Aaron Gordon On Winning The Championship, Living Life To The Fullest, And The Ups/Downs Of NBA Life

the namej welcome back to another episode of Curious Mike I'm here with my guy AG AKA onetime Champion AKA Tarzan man so I want to start off like in the hoop space uh then we'll kind of transition to alicore stuff but uh you came to Denver I want to say two three years ago probably 3 years ago now um You Came from Orlando quick yeah it really has what was the difference to you from you know hooping in Orlando we've talked about it a little bit but like now playing in Denver playing for a winning team competing for a championship and all that man it it was felt it felt like with the spacing on the floor was way different mhm like being able to play uh between you Jamal and and Joker yeah it was like people have forgot about me you know what I mean which is cool you know so like I'm just getting in where I fit in I'm getting easy layups everything that I got in Orlando it was like yo that was tough tough bucket tough bucket like everyone was like damn that's a tough bucket hey that's a tough bucket and that was tough that was tough yeah when I came to uh Denver it was like okay that's an easy easy to little back cut I felt like playing in between y'all three we can't lose bro yeah that's what it felt like you over there you were like um you were the man you know the go-to score that's why everything was so tough you know teams you know game planning for you when you're like the man um and over here you're obviously a big part of what we got going on but you got you got so many good players on our team so you know when they're worried about you I'm getting an open three when they're worried about me or kcp on the corners you're getting a dunk um was it hard to transition from being the man over there to kind of like feeling a role over here or no no not not at first not at first um just cuz I I mean I get to play my role yeah you know I get to play the dunker I get runouts I uh Cuts lobs I get just you know shoot like spot UPS you know like I can like fill in the gaps you know what I mean which is perfect for me that's how I like to play we move the ball here the open man is the right man and then like y'all are so talented y'all are so skilled you know what I mean like I'm I'm not even worried like what shots you guys take don't say y' you you you you got it too but it's true though bro y'all are like it's it's different it was it was just like a different level of talent yeah coming from Orlando to Denver it just was the culture was already there uh the skills that you guys had the talent it was just different bro yeah talk about a little bit about like the mentality and and the difference between being on a winning team versus not cuz you know we all grew up everyone in the league grew up being a man and they probably won tons and tons of games but you get to the NBA and depending on where you get drafted you might be uh on one of those teams that really doesn't win like a whole lot of games and I feel like a lot of players kind of developed the mentality of like man this is just what it is I'm chilling like my team's not probably going to make the playoffs we definitely not winning the championship I'm going just show up to work and and kind of leave we've talked about that before how man y'all weren't even really tripping y'all would just show up to work and then hop in your whips in the in the 80° weather in Orlando um that's real bro that's crazy that's real uh uh Charles Barkley he was talking to my dad and he was like you know if you're going to lose Orlando's not a bad place to lose in facts it's 80° weather so people were coming in kind of just like showing up doing a job hopping back in there like drop top or whatever you know what I mean going back home and enjoying the city Orlando is a great City when it comes down to it yeah got the crib out there yeah it's underrated City but um just like the culture was it just it wasn't a winning culture like I think they're getting it together now you know they're starting to get it together they're a good team now but when I was uh in Orlando sh was I had six different coaches or how many years every year yeah I had five different coaches in six years and in four different GMS and and so there was no stability it was like you were a rookie every year you were having to like try and prove yourself different plays different strategies yeah that's tough it was tough bro it was tough and and try and like lead the organization in the right direction and it was it was difficult bro yeah that's that's crazy to think about yeah so now you in Denver and we you know just came off of a a chip um what was your favorite you know moments did in the playoffs did you always kind of feel like man like we are for sure winning a championship or kind of what was your like mentality in the playoffs for me it felt like except for that sun series when they tied it up 22 I was kind of like man like nobody's touching us right now like that's how it felt for the most part Minnesota's a good team and they're balling this year but that series you know they got one game um I kind of felt like we always were in control a little bit but what was your favorite moments from the playoffs in that Championship run man my favorite moments I it's something to say that was