How Nigel Sylvester is Redefining BMX... With Draymond Green

What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. We're not in our usual spot today. We are on the beach at Cannes Lions at UTA Beach, the biggest creativity and marketing festival on the planet. Today's guest is somebody who took a sport that doesn't have quite a real going pro pipeline. No draft, no league, no scholarship, and turned it into a global brand. Nike, Jordan, Mercedes-Benz, Moncler, Fendi, Louis Vuitton. 100 million views on his own film series, "Go." First BMX athlete ever signed to Jordan Brand. This man builds his own lane, then makes everybody else come find him in it. It's my pleasure to have none other than Nigel Sylvester. What's up, my brother?

I appreciate you, bro. What's up? I appreciate you.

Take me back to Queens. Right. At what point did you realize, like, you and your boys riding bicycles, at what point did you realize, like, yo, this is what I want to do for a living.

I knew at 12 years old, at 12 years old, I was like, I want to pursue BMX as a professional career. And at that point in time, there's no skate parks in Laurelton, Queens. The only access or touchpoints I had to BMX was watching it on TV, watching X Games, going to like the local bodega like once a month and buying a BMX+ magazine. And then the 2 bike shops we had. And even those bike shops, like the most they had was like the bikes, the parts, and like posters on the wall. You know what I mean? Like, but it was a dream of mine. I was like, man, like I love it. Like it fulfilled me. I was passionate about it. Like that was the place that I was able to be creative in a way that like nothing else allowed me to. And I was like, man, this is what I want to do. And I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I'm gonna figure it out somehow, some way, as long as I continue to do my thing. You know what I mean?

So you approached it almost as an artist.

Yeah. Yeah. It was a— for me, BMX is an art form meets sport because it's equally both. You know what I mean? Like, you have to be athletic, but also you have to be creative at the same exact time. You know what I mean? And like using the environment as a canvas, per se, bike as the paintbrush, and you go and do your thing.

Who was the inspiration? Like a Black kid from Queens doing BMX, who was the inspiration for it? Or are you the inspiration?

Nah, there was a bunch of people, man. And like there were guys on the bike and there was also guys that like I admired that didn't ride bikes, right? So on the bike course, I had like my local like superheroes, right? Like guys who were in the neighborhood who were super dope at riding bikes. I was like, That was the first touchpoint. And then beyond there was other professional BMX athletes, Dave Mirra, Matt Hoffman, Ryan Nyquist, guys like that. And then beyond that, it was like Jordan, Deion Sanders, you know what I mean? Like guys like that who were just elite athletes. And it was a mixture of those things that I found inspiration and say, you know what? Like take a little bit from here, take from here, and I'm putting it into my bike ride and express myself the way I do.

Take a step back for a second from Queens, New York. Knicks won championship.

How you feel about that? No, it's beautiful, man. Like we was talking about it last night to see the city so happy. You know what I mean? Like you guys know what it is, right? You've been there a few times, right? So for the Knicks and for New York, it's been so long. You know what I mean? Like 53 years, a long time. So to see how that has galvanized the city, man, like it was kind of hard to leave New York, honestly. Like, 'cause it's like the city's happy, the weather's perfect. Like New York is like, feels incredible right now. I've never experienced New York feeling this way in my whole entire life. And it's a beautiful feeling, man. Like the fans are going crazy. Like even from the content standpoint, right? To see how crazy, like, kids are going in the street. Like, that's wild to me, you know? But, um, there's a power of sport. 1000, you know? It's the power of sport, bro. How you feel about it?

Listen, Mike Brown is my guy, okay? I, I— Mike Brown and I had a conversation last summer when he was thinking about getting a job. Like, that's how close our relationship is. He was at my wedding, right? All types. Like, it's my guy, right? And so last summer we were on the phone because, um, he, he had just been let go and he was looking at possibly, um, taking the— well, he wasn't really considering it, but they were considering, they were trying to go after him, the Phoenix Suns, as the top assistant. And it wasn't really no jobs open, uh, no head jobs. But Mike was like, I'm not going to assistant. Like, I don't need to do that again, right? Right. I didn't, you know, contract offsets. Like, I don't need to do that. I'll be working for free. And he's like, you know, Draymond Green, I think I'm gonna go after this Knicks job. And I'm like, I like that, right? It's like, you think they'll take me serious if I go after it though? Like, I'm looking at the list of candidates, Mike. They don't have to take you serious. They have to get you.

Right, 'cause who else is like, right?

Like there's no better candidate. Like they have to get you. He's like, you think so? I'm like, nah, I think they— One thing leads to another, he gets the job.

Crazy.

So for me personally, A, to see him, you know, on his journey, obviously goes to the Finals with the Cavs, fired. Goes to the Lakers, fired, goes back to the Cavs, fired, right? Come to Golden State, have the success, goes to the Sacramento Kings, have success, right? And still get fired. To see him kind of reach that mountaintop, for me, I loved it. It was beautiful, right? And I know everybody tried to make it out like, oh man, the Knicks won, like you're mad.

I'm like, why would you be mad?

I have no reason to be mad. Why would you be mad, bro? I've never played the Knicks in a playoff series, so I don't hate the Knicks. I have no reason to. Right. And I'm not about to win it. So why the hell would I care if the Knicks win?

