 Welcome to Charlotte, man. What's going on? How's this compared to all the other off-dark games? Oh, we started. We started. Hold on. Let me get comfortable. Let me get comfortable. I think the comparison thing will never stop. And I think it's great for the game. People are always going to make comparisons. What player remind you of him? What this guy does similar to that guy? So I've never tutored my nose up or had anything to say with the comparisons to me and Zion and Zion to me. I think it's great. I think it's great for the game. With his athleticism, what we all see, his ability to jump well beyond the 10-foot rim is incredible. I think what's also incredible is at his size, his speed, his agility, his quickness. And then to add on to that, I think he's just a great kid. Every time the media has asked him questions, he's always been right on and very humble about it. And he's humble about the fact that he gets to play the game that he loves every single day. And I love everything about him from the outside looking in. I've never met the kid, but I love everything about him. And he keeps the main thing, the main thing. And that's the game of basketball and being a part of something that's special, which I think that Duke program right now is special not only with him, but with RJ, with Trey, and also with Cam Reddish. So I think they're great. And they get to be around the greatest coach of all time. And Coach K, so I mean, that's an unbelievable thing for Zion and for the rest of those guys. To be able to be in a position where I can have my own school, it's not about me. It's about the kids that's in there. It's never been about me. I'm just a platform. And I am the voice and the guy that can be able to put it together. But it's so much deeper to me. It's not only the kids that's at my school, but it's also the faculty members. It's also the teachers. It's also the people with the security guards. Everybody that's inside there, the chefs, the head chefs, the custodians, everybody that has anything to do with making sure the IPS school runs on a day-to-day basis and runs smoothly for my kids to be able to succeed. So it's an honor. And I take it very seriously. I check up on my kids weekly to see how they're doing. And it's been great so far, and we want to continue that. I think I've always loved Kyrie from before I met him. So when I became his teammate to even now, I've always thought he was special. I think he has a, I mean, there's a reason why there's really only 24 of us here this weekend. And he's here for a reason. So the phone call, more than for me, I think, just to see his growth. It takes a real man and a real person and a real person to understand who they are, to be able to call or to do anything and be able to see their wrongdoings or believe they have some wrongdoings and then be able to come to grips with that and be able to either to apologize or say that at that point in time, I thought I was ready for something, but I really wasn't. And I'm not here to, I really don't want to talk about it too much because it's not for everybody. It's not for the media to be able to start writing things and how you guys like to do it. Not saying you particular or you, Dave. I know you guys, but I don't know everybody here. I love Kyrie. I love everything about Kyrie. I've loved this family and I definitely love his shoes in this game and my kids love his shoes in this game too. So it's all good. I think everything in life, you have to appreciate no matter if it's good or bad. So, like you said, it's been one year since the call out of shut up and dribble. And at that very moment, I knew at that moment that I was bigger than just basketball and I had to say something. And because it wasn't just about me. It was about all of us. It'd be telling you guys to shut up and just write. You guys not having a platform or just shut up and be a doctor, just shut up and be a lawyer, just shut up and be a teacher, or just shut up and do whatever your occupation is. And I just think that's unfair to all of us because we are so much more than what our occupation say or what our name tag says. So for me to be able to have this platform as I did one year ago and to me be able to have that feeling throughout my body when I heard that, I think it has not only resonated with me, but it's resonated with a lot of people to be able to feel like they can be more. And so then like I said, I thanked her for that moment. And we all should thank her. But like I said, you have to appreciate anything that comes along no matter if it's good or bad because it helps you learn. It helps you become better than who you are. It helps you get more understanding of who you are or more understanding about what the situation is at that point in time. So I'm always been thankful for not only the good, but the bad that's come across my life since I've been along this journey. You know, I'm here, I've seen him already in the locker room. I've seen my nephew, you know, Zaire. Every little bit of moment, every bit of time that I get with him this weekend is gonna be always cherished and it's great. I mean, we've been together almost 17 years now since we met at the, you know, the combine, you know, in Chicago in 2003. And, you know, from that moment, we just knew that we were gonna be together for a long time and it hasn't stopped. For me being a competitor, for me being his teammate, to being a competitor again, from us sharing, you know, father advice, to sharing marriage advice, to sharing son advice, you know, it's really bigger than just basketball when it comes to me and D-Way because we