On Purpose with Jay Shetty
On Purpose with Jay Shetty

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS: How I Survived the Hardest Year of My Life

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Karl-Anthony Towns has spent his life chasing championships, but his greatest lessons came far from the basketball court. In this heartfelt conversation with Jay Shetty, he reflects on grief, faith, f...

Transcript

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This espresso is extremely hot and we're going to fight.

Don't bend your tongue, don't bend your tongue. Take a bit, yeah, do not bend your tongue. If the alcohol in do it is not going to do it this way, you can tell you that. Hey, it's Jay. I don't know what your day's been like, but I was just thinking about you for a minute. And I hope you're being a little patient with yourself because you deserve it.

And yeah, I hope you soon. Call Anthony Towns, welcome to on purpose. What's up man, what's up? Huge congratulations. Everyone in the world is talking about this moment.

I feel like even my friends back in England. People are messaging me. I don't want to drive you up. Let's crazy. I was at game four.

Oh, okay. Yes. 29 points down. Yes. How do you remember that night?

Well, I appreciate you staying in your seat because it was a tough game. But I remember that night just.

I remember looking at Jordan and my fiance and just telling her before the game.

I feel really good about tonight. And I had a really good energy about it. I felt really good about our team. You know, we lost game three in a heartbreaking fashion. I felt really good about us responding.

I saw the shoot around. We looked very focused, prepared. You know, I felt really good going into game four. Obviously, it did not look good at a half time. I remember looking at Jordan.

I was like, maybe I was wrong in the game. And, you know, I have time just rallying the troops, telling them, you know, we've done this before. Experience teaches you a lot in life.

And, you know, a lot of times when you young, you always see people who are older than you.

Your elders and who have had experiences. And you say, well, that was yours. That's not mine. You know, you realize that we're all a lot a lot alike. And I was just leaning on that experience of last year against Boston coming back multiple times.

By 20 at their house. I was telling our guys like, think about it. We've been in the situation before and in the opponent's house. We got our fans behind us and we have a chance to still swing for the fences. And trust our experience.

So we found a way to get the job done.

I'll never forget OG, tip in the ball back in case the right hand of God man.

Was it a relief seeing him do that? Or was that like, no, it sounds like you watched a game. I was ready to dunk it. We had two offensive rebounds ready to happen in OG, man. So he's always been special.

And I always tell him even games not going his way.

OG and I know be always in the fourth quarter. Finds a way to make his presence known. And he did exactly that. But when you were saying that at half time, were you saying that to each player? Look in the middle.

You're like, you know, you're in the locker room and just speaking out loud. And everyone just looking at me and just talking. You know, just understanding the situation is. We're down 29 plus, you know, down 25 plus points 29 points. It can't get any worse.

And at the end of the day, we had the experience of being down. 24, I believe in Boston and coming all the way back and getting the game. So it's going to take that one special play at the end of the win the game. Because once you fight back, you still got to make that one play. Last year, both games was, McHellbridge is getting a stop getting a steal.

And this year, it was an offensive play with OG. You said this. This idea that this is such a life changing moment. Yeah. I don't believe it will.

Coachman, what's the most surprising thing about being a champion now?

Like, what is the most surprising thing about this moment that you wouldn't have known. Until now when you're living it when I said earlier hearing that champion that champion. Like, I don't even know how you want to say it moniker. You want to say whatever like that. Like, to hear that next year name is something.

You know, I've ever think you're going to hear in your life. Not me as a competitor.

I felt my championship was always on the way.

But I thought it was going to be on my timing. It was on God's time. And when I got my championship. When I say that when I was younger, you never think you're going to make the NBA. You never know if you have a chance.

I was just hoping they get a college scholarship. That was always the goal. Just get a college scholarship and find a way to save my parents all that money in college. I found myself here. And the thing that's so surprising with winning a championship is something life has taught you.

And I think you'll understand this is your whole life. You see something and you see this goal and you set this goal. And you run towards this goal with all your might, all your will, all your strength. And then you finally get to it. And the moment goes by so quick.

And next year, you know, you're like, what's next? We won the championship on Saturday. We flew back home Sunday morning. We flew right after the game. And by Sunday afternoon, I'm like, what's next?

You know, what's what are we doing here like? There's no more basketball to be played. I still worked out after winning the championship. I was like, I can't stop. Like, there's no way you could tell me after being so locked in and turned up about playing basketball.

That I could just turn down and unlock myself back to the real world. It was it was something I can't comprehend. And any NBA player basketball player football player professional athlete.

I think they understand what I'm going to say, which is it's that first week ...

That is so tough because you got to an essence find yourself again. You know, it's not as easy as it sounds to just, oh, well,

just going vacation is the vacation first two days.

It feels awkward to be there because it may be it's like a for us. It's all start break. It's a two day break. You know, through sometimes in the regular season, you get three days between a game. And maybe you're like in Orlando, you're in, you know, you get to go to Disney World,

which are family and stuff where you're in Houston. And you get to go golfing and you get to go, you know, enjoy some sun or something like that. But like the first couple days is it's very, it's very weird. And I haven't even really started my off season because yesterday was the parade.

Yeah, exactly. But you know what I'm saying? So I feel for me on Monday, I'm going to really have a tough time. Not waking up to go to the court to play basketball. Not waking up to go lift heavy in the weight room.

Not used to seeing my teammates, my brothers. You know, we have accomplished a high as goal possible. But now we all have to separate to go live our lives. You know, and take care of our kids, our family. You're so aware of that, though, I feel like some people,

we're not going through that. And athletes have spoken to them. They think about it years later. Yeah. But you're so aware now, how are you trying to slow it down,

experience it, celebrate, be still for this moment, right?

Well, I mean, anyway, who watched the parade, you see, I was definitely in the moment and I was living in it. But I do think even with the parade, like, there's a difference between living in the moment and getting lost in the moment. And I found myself living into the point I lost myself in the moment.

I was having so much fun. I was enjoying the moment seeing the crowd, seeing the jubilation of the fans, seeing a lot of people, too, like, finally give me the greatest currency in New York, which is respect.

And just seeing them being able to give me that respect at the pinnacle of the mountain. I was losing myself in the moment, just watching these people, and just being so happy that, you know, as any person you at the top of the podcast game,

you just want to be respected for what you do, you know? And to finally get that respect, to finally have people appreciate my craft. It was a really cool feeling. I got like myself lost in the moment,

because that respect for my craft hasn't always been there in my career.

And these are one of those few moments where I get to really sit back and allow the fans to show me the love and respect I've worked for so hard for. This episode is presented by State Farm. We spend so much energy becoming the best version of ourselves, building better habits, showing up more fully, embracing mindfulness.

