Stephen Presents: Jalen Brunson | Prove It!

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Stephen Presents: Jalen Brunson | Prove It!"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert
• Host/Author: CBS
• Episode: Stephen Presents: Jalen Brunson | Prove It!
• Release Date: April 23, 2025
• Description: The #1 show in late night delivered straight to your ears, every day. Featuring sharp writing, hilarious monologues, and revealing conversations with celebrity guests.

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1. Introduction: Setting the Stage

The episode kicks off with Becca introducing herself and Stephen Colbert, who both work behind the scenes of the show. They delve into the unique aspects of translating the visual components of "The Late Show" into an engaging podcast format.

Notable Quote:

• Stephen Colbert (01:16): "Watch on TV, it's a visual experience."

2. Waste Paper Basketball: A Competitive Tradition

Stephen and Becca reminisce about their ongoing friendly rivalry in "waste paper basketball," a humorous segment where they compete using crumpled paper and waste bins.

Key Highlights:

• Stephen boasts about his competitive edge, having tied the score with Jalen Brunson at seven to seven.
• Stephen Colbert (03:04): "No relationship. Hand eye. No judging distance. Consistency of form."
• Recounts his victories over notable figures like President Obama and Michelle Obama, and his rare loss to Steph Curry.
• Becca (05:19): "Our segment producer Asher Dunk."

3. Asher Dunk: The "Prove It" Challenge

Becca introduces the "Asher Dunk" segment, where writer Asher Perlman attempts to dunk a basketball after six months of training, inspired by a spectacular dunk from Ja Morant.

Notable Quote:

• Stephen Colbert (07:36): "One of the things that we like to do here at the Late Show is we don't like to just talk to basketball players. We like to play a little basketball."

4. Soothing Industrial Footage: A Visual Delight

Stephen shares his appreciation for industrial processes, highlighting their mesmerizing and calming nature. He describes various manufacturing techniques, from metal lathing to cake frosting machines, emphasizing the beauty in mechanical precision.

Notable Quote:

• Stephen Colbert (08:10): "We used to put it on the show. I love soothing industrial footage."

5. Guest Interview: Jalen Brunson

The highlight of the episode is an in-depth interview with Jalen Brunson, a two-time NCAA basketball champion and current captain of the New York Knicks.

Topics Discussed:

• Championship Wins: Reflecting on his 2016 and 2018 NCAA titles with Villanova.

  • Jalen Brunson (13:41): "Amazing. Short and sweet."

• Memorable Moments: The dramatic buzzer-beater by Chris Jenkins against North Carolina.

  • Jalen Brunson (15:15): "I still get goosebumps every time I see that."

• Injury and Recovery: Returning to the court after an ankle injury.

  • Jalen Brunson (15:59): "It's not fun... I'm itching to get back out there."

• Family Influence: The impact of his father, Rick Brunson, a former Knicks player, on his career.

  • Jalen Brunson (17:12): "Seeing him work tirelessly every single day... that had the biggest impact on me."

Notable Quotes:

• Stephen Colbert (16:37): "And your dad. What's your dad's first name?"
• Jalen Brunson (17:57): "He was putting in the work every single day, and that inspired me to do the same."

6. Friendly Competition: Stephen vs. Jalen

In a lighthearted exchange, Stephen challenges Jalen to a game of waste paper basketball. The attempt ends humorously midway, highlighting the playful rapport between host and guest.

Notable Quote:

• Jalen Brunson (18:29): "I would, but one quick thing."
• Stephen Colbert (19:58): "What is it? What's the score now?"

7. Prove It: Asher Perlman's Dunk Attempt

The segment concludes with Asher Perlman taking on the challenge to dunk like Ja Morant. Despite his age and recent shoulder surgery, Asher's determination is evident as he begins his training journey.

Key Highlights:

• Asher Perlman's Background: Homeschooler and cartoonist with a passion for basketball.
• Training Beginnings: Documenting day one of his 180-day dunk training challenge.
• Stephen's Encouragement: Emphasizes the importance of hard work and perseverance.

Notable Quote:

• Jalen Brunson (25:16): "We have you legally covered here at the Paramount Corporation. Well, it's time for the Late show's newest long-running segment."