Yeah, why would you be mad about it?

That's crazy. I analyze the— you know, the thing about Knicks fans, you analyze the game not in their favor, and they're like, oh, you a Knicks hater. I'm like, no, bro. I'm just analyzing the game.

Isn't that life in general, though? Like, if you're not on someone's side, like, you're a hater versus just having an opinion.

1,000%.

And you're, like, villainized because you have an opinion that doesn't align with their interests.

1000%. So that's been, that's been my, that's been my path lately with the Knicks fans. They're like, yo, you a hater. I'm like, no, I don't hate the Knicks.

I feel like they give you a hard time, man.

1000%.

I mean, everybody in general though.

1000%. Hey, but you know what? It's a part of it. Part of it. It is what it is. Talk to me about, um, when you ultimately dropped out of school Right. And you tell your parents, I'm dropping out.

Mm-hmm.

You know, they're pushing you to be a lawyer, doctor, all these things. Right, right. You tell your parents, I'm dropping out and I'mma ride my bike. You know, I'm gonna take this and make a living. How was that conversation? How did they accept that? Did they support it? Were they pissed?

Man, I grew up in a Caribbean household. And for those people who know, like that's, a very strict household and school comes first, right? Like my parents are immigrants from Grenada, right? So like they left their home to come to America for opportunity, right? And like worked nonstop, right? My mom worked 7 days a week, double shifts, maybe sometimes triple shifts to provide. So for them it's like school is the only option to reach success. So I got to a point where I'm like, I know that I'm almost there, right? Like, I know, like, it's in a matter of 12 to 18 months before I turn pro. Like, I know it's gonna happen, right? I just, I believed I was working my ass off, bro. So I waited till the very last minute to tell them, right? And the opportunity I got was to go to Europe for a month. So I signed as an M to this European company called We The People.

Okay.

And they were like, cool, come over to Europe. We're gonna do a 3-week tour in, um, in the UK, and it would take you over to Germany for a week to the headquarters. And I knew by the end of that trip they were going to offer me a pro deal. So I went on a trip and I got back and I missed a month of college. You know, if you miss a month of school, it's a wrap.

It's over.

It's a wrap. So I was like, When I got back, I was like, cool, like, I'm gonna just tell my parents, like, I'm dropping out 'cause it's no point. I even went back to the class and my professor was like, listen, I'll pass you 'cause I know what you're gonna, like, what you're trying to do right now. 'Cause I told him, he was like, there's no way that like you're gonna continue this. And I was like, I know. He was like, cool, so good luck to you later. I was like, cool. I just never went back. And in the household, my mom, she was furious. Because at this point in time, again, like I'm not really making money yet, right? I'm still living at home, you know? And she's, and my mom used to work nights. So she'll come home in the morning, 7, 8 AM, and I'm sleeping. And she's like, I just came off of a 12-hour shift and you're here sleeping. You talking about this BMX shit. Like what is, like what's going on? So it was super tough for like a year and a half. From the point where I know, from the point where I dropped out to the point where I was like, I know I'm gonna turn pro and start making some money.

Yes. Right?

And it was a very, it was very, it was a very significant time for me as well because I used that as motivation, right? My mom coming home and yelling at me and us arguing about me not being in school. I used it as motivation. So for me, I was like, my mindset was if I'm gonna go out and ride, there's no way I'm gonna go out and not do my thing knowing what I'm going back home to. Like, I gotta go kill it, you know? And I think like that helped like create even more of an edge for me, you know? And it took my mom and my family a minute to really get it, right? Like it wasn't until things really started rolling and started to see me making strides within the sport where they were like, "Okay, cool. Now we get it." You know? But it was definitely difficult. It was difficult.

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Right now.

Like her walking in the house every day.

Yeah, it was—

And I'm like, yeah, I'm still asleep. And I dropped outta school.

Right.

But I'm chasing this thing.

Right.

You really have no clue what it is that I'm chasing.

At all.

Great. I'm just going— I couldn't imagine what those conversations would be like with my mom.

At all, bro. And even like you said earlier, right? Where it's like, there's no, There's no draft. There's no, like, true, like, pipeline in regards to, like, how a young man or young woman turns pro at riding BMX. I couldn't even explain to her and show, like, if I do X, Y, and Z, I'm going to be good. You know? Like, she didn't get it at all, man. At all. And I understand why she didn't get it, you know?

So you say a year and a half, you start making money. Once you start making money, does she then accept it? Is she still like—

She still fights, like, probably, like, 5 or 6 years after. I got moved out of my mom's house. Like, she was still like, poke at me like, "When you gonna finish school?" And I was like, "Yo, Ma, like, I'm literally traveling the world." You know what I mean? Like, I'm ripping and running, living this dream. Like, yes, there's probably a way, but I'm putting all my energy into this thing. And I had to. Like, I had to, bro. Like, I put everything I had into riding. So it was, yeah, it took a minute. It was probably till like my late 20s And I turned pro at 18. You know what I mean? It wasn't till my late 20s that my mom really understood and like accepted it and was like, cool.

Holy shit.

Yeah, it was—

it took a minute.

It took a minute.

That's impressive.

It took a minute, man.

