R.J. Luis Jr. (5:04)

What?

Ayesha Bowe (5:05)

Mom and I had a long talk when she got elected that if anything like this were to ever happen, it was my job to get you two out. And no matter what happens to her.

Anthony Anderson (5:17)

I'm gonna look out for you.

Stephen A. Smith (5:19)

Let's go. My next guest is starring in the new prime video original movie G20, streaming on April 10th. He's perhaps best known for his role as Andre Johnson on the Hit ABC sitcom Blackish. I know him from a whole bunch of movies, not to mention Laura and order one of the great, great actors of our time as far as I'm concerned. Please welcome Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor, the one and only Anthony Anderson to the house. What up, Fred? What up, double A? How you doing, bro? How's everything?

Ayesha Bowe (5:56)

Everything is going good, baby. My. Hey, my system is falling apart on me, Steve. My bad, baby, my bad.

Stephen A. Smith (6:02)

You can handle it. You can handle it. It's all good, man. Let's get right into it because I want to have. I want to get into this before you get cut off with your damn electronic ass self. I mean, electronic inhibit itself. I don't know what technological inhibitor. Listen, this film looks like a wild ride. In it, you star alongside the great Viola Davis and your daughter from Blackest Marsai. Martin, explain the premise in your character, please.

Ayesha Bowe (6:26)

Well, you know what? I'm the first man. You know, Viola Davis is the President of the United States. I'm her husband and I'm the first man of the United States, man. So that's my character.

Stephen A. Smith (6:38)

Now listen, I know you personally, you're. But you're a friend of mine. I got mad love for you. You as the first man thinking about the power of the presidency. Well, the presidency is under a microscope. The first man might be a little bit different. Not so much. What kind of nonsense did you get yourself into as the first man? I mean, what kind of ideas were you throwing out there? Because I can only imagine.

Ayesha Bowe (7:00)

Well, you know what, man? As the first man, like most first ladies, our voice really isn't heard that much. But we had a great time. You know, I'm there supporting Viola's character, supporting our family. You know, I'm a stay at home dad, ex military, married to the President of the United States, who happens to go over to Cape town for the G20 World Summit and it happens to be attacked by terrorists. And we have a great time doing it, man. We kick a lot of butt, get a lot of butt kick. We're both ex military in this film, so it makes sense for us to do what we're doing. And it's action packed and it's fun filled.

Stephen A. Smith (7:44)

So it's action packed, but it's not, it's not comedic. I mean, because it's you. I mean, anytime we see you, you're making us laugh. It's not comedic?

Ayesha Bowe (7:51)

No, no, not, not comedic at all. They may, there may be some comedic elements here and there, but, but definitely not a comedy. You know, we, we May have a joke or two to add some levity, but it's. This is serious business. See, this is serious business, man.

Stephen A. Smith (8:07)

So as, as, as the first man, I mean, as you imagine a man being in the second position, I mean, deferential to his. That's, that's, that. That's just figure. Because we all know that, listen, 95% of the time, the women are getting what the hell they want. The 5% of the time, as Chris Rock would say, give us the big piece of chicken. I mean, our rights are very, very limited when it comes to our black women. So I want to know what kind was that part of. Was that a part of the character that was portrayed by you and obviously by Viola Davis at all? She's in charge.

Ayesha Bowe (8:39)

I mean, she's in charge. And for some reason, on repeat, Beyonce's song was playing, we won the world, we run the world. And so that was just. I was just playing all day for six months in Cape Town, South Africa, man. So I just had to fall in line, Steven. I just had to fall in line and play my position, as we all do.

Stephen A. Smith (9:00)

When you think about what you've done in your career, comedic and obviously some serious roles, watching you on Law and Order and various other roles at this point in time of your career, what do you enjoy most?

Ayesha Bowe (9:14)

You know? One, I enjoy going to work. You know, this is something that I've always wanted to do since I was 9 years old. And I've been blessed with a gift. I don't call it a talent, I call it a gift. And it's my responsibility to share this gift that I've been blessed with with the world. So first and foremost, going to work, getting to do what I do, but then getting to work with people like Viola Davis, Anthony Starks, you know, Marci Martin, and just the luminaries that I've been able to work with over the years in my career. That's what drives me and that's what satisfies me in this hunger that I have as an actor, getting up and going to work and gracing the stage and gracing the screen with some of our elite.

Stephen A. Smith (10:02)

So I'm looking at it from that standpoint. And, you know, you talk about the work and obviously in this day and age, if you working, you living good, because Lord knows there's. There's not enough people that's working in this day and age and what have you. As you think about what's going on, again, the first man in this film, Viola Davis, is the President G20 coming out April 10th. I'm thinking about the climate, the times that we're living in. How much did that play a role in? A, in your willingness to accept such a role, and B, in what you guys actually did for. For. For the project itself. How much does the present administration or the present political climate play a role in all of that?

Ayesha Bowe (10:47)

I'll answer the former, then the latter. You know, while we were filming this, this was over a year ago, so, you know, Vice President Kamala Harris was. Was vying for the. For the office herself. Right. And, you know, we thought this, you know, we thought we were hoping that she would be in office that, you know, would. Would resonate with an audience, you know, while we were making this film. But given the current political climate and the new administration of the new administrators that are in office right now, I think that's going to drive people to see this movie and gives it a set of. Of legs and a set of eyes that we probably wouldn't have had on it to begin with, having Viola Davis as an African American woman being President of the United States and running things the way that we would hope and want this administration to run these things. So I think it's a great juxtaposition of what's happening in real life and working parallel with what's going on in this film that we're doing.

Stephen A. Smith (11:55)

This administration has called out George Clooney and numerous other contemporaries in your industry for things that have been said, manners in which the President has been portrayed, et cetera, et cetera. And one would surmise that at some point in time, folks in Hollywood may feel a bit compelled to be careful about what they do and how they do it, in an effort to be as real and as authentic to their craft as they could possibly be. While not provoking the ire of politicians in this day and age, particularly doing a show of this nature. Is that something that entered your mind of Viola Davis's mind at all, or is it about I don't give a damn. I'm Anthony Anderson, and this is the role that it calls for me to play, and I'm going to do what I do.

Ayesha Bowe (12:46)

You know, I can't speak for Viola. I can only speak for myself. But, you know, we have our First Amendment right, you know, to free speech, and we have our own opinions about the world in which we live. And, you know, as long as I can be my authentic self, live in my truth, and speak my truth from my position and my perspective, I want people to respect that, just like I would Respect their position and their perspective. It's not about what I'm me, I'm Anthony Anderson, and this is what I say and this is how I'm going to live, and this is what I'm going to do. We also have to be conscious of what it is that we say and how it may not only affect our livelihood, but how it may affect the people that are part of what it is that we do. But we also have to be informed about the things that we are going to say about the positions that we want to take and not just jump on a bandwagon and say, oh, well, I heard this. We have to do the work ourselves and find out. So we're not misinformed and we're spreading misinformation. And again, it's just our opinion, our individual opinions on the world in which we live and how we see it and how it's affecting us. And I think that's only fair.

Stephen A. Smith (14:10)

Let me go back to the film, because the film, like you talk, like you articulated, was shot in Cape Town, South Africa. What is this I'm hearing about you ending up in the emergency room after a fight scene going wrong? Explain yourself, Anthony Anderson. Explain yourself. What the hell happened to you?

Ayesha Bowe (14:24)

You know what? Some guys got a little overzealous on set, Stephen, and, you know, an accident happened. It was a fight scene. We were supposed to do some things. I was supposed to be thrown into a chair. Well, they threw me into the chair and missed it. And the arm of the chair hit me in the small of my back and it felt as if it had touched my kidney, man. And I immediately dropped to the floor and found out that I had a deep muscle bruise that was just going to take weeks to heal from within. But one monkey don't stop no show, man. I continued throughout the night and work and ended up in the emergency room for five hours. Nothing was fractured, nothing was broken. And it just gave me a story to tell as I'm sitting here talking to you.

Stephen A. Smith (15:10)

I ain't mad at that. As long as you all right? I'm all right. Why Cape Town, South Africa, though? Why there?

