- Yo Knuckleheads comin'
at you live on location in Los Angeles California. Me, D Miles, we got the man Ron Ron, AKA Metta World Peace, AKA too strong, (laughs) AKA Defensive player of the Year, came through to rock with the boys, man we so appreciate you man. - Straight up bruh. - So good to be here, so good to be here. - Check it out man, you
know we 'bout to talk. (upbeat hip hop music) - So the first question we
always really ask everybody is like, when you first got to the league, who was the first person
to like bust your ass? - Man! - When you was like, this
the level that we on? - Man when I first, I was always a pretty good defender, I came in I was really good defender, and I was lockin' a few people up, but like Jerry Stackhouse early was tough. Grant Hill, Voshon Leanard, you know Voshon Leanard? - Voshon Leanard was the
first person to bust... That's crazy, see thank
you thank you thank you. - Voshon Leanard bust his ass. - He was nice.
- He was a bucket. - Definitely remember
his moves in the post. It was really hard to guard
him cause he had every, he can turn right, and you know he was big a little bit? - Yeah he could shoot that ma-- - He could shoot. So yeah I remember him like, I remember having problems with him and then you know, I guess
early Mashburn, we came in, see I came in when Mashburn
was like still playin'. - Monster Mash, Monster
Mash bust my ass too. - Yeah he was he--
- Killed me. - And that block.
- Killed me like. - So he was still good when
y'all played against him? - Yes.
- Yeah he was still good. He wasn't as athletic, but he could get a bucket
anytime he wanted to. - Definitely he was, he
was like a real small boy. I guess almost like Melo
maybe, I mean they both, they shoot different,
their form is different, but like they had, they could
shoot and they could move. Mash had a little bounce, he had a bounce. That's crazy, I got in '99,
what year y'all came in? - 2000. - 2000 2000? Right after, that's crazy. What do you think about
the money these days? - Hoo! - I wish, I'm not gonna lie,
- I'm happy for 'em. I just wish we was born
about five years later. - No question, no question. - You know what I'm sayin'
- I'm happy for 'em. - I'm happy, I'm never,
- I'm happy for them but, - I'm not one of them dudes
- Like when it came to it, - I wanna see them boys get all the money. - It's amazing.
- You gotta understand that not playin' no more you
can understand that now, like what Mike and them was
kinda sayin' about us or-- - Pay your respects to him boy, we made it possible for you.
- Like you pay your respects and so forth on, like I
can see how it made it to where it's at now. We get paid more than
baseball players now, they gotta sign like 10 years to get-- - Right right right,
I'm happy for 'em but. - They signin' them four year deals. That's damn near $50 million a year. $45, $48.
- Who Dame Lillard, Westbrook, - They playin' with it.
- Harden. It's more money in sports now then it was when we came in, but look what we're doin' right now, like you know, we be makin' money just by being basketball players. It's like crazy right? You could go, if you put
your mind to something in basketball when you retire, now you can still get
bread, it's like amazing. People always told me like, the ball can take you far, I don't know if you heard
that when you was young? Coaches be tellin' me that,
the ball can take you-- - Listen, that's our life! Right now that little orange ball done took us all around the world. - [Man] Yeah I feelin' the same thing. - Yeah definitely.
- Still gettin' paid, still gettin' you paid.
- Definitely, still gettin' me paid. - Still providin' like, no matter what you want
- For the family. - it's shit that come with it
- It's people where we from will never see nothin'
that we done seen in life. Will never see the sceneries, will go anywhere.
- Yeah forget about the money we done got,
it's the experiences, and the friendships
- Eat the foods that we done tasted
- Like I know him because of ball! If it weren't for hoop we wouldn't have-- - We wouldn't have known each other. - Really all of us. - Who is Q Rich like, who yeah? Like ball is like, ball was the first thing that like introduced me to white people. (laughs) Seriously when I was growing up I didn't know what like-- - Well I had some white teachers. - Yeah outside of a teacher too like, but I didn't have no white friends. - No definitely. - Every one of my friends
was, looked like me. - Or Latino? - No it wasn't even,
- I had a few Latinos. - We didn't even really have a lot of Spanish people in my neighborhood. Basketball cultured me--
- Basketball introduced me to all of that.
- To the next race. - Whatever like, everything--
- Whatever race it is, it introduced us to it.
- Like that was the first thing that integrated me into, other than seeing it on TV like in real life, touching being around. I had never been around
no, none of them like that. Like you said, one or two
teachers in my school, that would be it but like, nah none of my friends, none of that. - My whole school was black.