And ultimately, did you ever finish school? Will you finish school?

No, I didn't finish.

Will you finish one day?

I didn't think about it. And I haven't in a while. You know, like, maybe something I should consider at this point. You know what I mean? But I haven't thought about it in—

How much longer would you have to go if you finished?

3 years.

It's a commitment. It'll be a thing.

It'll be a thing. Maybe like online classes, maybe.

Yeah.

I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not.

I don't know.

It's possible.

What, what, so, so what do you say to a kid? Like obviously in the world we live in, everybody preaches education. Right. That's the key. Quite honestly, there's, There's something to be said about it, which I'm not gonna go into on— in this conversation because that'll be—

A whole thing.

A whole thing in itself. But what do you say to a kid, as someone who dropped outta school, ultimately become who you become, what do you say to a kid that's not really feeling school but doesn't necessarily have a plan either?

I would say stay in school. I would say unless you have like a straight up foolproof plan, nothing's foolproof. But if you have like a solid plan and you understand what you're trying to attack, I would say stay in school. And the thing about school that I realized after I dropped out that was so important, it was like, it teaches you structure.

Yeah.

It's not necessarily like what you're learning every single day in the book and everything like that. It's the structure. Being on time. Showing up. Like periods 1 through 8, whatever the case may be. And that was the important part that I feel contributed to even my success and where I'm at now. Like it's the structure I learned all those years, you know, where I'm able to structure my career and like, okay, cool. I know I'm gonna put a certain amount of time for the business stuff, certain amount of time for working on my body, certain amount of times for writing. And that also contributed to where I'm at now. So for a kid, I'm like, man, like, If you don't know what you actually want to do, like stay right there and like get that degree.

Yes, sir.

You know what I mean?

Absolutely.

Did you finish?

Yeah. So listen, I was, I had to finish.

Right.

I was in school for 4 years.

Right.

There was no, there was no short path for me to the NBA. You know, like I needed every single year as late as December of my senior year. Right. I remember sitting in my assistant coach office and telling him like, man, D, I think this is it for me. And he's like, what? I said, I think this is it for me playing basketball. He like, man, what you talking about? I said, D, you know, I went to Michigan State, which is an hour away from home. So that's 21 years I've been in the same place. You know? So I'm like, yeah, D, I ain't, I'm not going overseas and play basketball, man. I'm gonna be lost as hell. At that time, I had never been to Europe. Ironically, as we sit here in Europe, I'm like, D, I can't go overseas and play, man. I'll be ready to lose my mind. Like, it's too far away from home, time zone. And he's like, man, shut up. You'll get drafted. I'm like, I don't think I'm gonna get drafted, but. I appreciate it. But it's crazy to me because God works in mysterious ways. I didn't come to Europe, but I went as far away from home as I could go and be in the NBA.

Right.

To California.

Whole other side.

Right. Homesick as hell.

Really?

Oh my God, bro. My first year I have— I wake up 7:30 in the morning. I'm at the gym by 8 o'clock. I do whatever I need to do. Practice don't start till 11, but I'm gonna be the first one there, or second, or whatever. I'm gonna be one of the first ones. Do that, I'm there till maybe 2 PM, 3 PM. Eat, I go home, eat, watch, start watching TV. 'Cause on the West Coast, games start to come on at 7 o'clock. Right, right.

Early, right.

4 o'clock roll around and watch some games, talking to people back at the crib, right? It's now 7, 8, 9, 10 o'clock.

Right.

By 8, 9 o'clock West Coast time, I got nobody to talk to.

Shit, everybody sleep.

So I sit in this chair till 9 o'clock. I get in the bed, go to sleep, and do it. I did that for a year straight. Mm. I hear these guys on my team talking like, "Yo, we love the Bay." I'm like, "Y'all tripping." I hate it out here. Right. It's weird. It's crazy. I hate it.

But like, did that keep you focused because you didn't have any distractions?

It kept me focused to a certain extent. But it gets to a certain point to where it's like, yo, I'm losing my mind in here.

Right, right, right.

I don't even know how I can focus. And so I hated it. However, what I hadn't done is I hadn't got out in the Bay to see anything.

To see what's going on.

So these dudes talking about, yo, we love the Bay. I'm like, y'all tripping. It's boring as hell out here. Right. Next year I go back my second year, I make a pact with myself. Like, I'm gonna get out more. I'm gonna meet people.

Right, go outside a little bit.

I need to just get outta this house before I drive myself crazy.

Right.

And then I'm like, ah, okay, I see where people. But that first year I was homesick. And I said all that to say, it take me back to what I was thinking in college, which is, at least I did know myself. Coming to Europe wouldn't have worked for me. It just—

You would've lost your mind out here, bro.

I would've completely lost my mind. And so, you know, that was— So I had to finish. I had to finish school because I'm there, I'm leader of the team. So my grade, like, so I just had to finish. And I did ultimately, but—

Nah, that's amazing, man.

It worked out, man.

Oh, hell yeah. That's crazy. I would feel like rookie year in the Bay, you probably, I think you turning up, going crazy out there. You outside moving around. Pop down to LA.

I never even knew popping back and forth between the Bay and LA was a thing. I'm from Saginaw, Michigan. I drive an hour to East Lansing.