a great run man we were real dominant yeah we lost four games uh one Minnesota two son one miamii and really like could have could have won all those games we really yeah facts book and KD like do they were dominant in those two games that they won Minnesota that game that they won it went into overtime that was one of my favorite M moments of uh of the playoffs that Minnesota the game that we lost in we were down like like 12 or something like that minute and a half two minutes tied it up that was crazy that I was like oh okay we're serious like we got no quitting us like we could really do this that was a and then like you know obviously just winning it bro like the champagne showers is so sick we was in the locker room yeah people don't know we we were in the locker room for hours on hours like after we won after we won the chip you know the celebration on the court then you move it to the locker room and we were in there just going crazy for hours then we went over to the to the warehouse had it popping in there he did but um people don't even it was weird because I don't know if you thought it was weird like that night we won the championship it was so lit and then the next day we we had nothing to do and then the day after that there was nothing and then the parade was like the day after it was so it was kind of weird what was your favorite um just during the whole celebration um what was your favorite part about that was it the parade was it right after what was it man it the locker room was cracking cracking it was C it was like a club in there it was bro it's like a club locker room it was just drenched like soaked in champagne like the alcohol like it was like lowy burning my nostrils like it was so like in the air bro it was so thick like the cigar smoke was so thick and then I was lit I was lit on the way uh back to the like my place so I jumped out of the car and I forgot about that I was through the streets yeah and like people were double taking they were like oh that's that's a that's a really so it went from like 10 people to like 30 people to like 70 people and we were in the streets I'm like bodying people like trying to get through like little kid walked up and I bodied him it was it was all bad you were you were D you bu yeah I had like a couple of my homies but they're like they're not like built like we are you know what I mean so they're getting like kind of like moved around in the crowd like I'm moving for real like I kicked a little kid over he I know I felt bad he looked up at me his eyes were like tearing up yo cuz you was really in the streets you were out there like I was like I picked them up I was like where are your parents and then like kept it moving you know what I mean like it was it was nuts it got hectic like right as it was about to get like overwhelming where it got to like 115 people like just like mob in the street yeah like fireworks going off and stuff a media team like picked me up and I like jumped in the car and like came to the lounge oh for real yeah man bro when I saw those videos I was weak cuz like only you would do that only you out of all people would just be in the in the street celebrating with the fans I know obviously they really appreciate AG is a man of the people for those of you that don't know like that's just your personality so that was dope but I saw the videos like people doing like pull-ups on the on the light post it's cracking man it was crazy like that definitely was one of those memories um it's crazy because like the celebration lasted you get to the parade and now since then it's been k a repeat like that's the topic so quick you know after we just did something so big um but I feel like even though we lost some key pieces Bruce Jeff we still got a squad you know these young guys we got a lot of young guys who can hoop um kind of what do you think about our culture about our team makes our team special I mean you guys have been with Mike Malone pretty much the whole time mhm so you know how he is so you guys have an understanding of like what he's looking for like how how he's going to react like what's going to trigger him what's going to set him off you know what's going to keep him cool and then it got to come down a big fella yeah like y like y's he's a great leader yeah you know what I mean like when it comes down to it like he's there on time every every day he's on time if not early um he works out in the morning he gets his reps in he goes to the game does what he does in the game and then after the game he lifts weights yeah you know so like he like Works religiously every single day and he's humble he shares the ball so when you have a two-time MVP and one time Finals MVP that's so selfless everybody else got to I mean like what what else can you ask for it everybody else got to be selfless too like if if he can do it everybody could be selfless so I think like big fella is he's a beast bro man unbelievable like I saw something the other day about like the tears of the best NBA players and they had like Joker in a tier of his own I think that's the first time people have really put respect on him like that dude is unique you know what I mean he he may not look the part but you watch him play night and night out that dude is the best basketball player I have ever seen in my life like from from the