Fred VanVleet on Drake & DeMar DeRozan beef, Houston Rockets ceiling, Joel Embiid altercation
In this episode of The Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green (joined by co‑host Baron Davis) chats with former Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. The conversation jumps between several basketball‑centric topics. Draymond recounts a recent defensive play where he contested a Steph Curry three‑pointer, the ensuing social‑media backlash, and his philosophy on defensive grading. VanVleet explains why he views Houston as a long‑term home, citing family, community ties, and his desire to accelerate the Rockets’ learning curve toward playoff contention. The hosts compare youth‑driven energy versus veteran basketball intelligence, using a recent second‑half performance as a case study. They reminisce about the 2019 Raptors championship run, highlighting Kawhi Leonard’s clutch moments and the team’s depth. The discussion also touches on the late‑season acquisition of Marc Gasol, the personalities of teammates like Steven Adams and Dylan Brooks, and a bizarre FIBA‑related nut‑punch incident that sparked locker‑room jokes. Near the end, the trio lists their favorite undrafted NBA players (Ben Wallace, John Starks, Udonis Haslem, Bruce Bowen, Avery Johnson) and wraps with light‑hearted banter about a new shoe called “Afrotech.” The episode blends personal anecdotes, strategic analysis, and playful ribbing, offering insight into VanVleet’s mindset, the Rockets’ culture, and broader NBA narratives.
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What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show with BD. BD is not here right now currently, um, because BD is out doing something with some politicians. For voting. So he's gonna tune in whenever he get here. Anyway, we got NBA champion, NBA All-Star, and the starting guard of the Houston Rockets, Fred VanVleet, who was once a guest on the Draymond Green Show. This is his first time on the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis. Give a warm welcome to my brother Freddy V. What up, my dog?
Man, what's up, bro? Thanks, thanks for having me back again.
Absolutely. I appreciate you, brother. Thank, thank you for coming on, man. Listen, we gotta break this ice cuz everybody wanna know and I wanna know. And as you know, it's a little near and dear to my heart because anytime you play, um, someone in the NBA Finals, there's a natural beef created because It is what we all want and it just naturally happens. And so I am happy to see Toronto in dismay. And I just wanna know, like, what do you make of this whole DeMar-Draymond Green thing? Draymond Green saying he ain't getting his jersey retired, I'll pull it down. DeMar saying, good luck with that. Pretty much saying like, of course my jersey get retired. You as an NBA champion, Toronto Raptors, what's your take on this whole thing?
Man, I hate to see it, man. I hate to see it. Obviously, DeMar is someone that I've grown close to, someone like a big brother to me. Draymond Green, you know, I consider a friend and someone that, you know, I got a lot of love and respect for. So, you know, I hate to see it between those two. Obviously, they got their own personal relationship and that went however it went. It went a lot of different ways. So I hope they figure it out. I hope it ain't, you know what I'm saying, nothing crazy, nothing serious, you know what I'm saying? I just hope everybody can figure it out. But yeah, I don't like to see that.
Do you think ultimately DeMar jersey gets retired with the Raptors?
Yeah, I think it should. I think it should. I think that, you know, when you look at what he did, you know, Especially when you wanna give the history of the franchise, what Vince and all of those guys meant at the beginning, and what that meant for Canadian basketball, because that's what a lot of people don't understand is how much impact the team and the franchise has on the country. So for the, we saw the impact that Vince had, and then we saw it again with Draymond Green. You know, he didn't lead the team to the title, but he ultimately, he built that foundation and laid that foundation. Those were 59-win teams. Those were first overall seeds. That was the Eastern Conference Finals. And, you know, I witnessed some of the best basketball played with his 2 years there. So, yeah, I would love to see that for him and for the city and for the team. But only time will tell.
Do you think, when looking at that situation, Do you think that's something that ultimately a Drake with all the power that he has in Canada, let alone Toronto, do you think, but this is the NBA, you know, so it's a little different, but I don't know. Like, do you think that's, and being someone that spent time in Toronto, the majority of your career in Toronto, do you think that's something that he has the power to alter? Yeah.
It's hard to say. I would say that I don't think it helps.
Yeah.
I don't think it helps. I don't think them, you know, being at odds or whatever the case may be helps the case of him getting his jersey retired. But also you gotta think, and just for me being there and knowing a little bit about the behind the scenes of the Vince situation, which was directly like with ownership and people, you know, within the organization who had a bad taste in their mouth after he left. For them to be able to overcome that over time and still pay homage to the work and the testament of the person that he was and the things that he did while he was there. I think he still was able to overcome some of those behind the scenes things. So yeah, I hope that this situation isn't, you know what I'm saying, that deep to where it's like we kind of changed the legacy or the history, you know, of the basketball that was played. And I believe all things can be reconciled. You know what I mean? As long as ain't nobody been hurt and nothing physical has happened, you know, it's, you know, men being men and, you know, I think they'll figure it out.
VC the first. Who's ultimately, if you look at the next, say 15 years from now, what jerseys will be hanging alongside VC's in Toronto?
In your opinion. Man, it just, I don't know. It depends on, you know, who's calling those shots. But if you just want to go down the list, I think that it would make sense for Vince to be up there. Chris Bosh was another major cornerstone piece and just a standout talent that was drafted there early. Obviously, Cal. Will go down as, you know, the fan favorite, greatest Raptor of all time, people's champion. And then DeMar, I think, I think that's a good 4. I think Kawhi was the best player that we ever had, that the team ever had. You know, that was the highest, you know, level that was reached. But I don't know how much you can give to someone who only played a year, you know what I'm saying, under, under the team. But I think, I think any of those combination of those 4, I think Kyle definitely is going up there. Yeah. Um, and then, you know, we'll see what happens with, with Draymond. I think Draymond definitely deserves to be up there.
All-Star, I think ultimately the key to the championship because we couldn't figure you out. You don't think you ultimately go up there?
Uh, yeah, it's hard for me to think about myself right now, just, you know, being in the midst of my own career. But I think again, you still have to see how time, you know, time will kind of judge us all. And we'll look back and I know for myself, it being almost what, 5 years now since the championship, like we get farther and farther away from it and it becomes like more and more important and more and more relevant and like harder to get back to. So it's like, you know, you start to realize how great that moment was. Mm-hmm. I wish that I would've got a little bit longer, you know, time as like a starter and the guy to, you know, to make more of an impact. But I'm very happy with, you know, the career that I had there, the impact I left and the relationships that I built. And I think that run is, you know, one of those legendary runs. So yeah, I would love to go up there.
Speaking of, and switching gears a little bit, or just us as NBA players, obviously something when you're at the level that we're speaking of, that we all deal with. And it's important. You know, Steve Kerr always mentions it like, it's the thing that we all get frustrated with, that we hate, but yet it should— it's the thing that we have to love the most because the media attention that is on our sport is the reason, you know, you can sign a $100+ million deal and I can sign a $100 million deal and— Yeah. You know, guys are now starting to sign $300 million deals. And the reason being is because there's so much interest in our sport and the media attention and the media rights deal and all those things. Yet we're constantly under scrutiny, 24-hour scrutiny. And sometimes things are written that may not be as fair. This week, not, a few days ago, It was reported by Shams that Joel had got into a physical altercation with a reporter. To my understanding, I didn't read the article, but I read what came out of the article where he kind of looped in his brother and his son and mentioning his legacy and what he hasn't done. you know, uh, it led to a physical altercation. Uh, what, what are your thoughts before any other questions? Just what are your thoughts on the initial situation?
Yeah, I think, man, I think that, um, in this space, I think that the way that we have grown so fast and with the money that's involved in the, in just the everyday 24-hour news cycle, everything seems so important and you can just be a guy on Twitter with a voice and Draymond Green might see my tweet, he might respond to me. And then like, now people know my name. And I think that with all of that being said, I think we've lost like, some of the professionalism that goes with what this is still considered a billion-dollar business. So first and foremost, the— whatever the article was, the excerpt that he wrote about his brother, his late brother, was super out of pocket. Like, super out of pocket, crazy, no context, no reason to even loop that in under any circumstances. And you can't like, take a dig at somebody in the same paragraph that you mentioned, you know, someone that lost a loved one so close to them. So I would say that first and foremost. Now, Would I have did that? I don't know. So I'm not, I'm not gonna knock Joel for that because I don't know how I would have responded. I probably, you know, I think he understand the consequences that come with that. So I'm sure he knew that before he made his move. But I feel like me personally, if I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna just go all the way.
You know what I'm saying? Yeah.
It ain't gonna be, it's not gonna be a push or grab. It's gonna, you know what I'm saying? Somebody gets slapped up. Like once, once it's time to go all the way there, it's just time. And you know, we take our, We take our punishment and we keep it moving. But yeah, I'm not like condoning violence or pushing for that, but it's like certain things, you know, as a man, you still have to stand on some type of principles. And that comment was super out of pocket. And I think that maybe there was other ways it could have been put out. Probably shouldn't have been, you know, allowed in the locker room at that point, or— Yeah. Kept away or whatever the case may be. So we'll see how it shakes out. But I think we all gotta be careful how we carry this thing, you know, as it continues to grow because we can't like lose sight of, you know, some of the things that helped it be what it was as well. You know, we can still mess it up. You know what I mean? Yeah, sure. So it's like everybody gotta be on their P's and Q's, not just players. Players always get the flack, they get the, you know, the money and the flack, which is how it goes. But it's like, The media plays a part as well.