Ayesha Bowe (15:15)

You know, that's, you know, the G20 summit, global summit takes place all over the world. And this particular year was taking place in Cape Town. And we're in our film. So that's where. Why we decided to go there. Exotic locale. The people there were great. The production team that was there, it I, you know, it was a beautiful thing working amongst our brothers and sisters. And in Cape Town, South Africa. Bringing a production like that, this huge American production to South Africa was great for the country, was great for us. And I'm thinking about going there, buying the house. Man, that's how beautiful it's really. Yeah. That's how welcoming it was. Yeah.

Stephen A. Smith (16:02)

Wow. You know, I, you know, listen, I got to get over there. I've been promising I'm going to get over there. Well, some of my boys have asked me to come to Ghana. Somebody asked me to come to Rwanda, and obviously Cape Town and Johannesburg. That's definitely someplace I'm planning on visiting as well. I gotta ask you this. As, as. As you sit here right now doing the kind of things that you're doing, you reflect on the career that you've had, what do you miss most right now in this time in your. At this time in your life about whatever most joyous perspective that you've had in your career? What. What's missing right now, if anything at all?

Ayesha Bowe (16:42)

Wow. Good. Great, great question, man. Great question. What's missing? I. I don't think anything is really missing. It's always about the next adventure now. You know, I had a long run with our television show Blackish for eight years on abc. I miss the family there that I built with this cast of eight years. You know, I watched these young children that we got to hand pick and be a part of our show grow into young adults now. And to be a part of their informative lives or be an informative part of their lives, growing up was a blessing. To have children of my own and then to have this second set of children that I got to work closely with, sometimes even more intimately than my own children, because I spent so much time on set. So I won't say anything is missing from my life or my career. Career like that, but I miss those times that I spent on that set with my cast, you know, Tracy, Jennifer Lawrence and everybody. You know, it's one of the reasons Marseille Martin is in G20. You know, we were looking for a daughter, and I was like, you've got to hire Marseille, because I know what she's going to bring to this role for this, and I had a great tent. I had a great time working with her for eight years. Let's do it on the big screen.

Stephen A. Smith (18:14)

And why, by the way, the young lady is already an executive producer creating content and all of that stuff. She's a star. Make no mistake about it. Let's not forget in. We all love Tracy and the rest of the crew. You know, I'm thinking about that and when you think about the Blackish family, remember when we first came. You came on first take my day job at ESPN every weekday morning from 10am to noon. And you came on First Take to promote Blackish before it launched. And remember what I said to you? I said, the only thing I'm worried about is the name. Are you sure that the name ain't gonna. Ain't gonna. Ain't gonna provide an impediment to y'all success? And you were supremely confident that it would not get in the way, that if anything, y'all were gonna be able to build off of it and make it into the kind of show that it was. And lo and behold, we went from raving for decades about the Cosby's to raving about Blackish. I know you saw success coming. Did you see that?

Ayesha Bowe (19:15)

We hoped for that, Stephen. You know, you can only dream for things like that. You know, when Kenya and I sat down and talked about what we wanted to produce for television, before we even come up with the idea of Blackish, we were just sharing ideas about our family. And it was Kenya's idea to call it that because he said, you know what, Anthony? I feel like I went from raising a black family to a Blackish family. And called me a few weeks after and said, I got the title for our show. And, you know, a lot of people were hesitant about, you know, even tuning in to watching it because of what the name is or. And I was like, yo, that has nothing to do with the quality and the portrayal of these characters, what we were going to do. And, you know, ish is adjacent to. We're not making a mockery of anything, so come watch this. And, you know, the ish is now in the zeitgeist. You know, there are all kinds of issues out there that, you know, have come to light since the creation of our show. So we are happy and ecstatic about that. We were able to get two spin offs, grownish and mixed Ish, on the air. That's a great time. And so for us to build that type of franchise and that family amongst the shows was just amazing for us. And that's something that we always saw, you know, we always saw that. And we took a page from Cosby, we took a page from what they did from the Cosby show and a different world and things like that. So, you know, that's where it all came from. That's where it all stemmed from.

Stephen A. Smith (20:57)

I love you on Black Ish, no doubt about it. As much as. And as long as we've known each Other. I've never told you what your favorite role was. What was my favorite role? Of you, of your portrayal in this movie. Two Can Play that Game. Two Can Play that Game with Morris Chestnut and Vivica Fox. Man, you. Because, you know, it's like when I watch so many movies, right, I ain't gonna say names because I don't want to throw no shade on anybody. But I see stars and I see cats and they've got like one of their boys that they. They tight with. But the advice is all. It's always. It's always lacking with Two Can Play that Game. You were breaking it down to Morris Chester. You were giving it to him. And I was like, take the words. I mean, it was just beautiful. It's the kind of stuff that I would say to my boys. You know what I mean? You had it like that. What was your favorite role?

Ayesha Bowe (21:56)

You know, we'll start. We'll start with that one. And I'd like to play that game for a second because, yes, I watched it a few weeks ago in the middle of the night. It was like maybe 3:30 in the morning.

Stephen A. Smith (22:07)

Hilarious.

Ayesha Bowe (22:07)

Looking through television. And it came on and I watched it in its entirety and I had to send Vivica and Morris a text message. Like five in the morning was like, look, I know it's early. I know y'all not gonna see this no time soon. But I just watched Tuka play that game. And I haven't seen this movie in almost 20 years. I said, it still holds up. It's still funny. And the things that we are saying in this movie is still relevant today. And what's crazy, Stephen, is that my. My 25 year old son was going through the same thing that Morris Chestnut's character was going through just a few months ago. And he and his boy were sitting in my house in my kitchen, and I was like, yo. I was like, yo, Nate, your boy is me in my movie. I did a movie about what you're going through right now. You're making the same mistakes that Morris Chestnut made. You need to see this movie so you can understand me, so you can understand this problem that you're going through. Stephen, he watched the movie and he was like, damn, dad, you right, man. He said, when did y'all make this movie? I said, man, almost 20 years ago, son. And everything we talk about it, it's still relevant.

Stephen A. Smith (23:19)

I gotta look out for your son. I gotta look out for your son right now. I gotta make sure I give you an opportunity to offset Norris's nose was wide open. I mean, he was gone. He was gone, man. You know what I'm saying? I mean, Vivica had a whip. Now, you understand? I mean, that's what happened. You remember when you told him you were coming through the glass window, and he just sitting in the way in the gym, just staring in the space, and you, like, see the light? See the light, look at the light. I'm like, yo, you sure? So I want to make you. I want to make sure you give your son an opportunity for Pops to help him out here. You ain't do. You ain't doing that to yourself. It wasn't like that, was it?

Ayesha Bowe (23:55)

No. Hey, hey, hey, Steve. My son showed up at her house, man. I was like, son, you can't do that. Are you prepared to see what you gonna see if you show up unannounced? And my son was a man about it, and he was like, you know what, Dad? I was ready. I was ready to see whatever I needed to see, man. But I just had to go make this move. I had to do this. And I say all this to say he and his lady have a great relationship, and they work through whatever it is that needed to work out. But I was like, son, you need to watch this movie next time before you go make mistakes like that.

Stephen A. Smith (24:28)

That's right. That's right. No question about it. So other than two can play that game, anything else stand out in your mind? I want to make sure, because I know you love all the stuff that you've done, but stand. I just want to make sure.

Ayesha Bowe (24:38)

Look here, man, The. The Departed, you know, getting to work with the cast that I got to work with, and being directed by Martin.

Stephen A. Smith (24:47)

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nixon. Yes.

Ayesha Bowe (24:49)

Yeah, yeah. It just. The list goes on and on, man. Romeo must die. You know, I got to work with the great Leah and Jet Li and things like that. Me, myself and Irene, Jim Carrey. I mean, yeah, I've been very fortunate in my career, Steve. So those are the ones. And look, I ain't gonna lie. I enjoy working on Kangaroo Jack, man. Kangaroo Jack. I mean, you know, I catch a lot of hell from behind that was. I was like, yo, I love doing Kangaroo Jack as well.

