Jrue Holiday on Celtics trade, starting “The Process,” defending Steph Curry | Draymond Green Show

In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green interviews NBA guard Jrue Holiday, covering his athletic family background, educational choices, early NBA experiences, and multiple trades—including the shock of being moved from the 76ers to New Orleans, a brief stint with the Bucks, the Portland stop, and the surprise Damian Lillard trade that landed him in Boston. Holiday discusses his defensive reputation, the respect he receives from peers, and the intense, win‑or‑die culture of the Celtics. He shares observations about teammates like Jayson Tatum and JB, and opens up about his wife Lauren’s brain tumor, her surgery, the premature birth of their daughter, and the role of faith and family during that crisis. The conversation shifts to Holiday’s role in the 2021 Olympic gold‑medal team, where his offensive philosophy—driving, kicking, and creating domino effects—helped the USA win, and Draymond expresses gratitude for Holiday’s impact. They also reminisce about the Golden State Warriors’ 2021‑22 season, highlighting the contrast between partying and playoff‑mode mindsets, dramatic momentum swings, and Kevin Durant’s public trust in Steph Curry that sparked a championship run. Draymond reflects on the myth of the “light‑switch” mentality, emphasizing that consistent confidence, as seen in the Denver Nuggets, is key. The episode ends with light‑hearted banter about NBA family dynasties, Draymond’s plan to send teammate Drew a Detroit restaurant experience, and mutual wishes for playoff success.
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What's up everybody? Welcome to the Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Make sure you hit that subscribe button. Make sure you like the post that you love, but you can get everything the Draymond Green Show right on our YouTube channel. So make sure you subscribe, check that out. Thank you. What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. This next guest is a brother of mine, one of my golden brothers. We won a gold medal together. That is just one of his many accomplishments. He is a 2021 NBA champion, 2-time NBA All-Star, 3-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, probably slighted a little bit there, 2-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team. You can have those because I got too many of those and he should be on first team all the time. This last one is one of my favorites because this is him in a nutshell in life. This is him in basketball. Like I said, I had the opportunity to play with him. 3-time NBA teammate of the year, Jrue Holiday. What's up, my brother?
Man, chilling, brother. Glad we can make this work, man. Glad I could be on here.
Man, I appreciate you. And we've been making efforts to make this happen. And Jrue been making efforts. And our schedules get a little crazy at times. And then you got the West Coast and the East Coast and all of those things. We wanted to bring y'all this and we doing it. Drew, I thank you for coming on the show, brother.
Sure, for sure.
Man, let's just take me back. Number one, like, or just for starters, your parents both played at Arizona State, played basketball at Arizona State. Just talk to me about like growing up in a household with parents that played at a high level, that understood that because y'all are an extremely athletic family?
Yeah, I think, um, honestly, it was, it was competitive, but it was so natural for us. Like, everything that we did, yeah, it was, it was competition, but I think our parents knew because they were competitors that, uh, when it comes to family, um, that comes first. So that was one of the big things. You obviously, uh, play with my older brother Justin, and you've seen my little brother trying to do his thing in Houston. But we've always tried to be able to cheer for each other, you know what I'm saying, through our successes, help each other through our downfalls. But I think my parents did a really good job of keeping us competitive and then at the same time, like, loving on each other. So it's been, bro, it's been a hell of a ride being able to kind of talk about my family. People don't even know about my sister. She played basketball at UCLA. Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
But just really being able to be competitors and then just love each other through all the other BS, you know what I'm saying?
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Absolutely. And how was that growing up? Like you being middle child.
Yeah.
And just, but in particular of the boys.
Yeah.
And Justin being older than you, what was that like? Because you're way, like way thicker than Justin. Justin's skinny as hell, a twig. Like what was that like growing up and y'all two playing against each other? Each other? Two totally different games as well.
Um, man, I tell people all the time, my brother made me who I am. Uh, he's taller than me, uh, longer arms, he could jump higher. So all the finishing and stuff that I usually do over people and trying to do it over, you know, length and people that are taller than me, it was because of him. Um, and obviously him being older, like, I looked up to him. A lot of the stuff that he did, um, I always wanted to do. So I, I followed his game, I'd mirror him. And then once I kind of got a chance to like be on the same level or try to, when we played one-on-one or two-on-two, he would like always block my shot. He'd always take the ball from me. But I mean, shoot, he made me better just 'cause we had battled every day, bro. Every day we battle, we fight, go inside for 20 minutes, cool off, and then come back outside and start hooping again. So it was, man, so much credit goes to my big brother for— Yeah. Just the player that I am.
Nah, that's fire. And you went to Campbell Hall back when we were in high school. For those of y'all that don't know, me and Drew was the same high school class. If you look up our high school rankings, you'll find Drew pretty fast. It'll take you a long time with your magnifying glass to find me on those rankings. Nonetheless, it was rightfully so. I was not the player that I became.
Diamond in the rough.
Yeah, you know, it's okay. It all worked out at the end of the day. But there's a lot of kids in LA now going attending Campbell Hall. Wasn't quite that way when you attended Campbell Hall. What was it that drove you and your family to, or you to go to Campbell Hall in the first place?
So my mom works there. My mom's worked there probably 10 years before I got there. I had some, I had like my auntie and my cousins that went to school there. So we were actually going there for a better education. It was nothing about sports. Nothing for sports. It was about getting a better education. We gotta get to college. We gotta graduate from college. My mom being a teacher and an educator, that was what was most important to her. She would always tell us, like, "If you good enough, you will make it anywhere." Yeah. They'll find you anywhere if you good enough. So we not gonna go here for the basketball. We're going here for the education. And that's kind of how it started. And then now, I mean, it's just totally different, especially like the private school game. And I mean, you have so many other athletes now who made some money and they can have their kids in private school and doing all that. And obviously it being in LA, the abundance of hoopers that you have in kind of this small area has been crazy and it's been fun to watch kind of from a distance.
Yeah.
When I went to Campbell Hall, man, it was, It was me and my brother and I mean, a couple other dudes from Pasadena or whoever. And then all of a sudden it's like blowing up.
Yeah, no, it's crazy to watch. I think, like, I remember if I remember correctly, y'all had an ESPN game when we was in high school, right?
We did. Delvon.
Yeah, I remember watching that. Yes. Which is why I watched it because Delvon, we were both going to Michigan State.
I remember that.
Definitely remember that game. But then you stay home, you go to UCLA for one year. What was it like, like what did it do for you at that time to have another guy like Darren Collison on your team where you're coming out, you're top 5, but don't have to shoulder all the responsibility at point guard because you got a vet like Darren Collison. What was that like?
