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Marquis Barnett, Grinding Through It All — Transcript

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0:00As a player, not even as a person, but
0:02as a player on the court, do you think
0:04[music] there are things that you look
0:06at differently now because of that?
0:08>> Yeah, for sure. I I
0:10look at people in the stands sometimes
0:12and I just wonder like
0:14you know, they're here watching us play
0:16basketball and it's like not as serious
0:18as it, you know, [music] other Euro
0:20crowds are crazy, man. Crazy. I never
0:23seen anything like it.
0:26>> Welcome. Welcome.
0:27>> What's up?
0:28>> What's going on?
0:29>> Nothing much, man.
0:30>> Welcome, bro. We're on the Baseline
0:32podcast. This is a community platform
0:35for players playing all over the world.
0:38You know, we've had guys who played in
0:41China, Taiwan,
0:43America, Israel, Spain, France, Greece,
0:46everywhere. You know, the rock
0:47>> Name a country.
0:48>> The rock can take you literally
0:49everywhere. And we love sharing players'
0:52stories and we're really excited to hear
0:55another journey, another story today.
0:57Yeah, Marquise Barnett. Thank you.
0:59>> Thank you for having me, bro.
1:00>> Yes, sir. So, starting off with a little
1:03icebreaker, you know,
1:05at times where you didn't know what was
1:08next, where you're playing overseas on a
1:10pro contract,
1:11what do you take from those times back
1:14when you didn't know what you were going
1:15to do?
1:16>> Oh, man.
1:18Um
1:19growing up, basketball was my like that
1:21was my sport. It was something I could
1:23just go do and have fun with and not,
1:26you know, worry about nothing else but
1:27just playing basketball, having fun with
1:29it. So, when the ball stopped bouncing
1:31for a little bit after college, um
1:34that was a a really tough time for me,
1:35especially cuz it it really hit my pride
1:38and ego, I guess you could say.
1:40Um
1:41Uh I got, you know, a wife right now.
1:44She was with me through that whole ride.
1:46So, I couldn't be here without her, to
1:48be honest with you. Um
1:50but then I had a um
1:52a daughter on the way. So, I was just
1:54like kind kind freaking out. You know,
1:56you know, I'm not sure if you guys know
1:57about like what that feels like, but
2:00you know, as a dad you want to make sure
2:01you have everything ready for your that
2:04you know, your son or your daughter and
2:05especially your wife. So, like
2:07when that stuff
2:09stopped and I had no clue what I was
2:11going to do, it was really scary. Um so,
2:14I mean, I just let everything go. You
2:16know, I I've learned a lot over the
2:18times where I didn't really have
2:20basketball, I didn't have nothing. Like
2:22I lost my identity. Um everything was
2:24stripped away from me.
2:26Um so, when that happened, you know,
2:27stuff like happens now, I just let
2:29everything go cuz look where I'm at now.
2:32I was, you know, driving a Amazon truck
2:34for
2:353 months and I took a year off
2:37basketball after I graduated and
2:40um
2:41through those times, I learned a lot
2:43about myself, um about what really
2:45matters and that matter what really
2:46matters is, you know, having fun in life
2:49and being happy and love those around
2:50you and love those who aren't around
2:52you.
2:53Um I think once you um captivate that
2:55mindset, doesn't really matter what
2:57happens, you know.
3:00Basketball can go away right now. I can
3:02lose somebody I love and at the end of
3:04the day,
3:05I'm here. God has a plan for me.
3:07Um I'm I'm where I'm supposed to be. So,
3:09I I really adapted that mindset of, you
3:12know, I'm where I'm supposed to be and
3:13if something happens, that's what was
3:14supposed to happen.
3:17>> That's incredible. That's That's maybe
3:18one of the best starts I can think
3:19[laughter] of. Like that is that is and
3:21we're going to break that down as we go
3:22as well.
3:23>> We can go now. [laughter]
3:25>> No, but like generally I think we're
3:27going to break down a lot of those
3:28facets as we kind of get through this
3:29interview. But before we do that real
3:31quick, I want to kind of introduce you
3:32to our listeners real quick. Just a
3:34snapshot of your career. Like you know,
3:36normally sometimes about people who have
3:37been through 20 different teams. Luckily
3:38so far, you know, you've only been on a
3:40couple teams. So, I might if I miss one,
3:42I'm embarrassed, but you can correct me.
3:44>> [laughter]
3:44>> You know, so so we'll start it back
3:46where you're from like Brunswick?
3:48>> Yeah, that's where I went to high
3:49school.
3:49>> That's outside of Cleveland?
3:50>> Yes, sir.
3:50>> So, you're is actually Brunswick, Ohio,
3:52right? So, then you from Ohio, you go
3:53over to South Carolina.
3:54>> Mhm.
3:54>> Play D1 basketball Presbyterian.
3:56>> Mhm.
3:56>> You know, play 3 years there where you
3:57end up having a breakout season your
3:59third year averaging 15 a game, which
4:00we'll get into.
4:01>> Mhm.
4:01>> Uh and then you go over back home pretty
4:03much Kent State. Where in Ohio is Kent
4:04State?
4:05>> Uh it's right next to Akron.
4:06>> Right next to Akron. So, yeah, yeah, so
4:07you went pretty close to home. Close to
4:09home. And from there, as you said, you
4:10took some time off. We'll get into that.
4:12And then you went and played G League
4:14Oklahoma City Blue, saw a couple games
4:15there, and now you're playing Hapoel
4:17Be'er Sheva, Israel.
4:18>> Yeah.
4:18>> So, take us
4:19>> Can't forget about the Devonte Friga.
4:21>> Devonte Friga, yeah, yeah, yeah, you
4:22know.
4:23>> [laughter]
4:23>> We'll count that as a team.
4:25The YouTube, you know.
4:26>> Devonte Friga, bro.
4:27>> You know, so take us back all the way to
4:29the beginning, you know, when the ball
4:30was first put in your hands. I know you
4:31We'll get into it. You said off camera,
4:33you know, your your dad is, you know,
4:35connected to the Cleveland Cavaliers
4:37uh in terms of working for the
4:38organization.
4:38>> Yeah.
4:39>> So, you know, take us back to the
4:40beginning when the ball was first put in
4:41your hands. Where does the love of the
4:42game come from?
4:43>> Man.
4:44So, I grew up playing baseball. My dad
4:46was a big softball guy. He um
4:49he passed [clears throat] away, though.
4:50So, baseball was like my connection to
4:52him.
4:53Um after he passed away, my stepdad, who
4:55works for the Cavs now, um
4:58he came into my life and we were living
4:59in Michigan at this time.
5:01So,
5:02um after, you know, a couple years of
5:05him coming to my life, he got hired at
5:07the uh Cleveland Cavaliers organization,
5:09and that's when I like really started
5:11picking up basketball. I'm like, "Oh,
5:12this is kind of cool, you know. My
5:14dad's, you know, NBA is something I can
5:16brag about, you know, as a little kid."
5:17That stuff's pretty cool. Like, my dad
5:19woo woo woo. You want to tell everybody.