passing to the it's so crazy it's it's crazy what he can do and I think like early on in my uh career with the Nuggets he really wasn't that into it like he was good but he wasn't like he didn't care that much but he has grown every single year like even after his MVP year how do you get better after an MVP year and he did it then he was back to back MVP and now now is how is he better this year after we just won a championship he's better you go back to Serbia and I just talked to him today he was like man brother I was drinking six beers a day you know he probably didn't touch a basketball like how do you get better from last year to this year and it's just it's crazy but talking about Joker you and him y'all met like really well like as good a chemistry as me and joke have as good a chemistry as him and Jamal have um you and his chemistry you know around the rim you know the lobs when he's catching the pocket throwing you the lobs you compliment each other probably as good as any two players in the league uh what how do you think you guys developed that and is it just like your your games or did it happen over time and you guys having conversations I know y'all sit right next to each other in the locker room so I I just like to play the right way and I think he likes to play the right way too so so that's like a um like a a mutual understanding you know what I mean right off the rip like okay if you're open I'm going hit you you know if you make this cut I'll find you you know if you don't shoot this you be patient the ball will come back around to you stay open Keep Your Hands ready and I think that that um I think that helped like I used to play point when I was growing up he he's like basically a point Center yeah so you know you got like your your front Court kind think like back court you know so we're kind of like on the same page like on the same wave when it comes to that and that that helps out a lot that makes sense that makes sense um one thing about you is you uh you stay off of Instagram for the most part you know me and you me and you both kind of do that in spurts um you get on you get off what's your reasoning for that and then my my follow-up question is how do you deal with the criticism versus the praise like there's so much now that that we uh have to deal with in the NBA now even more than than guys in the past have to deal with like if I go through my DMs right now half of them are people that that that do the sports better parlay huh and it's like it's either bro you just you just uh made me so much money thank you you're my favorite player now d d d or it's go kill yourself I hope you tearing AC I hope you never like it's the craziest on both sides of the uh on both sides of the Jing not that's not and it's lit like BR I hope you tear your ACL I hope you never it's the craziest like I'm looking at my DM I'm like yo so for a lot of people that can make you kind of like want to stay out the spotlight kind of get off of the gram like what what's your reasoning for that and then how do you deal with people like that because I I really think the sports betting stuff is is is a bad place our game is going because these people really be mad bro like you if you you may have a great game 25 and 10 but they had you getting you know 25 and 11 or something and now they're they're they're really hot like they really lost some money because of you you know what I'm saying so how do you deal with all that man that's that's big man that's really big it's a part of it now it's a part of today's game like somebody was like yo I lost I lost my apartment on you today I was or after the Knicks game I like I played really bad yeah I seen that and I was like ain't nobody tell you to bet your apartment on me in the first place why you putting where you live up on a a basketball game yeah nah figure out first off figure out a better hustle than that yeah I think of it like um like the trolls uh like you said like the criticism and like the praise yeah how do you balance it out and how do is that why you stay off of social media I think of it like I think of it like salt and sugar too much of either will kill you yeah you know what I mean so people will tell you you're the best you're the best you're the best you're the best you're the best you going to get soft you know if you if you buy into that if people say you're the worst you're the worst you're the worst you're the worst you going to get like cynical or you going to get um like discouraged yeah that's kind of why I stay off of Instagram yeah just because you know Instagram allows um people that don't know you don't care about you really idolize you yeah it gives them access to you to say whatever they'd like to say to you right you know you go through that and you read it you I uh I don't know bro I'm not really rocking with IG like that but um it's good for like U you know it's good for like marketing you know my agency wants wants me to be on there but it's like really distracting I see things that aren't for me it's distracting and it's like people think because you making all this money and you you you live a good life and you live in a nice place that that certain things don't affect you but everybody is human and when people you know it could be a nobody when they're when they're praising you you know you you appreciate