Right, that's it.

Maybe an hour to Detroit.

Right.

Popping back and, by the way.

That's not even a thing.

Rich Paul tell me this all. He like, "Day Day, I can't keep up with you. You pop around so much. You go to LA, I talk to you then, you here, you there." Popping around here?

It wasn't even a thing.

Fuck a pop in LA and do what? Ain't no nowhere.

You a rookie on Golden State.

What you mean?

Wasn't happening.

You know what though? Being a rookie on Golden State today meant, or then, didn't mean what it meant today.

Ah, okay.

I see you.

You know what I'm saying? I see you. Like y'all changed that whole thing on me.

Yeah. Like nobody was checking for a rookie coming from, especially not A second round pick. Right. Nobody was even checking for Steph Curry at that time.

Right.

Klay Thompson, nobody was checking.

How does that feel right now? You guys changed an entire culture of like that thing, sport, town, city, all that.

So when you said, yo, I never seen a city galvanized like this.

Right.

That was us. We won our first championship in 2015. Last time they won before that was 1975, 40 years. Right. Right?

Kind of similar thing.

Very similar, you know? And so that first parade, you know what I'm saying? Like, we would go outside and people just come up to us like, yo, you bring so much joy to my household. Right. Like, you bring a happiness to my fam.

Right.

And then you start to understand like, "Ah, man." To your point, this shit's bigger than just this basketball.

100%.

You know?

100%.

And as we started to build, you started to realize that like the city taking off. Right? Right. Like all of these are at the same time that the tech boom is—

It's happening.

Yeah.

It's a lot going on up there.

It's a lot going on. Right? So you intertwining these two things. For us initially, you don't know, right? Like you just doing it. Right. We're trying to figure this thing out. We're trying to win. You don't know. Then as you keep going, it's like, wow. Now here we are, we're 11 years removed from our first championship. And now I get 24-year-olds coming up to me like, yo, my childhood, like, right, like that part, yo, right? You're a significant part of my childhood, right? You know what I'm saying? That to me is like, oh shit, because the success is starting to span generations.

Nah, for real, I get it.

You know what I'm saying? You got a grandmother who's 75 or 80, grandfather who's like, man, we struggled for so long, and like, y'all brought— and then you gotta 24-year-old, it's like, yo, my childhood and everything you did for me in my childhood.

Right, like we grew up on what you did, right? Like. Absolutely. Like my like teenage years were formed around what you guys did. And that's powerful, man.

1000%.

That's very powerful, bro.

And so initially, I'll be honest, none of us knew what to do with it. Mm. As you go and you figure it out, then you like, all right, what can I do to help? Right? Right. Like, what can I do to help this area? What can I do to help the next kid? What can I do? Bringing this all full circle to where our success can continue to touch many people.

Of course.

And I think that's kind of where you get the most joy from. And also, as you know, we work in these big organizations. I still see so many people in the Warriors organization. Mm-hmm. That I saw 14 years ago.

That's amazing to see.

And that is a product of the success.

Mm.

Because if you don't have the success, the general manager changes. Right. Our general manager changed, but that's because our general manager stepped down and moved on. But then the assistant general— so it's still the same sort of core, right? So those people that are still working in this organization All of that is due to the success. Now I'm not saying they're not great at what they do, but also take a lot of pride in knowing like, yo, not only did we do this great thing for ourselves, not only did we do this great thing for the community, but these people we work with every day, we gave them a very stable work environment. Right. In a very unstable space.

Right.

You look, look now, I was just looking, riding over here, Jaime Jaquez got traded, he's playing basketball. That's the reality of what we do, right? Those people that are working in that office, they get— you, you go to another organization, those people change every 2 or 3 years.

Of course they're trying to figure it out and find that core.

Absolutely.

It's so much bigger than basketball, bro.

1000%. And that's, and that's ultimately what I learned and started to appreciate was like how much bigger than just the game it was. How much bigger winning the championship was than just the feeling of, "Oh man, we won a championship." Or, "Oh shit, we did this." Like, it's so much bigger.

Yeah, like the ripple effect of that.

1000%.

It spans a decade and it's probably gonna continue, which is, man, that's pretty incredible.

1000%.

That's incredible, man. Appreciate it.

All of us grow up wanting to be like Mike. I wanna be like Mike. Like that was growing up on Air Jordans. I know for you growing up in Queens and sneakers, like fashion, New York being the fashion capital of the world. How did you go about getting the Jordan deal? What was that process like? And talk to me about the feeling.

"Yo, I just signed with Brandon Jordan." I mean, listen, man, for me, I've been signed to Nike my entire professional career. You know what I mean? Like, I signed to Miracl Bikes with Dave Mira when I was 18, and I ended up signing to Nike a few months later. You know, so I've been with the swoosh for a very long time. In 2021, it was time to make a change. You know, Nike was sorting things out and doing reorgs and whatnot. And sat down with my agent and was like, well, what are we going to do now? Right? Like, we need to figure something out. And the opportunity to sign with Jordan Brand was on the table. And I was like 110%. You know what I mean?

Absolutely.