5:21Um so, when the ball first got into my
5:24hand, it was just like,
5:26"I could probably do something with
5:27this, you know. People telling me like,
5:29'Oh, you're good at baseball, but try
5:30basketball right quick. I think you can
5:32do something.'" It's my baseball AU
5:34coach, um travel coach Pat. He told me,
5:37you know, come do a little bit of
5:39basketball practice with me. Um
5:41and I did, and I did pretty good, and he
5:43was just like, "Man, do something." So,
5:46after that, I joined my middle school
5:48team and we were terrible. I think I won
5:51like four games whole middle school
5:52career.
5:53>> Character building, you know.
5:54>> Yeah, yeah.
5:55Whatever. Um
5:57after that, um
5:59the high school coach reached out to me.
6:01He was like, you know, you could be, you
6:02know, blah blah blah, same stuff I've
6:03been hearing. You can do this and that.
6:05So, I was like, okay, let me keep going.
6:07Uh freshman year, I just was playing it
6:09just cuz it was fun, you know, my
6:10friends, you guys know how it is in high
6:12school. You just want to play with your
6:13buddies, you know.
6:14So, that's how it was.
6:16Uh freshman year and sophomore year
6:18comes around and then I met my, you
6:20know, I call him my brother now. His
6:21name's Trey.
6:22Um
6:24he came from a rival school and we
6:27started playing with each other.
6:29Um and then my dad got hired to go to
6:32Brooklyn for the Nets cuz he's with
6:33Kyrie Irving at this time.
6:35So, my whole family left me. I stayed
6:38back with, you know, Trey and his family
6:40who's like really um pretty much my
6:42family now.
6:43Um and then COVID hit and then we lived
6:46in a pretty big house. It had pretty
6:49much anything you could ever imagine if
6:51you want to get to the next level as a
6:53basketball player, weight room, court,
6:55sauna, all that stuff. I was pretty
6:56fortunate enough to be there.
6:58Um
6:59so, when COVID came around, that's when
7:01I was like, okay, I really can I hit my
7:03growth spurt. Like I was a probably 5'8
7:05and 140, 150 as a sophomore. Little
7:08dude, yeah.
7:10Um COVID comes around. Shot up to 6'3,
7:136'4, come back. Everybody was like,
7:15dang, who's this guy? I'm like, yeah,
7:16it's me. I've been this, you know,
7:18little weird goofy kid and now I'm just
7:21like bigger than everybody. So, I
7:23started taking it real serious. I'm
7:24like, oh, yeah, this is kind of fun, you
7:25know.
7:27Um after my junior year, I didn't really
7:29do that well. Probably averaging like
7:3112. I was more of a point guard, assist
7:33though to my shooters type of guy.
7:35Um after that,
7:37played AAU one season, played really
7:40well, played against Paolo Banchero like
7:42at Rotary. I played against um um
7:45Grant Hill's team or one of one of those
7:47guys' teams. And we were playing a whole
7:48bunch of Gauntlet and like all them
7:50guys. So, after that
7:52I proved to myself I can play with
7:54certain dudes who who are on the like
7:57ranked and who's on the camera and I'm
7:59just, you know, behind the scenes just
8:00like just chilling playing basketball.
8:04Um but I proved to myself I can play
8:05against those guys. So, I took it real
8:07serious and then senior comes around and
8:10I get my one and only Division I offer
8:11because COVID came around and it was
8:13really hard to, you know, they had all
8:15these COVID guys, transfers. COVID
8:16really messed everything up. But luckily
8:18I I got to Presbyterian, Coach Quentin
8:20Ferrell. Thank you so much.
8:22Um he gave me an opportunity and I just
8:24took it and ran with it.
8:25>> So, going back to like the middle school
8:28days where you had your dad working with
8:31the Cavs organization
8:33>> Mhm.
8:33>> were you kind of getting exposed to like
8:36how NBA teams would practice, how they
8:39would go about their day? How did that
8:41exposure kind of drill into you like,
8:43"Oh, I might want to do this when I'm
8:44older."
8:45>> Yeah, um
8:46you know, even now I still look at those
8:48guys like jeez, they got everything, you
8:50know, they get to do whatever.
8:52They, you know, have all the money, you
8:54know, drive whatever car, you know, they
8:56just get treated differently. And I was
8:58like, "Damn, they you know
8:59call it aura, whatever you want to call
9:00it."
9:01Um but I was looking at those guys and I
9:04I see myself doing that. And ever since
9:05I saw those guys, I'm like, "Man,
9:08I really want to do that. That's what I
9:09want to be."
9:10>> Mhm.
9:10>> Uh uh since I was a middle schooler.
9:12>> So, what was the basketball environment
9:14like in like New Brunswick, Cleveland,
9:16in Ohio, you know, growing up? What was
9:18what was cuz you know, there's always,
9:20you know, I'm from Pittsburgh, Chicago
9:21places and everywhere I go there's
9:23different kind of styles of basketball,
9:24different environments, different
9:25mindsets going into it. So, what was it
9:27like that was unique about Brunswick or
9:28Cleveland?
9:28>> Brunswick historically has always been
9:31that team who plays really hard and they
9:33get up and down and shoot. And that And
9:35that's how they beat every That's how we
9:36beat everybody until I got there.
9:38Um we've won a lot of district and
9:40regional championships. Coach Mackie has
9:42won a lot. That was my high school
9:43coach.
9:44Um
9:46but we would get up and down like just
9:47running gun type of team historically.
9:50>> Is that like reflective of kind of the
9:52how basketball's played in the
9:53community?
9:53>> Yeah. Pretty much everybody shoots
9:55threes and you know, whatever. And then
9:58until I came along, like me and my
9:59younger brothers, like we were
10:01different. Everybody was a shooter.
10:03Um we were like only
10:05very few black people in Brunswick. So
10:08like when they saw, you know, me come
10:10around, it was just a different type of
10:11game I brought. Like I wasn't really a
10:13shooter. I was more of a slasher, drive,
10:15and dunk when I got to that point. Um
10:18but before that, no, it was just usually
10:20shooting.
10:21>> your family moved over to Brooklyn.
10:23>> Yeah.
10:23>> And you moved in with Trey, one of your
10:25really good friends.
10:26What was that like to move in with a
10:28friend of yours and stay by his place
10:31and kind of
10:32introduce yourself to a whole new
10:33family?
10:33>> Yeah. No, for sure. Um
10:36in the beginning it was really hard, you
10:37know, I really missed my mom. You know,
10:39I was, you know, I was a younger kid.
10:42Everybody wants their mom. So I was
10:43texting her at first like, "Mom, I can't
10:45do this. Blah blah blah. Like you need
10:46to come back." She almost came back, but
10:48luckily she didn't because the simple
10:50fact that I am where I am now because
10:54they went their way and I stayed back
10:56and I got to continue to do what I
10:58wanted to do.
11:00>> You know, I I think a lot of times, you
11:01know, we've we just talked with L.J.
