 Welcome to another episode of in the zone. You're really gonna enjoy this one. We have Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler right here in studio Tremendous interview, you know, this is the guy everybody blames the Portland Trailblazers for for not drafting Michael Jordan Because they had Clyde Drexler so they went with a big man Sam Bowie, but Drexler tells us a great story of how he actually wanted them pleaded for them to draft Michael Jordan So he could play with Jordan. He thinks they would have revolutionized the NBA Tremendous story from Clyde and many more about his battles with Jordan about the dream team in 92 about this year's Houston Rockets He gave us some tremendous stuff. You don't want to miss it. Stay tuned and check it out It is my pleasure and honor to welcome the great Clyde Drexler into the zone. Thanks for coming Delighted to be here with you. Oh man. I uh You know, I don't want to make you feel old, but I remember watching you with five slamma jamma I was in high school. So that's not that much of a difference. I'm high school. You were college. So that's not that bad But it was y'all were legendary, you know, and I have to ask you this With the NCAA tournament just last week What does that that loss to NC State? Do you how often do you think about that? Does that still eat at you? Never only when people ask But it was a great moment in time some of the best basketball ever Early 80s was a golden era. Yeah, some of the best players ever played the game came out during that time And and that game the one you're referring to North Carolina State Yeah, University of Houston five-slamma jamma Well, it was legendary because you know, the best team did not win. Yeah, Jimmy Valvano won he went on to do a lot of things for cancer research raised a ton of money and The Wolfpack won that game. But if they didn't win that game, we wouldn't know who he was No, no question. Right. So in the grass game, it really worked out It was because they were fortunate to even get in the tournament They won about three or four games the exact same way They beat us they be Virginia twice with Sam with Samson with Samson the exact same way. Wow Now, did you guys take them lightly? No, not at all. Okay, cuz you had beat Louisville, I believe in the semifinal great team. Yeah Yeah, Louisville was a really good team doctors of dunk. Yep, Rodney McCrae scooter McCrae Denny Crumb and those guys were the big the big cheese Yeah, and that was supposed to be the clash of the Titans and so the Saturday game was a big big game We ended up winning but the Monday game. I mean, we were ready. We wanted to win the whole thing We had been to the final four the year before Getting there was not enough. We wanted to win the whole thing. Yeah, so we did not take them lightly Well, I have to ask you before we get started your jersey. We only have a few jerseys in the zone That it was I'm guessing this is not your favorite looking jersey of your career. That was one year After we won the NBA finals in 95 they came up with the New Jersey and it's got a beautiful little rocket on it They changed a lot of uniforms back then that was before the retro fits the throwbacks So that was the beginning of it. Yeah And so, you know Houston with NASA the space program and the rocket so it worked out. Yeah, wouldn't do it again Well, what what was it like? I want to go back to Houston just for University of Houston for a little bit What was it like to see a young Hakeem? I came at that point. I came Elijah wine Playing at Houston the development must have been incredible. That's a good question. He was 611-195 when he first got to the University of Houston and from that point on he just continued to work work work Adwait work work work, but he had guys like Moses Malone Helping him. He had guys like Guy Lewis. It was one of the best Big man teachers in the college game. Okay. He was the kind of he went to the right coach Guy Lewis thought if you're 610 611 7 feet I can teach you to become a dominant post player and he thought that about every big guy So if you give me a big guy, I can show him and so Hakeem got lucky that he had that type of coach So you think some coaches may not have been as patient if he had gone to a guard oriented coach It would probably would have been a different Wow. Wow So, you know God is good. Yeah. Yeah, but he because I remember his first year, you know just Within a year he turned into this all-american player because first year you struggled a little bit first year He red shirted. Okay, and then the first year he actually played He was a good defender good rebounder, but he struggled offensively traveled a lot Couldn't really throw it to him and then the next year, which was my junior year, which is when we lost to NC State That's when his game began to blossom. Okay, and he started making jumpers started learning the footwork with Moses Malone Coach Guy Lewis. Yeah, all of that stuff started to kick in through three years of Intensely hard work. What was it like for you to reunite with him with the Houston Rockets? It was phenomenal because he's my brother. I mean we had college history. We were good friends in