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Living in the moment lost in the moment, I'll never forget that.

And yeah, you deserve the respect man. As we do on this podcast, I love going backwards because I'm fascinated by how people became who they are. And I wanted to ask you, what's the childhood memory you have that you think defines who you are today?

I had to go on a walk with my dad. First of all, that is not normal. So I was like telling my dad, like I'm a young kid. I have the whole world behind me in basketball. This next basketball prodigy, been on covers of magazines and everything.

And I remember where there was a guy. He had asked to work me out and drove down. He's one of the top gurus of workout trainers in the world. And he was working out. He was working me out and he was trying to mold my game more

into the traditional sense of a big man back in the day. You know, back to the basket. Get to these elbows, boxes. Really, that's it. Well, me and my dad understand the vision I had for myself and my dad had the vision and I wanted to do that

because this whole model is I want to make sure you have all the skills

that a coach can never sit you.

He was the coach. So he was like, you, I'm going to give you the skills to make sure I can never not play you. You know, working on my guard skills, shooting three ball, you know, dribbling, being able to recognize different defenses at different places

on the court, being able to be a three level score. That wasn't something that my size people were supposed to be doing. I was going to be back to the basket. Hook shots fade, you know, maybe a fade away. If you're like super talented on KG, Tim Duncan off the backboard,

Dirk Nvitsky with the one leg. And I could see his game was trying to model me more after that. And I had a vision for myself that I would be the first of my kind. Well, and I'm a young kid. I think I was 7th grade, 6th grade.

And I remember telling my dad one time, like, let's take a walk.

It's the same house my sister lives in an hour. And then we took a walk around the block. And I know how my dad is a very prideful man takes, you know, he's the head of the household. And everyone's intimidated by him.

Except my mom didn't give me a hand.

And I just took a while with him. I was like, dad, listen, I appreciate you wanting to do the best for me. I know this guy has the accolades and the credentials to say he would be better than you training me. But he wants to work out with me. He wants to work me out as a player because of the time we put in together.

Because he sees something special on what we've done. I don't think he's the man for the job because no one understands the vision I have for myself. More than you.

And I think that we've gotten here and been highly successful doing it to the world together.

And I don't see why we should stop doing that when you're the one who got me to this place. And you're the one that understands and believes in the vision that I have. And I remember walking my dad and I know he was going to react. He could be very like, no, like this guy is the one he's this and this and this and this and that. But my dad looked at me and I felt like, you know, I'm older now.

And obviously the vision we had was the right vision. I think he just looked at me and it was so proud because. One I was willing to have a tough conversation with him of all people who everyone runs away from having that combo from coach towns. But I think he could see that I was very serious that I believed in him more than I believe than anyone else. And I think when he saw that he was like, you don't have to say anymore.

I'll take it from here call the guys like, hey, I appreciate you working my son out giving him a chance to see what you do and stuff. But I think we're going to go a different direction. How old were you? I think I was seven grade. Wow.

Yeah, I was like seven grade. And I was just like, I seen it and look at it now. If I would have done that. I don't know if I would have been the player I am today. I've done something and NBA hasn't been done before and shooting wise and with the guard skills.

And those skills and that vision has led me finally to a NBA championship.

So that was that was big and the small moment I always I think of.

I've never said this before, but my mom was big into birds.

She was big into parakeet. It's a small story, but it means a lot. I remember one day she was clean in a bird cage and everything like that. And the bird cage was open. And she said, hey, don't close the door.

I'm young. I always listen. But you know how it is. You know, like the I can see the bird. The bird's never going to be that much quicker than me.

I mean, I'm cat cat like reflexes. They never thought of that. And I remember I opened the door to go outside just to run around. And I let the door open and the bird flies out. I said, oh my god, I let down the one person in the world.

I never want to let down, which is my mom.

Love my dad, the deaf, but my mom is everything. And my mom looked as she goes. She didn't show not one sense of anger. It was like, ah, the bird had better places to be anyway. Wow.

And that's beautiful. And I felt upset because I didn't want to let her down. And that's how I even today. I never want to let my brothers down. I would let my teammates down.

My mom approached that situation was such calm and relax. And forgiven this that that one moment showed me a lot about, especially doing this job, this craft. It's okay to forgive people. It's not okay to forget, but it's okay to forgive people.

So they do not own any capacity of your life.

And in doing that when she had that story, I learned how important it is to not hold the grudge.

And that you truly control how much the situation dictates your life. And if something small and something so, it was seem so insignificant, but that led to the conversation about losing material items. She was telling me how my grandfather gave her a watch. And it was a goal watch.

Didn't care about the brand. It was just nice. She was just like, I went to the beach. I put the goal watch down on the thing. I went to the water.

I came back. The towel and everything was there. But the goal watch was in the sand and they couldn't find it. And she said, ah, my grandfather had told her like, if you have ever lost something, it's not meant to be yours.

And she was like, I've always believed that,

that instead of me crying and getting upset about losing something and everything like that, it just wasn't meant to be mine anymore or wasn't meant to be what it is anymore. And I just saved myself a lot of anguish and pain and things like that. I just simply letting it go. Yeah.

You got the mug background. Yeah, it is. No, it's powerful. I didn't realize you were a philosopher too. No, no, no.

It's powerful. I love it. I'm a man. I'm just man walking the path.

No, but you're walking it.

Noticing. I've been thinking a lot about that recently. Like we talk a lot about presence. We talk a lot about being in the moment. But really, it's people who notice things.

At these small moments, these small things people say. The little thing that your mom just said to you on the side, but it becomes something that you carry in your heart.

What do you do now when you feel like you're letting people down?

Like whether it's your teammates, people that you love. Do you even go through that or do you feel free from that? I just do everything in my power to capitalize on the present. You know, I think when you let people down, it's because, you know, one, it just wasn't your day.

And, you know, every one of your brothers and everything will notice that. But, too, it's more of the fact that sometimes people get caught up in the future.

And the future never happens without the present.

And the past is already done. So they ain't nothing to get back from it. So I always just stay in the present. I'm big about staying in the present. Coach Calapario always told me to hold us when we was there at college.

We're one of the greatest college teams ever assembled those. You will never have a room of talent. Like the way I have the talent in this room right now. You will never have another room. You guys go to the NBA.

You'll never be have this amount of talent in one room ever again. So enjoy this moment, capitalize on this moment. Don't let it slip by without being thankful for this.

And I've always thought of that.

I've always thought of that. And then goes back to what you said. Just noticing things and actually listening. You know, I've really listened to what people say in the way they act. The way the energy they present to us, to me, my wife.

And it's so powerful when you stay in the present. You have a very hard time of letting people down because you really were there. And you were giving everything you had to make sure that present was taken care of. And then the future would be taken care of. Yeah.