11:03Figueroa who also, you know, had to
11:04leave home, you know, to also chase his
11:06dreams and also for other reasons. And
11:08we've had multiple guests who have had
11:10kind of left home. And how
11:13big of a character builder is that for
11:15such a young age to kind of go and on
11:17this journey kind of on your own?
11:19>> Yeah. Yeah. Makes you grow up pretty
11:20fast. Um
11:22you don't really have your parents to
11:24hold you accountable, but you know,
11:26other like my Trey's parents were took
11:29that role and you know, trying to
11:31discipline me or teach me right from
11:33wrong or
11:34you know, you can't sneak out and do
11:36this. Like, they still were on my case
11:38and
11:39led me to being a a better man.
11:42>> So, then you talked about in AAU going
11:44up against Paolo Banchero and then also
11:47one of the other teams you said Grant
11:49Hill or something like that.
11:51>> Once you like realized like you could
11:52actually play at that level, when were
11:54you kind of like, all right, I'm trying
11:57to get these college scholarships and
11:58you said you only ended up getting one
11:59in the end.
12:00>> Mhm.
12:01>> Was that kind of like a chip on your
12:02shoulder afterwards?
12:03>> Yeah, for sure. Everybody who
12:06reached out and didn't give me the
12:07offer, I was hoping I saw them in order
12:10to
12:10do what I'm capable of doing to them.
12:13Um but even still, I still have that
12:15chip on my shoulder. I think I'm still
12:17overlooked as a person or as a
12:19basketball player. I still have that
12:21chip.
12:22>> That leads me to the question I was
12:23literally just about to ask, which is
12:24like, you know, did you feel overlooked
12:26the entire time or did you kind of be
12:27like, oh, I I know my opportunity will
12:29come cuz I know what I can do.
12:32>> You know, it's at first you're like,
12:34damn, why is nobody picking me up? But
12:36then as the older you get, the more
12:37mature you get, you're like, okay, well,
12:39I wasn't supposed to be there. So,
12:41that's, you know, that's how I feel now,
12:43but at the time I was like, guys keep
12:45overlooking me. I'm tired of it, blah
12:47blah blah.
12:48>> So, what kind of drive does that give
12:50you?
12:51>> [snorts]
12:52>> Makes me want to get to where I want to
12:53go. Like, I know I'm going to get there.
12:56>> And then, you know, your first 2 years
12:58you played pretty well.
12:59Third year you you erupted.
13:01>> Mhm.
13:01>> Right? And you went off. So, what was
13:02different about that third year?
13:04>> So, freshman year, when you go into
13:06college, you just want to It's like
13:08you're starting over as a freshman in
13:09high school again, you know? You want to
13:11just prove yourself. You want to make
13:13sure you're doing what the coach is
13:14asking. You want to be fundamentally
13:15sound. You want to turn the ball over,
13:16this and that. You're not really
13:18in most freshman cases, you're just
13:20worrying about doing the right thing and
13:21doing what nobody wants to do. And
13:23that's what I really did as a freshman.
13:25Then sophomore year came around. There's
13:26sophomore slump. If you don't know what
13:28that is, it's like oh I'm a I'm a
13:29sophomore now. I just did good as a
13:31freshman, blah blah blah. Now I can
13:33do this and that. Well,
13:35we won five games my sophomore year. So
13:38I was like, okay, something else got to
13:39happen.
13:39>> Mhm.
13:40>> I got to do something different maybe or
13:42we got to get more players, something,
13:44but like when third year came around, I
13:46watched a lot more film, I worked out a
13:48lot more, I did, you know, I focused, I
13:50kept the main thing the main thing,
13:52which was basketball. And I think that's
13:54what really helped me elevate my game.
13:56>> You said your second year sophomore
13:58year, sophomore slump,
13:59>> Mhm.
13:59>> you know, and you guys only won five
14:01games, but also like
14:04it's not like you played that poorly.
14:06Like you did have like 10 and six. So
14:08that's like not terrible numbers playing
14:11D1. When did you realize that you had to
14:14become the main man?
14:15>> As soon as we started losing like that
14:18bad, I was looking around the locker
14:19room and I was like, okay, if nobody's
14:21going to do it, I'm going to do it.
14:22That's just type of person I am in
14:24general in life. Like even around the
14:26house, if nobody's going to clean it up,
14:27I'm going to clean it up, you know. I'm
14:29that person to just get it done.
14:31>> Did that make you have to become a
14:32leader kind of earlier on?
14:34>> Yeah, for sure. You know, sophomores
14:36usually aren't the leaders, but I guess
14:38in that situation I had to be because I
14:40was, you know, a
14:42two-year guy. Everybody was new or they
14:45just weren't the main guys supposed to
14:47be scoring or guarding or something. I
14:49was just supposed to be that guy.
14:50>> Take us back to your freshman year real
14:51quick. You know, you come in you you
14:54have one offer, right? You have one
14:56offer, overlooked entirely, you know,
14:59and yet you come in, you play 20 minutes
15:00a game, 29 games, you know, what was the
15:03conversations like with the coach coming
15:05in being, you know, you're a one offer
15:06guy, you know, you're not one of those
15:07guys who had 20 offers where they're
15:08like, all right, here we're going to
15:09hand you the keys, you know, and yet you
15:11came in and carved out a role really
15:12quickly. Was it Was that a conversation
15:13you had with the coach coming in? Was it
15:15something you kind of when as soon as
15:16you got on campus, you started carving
15:17that out? What Walk us through that
15:19process.
15:19>> Yeah. Um I used to be a pretty timid and
15:23not really confident dude like going
15:25into college. I used to just worry about
15:27what people thought of me and
15:29you know, I was scared of messing up
15:30pretty bad or missing a shot or doing
15:32something. I used to just always worry
15:33about the wrong things.
15:35Um and then coach Quentin Farrell just
15:37told me like, "Dude, you can play ball.
15:39So, just play ball. Don't worry about
15:41it." And that was like the first dude
15:42who ever really told me like
15:44it's basketball at the end of the day.
15:45So, just do what you can do and be
15:47confident in yourself and
15:50yeah, um
15:51led me to start my freshman year. You
15:53know, I didn't play at all. Like I
15:54didn't even take my warm-up off a couple
15:56games like in the earlier season. I just
15:58kept grinding, kept doing the stuff like
16:00I said nobody wanted to do.
16:01Offensive rebounding, guarding the best
16:03player, taking charges, blocking shots,
16:05like doing all the dirty work. Dennis
16:06Rodman.
16:08Um
16:09and then I just kept doing that and he
16:10gave me a longer leash and then that's
16:11what helped me get to
16:13>> How validating was that kind of
16:15being able to say like to yourself and
16:17also to everyone that you kind of played
16:18with and grew up with like, "Look, I'm
16:20I'm a contributor right away on a D1
16:22team." You know, and like also, you
16:23know, I can only imagine as someone who
16:25put in so much work to only get one
16:27offer and then say like and be able to
16:30look at kind of the rest of, you know,
16:31the college basketball landscape and be
16:33like, "I'm starting on this team right
16:34now." Like the fact that only have one
16:36offer is is insane. You know, how
16:38validating was that to to come in and be
16:39able to carve out your role immediately?
