could use a little bit more. More weight. I think it's just. For me, it's probably more of, like, a mentality and like, yeah, there is an area to be stronger, but physically. But more of a mentality of, like, being with more physical. I think that's playing tougher. Playing tougher. I mean, that's like a. That's a big thing in hoops. So I think, well, I'll give you to go. Your mat adding mass thing. Like, I was 2. I think I was 2019 at the. The draft combine, and I was, like, training at, like, 2. Yeah, that was, like, about where I was at. And they came in and like, yeah, we want you, like, closer to 225. And so I was like, you know, like, for most of the season, I was like, 228. And so, you know, that's like £9 right there. And because. Because I was. I was a little bit worried because I was. We're lifting so much in the off season, and I was like, and I'm eating. I'm. You know, you got. You got to eat to. To. To refuel and stuff. I'm like, guys, I'm gaining weight, and I wasn't, like, eating bad stuff or anything. I'm like, I'm getting a lot of weight. I'm like, yeah, yeah, it's good. We want you to. I'm like, okay. And I.

[Dale Jr.]

Why were you worried?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, well, I don't know. I was like. I thought that was, like, you know, a good weight for me. And then I get out there and I was like, oh, I feel the same. Yeah, I'm, you know, nine pounds heavier.

[Dale Jr.]

So you worry about speed and mobility.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, you worry about speed. You want to be quick, you want to be fast out there. And, you know, I didn't really notice much of a drop off.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And so I was like, oh, yeah, this is. This is good.

[Dale Jr.]

Can you speak about the, you know, talking about trying to get more physical with your game? Is that a confidence? Is that, like. So you get out there and you play with Duke, you know, not everybody on the other team is the best player.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Right. And so there's some. There's some avenues and opportunities. And you go into games as Duke confident, Right. You're going to take these guys. It's no big deal. But when you're playing in NBA, you're playing on the Charlotte Hornets, who've been, you know, struggling to win a lot of games. People are coming into our building thinking that they're going to have an easy night.

[Con Knipple]

Right, right.

[Dale Jr.]

How do you. How. How did that process go for you this year to sort of build the confidence that you could go one on one with everybody you played against?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I think, you know, we had. We had, you know, Melo and Brandon injured like, early in the season, and it's like kind of trial by fire. You just kind of get thrown in there like, well, we need you.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

So they're putting me 40 minutes right away. I'm like, well, we need you to go out and score. We need you, you know, we need you to defend. We need you to, you know, playmake for us. And I think, you know, that was good for me right away. Even, you know, it wasn't good for our team and it sucked because we were losing, but it was good to give me some confidence going forward that I belonged. And then, you know, once all the guys came back, it was. It was great.

[Dale Jr.]

Did you have an NBA moment? I've talked to a lot of guys, a lot of athletes in different sports that have a moment, a tackle or a play or something where they were like the. The opposing players, like, hey, buddy, welcome to the NBA.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I always. I've been saying, Andre Drummond, the big. Yep. The big. From the Sixers, he hit me with a nice screen in the second. Second game of the season. Yeah, that was. That was a tough one. He's a big dude.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Did he say anything?

[Con Knipple]

No, no. Just drilled me. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

How much conversation is there out on the court?

[Con Knipple]

You know, as a rookie, kind of keep your head, like, keep your head down. Keep your head down. Don't try to like. I mean, at least this is what I personally like. Yeah. There's times to show emotion and like, people.

[Dale Jr.]

What do you hear from other players? Yeah, doing.

[Con Knipple]

I didn't hear. I didn't hear a whole lot from like, opposing guys directed at me.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, but amongst your teammates.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. I mean, Lamello likes to say talk a lot of crap, and Brandon likes to talk a little bit of crap. So you hear a lot of stuff. I don't know if I really heard anything that Interesting. I'm also not very good at like paying attention to like.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, like, dude, I would have a hard time not getting, not getting entertained, I think.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

I would be. My ear would be.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, you'd be listening for that. Yeah, yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Because it's NBA.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I know. It's. I try not to get, try not to get sucked into some of that stuff, I think. I don't know. It is, it is entertaining sometimes.