Like, at that point in time, the roster was less than 100 athletes. You know, it was, it felt like a family over there. And they seen the vision for me, you know, like they understood that the things I was doing within the sport of BMX, within this culture at large, aligned with the MJ mentality, you know? And they gave me a shot. And we did my first shoe, I believe in 2023. It was a friends and family shoe. And that was the first time that people seen bike air on a sneaker. And it was instantly a game changer for me. 'Cause it's one of those things where like people see me riding in Nikes and Jordans for my entire career. So once they seen Bike Air, they instantly got it. You didn't have to explain anything. Like it was just like, "Okay, cool, we got it." Like insane. And the success of that first shoe post-signing, man, like the ripple effect of that. We speak about the ripple effect and I'm living in that now. You know, and we just released my 7th shoe with Jordan Brand a couple months ago. And the feeling is, it's surreal. It's hard to explain. People ask me, how's it? I'm like, it's hard to explain. Like, you know, because it's one of those things where it's like, it's almost unbelievable, you know, to like think about a kid from Jamaica, Queens riding a BMX bike to now being signed to Jordan Brand. And doing the things at the level in which we're doing it at. And also I feel like a responsibility as well, you know, like to not just represent myself, but my family, our community, the sport of BMX, you know what I mean? Like every young kid that has a dream of like designing a shoe or being signed to the brand or anything like that, man. So I take it very serious, you know? But yeah, like the things that we've done already, is incredible. You know, and like things we have coming up, like I'm excited, man.

That's dope.

I'm truly excited, bro.

That's dope. No, I think like, I mean, last year was proven, right? Like winning sneaker of the year. Crazy. That's dope. But like the sneaker's been crazy.

No, you're not crazy.

You talk about the friends and family. I tried my hardest to get some of those. My boy Dale from StockX, he got me the most recent drop. So I'm happy about that.

Dale did hit me, man.

So he did his job. He did hit me. I appreciate it.

No, of course.

Yes, sir. Of course. I definitely appreciate it. But we're in this space, media, where everybody's kind of creating their own channels, doing, everybody's doing the thing. You created your own social. Yeah. Filming with a GoPro. Right. Everything from your point of view. What was the brains behind that? Um, you kind of did it before. Like, now we see it in golf, you know, like we're seeing all of these people creating and building off these YouTube channels. You were ahead of that curve, you know, over 100 million views on you. Talk to me about that, getting ahead of that, um, moving your game forward, if you will.

Nah, for sure. I mean, like, for me, I didn't compete in contests, right? So creating content was my platform to connect with people, to build an audience, to express myself, to storytell. So I've been doing that since day one, right? I remember when I was 14 years old, maybe 15, asked my mom for a little Sony Handycam for Christmas. I was like, "Gonna get me a cam, Ma. I need to film myself so I can see what I look like." You know, 'cause up until that point, I never seen myself. Seeing myself ride. I was only doing it. Think about that. You know what I mean? Like, none of my friends really had cameras like that. And cell phone cameras wasn't even a thing yet. So I was like, I need to see what I'm actually doing. My mom got me that camera. And I remember it was brick outside. This is New York City in December. And my mom got me the whole setup. Like, shout out to my mom. And she got me a tripod. So I put the tripod up in the driveway. And I used the Christmas lights. From the crib to light the frame up. And I'm doing tricks in the driveway just so I can see what I look like. You know what I mean? Like, that was the thing for real. So creating my own content's always been a thing. And I also attribute my success in the content space to timing. Really and truly, it's timing, right? Because as I'm turning pro and doing my thing, you have YouTube, you have Facebook, you have these different social media platforms and content platforms starting to bubble, right? Like, and I was like, okay, I can start putting my content on here and using it as a way to build that audience. I think my first YouTube videos were like how-to videos, like how to do a bunny hop, how to do a 360. Like, those are my first like YouTube videos and they did very well. And I was like, okay, I'm finding success here. Let me continue in this space. And that's how like I finally arrived at the Ghost series, which is like what you're speaking of. And like at that point I was like, man, like I want to create a content franchise that I'm able to put all the things that I'm into. Of course, bike riding, first and foremost, but then traveling, food, like my community, fashion, art, sneakers, whatever it is that I was into. I wanna create a platform that I can like highlight these things. And that was the crux of the Ghost series. And the first one we did, Harrison Boyce, who's my co-director on the series, we shot it in New York and we put it on YouTube. Again, like YouTube was a big, like a very significant function and platform for me. And we put it on YouTube with no true agenda. I just felt like we just put this up there and see what it does. And like the power of the internet did what it did. And that was my first viral video, right? I'm talking about like a million views. And I think it was, I don't know, like 12, 13 days or something like that. And I started to get media platforms from around the world hitting me direct. Like, yo, can we post this video? And I was like, oh shit. Like this is a thing for real. And what it did is it created an access point access point for people who didn't ride BMX but were into my brand. It created an access point for them to like participate, to like watch something, to like be able to share something with their friends, to get another perspective of my brand, man. And like that, that content series, Go, man, it changed the trajectory of my career completely, you know, because now I wasn't just speaking to BMX riders, like riders, speaking to just people.

Yes.

You know?

Yeah.

And the thing about that thing too that people don't know is like, there were times with like the second, the third, the fourth installment where like I'm sitting in the crib for 4 or 5 hours just hitting people up, sending them the video.