college and then to get back I tell you in Portland I'm in Portland. I'll give you a quick story. You know 1984 draft. I'm in Portland Michael Jordan Hakeem Elijah on Sam Boyle Portland has a right to flip for the first pick with the Rockets So they get the call heads of tail you get the call heads of tail You're Portland they lose the flip so you don't get Hakeem Elijah. Yeah, who's supposed to be you know The obvious number one pick so now they say well, we need a big guy because at two guard. We got Jim Paxson John Paxson, excuse me, who's a who's a pretty good player all NBA second team Yeah, and they had drafted me the was he second time all NBA in 1982. Really? Yeah Wow, and then they drafted me what you and but you were were you the two or the three? I mean obviously one two and they looked at me as a two guard Okay, and then they had Jeff Lam who's the number one pick three years before that So they have a lot three guys at the two and so they had no big man had Michael Thompson Who's a number one pick in 78 and so they thought they needed that seven footer to complete that team back then Because this is Jack Ramsey. Yeah one with who Bill Walton. Yeah, Maurice Lucas So he had to have those big guys and so that was their thinking back then they didn't think about Dominating with six seven guys. Did you feel like at the time? It was a mistake to draft buoy over Jordan Michael Thompson, and I put an added. I'm an article in the paper If Michael Thompson who was way ahead of his time He says that if Portland drafts Michael Jordan He said him and Clyde will dominate this league for the next 15 years Really, and I think the team called them in and and threatened the fine And if he continued with that rhetoric Wow So that's that's how And you felt the same way. Absolutely. Well, how could you not pick it now? How did you did you know Jordan you played against him? I did not know I played against him in 82 semifinal Okay, North Carolina versus Houston. That's when was he was he was a freshman. I was a freshman the year they went Okay, okay, so I knew he was pretty good player and then you know if I stayed in college I would have been a senior the 84 Olympic team Bobby Knight sent me a letter saying I want you and Jordan to head my Olympic team in 84, okay, but I ended up going to the NBA and so we knew Jordan was a great player There was no doubt and so Michael Thompson and I were saying you got to pick this guy regardless of Positions or who you have you need good players. Yeah What I'm just gonna ask you to indulge us If Jordan if they do pick Jordan, what do you think history is looking like right? Well, if they pick Jordan things are a little bit different But in Sam Bowie's Defense he was a very very talented big guy just couldn't get healthy. He could play Yeah, it wasn't like he was a lemon the guy could play. Yeah, it just couldn't get healthy You and Jordan were the two best wing players at that era What was it like to compete against him? Oh, he's a phenomenal competitor You know when you love the game and you play to compete when you play players like that You don't have to do anything to get up for the game. You're so psyched the moment I wake up I'm ready. Yeah, but you know, it's hard playing the teams that that are a little subpar or players who you know You don't have to get a whole lot of rest for the players. You know are good. I mean, that's what you live for So it was a treat that that 90 was it 92 when you guys played them in the finals We played the Bulls in 92. I think that was my 10th ninth or 10th year in the league Yeah, and it was a good final both had a really good team. I think they ended up winning like three years in a row Yeah, yeah, yeah, the storyline became that Jordan was going at you What did you finish ahead of him in MVP? It was something it was a battle for MVP voting that year and Who wanted that year? He wanted Yeah, it was close very close Did you take it as was it a personal matchup where you enjoy not just that finals But in general when you guys met each other but because you were the two best at your position Did you feel like it was personal battle every time you faced him the well, of course, you know when you're a competitor I mean we weren't Enemies I know he's gonna come at me and guess what he knows. I'm coming at him Yeah, I'm gonna play my game if you get in my way. I'm gonna knock your nose off Yeah, same way with him. We're gonna compete, but really it comes down to your teammates How good it how good is your team? Yeah, you know and and and I love playing against Michael I mean he was the nicest guy, but he's a great competitor. Now. He talked a lot of trash on the court, right? He didn't never say anything to you. Okay. How's your family? How are you doing? Okay? Lot a lot of mutual respect. Yeah, did you were you a trash talker? Never. Okay Now matter of fact, it's hard to be a trash talker when guys are coming up to you saying, hey, man My parents are watching I got family in town. Don't embarrass me It's hard to talk trash to that guy Um 1990 I always felt there are several finals I look back and say I thought the team that didn't win should have won One of them was you