[Dale Jr.]

You talked about the draft and we've got a couple of picks in the first round. So not having been in this experience ever before as a team, you know, how, how will you guys watch the draft? I'm sure, I mean, you probably won't gather, but I'm just thinking like that's a very important moment. Right. And you guys are a team that. Right on the cusp of that progress and moving forward and you want. Every, every decision the organization makes is so critical and important at this stage. So how, how, how will draft night be for you now that you're on the team and looking for, seeing, looking to see who they're going to add?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, it'll be interesting. You know, teams with multiple first round picks, 10, you know, there's some flexibility there with like, you know, trades and moving up, moving back if you really like to get.

[Dale Jr.]

How deep is the draft? Like, I've always watched the draft and wondered, like, you know, comparable to like the NFL.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, like the NFL.

[Dale Jr.]

You know, you can get great guys in round two, round three.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

And I know there's great guys in the draft in the NBA. I'm not downplaying this. I don't know about it. I'm not, I'm a novice. But I would say like, you know, everybody's so fixated on maybe the top seven, the top eight players, maybe the top 12. But like, where there's real value even back in, in, in 15th, 17th.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I would say like the NFL definitely. Like there's, there's so much more value in like a first round pick than there is probably in the NBA. You know, those, the top of the first round is probably comparable to the entire first round for the NFL, the lottery. It was like, those are, those are valuable picks, but it is valuable to have multiple first round picks regardless of where they are. And so ours are in, you know, right in the middle.

[Dale Jr.]

What do you feel like you're, if you had to guess on what the, the move is for the team, what do you think they do? Think they package them up, Move up.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I don't Know

[Dale Jr.]

you were, you were. You were given this opportunity to be a part of the lottery, right? Yeah. What was that like? What was that?

[Con Knipple]

It was awesome.

[Dale Jr.]

What did they do? They come up to you and say, hey, man, you want to do this?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. You're like, no problem.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Where do I gotta go?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

What do I want to go?

[Con Knipple]

I was in. Yeah, exactly. And I was in Milwaukee. So like, I was there in Chicago. I was like, easy, I'll just drive down there and fly back to Charlotte.

[Dale Jr.]

What was that like?

[Con Knipple]

It was awesome because, you know, all the other representatives for all the other teams, you know our legends. Alonzo Mourning, who's a Charlotte Hornet legend, was there and so he, he introduced himself and that was cool to talk to him. You know, there's Vince Carter, there's some other legends that I got to talk to. And so that mean that's always cool. I'm like.

[Dale Jr.]

Because you love the history.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. I'm like a little kid around. Around that. Like, man, this is awesome. Like, I saw Tayshawn Prince play all the time when I was little. Yeah. Or you know, even Rolando Blackman. It's like, no, I just. Jersey growing up, like, some of that stuff was. Was cool to me. So. So it's always, it's always good to, you know, get a talk to some of the legends from the game. You got to appreciate that history, I think, a little bit to play in this league. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

So having been connected to that moment, you know, I think maybe you'll watch it. You'll be a little more.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Intent. Well, you know, is there a text thread with the. With. With your teammates that you'll all be going, I like that guy. That's awesome. You know?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think I remember. I mean, Lamelo really liked me. That's what, that's what they, that's what they say.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

Or that's what has been reported, I guess, in the pre draft process, which is cool to hear. And so, you know, I'm sure we'll. We'll talk about all the guys that come through and workouts. Yeah, you know, I've talked to one of our guys that works in the front office about some guys that he likes that they like that they go and they go and see. So wait, now you get your. No, I mean, I just, they. They bounce stuff off. Yeah. Like.

[Dale Jr.]

Like what?