Man, it was—
For you in college.
Yeah, I think it was a blessing in disguise, you know? Obviously going into college, especially nowadays where like you see freshmen come in and they, kind of had a world on their shoulders. A lot of pressure to do a lot as a freshman. I mean, an 18 and 19-year-old kid where that could be hard. For me, I had somebody who's a seasoned vet, went to what, 2 or 3 Final Fours and made some big plays and had some big games and kind of ran UCLA basketball and kind of the whole campus and everything. So it was cool just learning from him. Mm-hmm. And then being able to get drafted with him the same year and then play against him in the league for so long has been cool. Definitely like a bigger brother to be able to kind of step into college life with and then the NBA.
Yeah, nah, and man, I remember that. We went further than y'all our freshman year, but—
You did.
You went on to the league, 17th pick. 17th pick after freshman year. Drafted by the 76ers in the 2009 NBA draft. You then go on to become the youngest All-Star, at least at the time, I'm not sure if it still stands, but you go on to become the youngest All-Star in 76er history. And then the next year you're traded. I remember talking to Andre Iguodala, you know, Andre, obviously we played many years together.
Yeah.
And he specifically talked about when they traded you to us before and he was like, Like I was talking to Drew, like I can't remember the story vividly, but something I was talking to Drew, he was on vacation or I was on vacation or something. And like you out the blue get traded. What do you think about the business at that time? You coming off an All-Star and you get traded the next year for Nerlandes Noel.
Man, I didn't know what to think. Like you said, I just became an All-Star. I just signed an extension. And I mean, I thought I was one of the cornerstone pieces or one of the major pieces of 76ers basketball, like Philadelphia basketball. Me, Evan Turner, Thad Young was still there. I think they had already traded Draymond Green, they had already traded Lou Will. But it was like, dang, I was on my way to a Dodger game. I just did a camp.
Okay.
I just did a camp in Orange County at one of my best friend's colleges in Orange County. We're on our way to a Dodger game and I get a call from Sam Hinke like, "Hey man, we've never met." Because this is when he started taking over that year.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, he was like, "Hey man, I know we've never met, heard great things about you, but we're trading you to New Orleans." For no one, it was like a 30-second conversation. I had never met him or talked to him before. I think at this point I didn't even know what bro looked like.
So—
Wow. Yeah, so we was on our way, me, I think my brother and some of my best friends on the way to the Dodger game. And next thing I'm like, next thing you know, I get off the phone, I'm like, "Hey y'all, I just got traded." They're like, "No, you didn't." Like, "All right." 2 seconds later, doo doo doo doo, pops up on the, On the little screen, ESPN, Draymond Green got traded for number 6 pick, turns no well.
That's crazy.
And that's how I found out, bro. Yeah, just like that.
That's the only conversation you've ever had with Saban?
I haven't spoken to him before or after that.
Wow.
That's the only conversation I've had.
He came in and did that. Let's look back at that.
All right, so when he starts doing that. But I mean, that had Michael Carter-Williams. Remember Michael Carter-Williams, I think got, Rookie of the Year.
Yeah, keep going. Keep going, come on, keep going. Tell me somebody else, see if it works.
But I mean, I think I was like, I like to think I was the start of the process.
You were the start of the process, I'm just not sure the process ever worked. He got fired.
It could still be going, yeah, I don't know.
I mean, you get Joel, right? Like, all right, so you got Joel. Everything else outside of that process didn't work.
Yeah, that's tough.
Like Joel is obviously my, but everything else outside of the process failed.
I mean— Yeah, yeah. I mean, they traded Evan away after me. I mean, and I called Evan right away 'cause Evan was my dog. Like I got drafted the next year Evan Turner got drafted and he like, there's no way that they just traded you. I'm like, bro, look like we are not, like me and Evan thought we'd be teammates forever. We thought we were the youngest, the two best players on the team. We thought we'd be teammates forever. And just like that, literally 30-second conversation.
That's crazy, man. That's the NBA for y'all folks.
And it ain't any different now. Like, it might even be a little worse now because you have Twitter, you have Instagram, or you have these other outlets, media outlets that'll catch it. Before you do. And maybe that hurts a little worse. Like, I've seen a couple teammates come in from a game and find out they get cut.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? Like, I know you've experienced it too, where like you've seen teammates just like, dang, bro, like I had no clue. And they didn't have the balls to tell you face to face, you know what I'm saying? Before anything else got out. I'm talking about like right after you step off the court, right after you just got done playing. To me, that's crazy. To me, it's, yeah, to me, to me, that's crazy.
No, I think it's, it actually should be illegal.
I agree.
Like, because if I came out and said something about a trade before, I get fined.
For sure, 100%.
So why is it that they can announce me being traded and my feelings just gotta be hurt? And I'm left to pick up the pieces of my feelings. I'm left to pick up the pieces of my life. I'm left, like, I'm just left to pick up the pieces. But if I said that first, no problem. Like, I mean, come off the bread.
Yeah, yeah, I need that.
Like, yeah, it should be illegal. Take me through the process this time though. This time around, there's a bunch of reporting going on that Damian Lillard is gonna get traded. No one knows where. He keeps saying Miami, or people keep saying Miami's number one choice, Knicks, Bucks isn't even a conversation. And then all like, how soon with that did you know that you were getting traded?
And yeah, I was, I mean, so I, through the week, you know, in the off season, you go in, I'm already in Milwaukee 'cause my kids go to school there and they started school and We working out. I mean, most of the team is there working out. Monday, Tuesday, I work out. I take Wednesday off, kind of do my own thing, recovery day. And then Thursday, Friday, I work out. And then the weekends, I kind of do my own thing, me and my wife. Well, Wednesday was my day off, and I'm taking a nap. And I'm taking a nap, and I got my watch on, my Apple Watch on, and I see the text. I see a call from the GM, and I'm like— Who is it? I'll call him back. Like, I'm deep in this nap too, I'm saying. It's a good one. And then 2 seconds later, my agent calls me. I'm like, all right. So I pick up his call. He's like, you talk to him? I'm like, nah, bro, I'm sleeping. He's like, well, you just got traded, so you should probably call him back. And then I ended up looking at my phone. He ended up texting me. Um, everything that was happening, like, yeah, we trade you here, here. And then I ended up calling him and he ended up saying like, yeah, we traded you for Damian Lillard. So I also had no clue, like, just like the world had no clue. I also had no clue. Uh, he did tell me, I think, before it broke on Twitter and all that. Um, the world kind of knew, but I think for me it was just a shock because I had no clue, like out the blue. And I think a part of me thinking like, maybe I felt like I— not that I was untouchable, but maybe I had done enough to at least let me know 24 hours in advance, not 5 minutes in advance. And maybe I'm asking for too much, I don't know. But it's kind of like— Yeah. I mean, we won, I won there. You know what I'm saying? We won there, so.