So I just always stay in the present regardless of this conversation. It's me at brunch with my fiance wife. I like saying a wife. The honestly just sounds like we got to get past that part. With my wife just having brunch or being with my dad, being with my sister, her niece.

My niece and nephew, being at a baseball game with his baseball games and stuff. I'm real present about putting the phone away and everything and really truly enjoying family time. I still grew up on appointment TV time with my family and my sister.

So I appreciate those moments of pure silence because my life is full of noise.

So I appreciate those moments when I get to really just disconnect from the world and truly have that one on one time. Yeah. I love that. I can tell when you can see it just in your presence from the moment you walked in the room. Yeah.

You can feel that when someone comes in and I think slows down around the day where they are. Yeah. I feel like athletes have to have it to be a successfully. Yeah. Everyone's so wired differently.

You know, and I think a lot of times when people misunderstand people, they keep saying they have to believe in exactly what they believe in. Like, and if they don't believe in that, they're wrong. They're not wrong. They're just wired differently. Like, I'm a man of people.

I'm a man on a mission to just spread love to everybody. Because people believe in New York, Nick's basketball or because they believe in how I feel about politics and stuff.

I actually've had some of the best conversations with people who don't agree with what I think.

And just being able to sit like this, no mics, no cameras, no lights. And just really just, I just want to hear them out. I think it's fascinating to hear why people think the way they do. And you'll find a lot of times where a lot alike. And they just haven't had a person who has a different mindset or a different approach to the situation to just calmly speak to them and a loving manner of just having a simple conversation.

And you find a lot of things are miscommunications in the world that just are being refused to be talked out. I fully agree with you. I think that the challenge we've created in the world is we judge before we ask. Yes. We assume before we reflect, we choose to make a conclusion on someone before we even have the context of walking a mile in their shoes.

And it's so easy to live that way, but actually create so many complexities moving forward. For you, did you ever doubt yourself on the way to the NBA? Was there a moment of insecurity, a moment of, I might not make it?

To be honest, my confidence was always driven by my, my support to some of my family.

I thought I wasn't going to make it. I always believed that anything that the success I would have while making it would be determined by how much I wanted to work. So I wasn't going to allow anyone to outwork me because I've seen how my parents struggle that I've seen how they work nine to five and was able to put food on a table. I always, you know, I'm blessed that maybe I didn't have millions of dollars growing up, but on a silver spoon, but what I did have was a ton of love and that's more currency than anything you could get in the family.

You know, I had so much love in my family that that's all I ever needed. I felt to be wealthy was just just love and I never doubted myself at all.

Not one bit, even to this day.

I never doubted that the championship wasn't coming my way, but like I said, I thought the championship will come on my time.

And it was going to come on my time. What was your time? What was your time? This was the first five years I would have loved you. I thought I could get one of Minnesota right away, and I thought, "Oh my time, I would be getting this championship and God had on the plans." And I had to slow down and trust his timing.

And once I slow down and I said, "I'm on your timing. I'm not going to push what I want to happen." I'm sitting right now with the championship, Monica, and it's pretty cool. Talking about family, you've spoken about how important it is to you. I also know, and I'm so sorry for your loss, but you lost eight family members during COVID. And you were even hospitalized yourself. And my dad, my dad actually survived with my mom, so.

How did you even begin to process that? What was going through your heart and mind when you were going through it?

I mean, I think the whole world was going through a epidemic we've never been through.

I've never seen me or kind of nobody in the streets. Nobody was, you know, the pictures were insane. And it looked like I am legend, truthfully. Yeah. I just feel like my life has built me up to be so mentally tough. And it was never about raw raw and screaming and yelling.

People, I've always felt my leadership style was served in leadership. I'm here to serve others. That's literally when I'm at my best. Because when I get to serve others, whether that's with kindness, love, or a basketball being able to give them an assist, to be able to pick them up, be able to score the basket. So whatever mistake they made is covered up, like I've always felt my style of serving leadership.

I was just built up mentally to be able to withstand these kind of punishments. And nothing could have prepared me for that.

And watching my mother lead the household and watching my father demand respect and gain respect.

And being able to be tenacious with his competitive attitude, competitively. I knew I could go at this challenge of stepping into the head of the household, stepping into taking care of my father, stepping into her shoes. As a competitor, I wanted to do the best job I could do to match her.

Because I never thought I could win, but I never thought I was going to lose.

So I was just more of like, I could do this. And I knew from watching her so I've close for all these years, I knew how she approached different situations, how she to care of people, my grandmother, her mom, my father, my sister, and certain situations, and being able to understand the meaning of love from her, because they would appropriately show that love to people, show that love to our family,

and step into her shoes of taking care of the household, being the head of it. And I feel like I'm doing a great job. I feel like I'm making her proud. And I just continue to stay in the present. It's a challenge every day.

It's a challenge every single day to make sure everyone is feeling at their best. You tragically lost your mother that time. And I wanted to ask, like, did you, because of his COVID, I lost people during COVID. I couldn't even go back to see him.

Did you get any last moments with her, were you able to be there with her?

I got to talk to her on FaceTime before I had to make that decision of pulling the plug. I definitely, I went and saw her personally with the hazmat hoop and saw I walked in the room. I fixed her hair. I made sure her toenails look good. She looked fabulous from the eyebrows right before everything.

And yeah, just watched her face. And just make sure she was comfortable as possible. And I had my final conversations with her and talking to her and everything like that. And it was a crazy feeling. It was crazy because it was, you know, I felt we had real conversation with she didn't say a word back to me.

But I felt like energy always, always travels. You know, and I just remember being there right before there. I remember being on the phone with my fiance now and my wife and Jordan and asking her what to do in these situations like when she was with her father. And she gave me kind of like some tips and just kind of letting me know it's going to be okay.

And that's when I went upstairs in the hospital and saw her for the last time. It was one of those things that like, I didn't get lost in the moment. I was living in the moment, but the moment was very, it was heavy. It was a very heavy moment, especially it was COVID. So they didn't allow my father to go up there and now my sister to go up there.

I was the only one person they all picked me to go. It was one of those moments. It was tough conversations. And it was like conversations that I appreciated that. I was always talking about staying in the present that I got to tell her a bunch of things alive.

When she was cognitive about a lot, so we talked about everything.

There was only one thing we really never got to talk about.

And I used that moment kind of the top to her about it. And I'm glad I didn't. It worked out. Can you share what that was? I actually told her, I said, you know, I have this friend of mine.

She's been helping me with all this stuff.

I've never introduced you properly to her.