Yeah, nah, for sure. I think, like you said, man, it was foul for that dude to, like, there's no need for you to mention his son. There's no need for you to mention his brother. It's a terrible, like, the way you looped it in, it looked like you were just thirsty to actually loop it in because it didn't make the statement greater. Like, it actually only made what you were saying about that thing Right. Like it didn't make anything. All right, actually you did that and because of that, no one knows any other part of your article that you wrote. And quite honestly, I don't think anyone gives a shit to even know now because they know the most important part is you did that and took that shot for no reason and you got beat up on a little bit. And like you said, I don't want to condone violence.
I had a little, Yeah, you can't, you can't go further.
I'm the total opposite way, but I wasn't in this situation, so I'm gonna talk about it. Yeah, for sure. And I agree with you, A, if you gonna go there, you might as well just go there because the consequence is the same. But the, I, and I always say, Yes, there is a responsibility on us as players to uphold a certain level of integrity and a level of professionalism and to continue to give to this game. You know what I'm saying? Because you still gotta continue to give to this game for the next young guys that come through. You know, it's not, it's our responsibility to deliver it to them in great standing, not deliver it to them in shitty standing. And so, um, we have an obligation and a responsibility to do that. I think there's also an obligation and a responsibility though on some of these PR staffs. If you know that's happened, you know Joel feel a way about it, maybe you don't hire that guy in the locker room or around at that time. You know, maybe you have Joel security on high alert that, hey, he need to be between him and this guy at all times because he's feeling a way. You know what I'm saying? As opposed to sometimes the stuff with the PR, it can be so transactional because they're just trying to get these interviews done.
Yeah.
And you can miss out on the piece of, let me see how this guy's feeling, because that can happen. Like, these are real human beings, man. These ain't robots. These ain't robots that Elon Musk created. These are real human beings.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? These are people with real emotions and real feelings making real split-second decisions, spur of the moment decisions. And can you do a better job as a PR staff of protecting guys? Because, you know, it's, for instance, it, it was what it was, but like, could you have protected me from that guy that asked me the very first question of media day? People are worried about you.
How?
You know, what, what, like, uh, you know, could you have protected me from that? Because I could have responded differently and that been the whole thing of media day. And could you have protected me from that? You know what I'm saying? Like, is, is it your job?
Yeah. To a certain extent. Yeah.
To a certain extent. Yeah. Like, so, you know, I, I look at it that way.
Go ahead. I've been in some situations, not to the extent of what Joel did, but some other locker rooms that I've been a part of where they're, you know, you know how it go. Players get irritated with certain reporters, you know, through the course of the season, or they say things and Twitter get a lot of people in trouble. You know, people just like to tweet during the games, things like that. So I've had PR staff that have removed people, you know, certain times, or maybe you just take the, You know, you move them around when you got to move them around just to like let everything die down. Because like you said, it is not just people with some like high functioning, like super talented, super egotistical, super emotional, like people. And we put, you know, our lives on the line. Yes, we're paid very well and all of those things. But it's like we still are giving a lot. Yeah. On a daily basis and expected to take the high road all the time. Like, you might not pass, you might not pass that test every single time. If you gotta do it 1,000 times, you might slip up one time. And, you know, like I said, maybe, maybe, you know, could have handled it better. But I think everybody have to look and see what they could have did better. Not just Joel. I'm not gonna say, oh, he shouldn't have did that, or the reporter shouldn't have. Yeah, the other people involved, you know, they got a part to play too.
Yeah.
100%, definitely. And I think, you know, even like, you know, the one question that it does raise, and I'm actually a little happy this happened because we've been talking about this for years. Why are reporters in the locker room? Why are reporters in our sacred space where we have to get undressed, where I have to dry my wet body off and they just stand there. Why, why do I have to be subject to that?
Yeah.
As at my job, no one else that works in the NBA is subject to someone watching them get dressed and in and outta the shower. Why am I subject to that? What is it doing? What better interview are they getting of me getting dressed possibly in the back of somebody video. What better interview are they getting than being in that locker room than me going to the podium and sitting there with a microphone? Why must I get dressed and undressed in front of media members?
Yeah, no, that's a fact. I prefer the podium by far. And they took it off for COVID and they brought it back.
They brought it back.
Why?
Yeah.
Yeah. Like, I'm with you. So now, now you got somebody in there getting beat up. Maybe they'll change the rule because there's no reason that there is not a single place in a basketball arena that I can go and be away from everybody. Why is that?
Mm.
A single place in my job. See, guess what? Most people at their job, they can go in their office, they can close the door. We don't have a single place where we can go except for in the shower stall and have a moment to myself or just my teammates. Why is that?
Yeah, that's crazy. I'm with you.
So it poses that question. And Buddy done got beat up on a little bit. I hope they stopped these people from being in the locker room. It's a testy in there, man.
Yeah, yeah. Get crazy in there. Get crazy in there, I'm telling you. And then you gotta think about like, shout out to the, the, the, seasoned reporters that got a little finesse, you know, they know how to move around. It's good reporters, but it's also some weird ones, you know what I'm saying?
Yes.
There's also some weird ones. And, you know, that was, for me, I always been able to speak, always been able to talk. And, you know, I kind of found my way around, but like someone, you know, these kids, I got a team full of 19, 20, 21, 22-year-olds, man. They don't always know like the best way to deal with these people. You know what I'm saying? They don't always know like the right thing to say or they don't really understand that the mic is never off or, oh yeah, I'm off the record, but I'm not really off the record. Or like you said, your whole ass might be out in somebody's video while you trying to get dressed. You know what I'm saying? It's like, I don't necessarily want to see that, you know what I mean, on the internet. But yeah, we might need to reevaluate that one.
Nah, that's a fact, bro.
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I want to talk a little bit about your journey. Just through the NBA, you know, before we move into Houston Rockets, which I'm excited as hell to talk about, I think there's a lot of stuff there that a lot of people don't know that I believe about y'all squad and I wanna get into it a little bit. But just first wanna talk about, you know, in one year you went from playing in the G League to being a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. As NBA players, There's a moment when the game starts to slow down. I was just doing a podcast with Fred Warner and I was telling Fred, like, he was saying, "What's the number one thing that you've learned that helps you today?" And I was just telling him the game moves like this for me now and it's just so slow. And you know, with that game slowing down, when did you actually feel it start slowing down for you? Like, I know you went one year of G League and then 6 Man of the Year candidate. But when was it that it really, really slowed down for you when you like in total control of everything?
Yeah, I would say probably like midway through my second year and then definitely my third year. 'Cause like that first year as a rookie, you just trying to figure it out. You know what I'm saying? Like I said, I played maybe 20 G League games and then I played maybe like 40 regular games, you know, spot minutes here and there, blowouts, end of quarters, things like that. So I was watching and learning, you know what I mean? And like, I've always been a little bit more cerebral just 'cause I haven't never had, I never been the fastest or like the most athletic on any team in my whole entire life since I was a little kid. So I always had to think. But once I started to get the terminology, the coverages, and really what helped me was like playing defense. So I'm like, okay, if I could figure out the defense, then I could understand how other teams defend. And then on offense, I'll be cool. And so I didn't have a skill set coming in. Like, I couldn't shoot the 3 right away. I didn't, you know what I'm saying, had the craziest offensive game. But like, I was just learning the COVID Okay. 18 outta 20 teams gonna push on the side. They gonna send it down. Other teams going head, you know, whatever. Everybody got their different coverages. And once I started to figure that out, offense became really easy. I was lucky to play with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. So I didn't really have to do nothing. My jumper came along, so I was spotting up. I was spotting up. My job was to come in, pick up full court, you know, push the pace, make some open threes. Cool. Got to finish a couple games. Once I started finishing the games in the fourth, I'm like, oh, I'm cool.
I'm here.
You play some high-pressure moments, you make some big shots. And yeah. And then it just continues to grow. So like you go from that, to, you know, a bigger role. And then, you know, after that, okay, now you're the number one option on the scouting report. So now that's a whole nother layer of, you know, how teams guard you and you're getting blitzed and you're getting the best defender and, you know, so you continue to learn that way. Um, but I would say probably like my second year where I started putting everything together, like, so I could just go out there and play. Um, I never really had trouble with like reading the game. Yeah.
Was there ever anybody, you know, an NBA player that you would say that you were trying to pattern your game after?
Yeah, so I think CP was a big guy for me from the standpoint of like, I felt like he could do everything on the court. Like he could do anything up until the point to where I think one year he was like guarding KD, you know what I'm saying? In the playoffs. Like I remember that series like vividly, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? Where they put him. Okay, the NBA is different, you know what I mean? You would never like think of like a matchup where like the best option is just for somebody to get under him and make it tough and you know all that. I remember that though.