How many championships in Bucks history? Yeah, you ain't asking for too much.
50-year span. But again, I'm not upset with it. Yeah, I'm not upset with it. It was just more of a shock. Like, I didn't think that if I was gonna get traded, I thought, I would at least know in advance. I could prepare my family, I could prepare my kid. Like, we had a life there, and like I said, my kids were already in school. Um, and then that next Sunday, or that next Monday, was training camp.
Wow.
So it, like, it wasn't, like, in the middle of the summer or the middle of the offseason. Like, no, we had 4 days. So I, I have to figure out how to move my family I gotta figure out, for one, I gotta figure out where I'm going.
Yes.
'Cause I didn't end up staying in Portland. And that also took a minute too. So I'm in limbo for 3 days, like not really knowing what's going on. And then when it all kind of came together at the end, I mean, I really thank God for Portland and Chauncey and the GM there, 'cause they really, like, did, did good by me. Um, just really asking me and talking to me where I wanted to go and, uh, if I was on the same timeline as them and all that. And they did it. I mean, I love them for that. But, um, it was just such a shock. And then being thrown into another system that I had no clue about. But being traded 4 days ago and then having just a Fly there and go straight into training camp was crazy.
Did you get a chance to talk to Giannis, Dame, anybody?
Like any of those guys? I talked to Dame. I was like, hey bro, you gonna love it here. I think like, 'cause honestly, just like everybody else think, I thought Dame was a good fit with Giannis. Like how they play together, the pick and roll, adding K-Mid to that. And you got, you got Brook, obviously stretching the floor. You got Bobby stretching the floor and being a bully in the paint. I thought it was a good fit for him. So I ain't had no hate or anything. I talked to Giannis a little bit, but the first person that called me was Chris. And he came to the house and we had a deep conversation. We had a good conversation, so.
Oh, that's—
Yeah, yeah, K-Man, my boy. So it was— It was good to, um, kind of talk it through with him because honestly, I think a lot of them were just as shocked as I was. Like, I don't think anybody knew. I think they kind of, uh, kept it close to the chest for the most part. Again, I don't know who knows— who knew, like, the whole story and who didn't, so I can't speak on all that. But like, I know, I know a lot of them, they just kept it close because if it did get out, I feel I, yeah, again, I don't know. For me, it's like, I'm a grown man and if you tell me that like, I'm possibly gonna get traded, I'm gonna be like, all right. Yeah.
I think that's a tough thing to do though for a GM, for being who you are and what you meant to that team. And like, you have to play well for that team to win. If they like, yo, you may get traded and then all of a sudden you don't, that could be tough because like, All right, well trade me then. Like, get me outta here now. So I get that from a certain extent, but this isn't a normal situation. This isn't like some guy that just played here and now we just moving on because it didn't work. Like we just won a championship. We're within 2 years of winning a championship.
Yeah.
And we still have championship aspirations. It's pulling me outta the puzzle. Gonna help better that championship? I personally don't think so. Not that Dame isn't great, but just for what you meant to that team. Like that team took a big hit defensively all year because of the way— people don't understand the way Giannis and Brook play in the drop. That only works in today NBA if you have a guard that, A, doesn't get screened and chases over the ball like a hawk. Like he chases over the screen like a hawk. And with you chasing over the screens, they can sit in that drop and you are good enough to funnel them to the drop. All of a sudden you remove that and you don't have anyone to do that. And Grayson Allen was gone, who I also thought was y'all's second best perimeter defender.
Bro.
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Bro, when I tell people during that time, 'cause me and Grayson, just ironically, me and Grayson didn't go in the same day. The day that we got traded, Grayson also didn't go in that day, which I don't know. Yeah, I don't know why. But Grayson was killing this offseason. Grayson put in work and he was killing. I'm like, he is the best player on the court this offseason. So I think all of it kind of like, looking back at it, I'm like, man, it was— I do think defensively it was a big, um, it hurt him a lot. But you know, trades can be made and you can try to find defense and, and do all that. But I agree with you. I think that I was kind of perfectly put, or I fit perfectly in funneling guys to Brook, who I think last year had career-high blocks. Obviously you see what Giannis does blocking shots and stuff. So I was like, I was meant for that.
But yeah, for sure. Brook was mentioned as defensive, possibly Defensive Player of the Year last year.
Yeah.
And I don't remember nobody ever mentioning Brook for nobody's Defensive Player of the Year. That does definitely show your impact. But did you, so you pretty much chose to go to the Celtics, like the Blazers kind of gave you that right to just kind of pick where you wanted to go?
Yeah, there were other teams that I wanted to, they were one of the teams that I wanted to try to go to. Obviously they have pieces. I think something happened with Malcolm earlier where he didn't go to the Clippers. So I think he was maybe looking to go somewhere else. And, um, he was definitely one of the teams, but I wanted to go to a contender. I mean, there's a few of them out there where I felt like I can make my impact. There was like, there's the Clippers at the time, there's Miami, um, there's Celtics. And I think maybe those are the, like, the big three, the, the ones that, um, I felt like, you know what, if I go there, I could really really do something. And, you know, after you get traded, sometimes you kind of question, um, not your abilities, but like sometimes your confidence. Like, am I as good as I think I am? Because like, I can just be traded for nothing or not even know about it. Um, but to see so many people kind of text me and be like, dang, like, I didn't see that coming— getting those text messages, man, I'm like, you know what, like, yeah, I, I can still hoop. It ain't over. I mean, I'm still nice. So it was cool to kind of have that feedback.
But what was your reaction like initially? Like y'all just finished playing the Celtics and back and forth for the last few years. And you know, that thing has grown into a rivalry. What was your reaction to that? Was it more like, damn, I don't know if I wanna go, or because of the way they traded you, it's just like, no, I actually wanna go there and get back at them.