can actually look at each other and know what each other's thinking and know how each other are feeling at some, at points in times of our lives. So, to be here, for me to be able to choose him to be a part of Team LeBron, for him to be here this weekend, it's a bittersweet moment, obviously. The bitter part of it, that this is his last weekend, being an all-star weekend and knowing that his journey is coming to an end as far as the basketball player, but the sweet moment is that we got so much more life to live together, you know. And we will continue that. How does it feel playing in LA to see you? It feels great playing in LA, man. When you look up in the banners and you look at all the championships and you look at all the greats that's come, you know, through LA, you know, from Jerry West, George Mike, and Elgin Baylor, to Magic and Kareem, James Worthy and Kobe Shaq, you know, whoever you name. And just to be a part of that franchise, to be a part of that history, it means a lot to me, man. So hopefully I can do my part where someday I can hang up there with the rest of those guys. I think it's important to stick up for what you believe in, you know what I'm saying? I think what Cap, I stand with Cap. I kneel with Cap. I mean, I just feel, I feel what he was talking about. Nobody wanted to listen to. Nobody ever really wanted to actually understand where he was coming from, you know? And, you know, I think that anybody that would sacrifice their livelihood for the better of all of us, you know, I could respect that. And he's done that. I mean, you got a guy who basically lost his job because he wanted to stand for something that was more than just him. And so I'm happy to see the news come out yesterday that he won his suit. I hope it's a hell of a lot of money. That can set not only him up, but set his family up, set his grandkids up for the rest of their lives. And I hope that, you know, the word of what he did, what we'll live on throughout American history, but also world history, because it's important for all of us, not only African-Americans, but for everybody that wants to stand up for something that's more important than them. I believe that if I wanted to, I could own a team, I would be a part of a basketball team. I know that I got so much knowledge in the game that I don't want to, once I stop playing, that I just want to get away from the game. You know, obviously, I know I'm gonna be along with my sons, because they're gonna play the game. They're playing the game now, so I'm gonna be along with them. But if I can give back to this league in any way, shape, or form to continue to make this league as great as it is today, then I will love to. So we have to see, have to be the right fit. Have to be the right city. Have to be the right situation. You know, it's just, it's not like it's a dream of mine. It's more of an aspiration to see if it happens. If it don't, I wouldn't be disappointed in, you know, anything I've done off the floor. So we'll see what happens. I got a lot, I got a lot more game to play. I'm debating if I'm gonna wear it in the game tomorrow. I have something else that I really can't talk about as well, but obviously to watch The Throne is a huge piece of hip-hop history. Obviously, it's when Jay and Kanye got together, made an album with one of the best albums in hip-hop that we've ever seen. And for me to be able to have a shoe to calibrate and collaborate with that moment is huge. You know, at that time I got an opportunity to see Jay and Kanye actually wear The Watch The Throne kicks at that moment on stage when they're performing at their concert. And for me to bring that all the way back to fruition be here this weekend with The Watch The Throne 16s. It's pretty cool for not only me, but it's cool for all sneaker heads. It's cool for anybody that loves sneakers and inspirations and stories behind sneakers. So I'm just happy to be a part of the sneaker world to be a part of the, you know, being having my own signature shoe. But I got something on my feet too that I'm gonna wear in practice. I got the Safari, you know, LeBron 16 Lowe's and everybody kind of know the Safari from the Air Maxes. So you'll see me wear those today as well. So I got a lot of inspirations, got a lot of stories, a lot of storytelling that we will continue to put on my sneakers. I don't know who will be able to be a NBA player or whoever be a professional athlete, but more I think but every kid has a, every kid has a dream and every kid has that and what that is, they have to tap into that. So for me to be a part of Akron and know that I'm giving my kids an opportunity to be able to tap into whatever that is, it means so much to me. So me having my school and me having them 240 kids to be able to see them every single day and figure out a way how we can tap into what that is to make them become successful in life. And I'm not even talking from a money standpoint, I'm just talking from where they feel like they've done something that means something in their lives and they'd be able to give back to, that's what it's all about. So before I walk up the stage, shout out Akron, Ohio, 330 is where I'm from, it's where I stand. No matter where in the world did I go, I will always live for my hometown because without my hometown, I wouldn't be who I am today. So shout out my kids at the I Promise school. I got a lot of my 330 ambassadors here this weekend doing a lot of ground work in North Carolina and in Charlotte, you know, giving people what we do on a day-to-day basis back in Akron, so and I love you all, I love the media, you guys are my friends.