Yeah.
But I watched, man, I was, I had the damn Ankle Breaker DVDs. You know, we watched like, I watched everybody, Chauncey, J-Kidd, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, CP, Deron Williams. Like I watched all of those. Great 2000s point guards. And then once I got to Toronto, I just was in Kyle's hip pocket every day. 'Cause I'm like, all right, I need to learn how he puts it together for the game. You know what I'm saying? And once I saw like his approach and the way that, you know, he worked every day and how he, you know, attacked every single game on a night-to-night basis, I'm like, all right, that's who I'mma, I'mma just try to take what I can from him and, you know, add my own twist to it. Yeah.
Definitely wanna follow up on that. You know, you talking about CP, I had the opportunity to play with CP last year, man. One of my favorite teammates of all time, bro. Like one of the best professionals he had. He had, you know, some disdain being here last year and not playing the minutes that he's always played and like not being able to play the role he's always played. And there was never a day that you could see he had this day.
Right.
But like, we lived in the same building, you know, we built a relationship. So I knew his displeasures, but there was never a day that you could see that he wasn't happy. Like, and coming into the facility and, you know, leading and speaking to people, like helping younger guys. Like there was never a day that he didn't come in like professional and locked in. And you know, CP is now 19 years in, which is at 6 feet, which is crazy. What is it for you and, you know, being similar height, you know, and similar size and stature, what is it for you that you think you have to do along the lines of what CP is doing to extend it this, this long? Mm-hmm. For one, it's crazy.
Yeah.
But at that size.
Yeah. I think one thing I always took from him was like all of the other intangibles. So if anybody know him or play with him or played against him, like he never stopped talking. Like he never stopped talking. He talked the whole game. You know what I'm saying? He's talking to the ref, he talking to the coach, he talking to his players, he calling the plays out, he's talking on offense, he talking on defense. He over here, he whispering, he whispering here, he whispering there. Like he talked the whole game and that was always something that I took. I'm like, okay, he always manipulating the game like 24/7. So I always took that. Obviously he was a, you know, best point guard in the league, NBA All-Star type of caliber player, you know what I mean? So he had to model his game a little bit later, like to condense the role. Yeah. For me, myself, I feel like that window is a little bit smaller. So like, I'm more designed to play a role to kind of give myself more longevity. I'm on year 9. I don't know if I can even see year 19 right now. I don't know if I can see that far, to be honest with you. But like, the taking care of the body, you know what I mean? I remember I went to CP's camp in I was just telling somebody this, maybe, yeah, 10 years ago, 2014, I was in college and he was giving us a, you know, a little seminar about how him and Blake Griffin did some blood tests to where they could see what food they react to.
Oh yeah.
You know what I mean? And I'm like, I'm in college and I'm still eating like McDonald's and Popeyes and shit. So I'm like, I'm in my head, I'm like, damn, that's what it take though. Now that I'm in this position, I'm like, okay. It's all of those small little margins, you know what I mean? That like, yeah, I might not be able to eat a donut. My knee might be hurting tomorrow. You know what I'm saying? I might gotta slow down on the alcohol here and there. You know what I'm saying? It's like different things that might buy you, you know, time. So I always paid attention to all of that. And then, like I said, basketball-wise, it's like, just continue to always grow and get better. And for him to go from like the pick and roll, you know, maestro. You never lose that, but it's like finding ways to make your team better, you know, in the meantime.
And speaking of like the guys that you look up to, um, and coming into this league, sometimes depending on type of guys they are, CP is definitely this type. Did you have, have you had any run-ins with CP?
You know what's crazy? I never had a problem with CP ever. And I don't know because I met him while I was in college, you know what I'm saying? I always have like held him in in a high regard, but I definitely know a few people that, you know what I mean, has run-ins with him. So I've heard stories and I've heard different things, but you know, I can't never speak on nothing that I ain't experienced myself, but I ain't never had no problem with him. But he is like a feisty little dirty motherfucker, man, when it come down to like willing to do anything to win the game. And I respect that, you know what I'm saying? Cause Kyle is a little bit like that. Like, Kyle might jump and break your fucking ankle or something if you need to go get the loose ball. Like, you got some of that too, you know what I mean?
Absolutely.
It's certain guys that's like, you know, when the ball is tipped, it's like anything goes, you know what I mean? We can shake hands and be friends after, but you know, during the game, I mean, you might knock a tooth out if you got to.
And that is why we hated each other.
Yeah.
That is absolutely why we hated each other. But no, CP is definitely, no, I, that makes complete sense because he knew you in college. One thing CP is, is he takes pride in like being a veteran leader for people.
Yeah.
And giving back to the younger guys. And so the fact that he knew you in college, he's probably always just looked at you like, dang, he was at the camp, I'll help, you know, I'm willing to help him along, you know. 'Cause he takes that side of things serious.
Nah, for sure. And one thing I respect, 'cause I know who don't do this, he at me and I'm at him. You know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
It's guys that I come across that wanna play buddy-buddy during the game and all that. They might duck smoke, they don't wanna guard me, they don't, you know what I mean? Like it's guys that do that. It's a lot of soft guys in the league that duck smoke. But CP is, he always been at me from day one. So I always respect it. Like, yeah, okay. He look at me like, like a little brother, but he's still going at me like anybody else and I'm going at him like anybody else every time.
Yeah. And that's, that's the best competition. And that's also the best sign of respect.
For sure.
You know, when we can go at each other and that's just what it is.
Yeah.
Man, switching gears, the all current Houston team. Like I told you, I, I, I got a lot I wanna talk to, to you about with, with the team, man. It's, it's an interesting team for sure. And, I like some guys on y'all team, so I wanna get into that. But before we get into that, y'all coming off a great win versus the Knicks. Would you say like that's y'all best win of the season? It's something y'all can build on, or how are y'all viewing this win?
Yeah, it's early. I would say for us, Dallas probably felt a little bit better 'cause we had a good Dallas game last year. On the road and we gave it away in like the last minute of the game. We didn't foul up 3, they hit a shot to go to overtime, we lost. So that was probably felt a little more like rewarding. But the Knicks game was probably our most complete game. Like that was just good hoops, you know what I'm saying? You play a full game of hoops, team effort, everybody contribute, play good. I think we held them to 97. So, you know what I mean? We was, we were locked in. That was a good game. And you know, for us, the word all year for us is gonna be consistency. You know what I mean? Because you can bring that energy, you can bring that effort in spurts here and there, night to night, but can you put it together? You know what I'm saying? Consistently. And hopefully we can build on that going forward.
Absolutely. And you ultimately going to the Rockets, this being your second year there, when you first made that decision to leave Toronto, And go to the Houston Rockets now. What was it for you that ultimately gave you the comfort to make the move? And could you have gone back to Toronto, like, once you opted out?
Yeah, I think that I just wanted to get to free agency. I think that I felt the changing of the guard. You know, as players, you kind of get hip to what direction the organization wants to go in here and there and everywhere. There was different contracts and it was just so much going on behind the scenes. So I just wanted to get to free agency so I can make them make a decision, you know what I mean? Versus me doing it. So yeah, I could have went back. The talks didn't go, you know, maybe exactly how I wanted them to go. And then Houston comes along. I have a conversation with Ime. I have a conversation with Stone. And that was really it. Like, that's all I needed, you know what I mean? Was to have a coach tell me exactly what he need from me, how he see, you know, what he thinks. And I just think I was the perfect guy for the job to come, like, quarterback all these young crazy dudes that they got and give them some, you know, structure and some— Mm-hmm. Leadership and direction. But I also remember playing them the years that they weren't trying to win. And every, after every game, we always were just like, damn, they were really fast.
Yeah.
Really athletic. Like, you couldn't catch up to 'em. You know what I mean? So.
Absolutely.
I remember that it was in my mind. And then having those talks in free agency, obviously the contract, I mean, it's hard to beat that in Texas. Like, that's just, you know, I could have never imagined making $40 million a year at any point in my life. So that was hard to turn down. But really it was a conversation with Ime that was like letting me know how he viewed it, how he saw me, and what he wanted out of me. And I just wanted to get back to having fun playing basketball. And post-championship Toronto, towards the end, we weren't really having fun. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. It got to that point, and I was looking for just a new fresh start, and I found it.
What has, what Ime has maybe shocked you or stood out that you didn't know you'd get from him?
Man, so you know how much NBA coaches beat around the bush and protect guys' egos and don't address things and like he's the complete opposite. Is weird because it's only the 2.5 hours during the game. Everything else is super light. It's fun. It's a great workplace environment. Everybody enjoys coming in every day. Shootarounds are light. Practices are light. Everything is about the team and camaraderie and just the morale and the group and growing as a unit. I wasn't prepared for that.
Mm-hmm.