Uh, it was more like, yeah, I want to go there and win. It wasn't necessarily to get back at them because, like I told you about my first trade experience, um, it's happened to me before. I've been traded without knowing. I've been traded for, um, I mean, for whatever reason, and it just go like, like 30-second call, I'm somewhere else. So And I still love the guys on the team, you know what I'm saying? But I also want to beat them. Yeah, for sure. You know what I'm saying? I also want to beat them. So it's not like in spite. I didn't go there in spite of them. I went there because like, that's my best chance of winning. And again, it ended up working out to where I feel like the Celtics equally wanted me too. Like it wasn't just me. They needed you. Right, it wasn't just me going after them. They also pursued me too. So I think it was, that definitely worked, but it wasn't, I wasn't going there like, yeah, I'm gonna get back at the Bucks. It was like, well, I'm gonna go there and win. And if we gotta go through the Bucks, then we going through them.
Absolutely.
And I, you know, I can appreciate that and I love it because see what people, and you know, people gets mixed up all the time and they forget these time of these events. Marcus Smart was already traded. The Celtics didn't have a point guard going into the season. Like again, 4 days away from training camp, they didn't have a point guard. This Damian Lillard trade actually made Brad look like a genius because now all of a sudden you end up in Boston. They traded Marcus Smart not knowing that that was happening.
Not knowing.
It was almost like a panic. Like, oh man, we can't win. All right, the money getting up there. JB money kicking in. We know we about to get we might as well start getting off some stuff now. It was almost like a panic and like them letting go of the rope, how I viewed it. And then all of a sudden you pop up and everybody's like, oh, Drew's in Portland, but Drew said he not staying in Portland, he's available. And they come up on you and it, and I mean, it's changed everything.
It's been fun, bro. I'm not gonna lie. It's been fun. The culture here in Boston, what it means to win, the history that it has. Like me being from LA, growing up a Laker fan.
Facts.
That was probably the weirdest part for me.
Ah.
Like being in that green, being like, being a Celtic, knowing that I was gonna sign to be a Celtic was like, am I portraying my roots? Like where I came from. Obviously growing up a Kobe fan, I thought I was supposed to be 6'8" and be like Magic. Like, am I betraying where I came from? 'Cause all my family to this day, still Laker fans.
Mm-hmm, absolutely.
I got family that came to the game in Boston with Laker stuff on. I'm like, you got me messed up.
That's crazy.
Thinking that you gonna come and watch this game with a LeBron jersey on. Like, what is wrong with you? Right, right. I got family from LA who still came to the game with Laker stuff. I'm like, yeah, that's crazy to me. That's the rivalry. That's like the history behind it. Um, but being in that Celtic green, bro, like, it, it, like, the pressure is like, it's different. I mean, you could probably attest to it, like, being on top for so long, or even them like kind of doubting you, like you can't win. Like, all they talk about here is winning, and the only thing that is important is winning. And I'm like, man, I'm, I'm here for it, bro. Like, I'm here for the ride. So I'm excited to be here.
Now that's crazy, but that's also a different type of pressure. Like even for us, when we came in here, this, like we made it to the playoffs my rookie year, we poured water on each other. Like Mark Jackson don't do liquor. Like we had a water celebration, not champagne. But because that was like, I mean, the biggest moment was the We Believe season. Like since '75, that was the biggest moment in history was the We Believe, winning a first round playoff series. So we didn't necessarily have like pressure to win at the level that we've won at because you just couldn't compare it to anything. But you saying y'all feel that pressure, like they make sure y'all feel it and know like, no, we gotta win championship, that's it here in Boston.
I mean, you played in the Garden, you know what the fans are like.
Yeah, that was crazy.
You know how crazy they get, right? It's like, it's live or die. Like, they Celtics green all the way. So I think kind of being in a position and bro, big, like, big props and big ups to JT and JB because I feel like they holster most of the pressure. Like a lot of it is on them because they've been together for so long and kind of have gone through this where they've been to the conference finals and they've been to the— Yeah. They've been to the finals and all that so many years in a row. And even what they did last year, like almost coming back from down 0-3 against the Heat.
Yeah.
I think that playing with them and seeing like, now that I'm on this side and seeing like the pressure that they go through and how they handle themselves is like, is ultimate professional. Like I don't think a lot of people would be able to do what they do.
Now that's incredible. And they carry it well because it doesn't come off that way. Like obviously we all hear the talking heads on ESPN or on this show or like, but to be feeling that pressure at home, you know what I'm saying? Like to be feeling that pressure from your fans to like, that's a different type of thing to handle because when it, at any moment, like you hit a rough patch.
Yeah.
Like they, you should trade this person, you should trade that person.
Right.
And yet you still gotta try to keep that same love for this fan base because 'cause you're one in the same in a sense. You're trying to do the same.
For sure.
That's a tough thing to do. And I don't think people realize how much that takes and how much that says about those two.
Yeah.
And just where they are in their maturity.
Yeah, nah, it's, and I saw that from day one, bro. Like, and you know JT and I mean, you know JB too, but you know JT, like super cool and calm. It don't seem like anything mess with him and all that. I know, like, again, just being here and seeing that type of pressure, bro, I'm like, man, like, I really admire it. Like, and they do it with such grace and just how they handle themselves is like way wiser or like wise beyond their years. So it's been, it's been cool to kind of see that.
That's super dope being on the other side and now being with them. You coming to the Celtics, your role has changed quite a bit offensively. But in that changing offensively, me having the opportunity to play with you, watching you play, you don't get off on offense. Like you're more than capable of scoring the ball at any level, which I think most people don't understand. You can take guys to the post. You are a great finisher around the rim. You have a floater, you have a mid-range, you have a 3-point shot.— there's guys that average far more points than you in the NBA that can't score at every level like that. And so just to be able to score like that already puts you in an elite category. However, you've taken on a lesser role knowing that JT's gonna get a lot of shots, JB's gonna get a lot of shots, and everything else from there is Flea Frawn, it's you, it's D—
it's D—
D— D. White some nights, it's Al some nights, it's Payton some— like, It's so free flowing outside of those two getting the shots that they're gonna get every night. And your role has changed. Great, granted, I understand that. Maybe people don't understand that, but I don't really wanna talk about that. What I wanna talk about is the role that I see you playing now on the defensive end.
Yeah.
Because you've gone from a guy who, like we were speaking about earlier, where you're gonna be on Steph Curry, you're gonna be on Kyrie Irving, you're gonna be on the best ball handler at all times. To now you were on me when we played y'all to start the game. And I see you playing more of a, like I used to love to do that when our lineups allowed for me to just match up with a guy who's maybe a lesser shooter. I can mess up y'all offense in a totally different way than just having to go guard that guy. And I see y'all doing more of that now with you. How has that been for you adjusting to that role as opposed to being the guard and the dominant ball handler all the time?
It's been a different experience for sure because like you said, and especially when we first came into the league, it was like you guarded your matchup.
Absolutely.