mentioned Jack Ramsey with Portland. I felt Philadelphia with Dr. J was a better team I thought you guys were better than the bad boys in 90 I felt like at the end of games you guys kind of didn't make the they made the plays and you guys didn't What was your thought on that series? Well, it's it's all about execution. You got two Hall of Fame point guards Two guards Joe and Isaiah, but they're big guys Lambeer, Mahon, Sally, Rogman. I thought they made the difference They wore us down. They got a lot of offensive buckets. They executed better down the stretch as a group. Yeah, and It just didn't you know, they were just a better team. Chuck Daley was a great coach Our guys are good Buck Williams Kevin Duckworth really good players And and you know just to make it to the NBA finals, you know what that's like You know, we had a three-year run where we were one of the best teams in the league Winning almost 60 games a year. And so when you put yourself in that position, you're pretty good And everyone in the league knows that so it's all about can you get it done when it counts or are you going to come up short? Yeah, now now you play in those years in Portland. You face magic In his in his best. What what was that like playing against him? Let me just tell you when you got four number one five number one picks on your team Who are the best in the game? How you going to beat them? Yeah, I mean think about it. I should tell magic You got James Worthy six nine in all all world Kareem, uh, you got Byron Scott one of the best pure sharp shooters in the world A.C. Green, Kurt Rambus, Cupchak, McAdoo, Michael Thompson Michael Cooper, I can keep naming them all on your team I'm coming to play you from Portland and we got three guys on a 10 day contract And we got old Maurice Lucas. We got old Carwell Jones How are we gonna beat these guys? Yeah, and so they were always uniquely talented and people talk about these super teams today Yeah, well, they were a super team. Oh, so were the Celtics and every other team that won back then were super teams That's not a new phenomenon. I guess the the thing people If they don't like it today, they feel like it's player generated now versus You know general manager. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What's your feel on that? Because a lot of old players don't like these guys, you know going to play with their And I thought I kind of side with the older players, you know, chris if you beat me in the finals and And and and and and you're a really good player I'm not gonna say if I'm a free agent. I'm going to play with chris. No, no, I'm pissed that you beat me And we want to come back at you. That's kind of our mentality. I don't want to join your team We want to beat you. That's what competition is all about. Yeah, but every now things have changed Things have changed. I think the decision to rant made was a good one Okay, as a matter of fact, as you get older, you want to make the game easier Great decision. I think he's very smart. I know he's never felt so at home at home in his whole life You know, he can score 30 or he can score 15 and they're gonna win You know what it's it also though I'm looking at it. I'm saying, you know what you can't manufacture a dynasty Because like when lebron went to miami, they won two titles. They were great But not what they thought right not four not five not six two is good. Two is good But they were in the finals 24 years in a row. Yeah, that's a dynasty. You think it was a dynasty whether they win or lose That's okay. Okay in the buffalo bills. They were a dynasty. You got okay You got a little lighter definition, but I I'll go with it. It's a team sport. It's not individual So you can get 50 points 40 rebounds 12 steals If I miss the two free throws at the end of the game, we don't win. Are you not a champion? That it's unfortunate because people look at it that way. You're right. You're very right Well, that's one reason people look at jordan as the goat the greatest of all time because he won They say six is six for six and all that What who do you think is the greatest of all time? Well, you know, I I don't want to take anything away from anybody But it's obvious when you average 50 points 25 rebounds won't chamberlain Who's ever done that and every year you had will guess what you had a chance for championship I mean, michael's phenomenal and you know, he did really You know one of the best players I've ever played against but who was ever better than kareem or or Or chamberlain or jeweler serving or a bird or magic who was better than those guys. It's hard to say somebody's better Yeah, you know, I I just I'm never bought into that Matter of fact, we're all competitors. You put me on the floor. A lot of them guys got to live like you're better Oh, exactly You feel like you were better than jordan I always felt like there was nobody better if I played the way I should have played If I come out and compete it's going to be very few guys better And if they are you shake their hand and say congrats But you don't go you even now you don't look and say Yeah, michael was better than me. You feel like Let me tell you something. What I feel like