- When was the first time-- Oh your whole school? - From elementary school, all the way to like,
my senior high school. - That ball did everything boy. - I saw like Latinos and blacks, but I didn't see any other, I mean I did sometimes, television or the store maybe! But like, when I got to college that's when I first
seen other ethnicities. That I actually talked
to and chilled with, you know, then I got to see more ethnicities as we traveled. - And then when it didn't, when it wasn't about introducing friends and culturing you, it saved
you in the neighborhood. Ay leave him alone, he hoop, leave shorty alone, he hoop, like gangbangers gon' give
you a pass cause you hoop. - Definitely definitely. - Ay shorty, he all
right man leave him alone man he might do somethin',
leave him alone, leave him be, ya know what I'm sayin'? Like just because you got your ball and they see you at the courts a lot, and you ain't on nothin'. - Exactly you the only one, you still from the area but like, cause it could be you like, you know, you got friends, people have rivals, they be just goin' crazy and you know... - You can be seen with somebody and it be like, you added to it. Cause you know him, you
cool with that person. What high school you went to? - I went to La Salle
Academy, with Shammgod. - Oh so you went where Shammgod went. Hey did you play got your, you played with Riverside.
- I played Riverside. - Yeah I'm upset you AAU.
- I played River, I've never played with anybody in Chicago. - Ay, it wasn't your team, it was Eric Barkley, Anthony--
- Glover. - Anthony Glover, we got them at-- - They had Omar Cook too. - Omar cook was on that team. - Omar Cook was my cuz.
- We got them at Peace Jam. We got at them at Peace Jam. - That one, that game? I miss AAU. I miss AAU. - You played, you played with LO though. - Yo we had squad, I just told Baron, we just talkin' about this like, I said they was the only
team that beat us one summer. - BD and them?
- Yup, only team, and we, you know me, Elton,
Lamar, it was, Eric Barkley. - In and out with king. - In our king defense, we all had defense too so
it was crazy cause like, we played against like all these top, you know All American, we beat 'em by 50. In the finals we was like, how much we gon' win by tonight, we come in the gym, we
come in the gym like, let's try to win by 60. And it was like, but the crazy thing was, Elton was always the best, Lamar was always the most skilled, but Elton was the best, Lamar, and then it was me, and Eric Barkley. But everybody was dope. - Everybody was dope. - And we played some defense man, we would play defense. And we averaged like 13 points, Elton averaged 13 or 14, Lamar was at 13.5, I was at 11 and 12. - Y'all group definitely go in AAU history as like one of the best
groups ever to play the game, like Q and them group, like y'all group. You see groups of people that's like, through the AAAU years, they be like, man they came together, them boys was-- - Y'all played against D Wade? - D Wade played with me. - He played on his dang team.
- Y'all played with D Wade? - Yeah I played with D Wade. - And then you played
against them in Chicago? - Nah he was younger than me. - Is Wade younger? - Like yeah, he wasn't even playin', he like three, two years, he was, what three years behind. But he wasn't even on varsity
- Okay so that's a big guy. - When I was, you know what I'm sayin'? He was-- - He was still comin' up, still grindin'. - Yeah he was kinda like a late bloomer, that's why he didn't
get heavily recruited, but he blew still cause-- - I heard he wasn't
like that nice earlier. - Nah he was just nice
when I first met him. - He was still nice, he just kinda, for whatever reason, flew under the radar, he was always-- - But you know how they rank you and they give you that hype and then when somebody that
real come in front of it, they don't be who they say they is. - Damn I wonder, like how
does that happen with him, like how is he not like McDonald American, I wonder like, if he was-- - See that's crazy, he played
with D Miles and TJ Cummings, and they were two McDonald's
All Americans on the AU team. And he still did major work, you would think because
he got two All Americans that more people would see him, just didn't happen that way.
- So he was cookin', and he still cookin'. - Yeah he was killin', he was hoopin'. - He was cookin', he was cookin'. - And y'all was in the same year? - Yeah we same year. - Dang that's crazy. That's amazing
- We the same year. We did the two years of college and then-- - Oh he did, right. No D Wade did four. - D Wade did three.
- Three? - He did one year sitting
out, then two years played. - Q did two years, that's
why I caught up with him, I was a sophomore when he was a senior. - Yeah that's why still
got drafted together. - Oh okay okay okay. - You know what I'm sayin'. Like you know, I committed to St. John's. - Yo I remember that, I think-- - Remember that when I came up there? The Midnight Madness and
all that stuff with Jay-Z? - Yeah! - I remember that. - We woulda had a squad! - That woulda been foolish.
- I remember that. Like I came all the way back in that movement that y'all had, cause y'all was making noise I heard, y'all made the tournament. I think, did y'all beat Duke that year? - We lost to Duke man... - But it was a good
game, it was a good game, but y'all was poppin' people,
ya know what I'm sayin'? And making noise, and Mike Jarvis. Like what you think about Mike Jarvis, - I think he's great man.