I know her friends. I don't know what life has for us, but, you know, let me know if this is supposed to be something that is going to happen or will happen. But I know when you step into that next life and the next realm, you'll look out for me and you'll let me know if this is the right situation to come into my life possibly. What? What is this seven years later?

Are getting married this all right? And you felt like an inner. I don't know. I just my gut has been so good at telling me about life. And I feel because I've lived the right way.

I'm not saying I'm perfect in any sort of fashion, but I've tried, and that's more than enough than what God asked for all of us is to try. And I try. I don't know. I just felt like I didn't want to leave any stone unturned.

So, I was the only thing I feel like we never got to talk about.

And even like her opinion, just like, you know, friends.

Like, you know, just a meter or say, I, because me and Jordan had never been in that level ever.

And it was like weird for us to hug, even if we're like two and a half years. So, like I said, I don't want to leave anything unturned. You live in the present. Don't think about the future. I just, I'd rather let you know and you'll let me know of the situation as something.

And I guess you was pushing it to happen because everything aligned up perfectly and now we're getting married. So, obviously is the right one. I can't imagine how hard it is also to make the decision. I think when we're losing people we love, we want to hold on to them. Yeah.

And so, as you said, to pull the plug and let go of the person you love, that must be like a terrifying decision. How did you even make sense of it? I didn't. I don't know if I did. I tried everything.

I tried every other route than that. I would have taken her in any condition. It didn't matter if we needed to change our lives around for her or whatever the case may be. I would have done anything. But I don't think there was a way she was going to have a meaningful recovery.

You know, I don't think that she was actually going to make it regardless.

So, it's tough when you have to make those really tough decisions or we're not talking about either going to vacation here or there.

Or do you eat this or that for dinner? I'm talking about like the true life and death decision. You know, either you have to be willing to have death of your ego or, you know, you got to have a death of opportunity. And I picked the death of my ego for the best of her. How does decision?

Yeah.

You said that your mom always knew how to make the celebration special.

Yeah. The big moments. Yeah, she did. What kind of things did she do? My birthday was one of them and she made them feel so grand.

And it was so simple, but it was just so much because of the energy she brought to it. Yeah, she did an amazing job of just making all those moments feel so special. And, you know, now with, you know, Jordan, we try to kind of mimic that energy for a lot of things, especially. And that's how we approach people's birthdays or like she has enough you and lake that we love to celebrate. My niece and nephew.

I love to celebrate their birthdays and special moments and stuff like that. I'm just fortunate. Now, especially winning a championship in New York that I get to be closer to my family and jersey. My niece and my nephew, my sister. It gets a little easier to do something, you know, when they're growing up and stuff.

I'd see you with an easy to show up at the little league baseball game. It's easy to show up at a dance recido. It's easy to do that. So I'm just trying, like I said, I'm just stepping into her shoes trying to do as much as I can. That she would done for us.

I can relate to her saying to my mom used to remember we didn't have a lot growing up on my birthday. I'd get the like one thing I wanted. As a surprise or a Christmas, the one thing I wanted and it's probably one of my favorite memories with my mom of just like how she'd know exactly what I wanted. She'd figured out she'd find a way to surprise me.

And I want to ask you, what do you think your mom would say to you if she was here right now and seeing you become the champion that you are?

Well, I think first she would say you didn't drink more. She would be so happy. She would just be definitely hugging me up kissing me a ton, just say how proud of she is of me and how awesome this is. And I don't know. I just feel like it would have been really cool to see how she would have reacted at the parade.

I feel like she would have ran off the float. I started running with the people. So I feel like she would just be super proud. I feel like she would be emotional. So I feel like a lot of it would just be her crying and being super excited and just enjoying these moments of,

of, I laugh when I say it, but it is funny.

My sister hearing this one laugh where she really didn't drink more.

It's a celebration where we got to go even harder.

You got to find a way to do more. I found more happiness with this championship and game one. Before the game started, I found more happiness than I found in the rest of the series. Really? Why? Because I felt her presence so strongly and I, and I yearned for it so bad.

That was probably the best moment. And you would think it would be the moment right after winning, celebrating, screaming and stuff. You would think it would be the right hand tip in by the OG.

I think it was before game one started in the 20 minutes on that court before we had to go back to our, to do the national anthem.

I felt such a presence that it was just so obvious that it had to be her. And I've yearned for that moment ever since she passed more than the championship. And when I got that moment, I felt so at peace. And I felt, I just kept smiling because it was something. I, I feel like we were having our own like dance, but we weren't saying in a words.

And I just felt the presence and it was, when I said that at the end of game one, it was real. Like I just was having fun. I know I got competitive, you may not see me smiling a lot, but I felt very comfortable. I felt very at peace. And that was one of those moments.

And I don't want to diminish the value of winning a championship. It's the one of the best feelings ever for like. That's super natural. That's something that I can't explain the value behind that. Like when you say it's one of the best feelings in the world, there's a value associated.

There's no as priceless. Like that's so rare you get one of those moments. It's like her appearing in a dream. I'd wake up and cry after that. And that moment of feeling of that presence, like that was special.

How did you know it's in feeling of presence? It was so calming. It just felt like the music felt like the best music ever. Drilling the basketball felt just so useful.

Like it, it felt like I had just played basketball for the first time.

I fell in love with it again. And our presence was felt, I just, it was cool.

The music felt like the best music I ever heard.

I felt like tame and pollen, black coffee candy. Mediatirum yoga jogging isn't exciting. Really? I'm really excited about my story, Tota. Steuja? How do you feel about this story? Yeah, I have a lot of time to get over 1000 euros.

Do you have any connections or exes? No, just like Steuja. Wow, and that's really cool. The taste is almost automatically. I feel like I'm so happy.

I'm so happy. Hold your money, Tota. Upgab of Frist 130 years ago. What? I'm so excited about this story.

Oh, yeah. *music* Of course, I'm so excited about this story. I'm so excited about this story.

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What you just said is the exact reason I started this podcast.

I wanted to space that people could come and talk about their purpose. Talk about who they were, more than what they did. Talk about the human behind the high performance and talk about the heart behind the championships and the winds. I actually saw an interview I was about to go on stage.

This is eight years ago before I wanted to show Tom Brady was speaking before me. He was being interviewed and I was backstage waiting to go on stage. And the interviewer just kept trying to talk about meaningful things. And the interviewer just kept saying, "Talk about the rings, Tom, talk about the rings." And you could tell that Tom was trying to talk about meaningful things.

And he just wasn't allowed. And I was like, "Oh, got it. We just want people to be this way." What we think is 2D version of who they are and not letting them be there. So I appreciate you putting up so much because as I'm listening to him,

this is why we started this. For you to be able to say that. Yeah, yeah.