[Con Knipple]

They just ask you about certain players.

[Dale Jr.]

Do you watch enough, you know, do you get enough time to really see enough?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I love watching college hoops.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

I didn't watch as much this year.

[Dale Jr.]

Who are some players that you think are opportunities for us if, say, we sit still?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Who are some guys that you're like, damn, that'd be badass?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. Like, I haven't really looked at. At mox as far as, like, I don't know if this guy's way out of, like, not projected to be 14, but I like. I like Mara from Michigan a lot. Like, you just. I just saw his measurements come in the other day. He's huge. 7:3, barefoot with the 7:6 wingspan. Like, it's a big, big. Yeah, I think, you know, I like watching him play. I liked his teammate, Linda Borg, who's a. Was an older guy from Michigan. He was. He was really good player. So, like, that was one of the teams I watched a lot.

[Dale Jr.]

Michigan.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. So. Because they were. They won the national championship, obviously. Yeah. So I liked those guys. Yeah, I like. I mean, I like. I like some of the kamboozer. We won't get him because. Well, I don't know if we'd have to give up a whole lot to move up. But I like. I like his game. Obviously, he's a really smart player, but there's a lot of guys that I enjoy watching. There's a kid from Alabama, Amari Allen. He's from Green Bay, so I got to see him. Grew up playing a little AAU ball with him, so I don't know where he's mocked at or projected to be picked at, but I thought he had a really good year at Alabama. So we'll see. I mean, I have no idea what they want to do or with the GM stuff, but those are some guys that, you know, I like to watch them.

[Dale Jr.]

I've watched a lot of players that we've drafted, and it's interesting. I don't know the rhyme or reason, but it's interesting to me what guys come in and can play, can play meaningful minutes, can have an impact on the team. And then there's other players where it just seems to take a couple of years for them to find this. Their. Their. Their ability to just be productive. We see that, too, in racing. I know it's not. Not comparable to. To basketball, but we have guys that'll come in and can win right away, and then we'll have other guys that will be champions. They will be winners, but they have, like, three or four years of just, like, really struggling to produce and. But if you're patient, it finally clicks. And I know you might not be able to speak to that because you were kind of thrust into a role where you had to get. Get out there and do it. But, you know, what is the some, you know, some guys can come in and play right away and. And make a difference on. On an NBA team. Whereas. Whereas others. Is it. Is it a physical adjustment that they need to make from college? Is it. Is it the speed of the game being just that much different?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I think there's. There's different levels of, like, prospects that you select, you take in the draft. And so there's some guys that you take that, you know, might need a little more work or they're raw or they could develop into something great, and their potential is really high. And so you take a chance on those guys. And then there's some guys that, you know, are older, are more experienced college players, are used to playing with that level of physicality that it takes to play in the NBA.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And they're just a little more. A little better suited, you know, to come into the league and play a role right away and be able to be prepared on the court. And so, you know, I think it just depends. I feel like some of those guys are really obvious and like, he might. He might need some time. And then there's some guys are like, maybe, like he might. Might play, might not. And then all of a sudden you're like, oh, this guy. This guy can. This guy can hang.

[Dale Jr.]

How does the summer league make a difference? What's. I mean, you played in the summer league, so.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

What's. What, what is the end goal there for a player other than just, you know, to show his team that they got what they. They hope they.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I think the summer league is. Is good, like, to get. Get professional experience. You know, it's. It's a tough environment for, like, we were there for two and a half weeks in Vegas. It's like, it's not great. Like, you're in a hotel in the middle of July and you're in there a lot, and you're walking through the casino.

[Dale Jr.]

It's only one thing to do in Vegas.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

That you're there to work.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah. And so, you know, it was awesome to win. Like, that was. The goal is go out there and win. And so I think it's just like any other opportunity, like, if you wanted to go out there and do your best. And so I think that you go out there and I'm going to play the right way. You know, I'm going to give it my all. Like, that's that's the way to go out there. And the approach to go out there,

[Dale Jr.]