is I can compete with anybody. I mean, obviously that speaks for itself, but It's all about Performance, you know, the difference is if you're taking 35 shots and I'm taking 20 you're gonna have more points Bottom line, but I'm gonna make you work and you can't guard me But you know, so you look at it from a perspective, I still can do with everything I do No matter who's on me. What can I stop you from doing? Well, I can't stop you from getting 35 points because you're gonna get a lot of temps But I can make you shoot a worse percentage. Yeah, make you work for it And so that's the way you think you're gonna make him earn everything If a lot of people look at his when he retired for that year and a half and you guys won Or houston won the tent championship you there for one of them um Do you think you guys would have beat the bulls? Is he it's if jordan had played I think um Jordan played in well, he came back. Yeah, he came back. And I think Orlando swept him. Yeah. Yeah, and then we swept So there's your answer And not taking nothing away from it. They were phenomenal, but I should talk about what happened now What could have happened? Okay? That's that's fair. That's fair. You got to look at it in terms of absolute Things that are absolutely. This is what happened. What was it like that dream team? That dream team was phenomenal. I mean some of the best players ever played. Yeah And and and guys got along so well And and just made it a great experience What were I I read and heard the practices were just incredible scrimmages you guys had Yeah, some of the practices are very competitive And they should have been because you got all these great players But a lot of times we had guys who were injured. Okay, magical injured bird was injured stockton was injured And so you didn't have a full complement of players the whole time I was injured had a right knee That needed surgery since march that I kept putting off until like september So during that time I wasn't looking to go hard in practice. I'm trying to survive the experience And so when I hear guys talking about our hard the practices were I don't think I thought that way I was trying to survive it but you just compete always no matter if it's practice the games or Whenever you hit that floor you come to play What was was there something about that experience that stood out to you? What's a great story from that experience that people don't know? Uh Well just back then you know guys really didn't like you if you're in a different team Yeah, because we're competitors. We're not supposed to like you. We're trying to beat you And so we really were not good friends. And so some of the guys from the east I didn't know at all like bird and patrick and scottie and michael I mean and so from the west you're on the all-star team at least once a year with him So you get to know carmelone david roverson john stockton chris mullen, but I tell you what magic but but the guys from the east I really didn't know that well, okay That matter of fact, we didn't have much conversation because you're trying not to get to know them because I might like him Now I won't play as hard against him. Okay. So that's the way we thought Yeah, so we kind of stayed in our own little lane, okay Yeah, give guys their space and uh, it's because we gotta compete. It's all about production. Yeah, we're not trying to be friends We're trying to win now you guys in practice never play west against east Um, that would have been interesting. Yeah, that that was the practices the really so now you got magic and michael hyping You're going at each other. Yeah, and they're chirping now magic is getting michael all hyped up and guess who's got to go with michael And I used to go you guys Because I did read I read that that uh, jack mccollum wrote a book about the dream team Yeah, and he was saying magic was talking all this stuff to michael They were chirping the whole time and it was fun to watch. Yeah, he said though. That's when michael Basically let magic in them had to admit. Okay. This guy is is better at this point. Well, michael was Magic didn't even play that year. Yeah So what kind of admission is that? He shouldn't have been talking He was he had no chance And as good as he was in the 80s and in the early 90s, I mean at 92 He was an older player. Yeah, and michael was a cheese. So that's not a that's an obvious statement I gotta admit he's better. Oh really? Captain obvious Um, we've seen several dream teams now I think people were comparing 08 with lebron coby and and 12 to you guys Which one would you think is better? Who I'm biased obviously 92 aside. That's the best the only the first Never to be duplicated. Yeah, nobody could beat that team But after that team, I think the uh, 96 team was pretty good with shack a lot. Yeah, that's true And we're still winning by 42. I mean they had some really good players. Yeah. Yeah What do you um You talked about super teams you guys in houston when you had barkley It was you barkley and akim And how you guys obviously didn't get to the championship How hard is what was that season like was it did you think it would be easier than it ended up being? Or better, I guess