And I hope it helps a lot of people to because a lot of times mental health is real.

And I also think a lot of times people just want to be hurt.

And they never really feel hurt because people are never willing to actually say the real things.

They want to come out and podcast and stuff like that and be cool. What is cool and cool? You know, don't care, relax, chill. Oh yeah, you know what? Well, Jay, you know what I'm trying to say. I do this. I do that. That's it, man.

And like, not like we really people and we really have different ways we got to this point to this story. And all these seats have stories and all these seats have a reason why the person is the person in. Just takes a little bit of time just to be able to like let them open up and explain why they are the way they are. You've talked before about this idea of how you didn't want to go to therapy because you weren't ready to talk and then you just be sitting there.

Has as you're viewing that change, is that helping therapy is great. I just think that for me therapy wasn't what I needed in the conventional sense. Yeah, I got therapy looks good. Yeah, I got therapy in a different way. I got therapy in someone I really trust someone I call like a sense. Oh, aren't you candor? He's the head of magic of the Orlando magic health sports side.

Oh, cool. And they're PT, you know, the health and strength conditioning. He's the head of there and he's always been like a sense to me. He was best friends with my mom as well.

My dad, they talked all the time. He's always been like a second father to me.

I just kind of leaned on him for those really hard-hitting questions because I'm able to be open with him. I'm able to tell him any little thing in my life and feel it's safe. And I didn't think I needed the conventional of getting a therapist in the city in Minnesota. It's sitting down doing that when I could just go in my office, call Arnie and allow him to like hear my thoughts and give me honest feedback and maybe things. And we've had really deep conversations.

And some really dark, some just saying how I'm doing like think really good. And he's been a, he's been vital for me just in my life because he was doing this before anything even when she was here. I didn't think therapy the conventional way was good for me. I didn't think it would be as beneficial as having already someone I trusted that I was willing to really spill my heart out to and understood that my heart was not going to be the cup wasn't going to be given to someone else for their benefit.

It was a true, I'm a hear you out like a son and I'm going to give you an unbiased opinion and I'm going to give you a monk opinion as well. So I was, I was appreciative for him. I talked to him a lot. He's like a second dad to me. And it was one of those things.

So I think therapy is great. And I think a lot of people miss the opportunity to really step outside

with less baggage. I had the opportunity to speak to Kobe Bryant. Kobe would talk about Phil Jackson and it's like that kind of mentorship. It's actually quite special to sports. Yes.

I find like athletes when you find like the right coach. Yeah. Even the way you're speaking about your coaches and yeah. It is like what you've learned over time. It's a special relationship.

I think the majority of the world who don't have coaches or people in their l...

Like in all the careers you don't have that.

Yes. And that's why I think it becomes a therapist is a great option because like you said,

there's certain people you run into in life that are just wired differently and able to do some special things. They have special talents. That's why we're all the top of our game. And they have special talents that utilize them the right way can take you to another level. I feel like RNA special talent was relationships and his ability to listen and come back a different mindset. And he's very, you know, he spent time with the monks. He's been, yeah.

You know, has the Catholic background, Christian background, budistic background. Very like natural based everything like the ground is that the soil like everything's like a lot. If you've got to be very respectful of everything. When I leave, he's the reason when I leave whole town rooms, I think the whole town room for allowing me to live in the whole town room. Like little things like that like that mindset and I just, but I'm forever grateful for him.

What I love about that is you just when you expect it. Yeah, that's the prize. You've been grateful to a hotel room.

Yeah, literally. And that's in Jordan when she is like, she was like, when we first went to a hotel, she was like, who are you talking to?

I was like, oh, you're saying it out loud, too. Yeah, yeah. I say it out loud. So, you know, thank the room. I thank you for allowing me to live in here. Thank you for blessing this energy and this time and walk on close the door. Let's talk about Jordan because you're mentioning the whole town. Yeah, yeah. Let's talk about how you met. How did you actually over? Oh, no. No way, literally. And I like, just you do.

Yes, it was me, me, her and my friend, Chuckie. Okay. I'd be bored with them. You did. No one time. And she beat you since? No comment. Who made the first move? Who was like, she's going to say in a way it was me and I was, and she knows damn sure it was her. She made the first move. So obviously, it was, I guess in a way, it was mutual.

You're talking about earlier before when we started this idea of like, how, you know, you don't see relationships lost that long way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And be a player with a woman that's heavily involved in Hollywood and everything like that doesn't ever seem like a recipe that works. What makes it look for you guys? How have you found it? Because we wanted to work in our whole relationship was based off a friendship of two and a half years of no romantic, no anything. It was just strictly platonic, like how we're just great friends. We vibe with each other.

We know that we're here for each other.

I think, you know, just for us, it's always fun. We truly do enjoy each other's presence.

And we do love hanging out with each other with doing nothing, you know, simple.

I think that's what makes a special relationship when you truly enjoy each other's presence.

But it's more of a friendship. Like, I enjoy just hanging out doing nothing. We don't even have to say a word to each other, but she could be watching TV. I could be on my phone playing a game where she could be on her phone playing a game. And I'm watching YouTube and none of us complain about anything. We're just happy to be next to each other. So it's really cool.

What's one thing she's taught you and one thing you've taught her? She's taught me a lot. And I think one of the greatest things she taught me was how good she is. But I would say it from a real aspect of emotional everyday living. She's really taught me how boundaries can be safe. They don't have to be so aggressive when you hear a word boundaries.

You think it's an aggressive block. But she makes it seem that you have healthy boundaries that work for everybody and make you feel good as well. I think I'm a patient person. I feel like she's helped me understand patients as a good thing as well. Because sometimes I am very patient and she's very patient.

So we both could kind of like get something that allows me to like take that competitive edge of when she gets on patient and be like it's okay just relax. I think for me to her, I believe she would say just through all the bad that the life throws at you and all the obstacles and the trials and tribulations.

She always talks about how I bring that youth into an energy and to a room where it doesn't seem like things are so bad.

And just kind of keeping it very cheerful and positive and you fool. I think that's really what she loves is that you know, I kind of make her bring that inner child back out even at the age that we are now where it doesn't have to be so serious. Like we're in Target. Let's go have a lightsaber fight around Target. You don't have to get away with that.

Minnesota is not New York. So are we doing stuff like that or putting her in a car and shopping cart in Target and just doing laps around Target? Just stupid kid stuff you would do and you know, now that we finally found each other in this world and we found each other at this time.

We don't have to act older because we met older.

Yeah.

You know, we can still bring that youth back into our lives and just little things like that.

I love hearing that by the way, I mean, it sounds beautiful and I'm so happy that you guys get married. Dude, I feel like her orange bag became its own old style. Oh, yeah. That's the greatest. That may be the greatest clothing article ever.