8. Closing Remarks and Future Segments

Stephen wraps up the episode by promoting additional content available on "The Late Show" YouTube channel and hints at upcoming segments, maintaining the show's signature blend of humor and celebrity interaction.

Notable Quote:

• Stephen Colbert (27:19): "If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives."

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Conclusion: This episode of "The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert" masterfully blends humor, sports anecdotes, and engaging conversations with Jalen Brunson. From playful competitions to in-depth interviews, listeners are treated to a rich tapestry of content that captures the essence of the televised show while offering unique insights suitable for the podcast format.

Transcript

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[Stephen Colbert]

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[Becca]

Hey, everybody. You're listening to the Late Show POD Show. I'm Becca. I work here and I'm here with Stephen. Hi, Stephen.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hi, I'm Stephen. I work here too, with Becca.

[Becca]

Yeah, great.

[Stephen Colbert]

Right now, Becca is my producer. Becca, what are we doing?

[Becca]

You know, introducing things that have already aired on our show, but with a fresh twist and some fresh descriptions from Stephen Colbert himself.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, I understand what we do on the podcast. I'm just curious, what is our podcast today?

[Becca]

Our podcast today.

[Stephen Colbert]

Are you gonna hint? Cause sometimes I get to guess who the person is based on a hint. Are we not doing that game this week?

[Becca]

No, we'll do this game, but I have an agenda here.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, boy.

[Becca]

But for you to guess the guest, this is someone you most recently played a game of waste paper basketball with.

[Stephen Colbert]

Jalen Bronson.

[Becca]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Becca]

The New York Knick himself.

[Stephen Colbert]

The captain of the Knicks.

[Becca]

And let me explain why I wanted to give you a chance to introduce this podcast, which is that waste paper basketball I typically don't put on the podcast because as wonderful it is to.

[Stephen Colbert]

Watch on tv, it's a visual experience.

[Becca]

It's a visual experience and so is our show. But a lot of it translates great to podcast work. For those of us who listen like I do and like you are listening now. But I wanted to. Just because we don't always get to hear these things on the podcast doesn't mean I don't want you to talk about them. I want. I Have questions. I want to hear you talk about these segments that we actually like.

[Stephen Colbert]

The history of wastepaper basketball.

[Becca]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. Because it's a long and storied history.

[Becca]

And. And let's start off with saying, how does this one go? How does this one go for the listeners who are about to hear?

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, I mean, it's dramatic.

[Becca]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

First of all, because I drained my first three right in there. And he misses his first three.

[Becca]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

And so I'm smoking him hard. I think that's how it goes. I know that he gets seven in a row. Spoiler. It's a tie. Seven to seven.

[Becca]

Seven to seven.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. But keep in mind, I am not the captain of the Knicks and he is.

[Becca]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I'm not saying that it translates directly to, like, NBA skills, but there's not. No relationship. Hand eye.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

No judging distance. Consistency of form. It's all about consistency of form and then forgetting all about it and just doing what you do.

[Becca]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know? Yes. Just drain the threes.

[Becca]

And just to. Just to reiterate, this is. These are tiny, crumpled up pieces of paper.

[Stephen Colbert]

Waste paper basketball. We know what that is. You crumple up the piece of paper. Gotta have a nice tight crumple on that. And then right there into a waste paper basket.

[Becca]

So you tied.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Becca]

But you've won against a lot of people.

[Stephen Colbert]

I've won against most people.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

The first person I ever played was on the old show Dr. J was on.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I challenged him to that. And my executive producer, Tom Purcell, said to me, hey, just, you know, before you go out there, I mean, the man's a Hall of Famer. So just keep in mind that, like, you don't get to be a Hall of Famer without being kind of competitive. So, like, don't be surprised if he. If he smokes you. And I said, tom, you don't get one of these jobs unless you're kind of competitive also. And I'm not going to say I'm going to beat Dr. J Wastepaper basketball, but believe you me, the two competitive men are going to be at that table. And I smoked him. And he was not happy. Like, not joking, not happy. He was not happy. He accused me of having practiced, and I did not. I do not practice. They just bring me the balls and we shoot. But like, some people just have something they were given by God to do. And for me, it's waste paper basketball.

[Becca]

Wow. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I crushed Obama.

[Becca]

Yes. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Crushed him.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Did I beat Michelle or did I tie Michelle? I might have Tied Michelle Obama. I've only lost to one person.