16:40>> Oh, it's really refreshing. As a
16:42freshman I'm playing over seniors, super
16:44seniors, like fifth year guys. I'm like,
16:45"Okay, yeah."
16:46You know, I just proved to myself once
16:48again that whatever I thought I could
16:50be, I I am.
16:52And that's just what it was.
16:53>> So, then, you know, your third year
16:56like we talked about already, you
16:57erupted.
16:58>> Yeah.
16:59>> Then, you ended up transferring.
17:01>> Mhm.
17:01>> So,
17:02>> [snorts]
17:03>> I two questions. One, at this point did
17:06you have more than just one offer? Were
17:08you getting a lot of offers now?
17:09>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:10>> So, then, like the validating question
17:12like coming from only having one offer
17:14to all of a sudden having all these
17:15offers, what was that like for you?
17:17>> It's again, it feels good. You know, as
17:19a basketball player, you see your
17:20rewards like in front of you. You see
17:22all these people reach out to you. As
17:23soon as I hit the portal, like pop pop
17:25pop, phone call after phone call after
17:26phone call.
17:27>> So now it's a little different and it's
17:30not like you have one, so I'm going
17:31there. Now you got to pick and choose.
17:33So what was that like picking and
17:35choosing and this is like 2024 is NIL
17:38kind of kicked in yet? So what was that
17:41process like?
17:42>> man.
17:43The only reason why I care about money
17:45now so I can take care of, you know, my
17:47wife and daughter. At that time I it
17:48wasn't about the money. It still isn't
17:50about the money. It's just I want to go
17:52somewhere where I can play and have fun.
17:54That has been my main goal and so I went
17:55to Kent um doing so and I can play in
17:58front of people who missed the first
18:00three years of my college career. You
18:02know, I did it for my family and friends
18:04and I just wanted to, you know, Kent's
18:05historically good. So I thought we could
18:07do something and we did. We did a lot of
18:08great things. We went to NIT. Uh we
18:11beat, you know, Stanford in the NIT.
18:13Like we we beat some people.
18:15Um and I had fun doing so. So it was
18:17pretty
18:18that's what I was going for.
18:19>> What was like what made Kent State kind
18:21of the place that you needed to go to,
18:23you know?
18:24>> Just that home aspect. Like it's just,
18:26you know, if I needed to take a break
18:28from school, okay, go home 50 minutes
18:30away. I couldn't do that before. It was
18:32nine nine and a half hours away.
18:34Um and I can be there for my brothers
18:36cuz they were in high school at the time
18:37or one of them was in high school, the
18:39other one was a freshman in college and
18:42just being around them, being able to
18:43support them, you know, paving a way for
18:46them. Like so it doesn't have to be as
18:47hard as it was for me. Like that was my
18:49goal to go home and just give them
18:50points and tips.
18:52You know, so that's really what I wanted
18:53to do.
18:54>> So now I think we got to pretty
18:56interesting part in your life where
18:59you wrap up Kent State, done with school
19:02and
19:03ready to move on.
19:05So now you finish up at Kent State. This
19:07is like probably May, June.
19:10And then
19:11what's next?
19:13Are you kind of already talking to
19:14agents? Did you not even go that route?
19:17>> I had an agent. Yeah, I had an agent.
19:19I'm still with him now. He got me here.
19:21Um but I was talking to Mario Scotty,
19:24which is at Two Point, my agency. And I
19:27was just like waiting around trying to
19:28see what's going on and you know, it was
19:30hard to you know, nobody wanted to pick
19:32up a a rookie who you know, had the
19:34numbers I had. You know, they weren't
19:36crazy, but I'm sure I could have played
19:38somewhere. It just like didn't happen.
19:40And
19:41that's just what it was.
19:42>> So then, you know, you talked about
19:45having times of uncertainty where it's
19:47really hard. And at one moment, you were
19:50playing on a Division I court
19:52>> Yeah.
19:53>> to going to driving Amazon trucks.
19:55>> Mhm.
19:55>> How mentally challenging was that? And
19:57then what did that actually give you now
20:00going back on the court that you may
20:02have gained from actually doing it?
20:03>> yeah. So when it first happened, I'm
20:06like god dang. I got I can't do this,
20:09man. It was just such such a ego my ego
20:12really hard.
20:13And I was like, man. And I just kept
20:15looking at my wife and I'm like, man, I
20:17got to keep doing this for her. And I
20:18just would wake up and I'm like, man, I
20:19do not want to go. And but I still had
20:22to do what I had to do. And you know,
20:24the lessons I've learned from that is
20:26again you know, everything is not
20:28basketball. You know, basketball is what
20:30I enjoyed doing. It's my life. It's my
20:32passion. It's what I do for fun.
20:34But outside of that, what are you? Like
20:36who are you? And that's what I kept
20:38asking myself. And I'm like
20:40I'm you know, I want to be that guy for
20:42my wife. I want to be a great dad. Like
20:45I want to be a good son. I want to be a
20:46good like friend, whatever. That's what
20:48I really focused on. Um after a while
20:52I focused on that stuff because if you
20:54really focus on like what you don't
20:55have, that's when it gets really bad and
20:57then you start getting angry and then
20:59you start doing stuff you shouldn't be
21:00doing. Whether that's, you know, getting
21:02in legal trouble or you know, whatever
21:05the case is. Whatever floats your boat.
21:06Do your thing, but mine was
21:08okay, now I don't have this, what can I
21:10be? That's how I took it.
21:12>> Can I ask where that perspective came
21:14from? Because I think when you
21:15especially look now especially with the
21:17NIL landscape now
21:19college athletes are
21:21stars, you know, and they're they're
21:23they're almost untouchable on campus in
21:25many different ways.
21:27Uh you know, they're they're childhood
21:29heroes for people. And to go from as you
21:31said kind of
21:33playing so well at D1 level to then
21:36Amazon truck, looking at your wife,
21:38thinking about a kid on the way, all of
21:40these things. You know, a lot of people
21:41would I think would as you said handle
21:43that not in in a very great way. You
21:45know, you see a lot of players, you
21:46know, not handle it well and either
21:47destroy their future, destroy their
21:48career, destroy their relationships, or
21:50just go through serious personal battles
21:52and and not be able to handle it. Yet
21:54you seem to have this mindset going into
21:55it, you know, not to say there wasn't
21:56trials and tribulations, but you you
21:58know, you've seen that mindset saying,
21:59"Okay, like I had that aspect of my
22:01life." And then in that current moment,
22:04how can I impact people in a positive
22:05way and myself in a positive way
22:07differently? You know, where does that
22:09kind of incredible mature mindset come
22:11from?