The G League, the Swarm, they won the title. What, what of that do you guys pay attention to And, And. And how realistic. So we had. We had a really great team. How realistic is it for those guys to see their op. You know, see an opportunity on an NBA lineup?

[Con Knipple]

Well, I mean, there's the two way guys, and then there's the guys we had. Liam was down there, and Dijon was down there.

[Dale Jr.]

My question. I guess my question is, like, I'm seeing those guys play ball really well, and they're. They're statistically doing a lot of great things for somebody that is a casual fan, why are you guys not putting them. Why are they not on our. Our NBA squad?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, I mean, I think you come up. It's a different level.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And so big difference. Yeah, it's a huge difference. Like the G League, there's not a lot of big bigs from watching, you know, watching some games. And I mean, there's a lot of really good players that play in the G League, and we have a lot of guys that. That played in the G League this year that are really good players. You know, PJ hall came up and had to play a couple games with us, and he was. He was great. You know, obviously Liam and T. John were down there a bit, and, you know, they're still young players in this league, and they got a lot of room to grow and, you know, they're.

[Dale Jr.]

Is that effective for them?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, it's more reps like it's pushed down there. It's better than. Better than being up and you know, not really playing.

[Dale Jr.]

Not playing meaningful minutes.

[Con Knipple]

So, you know, it's good for them to get down there and get that opportunity. And then when they come up, every time they came up, you see a difference. Yeah, they look more comfortable. And so it's. It's such a. It's such a useful tool, and I think it's good. You know, a lot of. We've seen that become more of a thing. A lot of organizations using that more and more for development.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, I wanted to talk about the rookie of the year. I don't want to make you uncomfortable because you're a humble guy, but there was a big debate nationwide over who was the rightful rookie of the year this year. And, you know, I. I kind of want to hear how you. I don't know that you probably care too much about how that netted out. At least you're not, you know, it is what it is. And I'm not asking you to tell me whether you feel like you deserved it or not. But you. You, like all of us, have to wait for the results. And those are the. Those are the results. And you move forward. Your good friend wins the award. You both are very supportive of each other, which is great. And I'm sure you've heard a ton of great feedback from fans who believed that you deserve to win it. What is that experience been like? I mean, I was sitting there thinking, I was devastated for you because, you know, having paid really close attention to the season, I felt like that the body of work was. Was deserving of the award. But I was wondering maybe that you were just thankful to be in the conversation and that you're like, man, this is what a hell of an opportunity to. So I'm just curious, you know, where. What was your mind frame?

[Con Knipple]

You know, obviously I wanted to win it. I felt like. I felt that if you would have told me that that's how I played at the beginning of the season, this is how your season would go, I would have taken it 100%. I went into that day of them announcing it in the morning. I was like, I can't do anything about it now. I did all I could. Yeah. And so, you know, I never really. I would have, you know, felt a little bit bad about it if I was like, ah, man, I. You know, I left some stuff out there, but I felt like I, you know, I did all I could. You know, maybe I wish I could have shot it better at the end of the season, but, you know, you do. You do all. I did all I could. And so I was willing to live with the result. I felt like I had a really, really good season. I felt like I was deserving. I would have won it in a lot of different years.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

And I thought Cooper was also very deserving. He had a great year.

[Dale Jr.]

And so have you and him had an opportunity to chat?

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I texted him right after, you know, try to get together with him this summer sometime for a weekend or something. But, yeah, we talked about it, congratulated him. You know, he had a heck of a season and, you know, yeah, I was definitely an honor to be. Even be considered, you know, obviously. Wish.

[Dale Jr.]

Wish I would have won for sure, man. I was wanting that for you as well, bud. And I know it doesn't. It's a very small consolation prize, but there are so many people that are so. That believe you deserved it. There's a lot of Hornets fans that still have their mind about the player you are and the person you are hasn't been altered at all by the overall decision. But I. Yeah, man, I've enjoyed talking to you. I. I'm glad you come over here. I know that you got a lot going on and I see the 2311 shirt. I appreciate the, the. Yeah. Support NASCAR. Have you been over to their shop?