[Becca]

And who is that?

[Stephen Colbert]

That's Steph Curry. And I was pissed.

[Becca]

And that's.

[Stephen Colbert]

I've probably done this a dozen times. And I. And I lost to Steph Curry. And I was pretty mad. I was genuinely pretty mad afterwards. And I get, you know, I'm the Dr. J of wastepaper basketball, so I take this personally.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And. And my exec, again, Tom, pointed out to me, you're mad because you lost to the greatest three point shooter in human history. I'm like, yeah, I'm mad.

[Becca]

Yeah. But you did beat him with rolled up socks the first time.

[Stephen Colbert]

The first time I beat him with rolled up socks. Or was it beat him or a tie?

[Becca]

I think Neil told me. Let me pull back the history there.

[Stephen Colbert]

So kind of we're tied because I beat him once and then he challenged you to a rewatch and then he beat me the second time. So. So you know he practiced.

[Becca]

Yeah, no, totally.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly.

[Becca]

He was coming back for you.

[Stephen Colbert]

So we're really. We're actually tied. So I actually haven't lost, in my opinion.

[Becca]

No, you beat him with the socks in 2015, per Neil. How you like our segment producer. But we also have some other stuff that I want to hear you talk about. We got Asher Dunk.

[Stephen Colbert]

Asher Dunk. We're doing the same. This is all Basketball night.

[Becca]

Tell the people what's going on with Asher Dunk.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, for those of you who have been following along with our long running segment, prove it with Asher. Back in the late 2024, Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies. Is that who it is?

[Becca]

It's the guy. I don't know the name of the guy. I don't follow sports.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, no, it's John Moran. I just don't know what he plays with. Is Memphis Grizzlies. We gotta find that out. I can't put that on the podcast.

[Becca]

Look it up, John.

[Stephen Colbert]

Rant play for.

[Becca]

I gotta find out.

[Stephen Colbert]

I think it's the Grizz.

[Becca]

The Grizz. Let's see. But he does an incredible.

[Stephen Colbert]

He did this behind the back, like double pump, just jam through the hoop. Dunk. Have you found it?

[Becca]

He is Memphis Grizzlies. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you very much. Okay. I am sporty.

[Becca]

Fact check.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, thank you. Fact check and unbelievable, you know, Unbelievable. Truly inspiring. And one of my writers, Asher Perlman, wrote to a guy named Andrew, who's the husband of my head writer Ariel Dumas, and said the specific way in which I'm crazy is that I think with six months of training, I could do that. And Asher's a tall guy. He's a tall guy, Looks athletic. And so we said, prove it.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

So we are on. We were actually. I just met with him to see how progress is for month three, because we're three months into the six months here.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And we got him. First of all, I just came and did. We did. Did a baseline in early January. We did a baseline, like, okay, what's your ability to dunk?

[Becca]

The before.

[Stephen Colbert]

The before. Exactly.

[Becca]

Yeah. And did he dunk?

[Stephen Colbert]

He did not.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

His ability is. Does not have the ability to dunk.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And he has made some progress.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

They measured in knuckles. Like, can you touch the rim? First knuckle, second knuckle, third knuckle. If you can get to the third knuckle, you can generally do some kind of dunk.

[Becca]

Yeah. Okay, Last visual thing I want to ask you about, you were talking about in the writers meeting this morning, something that we could not put on the podcast because it wouldn't make any sense. Something we used to put on the show. Industrial footage.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, soothing industrial footage.

[Becca]

Soothing, soothing industrial.

[Stephen Colbert]

We used to put it on the show.

[Becca]

It has been on the show before.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, like, once or twice. Something like that.

[Becca]

We tried it in, like, 2015.

[Stephen Colbert]

I love soothing industrial footage, and it's generally footage that is shot by the industry to show how either the process works or how the machine that does the, let's say, like, tooling of the steel or something, how that works. And so my idea of just very relaxing is to watch an industrial, like, Computer Aided Lathe cut a steel doorknob out of just an ingot of steel. Because I was spinning like a lathe, like a metal lathe. And I don't need to hear the sound. I just want to see that drill bit hit that metal and then just great peels with sparks of ribbons of metal come off and then it smooths it out. What are they making? What's that? Oh, is that a door post?