22:11>> Yeah, so like I said, like my dad passed
22:15away when I was 7 years old, six or
22:17seven. Um so like I've always had to be
22:20like I don't have something, now I have
22:22to
22:23get something else out of that like
22:24situation. I guess the mindset of okay,
22:28I don't have this anymore, like what
22:29else can I do? came from you know, a lot
22:32of I like to call it like shadow work
22:34and dark work. I just sat there in my
22:35room alone like thinking like, okay, I
22:38go this way
22:39and ruin my everything, or I go this way
22:41and elevate myself and the people around
22:43me. And I guess that's just who I am as
22:45a person. Um I chose the right way. I
22:47chose
22:48my personal opinion the right way.
22:51Um I just chose what I thought was right
22:52and here I am.
22:54>> So, back to my question about
22:57what like going from the Amazon trucks
23:00to
23:01playing basketball now
23:03as a player, not even as a person, but
23:05as a player on the court, do you think
23:07there are things that you look at
23:09differently now because of that?
23:11>> Yeah, for sure. I I I look at the people
23:14in the stands sometimes and I just
23:16wonder like
23:17you know, they're here watching us play
23:18basketball and it's like not as serious
23:21as it, you know, other Euro crowds are
23:24crazy, man. Crazy. I never seen anything
23:26like it. But at the end of the day,
23:28they're just watching a basketball game
23:30and you know, there's no malicious
23:31intent behind what they're saying. It's
23:33just a lot and I even get out of you
23:36know, character sometimes and I'll talk
23:38to a ref and I I'll just get mad and
23:40I'll talk to somebody on like a coach or
23:42something and they'll just be like a lot
23:44of I don't know if it's just competitive
23:46or whatever, passion comes out and I
23:47just like, man, is it worth getting mad
23:50over certain things nowadays? Like
23:51that's just how I am.
23:53>> So then after at some point, you kind of
23:57made a relationship or got introduced to
24:00Devonte Freegan. So, how did that start?
24:03When did that kind of like happen and
24:06then like just walk us through just
24:08being with him?
24:09>> So, just you know, we were talking
24:11about, you know, how everything just
24:12started lining up and you know, he just
24:14took it, you know, that's how you got
24:16into this stuff. Um everything just
24:18lined up. I used to play in this league
24:20called the P League. Um my Nick my dude
24:23Nick Puslaski uh it's his like little
24:25men's league thing and Devonte Freegan
24:28him are pretty cool. Like they have a
24:29little collective stuff and I was just
24:31like hooping in this little men's league
24:32thing. Like that's what I did for fun.
24:34And then Nick called up Freegan. He was
24:37like, man, this dude is like for real. I
24:39know it's a men's league, but this
24:40dude's like he can play for real and
24:42Freegan was like, yeah, come out do some
24:44runs, blah blah blah. Like I've been
24:45doing this for years. Before that, like
24:46I would just show up, but never been
24:48where I like I never been this
24:51type of player before.
24:54And so he's like, yeah, come do this.
24:56And this one stint was the war zone.
24:58Like that was my first thing and with
25:00Friga, you know,
25:01like he just shocked a whole bunch of
25:02people. Let me bring him back and do
25:04certain things and everything just built
25:06up after that.
25:07>> Yeah, you had some like crazy dunk,
25:09right? And they're like, "Who
25:10is that?"
25:11>> Yeah.
25:11>> [laughter]
25:12>> It just happened, bro.
25:13>> Was that a moment which you kind of you
25:15you're kind of back almost in the public
25:17spotlight a little bit? You know, you're
25:18back showing your talent. Do you start
25:20kind of kind of start thinking to
25:21yourself like, "All right, maybe maybe
25:22pro game. Let's let's try this again."
25:24>> Yeah, it was just
25:26I let basketball go, like I said, and
25:28then once I got introduced back into it,
25:30I'm like, "Okay, maybe I am a basketball
25:31player. Maybe I should take this, you
25:33know. I should try and get back into it,
25:35you know." Asked my agent like, "Hey,
25:37can you get something going?"
25:38Here we are.
25:39>> So, as we started the episode, you
25:42talked about losing your identity during
25:44this time.
25:45Do you think that basketball is a part
25:47of your identity?
25:51>> Um
25:53That's a tough question.
25:55I would say
25:58if you know me, no. But if you don't
26:00know me, yeah. Like that's if you know
26:02who I am because of basketball, that's
26:04how you perceive me as as a basketball
26:06player, but you know, if you live with
26:08me or you're like close to me, you're
26:09like I'm just a dude.
26:11>> So then, what was it like
26:13cuz you said when you stopped playing,
26:16you kind of lost your identity.
26:18So, during that time,
26:20what was it kind of like refinding your
26:23identity once you started getting in
26:25these runs with Friga and you called up
26:28your agent and you're like, "I want to
26:29do it again." Were you kind of finding
26:31your identity again then?
26:32>> Yeah, for sure. I am I s-
26:35would say I'm a basketball player. Like
26:37this is what I do. I I don't think I can
26:39do much anything else. Like I can't work
26:42a regular job, so this is what I'm going
26:44to do.
26:45>> And real quick, what was like what are
26:47the most fun Devonte Friga things you've
26:50done?
26:50>> Most fun. I think the last one I just
26:52did where he did he picked his favorite
26:56combine moments. And it was the Kawhi
27:00drill where you had to get stops,
27:02multiple stops in a row.
27:03On offensive player and he introduced me
27:06as like what better way to do that than
27:09to bring in a NBA G League guy.
27:11And I'm playing offense against a whole
27:12bunch of dudes and then everybody's just
27:14having fun. You know, it's not really
27:16you know, super physical. It's just like
27:18playing basketball and
27:20>> Don't got to play defense.
27:21>> got to play defense. [laughter]
27:23Just playing offense.
27:25>> So you know, I'm curious. You've talked
27:26a lot about your mindset and I'm very
27:28it's really interesting and amazing
27:29mindset. And it's something I'm very
27:31curious about because a lot of times
27:32when we talk to players, you know,
27:33they're like basketball's my everything.
27:35Basketball's anything I could ever talk
27:36about, anything I could ever do because
27:37they're like that's how I got to this
27:38level. How I got to this level was I'm
27:40I'm crazy about basketball and and you
27:43know, a lot of teams sometimes when you
27:44look at like, you know, oh this draft
27:46combine interviews, they're looking for
27:47a player who's in who lives and breathes
27:49and thinks basketball nonstop. And
27:51there's someone like you who's made it
27:52to an incredibly high level who's saying
27:54like basketball is a huge part of my
27:56life, but it's not my whole life. You
27:57know, and so as a teammate, as a leader,
28:00you know, how does that translate into
28:03the locker room, into your relationships
28:04with your teammates and also how you
28:05play on the court?
28:06>> Yeah, so
28:07this is a job for me.
28:09Just like anything else you want to be a
28:11professional. Like if you work, you
28:12know, what you guys do or you work in
28:14the office or you know, Amazon, you want
28:16to be professional in everything you do.
28:18So my job
28:21personally, I feel like it's to elevate
28:22everybody with me and make everybody
28:24feel, you know, comfortable and you
28:27know, you want to be a team when you
28:29play and when you get in between these
28:30lines, nothing else matters. It's just
28:32win the game.