If I was the point guard, I guarded the point guard. If I was the 2, I guarded the 2. And honestly, my first few years or whatever, like, I don't ever think I guarded a 3, like a small forward or whatever. It was either point guard or shooting guard. Now, and then it became like, pound the ball. Best player, don't matter if they 6'8", don't matter if they 5'10", hound them. And those two are kind of the same though. Like, I still had to hound, 'cause you know, when we came in, the point guard is just the one who brings it down, sets people up and does all that. But they didn't, pretty much the main ball handler getting it to the guy in the spot where they, where the guy is.
Yes, absolutely.
Now it's like, I think our first time we played Philly, I was guarding Joel. Like, he's 7'2", I'm 6'4", and I, some days 6'5", depending on if I got my hair up right here. You know what I'm saying? And I think kind of like being a roamer or disrupting, kind of like what you said, has been so fun to me.
Yeah.
It's been so fun 'cause I see the game in a different way now. I see the reason why I'm on this person. I start to catch it now. Me and Joe talk about that quite a bit. I start to catch what Joe is thinking defensively before he tells me. I'd be like, "Hey, you wanna do this?" He'd be like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what I wanna do." I'm like, "See, I'm starting to catch on." Before, I was just so locked into pounding the ball, disrupting it, sending them over the screen, sending them down to Brook or Yanni. Before that, send them to AD when I was with the Pelicans. So it was like, that was, it was a consistent, type of thing that I was doing. And now, bro, one day I might be on a non-shooter, the next day I might be on a shooter, I might be on the big for if they want to come up and set a screen, but we don't want the big in it. So because I'm on him now, he's in the corner, and, and now they're going with like somebody else who's maybe less of a shooter, you know what I'm saying? Like so many things playing to the defense now, and I didn't see the game.
Mm-hmm.
That way. I was always the person who had to hear people tell me what to do.
Which is a scary feeling. You out there on that island, everything's happening behind you.
Yeah.
But you can't turn and look and you just have to do, like you're at the mercy of whether the big wants to talk or not.
For sure, 100%. And then, yeah, so I learned early to let my bigs get the rebounds and feed them the ball and stuff. 'Cause then they talk to me. But now I'm the one screaming. I'm like you, I'm trying to be loud, I'm trying to be crazy. So, so like my teammates ain't getting smacked by screens, or they know what's going on in situations. And I think that that was something a little different for me, 'cause I'd always been like a quiet player because I didn't really have to say much. I was always on the ball.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? So it's been a cool experience. Like, I guess I'm like Draymond Green.
Nah, way better. Way better. And I include myself in this. Anytime someone talks about a defender being overrated in the NBA, I cannot recall ever seeing one person say another name outside of you. Yet, you've never finished higher than 7th place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. What do you make of that? 'Cause that to me, I know the type of defender you are, number one, and playing against you and watching you play, I know the type of respect that people have for you as a defender, especially those guys that you are guarding. But what do you make of that theme?
I think that for the most part, the people, the players in the NBA and a lot of the coaches in the NBA, see how good of a defender I am, and that's all I need. Like, I could see the respect when somebody— when my guy is going up to set a screen and they're like, no, go to the next one. You know what I'm saying?
Like, best feeling in the world.
Bro, what? I'm like, all right, respect. Um, to me, like, that's what I need. I don't really care for the accolades. I don't care for the whatever. Would it be cool to get DPOY? Yeah. But I think me personally, it was, for one, like, I was super happy when Marcus got it because it'd been so long since a guard had gotten it. Or, and no offense to the bigs out there that block shots, and I know that they affect the game, but like, not all the time. They not guarding the best players night in, night out. They're not affecting the game in that way where they got to fight over screens or chase them around or hounding full court. Like, not saying that it's easy because I can't block shots. I'm not averaging 5 blocks a game. But you would know, like, you have to guard— you have to guard the best players. At the end of the day, you had to— you— they were either trying to get away from you, or you would go and seek them out because you knew, like, I'm that guy, I'm 10-toe. So when Marcus got it, I was like so excited because I'm like, all right, well we trending in a direction now where I feel like it could possibly go to guards and do all that. But me not getting it, man, I could care less. I wouldn't say care less, but like, I don't lose sleep over it.
You got more, you have more respect from your peers as a defender, as, I wouldn't say more, you have as much respect from your peers as a defender Steph has as a shooter or as like from, I mean the guys you've guarded. Like if you talk to the guys that you've guarded, like they don't think for a second like, oh, Drew Holiday. Like, like you ask Drew Holiday, like no question. And that's what I like. It's just the same way. Like obviously Steph is the greatest shooter we've ever seen. If you ask who's the best shooter, the first, Steph Curry.
Like, yeah.
No, not a second thought. Like Steph Curry and guys that you've guarded that know the game, that know what is, what they're facing when they're up against you. It's the same. It's Jrue Holiday. No, no question. And I think, and as you just said, like, that's, that's, that's the biggest compliment one can ever get.
Ever. That's, that's crazy to me that like, it's not even a question. It's not even a thought. Like, yeah. Like when I hear people or when I hear that, Like every time I hear it, bro, I'm like, yeah, that's insane to me. But that's a good feeling. That's, I think, a part of the reason why like I know, I mean, going to sleep at night, bro, I'm good.
Yeah, nah, 100%. And gearing up for, you know, you guys have the best record in the NBA by probably double-digit games at this point, playing better basketball or as good as basketball as anyone. I think Denver's playing great basketball right now too. So who's playing better? Tomato, tomato. Probably you guys and the way y'all been winning as well. But what do you feel as a champion on a team with guys who's gotten there, conference finals, gotten to the NBA finals, yet haven't been able to get over the hump? As a champion, what is it that you see that is gonna be important for y'all to be, or for you and the Celtics to be able to get over that hump that they haven't been able to get over?
Man, I think it's the sense of consistency, but like calm through the storm. 'Cause you know, in every series, in every playoff run, something goes to shit. Something go bad. You gotta have a little bit of luck. You gotta have a lot of bit of luck. And a lot of bit of help and stuff going your way to get to where you want to get to. But I think that like our mindset right now has been really good and knowing, um, obviously been, been there and experiencing it, me being able to, and then even them making it to the finals, losing, experiencing that, experiencing what it takes to get there. Um, I think that, I think that it's been really good. Like, our mindset hasn't been— even when we up double-digit games, or even when we playing against the worst teams in the league, it's always like our mindset is to win this game, like go for the kill. And you know how it is sometimes, especially at this time in the, uh, at the end of the year, it can get hard to play sometimes.
Absolutely.