That may be one of the greatest things in New York history for sure as to be the greatest bag ever made a greatest piece of article of clothing ever. I mean, it must be up there with like George Washington coming to America and established in America. And established in a United States. It's it's something special and needs to be in our end of museum here. Is she willing to give it up for a museum?

I mean, that's that's like one of the greatest pieces of ever. So I mean, what a googanheim has to do it. I would feel like googanheim has to be the best place. I mean, Smithsonian is like up there with like dinosaurs and stuff.

So how did you feel when she couldn't get it in to the game?

Well, obviously Trump came. You know, I knew it was real when my teammates said, She's going to still bring the bag. No, what teammates were still asking about the bag. So did it feel hard that day when she couldn't bring it in?

It was just off for the day was off. You don't see the bag. You know, you can't really drive into MSG. You got to go up to a hotel and then drive in with a bus and you're used to just driving yourself into MSG. So it was just a weird day.

It was different. It's crazy that the bag had done much power. Right, the bag. The bag has all the power. I'm giving all credit to the bag.

Was by Jordan bag. Got it done. I'm not going to lie to you. Tell me another piece of clothing, right? I think it's an article of clothing that you've ever seen have that consistent of a result.

Like, I don't know. I can't think of anything. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, like, think about it. That was by Jordan bag went through the greatest comeback in finals history.

It went through in an Eastern Conference finals came back again from 20 plus, which is the largest comeback I think. Yeah. It went 13 what 13. Well, if you count the game, we didn't the game.

We lost.

Did she never bring the bag.

So what, that's 15 games in a row. One, still counting what's the bag there? Because next year, we go and do it again. I'm glad your teammates agreed to. That's the part that was funny.

You know how crazy it is to get men to agree on a woman's bag being that lucky. Like, that never happens. Like, JB, JC, OG, Josh.

Everybody was like, yo, is the bag going to bake it?

Like, we had to find a way to do this. Who is the bag now? Is it safe? That bag is resting. The Jordan sets it to see. She's resting.

She's, she's right now. I'm going to enjoy her off season. I, I think she's going to retire. I think she's going to retire on top. She's going to hand a memo in like Michael Jordan and just be like, I'm done.

It's over. We have to find a new one for me too. No, I know. This episode is brought to you by Amazon Health AI. We've got to talk about those panicked internet searches.

You know the ones that I'm talking about. When something about your body just doesn't seem right. So you search and search and scroll and scroll and trying to figure out your body by endlessly looking for answers. Thankfully, now there's Amazon Health AI. It can connect your symptoms with your medical history,

and it can even get you care 24/7. So call off the search. Amazon Health AI is here. Health care just got less painful. How did it feel when you're actually being traded from Minnesota?

It was a wild moment. I was wild moment, especially when I seen everybody that morning. So it was a wild thing. I would say to honest feeling at the moment was I was shocked that my career in Minnesota ended like that. Like no warnings, no signs. No one in NBA knew it was not a murmur whisper and nothing.

Just in the dark happened. And usually you know, you think you'll see the ending. You'll see the end of the book. You know, and I didn't know the book was ending on me. And I was the one that was part of it.

I thought I was the author and I became the character in the book. So I was kind of shocked that my career was ending. I remember being told to my house that I go to my office. I see my achievements in Minnesota. And I was like, that's just how it ends.

Just to snap at a finger you'd done by got to go.

And that's why I was, it was a weird feeling.

And I look back at it now. And of course, I wanted to win a title there. I wanted to be there to rest in my career. I made it clearly clearly known that I wanted to do that. But maybe I had to go and get traded somewhere else.

Maybe I had to go somewhere so I could show my true value and true worth to the world. And I'm just honored that New York gave me a chance to do that. And I'm glad I was able to repay that belief with a championship.

Yeah, we always hear that phrase like rejections is redirection.

Yeah. And I'm like, you're living it, right? Yeah. And I'm feeling like, yeah, I love what you just said. Like, from going from being the author to being the character.

But then the character gets to go and write a new story. The character, the character found the, he got a sequel to the book.

If I wasn't going to be the author, I wanted to make sure I was the main char...

And the character was actually driving the story. And I thought it was, it's a humbling thing. It's a humbling thing to be able to look back at it now. And smile about what happened. Got the championship.

I was able to be back home. I was able to be with my mom's mom and stuff like that. But I would be lying if there's not a bit of sweet feeling that it wasn't. You know, at Target Center holding that trophy.

Having the parade down first half over there and seeing the Minnesota fans.

I raised me since I was a kid, you know, and to see me now as a man. Um, not be able to bring that to them that that does bring me some pain. And so maybe one day. I wouldn't know. I don't think so. I don't know what life got from me.

I only say it's on God's timing. I don't, well, no. I'll see what he has planned for me. Tell me about who has who made you feel most welcome at the nicks. JB and everyone really welcomed me a lot.

OG was very welcome.

I remember he was the first person I got to like, he invited me over to his house.

And that was ain't, but I like talked to him. So I was not aware OG didn't talk because my first day with OG. We had a great conversation as we were laughing and talking. I only realized when we got the training camp. I was actually to be like, wow, he does not talk.

But he talks to me a bunch. So they were really welcome to me. Of me in and I think what was also great was, you know, earning a respect of them as a man and as a player from afar. I was able to walk in and be myself right away.

And then, and I feel like I had to be like, like, I was stepping on toes or anything like that. But obviously it's an adjustment. You know, I didn't know everybody there. I hadn't, I only knew Matt Ryan was the only teammate I had in Minnesota.

So we had familiarity with each other, but everyone else was new to me. You know, TJ Warren, you know, I've known a while. So I kind of felt familiar.

But I never really got to know Josh Hart for Josh Hart.

I never knew got to know OG. And ever jailing in me have a lot of ton of respect from far away. Not actually as teammates as hanging out. So it was great. It was great to like, feel that welcome energy.

And it was great to be able to be allowed to affect change right away, especially with the way my season started last year. We have a fun game we made for you. Okay. This is called the court side stress test. Okay.

You're not a stressed out guy. So it might be called the court side excitement. Okay.

So what you have to do is on a scale of 1 to 10.

You have to tell me how stressed or excited you were to have this person court side. Okay. Oh, this is a good one. Yeah. Okay.

Good. Mariska Hogate. I see her and start smiling. I probably would say like a seven or six because right when you see her go, done, done.

But it was cool to understand how close everyone is to. Okay. So Adam Sonler. I would say eight. Spike Lee. Eight.

Eight. Nine. Fat Joe. Come on. It's Mr. Fat Joe.