the three of us at that time were closer to the twilight of our career We were not like in the prime. Yeah, I mean I only played Two years with Charles and it was the last two years. I played okay year 14 and 15 And he was probably a year behind me. Yeah. Yeah, and large one was with him. Yeah, so these were not our prime years, but With our roles decreased. We were still very good. And so we could do a lot of stuff I've got to the conference finance 157 58 games or and and and it was easy We had guys like kevin willis mariolli eddie johnson on our team just a good group of veterans Um, just couldn't quite get over the hump Utah beat us. They had a very good year. It came down to, you know, last second shots And we got the short end of the stick but for the most part it was fun playing with Charles. It was fun playing with Guys like mariolli Matt maloney Yeah, he was y'all point guard for a little while Akim allows you an officer. That's my brother. So, you know, I had so much success Was it how hard though is it to maybe because you were older you guys were older It was easier. But is it people I don't think people understand how difficult It is to get three guys who are used to being the first option to come together and play as teammates It is very difficult and then people today don't you know, but I always I have this thing We're talking about chris paul james harden playing together My thing is you get those good players you put them on a team. They'll find a way to make it happen That's the reason they're good Well, I understand their intelligence. Yeah sets them apart I'm gonna jump ahead then and because I want to get to this rocket team that you you're the broadcaster the home games you broadcast for um There's talk. LeBron's gonna be a free agent And there's talk about him going to the rockets and I have wondered now I was wondering about chris and james working out together But I've wondered man, I don't know how that will work with three guys that like the ball You don't think it would be a problem if lebron went there. I think it would be awesome They'd be the best team because lebron would be like ad. You don't have to work that hard now You got other teammates that can get it done So now it's about having fun and enjoying the game as opposed to playing 45 minutes and you got to score 40 20 and 20 to have a chance to win. That's a hard deal So it could work. It would work It'll be great and lebron will be better off because of it. It'll extend his career. Okay. Okay Now let's get to these rockets. Um, they look great They they the best record in the league Um Are they your favorite right now to win it off? I think the rockets with their record and the way they play They are the favorites if chris and james are completely healthy because those guys get along so well Their chemistry is great. They have a good mix of complementary players guys like trevoriza By mootate pj tucker clink appella ryan anderson Joe green off the bench. Joe johnson off the bench. I mean they've got a lot of talent Eric gordon is phenomenal along with chris and james and so you got a lot of guys who can get it done Now the game they played the other night against the spurs. Yeah spurs slowed them down They scored 83 points and the first beat them by like 17 Now that's that's what you don't want to see happen With a high-powered offense you can't slow they got to play at their pace every single night Now so you golden state healthy or not you got you think they're better than golden state I think it's going to be a great series and it's all are going to be about who's making shots But golden state's got some of the greatest shooters to ever play the game And those guys know how to get it done because they've been there the rockets on the other hand are hungry They should be more motivated so that extra motivation forces you to play a little bit harder You got to want it and I think they do james and chris Are probably as motivated as any two guys i've ever seen Mike dan tony has been a good coach for a long time, but he's never had playoff success Another motivated person so you got all these people super motivated to prove they can get it done I think that's a recipe for success Do you worry because harden has I love james hard i voted for him for mvp in 2015 Last year. He would have wanted if russ didn't have the triple double Um, but he's had his bad moments in these clutch games Last year game six against the spurs Golden state game five a few years. You know, he's had some bad moments christis has some bad moments too with the clippers Um, are you concerned about that at all and well first of all? I gotta tell you the beard when you're talking about james harden. You're talking about a real ball This guy loves the game. He competes. He beats teams by himself on a nightly basis. This guy is incredibly talented He's very smart. He's deceptively athletic and and he can really shoot And so here's a guy who has all those skills, but knows how to use it christ paul the same way So james, I thought he should have been mvp in 2015 I thought he should have been mvp last year and he should be obviously mvp this year That's all much. I think of