Stephen A. Smith (25:21)

I got you. I got you. Listen, I know you love working with the people that you work with, too. And recently, I had the lovely, the incomparable. I mean, she's mama to us all, the lovely Jennifer Lewis. She was right here on this show. And, yeah, she told. She wanted to tell. She wants. She wanted to give You a couple of words. A few words. Play this, please. Play this, please. And give Anthony.

Ayesha Bowe (25:45)

Anthony Anderson my love. And tell him he's an asshole and I love him more than likely.

Stephen A. Smith (25:52)

Make sure to do it. Can you imagine working with that fool for eight years? Oh, my gosh. You did it. But you did it.

Ayesha Bowe (26:01)

He won my heart, Anthony. So give him a big kiss. That's crazy. That's good. You know what? I don't know if she was on or off her medicine that. That day that she was on your show, but I love her nonetheless. Hey, Jennifer.

Stephen A. Smith (26:20)

That's.

Ayesha Bowe (26:20)

That is my baby.

R.J. Luis Jr. (26:21)

That.

Ayesha Bowe (26:21)

That is my second mother right there. That's the mother of all black Hollywood right there.

Stephen A. Smith (26:25)

Yo.

Ayesha Bowe (26:25)

That's the mother of all black Hollywood.

Stephen A. Smith (26:27)

Serious. I don't think it's an exaggeration when you think about black mamas in Hollywood. It's her. Loretta Devine. It's one of the two to me.

Ayesha Bowe (26:37)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I've worked with both of them. Loretta Devine didn't play my mama. She played my auntie. Whoopi Goldberg played my mom in this other movie called Kingdom Come and Jennifer Lewis. So I've been surrounded by the mamas and the aunties my entire career, and I love it.

Stephen A. Smith (26:53)

There you go. There you go. Let me transition to something else that's near and dear to your heart. Evidently, you and Cedric the Entertainer are serious barbecue enthusiasts with a line of sauces, rubs, and products called AC Barbecue. How did y'all come up with the recipes for somebody's family recipe? I mean, what's that about? Double A? What's going on?

Ayesha Bowe (27:12)

You know, we looked at the. We looked at, you know, we're taking barbecue to fast casual, man. We're opening up a restaurant here at the Century City Mall or the Westfield Mall in Century City. You know, Set and I have a love for food. We, you know, we take these fellows trips. We always rent these extravagant homes, and Set and I are always the ones that are cooking and barbecuing. And we just had this opportunity to get in this space, and there's no one that looks like us that are in that space. And we are talking about, you know, bringing barbecue back to what it once was or not bringing it back. We're just talking about what it is, the community of it, the community aspect of it, the lovingness, the family vibe of what the spirit of barbecue is and where it comes from. And so we started AC bbq and we're having a great time. We've licensed our kitchen on seven colleges and universities. We have this first restaurant that's about to open here in April, May at the Westfield Mall. And so we're excited about that. We got products in stores, so we couldn't have been more excited about it. We have this, I can't tell you about this collaboration that we have, but we have a collaboration that you will hear about in a month. And it's about to be big with us and another fast food franchise. So we're excited about that.

Stephen A. Smith (28:40)

Okay, and you also partnered with Magic Johnson, what is it? Sodexo Magic to take AC BBQ to HBCU campuses.

Ayesha Bowe (28:48)

Yeah, yeah, we partnered with Sodexo Magic and that's how we got our kitchen, AC BBQ kitchens on these HBCUs. And colleges and other. All colleges and universities. We're on the University of Cincinnati, Jackson State University, Howard University, and there are four or five other universities that have AC Barbecue kitchens on them. So we're just excited about that. Our partnership with Sodexo Magic is beautiful. And we're just here to do it, man, and just, you know, be in a lane, you know, look, one of our sayings is, you know, we're rooted in culture and fueled by community. That's what AC BBQ is all about. Rooted in culture and fueled by community. Just bringing everybody together to celebrate and to love on one another through the spirit of barbecue.

Stephen A. Smith (29:39)

Staying with HBCUs. You left Howard University after your junior year, I think, and I think it was. You talked about it being because of financial issues or whatever, but how did it feel to recently receive your degree from the Chadwick Boseman College of fine arts in 2022? How did that feel?

Ayesha Bowe (29:56)

It felt great, Stephen. And I'll tell you about this full circle moment. Taraji Henson gave the commencement speech the year I received my degree. Taraji and I were classmates at Howard University in the College of Fine Arts. Denise Saunders, who was the assistant dean of the College of Fine Arts, helped me, assisted me in getting back into school to finish my senior year. She and I were classmates at Howard University and the College of Fine Arts. Dr. Phylicia Rashad is the dean of the College of Fine Arts. She and I are colleagues and friends in this industry. She handed me my degree from the College of Fine Arts. And that year that I received my degree in 2022 was the very first year that they renamed the school and it was renamed to the Chadwick A. Bozeman School of Fine Arts. And he and I were colleagues in this industry and friendly with one another. So it was A beautiful full circle moment for me to go back to the beginning. Really, for me, it took 35 years in the making. I started Howard University as a freshman in 1988 and left after my junior year due to financial reasons and had every intention on going back. And I was finally able to go back and receive my degree in 2022.

Stephen A. Smith (31:19)

I was getting ready to ask you, how much of a role did Nathan play in inspiring you since he's also a Howard grad?

Ayesha Bowe (31:25)

Yeah, well, he played a great role. Unfortunately, he didn't graduate yet, but he got accepted in 2018, and he inspired me to go back to school. I always wanted to go back to school. And I said, you know what, son? You've inspired me to go back to Howard. So this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to walk with you in 2022. And unfortunately, real life got in the way of him, of my son. You know, my son's a young artist, musician, and an actor, and his career started taking off, so he followed that path. But I stayed true to mine as a promise to myself and as a promise to him and my family and my mom and everybody. Because when I started Howard, I would have been the first person in my family to graduate from a college or university. And so I had to finish the task that I started. It took 35 years to do so, but I was able to do it.

Stephen A. Smith (32:23)

You was also honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the university, right?

Ayesha Bowe (32:28)

Yes, I was. Yes, I was.

Stephen A. Smith (32:31)

I mean, I can't imagine how that must have felt for you.

Ayesha Bowe (32:34)

It felt great, you know, to receive not only that award, but the United Negro College Fund gave me an award the following week for the work that I've been doing with them in raising scholarship money for other HBCU students. And I have my own family foundation, the Anderson Family foundation, that this year I'm transitioning from the charities that I've been donating to for the last six years. But in my seventh year, because I went back to Howard University and receive my degree, I'm starting a scholarship at Howard University. So, you know, some students don't have to go through what I went through and put that on hold for as long as I put it on hold.

Stephen A. Smith (33:22)

You often tag your social media post Just a Kid from Compton. Cause that's where you're from. Compton, la. I want to know, did you say, ouch? Or do you say, go ahead, dawg, when you saw Kendrick Lamar giving it to Drake? That's what I want. That's what I Want?

Ayesha Bowe (33:38)

Well, hey, first off, I got to say this. I'm a fan of both of the artists.

Stephen A. Smith (33:43)

So am I. Yeah.

Ayesha Bowe (33:45)

But you know what? It was great to see what KDOT was doing for the culture, for the city of Compton and what he did. So I had to root for him, you know, 1000%. And just to see where he is, where his career has elevated to, from where it once was. I mean, you know, he was always a star in our eyes, but to see, you know, this. This last year and a half of where it's gone, and just to see his halftime performance show and just what it symbolizes and what it meant, you know, to people who were watching, who understood it, what it meant to the culture and. And what it spoke to and what it spoke about was just. It was just a beautiful thing.

Stephen A. Smith (34:28)

Before I let you get on out of here, man, you were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 29. You've been a vocal advocate for better understanding and management of the condition, particularly in a black community. I want you to talk real quickly about what life changes you've made and how important of an issue this is for you, because it definitely is for me. I was like, point one, point away from being a full blown diabetic a few years ago until I really prioritized my health in a very. In a big time fashion. Talk to me about yourself and your journey in this regard.