But he's not fat Joe anymore. He's more like skinny Joe. Okay. I'll say more like seven. Timothy Shalaman Kylie Jenner. It was great to see Timmy.

I love seeing Timmy. I get more like laughing with Timmy and I see Timmy and Kylie's awesome. So I are seven. Sydney Sweeney. Seven.

Tina Fey. Tina Fey is funny. I love Tina Fey. We were getting four together. Eight.

Okay. Very cool. Benstilla. Nine. Tracy Morgan.

Nine. Taylor Swift. Eight seven. And I'm saying eight seven because I mean you're genuinely excited just to see anyone who comes new to the game. Yeah.

Larry David. Oh yeah. He was awesome. Jerry Seinfeld. Eight.

Don't know Trump. He wasn't court side. Jimmy Fallon. Oh, eight. That's awesome.

You did great. All these people are great. I just feel like those nine's. It's like Ben. Ben is such a iconic Nick's fan and also he's such an amazing guy.

So I feel like he's a nine. I feel like Spike Lee's a nine. I'm going to give him a shout out. Pelagonia is a nine. Okay.

He knows exactly what. The only person that would be a ten. I get excited about is a Jordan. I get excited. I get a ten for Jordan is the only one who gets a ten.

That's beautiful man. I love that. I'm just happy my dad's there. So I'm super happy. I would say he's a ten to my dad.

But in Jordan, I'm blessed to say this. And I had a guy who told a friend of mine who told me that he's a pastor. And he said, I love how normal it is for you to see your dad.

That's something I never got to live.

Well.

So I think for me, it's a, I would say I'm more grateful as at a ten.

See my dad at the games. I'm always excited to see him at the games. But I love and I'm blessed that it's a normal thing. And to see Jordan at my games, it gets me really excited. I mean, that's my best friend.

So that's only when I get to ten. What a great answer. I'm glad I asked you. Only you would take it to that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Now you get to know you a little bit today. I'm like, only you would take it to that. I want to focus the last few questions on mindset when you're in the playoffs. When you're down and out, it felt like every game you guys with the underdogs. Yeah.

Every series. Every series. You guys are behind, you're coming back. How do you, like, from a pure mental performance perspective or even a,

I mean, you're a philosopher, so go there if you want to go there.

But how do you find that gear when you're down and you're the underdog? What are you doing? Where are you finding that extra gear? Just competitive nature. Just not wanting to lose.

Not wanting to let down the city. These fans. I mean, when I said it before after the game too, like they're putting their nine to five life savings. They think it's a joke.

They're kids to wish and online to watch this play at MSG. You don't want them to go away and not feel like they got to show. Or at least had something to cheer for. It's our duty as players as our job as players to, make sure that we continue to give them something to cheer for it.

And as men as competitors, you know, every day in New York, your, your, your respect is online.

And you have to continue to earn it every single day.

They don't care about what happened last game. They care about what's happened in today. And every day you got to go earn your respect. Yeah, the tough times. And that's then the best fans.

And look what those fans did for us now. Every day that that kind of, I would say positive fear. It makes you get on that court and do everything you can to earn their respect. And then doing that, you get 1% better.

You get 1% better. You get 1% better. And now you're sitting at a parade yesterday.

You know, and our fans always show up.

If they see the work and the work and effort you're putting in every single day, they're going to make sure that you feel welcome. Then you feel, uh, you feel special. Everything I've learned from you to them. Like you're so present, so intentional.

What does your prep look like for a big play of game? What is your morning routine in the routine? Walk me through how you're not allowed to routines the same regardless, even in a play. What is it?

What does it look like? Be the first one at the gym. If we have shoot around 11, I'll be there at seven. Work on my body.

Wow. Yeah. Work on my body and stuff like that. Turn the lights on. Then the practice facility.

Maybe get a lift. Go and shoot on the court before it's shoot around. Do the shoot around. Shoot a little bit after. Go back home.

Have some pasta. Have a smoothie. Get sleep. Wake up. Hour before I have to leave.

You know, shower. Get relaxed. Place a music. Get dressed head out to the game. And the game is what?

730, I'll usually get there around like 430 or 15. I'll be the first one there and just work on my body again. Get treatment. Get warmed up. Feel good.

Mentally be engaged.

Before the game, honestly, I can be doing anything other than basketball.

It's always like everything but basketball.

Like, you know, when I'm there in that time, I'll watch the tape. Make sure I understand my opponent's a little better. Maybe a little little things. I could pick up on the court to help lead us on defense. And offensively maybe see little things.

I change up so kind of coaching on on the court as well. Relay back to the coaches. Hey, they're about to be in zone. They're about to be a man. They're about to trap.

They're about to do this. And how do we want to adjust to that? Helping JB out as much as possible in doing all the logistical work out there. Yeah. And after that is really such different things in basketball.

Could be looking at sports cards. Could be looking at training cards. Could be talking to Jordan about something completely different than basketball. It could be watching YouTube. It could be watching highlights.

It's YouTube golf. I could be watching your podcast. You know, so I could be doing a lot. So I do everything other than the basketball part and just kind of give my mind away because I'm going to have enough time to be in the present.

Because once I'm locked and I'm locked in and Jordan says this is the first

year of all my years and I've actually acknowledged her in the game. Because I'm so locked in that you're talking about, you know, what was the game about the celebrity role? I don't see anybody. Yeah.

I don't see anyone on the court. I don't see the fans. I don't see none of that. It's all just shadows to me. And all I see is this court that's lit with ten people on it.

Are playing basketball. And that's all I see. So there's people you were saying that. I'm just like, I don't think they come. Like great story is we're playing in San Antonio.

And Timmy. Timmy is my guy. Timmy is like my white brother. And I didn't know I had. So I'm talking to Timmy to Shalaman. He's he was like, Carl, you are so locked in all the time.

I know you don't be seeing me. And I said, yes, so Timmy, I didn't know you were in San Antonio. Timmy goes Carl. I was one, one seat away from you and chrome heart jeans. And you didn't even notice me.

And I was looking at you and screaming and you were so zoned out. I said, Timmy, I swear to God, I didn't even know you were at the game. Timmy was like at the end of our bench. There's a seat right here.

He's literally right next to me. And every photo is right next to me. I have no idea Timmy is there. And Timmy told me after the game. Jordan calls me.

She was like, hey, did you and Timmy talk after the game?

And he was at the game I said, what game? What are you talking about? And we have a group chat. And Timmy's like, yo, I was right next to you, bro.

I promise you, I was right next to you.

He shows me a whole getty image. You're the next to each other and I'm like, oh, my God. I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to be like, I'm just, he's like, bro. No, I know that.

We see each other all the time. We're having dinners and stuff.

He always brings them because I've never realized how locked in someone can be.