- cause I choose Mike Jarvis and I choose St John because
Mike Jarvis look like... - So you was comin' there
if you didn't go pro. - Yeah I was comin'
there if I didn't go pro. - Wow that woulda been great, we coulda won a trip probably, cause that year, Mike
Jarvis is great by the way, NBA coach, I think he's like an NBA coach. Cause he's like a general, he's good at tellin' people what to do. And he's smooth, not too much rah rah. Then I had Fran Fraschilla,
which Fran Fraschilla's like, suicides and like college. Which I enjoyed too, I
really appreciate him. But yeah, we had a good team man, it was a really good
team, good experience. I want to do a, I wish we coulda won. You know, we lost against Scoonie Penn. - Yeah he had two free
throws and he was nice. - This when I first knew, like I knew I had seen you play in college and stuff like that, and I had seen you a little
bit on the AAU scene, so I knew, ya know I'm
sayin', he was tough, you know in basketball tough. But when you came to the Bulls, like I was still in college at this point, this your rookie year. You may or may not even remember this, I seen you out at a club one time, don't even remember the name of the club, whatever we down to down in Chicago. This what let me know that this dude was a different type of tough, now you know Chi town, winter's cold, boy it's cold, it's wintertime. I see you in this spot, my man got the leather whatever, it might've been an Avirex or something', leather jacket on, no shirt, no shirt period, not like a wife beater, no shirt, big boy chain on, boy got the jeans on with his belt, and then
just some Timberland boots, I'm like Ron out here with
no shirt on in the spot! - Listen I didn't know
how, I love the hoods, I didn't know how dangerous Chicago was. So when I got there at 19
I was naive to everything, I just wanted to go to the hood. So I was in Robert Taylor, but I was on there, just wantin' to vibe
and just chill you know? - Yeah you wanted to feel the people? - Yeah man, you know? So I was there a lot you know, like 79th and Halsted
with a couple people. - You on the nine, you
hear me, that's the nine! - So my family would
sell a lotta crack right? And I lived on 10th street
in Queensbridge, mob deep. I live on 10th street, 12th
street was where courts was at. All my courts was just monkey bars. You know, hustlers on every block right? So like, I had to go
on 12th street to play so I kinda grew up on 12th street, they say I'm from 12th street. My family all, they did their time so, they all did they time
so, I went and asked them can I talk about these stories? And I talk about these stories cause the kids might think you're not, they're the only ones going through, you know what I'm sayin'?
- We all do. - I'd much rather be a suit and tie, you know I'm sayin'? - Yeah I would too. - But we do that it's like, they not gonna have nobody to relate to. They're not gonna have
nobody to relate to. - And then we from the area where they were standin' outside, like they don't stand outside no more, but they would stand outside
when we was comin' up remember? - Can't stand outside. - They were standin' outside like-- - But they need to hear that, like you said the kids need to know like, yo Ron Artest, grew up with family members that's sellin' dope or whatever, and like look, he a world champion here, you know what I'm sayin'? - I never was a, I'm
a health conscious guy with the exception of Henny, shout out to Henny. You know what I'm sayin',
this is a great moment. - It's a great moment.
(group laughs) - You know I'm sayin', I try not to drink too much but like, you know I'm not into anything
that can harm your body. Cause naturally, my dad when I was young, he would give me like amino
acids, all those vitamins. - So that's why you so damn strong. - My dad would feed me, my dad man. - My dad you, hey man...
- There you go. - My dad would give me, feed me huh. 10 years old. - Get them vitamins. - You know, nothin' illegal,
everything from the store. You know and like, so I was never into
that type of stuff man, and first times I got
into it, I was nervous. I learned how to cook, bag, everything. You know, and we wasn't gangsters, so my family didn't have no guns. We just sold lotsa drugs, right? And they used to bully
us, like some people. And you know, we all grew
older in the same neighborhoods and we became friends,
like people that got, I know people that shot each other, you probably know people
that shot my friends. - Right!
- You know that. - And they boys now. You know, we realized that it's like, it's senseless, you know, and we realized that you're
really in this together. You know I'm sayin'? - We all in the same circle, you know. - Everybody's tryna get out. - It's a couple things about
Chicago that concerns me, like you know the compassion, like you know people's babies are dying, you know what I'm sayin', if I'd have known what I know now, I bet, oh I'm not goin' over there. And then the main problem is like, you know, you gotta wanna change. - Definitely do.
- In Chi Town, you know, so I had so much connection with Chi Town, cause I played there, and my favorite team
growin' up, The Bulls, and then to see the violence in Chicago is just crazy.
- Crazy yeah, for real. - So I wish it was, I spoke
from one kid from Chi Town, I was out on the street, hey yo, what y'all doin' over
there in Chi Town man? You know it's like, you know,
get it together out there, you know cause he said he's from the Chi. And he was like, you
know, this is the life. - Yeah, this is life, it's
a different type of life. - So I was like wow, and that's where, people don't understand like, you know people from the Chi, people from the Chi
goin' through a lot yo. - Yeah true.