[Con Knipple]

I have not.

[Dale Jr.]

Chance. You got it. You drive right past it. Headed to Charlotte. Beautiful place. But I mean, are you familiar follow the sport at all? Nascar?

[Con Knipple]

No, I don't.

[Dale Jr.]

Not really.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, it's something I got it. Probably got to get into a little bit.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, you know, being in Charlotte, you'll. You won't have much of a choice. You'll learn regardless. You won't have to try too hard.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, it'll.

[Dale Jr.]

It'll be everywhere, dude. Good luck. Have fun. You know, you got a long summer and hopefully you get to enjoy some time off and. And get your mind wrapped around your second NBA season, one of many. It's been a joy, man. I appreciate you.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah, thanks for having me.

[Dale Jr.]

All right, buddy. Thank you. Come back again. Con canipple on the Dale Jr. Download.

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[Dale Jr.]

All right, let's finish this up. Con conipel on the Dale Jr. Download. I got it. I got a. I recognize. I have some self awareness. I recognize that I come out of the gate in this interview a little hot. I was excited and I basically sit there and talk to him for like five minutes without asking him a question. But I just needed to. It helps me. Forgive me if you will for having some anxiety or. I just needed to shape for him. I could tell he wasn't quite sure where he was at, who he was sitting with and what he was doing here. And so I kind of wanted to spell out for him, you know, what led to this opportunity for us to sit down and talk and. And I wanted. I want. This was for me, this is. This is. I mean, can I be selfish for a minute? This is what. This is what I Love doing the show for is be able to talk to people I want to talk to and tell them what I want to tell them. And, and so I really got to do that. So I'm sorry if the intro was a little cheesy, um, and if I was dorking out there, geeking out a little bit, but I was.

[Show Producer/Host]

I think that's fine.

[Dale Jr.]

I'll admit it now. I, I had to share with him kind of like what led to this moment. And again, I also apologize for not being an expert in the NBA or basketball. I, I'm not, I'm not. I like the Hornets. I want them to do well. Anybody, you know, any sports team in and around Charlotte, I want them to win because it's great for our community. A successful sports team here, Panthers, the Hornets, it don't matter if they can win. It's great for everybody around. It just really changes how we feel about ourselves. Even surrounding communities way up here, 30 minutes north of Charlotte are affected by that. You see more jerseys, you see more people smiling. And so it's great to have good positivity around the Hornets after this year. So, you know, it was nice to be able to ask him some, some questions that he probably easily answered that were just, you know, things that I was thinking of. I, you know, I, I love doing this. Every now and then we get to have somebody, we do a lot of racing, we talk a lot of racing, and it's nice every now and then to get out of that box and do something different. And I'm just really, really thankful that we got to do this. I'm thankful that he was gracious with his time and we took him around and showed him the shop. I tried to give him a very speedy brief tour because I know he's trying to get on to the next thing, but just a well spoken, calm, easy to talk to, kind of do.

[Con Knipple]

I think it's fun when we get

[Show Producer/Host]

non NASCAR people in here, especially if they're around here, because now he might go back and talk to his friends about the sport and it just kind of helps grow it and well, you

[Dale Jr.]

know, he's got an experience now that he can go back and if we get mellow or somebody else to come on, you know.

[Show Producer/Host]

Yeah, I think, you know, I think he probably understood a little bit, but he's probably. I get the sense he's a little introvert. So kind of at the beginning it's a little, you know, like what's going on. But then once he got going, I've

[Dale Jr.]

seen Some interviews with him.

