Draymond Green & Baron Davis explain to Brooklyn Nets star Cam Thomas why NBA fans underrate him

I've never heard you speak this much. So I'm actually happy to know that you talk.

Yeah, for sure.

It actually leads me to something that I want to say to you and a conversation that I want to have with you and that I know BD will have a lot to say about as well. The way you play the game of basketball.

Mm-hmm.

When I see you hoop, the guys who get buckets like you get buckets, they're all loved and like people are so excited to see them play. You know, like they're celebrated. You think of Kyrie, the way Kyrie get buckets. You go Jamal Crawford, you go Lou Will, you go like all of these guys who are just a straight KD, like a straight bucket, right? Like that's what they do when they walk in. You know they are getting a bucket no matter how you guard them, no matter what you do, they are going to figure out to get a bucket. They're all celebrating. I know you're young, but— Yeah. I don't see the excitement around the name Cam Thomas.

Yeah.

The way it should be for somebody who scored a basketball like you. And I wanna ask you, do you have a reason why that is? And I also wanna share with you why I think that is.

Yeah. Hey, I would love to know, 'cause I've been going through this since, you know, the grassroots really just, always being like overlooked, especially by, you know, the media and stuff. People saying, like—

Yep.

Putting people over you when you know they're not better than you, but then you don't, but then, you know, it's still politics at the end of the day. But then you like, at the end of the day, you still gotta look at the talent. Like, I'm way better than him, but you're putting him over me 'cause of what? 'Cause I'm not on social media as much. Like, I don't talk as much. I just go about my business and go on to the next game, so. I mean, I guess it's just 'cause I don't, I'm not really around much. I don't talk much. I just go out there and play, handle my business and go on. But hey, if you, if you can tell me why, then I would love to know. 'Cause I've been, yeah, 'cause I've been really like wanting to know why I don't get enough, you know, love or respect as, you know, the other buckets in the league. So, especially at my age, like right now I'm averaging about 25 a game. I'm like, damn, I'm, I'm barely hear about it. So it was like, I just love to know why.

Well, I'll share a few things with you. 'Cause I think there's a few reasons. One of your most famous lines that people have ever heard from you is what? What can you—

Ain't shit funny.

Ain't shit funny.

And— Right.

Ain't shit funny was so funny to me. Like, why you don't laugh? 'Cause ain't shit funny. That was so funny to me. And what I would say to you is if ain't shit funny, then make sure everybody know ain't shit funny. And what I mean by that is you have to make people hate you because ain't shit funny.

Yeah.

They gotta feel like ain't shit funny with him. I hate him. If you're not going to make them hate you because ain't shit funny, then you need to make them love you. And the way to make them love you is score the way you score, smile more because I've seen you smile more right here in 10 minutes than I've ever seen. Man, come on, dog. In your 4 years in the NBA, I've seen you smile more right here. Come on, dog. And I'm like, damn, maybe something Maybe something is funny.

Don't try not to smile that badly.

This is what I'm thinking when I'm sitting there watching you smile. Like, damn, maybe something is funny. But smile more and be more extravagant when you score. Get the crowd involved. Talk to them. Or ain't shit funny at all times. And I'm making sure you know ain't shit funny. And I'm coming at you that way. And I'm gonna make you hate me because ain't shit funny. And you have, I think— You have to do that. You gotta give people more personality. If you think—

For sure.

If you think that being a star in this NBA is just 'cause you just gonna score points and be a star in this NBA, I'm here to tell you, you missing the boat, brother. And I'm gonna tell you why you missing the boat. Because this is the NBA, brother. This is, you know, the NBA, when they come around to record, they say the NBA-E.

Mm-hmm.

Don't think that's just the people that's recording. That's this whole thing.

Yeah.

This is entertainment. This is show business.

Yeah.

And in show business, there's a character that's hated and there's a character that's loved.

Yeah.

The character that sit in the middle, he get killed off the show in week 1.

Yeah.

The character that sits in the middle, they get a line, a couple lines they may say in the movie, and then you never hear from them again. That's the character that sit in the middle. So you scoring the way you score, you have to decide, ain't shit funny. I'm gonna make sure y'all know that that's where I stand at all times. And so many things about me gonna say that. And people will be able to grab onto that. Ain't shit funny. Or the way you score, it's electric, man. The way you bounce around the court, you come off, you jump high as hell on that. That's electric. Yeah. So guess what then?

That's it, yeah.

Then be electric. Be electric in the arena.

Be fun to watch.

Right? Like you may say, "Ah, that ain't me." If you wanna be who I think you wanna be, because you don't score the ball the way you score. I feel like, I don't know you well, I feel like you live in the gym. Because there's no way you score the ball the way you score the ball.

You can do that, dude.

And you are that confident anytime you had a ball and you don't just live in the gym. So I'm gonna throw this out there. You're a gym rat. And if I'm wrong, if I'm lying, I'm flying. I don't think I'm flying anywhere, but you gotta give people that.

Yeah, I wanna piggyback.

Yep, I wanna piggyback off that 'cause you know what? I always consider myself an underdog in my career. You know what I mean? It was always dudes ranked over me. And that was because the NBA is, to Draymond's point, it's entertainment, right? So you gonna have dudes who get bigger marketing deals or get more recognized or make the All-Star team 'cause they on a better team. But what he's saying is persona, right? I had to go and say, okay, I don't think none of these dudes is better than me. They may be in better situations, but what am I gonna do? Like if we all averaging between 7 to 10 assists, you know what I mean? What else can I bring? Fuck it, I'm gonna lead the league in steals. I'm gonna try and be a defensive nightmare. But then when I rock, Man, I'm about to rock these dudes to sleep. You feel what I'm saying? And I never talked really, I didn't talk shit, but it was just little antics. You know what I mean? A smirk, like, ain't shit funny? Like, that's a smile and then a frown, right?