Wow.

You know what I mean? Like I was doing my own PR for a minute. And that's how I got it placed on a lot of these viral video websites, you know? And like I started to build relationships with these websites. So every time I dropped the GOAT video, they posted it for me. When I'm getting 50,000 views from here, 100,000 views from here, 5,000 views from here, you know what I mean? Like, you talk about those over 100 million views, like, that's how a lot of those views came from, is from these places that wouldn't normally post BMX videos but just posted amazing, like, content that they knew that a general audience would be into, man. So yeah, like, we put a lot of work into that, into into that video series, man.

That's incredible. Quick stat for you. Phoenix tourism is up 23%. Hotel occupancy is at 89%. And a developer called Intersection Development, who already has 15 properties live and operating on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix, has purchased the land for what might be the most interesting hotel project in the country. It's the first ever Atari Hotel. And before you write that off as a novelty concept, consider that the gaming industry just crossed $450 billion. Bigger than film and music combined. This project sits at the crossover of that culture with one of the strongest hospitality markets in the US. Even more interesting is that they filed a Reg A+ with the SEC, which means you can pull up the actual financials, projections, full deal structure, and become an investor. Check it out at atarihotels.com. So if you like alternative investments and doing your own due diligence, this one's worth a look. That's atarihotels.com. You spoke about, um, not competing. Yeah. In your space, did you find it at all with not competing that the path to respect from your peers was ultimately different to gain for you because you weren't competing in the same things they were competing in? Or right away did the Dave Mirrors, the Lundquists, all these guys were you able to gain their respect? Did that come over time?

How did— Yeah. So when I met Dave Mirra, I was 17 years old, right? And at that point in time, like, I literally had posters of that guy on my wall in my room, you know what I mean? That's how much of an icon he was and how much of a hero he was to me, you know? And we met, and at that point in time, I wasn't competing, but he knew how good I was, and he knew I had potential. So that respect was instantly there between him and I, like, regardless of me competing or not, you know. The other thing about action sports, and especially BMX, skateboarding, sports like that, is there's kind of two ways to go pro. They eventually all lead to the same route though. And I say that to say some guys compete in contests and that's their way to get noticed by brands, and then the brand end up signing you. A lot of guys end up just putting video parts out.

Mm-hmm.

And to get noticed by a brand, a brand end up signing you, right? So a video part, I would compare that to a musician's album, right? Like you'll take 6 to 8 months, sometimes a year, record your best stuff. At the end of it, you boil it down and probably be about a 3, 4-minute part and you put that out and that's how the community judge you on like, the work that you put in and how the brands get to really notice you. And that's the way I went. I went the content video part route. Like I didn't really care about competing, you know what I mean? It was like, whatever. Like, and in hindsight, I'm happy I did. And it all happened for a reason. No such thing as coincidence. You know, I was able to control my narrative. I was able to go at my own pace, right? Like not letting anyone speed up or slow down my pace, which is super important. You know what I mean? We all know how important pace is. And so my community, they respected me because they seen the work I was putting in on the bike. At the end of the day, it's either you're gonna ride that bike and do your thing and turn up or you're not. You know what I mean? Like whether you're competing in a contest or not, end of the day, did you land a trick? Was it smooth? Was it clean? You know what I mean? That's what it really came down to. And I gained that respect from my peers throughout the industry at a very early age.

I did Inside the NBA, uh, during the Finals.

I seen that.

An interesting topic came up very quickly on the show, and Charles Barkley said something that I think applies to you, and I would love to know how you feel about it. And it was essentially— I can't remember exactly who it was saying it, maybe McEnroe.

Draymond Green.

But he, yeah. They were talking about how John McEnroe has become more famous and more known for his commentating and analyzing, analysis about tennis than being a tennis player. Which by the way, Charles Barkley as well. Yeah, you right. Kids younger than us has no idea Charles Barkley played basketball.

Which is crazy.

Unless they start talking about it on the show.

Right, which is crazy.

Which is nuts.

Right.

Charles Barkley kind of shot the thing down when, when McEnroe said, like, oh yeah. And I caught it and I was like, no, hold on. I want you to know I agree you are bigger, more known, right, for not playing basketball, but I want you to know what that means. That's so inspiring to me that, by the way, when I'm done with this, I only hope that I can be as good at the thing that you're doing, that kids don't know I played basketball.

Right.

To me, that's the ultimate compliment. When I saw Makenro said that, it was almost like, I don't think he knows how to take that almost.

Right, right.

And so I said all of that to say, you're so much bigger than the bike. Right.

Right?

Like, you're a brand. And then the bike is kind of just the thing. Like, it's— for you, does that ultimately feel like a compliment? Or do you want people to be like, no, like, he rides a bike. Like, that's— he's a BMX rider. That's— how does that weigh out? How does that play out for you?

That's a really good point you're making, like, a great question, man. Like, for me, it's always been about transcending beyond the bicycle. You know what I mean? Like at the core of what I do, the bike is there, will always be there. It's my first love. It's my, it's a platform that allows me to express myself and be creative. But I don't want to be pigeonholed as just a BMX athlete. You know, there's so many other things that I'm into, so many other things that I feel I'm great at. And I want those things to be highlighted as well. I want to share those things with the world as well. You know, and it happens to me sometimes now, right? Where like, people know me for the sneakers. Exactly. Right? Like, oh, you make really dope kicks. I'm like, nah, I rode my bike. I ride my bike as well. It's the thing. That's how we even got me here. You know what I mean? But I think it's one of those things too, where it's like, we have different seasons in our lives.