And till I've been with you and you're like, literally, when you say, you don't see anybody, you see nobody. That's awesome. See nobody. And the only person I've ever seen on the court on the sidelines is Jordan.

Other than Jordan, I see nobody. And Jordan and I will look at me and I'll look at her and she'll be like, you're doing cool. And I'm like, maybe I'm not doing great. You're doing great.

I'm like, no, I'm not doing that good right now. But I'm gonna pick it up right now. She's always a sense of encouragement for me or also saying that I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to do. Stay in this mindset. I love that visual.

You're just painted of how you see nothing else. Apart from 10 guys. I see nothing but the course. The light on the court. And then 10 people.

And then the court feels like, you know, it feels like a massive court to start the game. And then as the game goes, it gets shorter and shorter. And then all of a sudden, I feel like, you know, it's not that much of runs that we're doing as the game goes along as you get more and

accustomed. You know, we say we get comfortable into the game. You ease into the game. We love seeing you in the next jersey. But I know the Dominican jersey.

Yes, a lot to you does.

How much would it feel to put on that jersey and take it to the island?

I would love it. That's one of my dreams, man. I just was able to accomplish my dream here in America. I want to NBA championship, but to be able to take the Dominican team to the Olympics would be one of my greatest on. So we're amazing to see you do that, man.

Like I said, it's on God's time. But I feel our time is coming. And I feel that the island deserves to see themselves on that Olympic floor. Yeah. I wanted to ask you also about someone that you knew well.

People loved him for his music. You knew Mr. Person, Magnet. Yeah, my brother, yes, I love him. Was there anything he said to you? I need to eless in a message, a conversation you had with him that stayed with you because

you know, it's so much about these people and carried them in your heart. He was really my favorite artist at all time. Wow. And before I even knew him, he was my favorite artist. I bought the merch.

I went to Spencer. I went to Hot Topic. I had pictures of my mom wearing his merch. You know, maybe it was something he said. If you ever asked, there's a bunch of things.

He just taught me how to just live like be yourself.

People always will appreciate that from you.

Because he always, you see when he passed. Everyone had good things to say about him. He was just so genuine and has approached to people. And I remember he was showing me, you know, music he had been working on. And I really saw him as I still haven't seen the light a day.

And I knew it was showing me on my band. This is great. Man, this is so good. It could be taken as a way of thinking about life. But he was lonely looking at the music he has.

He goes, man, everything sounds good loud. But when there's no noise, how does this sound?

And I think in a way, life is a thing for me.

It's like when you're in front of the cameras. And there's a bunch of, you know, noise and cameras. And reporters seeing you do these amazing things. Like, of course, everyone wants to say it's awesome. It looks great.

But when there's no cameras there when the noise is low. Are you willing to still be that person? Are you willing to still do those things for people that people say you do? Even when there's not reported. And you get none of the shine or another the marketing from it or anything.

Like, are you really this person that they say or not? Maybe he was on a something that I'm just thinking about. That's a beautiful thing with you. I'm sitting down and thinking about you. It could be taken as a life lesson.

I think that's a great life lesson.

I think that's the most important one.

I just got a message from someone that when I first started my career, they had a big radio show and they invited me on in London. And I was like, just starting out. And he just messing me up. And I was, I was helping you out with something now.

I think I was doing the reason why I love you. Because you still remember how I helped you out back then. And I was like, yeah, how can I forget? Like, you know, for me, that was one of the biggest moments of my career. Yes, yes.

And so to me, that's what life is made of.

It's like those memories of moments of where you built with people. And they stayed with you when you had nothing. And they'll be with you when you have everything. Oh man. Nothing to get.

For sure. When I was coming up, I remember being on the newspaper web from. And Mr. Haylia, I never forget he texted me the other day. And he was telling me about how it was awesome to see your journey when you were like, growing up, covering my dad and his high school.

When he was playing and then covering my dad again as a coach. And now got to cover me as a player and coming up under as his son. John was talking about it. And he was the same like after the thing. You know, he would never expect me to reach back out to him.

And I was like, no, just text me and appreciate you. And I just thank him for giving me those chances. Because at that time, like you said, it was the biggest moment. My career to be in your city's newspaper. To be in that newspaper and in Central Jersey is.

I was like, man, I'm on top of the world, man.

You know, so I never forget that.

Carl, I can talk to you for hours honestly.

You're, you're my type of human. That means it's a lot, that means a lot. The thoughtfulness, the reflection, the amount you've learned from every single person in your life. It's, it's really unbelievable. I can't wait for you to write a book one day.

Don't get to all of this. I'm in serious. I'm in a few words from you there. I'm all right there.

Honestly, I feel like you have so much to offer.

So much to give. I'm so excited for all the young people that look up to you and admire you. And can learn from you and all facets of life. But we end every episode of one purpose with a final five. These questions have to be answered in one sentence.

Maximum. We ask it to every guests. Okay. Okay. So soft questions.

Yes.

Any time these are your final five, the first question is, what is the best advice you've ever had received?

Living a present because the future is not guaranteed. Second question, what is the worst advice you've ever had received? You can't do this without me. That's a great question. Who said that can you tell us?

A lot of people may more. That's a great answer. Question number three, what's something that you used to value that you don't value anymore? I thought money would solve all problems and it would make me the happiest version of myself. I got the money.

Didn't save my mom. Didn't save my family members. So what good was it?

The money never brought the happiness.

It was the fact that the money bought the vacation to bring the people. So if you think about the people was bringing the happiness. Never the money, it realized it didn't mean that much. And it really never did. There's always been about people.

Humans have always came from interaction. We've always found wealth in that. And somewhere in the lie, we thought currency was going to change. Yeah.

The value of human interaction and it's always going to be the number one thing you could do in your life is listening, talking, interacting.

Question number four, this about overthinking, repeat after me and complete the sentence. I think I think too much about. I think I think too much about the things that I can't handle or I can't control. Fifth and final question.

We asked this to every guest who's ever been on the show. If you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be? Treat people the way you want to be treated. Simple. If you do that simply, we should be just fine.

Yeah. I don't know where along the way. We started adding all these stipulations and stuff, but it was just a simple rule. Simple law. Treat people how you would like to be treated.

You'll all be in a better spot.

Amazing. I have something I want to give to you actually.

Is it good? Oh, it's good. Oh, it's good. Really? Turn it.

Well, we have a special gift from Gatorade. I don't think you've seen this show. Oh, I have not. So wobble lemonade. That is my favorite section.

You're telling me Guava earlier. Yeah. Who is it? I got you on a Guava? Jator Pig Smith. Yeah.

Auntie Jator. Yeah. Call Auntie Towns Champion. Appreciate it. Thank you, man.

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