- More than New Orleans and Chicago's goin' through the roughest. And Farakka in Queens New York, it's a couple areas that
people don't really, it's not publicized. And when you come from the Chi it's tough, it's really tough to
make it from Chicago man, people don't make it out Chicago. You know what I'm sayin', that's why I know a lot about y'all and it's people in there
goin' through the same stuff, - Worse, yeah. - It's people that's goin'
through the same stuff, and we gotta somehow reach to 'em. I wish we could somehow get through and change some things
goin' on over there. - Like really change somethin', not just it be like an event and you do this and you give back, like that's-- - Yeah but it's a what have you done for me lately type world so--
- Right right right right. - One minute this is the thing, and the next minute
something else happening, then we thinkin' about that. - Well that' good, we can speak about it, bring awareness to it. Cause back in the day,
nobody was you know, really talkin' about that, askin' where we from,
where we really from, we just came into the league and it's like, yo we here,
it's all Christmas now, nah nah nah nah nah. - And nobody know the history about like the guys that we touch or the guys that we come around. You know, like I knew the bond that you had with Lamar. - Right right right right. - Like that made, it feel like that made us bond with you even
more when we seen you, cause like we love Lamar like a brother, and we know Lamar is your brother and it's like, oh no that's Ron. You know, we gon' be very competitive towards each other and rough each other up on the court but, it always be that guy
right there that be like, yeah nah that's Lamar brother. - Lamar been through a lot man, I known Lamar for a long time, you know we played with each other, and I had my issues
goin' on in my household, he had his issues goin'
on in his household, but when you see him he's so nice, you don't think he have no issues. - Right, one of the best. - He just so nice. - Best dudes ever. - And then he's, you know, I
seen him when he was six one. Because I was an inch taller than him, next time he come back, six six. He just nice right? You know what I'm sayin', like how am I gonna deal with this? (all laugh) Man. - He went from six one
to six six, that's crazy. - LA Clipper Lamar Odom
is totally different than Laker Lamar Odom. Like LA Clipper Lamar Odom was just like raw and uncut, he was goin' at everybody, cause he was our best player. He was goin' at everybody. - Definitely was like amazing. You know the thing about Lamar, I'm happy that we played together cause, when Lamar was the best, we
accepted him as the best, and he let us go to work, like he would, he let us be the best we can on his team, he coulda easily took every shot. - Oh like us too, he did us like that too. - Yeah he definitely did us the same way. - It was so easy transitions. - Very unselfish, taught
us a lot about passing, you know and proving and pushing yourself. You know and I feel when
he got to the Lakers he just, team game, rebound, he was able to adapt easy. - Easy, easily. Cause that's kinda what
he wanted to do anyway, you know I'm sayin'? - That was his natural deal. - That was his natural like feel. - Yeah you know like, what'd you say? - Who you pattern you game
after when you came up, like who was that one
person you seen like, I wanna be like that person. - Everybody try Michael Jordan. - Yeah of course Mike but like, who was that one that you thought was-- - Rodman was, Rodman
was, I like his hustle. - Love Dennis Rodman man. - You know that one poster
where he's like divin' out. - Yeah divin' out.
- Look like one of the dopest pictures ever. - And he's like, he's hustlin'. And then you hear a
story, you know and say, wow I like this guy man, and I came back and just hustled like him, you know what I'm sayin'? But then, Gary Payton
was one of my favorites, Michael Jordan, but then
everybody on the Bulls was like my favorite, but then you know, when I was tryin' to work on my game, Gary Payton, Michael
Jordan, Dennis Rodman. - Dennis Rodman, straight up. - That makes a lotta sense. - When you first met like,
how was that feelin' like-- - Mike? - Yeah when you first met Mike, like how did you feel? - Amazing, it was probably how guys feel when they meet LeBron. I was in Chicago cause I got drafted, and then like, you know
where the runs was at, the hoops? - Is this when you, this
isn't when you broke his ribs, this isn't the-- - Yeah it's the same first time. - So the same first time you met him, you broke his ribs? - Actually maybe like the fifth or sixth game I played against Michael, and it was an accident,
it was an accident. We was goin' hard, it was crazy. I was 19. - Did you get death threats
or somethin' like that? - Nah, I went to, I was
in the house for two days, I couldn't, I was... - You was depressed? (chuckles) - Michael called me yo. So the fast forward, we playin', Mike was posting me up, you
can't let Michael get the ball, at this point he's the
best player in the league. I broke his ribs, he averaging 25, he had been averaging 35,
he was out three months. So he was cookin' everybody,
you know I'm sayin'? Finlay was in there,
Stackhouse was in there, a young LeBron was in there. - This is when I used to be comin', I told him how he was cookin' with Scotty and them boys, that was when LeBron was a sophomore and Antoine brought him that time. - Oh that's what happened? - He was a sophomore, he
had the glasses still then, the little joints that go around his neck. - Wow yeah he was, you know and-- - Maverick brought 'em. - Maverick brought him, really, Maverick was there with them then? - Maverick was a little older than him but he hadn't been to college yet. - Wow, that's amazing, I didn't know that. - I was there, I played with him, I gave him a forearm on fast break. He was comin', he was cookin', he was cookin' everybody, no one could guard him LeBron James. They couldn't guard him, I'm like, I'm gettin' embarrassed,
he's embarrassing us. - He comin' out at full
speed Lebron James, I go boom, I lay him on the floor, he get up and start cookin' more, he's just tough. He's about 225 at that time. But I remember him just
bein' tough, you know? So Jordan, I was denying Jordan, Jordan was grabbin' me
like this, he hold you. And I tried to get in front of him to deny cause you can't let him catch you, and I hit him in the ribs. And I broke his ribs by mistake. And I felt bad.