Just get me to the playoffs. Like, I'm—
Facts.
We already up 10 games or 12 games or whatever. Like, get me to the playoffs. That's what I'm looking forward to. But I feel like as a team, we're kind of in the place where it's like we can still learn from each game. And I think that's gonna kind of take us and carry us over the top whenever we get to that point, if we ever do. Yeah.
No, 100%. And I just think like the things that y'all are doing, again, like just going back to the way y'all been winning. Like, when you're doing things like that, That to me is like, okay, they ready. You know what I'm saying? Like they are ready to win a championship. You know, not blowing games, you know, not like you guys supposed to beat a team, y'all beating them. You know what I'm saying? Like beating them handedly, sitting fourth quarters. Like, and so to me in watching, it's like, all right, they really ready to compete for a championship now. You know, I think, you coming over there, it adds a totally different demeanor to the team. I think it also adds a totally different confidence on both ends of the floor. And I see that y'all have been able to benefit from that. But what is it that you've seen now this year in being on the side that you on, as opposed to side that you were on with Jayson Tatum? Like what is it that makes JT so special that you've been able to see now?
I think when I was going against them, um, I just saw him as an opponent. I didn't really take him for everything else, you know, like everything else off the court, um, that plays into maybe the person he is, uh, or even the player that he is. I think it was just an opponent, like him and JB. Like, these are my opponents, I gotta beat my opponents. Um, now that I see JT, and obviously like, yeah, we played with him on the Olympic team and all that, but like really getting to know him now, and you, you learn somebody on a deeper level, you can see, um, honestly just how good of a person he is. And to me, I know that that doesn't always— I know that that doesn't always matter in winning, but to me, I think it matters. I think it matters how you treat people. Yeah. Not just in the organization, the people that you work with, but like how you treat people off the court. Every time I see JT with fans, bro, I'm like, he literally like doesn't take this for granted. You know what I'm saying? When he's talking to a little kid or he sees a little kid that has his jersey, or I don't know, somebody says something to him and he's turning and waving. And I'm like, he don't have to do that. Like, y'all came here to see him. Y'all came here to see him perform. But like, he's giving y'all kind of like a piece of him, um, which I feel like means a lot. And it's genuine. And I think that that's the biggest part, like how genuine and how great a character that he has. I feel like that plays onto the court because, I mean, look, God loves a winner. God, God loves a giver too. And, and he's giving— Absolutely. He's giving more than he has to out of the kindness of his heart. So, um, I feel like that translates on the court, and you can tell, like, bro, he cares about this game. Yeah. And it's not just stats, it's not just how I look that night on the stat sheet. Like, he cares about basketball, and you can tell on the court, but off the court you can also tell.
No, that's absolutely amazing. And Also now being on the other side with JB, to me and watching him play, it seems to me like he's taking even more steps. And I've always been a fan of JB 'cause I, you know, being out here in the Bay, I remember going to his game at Cal and watching him and being like, oh man, this kid's a good athlete. Handle not great, shot not great, but he's a good athlete. Got a great body, like super athletic. Like, you know, can score a little bit. And to see the player that he is today, where the way he can handle the ball, the way he can shoot the ball. Like he is one of those guys to me that you see every year he gets better every year. And to me it seems like this year he's even taken a bigger jump. Like what's it been like watching, like playing against JB with the growth that he's been having over the years, but then also now being with him? And seeing the growth up close and personal?
Playing against him, it's kind of like what you said. There was always something that he couldn't do. He didn't shoot well enough. He finishes at the rim well 'cause he's an athlete, but he doesn't shoot well enough. Or it could be, like you said, his handle isn't good enough. And I think coming into this season and throughout this season, he's just shown that like, when people doubt him, he really take that to heart, bro. Like, oh, he don't have a left hand. And if y'all really look at JB game this year, he's been finishing crazy with his left hand finishes. Yes. And it's like, I don't know if it's— he do it on purpose, you know what I'm saying? Like, I don't know if he was just practicing that in the offseason or, or whatever it is, but like, literally everything that that they've talked about him not that good of a shooter. He's shooting the 3 very well this year. Like one of our go-to 3-point shooters. You know what I'm saying?
You should have talked to this guy before we tried our defense, but go ahead.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, we was like, oh, JB, shoot it every time. Every time, shoot the ball. Can you shoot? He like, yeah. All right, shoot it. But he, bruh, I feel like everything, whenever somebody doubts him, he like, all right, I'm gonna prove you wrong. And that's a dog to me. That's a dog to me. Like he just, he got that bark in him. He got that tough in him. That's like, I really wanna win. And I saw it before, like playing against him that he really wanted to win. But it's even more now because like you hear the doubts that people had about him and can JB and JT do it together and will they do it?
And you see how they play together, bro.
It's like, like they play well together. They both work on their game and JB's mid-range is going crazy. His finishes at the rim are going crazy. His 3-point is going crazy. So man, I don't know. JB's a complete player to me. And here's the thing, he don't, he, he, we got him in the corner at times, like coming off down screens, catching off down screens and making moves that way. And then we'll, we'll have him bring it down and him run point guard and him running off screen and rolls. And making plays and diamond people. I'm like, he has such a complete game to me that I love playing with JT.
I mean, JT. He's definitely put it together, that's for sure. Just switching gears a little bit before we get outta here, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask about your wife, who you teasing already.
That's my dog, that's my dog, that's why, that's my girl.
A few questions about your wife, but number one, Lauren, who's incredible, um, World Cup gold medalist in soccer, for those of y'all that don't know, uh, was diagnosed some years back, I think in 2016, um, with a brain tumor. And you, number one, you're as solid as a person as they come, but you taking time away from the season, being there for her, um, taking care of her Like what was that like for you in that process of number one, dealing with that, like the scare of a brain tumor, like that's serious stuff. So that before any basketball, but then going on and, you know, like, yeah, I'm not going back to the season. Like that'll be there or it won't be, but this is what I have to do. What was that whole process like for you and her?
For me, it was the easiest decision I made. 'Cause as much as I love basketball, it's always been God, family, basketball. So growing up, being in the church, obviously, you know, growing up, your mama drag you to church and all that, and you don't wanna go.
Mm-hmm.