And so again, that goes to quality of life, quality of living as well. When you enjoy coming to work every day, you excited to build, you know, with the team. And that was something that caught me off guard. I wasn't ready because he's just so serious all the time. You know what I'm saying? Like you just see his face and he yelling and shit during the game and he cussing the refs out and trying to fight LeBron, all this shit. It's like, you just, you thinking like, it's like military all the time, but— He pretty cool.
Speaking about fighting LeBron, I've never heard much about that moment with him and Ime. What was it like in that moment being right there? Like, how did that all go down?
Well, the funniest thing is for us is if you know Ime, you know, like, he don't never raise his voice. So like, if he yelling at you, it's always a mumble. Like, and he don't move his face. He doesn't get animated. So like, half the time you don't really even hear what he's saying. So the play was going back and forth, you know, Bron, Draymond Green, getting the refs all scared and riled up and yelling at the refs and changing calls and this, this, and that. And, you know, he may, you know, may or may not have said some words Bron ain't like, you know what I'm saying? They had a quick, a quick little debate about it, you know what I'm saying? And the ref ejected him. So it just went like that. But like, we watched, you know, you get the full story after the game and you see how it played out. But like in the game, I ain't I don't really know what happened. I just looked over, they said a couple words to each other and he got ejected. So yeah, everybody ain't, you know, everybody ain't friendly all the time, man. Everybody ain't trying to be friends in the NBA all the time. So that's all that was.
That's a fact. Do you think a part of that happening also is because he may also played against Bron as opposed to like, say if it was a Steve Kerr person?
Yeah, for sure. He played against him, you know what I'm saying, in the era, and he was a scrappy, undrafted defender, tough guy, rough guy, you know what I'm saying? I know how he looking at the star player that's like, oh, you know what I mean? Like, I know that mindset that you get into. So for sure, that definitely played a part in it.
Just as a veteran on, this young team, this young Rockets team that you're on. When you're coming into, and what I would say is very early, like when I first say I stepped into being a vet of some super young guys was like 19, 20. And I struggled with it miserably. Like I didn't know what it meant. I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know what it took. I just didn't understand it. And it got sprung on me faster than I knew it would. 'cause it was just like abruptly. And coming in every single day, what are you trying to teach to the younger teammates? And ultimately, what is the conversation? As you know, some places you go into the conversation every day, it's like, "Yo, winning a championship." I can't foresee that being the conversation everywhere. But like, what's that like for you and with your young team?
Yeah, I'll say first that, I got lucky because I had a year, 2 years with Scottie.
Mm-hmm.
Right? So that was my first impression of a top pick coming in. They giving him everything. He don't really know, like, how it go. We trying to teach it to him, you know what I'm saying? And I can't say that I handled that the best, or maybe that wasn't the outcome that I wanted how that— for that to go. So I took some of the things I learned from that brought it here. And the two biggest things is, number one, first of all, I have to show you every day, right? I'm just going to show you by me being me on a daily basis. Watch me, you'll be alright. Number two, I'm gonna tell you the truth. And I don't really give a fuck if you like it or not. You know what I'm saying? I'm not here to be your friend. I'm not here to like— we shouldn't always get along. But if you wanna win and you wanna be great and you wanna get paid, you know what I'm saying? I could show you like some things that might help you in that regard. And then the other, the third thing, which I didn't add, was like, you know, taking 'em off the court and just breaking bread.
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What's up, man? I apologize, man, to the legends, to the champ Fred. Apologize to my big dog, my host, I was out, you know, trying to be amongst the people, get my vote on, be in line, you know. But I do gotta say, being on this damn podcast, man, everybody coming up to me wanna take a picture, wanna talk. Yeah. Ah, it's Draymond. Who you voting for? I'm like, man, it's too many questions. You know what I mean? It's too many questions in the voting line. But I apologize, fellas. Damn, you know I'm sorry 'cause Fred, you know you my guy, man. You one of my all-time favorite point guards, man. I used to, from the time you got in the league, I was like, yo, who is this dude out here wiggling on people like that?
Nah.
So the man with the wiggle, the game, you know, you got all the stuff in the Rockets, you know, they my pick to have a big year. And I think you guys already have, you know, you off to a solid start. Versus Dallas versus Memphis. You know, how did y'all make it, how did y'all make things difficult more so for great players like Ja or when you playing against Luka? Like what's y'all energy around that?
Yeah, I mean we got a lot of young, young hungry guys. Like, and I, I would say that I've been around some guys in the league, I think we all have that don't really love it. That just, you know, like love will come with it. But I would say we got a lot of guys that really love the game that, that they get, they get up for it. For the big names, you know what I'm saying? They wanna prove theyself as well. And we got good defenders. We got our man Thompson, Atari Easton, you know what I'm saying? Y'all know how Dylan bring it every night. So it's like we got bodies that really take pride in that end of the floor. So when they see a big name come in, you know, no matter who it is, they get up for the game for sure.
To piggyback off that, Man, I absolutely love Tyrese's game. It's like every time I play against him, I come out the games just raving about his energy and, you know, like the motor that he has. We playing y'all last week, we were up 30 points and his energy changed the entire game. What is it that's keeping him off the floor? Floor? Like, oh no, I wouldn't even ask it that way. What does he have to do more of to get, get, get more minutes on the floor? Because I feel like for me, I don't understand why, why he's not on the floor more for that team. I think the team, y'all team is much tougher to play against when Tyrese is on the floor in my opinion. And I felt that way since he was a rookie.
For sure. No, I think to answer the question first would be, He, last year he did have a serious injury, you know what I'm saying? That he missed a ton of time for. They were trying to figure out, you know, the best way to manage it and things like that. So there has been, you know, I'm saying the same thing, 'cause we playing pickup in the fall before the season and they keep putting him on my team and he can only play 2 minutes at a time and 5 minutes at a time. And when he's on my team, we go up 10. As soon as you take him out, we go down 10. I'm cussing the coaches out saying, why can't he be on the floor? So I'm with you. You know what I mean?
Right.
But there has been a ramp up process for him. You know what I'm saying? Just managing the situation that he had last year. He had a major situation on his leg last year. So I think they've been managing that, but I think that he'll continue to grow on that. And then for me, I'm always just trying to develop his mind to go with the fire and the passion. I think that's one thing that make you great, Dray, is like you still got the IQ to go with the crazy shit. So it was like you got all the crazy shit, but it's like you still really got the IQ too. So like for him, I just wanted to keep developing that part because I never seen nobody bring a team back from 30 down by itself just off the hustle. Like just really, just really just taking the ball.
One, one.
Taking the ball, block a shot, dunk it, shoot a 3, rip 'em again, come down. Like it looked like AAU. Like I never really seen that. Seen that. You know what I mean? And he's just really doing all that off the muscle. So like the more he continue to develop the IQ and, and learning the game, like he, he got a real special future for sure.
Yeah.
Another player everybody got their eyes on this season is Reece Sheppard.
Yeah.
I mean obviously he a top, top pick, but you know, he getting comparisons to, you know, NBA point guards and, you know, more so Steph Curry, which I don't, you know, I don't compare nobody. We don't compare one-on-one.
Stop it.
EMO.
That's blasphemous.
Stop it.
That's what I said, bro. That's what I said.
Blasphemous right now, BD. Stop that.
Blasphemous.
We don't want to go that route, but like, talk about his game.
Like, what impresses you? I wouldn't compare him with Steph Curry. I would just kind of, compare him to, you know, a mold. You know what I mean? Not so much like, you know, people's— come on, Draymond Green, I didn't say it. The people said it. Nah.
The people said it, bro.
I'm having a good day, B.
Reed tough, man. Reed tough, man. I don't know if I would've looked at him and never said Steph either, you know what I'm saying? But I will say like, he tough. Like to come in with that skillset at that age, to shoot the ball like that. He's sharp, he's smart, he's tough, sneaky athletic. You know, he'll continue to grow and get comfortable out there. He had a great preseason and then the first couple games you could tell, you know, he was trying to get his legs under him. So he's got a real bright future. I'm glad that I get him, you know, as a rookie for me as a point guard.
Yeah, I was gonna ask that, you know what I mean? 'Cause I remember when I hoop, You know, you always gravitate to the young energy. You know what I mean? Is it, are y'all trading? You know what I mean? Are you picking up?
He came first day like, yo, teach me everything you know. You know what I'm saying? And like the biggest thing, the biggest thing for me is like, I'll tell you whatever you wanna know, but I ain't gonna chase you down. You know what I'm saying? So like having him just open mind, a sponge, he wanna learn and he's way farther ahead you know what I'm saying, at 20 than I was. So like, I'm just excited to give him the gems and things that I picked up along the way to give it to him so, you know, he can run with it.
I like him a lot too. I think one of the interesting things is, and what I like about him is, you see him and you like, oh, I'm going at him. And he check. He can check.
Yeah, he ain't no simp, man. He ain't no simp.
Yeah.
He can shoot.