Ayesha Bowe (34:58)

Yeah, you know, I become diabetic at that age, man, and, you know, I always took it seriously. But, you know, there comes a time where you just have to make dramatic changes in your life and your lifestyle, and that's what I did. Unfortunately, I lost my father to complications from diabetes and once. But I was the first person diagnosed with diabetes in my family. My father had gone unchecked for over. For more than 20, 25 years. And I realized that once I was diagnosed, I looked back at the symptoms that my father had when I was growing up, and they were the same as the symptoms that I was having now. And so that's when my dad got checked out, and so we lost him to that. And that's why I partnered with Novo Nordisk to bring awareness to everybody out there who may be suffering from it or adjacent to it. We started a campaign called Get Real about diabetes, and they can go to getrealaboutdiabetes.com to find out information about this disease, and it's really informational. And I go out to the communities and I talk to the communities, but in particular black men, because we are the ones that rarely go to the doctors, you know, myself included. My dad didn't go for 20, 25 years, and we lost him because of that. So I get out on his campaign and I share my story and my testimony with them, and I just talk about the changes that I've made in my life in order to live with the disease and manage it instead of dying from it. And it comes with sacrifice, it comes with hard work. But in the end, in the long run, it pays off.

Stephen A. Smith (36:44)

That's your personal journey. Obviously, you're trying to help many, many lives, not just yourself. Tribute to you for doing that. Major, major props to you for that. That's on a personal level, on a professional level, considering all that you have done and considering the show that you're on here talking about right now. G20 streaming April 10th on Prime Video. Starring you, Viola Davis, and others, of course. When you talk about. When you think about what you shared on a personal level, what are you on a mission to share at this point? Professionally, since you're clearly qualified to share because you've done so many great things.

Ayesha Bowe (37:19)

I just want to continue to make opportunities for myself, make opportunities for my mother, but also, you know, make opportunities.

Stephen A. Smith (37:26)

Mama Doris, let's pause right there. The one who's better than you at Domino's, let's not forget that.

Ayesha Bowe (37:35)

Okay? Well, I mean, yeah. Yes, she is. I, you know, I. I learned from the best, you know, But I just want to continue to make opportunities for. For creatives and storytellers, like people made opportunities for me to come out and be my authentic self and tell my stories from my point of view. And I just want to continue to be a part of that, you know, so that. That's what I'm striving for, to start directing more, to start creating more, and to start collaborating more with people that, you know, you would never know. I was like, oh, I never knew this is what you did or this is what you wanted to do. Let me be a part of that. Because you didn't know this is what I wanted to do and be a part of. So it's all about collaborations and just telling, you know, and being your authentic self and being in that space.

Stephen A. Smith (38:24)

Love you, bro. Proud of you. So good to see you. Looking forward to connecting yet again. I know you've been on the road a lot, doing a lot of great things. I'm just happy for you. Happy to see you in this space, in this place in your life right now. Really proud of you. Really happy for you. You wanted a great ones you know how I feel about, you know, how much love I got for you. So much so that I got a surprise for you. Because my, my, my career is kind of going decent, you know, I'm doing all right, you know.

Ayesha Bowe (38:48)

Okay.

Stephen A. Smith (38:48)

And I got some, I got something new coming up. I have been asked to appear on Law and Order. I'll take it out there. I was like, what, what, what? I mean, I mean, I got, I got to get, I got to get some tips from my brother. I got to get some tips, man.

Ayesha Bowe (39:12)

Let me know. I'll run lines with you if that's what you need, Steven, we can do that. I got you. Hey, welcome to the L and O family, baby.

Stephen A. Smith (39:21)

You know, I, I, I mean, there are worse things to achieve in life. No doubt about that. I mean, everybody, has anybody been on Law and Order? So that's the way I look at it. It's the start of something new. Appreciate you, bro. Love you, man.

Ayesha Bowe (39:32)

Appreciate you. Stephen, always great seeing you, my friend.

Stephen A. Smith (39:35)

No doubt. All right, baby, talk to you soon. Thanks. It's my man, Anthony Anderson. Always a pleasure talking to that brother. It seems like you learn something new every single day. But no matter what he's taught us via our conversation with one another in front of you all, I doubt that he's going to be able to teach us to the degree that the next guest is going to teach us. I don't know if I have a thought about introducing or interviewing an astronaut or somebody that's going into space. You know, aerodynamics and all of this other stuff. Dammit, I don't even know what that hell that comes with the industry, for crying a lot. But I'm about to learn because it's a sister that I'm about to talk to who is a star who's about to go up in space. Like literally. I'm not speaking metaphorically or figuratively. I'm talking about literally she about to go up in space. Okay? A marvelous, marvelous young sister who is doing big, big things and wants to come on this show to talk about, about it inspiring young ladies everywhere of all ethnicities. Her name is Aisha Bo. She's the real deal. Think I'm lying? Listen to her speak up next, right here on Stephen, a script show at Ameca Insurance. We know it's more than just a car. It's the two door coupe that was there for your first drive, the hatchback that took you cross country and back, and the minivan that tackles the weekly carpool for the cars you couldn't live without. Trust Ameca Auto Insurance. Ameca Empathy is our best policy. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying.

Ayesha Bowe (41:42)

No judgments.

Stephen A. Smith (41:43)

But that's weird.

Ayesha Bowe (41:44)

Okay, one judgment anyway.

Stephen A. Smith (41:47)

Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment.

Anthony Anderson (41:51)

Of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent.

Stephen A. Smith (41:53)

To $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price.

Anthony Anderson (41:56)

Plan options available, taxes and fees extra.

Stephen A. Smith (41:57)

See full terms@mintmobile.com My next guest is a former NASA rocket scientist, entrepreneur and global STEM advocate. Oh, and did I mention she will make history as one of six women on billionaire Jeff Bezos 11th Blue Origin NS31 space flight on April 14th. Please welcome the one and only Ms. Ayesha Vo. How are you? How's everything?

Anthony Anderson (42:24)

I'm good.

Stephen A. Smith (42:25)

It's nice to finally meet you. First of all, I'm very, very proud of you. Congratulations on all your success. And I'm especially proud because you're working in partnership with my alma mater, Winston Salem State University. Tell the audience about that, please. Let's touch on that first.

Anthony Anderson (42:40)

Listen, we could not go to space without Winston Salem. When I embarked upon this mission, it was important for me to conduct science and to do it with a world class institution like Winston Salem. I long admired their astrobotany lab from when I was at NASA. And I am privileged to have the opportunity to genetically sequence plants in space with them.

Stephen A. Smith (43:01)

How do you feel about this? I mean, they say this is the ladies time. I mean, with all the ladies going on this historic trip, who'll be joining? Tell the audience who'll be joining you on this flight.

Anthony Anderson (43:10)

Sure. I'm joined by Gayle King, Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, Carrie Ann Flynn and Amanda Wynn.

Stephen A. Smith (43:17)

Now, those ladies that elected to join you, what kind of advice have you given them? I'd like to know this because you know, Gayle is usually one that gives advice, not takes. I know she's a friend of and she's so bossy. I say that affectionately. What are the kind of things you told her about what she's about to embark upon?

Anthony Anderson (43:34)

Pleasance, planning and preparation. Right. I look at this similar to athletics. It's important to visualize, it's important to prepare and to be in the moment. We're getting ready to go on a journey that almost everyone who has gone on it has come back forever changed. And for people around the world who are writing me who are engaging with the mission and seeing a little bit of themselves in us. It's important that we show up, we.

Stephen A. Smith (44:01)

Meet the moment, Tell the folks out there about yourself in terms of who you are and how this all came to be. I mean, when we think about. I mean, there's a lot of aspirations. People are very aspirational in this day and age, but you don't see too often somebody engaging in this kind of stuff where you're going up in space, girl, you're going above the earth, crying out loud. I mean, how did all of this come to be?

Anthony Anderson (44:25)

I'm the person who never thought that I would be here. I started out as someone who wasn't high performing in high school. In fact, I went to my community. Sorry. I went to community college, and I didn't even apply to college. After asking my high school guidance counselor what she thought I could do, and she said, I think you'd better be off pursuing cosmetology. And, you know, I.