28:33Um
28:34So I think that mindset for me of just
28:37being positive and bringing energy to
28:39the team is just super important cuz not
28:41everybody can do that. Not everybody
28:43wants to do that. You know, they don't
28:45think that's important. They want to get
28:47theirs or you know, score points. Like
28:50yeah, that's awesome scoring 30
28:51whatever, but like
28:54that's not everything if you're being an
28:55[ __ ]
28:56Like nobody wants to play with you, bro.
28:58So like that's what I wanted to be.
29:00>> Do you find that you can still easily
29:02relate to the type of teammates who
29:04might be like all like all I do is
29:05basketball all I do is basketball and
29:07you still like do you find that you kind
29:08of are the the reception you get from
29:11the basketball community is still very
29:12much like yeah, this guy like yeah, for
29:13sure, bro.
29:14>> I 100% I feel you. If you think
29:16basketball is your everything like bro,
29:18that's how you feel. I can't tell you
29:20how you feel about something man just
29:21cuz nobody can tell me how I feel.
29:23Um if you think basketball is your
29:24everything, be that. Like do that. I'm
29:26happy for you. If you find enjoyment in
29:28playing basketball,
29:30be my guest, bro.
29:31>> So this is your rookie year and you did
29:35say a little earlier like with your
29:37numbers like not a lot of teams would
29:40want to find you and not a lot of teams
29:42would want you.
29:43Eventually maybe your agent did a good
29:45job, but you got a call from the Thunder
29:49G League
29:50and you end up going to play for the
29:51Blue, Oklahoma City Blue. So what was
29:55the feelings like with you, with your
29:57family, with your wife when you actually
29:59got that call and you're like all right,
30:00I'm going. I have a job now.
30:02>> I was just like man, I can't I I really
30:05couldn't explain the feeling. I was just
30:07like God and that's the first thing that
30:09came to my mind. I didn't do anything. I
30:11was still being myself and
30:13you know, this is why I think I went to
30:15Kent State because my um
30:17head coach is really close to the GM for
30:20the Blue. Like they were at Indiana
30:22University together.
30:24My name was on the draft board and he
30:26trusted my head coach's, you know,
30:28opinion up on me
30:30and that's just what happened.
30:31Connections, one thing led to another
30:34and I got a call and that's it.
30:36>> Were you were you ready to play when you
30:38got that call?
30:39>> Always.
30:40>> How how do you stay always ready when
30:43you're not certain if you're actually
30:44going to get a contract at any point?
30:46>> Um
30:48mentally I'm I feel like I'm ready for
30:50pretty much anything, but physically is
30:51a different story. You know, playing
30:53basketball for fun is different than
30:55playing it as a serious job. You know, I
30:57tried to stay in shape. You know, I like
30:59being physically fit, you know, for my
31:01wife and daughter, obviously, to protect
31:03them.
31:04Um so, I had that mindset of just
31:05staying fit and in the gym just in case
31:07anything were to happen, you know,
31:09real-life situation.
31:11And luckily I did that because I was in
31:13shape to play it at a really high level.
31:16>> Really high level. With the Blue who are
31:19the Thunder are in the Western
31:21Conference Finals, so
31:23good NBA team results in also a good G
31:25League team. What's it like being under
31:28such a
31:29>> organization
31:30>> amazing organization right now?
31:32Potentially back-to-back. I don't know.
31:34We'll see, but
31:34>> Yeah, it was just
31:35>> What's it like being under that
31:36organization?
31:37>> That organization itself is like really
31:39great. Like everybody's cool. No Not a
31:41lot of ego. Everyone is just like trying
31:44to
31:45take care of you and not give like you
31:48give me something and that's it. Like as
31:49long as you give me something I'm going
31:50to take care of you. No, they're like,
31:52I'm going to take care of you because
31:53you deserve to be taken care of. That's
31:55how they work.
31:56>> If I'm not mistaken, also, I think the
31:57head coach I'm not even going to try to
31:58pronounce his name for OKC, Mark
32:00Daigneault or something. I think that's
32:01his name. It you know, I think he
32:03started out as the G League head coach
32:05for them. So, it's like that
32:06organization is very much as you talked
32:08about like a that's built from the
32:10ground up. So, when you found out you
32:12were going to the OKC Blue,
32:14was that a thought in your head where
32:15you're like, okay, like this has a
32:16reputation of being a place where people
32:19grow and platform off of, not get stuck
32:21like many people do in the G League at
32:23the bottom of the bench, there's
32:24politics getting played into it, and
32:25then they maybe sign, maybe don't, you
32:28know.
32:28>> Yeah, no, I
32:29I went in there with a mindset of I
32:31cannot lose. Like I go here, I'm
32:33playing, you know, my dream
32:35playing professional basketball, and I'm
32:37playing it at you know at the Blue
32:40and if nothing good comes out of it if
32:42even if I don't perform I got to
32:44experience that and just because I
32:46played there that means somebody across
32:48the seas is going to be like oh he
32:49played here so he's pretty good and that
32:50I can pick him up now that's what how I
32:52was feeling.
32:54>> In college
32:55going back you actually scored a
32:58thousand points.
32:58>> Mhm.
32:59>> What was that milestone like for you?
33:02>> I'm going to be honest with you bro I
33:03didn't really
33:05Yeah I mean
33:05>> Not an accolade
33:06>> you don't seem like an accolade guy you
33:07really don't.
33:08>> I'm not.
33:08>> You could be the MVP of the league and
33:10you'd be like nice.
33:11>> Yeah.
33:11Yeah it it was you know I did what I had
33:14to do it's just weird because I know I
33:17can do things and then when it actually
33:18everybody sees that I've done it I'm
33:20already ahead of you guys like I already
33:23you know I already celebrated in my mind
33:26two months ago if that makes sense you
33:27know what I mean like I I was already
33:29happy that I can do this and then when
33:31it finally came like I'm okay I knew it
33:33was coming you guys saw it just now I
33:36saw it months ago.
33:37>> Right.
33:38And then also you wanted to talk about
33:41or we wanted to talk about
33:43we already said in middle school you
33:45were watching the guys play for the Cavs
33:48but nowadays you also get practice with
33:52Donovan Mitchell James Harden what's it
33:55like sharing the court with these NBA
33:56guys?
33:56>> They're just you know
33:59like I said earlier
34:01they're they're dudes that's how I look
34:02at them but they're really good at
34:04playing basketball and you know I'm just
34:06like picking up and
34:07you know pointers like how they you know
34:09go through practice or how do they react
34:12after a miss or how do they react after
34:13a turnover whatever I'm picking up body
34:15language I'm just trying to pick up
34:17certain tendencies that I can use for
34:18myself.
34:19>> What what were some of those reactions
34:20that you saw let's say like
34:22after a turnover after a miss what did
34:24you notice from them?
34:27>> Next
34:27>> Yeah next play it's just next thing
34:29whatever happened like it happened get
34:32back.
34:32>> So, like as a player you know that kind
34:35of also, right? Even in high school your
34:37coach will say next one like whatever.