He can move his feet. He got good hands. You know, he gonna continue to learn the NBA game a little bit. But yeah, I'm trying to give him a little bit. We just gotta get him some more Houston life. You know what I'm saying? Let him hang out with the guys a little bit. He'll pick up some of that and you know, he'll make his mark, but shoot the shit out the ball. He's gonna be one of those super efficient point guards. Gonna be a tough cover on a night-to-night basis. And Yeah, I love everything about him. He's professional, dead serious every day. Just super professional, dead serious. He ain't got too much funnies with him. And Steven Adams grabbed him up. They keep wearing the same mustache now. So hopefully he pick up some of Steven Adams' little crazy stuff too. That'll be good for him.
Exactly.
I like that 'cause you get to, you know, you get to bring him along, right? As, you know, a young rookie point guard, but then you get to also show him the ism. You know what I mean? It's like, this how you get busy. Is that like extra motivation for you? You know what I mean? Coming into this year, like, I got a young dog. If I'm giving him all this game, I gotta go show him how to, you know what I mean?
And I was just telling Draymond Green that, like, It's easy to tell you, but like, I gotta show you too. You know what I'm saying? It's 24/7 around the clock. Just pull up and, you know what I'm saying? Get your notebook out. Like, this is all day long. This ain't just on the court. This ain't just practice, on the plane, it's on the bus. This how I deal with the staff. This how I deal with this. This how I deal with this. You know what I mean? We'll get to the personal life. You know, he come from a great family, so he should be solid there. But like, it's all day long. You know what I'm saying? Classes and sessions. So I'm just glad to have him. Right there with me. And you know, I'm excited to see like how he gonna pan out.
Yeah, I would say one of the guys both of us are excited about seeing this year is Draymond Green. Like I think, you know, BD and myself both agree that we think he gonna have a big year. And I think my question to you would be, How have you seen his, you know, in your 2 years now, how have you seen his approach change?
I think just growing up, like naturally, like life would do that to you, you know what I'm saying? You have a baby, it's time to sit down, it's time to tighten up, it's time to focus on what's important, you know what I mean? You got a child now, like contract coming up, you know, tighten up, bro. Like, but at the end of the day, I will give him ultimate credit. I didn't say see the crazy Jalen that I heard about, you know what I'm saying? From the moment I got there, he was on point. He's in the lab every day. He work, he lift, he work on his game. Everybody like to, you know what I'm saying, have a good time. I know I did, you know what I mean?
Absolutely.
Me too.
Count me in. You got to, bro.
What's the point? Yeah, what's the point? You know what I'm saying? I ain't one of them that act like I don't like to have a good time. You know, but—
Exactly.
His approach was good. He tried to do everything the coaches asked of him. And you could just see like layers, like halfway through the season last year, I'm like, all right, look, they going at you, bro. Like you gotta take that personal. You know what I'm saying? You ain't, you don't wanna be no pick on guy and you could guard. Like I'm, I'm playing you in practice. You can guard, bro. Boom. He started taking that personal. Now he got like one of the best ISO number to cover, you know, defensive stats on the team. Like things like that. And he started developing whatever, whatever work he did this summer to come back with the pace and the balance and the 3 to be able to put it together. Like you talked about the game slowing down for him. We're starting to see it translate. And I think that all just happened. You can't like pinpoint when a guy is gonna, when it's gonna click for him. But I think it's, I think it's starting to click for him. And I just try to give him the confidence and the space to like be himself.
Yeah. Man, that's amazing, bro. I think I got a question for both of y'all, 'cause it's like, you know, y'all veterans now, you know what I mean? And like, talk about like the beauty of, you know, Dray, you done had Kaminga for what, 3 years? Moody for 3 years, right? How to like, it's almost like programming somebody, you know what I mean? It's like programming, like, you know, setting different challenges. How does that feel? I'd say for both of y'all, like, You know, I would say when I was in that, I didn't embrace that. You know what I mean? 'Cause I was worried about going out. And Dray, you talked about like how you embracing that. Fred, you talking about just giving all the wisdom and the isms to the players. I want both of y'all to just talk about like how fun it is to like be re-energized through, you know, kind of teaching and grooming that next generation.
Yeah, nah. It's something that I really enjoy, man. I always, it always takes me back to my rookie year. Assistant coach of ours, Pete Myers, who BD, you know. Pete Myers was our assistant coach and he told me, he said, "Yo, I'm gonna tell you two things that I want you to keep with you for the rest of your career." He said, "Number one, you owe it to the guys that come before you, I mean that come after you, to leave the game in a better space than you found it." He said, number 2, he said number 2 was, you get paid for the next young guy to get paid.
Mm-hmm.
That's how this thing keep going. You get paid for the next young guy to get paid. And when he told me that, it was one of those OG-isms where, like, it's a gym. And that's some free game. Now figure out what you do with it. You know what I'm saying? Like, now it's on you to figure out what that means. And for me, I've always taken that personal because that's what I was taught. You know what I'm saying? I went to Michigan State where Mateen Cleaves and Travis Walton taught me what OGs do for their young fellas. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. All the guys that came before me, they taught me like, nah, this is what you do. And you do X, Y, and Z. And this is how you take care of and bring the young fellas along. And that's how they brought me along. And so for me, I always try to give that back. And with Moses and J.K., like, Moses and my relationship hit it off like that right away. Immediately, book it. Stat. Quick. J.K., it took over a year.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? For me to gain his trust. Because the one thing with JK is if he don't trust you, you ain't getting nothing from him. He just gonna be like, "Okay." All right. And that's kind of it. Like, he ain't giving you much either way. Ain't giving you much good, ain't giving you— he's just like, "Okay." And what I learned, and shout out to Anthony Vereen, one of our assistant coaches, he helped me figure out "Yo, you have to like spend some time with him and build a relationship with him. Then he'll listen to you. But if you just think you gonna say some stuff to him, he ain't gonna listen. I'm just telling you." And I took it upon myself to then start building a relationship with J.K. And once I started building a relationship with J.K., that kid will run through this brick wall. I have no doubt in my mind he will run through this wall for me. But he also know that I'll run through that wall for him.
Thank God.
And— And so just in guiding those guys, I love it though, because you get like this blank canvas. And as an artist, the way I view it is you just gave me an all-white blank canvas. And now I just get to paint on this canvas and watch it turn into a masterpiece and just sit back like this proud artist that's like, "Wow, I just watched him work to be like, go from here." To there, Moses Moody just got paid $40 million. Like, wow, I'm seeing the young fella get paid. Yeah. J.K. about to make $140, $150 million. Wow. Like watching them grow into that, man, it's special. So I embrace that. And Moses was sitting in my room last night till 4 o'clock in the morning. We sitting here talking, you know, me checking in on him, making sure he good. Like, You know what I'm saying? You still ain't currently playing the minutes that you wanna be playing. How you feeling about that? You know what I'm saying? Talk to me. Like, how you feeling about everything? Like, you got your contract. All right, that's cool. But what's next now? Like, we was talking about family offices and financial advisors and investments, like, till 4 o'clock in the morning. You know what I'm saying? So I really embraced that side of things. Yeah. And like I said, for me it stems from Michigan State. Like all my young fellas, Jaren Jackson, Xavier Tillman, all them young guys, I still talk to them. I, I talked to X on the phone 2 days ago for 30 minutes, 40 minutes.
Yeah.
These same kind, I still talk to all them young fellas. Like through the year, Miles Bridges hit me up telling me to stop, stop, stop tweeting about Grant Williams. Then they stopped to leave him alone. Said, Miles, no, he a clown. Miles, Miles, like you on the court fighting people and you gonna be the one to tweet about this? I'm like, Miles. Yeah, guess what though?
It's a perfect storm. I ain't hit you, Miles.
I said, I ain't hit you, Miles. You know why I ain't hit you? 'Cause you my young fella. This man out there taking out, he was like, you done, 'cause he said, you hard fouled me before. I said, Miles, I hard fouled you when you was about to dunk on me at the rim. I didn't come up from behind you and take you out. Like— That's crazy.
That was wild.
That's a different type of thing.
Yeah, that was crazy.
That was wild.
Yeah, you know, so I still stay in touch with all them young fellas, man. Denzel Valentine, Europe. I'm on DMs and all that with Denzel once or twice a week. Like, I stay in touch with all those guys because that means a lot to me. And, when you see them succeed, Moses Moody just got paid, I got paid. Like, that's how I feel. Like, oh man, like, he playing well, I played well. Like, that's how I feel in seeing the young guys grow and elevate.
Yeah, so I got the same game. I got the same game from Kyle. I think maybe he got it from Chauncey or, you know, whoever, T-Lou and them guys. Like, you know, it's about passing it on to the next generation. Like, one thing I always took from that is like, it ain't my game to give, it's ours. You know what I'm saying? Like, it ain't— this game don't belong to any of us, it belong to all of us. You know what I mean?
Right.
And you be good to it, it's gonna be good to you. So it was like, I would be a clown if I didn't pass it on to someone else the same way it was passed on to me. And just specifically with this Houston team, my initial thing was like, we had two rookies, I mean Thompson and Cam Whitmore, who hadn't played yet. And then we had all the other guys who were there for the three years of 17 wins, 19 wins, and 22 wins. And then you realize like, oh, y'all was just doing shit. Y'all wasn't, y'all was just hooping. Like y'all really was playing AAU for three years. Y'all don't even know what the real NBA is.