that if someone on the street good game Mike like I appreciate that but also on the flip side when people even if they have nothing to do with your life if you're reading enough of the negative stuff it affects you bro we're all humans so I I totally agree with you um plus like the trolls on the same time the same side like the same person like the internet gangster like going to like say something like man you suck like you're the worst basketball player ever over the keyboard if they see you in person they're going to be like oh my God Michael Porter please can I get a autograph you know what I mean so it's like it's a little phony bro there's a facade there's a facade to social media big fac it's crazy cuz that's such a big part of the world we live in now but speaking of social media um one of your last posts was you know you on your birthday um you was in the helicopter uh man some some some place but off of the Court people don't know how how how dope of a dude you are but you're you're you're you're one of a kind you know out of all the guys on our teams you're one of those dudes who really lives life to the fullest you know I appreciate that Mike in the offseason you traveling you know you're riding your motorcycle around town you got the warehouses that is some of the dopest spots I ever seen But like who are you as a person off the off the court um that people probably don't know about like what's some of your hobbies man the motorcycle yeah love riding bikes on there that's fun um you know I don't do it too much during the winter time I'll ride a little bit during the summer time um I mean I I just I want to experience what life has to offer yeah you know and um and and be grateful doing it and like you know just experience I guess that's what it comes down to I love to travel like you said go see different cultures eat different foods yeah um go turn up at different spots around the world and you sometimes go like solo yeah yeah I'll go Doo or meet somebody out there yeah you know um like I I just spent uh I spent like maybe 6 weeks in Spain uh this past summer I just got like a little house out there it was working out and just immersing myself in the culture um I don't know man I'm I just like to have fun you know I like to have fun you um where were you in that in that picture with the helicopter and how did that how did that even cuz some people seen that and I'm like man how does how did how did he even arrange that where were you what was what was that all about I'm going to give you the play bro give you the whole play you go to Geneva right yeah could get you a couple watches in gen in Geneva it's clean I picked up uh couple paddocks um in a Ry they real or they fake n they're real they real China China boys in China boys be having a fake China boys be a little little suspect but um yeah you go to Geneva and then um there's a hotel in a place called vals I forget exactly what the hotel is called um but they'll send you a helicopter to Geneva pick you up in Geneva fly you to like basically the Swiss Alps um and then it's a hotel that's tucked in the Swiss Alps just spent the spent my birthday there um cuz I had been working yeah uh so I wanted to go to like uh like a spa basically yeah relax yeah just relaxed so it kicked it and then we took the helicopter when we uh when we landed in vows there was a black car waiting for us it was clean like the helicopter just landed on the pad hopped in the black car and then later that day or the next day actually we um we hopped back in the helicopter and we went up to the Alps and had like a little picnic on the Swiss Alps you and who uh me and uh me and uh the Jane to my Tarzan okay that's tough is she still the Jane de tarz yeah for sure okay that's lit man so now that you've been around the world and you've seen so much experien so much what do you what do you want to do after hoop I mean this isn't going to last forever um you know you made a ton of money hooping we've won a championship you know you've accomplished a lot in your career and we got a lot more to accomplish but it's not going to last forever so after this what you think you want to do I feel like you probably just be one of them dudes that's just going to be chilling traveling enjoying life but correct me if I'm wrong what do you what do you want to do uh well I still want to I need between now and the time I retire I want to continue to uh acquire skills you know for off the court um whether it you learn a different language or learn how to code or Finance or law you know so learn different languages that can open doors and Pathways um in in different uh respected careers um yeah I mean the traveling and the chilling I feel like it's going to get boring you think after like maybe like two years 3 years yeah you know we competitive we got we like we like stuff we like to like uh like go get it you know I mean we like the hustle you know that's why we've gotten to the place that we're at cuz we like to hustle so I feel like that hustle like is going to trigger so um you know right now uh my brother and my sister um they've created a sports agency and a media a media agency um a conglomerate and uh they're start it's a startup so um they're starting to build that out um hopefully by the time I retire you know there will be a place for me in that company yeah