- Tim was pissed. TG was pissed. - Who? - Tim Grover. - Oh really, I was goin' I couldn't-- - It like weighs on the Jordan brand like, like goin' crazy like, Mike hurts cause you done broke his ribs. - Wow. You know what man, and he called
so I was sad for two days. I was in my house, I
lived in downtown Chicago, and I couldn't get up out the bed, thinkin' about Mike, right? And he heard about this,
I was talkin' to my agent, couldn't go to practice, nothin'. And then my agent called
me like, you gotta get up. I said I can't get up,
I just broke Mike ribs, I can't believe this man. And then Mike called me yo. All right, Mike hit me, ay, who's this? Mike who, oh Michael Jordan, oh shit, and he says, yo it's all right man, don't worry about it,
it happens, it happens. And I was like, oh all right cool and I went back to play. (all laugh) I went back to play in the summertime man. First time I met Mike yo, it was crazy. - Straight up, that's
crazy, I didn't know that, I didn't know it was
the first, initial time. - Yeah. - I want to ask you about how did it feel for you when you, cause like obviously when
you first came to the Bulls, I got to watch you up close and then when you got to the point where when you were in Indiana you become a bonafide entity like, player, defensive player of the year type, and now everybody, you not just down here
on the scouting board, you featured on the scouting board, but you was out there gettin' buckets too, for you how did that feel like, as far as like from where you came from and you making it to that point? - Man yo it was crazy my dude, like got to Chicago I
knew I wasn't that good, I knew my defense was
superior, I always knew that. - Yeah. - But you know when you tryna get paid, they're not paying the best defensive. - Right.
- Yeah. - I go into a game, I get honest, I go into a game, all I
wanna do is play defense, I don't wanna do nothing else, I don't wanna rebound, I
don't wanna do nothing, so sometimes I don't wanna rebound, I have no rebounds. I knew I could be the best
player on the floor defensively. And it motivated me, so when I saw they
wasn't paying defenders, so then I started to work on my game. Cause I'm never gonna get paid. You know what I'm sayin'? And that's what made me work on my game. - Light bulb went on. - So just not even the outside stuff, suspensions and you know
salaries I didn't get, contracts I shoulda got, but I didn't, cause of what I was getting in trouble. Pacers offered me the max, you know, don't get in trouble,
we'll give you the max. I'm like yeah, and then I
just do some crazy shit, Chicago too. We want your franchise,
we'll blah blah blah. You know, and I just kept, I couldn't, money wasn't important to me. You know what I'm sayin'? I was goin' through so much, but like, but then I was still
in that gym every day, and it felt good to, I
finished sixth MVP voting after the year Jermaine, the year I got defensive
player of the year. I was number six so, I was averaging 18, I was the best defender,
so the next year I'm like, you know, get your life together, and get the MVP, and I
came back averaging 25, - Goin' to work. - I felt like I was in
position to get MVP that year, you know and we was the
best team in the league the prior year, and Jermaine shoulda got
defensive player of the year, but he was in the voting for MVP, they forgot about his defense. He was the best defender on our team. Definitely. I felt the people to them and they can't shoot over him. So you know, the next year I felt like I was definitely going
to get it, you know, and then like the brawl happened whatever, but it felt really good to say like, I was one of the best at one time. And you know you a baller, you just try to do your best, you know? And I don't get the
accolades everybody got, cause if I was in Indiana, it was my team, I was
takin' all the shots, 20 shots, 30 shots, you
know what I'm sayin'? So I could've done that for like four more or five more years. - Jermaine O'Neal is one of the most underrated players
like I ever seen in the NBA, I feel like he don't get his just due of like how good and dominant he was, like what'd you think
about Jermaine my man. - And one of the coolest dopest dudes. - Good dude. - Great dude, like that's my, that is my dude, I love JO. - And he straight outta high school, so I feel like we a fraternity over there. - South? - South Carolina yeah. - Yo Jermaine is, Jermaine like, when I was goin' through
my stuff in Indiana I was goin' through a
lot, he always reach out. Yo how you doin'? We was super competitive,
you know Jermaine, and we would clash but, after
practice he'd reach out. When he see I'm goin' through somethin'. Yo you all right? Even though we got like, it's not a beef, it's just I'm goin' through some shit. - Right.