But when you faithful, I feel like God blesses you, and he's done that in my life so many times. And another thing that my family has always taught me is that my family is most important. Obviously, I love the game of basketball, and I've loved it since I was 2 or 3 years old, but I've loved my family more. So again, we— you've seen my family in the league, we've talked about them earlier, but my wife, like I told you, is my dog. Like, she's my, she's my person, and she has been for so long, um, because of our same values, our same faith. Um, not only that though, but she's always pushed me in my career, and she's always um, had my back in my career. Like, when I had doubts about, uh, me being traded from Philly to New Orleans, like, why would they do that after I had this type of season? Like, am I just expendable? She like, nah, you're the best player. You know, you are the best player. So she would show— she would show me love, but it's also because she experienced it herself. Like, she got two gold medals in the Olympics. She got a World Cup gold medal. And the WNWSL, she was 2-time MVP and 2-time champion.
That's crazy.
Like, people don't know, like, she is the real athlete in my family. And I'm really just trying to sit at the table with her. But when it came down—
Yeah.
When it came down to stopping to play basketball, bro, it was like, It was like, yeah, that's, that's easy. Like, she's, she's my rock. I, I wouldn't— I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have her. So it was, it was an easy decision for me to take care of my family. And, um, my daughter was also being born. So first my daughter had to be born. She was 5 and a half weeks early. She was born premature. And then a month later, my wife had surgery. All this happened at Duke in Carolina, right? So we got a newborn, we got to make sure that she's okay and safe. She's in NICU for 7 or 8 days. My wife is going crazy because she's like, she should be home with us. And I also still have to recover because I have surgery a month later. And it's like, it's gonna, it's gonna be okay. And then my wife had a 10-hour surgery. Like, think of like being in a hospital room for 10 hours, not knowing what's going to go on.
Waiting.
Just waiting, but not knowing, like, somebody's, like, about to, like, cut your brain open. And you know, with your brain, so many different functions you can either have, you can have after, or you can lose them.
Yes.
You know what I'm saying? So not only are we waiting for— to see what happens at the end of it, like, she's also waiting. And it was like the longest 10 hours in my life. I'm not gonna lie to you, but we had support from my family, her family, our friends. It was like we got a really good community, but it was— bro, it's hard. It's hard to think that somebody who was the best athlete in your family, somebody who's at— I mean, especially health-wise, like the best health of her life— she just had a brain tumor and to go through this. So like, I'm kind of hurting for her because I'm like, I'm an athlete, like what if that would happen to me, you know what I'm saying? Like, and me not knowing what's going on. So it was, it was definitely a crazy time, but, uh, we did it together, bro. And I mean, I, I think that we made it through and God blessed us with a healthy child and we got another healthy child. Um, my daughter's 7 and my son is 3, so— and my wife is healthy too. So I— and I'm not, I'm not upset. And then I just put in perspective what basketball really was. It's a platform to show this ability that God gave me, and the glory goes to him. But also it goes to show, like, I— as serious as I take this game, there are things that are more serious.
Yes.
More important.
100%.
Man, that's, number one, that's crazy, but very special to see. I've been married now for a year and a half, but like to see that bond and like just being so willing. Like, you know, people sign up for marriage for a lot of reasons.
Yeah.
And oftentimes people don't think like, yo, I'm gonna have to deal with a woman that has a brain tumor and like take on all these things. And we have a 1-month-old baby And now I have to take care of the 1-month-old and my wife. And I mean, let's face it, man. We like, your wife, obviously an athlete and doing her own thing on the athletic side. But man, there's still so much that we don't, so much of the burden that we don't have to carry due to our wives, you know?
Yeah.
And to now have the person who lift all the burdens up off you, not be a burden to you because it's not a burden. It's something like, I'm with you no matter what.
For sure.
But not be able to lift one of the biggest burdens, which is a newborn baby. And then also, you know, having to be so reliant upon you herself for you to just pull everything together, man, that says so much about your strength. And obviously I've, you know, I've known for years She's, like I said before, one of the most solid people that I've ever met. You know what I'm saying? And I've known that for years, but to just hear that, like, and how you spoke about that and to relive that, man, that's so special. That is because again, like you said, she's extremely healthy. And not only is she a healthy person, she's thriving in her career.
Thriving, bro.
Thriving.
All right. Thriving. Like one of the best to ever do it. You know what I'm saying? Yes. Yeah, crazy.
And number one, just have to abruptly stop and like deal with all of those things, man. I take my hat off to her. I take my hat off to you and y'all family because that's, man, like that's just out of, golly, I couldn't imagine.
Yeah, well, nah, I appreciate it. It was a time in my life where like, It was definitely hard. I actually, I'm not sure I really told anybody outside of like my close friends this, but like I didn't really tell my wife how I felt or what I was going through in those moments, like in that year span or however long we knew, until 2 years after. Like 2 years later, I broke down and told her like, by the way, I think maybe it was a year or 2 after the whole thing went down. And we in our bathroom. And I'm like, oh, by the way, like, this is what I— like, this is how I felt during that time. You know, like, I felt like I had to be strong for him. But like, internally, like, I was scared shitless. You know what I'm saying? Like, I was scared out of my mind. I was about to lose my best friend. I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know what was going to happen to my daughter. But I ended up telling her just one random day, like, hey, so— Mm-hmm. I was feeling back when, back then.
Just wanted to let you know and get that out there.
She was like, "Well, it took you fucking long enough." I mean, 'cause she know me. 'Cause she know me. She knew that in that time, like, I'm also hurting too. But she also felt like I had to be tough for her. And she like, "Yeah, it took you long enough." I'm like, Yeah, my bad. In my own time, you know what I mean? I had to tell her, so.
No, no, that's fire. That's fire. And she's— how is she now? She's good now?
She's great. She's great, man.
That's amazing.
That's amazing.
She's been a rock. God is good. God is good, man. Bro, I appreciate you taking the time. Before we get out of here, we're going to end it on a much lighter note than that, but there's So as you know, like there's this influx of NBA brothers, there's this influx of NBA father, NBA sons. There's just this influx of all of these things. You got the Antetokounmpo brothers.
Yeah.
And y'all, you got the Currys. We'll add Dell in, we'll add Dell in for the Currys. We'll take Dell back to his prime for the Currys.
There we go.
We put all y'all up against each other. You got the Thompsons, you got Michael Thompson, Klay Thompson, Mikey Thompson. You got Cody Zeller, Tyler Zeller. You got Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee. The other brother wasn't quite good enough.
Yeah, little brother Plumlee, yeah. But you got the Balls. You got the Balls. You got the Lopez twins. You got the Morris twins. Bro, there's a grip of them.
That's crazy. Who winning these games?
Come on now. Come on now.
Who winning these games, Drew?
Come on now. Come on now.
Y'all taking them easy.
Oh, it ain't easy, 'cause they, I mean, they hoopers, they NBA players, but come on now. We got dogs over here.