james harden. He's the best player in the game Today, you think he's the best player in the game right now to this year this year Because offensively he is just a joggernaut. It's hard to three or four guys stack up to guard him every single night Which leaves those shooters wide open And when he's not on the floor, let me just tell you something them guys don't get the same shot Yeah, yeah, so you got to look at his overall impact The way he makes his teammates better the way he plays Kind of consistently he scores 30 plus points eight seven rebounds six seven assists every single night So this guy's the real deal best player in the world. I love lebron. Okay. I mean Who's the best player in the world right now? Well, lebron could be the best player every year Kind of like jack and cobra when they were playing they could have been the best players every year But lebron is the same way but james. I think is having just a superior season when you win 63 64 65 games. I mean you you are getting it done. Yeah now He's he's been incredible. But think about this if steff curry or durant had one less option And he had more more field goal attempts. They would always be in the uh running for mvp Yeah, so you got a lot of great players playing at a very high level But the one thing I look at is efficiency You know, you can't beat mvp shooting five or 25 every night with seven turnovers. You can't do that I don't care what it'll be mvp is that So you got to look at efficiency What how good is your team? How do you how good do you make your teammates around you? Yeah? No, I agree. I agree. What um When you look at the game today, especially the rockets, they're like the extreme I mean they shoot 43 more than 43 is a game What do you what I mean comparing that to when you play is so it's almost a different game It's very much a different game. So until the uh the late 80s the early 90s We didn't really shoot that many trees coaches would take you out and say that's a bad shot It's inefficient. It's too long. Let's get in closer We want to be productive. We're trying to win. Yeah, and then in the 90s It became like an opportunistic shot if you got an offensive rebound kick it out and shoot the three so But it wasn't a big part of our offense Now the rockets and the warriors really Are responsible because they got guys that can not only shoot the three but make the three That's the key. Yeah, you got to you got to coach to your level of talent. Them guys can all shoot Clay Thompson, Steph Curry Probably the best shooting backcourt ever in the history of the NBA and then you bring the rant Come on. Those guys can really get it done now the rockets Now their offense is designed to shoot 45 53s a night and when they're making them they're hard to beat But when teams run them off that line and they don't have a real post-up threat They throw they struggle but especially with no chris paul because he's mr. Midrange. He's the best Well, that's the one mid-range guy. That's what he got him. Yeah, and so they they have a good blend of mid-range Uh, the post-up is their high picking rose with cappella going over the top I would consider that their post up because he's good at that But james harden. I mean he just creates so many problems for the defense other guys are going to have shots They wouldn't normally get yeah, and so that's a team that's going to be hard to stop Do you have a problem? I kind of do i'm a i'm a little old school in this regard I miss I think the game is better with a mix of threes mid-range and posts not all one or all the other So I think they need to I just don't like the lack of great big men or post players in today's game What what's your options of the good post players as a guard who posted a lot? I don't even understand it. How do you not go to the most efficient shot on the floor the closer you get the Easier to shot right? Yeah, obviously Some guys can't get to that point and so they have to make other other arrangements on how to score for me I truly you know the notion that our philosophy is to get all the way to the basket or shoot a three I don't know nothing about that My philosophy is a score by any means Any way I can I don't care if I got to get on my knees and throw it up I want to score But but the fact that someone can have a philosophy is amazing to me in the game of basketball That's what that's what you gotta be opportunistic and take whatever you can get. Yeah. Yeah Um, all right, I'm gonna hit you with a few things. I want to hold you to I want you to give me an answer, please I'm pleased Jordan or LeBron Everybody debates that who you got you can't go wrong. Give it. Give me both Please I'm begging. I love them both because you know, they're some of the greatest players to ever play the game And so you can't go wrong different errors. I hate comparing errors But uh two phenomenally gifted guys who are great guys. So, you know, you can't go wrong All right, I'm I'm gonna try to give you a few guys in the same era Who's who's better? Isaiah Thomas or John Stockton? Whoo, that's a tough one. Isaiah 11 years 11 all-stars Stockton One of you know toughest minded players Healthy always competed But if you had