Stephen A. Smith (44:49)

Hold on. Cosmetology?

Anthony Anderson (44:51)

Yeah. And, you know, I pause here because I'm looking at you and I'm looking at this. And this was all. It was all a dream. And I did not apply to college because I thought I wasn't smart enough to go. I did not have the dream of working at NASA because I thought that I couldn't make it. And so when I went to school, I said, you know what, Aisha? You're in community college, but you have taken everything that someone else has told you about yourself to be true, and it is not. And so let's focus only on what it is that you want to do. And what I wanted to do was wake up every day and look at my face and be proud. I want to look in the mirror and say that my black was beautiful. And I wanted to live a life that was a testimony. And so I said, I'm going to become a rocket scientist. And people laughed. I mean, they still laugh at me today. Spoiler alert. I'm like, google me. I'll wait. Right, right. But they laughed because they didn't think that I could do it. And so I started my aerospace engineering degree with pre algebra in this community college. I went to Michigan Aerospace. I got a master's in space systems engineering. And then I went to NASA. And I said, I'm going to commit my life to telling people that being realistic is the most commonly traveled path to mediocrity.

Stephen A. Smith (46:05)

I had the pleasure of meeting your wonderful mama. She's standing right over there. I See where she gets there? I see where you get it from. Okay, let me just say that. Very, very complimentary. I. But here's the deal. Wasn't it your dad.

Anthony Anderson (46:16)

Yeah.

Stephen A. Smith (46:17)

That first mentioned to you or suggested that you might want to take this path? And if that is so, if that is so, what is it that he saw that you didn't see at that particular moment in time that made him make that suggestion?

Anthony Anderson (46:32)

Well, my dad, who's from the Bahamas, decided that when he heard what the guidance counselor said, he would go and give her a piece of his mind. He was told not to come back.

Stephen A. Smith (46:45)

So he did go and give her a piece of his mind.

Anthony Anderson (46:47)

Yes, he did.

Stephen A. Smith (46:47)

And they told him not to come back.

Anthony Anderson (46:48)

Correct.

Stephen A. Smith (46:49)

Okay. Okay. That's Pops.

Anthony Anderson (46:50)

I love him already. You know, you cannot allow others to define you in life. And I want you to know that you are smarter than what they think you are, and you are better. And so he would challenge me at the dinner table. He would ask me to write, like, you know, write down equations and things, and then he would tear them up. And he would tell me that the only thing that someone can't take from you is the stuff that's in your mind. And he said, ayesha, you can do whatever it is that you put your mind to, so go do the math. I will pay for it. You will take the class again. And so I started over the classes I was taking in high school that I didn't do well in. I started over in community college because he told me that I could.

Stephen A. Smith (47:29)

And I'm thinking about it along the way. He had to see something, as in terms of, it's one thing to believe in you because he loves you dearly and he believes that you have a level of intellect that they're underestimating. It's another thing entirely to see a particular gift. You gotta be gifted to do what you're doing right here. So you're clearly a gifted young lady. I'm saying, did he see that? Expertise in math? Your interest elevated when it came to that subject. What was it?

Anthony Anderson (47:52)

You know, I think he saw potential. Everyone needs someone who believes in them. You know, one of the things I loved about the Venus and Serena movie was that the father spoke power over them before. Before, they were champions. He was really deliberate about making sure that no one would tell them that they were going to be anything better than the best. And my dad, in that moment, told me the same thing. It wasn't because I had previously demonstrated it. It was because he saw potential. And I grew into my potential. Heck, I'm still growing into it. I went from being at NASA to running two companies to making education product, to being on the show talking to you. I'm still learning how to do. But what I stand for is the dream. I stand for the idea that there is no dream too big and nothing too audacious.

Stephen A. Smith (48:39)

Was folks. Were folks derailing your dreams, or was your actions derailing your dreams because you didn't believe you were as nearly as focused as you ultimately became? Which was the biggest impediment to you getting to where you are today, in your estimation?

Anthony Anderson (48:56)

I think I was the biggest impediment because I had to learn how to think. I had to learn how to view myself as a computer that needed to be pushed. New programming, essentially, I control the narrative in my mind. And so if I consistently reinforce how I think and how I respond to the things around me, then I can change reality to be what it is that I want it to be.

Stephen A. Smith (49:20)

How were you able to do that when you used the word reinforcement? Because I'm peeling apart some of the words that you're saying, and you talked about reinforce. Well, that means it was there, but something inside of you was willing to put forth the due diligence, the level of tenacity, et cetera, that you were not willing to do in the past. Was the inspiration there because you wanted to make your daddy proud? Was the inspiration there because you wanted to debunk and ultimately dismiss what the teacher who refers you to cosmetology recommended? I mean, when we think about the word reinforced, it emanates from somewhere, which was the motivation for you.

Anthony Anderson (49:57)

I was tired of feeling bad. I wanted to feel good. When I woke up, I looked at my reflection and I didn't like what I saw. And when I really started to think of it, here it was. I had someone that loved me and thought I was so great, but I didn't think that way. I didn't feel that way. And I could not feel good without taking control of me. And so I said, I am strong enough to overcome whatever challenges are before me. And I do that every single day, even to this day. I wake up, and before I start everyone else's day, I start mine. And I have affirmations, I have meditation, I pray, and then I get going.

Stephen A. Smith (50:33)

Does meditation really work? I've been. That's been referred to me on many, many occasions. I'm going like this. It's kind of impossible. That requires me to shut up and just sit there and empty my mind. And I just think there's a lot of things in life I could pull off. I don't know if I could pull that off. Can you pull that off? How hard is it to learn how to meditate?

Anthony Anderson (50:49)

Listen, I like to meditate. And when I meditate, I like to do it in the Bahamas.

Stephen A. Smith (50:53)

Yes, I do. You know, I'm from the Virgin Islands now. My family's from St. Thomas Virgin Islands.

Anthony Anderson (50:57)

Listen, I'm a passport, caring Bahamian.

Stephen A. Smith (50:58)

How about that? How about that? But, I mean, I look at you now, and we all have to just stand down and marvel at the accomplishments that you've achieved to this degree. When I think about what you're doing moving forward, particularly with this mission, and how it's going to resonate not just in America, but throughout the world. As you go and you talk to young ladies throughout the country, because I know you do, what are the kind of things you say to them?

Anthony Anderson (51:24)

I tell them that space is for all and not for some. I'm literally traveling with postcards that I've asked the students to write their dreams down on, because my goal is to be a bedtime story. I want people to tell their children what it is that I did in the hopes of encouraging them to reach for the stars.

Stephen A. Smith (51:44)

But you're gonna carry these postcards from the students. Right. And I wanted to ask you what they're going to symbolize, but you're taking them up in space with you.

Anthony Anderson (51:51)

Yes.

Stephen A. Smith (51:52)

That's what you're doing.

Anthony Anderson (51:52)

You know, thanks to Lauren and Jeff, they're going back to the very same students who wrote them. And so they'll be stamped flown in space. And then they're going to bring space back down to Earth.

Stephen A. Smith (52:03)

Tell me about the significance of the American flag that you know you're going to take into space.

Anthony Anderson (52:09)

When I first started working at NASA, I met a woman named Nancy Conrad. She's the wife of Pete Conrad, the third man to walk on the moon. She became a very powerful mentor to me. And Pete's story is similar to mine. He was rambunctious, and he didn't necessarily fit in the traditional mold of school. In the beginning. Nancy saw that I wanted to go to space, and she mentored me along the way.

Stephen A. Smith (52:34)

And.

Anthony Anderson (52:34)

And when the mission was confirmed, she said, aisha, I want to provide you with a symbol of the past because you are the future. And she asked the Museum of Flight in Seattle to go and get Pete's flag that he took to the moon with him on Apollo 12. And they sent it to me. And so I will have an opportunity to put that flag back in space. And then it will have been flown twice. And his legacy and my legacy will be shared in the museum.

Stephen A. Smith (53:00)

How long you gonna be up there, do you know?