and I I can do like uh sports and entertainment um marketing and media conglomerate um I think that's a way to stay around the game yeah you know help up up and cominging kids that may not have the right representation and might might not have the right people around them and then put the right people around them so that they can succeed and that they can in turn make buku bread in the NBA and give back to their family and pay it for it so good way to stay stay around the game and and and help kids coming up 100% that's what I'm thinking that's dope yeah I want to I want to talk to your brother more about that uh agency in five now I'm going say in 10 years cuz for people that don't know AG he's a young player you know what I'm saying he kind of he got the juice he be he's the dude you know around Denver but everywhere you know he's a dude everywhere we go this is the dude you know the females love him all that in 10 years do you see yourself settled down with a with a girl do you uh what's your views on on marriage do you think you'll ever settle down or not yeah for sure I don't know I'm settle down I'll definitely settle down 10 years you think you would be married uh yeah in 10 years I think I'll be married in 5 years you're the type if you meet a girl and you really clicking with her like you probably wouldn't take you long to be like N I just want to marry this yeah I lock in I mean I've been in the NBA since I was 18 yeah you know what I mean so I grew up in this I've seen the ins and outs I've done this that the third yeah you know all of that it's exhausting in the streets being in the streets is exhausting I'm trying to being outside it's tiring I'm not saying I'm not saying marriage isn't tiring and exhausting in its own right you know it is work but if you find the right woman it can be completely empowering you know what's a King Without a Queen it's real real dude got some knowledge on him don't he so like what would it take for you to settle down with a girl like what is your ideal type of a woman [Music] M very like caring very nice uh very intelligent um very real uh down to earth um good head on the shoulder good family background um beautiful um and would uh make a good mother you know the facts I think that's what it comes down to it's crazy cuz most of the dudes in the league like it get hard because most of the dudes that are married kind of in our profession they they kind of met their their girl in high school and it was their childhood sweetheart who they who they got married to guys in our position um it's hard like once you have what you have and you are who you are to meet a to meet a female who you can like trust and who you man check this out but look he be going overseas and he told me you got to go find one overseas yeah yeah they were they no football over there you know what I mean they know soccer player don't really know basketball players like that check this out I went on a date with this girl one time I forget where we were going where was it at might have been in like Chicago or something like that we went on the date I got to the got to the spot right we were just sitting at the bar waiting for our table getting drinks whatever she opened up her phone the last thing she had on her phone was Aaron Gordon's Network you know what I'm saying see what I'm saying you feel me I was like yo this is wild Y and females are smart these days because they can put off an image to where like they don't care about that they're not in it for the bread they just are have your best interest at heart but man deep down somewhere like if you was just a regular dude who knows if she' be messing with you so how do you think you can tell no Mike I'm trying to tell you this right now just like you said like when you get to this level there's certain girls that mess with you just for you know like the clout the money that thing the security um but no there are real ones you know there's real ones out there I'm traveling with you this upcoming summer we going overseas come on we going to find us some [Laughter] twins um you are you getting married I'm going be married I think if I had to predict it I'll probably get married before you I'll probably be married if I had to guess and what am I 25 I'll be married by the time I'm 29 you think so I'll meet good I'll meet a girl the next couple years and then call it a day yeah and I think so cuz my younger brothers um like Jon my younger brother Jon he's married he's 22 he's 23 he just had his birthday today um and then Happy Birthday no I think he's 24 now right he's 24 and then my other brother who's even younger than him I think he's 20 2 20 he's 22 K he's about to get married so I'm 25 I'm the older brother and I'm you know I feel like I'm the most immature cuz they they found their their lady um I know but they don't they don't got access like you they do though they they be having juns yeah access like you though bro n probably not access like me but still I got to I got to I got to settle down man I'm I'm on the same page as you you know this year we uh we kind of locked in a little bit more we not we not going out as much we staying out as late um it's true I asked you before the podcast what you was doing today and you said you going back to the crib and and getting into some what was it called me time me work I guess