Yeah.
So how do I give you this message and give you this game because you may not, you probably not gonna see the results right away. So like—
Right, right.
Me and Jaylen, it took a little minute because it's like everything I'm telling him, he not, it's not working. He not seeing the immediate, you know what I'm saying, response. And then it took a little bit, you know, getting for them to get adjusted to Iman as well. But I think my whole thing was like, you might not like me all the time, but you gonna love me though. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, you know, like at the end of the day when you, I don't know what everybody got going on in their life, but when you go home and you lay down at night, you gonna know like, all right, Fred telling me the real.
Fred a real one.
Yeah, he gonna tell me the real regardless. And if we gotta knuckle up, then we just gotta knuckle up, man. Ain't the worst thing in the world. You know what I'm saying? I come from that. I come from like, you know what I'm saying? Having to stand on certain things at certain times. Like that's just what it is. If we serious about, like, I really care about you, I love you, I got love for you, and I'm trying to help, I gotta give— I gotta give you the real.
I got to.
Um, and hopefully you receive it that way. It don't always go that way. Everybody different. But for the most part, I think early on it took a little bit of, like, adjustment period. And then as the season went on, fast forward to this season, and everything's starting to make sense. And, like, some things, you know, it gets greater later, you know what I mean? Some things may not— Yep. Might not get you right away, but down the line you'll be like, okay, now it's making sense now. Man, you did tell me that. That's all I be wanting. Like, you was right. You was right. And I, you know, I ain't trying to be right. I want us to be right. You know what I'm saying? I ain't trying to be right. It ain't about me. I want us to be right. And Draymond Green signing a deal this year, Sengun signing a deal this year. You know what I mean? I know what that's like. To have that uncertainty even more so than them because I really had to earn mine. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, I really could have been out the league. I really could have not had an NBA career. It was that close for me. So to see them secure that bag was a special moment for me because I know what they put into it. And, you know, I know that they trusted me a lot with whatever it is that I was telling them. They was hungry and they listened.
I warn you, be careful of thinking you can knuckle up with the young fellas, man. It ain't the same like it used to be. And I learned that the hard way.
I ain't trying to get in no trouble. I don't want no static with nobody. All I'm saying is, if it go there, it go there. You know what I'm saying?
I'm not going to help.
It ain't gotta go there. Nope, nope. You don't want it to go there, brother. I'm telling you, I learned this the hard way. I thought, I thought when, I thought things could go there and I learned the hard way and I spent last night's game getting bullied because of it. So I'm just telling you, we played the Wizards last night and I spent the whole game getting bullied.
Hey bro, you was getting bullied.
I was getting bullied.
Bro, they was picking on my dog.
I didn't like that.
But you did trigger them.
You did trigger them. No, no, first off, the two young fellas, Terry, Bub, and Keyshawn Jordan, they started talking to me. I'm literally sitting there asking them like, "Yo, y'all talk?" They like, "Yeah, that's what we on." I said, "Oh, cool, we can talk then. All right, let's go." I was excited as hell. So we talking.
Nah, you don't.
Nah, but they weren't bullying. I was getting bullied.
You got hit with TMZ angle though, Draymond. You know what I'm saying? It would've happened behind closed doors, you might've been all right.
Yeah, it was crazy.
TMZ.
They cooked me.
You got hit with the eye in the sky, dog.
That's crazy.
They got you red-handed, dog.
That was all you. Hey, Crush, I spent last night getting bullied because of it, man. You know, I went into that game just thinking I'm going to play a basketball game, man. Dude came out there wanting to bully me, man. I don't want no problems.
Yeah, you got—
I don't want no issues, man.
Chill on it. Hey, yo, young dog, y'all gotta chill on the OGs, bro.
I don't want no issues, man. I had a good time last night. It was fun.
I mean, but you did trigger, you did set it off with the pointing. You know what you did.
Well, no. Well, all right, so. Well, yeah. Hey, bro. Hey, what?
Hey, come on, Fred.
You in the game, somebody hit a 3, and the dude just, why he pointing at, like, bro, why you keep pointing at me? All right, so here's the issue. All right, so here's the problem. So the first time I catch the ball on the post, and George smashed up on me, He overzealously is like, "Ooh, ooh." And they call a foul. And I could feel that it was like more to the pushes. He like, "Ooh, yeah, ooh." And I could feel. And so they called a foul. And I just tapped him on the chest like, "Hey, it's cool, bro. That was cool. It's cool." Like, tap on the chest, bro. Like, we going.
Yeah.
So then as the game keep going on, you know how you could see a look in somebody's eye when you like on him? And so, and he's like talking to me, like he's saying little stuff to me. And so I ain't paying it no mind. Yeah, we can ask him. I ain't paying it no mind, you know what I'm saying?
I'm just chilling.
I'm like, oh, he on that type of time. That's crazy because last year he ain't say a word. So I'm thinking to myself like, we ain't, I ain't coming in the game.
Oh yeah, he ain't gonna say nothing. It's gonna be cool.
He ain't say nothing. Lashay ain't say nothing, moving on. And you know, he was talking. And so I was like, oh, that's interesting. So then fast forward to the play, they, they run the— that's called Horns Twist. They run the guard-ball screen, he go off the flare, our man get whacked with the flare. Me being the defensive guy that I am, I'm gonna make a last-ditch effort and try to get a contest, you know what I'm saying? I make the last dish effort to get a contest. He pointed at me and I'm like, my manager's pointed at me like I was guarding him, bro. I just tried to get a late contest.
Like— Oh, he pointed at you first.
Yeah, he pointed at me after he hit the shot as if like he broke me off and like hit the shot, bro. I'm getting a late contest. Ain't even my man. I'm doing more, by the way, on Stackhouse grading defensive grades. I'm gonna get an extra point for that late contest that wasn't even supposed to be my contest. So, you know what I'm saying? I go for the late contest. He point at me like, like, like he just dropped me off. So, you know, everybody on my Twitter like, Draymond Green points, Steph hits a 3. Well, it's actually the same exact thing because then he went and got a contest that wasn't his contest and he got his eye bang and I pointed back at him.
Yeah.
And so now I'm like, oh, that was interesting coming outta halftime. This is gonna be fun. You know what I'm saying? And it went from there. He bullied me the rest of the night like he was bullying me the whole first half, but it was cool. I had fun.
Did you say anything when you pointed? You should have pointed and said, "See, that could have been you." That'd have done him off.
He'd have had 4 in the second half. Bro, listen, man. I'll tell you what, I got nothing against that, bro. Brother. I was not trying to talk trash to him. I was just pointing back 'cause he pointed at me. And for all the dummies on Twitter and Instagram that's like, well, that ain't the same thing because Draymond didn't make the shot. It's the same exact thing because we both contested a shot on a man that wasn't—
In the spirit of the game, baby.
Exactly. So take that, you dummies that can't identify what's actually happening in the game and can only see What proves my point of what I always say? What can you see? You can see who made the shot and who missed the shot. That is about the level of your basketball intelligence. Don't write me on Instagram and Twitter trying to explain a basketball play. You stupid. You on one today. You look dumb and you just lose respect. I'm sitting here, I'm sitting here last night with Moses Moody and I start, Trav starts talking about the play. And Moses right out the blue goes, well, the situations weren't the same. Of course they were, Moses. But these dummies on my Instagram don't know this. Get on 'em. So yeah, I'm off them.
Y'all done got 'em started now, man.
Look at that.
Man, he done got—
hey, please drop a comment.
Draymond Green. Please drop a comment. But moving on from him, I got a question. I got a question for you, Freddie B. Draymond Green, you're in the second year of a 3-year deal and you recently said, "I didn't come to the Rockets to be a rental." What about Houston made it for you and, you know, going there but then obviously being there, what is it that's made you view it as a long-term spot for you for someone that already has a home? You know what I'm saying? A lot of people always say, a lot of people don't get a home in the NBA.
Right.
Like you have a home. What is it for you that make you say, no, this can also be my second home?
Yeah, I think, like I said, the talks that we had before me coming here, right, was like not one that was specifically targeting like, all right, these first 2 years or these first 3 years. It was more so like a big picture. This is how we see it. You know what I mean? This is the timeline for the young guys. Blah, blah, blah. And then living here, you know, just being here in Houston, you know what I'm saying, which is already one of my favorite places to visit, you know, I've grown to love living here. Great place to raise a family and my kids are in school. We have other family here that was already here. We've had family move here. So it's definitely one of those places we feel like, you know, I mean, we could stay. Obviously, business is business, things can change, everything is fluid. But I didn't come here thinking like, I'm gonna just come here for 2 years, get a bag, and then jump to the next team. You know what I mean? Like, I'm pretty vested in like the timeline and the journey with these guys. And you know, as long as they'll have me, I'll be here. You know what I'm saying? As long as it makes sense. But I think that all I'm focused on is trying to speed this learning curve up for these guys because it could take a long time. It could take a little time. It just depends on, how fast it clicks for everybody, how fast we could put it together. So I think the more that we just stay foot on the gas, you know what I mean? And we crack the playoffs and we make some noise and you know what I'm saying? Start focusing on like winning a playoff series and then like it's steps to everything. I think that that will kind of create the situation out of itself. But I definitely, I love being here for sure.