[Jalen Brunson]

What is it?

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, oh, it's a piece of. It's a. It's a. It's a pawn from a chess set or whatever. Like, you don't know what it is at first.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Love it. And I love the number of times the bits change automatically or the drill head moves around by the computer aided design, like, and then it starts doing some more drilling. Love it. I like just watching wood lathing. I like. The thing that really got me started on originally was industrial cake frosting.

[Becca]

Oh, yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

So it's like a circular cake.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Like, basically somebody comes in and puts the cake part in to the machine, and then a nozzle comes out and squirts the frosting on and a series of paddles come out and smooth it absolutely perfectly.

[Becca]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, man. It's like it's smoothing out wrinkles in your soul.

[Becca]

Yeah. And it's sort of like a record turntable, except with, like, sort of a frosting spatula on the arm.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's really beautiful, I think a really nice clean side. Nice clean top. And then the only problem is that occasionally a human is involved.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Because I don't want humans to be involved in any of this stuff. I am so ready for the robot overlords. As long as there is this fish as efficient as this, you know.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And then I just. They'll put another cake on, like another piece on top as they're doing, like a layer cake or something.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah. So are you. Are you watching how it's made, or is that too much narrative components?

[Stephen Colbert]

I don't want. Don't talk me through it. I'll figure it out.

[Becca]

Just.

[Stephen Colbert]

Just show me, like, raw footage of how it's made.

[Jalen Brunson]

I do love a good.

[Stephen Colbert]

How it's made.

[Becca]

The Pringles. Good one.

[Stephen Colbert]

How are Pringles made?

[Becca]

It's just made on, like, a concaved baking sheet.

[Stephen Colbert]

So what they basically do is they take all the potatoes and they turn them into a slurry, and the slurry gets squirted and pressed into that shape because there's no way you can cut a potato that shape. Yeah, that's all from a pulp or something.

[Becca]

But it looks so cool when they get rolled in there by. Again, just metal hands. The metal hands of our robot overlords. But it's a fun video.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm. You know. Listen, do you know the song Igy by Donald Fagan? It really stands for International Geophysical Year, which I think was 1961. And it was this year that was declared, I think, by the UN about how all nations come together to use science and technology to make a better world and, you know, and bring our countries closer together.

[Becca]

Oh, yeah, you've played this in rewrite, for sure.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly.

[Becca]

During your DJ time. Great song.

[Stephen Colbert]

Also, I'm old enough that I grew up with that late 60s or mid. I was born in the mid-60s, 64, but there was enough of that around me. Also, media used to hang around longer, then didn't change, like every five minutes, like teenage lipstick styles in Tokyo do. And so my Vision of the future was that hopeful international geophysical year, you know, the perfectibility of mankind and the brotherhood of nations, which I still think is the way to think about the future. I think that hope is always the best choice.

[Becca]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

And so I love, I love the whole album. The Night Fly by Donald Fagan, that's what Igy is from. And then also has the goodbye look, which is fantastic. About the. Basically like a communist revolutionary takeover of a Caribbean island, probably Cuba.

[Becca]

Oh, wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. And also New Frontier, which is about a guy trying a high school boy trying to get a girl to come down into his parents bomb shelter. They've been to like the high school dance. He's like, yeah, I've got a couple beers. Let's, let's go down to the bomb shelter.

[Jalen Brunson]

Really, really great.

[Becca]

Steamy.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly. Big Steely Dan fan.

[Becca]

Yeah. Dirty work.

[Jalen Brunson]

Dirty work.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know what? I got a cut for you that nobody wants to like, hear, but. Fire in the hole.

[Becca]

Fire. Fire in the hole.

[Stephen Colbert]

I love fire in the hole.

[Becca]

All right.

[Stephen Colbert]

Great song.

[Becca]

I'll be putting that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Fire in the hole with a gun.

[Becca]

Okay. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Steely. All right. Well, this is Jalen Brunson on the Late Show. Pod show.

[Stephen Colbert]

Perfect, Perfect segue, right?

[Jalen Brunson]

From Steely.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, it's New York.

[Becca]

It's New York. Yeah.