34:39When you see it from a guy like James
34:41Harden or Donovan Mitchell, does it give
34:42you even more of like, okay, yeah,
34:45that's like that's how it should be.
34:46>> Yeah, that's how it should be cuz I'm
34:47looking at their success like look at
34:49these guys and you can look at them
34:50everybody knows James or Don. Like
34:52everybody knows those guys because of
34:54who they are as players. You know, they
34:56had to go through trials and
34:58tribulations of, you know, messing up
35:00and whatever and they had to get to a
35:01certain point.
35:03Um, but now, you know, after at that
35:04point I can look at them and and pick up
35:07certain things.
35:08>> So, before we continue, you know, down
35:11the the story, you know, we have a
35:12segment we call myth or fact, right? We
35:14basically represent to you a statement
35:16that's either a myth or a fact, right?
35:18Based off of and you
35:19your opinion entirely. If you want to
35:21expand on your answer a little bit just
35:23whether or what you think it is, right?
35:24So, for instance, like something like
35:26this, myth or fact, defense is what
35:28keeps wings on the floor.
35:30>> Fact.
35:31>> I see. Yeah.
35:32>> Yeah, it's a fact. Well, wings are
35:34usually like longer guys and
35:37um
35:39if you
35:40can defend and knock down a shot like
35:41that, that's really important. Um, I
35:44used to play like wing back in college.
35:46Like that was my thing and just getting
35:48stops and more was like the first
35:50priority. Yeah, especially at Kent we
35:52were a big defensive team. So, if I
35:54wasn't playing defense, I definitely
35:55wasn't going to play. So.
35:57>> Okay. Myth or fact, going undrafted
36:01doesn't mean going unnoticed.
36:04>> Fact.
36:05And it's a fact because there's a lot of
36:07people who go undrafted and are doing
36:10something now in the NBA. Like it
36:11doesn't matter.
36:12Wher- there's a point guard from OU,
36:15Ohio University, I can't remember his
36:16name.
36:17>> It's Duncan Robinson.
36:18>> Duncan Robinson. Didn't he play at like
36:21a JUCO and stuff?
36:22>> Something like that. He played D3.
36:23>> Yeah.
36:23>> He played D3, transferred to D1 to
36:25Michigan and then got one and now he's
36:27one of the leading three-point shooters
36:28ever.
36:28>> You know what I'm saying? Like stuff
36:29like that, you know? Doesn't matter if
36:31you get drafted or you don't have to
36:33follow everybody to to go notice,
36:35basically.
36:36>> So, myth or fact, taking a break from
36:38basketball has contributed to your
36:40success, you're saying now?
36:41>> Fact.
36:42100%. I I adapted a certain mindset now
36:45that I use on the court that I didn't
36:47have before.
36:49>> Myth or fact, your best basketball is
36:51still ahead.
36:52>> Fact.
36:53I always I always try and get better.
36:55Yesterday I was a different person from
36:57today. That's how I feel.
36:59>> Like crazy. Like literally what was it?
37:017-8 months ago you were
37:04working for Amazon.
37:07Freega. Right? It's a great job, great
37:10gig, you know, does a lot of content,
37:11very well-known guy.
37:13And then you got
37:15OKC Blue when you were like
37:18didn't even know if you were going to
37:19have a pro career this year.
37:21And then end up coming to play in a
37:24pretty well-known league around the
37:26world in the winter league in Israel and
37:29you get picked up by Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
37:32So,
37:34first I'm going to ask, you know,
37:36big war happens here. Right? A lot of
37:39guys decide for their own reasons, good
37:42or not, whatever, they decide to go
37:44home. So, now there's a lot of
37:46players who are looking to get picked up
37:48here.
37:50But at the same time, you have a wife,
37:52you have a kid, and
37:55if there's a lot of uncertainty. So,
37:57when you get the call for like a pro
37:59contract,
38:00what was that like balancing the two and
38:02then actually ultimately deciding to
38:04come play?
38:05>> Yeah, first, you know,
38:06I think social media plays a big factor
38:08of like scaring people of what's the
38:10truth and what's actual reality.
38:13So, it took a lot of back and forth and
38:15talking to my wife and stuff and like
38:17what what should I do? I'm talking to,
38:19you know, the GM of the Charge.
38:22Um I'm talking to my dad. I'm talking to
38:23everybody like trying to figure out
38:25getting people's personal opinion cuz
38:27the GM for the Charge is she's from Tel
38:29Aviv.
38:29>> Oh, right.
38:30>> Yeah.
38:30>> I did Yeah, we we already knew that.
38:32>> yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I'm pretty close
38:34to her as well. So, I'm like I'm going
38:35to trust her judgment. She knows what's
38:37going on. She's been here multiple
38:38years, whatever.
38:40And I you know, it took a lot. And then
38:42the final thing was like my wife telling
38:43me to go do it cuz I know something good
38:45is going to come out of it. And that's
38:47just
38:47why I'm here.
38:48>> So, then
38:49this is your first time going overseas.
38:51So, you take a long-ass flight.
38:53>> 12 hours, 12 [laughter] hours.
38:55>> You get here and you get off the plane.
38:58When were you kind of like, "Oh, [ __ ]
38:59Like I'm mad far from home and like I'm
39:02actually doing this. I'm going to live
39:03here for like
39:03>> Bro, as soon as I got to my apartment, I
39:05have this little balcony. I go out and I
39:08just look at, you know, just the night
39:10sky. Just different. Smells different.
39:12Everything's different. I'm like, "Man,
39:13I'm really across the world right now."
39:16And that's when it really hit me.
39:17>> Also, like, you know, for those who
39:19aren't from Israel, you know, you're in
39:21Beersheba.
39:22It's not Tel Aviv. It's not Jerusalem.
39:24You know, it's a much quieter, smaller,
39:26and it's a little more Middle Eastern,
39:28you know? So, like you feel a lot more
39:29like I mean, you're in the you're in the
39:30desert. So, kind of what was that like,
39:32you know? You didn't get off and look at
39:33a balcony and look at Tel Aviv and see
39:35the ocean and go, "Oh, okay. I'm in
39:36Miami." You were in the middle You're in
39:37the middle of the desert looking out,
39:39you know? What was What went through
39:40your mind in that moment?
39:41>> Dude, to be honest, bro, the first thing
39:43that came to my mind was Call of Duty
39:45campaign and they were fighting in the
39:47desert. And I was like,
39:48It looked like Call of Duty out here.
39:50So, that's That was the first thing that
39:52came to my mind.
39:53>> So, now that you
39:55actually got here and then
39:57you weren't the only one on your team
40:00who just got here cuz it was you, LJ,
40:03TJ, you know, a bunch of y'all. And now
40:06all of a sudden at the end of the
40:08season, you guys have to
40:10formulate a team and actually start from
40:13ground zero.
40:14You know? So, what was that like getting
40:16here and playing together at first?