Draymond Green.
That's amazing. That's amazing, man. I think with those young guys, you got a second half against us that's a prime example. Hey man, the likelihood that we're gonna go on the court and be the smartest team right now is probably slim to none because we're usually the youngest team when we go on the court. So if you think you just gonna go on the court and be smarter than a team full of vets, we're probably wrong. But what we can do is how we outplayed them in the second half with our energy and effort. Because we are young, we can always probably out-energy teams.
Yeah.
So let's make that a calling card.
Yeah.
And while we work on the, the cerebral part of it, let our calling card be when, when, when somebody walk through that door, they know how hard we gonna play. They know how, how, how we coming at it. And then build from there because when you got the youth on your side, use it.
Yeah, for sure. And that's really all we've been doing. Like, you know, like, 'cause I've been on the other side, you know what I mean? On the championship team or older team that's like, you know, coming into a game like, all right, we got, you know what I mean? You gotta be ready for that because they running, you know what I'm saying? They might take you, you just hope you keep it close and you try to outsmart 'em in the fourth quarter.
You know what I'm saying?
Yep. That's how, so now I wanna, I'm on the flip side of it where it's like, I'm trying to make sure they know how hard we gotta go. And then everybody calm down in the wintertime. You know what I mean? Let's, you still gotta execute down the stretch. So that's been a fun challenge for me. But like I said, I love who we got. I think we are in a great position, you know, for the future of kind of like where the league is and where the West is going. I like our group a lot.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. I like y'all team too, man. You know what I mean? I'm picking y'all to be a big surprise. And you know, we gotta talk about the championship Raptors run. Sorry about that, Draymond Green.
That's fine.
I know you don't want to hear it.
The show is great without it.
Kawhi hit the big shot against Philly. But y'all, you know, that was a run. I want to really talk about the run. You know what I mean? Obviously, Kawhi with the 7 bounces on the rim. What was that like? But then coming into the finals, you know what I mean? Like, shit, y'all was balling.
Yeah, that was—
Kyle Ball.
Man, bro, that was like the highest level of hoops that you can get. You know what I mean? And I think that Kawhi was obviously the superstar, but like it was such a well-balanced team that It was so many guys playing at a high level. And outside of— we lost game 1 against Orlando, but we knew we was gonna beat them. And then Philly, the Philly series was a tough one, 'cause like that really could have went either way just 'cause of the team. It was like the perfect matchup for us. And then once we got to Milwaukee, we felt good. And then once KD was hurt, we felt good. You know what I'm saying? About the finals. So it was like, you got to see it in stage. I didn't realize like it's so much 2 and a half months. You know what I'm saying?
Oh, man.
It's, people don't understand that because you always lose and you done. But like, when you keep going, it's April 15th to June 15th. You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And then after a while, once it picks up, it's every other day. Which is crazy because early on you get days off, and then second, third round, it's every other day, travel, whatever. You know what I mean? People have injuries, like, I remember Kyle was getting like injections in his hand before every game, like crazy stuff. You know what I'm saying? People was dealing with all type of—
Surviving.
You're just survival of the fittest, you know? And I think that's where our depth came into play at. And then just to, you know, like to be able to talk about something and shoot around and have it translate to the game, like being that locked in, being able to put a fucking boxing one in at the game 1 of the finals that we never worked on before. You know what I'm saying? Like just the level of like focus that we had with that veteran team.
Yeah.
That's what I always remember the most. You know what I mean? Outside of the big moments was like just how locked in that we were as a group. Every guy to a tee. And we was only playing, you know, 8 guys really for the most part. But it was a solid 8 rotation.
Yes, it was. And getting Marc Gasol at that buyout deadline. Yeah. It was down to y'all and us. Yeah. Marc Gasol, you fucked us.
Yeah, Marc.
Man, Marc Gasol.
We got him.
You supposed to keep that championship in the bag.
We got him the last minute of the deadline. I think they traded that motherfucker like 2:59 or something crazy. Like, I remember we had to play Atlanta. With like 7 guys 'cause we traded like 5 guys in the last minute of the deadline. It was crazy.
That was a hell of a trade.
Yes, it was.
No paella for you in the Bay Area, Marcus.
At all. You get no love, Mark.
Shout out to Mark, man. One of my favorite dudes.
We went and linked up with Fred and Kawhi. Y'all came, yeah, we won cool. I was at that game too.
One of my favorite teammates, man. Great dude.
Ain't no love for you, Mark. No, I got a lot of love for Mark though, man. Mark was a great player. He was fun. He was a great player. Competitive to play against. Mark Gasol was nice.
Yeah. Nah, I liked y'all team 'cause everybody was, like you said, everybody had basketball intelligence. You know what I mean? And everybody had little nuances and, you know, implementing somebody like that is, you know, it's like, It's like having a brainchild, you know what I mean? It's like in the middle of the court, you know, allowing y'all to operate. But you know, that was one of my favorite squads. I like what y'all doing in Houston, man. You know, you one of my favorites, just period. Just to see how you just rose to your own, you know what I mean? Your own artistry. You feel what I'm saying?
Yeah, nah.
That's why I respect, like you created, Yo, yo, this is my one-on-one painting. This is, when you say my name, you know what you see. Right.
You feel what I'm saying?
Nah, real shit. I appreciate that, bro. I appreciate it. I remember you put me to the side in UCLA, bro, in the summertime. Like gave me the love. That shit go a long way. Like I remember every single guy that I watched growing up that ever gave me love and boosted me. And that's something that I try to do, you know what I'm saying, to guys that, I fuck with that game too. Like, nah, because you never know how somebody look at you. Like, I could kick it with you all day, you know what I'm saying? And not tell you, like, I was in the airport when you dunked and ripped the jersey up. I was watching that shit, you know what I'm saying? Like, I was watching, like, I remember exactly where I was when that happened, you know what I'm saying? Fast forward, like, I always, now that I'm getting older, you know, them full circle moments, that shit been meaning the most to me. Stomach too big.
Yeah.
Stomach too big now, dog. Eating tacos.
You had on a girdle that day. Goddamn shapewear.
I was trying to get an endorsement deal, shit.
Skims.
Wasn't no Skims back then.
They should sign me and put, shit, redo the commercial.
What's up, Skims?
Make this happen. Oh man.
And Draymond be going at him and Steven Adams be doing all kind of shenanigans.
Me and Steven Adams don't really get into it much, man. I think there's a mutual respect.
Then you kick my man's in the nuts, man.
Listen, number one, I was selling a car. I was selling a car, I got it.
You kicked my dog in the nuts, man.
Come on with that shit. Come on with that shit, Draymond. I ain't really try to, you know what I'm saying? Let it go.
Yeah, they changed the rules. They changed the rules. They changed the rules 'cause—
Hey bro, that's sick. Yeah, now I get kicked down all the time and then the rule never is acted on when I get kicked. I get kicked all the time and they be like, "Oh, common foul." I know, I know there's a rule. It's created for me.
I seen that one. I was like, whoa. Yeah.
Yeah, that was crazy.
How is it having Steven Adams as, and Dylan Brooks as a teammate? You know, I've had my fair share of words with Dylan Brooks, about Dylan Brooks, but the reality is I think, you know, I'm not a fan of his, but I give credit where credit is due.
I'm a fan of Dylan Brooks.
All right, so you got one fan. I'm not necessarily a fan of his.
Hey, he be on bullshit from the time the game start.
Any team that he's on, he raises the level and I respect that.
Stephen, first I would say just the ultimate guy. Just like the ultimate guy you want on your team. Just like he just do it all, bro. Like he just, he calms the locker room. He's just a presence. He's strong as hell. He got, he on this carnivore diet right now. He might eat 2 ribeyes for breakfast and a 44-ounce porterhouse on the plane.
Like no sides. That's real Aquaman.
Hey, like no sides, no nothing. Like just straight steak. You know what I'm saying? Like he just, yeah. Like he just, he's a real live caveman, bro. Like he just, Man. He just different and super strong, but super smart. Really just a selfless guy, all about the team. Great screener, great vet just to have, you know what I'm saying? Like you going into an alley fight, you want a Steven Adams on your side, you know what I'm saying? For whatever the situation brings. Like I've loved having him around. Dylan, I was not a fan of before we were teammates. I always respected him. Because I would say that I play hard every night. I take a lot of pride in bringing it every night. And whether, whatever I got is what you gonna get. Now, it might not always be a lot. It might not always be great, but I'm gonna give you everything I got no matter what. Like, I ain't taking no nights off. And Dillon was always one of those guys that I watched on a night-to-night basis. Like, he don't take nights off. Being his teammate, you get to see the switch. Turn on and off because it's just on the court. Off the court, it's nothing crazy, you know what I'm saying? Outside of like just showing up for the game. But to BD's point, like he really on bullshit every game. Like it ain't—
Every game.