[Jalen Brunson]

My next guest is a two time NCAA basketball champion. You know him as the all star point guard and captain of the New York Knicks. Please welcome to the Late Show. Jalen Brunson, great to have you here, especially tonight because Tonight is the NCAA men's basketball championship here on CBS. And we're, you know, not long ago you won two of these. First in 2016 for Villanova Wildcats and then 2018. What does it feel like to win not one, but two national basketball championships?

Um, amazing. Short and sweet. Amazing.

I mean, college parties can be wild as it is. What are they like after you win a national championship?

Uh, they're, they're pretty fun. They're pretty fun. I, I would say there's a nickname that Villanova has. It's called Villa no Fun, but Villanova, which is good because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that. I wouldn't be playing.

It was too much fun. Why do you think Villanova, it's a small school, but it's got this amazing team and I've been on campus there. The energy, like the rah rah on that campus is extraordinary.

Yeah, it's the family atmosphere that kind of keeps it like that. I mean, I knew when I committed to Villanova, it wasn't gonna be like a short term thing. It was gonna be a lifelong long term thing. So the family atmosphere that it has, it attracts the people that our coaching staff wants, and I'm just happy I made that decision.

Well, I want to talk about the 2016 North Carolina game because North Carolina.

[Stephen Colbert]

Tied that game up with five seconds.

[Jalen Brunson]

Left and your teammate, Chris Jenkins hit a buzzer beater.

[Stephen Colbert]

Let's take a look at this. Jim.

[Jalen Brunson]

Down from three in the first half. They're going to have to do something from the outside. Now it's page off balance. Puts it over impossible. How did he do that? Look at the kid there. Going to go length of the with Archie Dakino. Three seconds at midcourt. Jenkins gives it to Jenkins for the championship. What. What is that moment like?

I. I still get goosebumps every time I see that. I mean, I can't even put it in the words. First of all, we were up like 10 with like two minutes left. So they tied the game within those two minutes. And now I'm thinking like, here we go. But, man, that was an unbelievable feeling.

It seems like the excitement is so great because everybody piles on right on the court there. It seems like a good way to get hurt.

Yeah, I don't. It's not. Let's just say it wasn't smiled upon for sure. It was definitely a little sketchy.

Now you're in the NBA. Knicks fans are really excited. Last night you returned after a month of rest from a hurt ankle. What's it like not being on the court for a month and then going back into a game?

It's not fun.

Really.

It's not. It's like, you think like, oh, I get time to rest. I kind of get to relax, but, like, I'm itching to get back out there. I was doing my best to obviously just work as hard as I can to rehab by doing things twice, three times a day, every day. It's not fun at all.

NBA playoffs start April 19, I think. How are y'all preparing and what are you expecting?

Oh, one day at a time. It's the most boring answer that everyone hears, but it's something that it's helped me in college. It's helped me every step of the way to get to the point I am where I am. So I'm just gonna keep with that.

Now, your dad. What's your dad's first name?

Rick.

Rick Bronson.

Eric, but we call him Rick.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, Rick Bronson.

[Jalen Brunson]

Nothing like that.

He Actually played for a bunch of teams, one of whom was the Knicks. And as a result, here you are. Here you are. There you are as a toddler, wearing a Knicks jersey here with Marcus Canby, who was one of your dad's teammates there. And here are the two. You are together. Here's you and your dad. Okay, and what did your dad teach you about life in the NBA? How did he prep you for that?

So my dad played for eight teens and nine years, so he was on guaranteed contracts every single year. So as a kid, I'm seeing my dad work as hard as he can, lifting, shooting, then playing at night all day throughout the summer. And so I'm seeing that as a kid, and I'm not really understanding why he's putting. Why he's doing this every single day. So as I get older, I start to realize that this is what I want to do for a living. This is what I want, my goal. It kind of creeps back into my mind of my dad working out as hard as he can every single day in the summertime, in the hot summer. So seeing that had more of an impact. And obviously like the drills and all the other stuff that we do, that's a given. But seeing him work tirelessly every single day, that had the biggest impact on me.

Well, one of the things that we like to do here at the Late show is we don't like to just.

[Stephen Colbert]

Talk to basketball players. We like to play a little basketball.

[Jalen Brunson]

And I'm wondering, you're a competitive guy and they don't just give these desks. So you're a two time NBA all star. I've beaten the likes of President Obama, Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade in a little friendly waste paper basketball. Would you like to go toe to toe with me right now?