- Yeah. - Okay I don't even, I never
even had a lunch with my mans. You know I've never
happened to have lunch, You know you have lunch with your boys. Dinner, I know y'all have
lots of dinners together. You know, and I'm just
goin' through so much, you know I don't want no lunch, I don't wanna eat. You know so it divided us a little bit, cause Jermaine got, he's
a team, he's like LeBron. - He's gon' bring dinners and, yeah. - He's like Lebron, and
he's amazing player, amazing person, he's a real leader. You know and I'm glad I'm
able to call him to this day cause we have a kind of, we didn't get to know each other, to put it quite simple. - Yeah it's a lotta players
that you come up through, especially if you play
with multiple teams, cause like we get shuffled so much like, you'll have one team one year, and then it just get changes a little bit. Especially when you got a team that oh y'all done did somethin', and then that two three players
that you kinda got rid of to add something onto, it's like, it's not the same thing you had last year. - Things can happen so fast like-- - Get your ass in the gym and work. - Stay in the gym, work, don't, just stay focused, it's
a business you know? Don't be, I show to much emotion. Like DeMarcus Cousins, like, sometimes like we gotta
understand like this is fun. This is fun.
- It's what we grew up lovin'. - You know it's fun man, you know. But I get it. - We definitely get
it, you know we get it, we been there, but it's just we older now, we be able to look at it from those places of experience and sayin' like we see what
we coulda did different, what we should've done different. And so now we can look at them and be like this is what you should do, but I get that you gotta go through this, I did some crazy stuff a couple
times here and there too, I'm not sayin' that I'm
better or above you, I'm just tryna help you, you know what I'm sayin'? - Yeah definitely man, I really enjoyed my time
back with the Lakers cause, I was able to give back
to guys like Julius, you know I'm sayin',
DeAngelo, talkin' to them and they think they hot stuff, first pick, big dough. You gotta put 'em in they place. Sometimes, and I really, and we had rough moments together. But they respect us,
comin' from a good place, like you have to be
respectful to your teammates. - Yeah absolutely. - You gotta work hard, and you
gotta respect your teammates. How many lunches did y'all have together? - Oh it's too many to even count. Literally. - What about to Lamar, how many lunches? - Countless. - Countless, wow. - Literally. - When my teammates like,
with every team that I was on, I tried to find some type of activity that I went with them to
do so we can get a bond, and so you will know look, I'm cool with you, you
know what I'm sayin'? I don't got no problems, you ain't gon' see me out here
not throwin' you the ball. - Who you chill most with, who both of y'all chill the most with? - See me personally, I
would say I was fortunate, and then I have type of personality that I'm gon' kinda gravitate to the crowd and try and do the team team, like try to bring them
together type things, so I mean on every team, I mean up in LA we was
fortunate, we was all kids. So we literally we didn't, you know how guys come to the
league with they homeboys, like we was each other's homeboys, so if you saw Darius, you saw me. - All right, of course of course. - And literally then, if you saw like, especially on the road, if
we was on the road as a team, you gon' catch at least six to seven of us goin' to dinner, goin' out. - I did go out with the
guys sometimes, I did. - And so for me, from team to team, LA I had a good group, my year in Phoenix we was
awesome, you know I'm sayin', that team we was super close knit, barbecues and everything,
hangin' out together. Then go to New York. And it's crazy, and it's chaotic, and as terrible as we were, even with that team, I
had a whole group of dudes from Eddy, to Nate, to Jamal. - Yo I got into a big problem with Iman, not Iman, Iman was very kinda
he was receptive you know? Gotta respect the team members, you gotta give handshakes
when you come out the game. All this little stuff is important, so you know, you gotta work hard, you can stop complaining, you know? - Yeah.
- And I got into a big problem with JR.
- Yeah. - Only because like, you know, when you come out the game, you gotta shake the player's hand. - Yeah. - You can never, and if you miss it, when you get back in the game, like make it up, don't, so I'm not playin', and guys is not shaking my hand on the way into the game. I'm only playing two minutes! - Yeah. - Like give me some love,
you know I'm sayin'? - Nah real talk. - So it's like little thing like that that I escalated because,
it's a small thing, but it's a big thing. You know, and it's like, those type of things certain
guys were receptive to, certain guys wasn't, and I felt like, like you said, you know, it just brings you back to mentoring and keeping guys like
positive as possible but, I feel like I did really good for JR, he won a title after that, I feel like, I feel somewhat responsible, cause you gotta be on your shit. - You know you poured somethin' into it. - To win the title, you know that. - Like goin' from the, like, goin' from like the small working teams that you was playing with in the playoffs, like the Indianas and
then you went to Houston, playing with them teams that don't have the same pressure as LA, and it was like, oh you got Ron Artest, y'all gotta win the
championship, this shit. But to have that championship, you saying, you finally
saying like oh your team bond, this is different from
the other teams that I had tryna go and win a championship, this is like, we cool, like I'm cool with Kobe,
I'm cool with Lamar, like Powell, like we a team team, we can eat together, we can talk, ain't nobody takin' nothin'
that I'm sayin' personal. It's like we cool, how did that feel like, what was that transition? - Yo, it felt good to win a trip like, we always wanna win ships when we younger, we see everything as a baller, you was nice higher level, you know, and like I wanted to win
with Indiana, you know, but I was goin' through so
much in Indiana my dude, it was crazy.
- Figurin' it out, tryna figure it out?