It's no picks.
Yeah, come on.
Like he ain't got no picks and like he gonna take you there. Like he gonna take you there every time, every night, no matter who it is. And he came out the first preseason game last year, 'cause they had the FIBA joint. He came out the first 2 minutes of the game, hit somebody in the nuts, boom. Come to find out they had a beef from FIBA.
The FIBA beefs be real, bro.
He had a beef, Canada versus, who was it? Germany, maybe, Theiss.
Bro, what's up with—
Yeah, Germany.
Why we hitting people in the nuts, man?
First couple minutes of the game. He hit him in the nuts. You know, I'm arguing with the refs.
I'm like, no, no, he ain't do it.
He ain't do it. Man, they showed that shit on the jumbotron.
He bow. We looked at him like, oh.
Sick, dude.
What the fuck is wrong with you? He should be arrested.
Like, yo. He should go to jail for that.
Dog, it was crazy.
Hey, bro, you should go to jail.
But it was— You should go to jail, dude. Hey, hey, hey, dude. Come on, dude. You gonna hit me in my nuts in the game?
Yo, yo.
Officer, take this man to jail.
It was crazy, dog.
An intentional nut punch is diabolical.
Nah, he on it, man. He on it every night.
Hey, dog, I love that he on bullshit.
He ain't got no pity.
I want him to keep going though. I want him to like, I want him to sit at home and come up with scripts and all kind of shit that he gonna say.
Like, I want him to go all the way there.
Nah, nah, nah, nah. I'm slowing him down, BD. I'm trying to, I'm trying to taper him off though.
But I think it help his game too.
No, it do.
I think he play better and he free when, you know, he has that mentality. I watched them when they played the Lakers with Memphis and I watched him have this persona, you know what I mean? Going into the playoffs and then when the media and the Lakers and whatever he said about LeBron, like he backed up. You don't back out.
Yeah, but you know, a lot of that—
He was young.
A lot of that come from the situation he was in too. Like, wasn't nobody standing up behind him either.
Wasn't nobody backing him up.
Wasn't nobody standing up behind him either. Didn't nobody have it, yeah. Right? So that's true.
They did not have his back.
So my thing is, because I get the flack, like trust me, I get it. They come straight to me. Your man, tell your man, You know what I'm saying? And I, you know, I get both sides. I'm like, shit, y'all tell him, you know what I'm saying? Like, long as we on this court, I ain't gonna let nothing happen to him. You know what I'm saying? And you know, if he with me, he with me. You know what I mean?
We gonna fight. That's how it's gonna go.
And at the same time, I'm telling him like, all right, maybe play it like this. Maybe do it like this. Like, all right. Maybe don't go all the way there unless you really ready to go all the way there.
Like, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, for sure.
Certain things I'm trying to help him with.
Yeah, he needs some grooming.
He just, he needs some grooming. Personality brand grooming.
Yeah, I'm just trying to taper it down a little bit. Keep bringing it on the court and then we gonna handle it a little bit differently because when I come out the game and the whole opposing team is waiting for me in the hallway telling me they looking for my man.
Now I gotta figure out how to—
Man, that's tough, bro.
You know?
Oh yeah.
Hey, dog, I gotta, I played in Cleveland for like the last half of the year and I played with Ryan Hollins. And you know, Ryan Hollins is a good dude.
Yeah.
But he be hacking people, dog. He just, you know, he athletic, he just be hacking. And bro, him and Charlie Bill in the waiver got into it, dog. You gotta pull this up on YouTube.
I remember, I seen that.
Boom, he popped, he popped Charlie with one, they start, Charlie started chasing him on the court and shit. I'm like, Ryan, yo, chill. Stop antagonizing. They sent Ryan to the locker room. You know, in Detroit, they sent Charlie to the locker room. They about to inbound the ball. He take off.
Woo!
He life around the locker room.
Hey bro, Ryan Hollis fouled Dwyane Wade. Dwyane Wade was gonna fuck him up. And I was like, Dwyane, man, why you gonna do that, bro?
You know, he gonna fuck you up every time you come in here, bro. Tonight ain't the night for you to be going to the hole tonight, 'cause you know my dog right there, he gonna fuck you up. That's hilarious, man. That's hilarious. Hey, Fred, so tell me this though. You was about to say when you see the video, how do y'all ultimately find out that this is not for right now? This is for something he did when he was in Canada.
Because when I come to the locker room at halftime, I say, yo, what the fuck is this? What is wrong with you, bro? Like, yo, what are you doing? Like, yo, what's like, you gotta give us a rundown. Like, what's going on? You know, this is how we talk. Like, this is how we talk. Yo, what's up? Oh nah, some FIBA shit, dog.
Like, huh?
FIBA?
I get it. What?
Dylan Brooks.
I get it. You know what I'm saying?
We're like, we're not, Mind you, we hadn't played, like, I'm so damn dumb, I'm thinking like, we finally got our starting lineup, we gotta get our rhythm, we gotta figure out who gonna play, who, who, who. This fool is like, nah, I gotta get my get back.
I get it, I get it, you know why?
He should be arrested for hitting people in the nuts though.
There's, I love the French people as a whole, but playing against France, You gonna choke somebody else out? France just, it created a disdain and playing them in the Olympics, it created a disdain for some guys. Like, so I, you know what, I may understand Dylan a little more than I thought.
Hey, Draymond, I'm gonna tell you this right now. If you choke Victor, your ass, they gonna get your ass outta here, boy.
Hey, he can't get up, he gotta jump. I ain't touching Victor. I ain't blowing Victor. I'm not blowing breath on Victor. I'm not putting a pinky finger on Victor. I'm not pushing Victor. I'm gonna play defense on Victor and I may give up a dunk. I don't want no smoke, man. I don't want none of that smoke, brother.
Stay away from Draymond Green.
I'm cool.
They gonna have Secret Service outside of your ass, baby.
I don't want no smoke. And also, you know what? That may have been God of why I ain't playing the Olympics this year. I ain't played with Victor in no Olympics. I got no disdain with Wimby.
Oh, you ain't got no beef? I got no beef.
Yeah, you ain't got no beef with him. I ain't played him in the Olympics. Nope. Zero disdain.
We turned on with our new league, the great Draymond Green Show.
No beef.
We ain't got no problems, man.
Therapy. You know, you get old.
Hey bro, you get older and you know them young dudes, they been watching you. I had to tell my homeboy, I'm like, man, you can't keep just punking people in the gym. It's a young dude that was like you and you don't know him. So you know, that's gonna be our pack. We gonna cultivate these young dudes because we don't know how strong they are.
We don't know where they come from. You know what I mean?
Oh, you call foul?
I be in the pickup.
Oh, that's cool.
It's cool, it's cool.
Good job, bro. I don't want no smoke, man. I don't want no smoke. Come on. That's me and pickup, Fred. Oh, you cool?
Okay, cool.
Yeah, you got it.
No arguing. Man, last one before we get outta here. Fred, you being one of the best undrafted players of all time, All-Star champion, you gotta list the 5 undrafted guys, your top 5 undrafted guys before we get out here. I always love a good list.
Damn. I think I try to put the careers together, you know, but you talking about careers, like, gotta go Ben Wallace, gotta go—
Body, absolutely.
John Starks, gotta go. Damn. I just had the list, hold on. It's another one. Somebody that I always forget. This who I always forget, UD.
Ah, yeah, that's it. I always forget his name.
UD. And UD had a hell of a career.
Great career.
Hell of a career.
How many years?
If I'm just going off of like body of work, John Starks, Ben Wallace, UD, Bruce Bowen, and maybe Avery Johnson.
You over Avery Johnson, I ain't rolling.
Yeah, but you know what I'm saying? I'll let you say it. Shout out to the OG.
Avery Johnson a legend though.
I said shout out to the OG.
Yeah, shout out to the OG.
Come on, Draymond.
I said shout out to the OG.
Now, Draymond, come on, Draymond. I've been supporting you from all your Warrior days.
I got mad love for—
And you know, Fred, you one of my all-time favorite point guards.
All-time favorites. I got a lot of love for the OG. I meant no disrespect by that, but— You know, I think I will go with Fred.
I'm still playing. We gonna go guys that already finished their career. That's how we play.
And I like to add one more person, Calvin Cambridge.
Mm.
It's fucking real.
Listen, man, listen.
Somebody was saying—
No disrespect to the OG. We will revisit that because we ain't going nowhere. But we have kept Fred way over the time. I thank you so much for both of us coming on the show again, bro. It's always love. Appreciate you. Keep guiding them young boys, doing your thing, my dog.
Appreciate y'all. Yes, sir.
That's a wrap. See you next week.
Afro Tech, baby. Look at him. He know he trying to go to Area 29. Stop acting like you gonna go to Afro Tech.
What's that?
What's that?
It's a shoe. You'll see.
It's cracking?
Enjoy.
Okay. I'll see you next week.
Afrotech, here I come!
Afrotech.
That's a wrap!
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