I would, but one quick thing.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yep.

[Jalen Brunson]

I heard this is the only thing that you're good at backstage.

Can you just do me a favor and if you could just write down the name of that crew member right there who said that. There you go.

[Stephen Colbert]

There you. There you go.

[Jalen Brunson]

Thank you very much. Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Well, they will be.

[Jalen Brunson]

We will be sending this to HR tomorrow. There you go. Okay, so here's the deal. Okay, so pick your color. What do you want here?

I'm going orange.

[Stephen Colbert]

You go orange. Okay.

[Jalen Brunson]

There you go. All right, we have a basket right there. There's no timer. Because we'll do this Obama style, where I shoot, you shoot or you shoot, I shoot. We'll just go back and forth and, you know, may the best Me win. Okay. Ready to do this? Y'all ready for this?

[Stephen Colbert]

No, you first.

[Jalen Brunson]

You first. Uh. Oh. Oh.

[Asher Perlman]

Ooh. Oh.

[Jalen Brunson]

Oh.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wait.

[Jalen Brunson]

What is it?

[Stephen Colbert]

What is it? What's the score now?

[Jalen Brunson]

Is that Ty Score?

No. It's your turn.

Jalen Brunson, everybody. We'll be right back.

[Stephen Colbert]

More Late show pod show after this. I think you're on mute.

[LinkedIn Narrator]

Workday starting to sound the same.

[Stephen Colbert]

I think you're on mute.

[LinkedIn Narrator]

Find something that sounds better for your career on LinkedIn. With LinkedIn job collections, you can browse curated collections by relevant industries and benefits like Flexpto or Hybrid workplaces so you can find the right job for you. Get [e-mail] jobs finding where you fit.

[Jalen Brunson]

LinkedIn knows how McDonald's meets the Minecraft universe with one of six collectibles and your choice of a Big Mac or 10 piece McNuggets with spicy nether Flame sauce. Now available with a Minecraft movie meal. I participate in McDonald's for a limited.

[Stephen Colbert]

Time, a Minecraft movie only in theaters.

[Jalen Brunson]

Happy New Year, everybody. By now, we've all locked down our New Year's resolutions. Well, I've got a particularly wild one here at the show from one of my writers. His name is Asher Perlman. That's Asher right now, in fact, let's bring Asher out. Asher, come on up. This is Asher Perlman, one of my writers. Asher, good to see you. Hey, good to see you. Have a seat. There you go. Here's the deal. I found out about a New Year's resolution that you had. You're a big basketball fan.

[Asher Perlman]

Love basketball.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Jalen Brunson]

Okay.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay.

[Jalen Brunson]

So I heard you were taken by one very particular dunk from Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies. Let's take a look at the dunk that you saw in December.

[Asher Perlman]

Okay.

[Jalen Brunson]

Morant ball fake.

[Asher Perlman]

Oh.

[Jalen Brunson]

Oh, my God.

Okay. That was pretty impressive. Okay.

[Asher Perlman]

Yeah.

[Jalen Brunson]

Cause he's going up, gets blocked, brings his arms down while his body continues to go up and then jams it behind his head.

[Asher Perlman]

And there's a seven foot man in front of him trying to stop that fella, trying to stop him.

[Jalen Brunson]

Okay. That's called a double clutch dunk. In midair with a two handed reverse finish. That's what I understand. I believe you now after seeing this dunk. And this is all true. This is why we're doing this. You sent your friends this text. The specific way in which I'm crazy is that I think I could do that if you gave me six. Now that. That I Think we can all agree is stark staring madness. Why do you think you could do that?

[Asher Perlman]

Well, I. I mean, I don't think I can now, but I think in six. I think in six months, if you.

[Jalen Brunson]

Put the work in.

[Asher Perlman]

If I put the work in, I think. I think. I think I can do it in six months.

[Jalen Brunson]

You honestly think in six months you could do that? How old are you?

[Asher Perlman]

I'm 38 years old.

[Jalen Brunson]

And in six months?

[Asher Perlman]

A. 39.

[Jalen Brunson]

Okay. All right. How are the knees?

[Asher Perlman]

Bad.

[Jalen Brunson]

Like, injury bad?