- Nervous breakdowns and everything, it was crazy. When I was with Chicago
it was crazy, right, and then you tryna just hide that when you get into the
game, you know I'm sayin'? And you just to play and goin' hard. But like, you know, the best team I feel I
had was the Indiana team. But I was in my best mental state in LA. - Yeah.
- Mmm hmm. - You know I'm sayin'? - It makes a difference. - I was in my best mental state in LA, and it took a while you
know, therapy and like, after the game, after
practice with the Pacers, I would see like a therapist I would go right to the locker room, the other locker room see a therapist. You know, and I was just
tryna figure it out, cause I wanted to play
basketball you know, I just couldn't, I hate losing for one. I couldn't, I was a real sore loser, and then I couldn't like let things go. - Yeah. - In my life. - Yeah. - Things come you know, you off the court, go on the court, on the court, go off the court, it was just crazy, you know how those things go. But in LA, I was like strong mentally, and it felt good to win a champ, and to finally have a shot, you know I had a big shot
to kinda seal a game. And I was just thinkin' about everything, you know at that point,
you know I got one. But then I didn't have one in Indiana. - Yeah.
- You know cause like, you know I'll be in
practices yo, just trippin'. - Yeah.
- You know I'm sayin'? And you know, they trust me with the team. Donny's sayin', you know, this is you and Jermaine team. - Yeah. - I'm in practice where
Carlisle's like sayin', this mafucker's crazy. Get this mafucker outta here. People, even Jermaine's like, yo get this mafucker outta here, they was right, I ain't gon' lie. 100% right. So I feel like I wasn't responsible, Reggie Miller was there, you know, and you look back at it like, I feel it was selfish not
to give Reggie a title, we had a chance, we had a chance. - Straight up.
- You know I'm sayin', so as a ball player, you have any respect, that's gonna make you feel bad. - Yeah.
- Right. - You know I'm sayin'? And when I won the finals on the podium, first thing I did, I had to thank him. - Yeah. - For Jermaine, thanks
to Donny Walsh, Indiana, I wanted this to be with you, real talk, let everybody know. - You had to go through somethin' just to get to this level. - Ay so wait, I definitely
gotta ask you this right? Cause we ask everybody this, but like, so when you first, and I know you said, you know, bread didn't
really matter to you, but when you, I wanna know what you did when you got some money. Like you know what we gon' like, you know not the oh I did, nah what did you do that you was like, man I did that when I got some, I been waitin' on this to go get, it's a cop that or do this, what did you do, what was your I did that? - Ay you were 6th picked, so I know you got some cheddar. - I had a little bread. I wasn't a million it was $500 grand, we think it's a million right? - Nah that's what I'm sayin', for us we great, we rich, we done, we got it, we set. - Yeah so early it was crazy for me, Imma tell you some stories. But the first thing I did
like in my hood Queensbridge, we don't know nothin' about real estate, I went in the buildings and put steps on my crib,
you know I'm sayin'? Little black leather
couch, spend like 50 grand. (all laugh) - On a couch! - Yo my dude, my dude it was crazy, I'm trippin' my house looks, it's the phattest house in the hood. You know I'm sayin? In like, two weeks, three weeks it was all fucked up. (all laugh) - Put it out on the porch. - This couch has rips here, you know... You know, so then I had to
move my family to Chicago, we went to Chicago, got a house. But to our credit, we ain't know how to take care of no house my dude.
- Straight up. - You know I'm sayin', you buy a house, you gon' pay attention to everything, how's the plumbing? Okay, how's the doorknobs? You know I'm sayin', what's goin' on? And we just said, yo all right cool, let's get that one, move my whole family, it was like, I don't know,
17 of us somethin' like that. You know and it was, you know it was like, it was a bigger house, which is fine, people still sharing. But my house burned down in Queensbridge and we lived in one bedroom,
you know like 15 of us. You know I'm sayin', so I
always felt comfortable. - You know how to make it work. - I'm a family man for real, and it was still, it's not a big contract, so you know gettin' no phat house. It was like, we paid like 235 for it, that's like dope to me! - Yeah you just did it! - So it was like, you know, I was happy man, I ain't gonna lie. I was, I thought it was more money than what it was that first-- - We all did, we all did. - Oh we cashed out. Cash out king, did you sign them upper deck cards before? - I did it. Everybody did, how much is yours, mine's worth like $25 a card. - Yeah you should get that check. - Whatever it was, I don't even remember, it was just like, they
payin' me to sign my name! - Mine was goin' up, cause it was like, I was finna be top pick. - Oh yeah. - My check was goin' up. - What was the most you signed? - My mom, my mom was makin' like, $35, like $36 thousand a year.
- Oh really? - I signed one for like $50 thousand.