Anthony Anderson (53:02)

Long enough. Listen, my mom.

Stephen A. Smith (53:04)

That's vague. That's vague, Aisha. I need specifics. You gonna be in space? You know, how long are you gonna be up there now?

Anthony Anderson (53:11)

Yeah. So the entire flight will be like maybe 11 minutes, right?

Stephen A. Smith (53:15)

Really? Yes.

Anthony Anderson (53:15)

And it's great because one, that's enough to study how plants respond to microgravity. And two, my mom knows exactly when I'm coming home.

Stephen A. Smith (53:23)

Did you just finish saying that? That 11 minutes is enough to. Is that what you just said? 11 minutes? That's all you need?

Anthony Anderson (53:30)

That's all you. Well, so when you're in microgravity, changes on the molecular level happen instantly. And so we're actually able to genetically sequence plants in that period of time. And this has implications for food security on Earth.

Stephen A. Smith (53:45)

Well, you know, forgive this question, it's going to sound a bit idiotic maybe, but I gotta ask because, you know, we hear politicians all the time talking about taking us into space. They explore in space and what have you. Ultimately, one day we gonna live on Mars and stuff like that. And I don't pay much. You're the reason I'm paying attention to it Now, Aisha, I'm gonna be honest with you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be paying attention to this. You understand? But you got me interested. Are we to take that and embrace that seriously? That that is an objective and an agenda for astronauts and NASA and everything in between as it pertains to this country, this world and things from an exploration perspective. They're really, really plotting to do this.

Anthony Anderson (54:24)

Well, we've been studying various elements of space travel for some time. I say we, humanity, NASA, of course. And what we've realized is that space is a harsh environment. No surprise there. But what we learn in space has implications here on Earth. So if you can grow plants in space, you can grow them here in food deserts. You can help make sure that people get access to the next generation of antibiotics. And you can also make sure that they get Wi fi wherever they are.

Stephen A. Smith (54:53)

Gotcha. So you're just utilizing that to bring it back to Earth. To make sure we maximize our potential as a human race. As opposed to telling us we trying to move to Mars. That's what you're telling us?

Anthony Anderson (55:03)

Exactly. Space for the benefit of Earth.

Stephen A. Smith (55:05)

That moves me. I feel A lot better about that now. A lot more knowledgeable about it. How does one prepare for a space flight?

Anthony Anderson (55:13)

Well, if you're an adrenaline junkie like me, okay, you have a lot of fun while doing it. I just had the opportunity to fly an L39, which is a fighter jet. And I successfully completed some aileron roles and some high speed maneuvers and had a great time. But there is a commercial space flight regulation that kind of lays out preparation for space. And so I've gone from flying an acrobatic aircraft to hypoxia training to these fighter jets and high G forces, six G's. I love it. I absolutely love it. And so it's important to physically and mentally prepare.

Stephen A. Smith (55:52)

I give you kudos not just for your accomplishments, but because of your bravery. Because they tried to get me up in a fighter jet years ago and I told them to go to hell. Don't even think about it. Don't even think about coming my way with that nonsense. I'm comfortable on land. You understand? I'm not trying to do that. So you're braver than me. Aisha, listen.

Anthony Anderson (56:08)

But I got the hookup. I know a Bahamian who's a fighter pilot. He owns. Owns the aircraft. Let's go.

Stephen A. Smith (56:14)

No.

Anthony Anderson (56:14)

Yes.

Stephen A. Smith (56:15)

I'm not that brave.

Anthony Anderson (56:16)

You can do it.

Stephen A. Smith (56:17)

No.

Anthony Anderson (56:17)

If I can do it, you can do it too.

Stephen A. Smith (56:19)

I know I could do it, but it doesn't mean I ain't gonna be scared as hell when I'm doing. I might have a heart attack. You understand what I'm saying?

Anthony Anderson (56:24)

But look, I think the fear is good. You feel the fear, you do it anyway. Like people ask me, are you nervous? It's like, yes, I'm getting in a rocket and going up. But on the other side of fear is everything I've ever wanted.

Stephen A. Smith (56:36)

Will this mission be carried live?

Anthony Anderson (56:38)

It will be.

Stephen A. Smith (56:38)

It will be.

Anthony Anderson (56:39)

It will be broadcast on blueorigin.com wow. On April 14, you can tune in, whether in your classroom or you are at home.

Stephen A. Smith (56:46)

I want to go to a couple of other things before you depart. And I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule. I'm honored to have you here. It means a lot to me that you're here. And it means a lot to me that everybody's going to know even more about your story. You founded Stemboard, a startup specializing in engineering services for federal and private sector clients without any outside funding. In 2020, it landed on the Inc. Magazine's 5000 list as the fastest grow privately owned US companies. How were you able to do that?

Anthony Anderson (57:14)

Dollar and a very supportive dog.

Stephen A. Smith (57:18)

Really? Yeah, because just that simple.

Anthony Anderson (57:20)

I was telling people that, look, I'm going to found a company. And they didn't know any people who look like me with my background who had founded companies and were successful. And so I decided that if you tell me that I can't do it, I'm going to do it. And over the last 12 years, we've been recognized for hiring veterans. We received a hire vets award from the Department of Labor. We've had the opportun opportunity to expand to five states and we've been on the ink list now twice. I couldn't. They said I can't. I did.

Stephen A. Smith (57:50)

You did. You did. You're also doing great work to get kids to consider STEM careers through your edtech company lingo.

Anthony Anderson (57:57)

Yeah.

Stephen A. Smith (57:59)

Talk to me about that for a second. And who do you hope to reach?

Anthony Anderson (58:02)

Well, it sort of became this you're one trick pony thing. Aisha. And I'm like, no. I feel like genius is evenly distributed. Opportunity, however, is not. And so how do I take what it is that I've learned and my resources and bring it to students all around the world? And that was through lingo. Many students had never been taught anything by a black woman that was technical in middle school or high school or college. And so we decided to make self paced coding kits. We started off by supporting Inroads and it bloomed from there. We in the last two years have delivered these kits into the hands of 10,000 students. Bowie State teaches us for freshman computer science. We've been bought in 10 countries and I'm delighted to say that we've launched two new space themed lessons so that we can take this mission and we can take the inspiration and we can deliver that into skills that people can use to be employable in the future.

Stephen A. Smith (58:58)

My last question to you would be this. I know you care about humanity, the human race. I know that you have a special affection for young ladies out there in this world trying to make it happen for themselves. But I imagine as a marvelous black woman, it's very, very touching considering the connections to HBCUs and beyond what your accomplishments have meant and will continue to mean to young black ladies out there in the years to come. Can you talk about that for a second and how that vibes with your mission and your aspirations in life as you move forward?

Anthony Anderson (59:38)

Yeah. I had the opportunity when I was at NASA to speak to Nichelle Nichols. And if you know Nichelle, you know her from Star Trek. But she also. Well, she was the person who recruited the first class of African American astronauts with NASA. She used her star power to go out there and find many people who you read about in history. And for me, it's the story. I want to know that when I am gone that I have left this place better than when I received it. And for women, girls, people, we don't just inspire black people, we inspire all people, culture, everything around the world. And so for me to be here in this moment, I want to let people know. While I would love it if you became a rocket scientist, what I want you to take from this is do not allow anybody to define you.

Stephen A. Smith (60:27)

Aisha Bowe, the marvelous Aisha Bowe. Good luck. Continue to make all of us proud. Cause you're certainly making me proud. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here. My thanks to the one and only Aisha Bowe. The all Female Blue Origin NS31 space flight is scheduled for April 14th. Be sure to check it out. Thank you so much.

Anthony Anderson (60:45)

Thank you.