[Asher Perlman]

Really bad. I mean, I can't jog anymore.

[Jalen Brunson]

Well, there's no jogging in basketball, so you're fine.

[Asher Perlman]

No, it's just a quick sprint.

[Jalen Brunson]

So just the knees?

[Asher Perlman]

Knees are bad. And I had shoulder surgery recently, so I'm still working up to full mobility.

[Jalen Brunson]

Okay. But aside from that, aside from the joints of your body. Right. You're quite tall and you're a writer for me, but you're quite tall. I assume when you're not riding for me, you're playing basketball all the time.

[Asher Perlman]

Actually, I'm a cartoonist.

[Jalen Brunson]

You got a book called. Well, this is Me.

[Asher Perlman]

Yep.

[Jalen Brunson]

There you go.

[Asher Perlman]

That's my book.

[Jalen Brunson]

Okay. That's very impressive. It will not help with this.

[Stephen Colbert]

Tell me about you.

[Jalen Brunson]

Let's talk about your basketball. You played any basketball?

[Asher Perlman]

When I was younger, I played in an intramural league.

[Jalen Brunson]

We have a photo here. There you are.

[Stephen Colbert]

Pick yourself out of that. Pick yourself out of there.

[Asher Perlman]

There I am.

[Jalen Brunson]

That's you. Almost. Almost the tallest person there. And this is your high school team?

[Asher Perlman]

This is. Well, I was homeschooled, so.

[Jalen Brunson]

You were homeschooled?

[Asher Perlman]

I was homeschooled.

[Jalen Brunson]

So are you from, like, fundamentalist Christian background?

[Asher Perlman]

No, like lefty Jews.

[Jalen Brunson]

The schools lefty enough for your parents? So how did you have a team?

[Asher Perlman]

Well, we. So these are. They're all homeschoolers. And we put together a team and joined an intramural league that. It was us and then, you know, varsity basketball teams on their off season.

[Jalen Brunson]

And they were using you as sparring partners. They would just slap you around, basically.

[Asher Perlman]

Yeah. Well, we lost every game.

[Jalen Brunson]

Okay. You still think you could do this, though?

[Asher Perlman]

I do.

[Jalen Brunson]

All right, so what we're gonna do here is that before we go any further with this is that. And this is 100% true, the CBS lawyers are making you sign a waiver. Can you give the people out here any highlights of the waiver?

[Asher Perlman]

Okay. It does say that I hereby agree to accept any and all risks of participating in the activity, including death.

[Jalen Brunson]

So they've got faith in you.

[Asher Perlman]

Yep.

[Stephen Colbert]

Just sign, please. Just sign right there.

[Jalen Brunson]

Uh huh.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay.

[Jalen Brunson]

All right. Okay. We're all legally covered here at the Paramount Corporation. Well, it's time for the Late show's newest long running segment.

[Asher Perlman]

Prove it.

[Jalen Brunson]

Welcome to Prove it. Asher Perlman, my writer, says he can dunk like ja Morant with six months of training. Okay. Asher Perlman, day one of 180, January 7, 2025. Let's see your best dunk. Let's. Asher, Asher.

[Asher Perlman]

Asher, Asher.

[Jalen Brunson]

Bring it in. Let's bring it in. Let's bring it in. How you feeling, champ? How are you feeling? You feeling okay?

[Asher Perlman]

I'm feeling okay. You can't get an after picture if you don't take a before.

[Jalen Brunson]

That's right. Let's look at the replay side by side with Ja Morant. So close. So close. Okay, what we're gonna do is we're gonna see you once a month for the next six months and just. Is this for charity?

[Asher Perlman]

No, sir.

[Jalen Brunson]

Well, you better get training.

[Asher Perlman]

All right, I will see you this summer.

[Jalen Brunson]

You work for me still.

[Asher Perlman]

All right, I'll see you, Tom.

[Jalen Brunson]

Professor Perlman, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late.

[Stephen Colbert]

Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert.

[Jalen Brunson]

Just one more thing.

[Stephen Colbert]

If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

[Nicole Byer]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Nicole Byer helping you make those rooms flyer. Today's style tip. When it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals. Go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table. From wayfair.com. ooh, fierce. This has been your Wayfair style tip to keep those interiors superior.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wayfair.

[Becca]

Every style. Every home.