Yeah.

It's that little, do that, that's your mantra. You feel what I'm saying? That's your persona. So now them 25, Them 25 points got a story to it. It got energy to it. Other people feeling it, you know what I mean? They feeling it. You gotta make people feel your points.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? You out there getting buckets like it's the easiest thing in the world. So you make shit look hella easy, you know what I mean? But you gotta make people feel it.

Yeah, yeah.

You gotta have the opponents feel it. Your teammates gotta feel it. The energy in the arena. They gotta feel it. And you ain't gotta be a rah-rah dude 'cause you ain't a rah-rah dude. But all you gotta do is smile and frown because ain't shit funny.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so like that persona becomes what you walk in the gym with. That's what Draymond Green said. You walking in the gym, man, ain't shit funny. That don't mean shit ain't funny. It just ain't funny today. Not when I'm on this court. You know what I mean? Not when I'm out here, ain't shit funny. And y'all gonna pay for it. And so that's, I think that's where you are now. It's like, all right, you 25 in the game, bro. And what?

Yeah.

And what? You know what I mean? And what? Add something to, challenge yourself to, and then wrap that shit in that persona. That ain't shit funny. Now them 25 gonna be 28, 6'4", you know what I mean? And like, you gonna be walking off the court like, damn, they fucking with me. You know what I mean? They really fucking with how I get down. I ain't said, I ain't really changed nothing but my persona. You know what I mean? And like, I think that's what it is. 'Cause you so goddamn talented and you so quiet and you do it so naturally. It's like, man, I've been doing this. Why they don't? Nah, go make them pay attention to you.

For sure. You know what I mean?

Yeah, I got you.

Real shit.

'Cause you got the hard part.

Yeah.

Like the thing that most people don't have is the hard part. Like the hard part is easy for you.

Yeah.

You see what I'm saying?

Yeah, yeah, I see what you're saying.

Like I love, I love Kawhi Leonard. He's a special talent. I've watched him grow in the league. I came in, I think a year after Kawhi.

Yeah.

Played against him in some great battles. Kawhi Leonard has made a bunch of money. Kawhi Leonard is a star. He's never been a superstar because he don't speak.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

That's it.

Yeah, yeah. You know, when he first signed with New Balance—

But he got a hell of a brand.

He does, right? You know what I mean?

He got a brand by not speaking. Facts.

But check this out though. No, but check this out. No one really was catching on to Kawhi, right? He signs with New Balance.

Right.

In the first commercial, they do kind of the Lil Penny thing. It's two people arguing. And it's not Kawhi's voice, right? They found one moment to capitalize on. They found his laugh.

Yeah.

And now he's the funny guy.

Yeah.

Right? And since he became the funny guy, now Kawhi is more talked about than ever. He's more known than ever, right? Like, and he's played less since then, but he's the funny guy.

Yeah.

You see what I'm saying? They found a way. And that's all this is, bro. So I just wanted to say to you, like, don't miss the boat.

Yeah.

Like, don't miss the boat and think that if I go, all right, they ain't listen when I score 25, so I'm gonna average 30 this year. All right, they ain't listen to the average 30, I'm gonna average 40. Like, they gonna be like, yo, that's crazy, he averaging 40. But in order for it to equal out for more for Cam Thomas, Yeah. Give a little more.

Yeah.

Like BD said, maybe you smiling, it's a frown 'cause ain't shit. But give a little more, man. Don't miss the boat thinking, nope, it's just gonna be about buckets. Because I'm gonna tell you this, as much as it is about buckets, just buckets ain't gonna sell for the NBA.

Yeah.

And that's what this is all about at the end of the day.

Yeah.

It's entertainment, showbiz.

Bingo.

So be a part of the show.

Talk that talk, big homie. Tell him to tell him, hey bro, this is, this is, and this is real game, you know what I mean? I was just like, it's some big homie shit and some big brother shit because, you know, usually you don't get this type of game. Nah, for real. You know, when somebody your rival, right? And then a lot of times you on a team where, you know, it ain't a lot of vets. You know what I mean? Y'all not winning. It look like y'all tanking. But this is a great opportunity for you to add those two things to your game. You know what I mean? So take that challenge and say, okay, when this, when I, when they gonna know who I am coming outta this season, right? I'm gonna add these two things to my persona and also my game. You know what I mean? And then the basketball guys gonna take care of you, bro. 'Cause you, you got, you got super, you got superpowers.

Yeah.

In this space. You know what I mean? For what you do. And then my question is like, what is your motivating factor? You know what I'm saying? 'Cause I heard you say you get overlooked. You've been doing this for a while. Like what continue to motivate you and where do you want to be?

Yeah, just the motivating part, just always being, you know, like everybody say, the underdog, overlooked, not getting enough respect that you want in the league or wherever you play at. That's always gonna motivate me. I'd probably say now, my first few years, it was just, you know, being drafted late. Getting drafted late in the draft. But now it's really like my first two years not playing. So I really use that as well as the motivation, like the chip on my shoulders, people would say, as me not playing my first two years. So I really use that now. But really just trying to use anything I can just to go out there and have some type of edge to go dominate each game. So probably just all that, for real.