Stephen A. Smith (60:46)

She is an inspiration, for sure. As the daddy of two beautiful little girls, I shouldn't call them little anymore. My God, they're teenagers. But they make me proud. As Aisha, I am sure has made her parents proud. She's special. Make no mistake about it. She's gonna inspire young ladies everywhere for years and years to come. Let's all keep an eye out for that girl, that young lady, and wish her nothing but the best. Throw all our support around her because Lord knows she deserves this. It let me transition to another subject. Back to the NCAA Tournament. It's almost over, but there's a lot of interesting storylines that took place during the NCAA tournament that still resonate to this day. And one of the people that that applies to is R.J. luis, Jr. Star small forward for the St. John's Red Storm. A lot of people thought they would be playing for the national championship tonight. It was not to be. Well, why did that happen? What mistakes were made? Were they made by him? Were they made by coach Rick Pitino? Is that why he's departing from St. John's is that why he's decided he might go pro? He might even transfer to another school? I don't know. But we're about to find out. My next guest is a now former star for St. John's University. He recently entered the transfer portal and declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. If he remains in college, the Big East Player of the Year is expected to make at least $1.5 million in nil earnings Next season. So, joining me now to discuss his future, none other than the now former star for St. John's himself, R.J. luis Jr. What's going on? Big time. How are you, man? How's everything?

R.J. Luis Jr. (62:29)

What's going on? Good afternoon.

Stephen A. Smith (62:30)

Good afternoon. It's good to see you. It's good to finally meet you. You got a lot of friends that are friends of mine. They've been telling me to meet you for quite some time. Congratulations on a great year that you've had. I have to admit, and start off with this. I'm still pissed off at Coach Pitino. I did not like the fact that you were on the bench for the Damn near last 5 minutes of that NCAA tournament game against Arkansas. I want to know that now that you've had time to reflect on it. How are you feeling about what transpired and where's your head at right now?

R.J. Luis Jr. (63:04)

I mean, obviously, you know, during the game, kind of hurt, you know, just not. Not being able to, you know, be on my. On the court with my. With my team for the last five minutes to, you know, be able to win the game. But, I mean, you know, coach. Coach made a decision that he felt was best, and, you know, I have to have to respect that.

Stephen A. Smith (63:21)

My attitude, and I think the attitude of most sports fans is that you, You. You use what brought you there. I mean, 18.2 points a game, 44% shooting throughout the 2025 season. Big East Player of the year, Big east tournament most outstanding player, consistent. Second team all American. All right. And St. John's won the big east outright in the regular season for the first time since 1985, in the big east tournament for the first time since 2000. Even though you were struggling that game, what was your attitude? Did you feel like, listen, I can get through this, even though I'm struggling this at afternoon. What were you thinking at the time?

R.J. Luis Jr. (63:59)

I mean, I definitely. It was a. It was a. It was an off day. It was a rough day. Probably wasn't my best game of the year. But, I mean, I just feel like, you know, there's still five minutes left in the game. I think anything could have happened. When I came out the game, I shot the two free throws and I cut it down to one possession. So, I mean, I was thinking, hopefully, you know, I hit those two free throws, I was going to be able to, you know, calm down a little bit. But, I mean, I think anything could have happened in the last five minutes of the game.

Stephen A. Smith (64:24)

You know, I wanted to ask you before I show you A quote, I want to know what your teammate said to you at that time when it was going on. What were they saying to you or what did they say to you? In the immediate aftermath of the game.

R.J. Luis Jr. (64:34)

It was kind of just letting, like, everything else soak in, you know, just the season we had, you know, 31, 31 4, 315 since we lost that game. But everybody was just kind of just, you know, kind of sad, just trying to just, you know, just take it in. And they didn't really understand what was going on. You know, myself was lost for worse. So it's kind of the first couple minutes in the locker room was very silent and then, you know, then it. It hit us and, you know, a couple of the guys was crying. Some of the seniors was. Was. Was very upset, you know, just because, you know, we weren't able to, you know, keep on dancing. But, I mean, after that, you know, we. We just hugged it out. We'd even talk about as far as, like, individual performances. We just, you know, gave each other a hug. We congratulated each other on a great season, and it just sucked to go out that way.

Stephen A. Smith (65:18)

Coach Rick Pitino, when asked about it after the game, wouldn't elaborate on his decision making and why he had made that decision. People like myself and various other pundits, we were calling them out like, what the hell are you doing? That's not what you do. But nevertheless, he decided to speak on this recently, within the last 48 hours or so. And I wanted to see, I wanted to show you this quote, and I wanted to get your reaction in real time time to what the coach had to say about his decision. Quote, it was the right move talking about benching you. It was the right move because of where he was mentally. He was forcing shots and it was affecting the rest of his game. Luis was not only getting down about his game, he wasn't playing the defense we needed. He wasn't playing the transition defense we needed. He wasn't blocking out all the missed shots and the forced shots were affecting him. Him. He just recently gave those quotes to Vice tv. What is your reaction to what your coach said?

R.J. Luis Jr. (66:15)

I mean, I'm just hurt. You know, obviously, like I said, it wasn't. Wasn't my best performance, but I think it's. Could have did a better job, you know, picking my head up and, you know, you know, just. Just doing a. A better job, you know, coaching me up, like how he's done the whole year. And it just. It just sucks. It hurts that, you know, Obviously, the way I played and the way we went out in the tournament, you know, I'm gonna take that with me, I mean, forever. You know, that's my first time participating in the March Madness. But I mean, definitely just, just hurt. It's one of those, you know, you can only control what you can control. And I mean, like I said, you know, coachino made a decision which he thought was best for the team, and I have to respect that.

Stephen A. Smith (66:56)

Is that why you're leaving St. John's is there another reason?

R.J. Luis Jr. (67:00)

That's not the reason. I mean, I feel like this season I had, I feel like my, my stock won't be any higher than it is. And I mean, thanks to my coaches and my teammates, you know, they've been able to, you know, put me in a position to, you know, take the next step in my journey. And obviously that's to play in the NBA. So that's really, really my decision is to, you know, to go on and, you know, start this draft process and to see what, what God has in store for me for at the next level.

Stephen A. Smith (67:27)

I understand that the draft process is the draft process, but is it possible that you could potentially end up transferring to another college? Or are you all in on entering this NBA draft and that's what you anticipate you will do?

R.J. Luis Jr. (67:42)

I mean, I'm all in, but I mean, worst case scenario, always got to have a backup plan. So obviously that's why I entered the transit portal. But I mean, I'm fully focused and I'm fully focused on the drafts.

Stephen A. Smith (67:53)

What kind of game do you believe you bring to the table? Not just for another college team potentially, but for an NBA team. Describe your game and what you believe you bring to the table.

R.J. Luis Jr. (68:06)

I'm a two way player, very versatile. I could guard multiple positions. I feel like I could defend at a high level and I've improved that. I could score the ball at all three levels and I'm improving my jump shot, my three point shooting, which is very big in the NBA, NBA game. So I mean, I mean, as far as what I've done, like the last 10 games, I think I've, I've shot like 50. Not messing the last game, but I mean, I think I, I bring a lot, I have a lot of potential. Uh, like, you know, my Persona, my person, you know, my character. Uh, very hard working, very determined. I've earned everything that I've been given and I mean, obviously just keep on improving. You know, I'm a late bloomer. Like you'll say you Know, was very under recruited coming out of high school, had to go to prep school and you know, I just been working, you know, for moments like these, for these opportunities and you know, I'm gonna just keep on putting the work into, you know, better my craft. And I would, I feel like, you know, NBA team's gonna get a, a great kid, a very humble kid, a very hard working kid, and a kid that wants to compete and you know, just win at the highest level.

Stephen A. Smith (69:14)

Well, I'm talking to the reigning Big east player of the year and a consistent second team all American. So we know you can ball. When you think about what you have to do, how far you've come and how you've worked up to this point, are you of the mindset that, you know what, you're definitely and definitively ready now and it would be best for you to be in the NBA now, or is there a possibility that you might decide it might be better for you to wait and go back to school for an additional year before going pro? What's the whole mindset that you're dealing with right now?

R.J. Luis Jr. (69:48)

Mindset? I feel good, you know, I'm healthy first and foremost, you know, coming off a double shin surgery. So, you know, I just give, give the glory to God, you know, for allowing me to, you know, play the sport that I love so much. You know, just obviously just being healthy, that's really the main, the main thing I took out of this whole year. And obviously, you know, the performance I had individually as far as collectively with my team, I think we did something extraordinary this season that St. John's hasn't seen in, you know, over 40 years. So it just feels great. And definitely I feel like I'm ready. I feel like me going back to school would probably be like a burden, you know, just because, you know, I've accomplished so much. And as far as like accolades and you know, just winning, I feel like it would just, it would just be hard to you know, kind of replicate that and, and match that next year if I were to go back to.