- Wow. - I was like man off the side-- - One card? - Nah off of signin' 100 cards. - Oh 100 cards. - Signin' the box. I was signin' 100 cards,
I'm gettin' $50 thousand. I'm tellin' my agent,
tell 'em to send 'em all! - Send 'em all, send 'em all. - To this day! Panini, panini and whoever
like, for real like, dude you payin' me to
sign my name like, bruh. - And you wanna know like, I always wondered, cause
that's the one contract that's not exposed right? So you don't know what
nobody's signin' cards for, but you know like the Nike deal, the NBA deal, I was always wondering like, I wonder how much Kobe's
getting per card, damn! Cause like I was heavy with my, that little check I was
getting for those cards. - Hey but you already
know they givin' us that, you already know boy, you already know Bruce Wayne gettin' that bag!
- They gettin' the bag, they gettin' the bag. - Lebrons, all of them boys,
these days, they gettin'... - I really enjoy playin' with Melo too. - Aw yeah Melo--
- Did you play with Melo? - I didn't play, I got a
chance to play with him at the end of my career, so I got waved and that
was 13 by the Magic, missed basically the whole season, and got signed at the end of the season and played the playoffs with him. I mean but I knew Melo since comin' through high school, I knew, like I knew him then.
- Oh so you know him for long time. - Always been solid and
one of the best dudes, what's your take on how he, what's goin' on with him right now? - I think it's the business. It's the time. - That's it. - And you know, I played Melo, I seen him have 16 and
guard him just amazing. Guy was end of my career, I was hoping I could get off the bench, but Melo was cookin'. I'm like, shit I'm not
gettin' off the bench tonight. - He was aggressive,
he was aggressive too. - He was amazing, amazing, I feel like the only thing he coulda added was a little bit more hustle. And I think like, even
right now at veteran stage, he's still in shape so, I
think he coulda just like, hustled, dived on the floor, you know just like give yourself up, go get the title, go try to win the title. He can still play, definitely. - Yeah I think so. - And then he would keep us together, he was always, he's a good leader. He went to New York with no help, I mean I'm not gonna say no help, but no other big stars, just him. - Nah he like, outside of Omar, Omar he was first, always
wanna give Omar that credit cause he went in as a free agent and like took that on, cause everybody to me is scared of it, they scared of the New York media, scared of the fans, and you know I played there four years, so I know I'm well versed on what it is to be a Knick and how we, and you know I was there through one of the worst periods of probably Knick history, so I felt, I know what it is to
get booed in that guard and all that so, guys are afraid of that, you know?
- Yeah definitely. - They seen A Rod, how he
was not received kinda, and guys, you know these
guys wanna get they money and enjoy they money, and not be havin' to go
to the game and be booed. So for stat came up, to step up and say, psh, scared of that? And then for Melo to say, hey, to force his there like, I'm not afraid of that, and to resign like, I'm cool, I embrace all of this and
I'm not afraid of none of it, like to me those two dudes don't get the respect they deserve-- - They don't.
- For doing that. Because look what they've gotten since. And they've had chances, those two peers, people have had, they've had slots for max guys and who has taken it
up, everybody shy away. And nobody's done it but those two, and those two deserve--
- Props for that. - And when they went there, they put on! Like stat was puttin' on, they ain't have to trade
half the team to get Melo, if they had just waited til the summer. - And Melo was goin' through.
- You add Melo with Gallo, Wilson, and all of them in the book. - Yeah I didn't like the trade. - It was crazy! - And I'm from New York,
I'm a Bulls fan first, but I'm from New York, so
I'm naturally a Knicks fan. You know I'm sayin', and I didn't like that trade because, you know you're building somethin', and we gotta chance to win the title, so I don't wanna, I don't wanna discredit anybody's work, you know GMs, like it's not about that. I'm a fan first. - Straight up.
- You know I'm sayin'? And it's like, I wanna see New York, even when I'm with the
Lakers, I'm just like, damn, wanna see New York go
to the finals so bad right? - That's a true New Yorker. - You know what I'm sayin', I wanna see New York go to the finals, and I wanna win, but if we lose
it's not that bad (chuckles) - Well you know everybody
come on the show man, we like to show our appreciation, you know outside the little black bag, - Absolutely. - We gave you the special
edition Knuckleheads Hennessy, very special! - Can you buy this in the
store or somethin' maybe? - You know what I'm sayin', nah nah, hey I don't know, we get big enough, they might
have to put us into stores, you know I'm sayin', we do enough numbers. - Absolutely. - Tell them to give us some numbers. - This is so dope, so this is the type of thing you don't drink.
- Yeah you might need it, yeah yeah you go ahead, you know. - Hopefully it's more to come. - Absolutely.
- Straight up man, look. - All right man, you know what I'm sayin', y'all just got through
checkin' out Ron Ron, AKA Metta World Peace,
we wanna appreciate you. - Thank you man, thanks for havin' me. - Show our love with us man. - Bein' here with y'all, just vibin', talkin' bout old times,
it's great man to be here. I really appreciate, I
had a great time man, no question, and shout out to the podcast! It's a great vertical to be in. - You know I'm sayin', Knuckleheads, we out here tryna bring it
to y'all for the culture! - My man came through,
he kept it real today. - Cheers. - Very special. (upbeat hip hop music)