[Show Producer/Host]

You forget he's 20 years old.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I mean, I. I don't forget he's 20 years old because it says so here on his first sheet. I was sitting there thinking, man, this guy. I'm sitting. I'm sitting here asking him all these questions, and he's probably going, Dude, I'm 20. I don't really know yet, you know, because I'm trying to. I'm trying to dig in there and. And. But he's just. 20 years. I didn't. Dude, when I was 20, I wasn't. You know, I didn't have. I didn't have a whole lot of opinions or thoughts or no deep, you know, purpose behind a lot of the things that were going on in my life. And he's. His attitude of, I'm gonna do my best job today, and then I'm gonna try to do better tomorrow, you know, and I'm just gonna go that route. That was. That was. That was nice to hear. And that's. That's a great approach. You could tell, though, I was. I was real hesitant to talk to him about the. The rookie of the year deal because, man, I was so disappointed how that worked out, and I wasn't sure whether it was a big disappointment for him or if it was not. Not a big deal. You know, you don't. The rook of the year. I. It's imprinted on my mind as a big deal because it is a big deal in nascar, and maybe. Maybe it is not such a big deal in other sports. Maybe it is, right. Maybe. Maybe it. I don't know where it falls on. On the. The guys in the NBA truly give it right.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

That you won the rookie year. I don't. You know, I don't know. But it seemed like he truly did want to win it.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

And it did seem like that he was disappointed that what he did and how. How the season he had. Didn't. Didn't make it happen. He. I knew he would be complimentary to flag and that. And look, nothing against Cooper. He's. He's awesome and amazing. This is our guy. This is my guy. This is who I'm pulling for. Yeah. And he said. You know, one of the things I thought he said is, like, that was. It was telling about his emotion around. It is. A lot of other years I would have won it. And so it lets you know that he was kind of thinking it. You know, Man, I really. He woke up in the morning, well done. All I could do. It's in. It's out of my hands. So that was. That was frustrating, you know, because you felt like that. Damn. There was. There was an opportunity there. I mean, he had at one point, weeks before he had it locked down.

[Show Producer/Host]

Oh, he was the betting favorite.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, yeah.

[Show Producer/Host]

It was crazy.

[Dale Jr.]

70, 30 or something. And then his last 10 games, maybe longer, his last 12, 13 games, they weren't good. And he struggled. And I was hoping that we would get to the bottom of what he felt like his trouble were. Troubles were. I was wondering if he might say, you know, I tweaked my back and I was just a little. Just a little tight. But he never really. Because you were hearing rumors and stuff on the Internet, people trying to. All of us trying to like, go, hey, wonder what it is? But he's like, hey, sometimes it's just not there. And I thought the analogy of the golf swing would. Would be something he could relate to. And that's kind of what he. What he connected it to is like, you're chasing your shot. You're kind of chasing your swing all the time. He's like, sometimes him saying, sometimes it goes in even when it don't feel good. And he don't know why. It's so. So interesting. Like, man, you know, you show up some nights, you'll. I was going to ask this. You know, you'll show up some nights and Lamello will shoot it from half court, you know, two or three times in a night and make it go in, like, effortlessly. And then there's games where he never attempts one of those, not once. And you're thinking, man, he just must not think. You must not have the confidence or the. It doesn't feel like it's gonna. Yeah, he's just got in his head like, nah, I don't want to do it tonight because I don't know if it'll. Doesn't feel right.

[Show Producer/Host]

Yeah, it's something just in you.

[Dale Jr.]

Something ain't something in you.

[Show Producer/Host]

Yeah, like, I found interesting talking about, like, how does a team get blown out? I. I found that fascinating.

[Dale Jr.]

I know. I did too. Because a fan.

[Show Producer/Host]

You're like, what?

[Dale Jr.]