Stephen A. Smith (70:33)

College, knowing that's still a possibility. At the slight chance that you remain in college, what programs are you looking to transfer to or what kind of system do you think best works for your skill set?

R.J. Luis Jr. (70:47)

I mean, like I said, fully focused on the draft right now. There's definitely every school in the country has been reaching out to my agency with ROC Nation, but I'm really not even paying no mind to that right now. You know, obviously, like I said, enter the transfer portal as A as a backup plan. And I'm just fully focused on the draft right now, and if it comes to that, you know, we'll circle back and go back to that because, you know, we left that opportunity open. But definitely, just eye on the prize is just the NBA right now.

Stephen A. Smith (71:17)

When you talk to NBA scouts, this is something I would know about. Even though your crew, you know, OG Juan and the rest of. Of the crew looking out for you the way that they are, that I know they will, because they know everybody. When you think about what you've accomplished in your life, not just your career, knowing NBA personnel the way that I do, they ain't gonna just add. They. They think they've got your game down pat. They know what you can bring and what, what potential you may have, et cetera. But you, the person, when they sit down and they ask you about you and what you will bring to a locker room, what you will bring to a franchise, an organization, what is it that you'd like all of these NBA teams to know about you?

R.J. Luis Jr. (71:59)

I mean, like I said, a humble kid, you know, a hard worker, a competitor, and just really just, you know, just. I'm somebody that knows how to deal with adversity, you know, being overlooked. I kind of have a chip on my shoulder. So really just, you know, just going in there determined and I mean, just knowing that, you know, all the hard work that I put has. Has led me here, you know, I'm gonna keep on doing that. And I mean, that's really it just, you know, bringing in the energy and dude, doing the little things that, you know, that, that they need me to do. And obviously, you know, as I, hopefully as I get there, you know, I'll develop. Develop my game and, you know, just keep on improving as a player and as a person.

Stephen A. Smith (72:35)

Anyone in particular you modeled your game after or you'd like to model your game after?

R.J. Luis Jr. (72:41)

Nobody in particular. You know, obviously, you know, there's. There's people I, I look at, you know, they have the same, same body type. I like. I like Jason Tatum, I like Devin Booker, I like Shay Gildis Alexander. You know, just those big guards that are, you know, not able just to carry for themselves but to create for others. And I think that's something that I wasn't able to. To demonstrate a whole lot. I think I'm a way better playmaker. And you know, what, what I've done in college, you know, just the floor spacing is very compact, is. A lot of guys is in the, in the gaps and stuff like that. So I think, you know, just playing in the NBA and just playing on a, a more spaced out, more spaced out system will allow me to, you know, just showcase my playmaking abilities more.

Stephen A. Smith (73:29)

Talk about the experience for the NCAA tournament and what you believe is necessary in order to succeed well enough to win a national national championship. Just going through what you've been through.

R.J. Luis Jr. (73:41)

I mean, I wish I could tell you. I mean, I think I got a little taste of it. It's kind of hard to really tell you what, what really takes into that, you know, just because I would haven't. Haven't been a part of that culture. But I mean, hopefully I've been part of, you know, building that, that little culture at St. John's and you know, trying to get that program going. But I mean those are, those are great programs, great coaches and I mean it takes a lot, you know, as far as, you know, the transportal and stuff like that. You know, it's hard to build that type of chemistry. So, you know, just, just got to, you know, go, go where you're able to, to build as a, as a person, as a player. And obviously, you know, you got to play with a coaching staff that believes in you. And I mean, obviously you got to, you got to put the work in. Nothing's given. And I think all those teams has earned the right to, to play in the Final Four.

Stephen A. Smith (74:26)

I know you transferred from UMass after one year to go to St. John's the last two years. And obviously being at St. John's did a lot for you, your career, your future E, etc, to close out. Is there anything you'd like to say to somebody like a Rick Patino before.

R.J. Luis Jr. (74:40)

We depart to tell them? No, I just tell them thank you for the opportunity. You know, obviously without him I wouldn't be able to play at St. John's and you know, obviously get a, get a good education. I mean, some people may not know, but I'm actually a 4.0 student. Oh, I take, I take, take academics pretty seriously as far as, you know, basketball and I mean, that's it. I just really just, just thank him for the opportunity. Just knowing, you know, he took a chance on a kid from Miami and he believed in me to, you know, to come into the Big east and, and to perform and you know, he's, he's allowed me to showcase my abilities at the high, at the highest level in one of the best conferences in the country.

Stephen A. Smith (75:17)

You said you're a 4.0 student. What's your major, man?

R.J. Luis Jr. (75:20)

Sports management.

Stephen A. Smith (75:21)

Okay. All right. So, I mean, what are you trying to do? Be an agent, Own your own agency? I mean, to be a future president of basketball operations, a gm? What's the ultimate goal down the line?

R.J. Luis Jr. (75:33)

I mean, if you see here in my hoodie right here, me and my dad got our own. Own academy, really just trying to, you know, just help kids from third world countries and really just, you know, expand that platform and try to introduce, you know, not only basketball, but multiple sports and, you know, just give them the opportunity to come over here and, you know, it's not all about, you know, finding the next professional, but just give them a chance to, you know, succeed in the future and give them a better. Better lifestyle.

Stephen A. Smith (75:59)

You talked about people from, you know, from third world countries, other spots, obviously, any. Any particular areas you're targeting?

R.J. Luis Jr. (76:07)

I mean, mainly I got the flag right here. So we're always trying to represent, you know, the Dominican community.

Stephen A. Smith (76:11)

Right.

R.J. Luis Jr. (76:11)

As far as Ecuadorian community. Just. Just big on the Latin community. And, you know, it's just been a. That's also. It's been a great blessing, you know, to play in New York, the Mecca basketball.

Stephen A. Smith (76:21)

Yeah.

R.J. Luis Jr. (76:21)

Where, you know, Dominicans over back home, they say, you know, they think New York is the state of the United States. So, I mean, I think it's just great, you know, to put on and just get all that recognition and love and, you know, just to be a proud Hispanic kid that's, you know, put it on for those. Those third world countries, and it's just truly a blessing. And I'm just trying to, you know, just. Just embrace the journey and do the best that I can to give back.

Stephen A. Smith (76:43)

Keep doing your thing, man. Really, really proud of you. Proud of the year that you had, man. No matter how it ended, you still had a great, great year. All the best to you in the future. Moving, moving forward. I know you're gonna do big things. My man, R.J. luis Jr. Appreciate you, man. Thank you so much.

R.J. Luis Jr. (76:57)

Appreciate it. Thank you. God bless.

Stephen A. Smith (76:59)

All right. God bless. Wish you nothing but the best for that young brother. Hope he gets everything that he's worked for. We none of us ever want to be defined by one of our worst moments. Just remember that had a bad game. No doubt about that. But that doesn't define him as a player. Let's make sure we remember that as he marches forward and moves forward. A lot of people believe in this kid. Average 18 a game. There's a reason to do that. Make no mistake about it. And we wish him nothing but the best. RJ Luis Jr. Hopefully that's not the last time we've heard from him. I suspect it won't be. That's it for this edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. I'll see you in a couple of days. I got more content to bring your way, even from vacation. I won't let you down, so stick around and make sure you catch me until then. Later. Ladies and gentlemen, peace and love. Behind every successful business is a vision. Bringing it to life takes more than effort. It takes the right financial foundation and support. That's where Chase for Business comes in. With convenient digital tools, helpful resources and personalized guidance, we can help your business forge ahead confidently. Learn more@chase.com business chase for business make more of what's yours the Chase Mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JP Morgan Chase Bank NA Member FDIC Copyright 2025 JPMorgan Chase & Co. Member AT&T has a new guarantee because.

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