it's just like um I don't know I guess I call it my work you know it's called like man's work that's like the O what the OG used to say back in the day like I got to do the man's work today but the man's work it's not man's work it's every it's everybody work it's like uh like Reading Writing prayer meditation you know what I mean like just making sure that you're doing the work the internal work you know you got to do the internal work that's how you that's how you went on the outside everything everything else like comes to fruition when you like take care of the inside 100% yeah that's something I'm really realizing too something I'm paying attention more internally emotionally mentally more than I ever have in my life um everybody needs to do it but especially the day and age we live in you know you got to you got to find yourself and find your purpose so that's my last question for you bro um what do you feel like your purposes on this on this Earth You Know besides being a great basketball player what do you feel like all-encompassing is your is your purpose why you here man this is like the pageantry question right here huh um honestly it would be it would have to be education education reform like the curriculum in America mhm that that's probably what I'll probably concert my efforts to when I'm I'm done done like I'll take all my money um try to make like a private school or something like that like how brond it like with the I promise like he set like a great Foundation a great blueprint for the rest of us I'll probably do something like that and create a curriculum where you're teaching kids like to know themselves you know to to know themselves uh from a young age to be independent thinkers from a young age um law finances like all all that all the things that you need in real life so you're not just like drifting through life yeah you making life happen instead of letting life happen to you facts exactly so just trying to figure out a different way for uh kids to be educated that's dope bro I feel that for sure and if I can ever invest in what you got going on let me know cuz that's dope I got some other stuff that I that I but that's that's a dope visions and I feel like out of anyone you you make that crack you know yeah I'm my uh my grandpa was a like a superintendent of a school or of a school district District um after he left the military so you know it's in the DNA you know it's like as a teacher and as an educator so I don't know maybe bring that back around it's dope what about you man my purpose I don't know I ask everybody else's question and I don't even I don't even know for sure what what mine is that's why I'm doing some of the journaling stuff I'm trying to figure it out like man every day regardless of a good game bad game what can I cling on to is like my purpose like what's going to make me want to wake up in the morning and motivate me besides just being a great basketball player and you know I got passions um I think it's man just being like real and authentic and inspiring people to I just feel like that's one of my gifts is like uh is just being like authentic and like um not being afraid to speak my mind in certain areas and I think I mean you know me I'm I'm a man of Faith you know I believe in God I feel like through all of our different people's talents at the end of the day like our goal like our our purpose should be to point people you know to God and inspire people in that way so that's my purpose I just don't know how to really execute it all the way like we got all this money you know what I mean and it's great but what can I do with this money to actually make a difference like I don't need 10 cars you know what I mean I don't need 10 C it's fun to for me it's fun to experience things it's fun to make sure my family is straight but what can I actually do that's why like I always tell you like I appreciate how you actually make something happen with your money you know you went and did the uh so I messing up the mic you went and did something you you did the warehouses you know you want to open up the the lounge you want to do the school like for me I'm trying to figure out what can I actually do to like make a difference so you know you a couple years older than me but that's kind of what I'm working on that's why I'm spending time doing the journaling and uh all that cuz that's why I ask people every every episode ask people like what do you feel like your purpose is cuzz I'm trying to that's what I'm trying to figure out right now you know what I mean that's a deep question man I think you if you ask God God will give you the answer facts you know facts he's going you he's going to tell you right every time ask for that Clarity ask for the answer to that you going to tell you right 100% man well you know I appreciate you hopping on I know you don't do the podcast too often but this has been good it's been insightful people don't know AG um off of the court but this is the man right here probably my best friend on the team um my light-skinned brother so it's my twin right here you know what I'm saying so I appreciate you curious mik [Music] out

Channel: Curious Mike

Views: 212,228

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Id: m1Cb7cmQS7s

Length: 32min 37sec (1957 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 28 2023