Mm-hmm.

Right?

1,000%.

And each of these seasons, I want to do the best that I possibly can. And surprised myself as well, you know, to be like, okay, cool. Like, I didn't even think that was possible, but I did it, you know. So I find that, like, not— I find it as a compliment, you know, that I was able to do something else outside of bike riding and do it to such an elite level that that's how people know me, right? Or like, like a certain amount of people, they know me for that thing, you know. Um, I think it just shows, like, growth in your brand. You need what you're saying too, like, being like I'm sure seeing Charles, like, do what he's doing now, his brand got bigger. That gives you, like, hope. Where it's like, cool, like, after I'm done playing ball, like, my brand can continue to grow.

Absolutely.

You know, probably same thing for a lot of athletes, even for MJ, right? Like, forget about it.

Kids know MJ because of the sneakers.

Right. That's it. That's it. Like, that's it. I was sitting with my nephew a couple years ago, and I was like, what you want for graduation? He was like, I want a pair of 4s. And I was like, you ever seen MJ play? He was like, nah. And it's like, to think about that, my nephew at that point in time is probably like 12 years old, something like that, maybe 11. And to know that like he wants to kick just 'cause he know that those kicks are dope. Not the fact that he's seen MJ like fly through the air.

Yeah.

You know? So I see that and I'm like, okay, cool. Like also gives me hope that like my brand can continue to grow even after I'm done, like, riding my bike.

1,000%. You know? How long can you ride the bike? Like, obviously, we all have an expiration date. My expiration date is a lot closer than it is farther away. Right? Like, how long can you actively get on the bike, continue to be creative, continue to learn new tricks? At a certain point in basketball, you get better and better and better until you don't. Then you start getting worse. You know, like, that's just the nature of— the sport that we play, ultimately Father Time.

Right.

What is Father Time for a BMX, a supreme, superb, elite BMX athlete like yourself?

It's hard to say, man. You got to take care of the body, you know? There's not like a specific age where it's like a guy gets to this age and it's over. Of course, like when you're in like your 60s or something like that, you're not riding the same way you were when you're in your 20s and your 30s. You know, I think for me, like I don't really think about it in that way. I know like, yeah, that time's gonna come eventually and I want to gracefully transition into whatever else I want to do in my life. Thinking about bike riding though, man, you can do it until you want, you know? And I may not be jumping down handrails or jumping down stairs, but there's road bikes, there's fixies, there's mountain bikes. Like there's different type of bike riding you can continue to do and be active and stay in motion, you know? So yeah, so yeah, I don't know what that number is, what that age is for me, but I'm gonna do this for as long as I possibly can, man.

No doubt.

You know?

No doubt. What does it look like for the next kid from Queens that's coming up? Like, will there be more BMX riders for Queens? Has, like, with all the growth that you have, how much has it grown in the area that ultimately made you who you are?

Man, it's dope to see kids come up to me and be like, "Man, I used to see you riding when I was a young kid and like, I'm riding now, you know, or I'm doing my thing now." Whether they're from Queens, whether they're from LA, whether they're from Paris, wherever, you know, it's dope to see how the sport is continuing to grow. And I feel like the things that I'm doing right now, again, are creating access points for kids to be like, "Okay, like, let me take another look at BMX. Maybe I can figure out how I can get into it." to it, you know? So, man, it's beautiful to see, you know, everything from like the content I'm putting out to the shoes I'm creating to different brand partnerships, how I'm building my business. I'm showing kids that there's a true path to being successful riding a BMX bike, you know? And I'm doing it my own way, truly, right? Like, I'm not conforming to a contest series. I'm not conforming to the way that guys did it before me. I'm literally like creating my own path and I love that, right? Like I truly, truly love that. I think like, man, like as long as I can continue to do that, we can continue to show kids that there's no wrong or right way to go about being a professional BMX athlete, that I'm doing the right thing.

1000%. Before we get out of here, like I said, I've named all the incredible brands you've worked with that you've partnered with, which It's incredible. Is there one brand that's still out there that you're like, all of this is great, love all my partnerships, but I still want that one, that one deal, that one partner. Is there one brand out there that you view like as I ultimately want that one?

That's a good question too, man. There's two of them right now that I got my eye on that we're having certain conversations with, but I think we can really do some great things together. I would say LEGO and Delta.

I fly Delta. I love Delta, so I can understand that.

I fly Delta, man. I fly Delta, bro.

But why LEGO?

Man, I think it's such a timeless and unique, ageless toy, tool, creative platform. That like truly the sky's the limit. You know, I feel like it's a, because it's boundless in so many ways. I think that partnership, we'll be able to do some things that really turn heads. You know, like from like the art space, sports space. We speak about like kids, right? Like, and just a bicycle, right? The bicycle is a rite of passage. One of the things that once you learn how to ride, you don't forget, you know? You can ride for the rest of your life.

Absolutely.