40:18>> I think all of
40:20>> [snorts]
40:20>> our guys, our new guys have one goal in
40:22mind is that is to win cuz we all know
40:25if we win, everybody eat, you know what
40:27I'm saying? So, we wanted to just keep
40:29it
40:29that. Just win whatever by any means.
40:32Just try and do that.
40:33>> So, then you you get here
40:36and you have arguably the best season
40:38you've ever had of any, you know, D1,
40:41anything so far so far at least. You
40:43know, averaging 15 a game, five boards,
40:45three assists.
40:46You took this opportunity and you ran
40:48with it. And you know, so how like you
40:49know, what went into you platforming
40:51from averaging eight a game in in the G
40:53League, you know, which is a incredible
40:54opportunity to then coming here and
40:56immediately carving out this honestly
40:58mainstay, main player role. You know,
41:00what what went into that?
41:02>> Just a lot of confidence, I guess. And
41:05ain't
41:06like I said, taking that time off
41:07basketball really put things into
41:09perspective of like what's actually
41:10important in life. And so, I just have
41:13like a different type of swagger and
41:15confidence in when I come and play
41:17basketball.
41:18>> That's amazing. So, now what's it like
41:21being here in Beer Sheva? You know, you
41:23played about eight games so far?
41:25>> Yeah.
41:26>> So, you played about eight games and
41:28this is your first
41:30introduction to overseas basketball. So,
41:32what have you kind of picked up from
41:34playing over here in Israel?
41:36>> Um there's no fouls.
41:39Um there's a lot more like uh you can
41:41get away with a lot more things and you
41:43know, over the backboard and
41:45I think a couple games ago the ball went
41:47over the backboard and I'm looking
41:49around like are they going to call it
41:50out of bounds or not? And then they just
41:52kept playing. I'm like, okay, well,
41:53there's another rule and you can't do
41:54certain things like
41:56>> time out.
41:56>> Can't call time out.
41:57>> Hitting it off the rim.
41:58>> Yeah, you can hit it off the rim. You
41:59can't clap when someone shoots like
42:02All right, man. What's going on?
42:03[laughter]
42:04But it's like, you know, I understand it
42:06more now. So, I'm glad I got to do that
42:08stuff.
42:08>> So, then off the court, kind of what's
42:10been, you know, your experience like in
42:12Israel so far, you know, whether it's
42:13food, culture, people. What has it been
42:15like kind of living here so far? It
42:16hasn't been that long.
42:17>> No, food is probably
42:19probably the best food I've ever eaten.
42:21Like outside of, you know, certain
42:23restaurants at home. But the food is
42:26great. People are way cooler than I
42:28thought. Um I don't really do too much
42:31of nothing. You know, I got wife and kid
42:34at home. I'm not getting going, you
42:36know, I'm not doing all that. So, I play
42:38a lot of games and stuff. Like I play a
42:39lot of PlayStation. I don't
42:41>> What games you play?
42:42>> Call of Duty, Fortnite.
42:44>> [snorts]
42:44>> Okay.
42:45>> Siege.
42:45>> Is
42:46Is your wife and kid here?
42:48>> No, they're back at home.
42:49>> Coming here, this is a part of the
42:51business of playing overseas. Sometimes
42:53maybe they will come with you, but
42:55because of the situation probably is not
42:56comfortable.
42:57>> Yeah.
42:57>> So, having them be there, how's that
43:00been for you now, like doing your job
43:02here across the across the world?
43:03>> Um it's been pretty tough, you know, my
43:06wife, you know, postpartum
43:08is not easy even if you have a partner
43:10that's doing everything that you think,
43:12you know, you should be doing is still
43:14pretty difficult for her to be doing
43:16that by herself.
43:17Um you know, obviously with the help of
43:19her mom and, you know, her family. Um
43:21but still like she's really strong for
43:23that and it gives me more motivation to
43:25just get this stuff done and then go
43:27back to her and then, you know, after
43:29that we can travel the world together.
43:30That's how we look at it.
43:32>> What
43:32>> What?
43:33>> What's like your biggest advice now to
43:36like You've really been through it all,
43:39you know.
43:40Been unnoticed, got noticed, played,
43:44again goes unnoticed, and then now
43:46you're here and you're putting on a
43:48show.
43:49So, to go through all those challenges,
43:52what's something that you would tell
43:53someone who's going through similar
43:55challenges right now at a younger stage
43:57of their life?
43:58>> I would say never lose sight of what you
44:02want to do, no matter who you're
44:03hearing, like whatever you're hearing
44:05from, you know, your even your closest
44:07people. if they're telling you, "Okay,
44:09maybe you should do something else." No,
44:10I'm young. I want to chase whatever I
44:12feel like I can do right now because I
44:14can always get a job later. Job is
44:16always going to be there. So, I'm going
44:17to chase my dreams right now. I'm going
44:19to do what I want to do because I'm not
44:21hurting anybody, and I'm going to stay
44:22focused. I'm going to love. And that's
44:25just what I would tell people is just
44:27chill.
44:28Everything's going to be all right.
44:30>> Amazing.
44:31>> Amazing.
44:32>> You know, so, you know,
44:33>> Wrap it up.
44:34>> as we're starting to wrap up, you know,
44:35I mean, first of all, I could go for a
44:37long time, but, you know,
44:39you're honestly like, you know, we
44:40talked earlier in in the beginning, for
44:41disclosure, you were like, "Oh, I'm not,
44:43you know, I don't really go in front of
44:44the camera." Well, you're a storyteller,
44:46dude. Like you
44:48basketball stops bouncing someday, you
44:49you you have a future. Put it that way,
44:51you know. But, you know, as we start to
44:52wrap up, we do a segment where we do is
44:55that the 30-second shot clock.
44:56>> Oh.
44:57>> 3 2 1 go.
44:59>> Favorite food?
45:00>> Uh sushi.
45:01>> Favorite Israeli food?
45:03>> Uh
45:04shawarma.
45:05>> Funniest teammate?
45:06>> Uh LJ.
45:07>> Block or steal?
45:08>> Block.
45:08>> Favorite basketball sneaker?
45:10>> Uh New Balance Hasel low.
45:12>> Favorite basketball game you've been a
45:13part of?
45:14>> Um
45:16against Vanderbilt my junior
45:18>> Coolest arena you've played in?
45:19>> Um
45:21um the Ion Center, Thunder.
45:23>> Three-pointer or dunk?
45:25>> Uh dunk.
45:26>> Favorite sport outside of basketball?
45:28>> Baseball.
45:29>> Okay. [laughter] There we go.
45:30>> So, what I'm talking about.
45:32>> What did you What did you play?
45:33>> What did I
45:33>> What position?
45:34>> What position?
45:34>> Oh.
45:35Pitcher, catcher, shortstop, second.
45:38>> Okay.
45:38>> Wherever Wherever they needed
45:39>> Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wherever they we were
45:40lacking, I was there.
45:42>> Yes, sir.
45:43>> So, that's Marquis Burnett on the
45:45Baseline podcast. Really appreciate you
45:47for coming on, man.
45:48>> Yes, sir.
45:48>> It was really fun.
45:49>> Thanks.

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