We're all asking that question because in real time, they. Dude, they. They had this insane game. They had that game against the Heat where they went through multiple overtimes. And in our eyes or in my mind, I'd sit in there, watched. I'd watch them play this season, and I'm thinking, you know what? We ought to be able to go in here and win by 15. You know, we're a better team. We're not, you know, we're climbing through the rankings and we almost had a shot at being a fifth or sixth seed and we should. We are. We're a fifth or six seed. We're just not. We ran out of time, so this should be no problem.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

And then they go and almost lose, almost win, almost lose, almost win. And finally pull it out all in the same game. Like he said, it was up and down, up, down. And you're thinking, damn, they, you know, it's like everybody gets up for the playoffs. We beat the Celtics probably two months before the end of the regular season. By 20, they would come back and beat us by three or four. And you're sitting there thinking, damn, we had. We handled the Celtics in Boston. How good are we? But it's like in nascar, everybody gets all their good off the shelf when the playoffs start and you're going to see these teams again and they ain't going to be the same. They ain't going to play the same. They. They're going to bring it. Every possession is going to matter, like he said. And that's. That just seemed to be kind of what they ran into, you know, and they were end up. They ended up getting knocked out, knocked out by Orlando. But hey, it's exciting to be happy and looking forward to the draft. Looking forward to who they're going to add, looking forward to what they may retain.

[Show Producer/Host]

Finally, a positive off season.

[Dale Jr.]

Yes.

[Show Producer/Host]

I think he brings a lot to the team. Just like his mental attitude.

[Dale Jr.]

I will probably watch more intently next year than I did this year.

[Show Producer/Host]

Oh, yeah, of course.

[Dale Jr.]

Now I'm going to be like.

[Show Producer/Host]

And once you meet someone on the team, you're like, oh, I want to. You know, I want to watch some more because now I feel like I know him a little bit.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Con Knipple]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Like, we got a. Yeah, this was a lot of fun. I'm just thankful for it and appreciate everybody sitting in and listening to Khan and the conversation. Young kid, 20 years old, he's got the, you know, like a lot of players in the NBA, got the future ahead of him and a real opportunity to have a. Have a fantastic, entertaining, fun career. And hopefully he spends the majority of that in Charlotte because I like the dude. I hope y' all enjoyed it. So, yeah, that was. That was the show. Make sure that you guys are going to Arby's, you know, because Arby's has this new meet and three box. You get more meal for your money when you go to Arby's. And I've been enjoying, I'm enjoying this new relationship. The curly fries, the Buffalo chicken sliders are fantastic. They've been a great partner and they've been involved in NASCAR for a couple years now and they just, they're just so excited to be involved in the sport and you see a lot of their engagement and stuff going on on Saturday and Sunday and just kind of cool to see Arby's and what they're doing.

[Show Producer/Host]

I like it because it's an easy sponsor to support. It is go get some curly fries and a milkshake. You're good to go.

[Dale Jr.]

That's right. They, they are the presenting partner sponsor for this episode today. And also one thing I want to let you all know before we wrap up Fan Day. So Fan day is coming May 21st here at Junior Motorsports and we are going to be live on Sirius xm. Dirty Mo Media will be live on Sirius XM from 9 till 2pm Larry Mack and Danielle Trotter are going to start off things with with their show at 9am on the RB stage. At 11, Dirty Mo live will kick off a show with Mike Davis hosted as well with Kenny Wallace. They'll have some surprising guests come up on stage as well at noon, bless your heart with Amy and me, followed by Door bumper clear at 1pm and they're going to have Jordan Bianchi on board. That'll be fun. Thursday, May 21st at Fan Day. There'll be so much to do out here. Not only can you check out all these live shows, you can try out some jerky boys and there'll be ton of, you know, sponsor tents and services and free stuff and giveaways and whatevers. It's gonna be fun autograph sessions. We're gonna have a lot of good we're gonna have a lot of good fun on May 21st Thursday at Junior Motorsports. Again, this episode presented to you by Arby's new meet in 3Box. Get more meal for your money at Arby's. We have the meets. We'll see you tomorrow. Check out dirty mo media on instagram, facebook x and TikTok.