It's y'all whole family, brothers. Don't make sense to me. It's your mom, it's your dad, it's your sister. It's you, it's your brothers, it's crazy.
Yeah, it's in our blood, literally. So yeah, it's an easy answer for me.
The most athletic family outta LA. Drew, my brother, I can't thank you enough. Last question, are y'all winning the championship?
You know, I think we got a good chance, bro. I think we got a good chance.
We got a good chance.
I think we got a good chance. I, I don't like to speak on it like, or maybe out loud. To myself, obviously I know what I'm thinking, but I think we got a good chance. There's a lot of things obviously in place, health and all that, that we gotta stay locked into. But, um, man, we got a real good chance. And obviously right now, with a month left, like, it's a good feeling going in to this process knowing where we are mentally, knowing where I'm at mentally, feeling real good. So yeah, man, we got a good chance.
I love it, brother. I love it. One thing I will tell you about y'all Eastern Conference playoff series before it starts, I think y'all handle the Eastern Conference, I really do. I think y'all are that good. One of the best teams I've seen around since like our power teams, you know, like when we were like one of the best teams I've seen.
How was that for you though? How was that for you though? You know what? Honestly. Y'all got one of the, you telling me y'all got one of the best teams since me. Like since us.
Honestly, we knew we were gonna win a championship. It was just a matter of the date getting there. Like when we got Kevin, it was weird. Not weird. Like all of us playing together and trying to make it work, it was weird up until Christmas.
Yeah.
And we got smacked on Christmas day, if I'm not mistaken. Either we got smacked on Christmas, no, I don't think we got smacked. That may have been the game where Kyrie hit the shimmy fade to win it.
Yeah.
But then after that game, we lost that game to the Cavs because at that time, that was during a time where if you played in the finals, it was always a rematch on Christmas day. And it was at the home team, you know, whoever won the finals, they got the home game. And so we're playing the Cavs and like, it don't work out for us in that game. Kyrie hits a tough shot as Kyrie does. And we lose that game. And I remember after that game, Kevin telling Steph like, "Yo, you don't have to worry about me. Like you don't have to try to give me the ball. Y'all don't have to try to run a bunch of plays for me. I'm gonna be fine. I'm gonna score the basketball. Do what y'all do." And when Kevin said that, that unlocked Steph. That unlocked Kevin. We beat them 2 weeks later by 50 points. And it was just, once that happened, it was just a matter of time of us like, yo, we know we winning a championship. And I'll tell you one of the craziest things for me with those teams. One of the craziest things for me was that, you know how coaches always say like, you can't flip the light switch on and off. Like you try to flip that light switch on, and it don't turn on. Like, it just don't work like that. That is the first time in my life that I learned that was a lie.
Ha ha.
We literally like had times during the season where we turning up, we getting drunk, we kicking it. And we have times where we walk in and like, yo, for the next 2 weeks, we're gonna approach this like playoffs. Nobody drinking, nobody going out. And let's just see where we at. We win. 9 games in a row or 8 outta 9 games. Like, and so that's like, or we walk in at halftime, we down 20 points and we like, yo, turn it up now. Let's turn it up and go win this game. And by the end of the third quarter, we up 15 points. And so for me— Y'all were scary. Yeah, it was crazy.
The fact that y'all could like have like a 30-point swing in what, 7 minutes?
Yeah, it was crazy. It was crazy. So I think that's what I took, like, that's the thing that stood out most for me is that if we walked in a gym and we said, yo, this is a game we need to win, or this is a game we gonna win, or let's go win this game, we were gonna win the game. We were gonna win. And that, like, that to me—
Mentally, y'all were just on a different level than everybody.
Yeah. And that's like, I see some of that outta y'all right now where like y'all coming into these games and it's like, no, we winning this game. Like the game didn't, like it is what it is. We winning this game. And that's like right now, if there's any teams in the NBA that have that, it's y'all in Denver. You know, that's like, oh, we winning this game when we walk in. And so man, bro, I can't thank you enough for coming on the show. It's an honor. Good luck in the playoffs. I'll tell everybody one last story. We won a gold medal in 2021, which was 2020 Olympics. And Drew, Book, K-Med all arrived the morning of the game because the playoffs went late that year. They were playing in the finals. Drew hops off a plane from LA, I think, or somewhere in—
Seattle.
Seattle. Hops on a plane, flies all the way to Japan, comes out the gate, no practice, play 31 minutes. We end up losing that first game. Evan Fournier played outta his mind.
That's crazy.
But what you did for our offense, like we got to a point where we lost that first game. We had a players only meeting and we just talked and we like, yo, everybody just play basketball, like drive, If you can score, go score. If you can't, kick it out. And what you did for our offense, like you just start driving the ball just to kick the ball and like starting a domino. And when I watched you play during the Olympics and you did that offensively, and then obviously what you was doing defensively, like I obviously had seen you playing and like all of these things, but that right there for me, when you were doing that, that took you to a whole nother stratosphere for me in my mind. To watch that. And I just wanna say thank you because you got me another gold medal. I appreciate you, brother. I can't thank you enough.
No, well, I, no, I thank you for saying that. 'Cause a lot of people do talk about my defense, but I do take pride in my offense too, you know?
Absolutely.
You know what I'm saying? I work on it and I put in that type of work. But I think knowing what type, the type of talent that I was playing with, like it wasn't really meant for me to score. We got scoring, but I think getting advantage is like getting into the paint. I've seen you do that so many times where you get into the paint, you draw that person up, you throw the lob, or you draw the person, you get the kick out. So, um, I think, man, it was so fun playing not only like the European game but playing with like the best players in the world, bro. Like, that's like such an honor because Who doesn't want to represent their country and play with the best players in the best league in the world? So—
No doubt.
Appreciate you, man.
Man, my brother, I appreciate you. For those of y'all out there watching, I'm about to send Drew a couple restaurants in Detroit so he can have a whole other experience in Detroit that these NBA players don't be having. And Detroit's gonna become a city, it's gonna become a player favorite city. Y'all just watch. And I'm starting here with Drew. I can't thank you enough for coming on the show, my brother. And good luck in the playoffs, bro.
Yes, sir, bro. You know, I'll see you around, hopefully in the finals.
Absolutely. You playing the Olympics this year?
I don't know. I don't know yet. I don't know yet. Good luck, bro.
Thank you, man. I pray to God Almighty that I could end up carrying somebody bags on that team.
There we go, yeah. Hey man, hey, we'll see. We'll see what happens with us, man.
Yes sir, much love, my dog. Thank you, bro.
Yeah, for sure.
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