I think something like LEGO really plays in that space too, where it's like whether you're 4 or whether you're 84, you know what I mean? You can play with LEGOs. You can do your thing. You can be creative. And that's what I love about it.

Mm-hmm. That's amazing. And well, Delta, you fly. Like, ultimately, you're flying. Man, do I.

Do I.

Right. Talk to me about that one. Like, I love flying Delta. That's like— That's my go-to airline.

That's my thing, man. I feel like so much of my brand, what I do, my life is about staying in motion and moving. You know what I mean? And like when it comes to a brand like Delta, I feel like they're the pinnacle, you know what I mean? In regards to commercial aviation. And we spoke about earlier, right? Like I wanna work with brands I believe in the product and I'm gonna use the product whether I'm signed or whether I'm not signed, you know? And that's one of the brands I just feel like the experience every single time is what I require for traveling. You know, so that's what it is to me. I just believe in the brand.

That's amazing, man. I can't thank you enough for doing this.

Thank you, man.

This is incredible. Obviously we got a lot going on here. I will ask a million more questions, but I really appreciate you coming in. Absolutely. We're here at UTA Beach. This has been an incredible Conversations, just getting to know your background, which I've studied a lot of.

I appreciate you.

But also just learning more about the thing that you're doing, you know, and how you've taken that bicycle.

Right.

And created this global brand that everybody around the world knows. And you're such an inspiration.

No, thank you.

How you've built it up, how you continue to build and kind of defy what the limits are. Defying the odds at each turn. And so it's been an honor to watch when it comes to branding, which I think is insane. And that category is— but when it comes to branding, I don't know that there's many athletes that's done it as well.

Nah, I appreciate that.

As you've done it. And I just wanna say thank you for taking this time.

Nah, thank you.

Keep being that inspiration to kids that look like yourself, kids that look like me, kids that don't look like us.

For real.

You're an inspiration to all. And I think that's what really defines a transcendent athlete like you are. So I appreciate having you on the show.

Nah, thank you, bro.

Good luck with that Delta deal, bro.

Nah, likewise.

We both need that. Absolutely.

Yo, Rich, man, set it up, bro.

Come on now. Ant, you hear us out here? Right. Let's get that going. Let's go.

Right. Get that, get it right. Thank you, man. Thank you, man. Likewise, bro. Like, this is wild for me. You know what I mean? Like, being a kid from Jamaica, Queens, and like riding my bike, to be able to sit down with you in Cannes and have this conversation.

You know what I mean?

Like, it means a lot. And I'm sure like kids will see this and be like, oh shit. Like, look at these two worlds coming together. You know what I mean? That like share so many interests and be able to have this type of conversation, man, and have this level of respect for one another. That's incredible, bro.

1,000%. Oh, one more before we get out of here. 'Cause I know the first time I heard my name, it was crazy. Getting name dropped by Jay-Z in the song.

Talk to me about that. Yo, shout out to Hov, man.

You, you, you—

Yeah.

What?

Yeah. Yeah, man. That was crazy, bro. Like, 'cause when I'm riding, I'm listening to music all the time, right? There's very few times when I'm riding when you don't see headphones in my ear. And I use the headphones to block out the noise, right? To block out all the distractions, right? Like, 'cause I'm riding, there's cars, there's people, there's all types of things. So zoning, using music. And I've listened to Jay-Z so much while I'm riding, like helped me get through certain like tricks and whatnot that I was trying to learn. He's by far like my favorite rapper, you know? So to wake up one morning and my phone's going off and people like, "Yo, you're having the craziest week." like Hov name dropping you in a song. I'm just like, I couldn't believe it at first. I'm like, what are you talking about? Like, huh?

Like what?

And then I heard the record and I was like, wow. You know, to like, to know that one of my heroes, someone that I really admire for what they've done artistically, but also as a businessman, for them to know that I'm doing my thing and for them to acknowledge it like that to the world, just confirmation that I'm doing my thing and I'm on like the right path, you know? And like, I'm aligned. I feel like so many people, they move through this world and they're not aligned. That's a fact. You know what I mean? And like, they run into these road bumps so they can't figure it out. I feel like once you're aligned and you're really living in your purpose and like you're moving through the world with a good heart, like things are going to happen the right way. And that was one of those things that happened. 'Cause I'm moving the right way. 1000%. Nah, facts.

Nah, that's dope, bro.

Nah, facts.

That was the last question. I'm sorry, y'all. I had to get that one in. But I appreciate you, bro.

Thank you.

Thank you, bro.

For real. You already know.

Thank you, bro. If you're rocking with the Draymond Green Show, be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app. And while you're there, go ahead and drop a 5-star rating and leave a review. I want to hear what you think., and it would also mean a ton to me if you share it with a friend that you think would enjoy it. Let's keep this thing growing. The Draymond Green Show is presented by Audacy and executive produced in conjunction with The New Media. Our executive producers are Leah Reese Dennis, Danny Friesinger, and Greg Holtzman. Video production and creative design by Curt Courtney, Tim Meekle, Lauren Vieira, and Evan O'Brien. Special thanks to the team at The New Media and the team at Audacy. Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Hillary Shuff, Eric Donnelly, Kate Rose, Colin Gaynor, and Jake Galley.