to pick one in their prime Isaiah because I'm gonna give Isaiah the nod because he got two championships. Yeah, even though it's a team game I think Isaiah was the engine that ran the pistons Yeah, he had a lot more talent to work with than than John because John had called and very little else But uh, I'm gonna give the edge slightly to Isaiah. Okay, uh, Charles Barkley or Carl Malone Oh, no, that's You know, two really good players. I'm gonna give the edge to Carl for for longevity Um productivity and uh, just just you know, when guys played against Carl, they were psyched out Power forwards had a bad day They had Carl Maloneitis and so even though Charles was a nightmare Uh, he didn't he didn't give him that kind of he didn't have that kind of aura like Carl Malone. Okay. Okay Uh magic or bird Two of my favorites, um, you can't go wrong You know those guys are so good. I mean they kind of I grew up watching them. So there there the two guys that kind of patterned some of my game after So I love them both. It's it I could never pick that. I love them both. Okay That's like saying which one of your kids you love the most I know you're probably biased in this one, but uh, Ikeem or tim duncan Oh I love timmy, but Ikeem was the man that that's my brother, but Ikeem Defensively he could take over game defensively Guys would be scared to death to drive to the basket and if they drove the ball I just used to go with the free throw line and wait the ball would always come back and start a fast break That's how reliable he was I mean he's one of the best defensive players I've ever played with So forget about the offense and the dream shake and all that he could just beat you defensively And and timmy as good as he was I love him. Mr. fundamental Excellence, uh tim. I liked everything he stood for the way he played the game the professionalism His his character. I got nothing but great things to say about timmy, but I'm gonna go with Elijah one. All right. All right Um, you're commissioner of the big three Um, what what led you to want to do that? Commissioner of the big three. I was a coach last summer And ice cube and jeff quantonist. Yep Great guys their vision of the big three is phenomenal. Uh, it's it's the most fun I've had Being a part of a basketball league since I left the mba. Really? Yeah, I love it And and uh, you know to be a part of that three on three action Which is the fundamentals of where we all came from And to see it live in a professional setting is brilliant. I think uh ice cubes vision He beat the mba to the punch. Yeah, it's very popular people love it all over the world It's broadcast this year in 54 countries. Really? Wow. It's growing each and every day We we got about 90 players uh x mba players fighting for about Only 19 spots. Really? So guys are dying to get in this. Exactly. Would you have played in a big three? Absolutely I would have loved it because I you know the one on one. Yeah. Yeah and and the team the three on three That's that half court. I don't have to run Come on as an old guy you love that And so, you know guys like paul pierce and coby they should come on and join us Because this is too much fun if you a baller and you love the game three on big three is for you How serious are guys taking it like they really go? Are you kidding? It's like the mba games These guys are the friends off the court, but when they hit that court When they hit the court, I mean, I've never seen guys stretching and doing yoga with physios and Getting prepared for each and every game. I mean, this is serious business. It's competitive All right, are there things you want to add to you know Enhance the league like what things if you if there aren't any at this point. Well, you know, it's commissioner of the big three Uh, you know, my job is simply to just continue to kind of work on the fan And and and the player experience to make it a good one. They kind of work on a few strategic corporate partnerships Uh to kind of enhance and grow help grow the game But but but cube's vision is phenomenal. This is a great league with great rules And uh good people working. I mean great leadership. We got some of the best People on staff and and coaching in the big three. It's just been a pleasure to be there. All right. I enjoy it tremendously I look forward to each and every day. Great great last question Do you remember the lyrics to bust the bucket? Bust the bucket bust the bucket. What was that the rockets? Blazers blazers. Oh my goodness. Was that off bust the ball? Sorry, you're going way Were you rapping? I was it was Terry Porter. Terry Porter was The wrong currency and Terry Porter. I don't think I had nothing to do with that. I got no skills Would cry it was great talking with you Yeah, I took you back. I took you way back. But uh, good luck with the big three Thank you, and I'm looking forward to this year last year was great I'm really looking forward to this year because the games will be live now games alive You got guys like amar stardomire drew goodon Carlos boozer Nate Robinson all these big players along with the guys we had last season coming back And so this is this is a lot of fun a lot of competition To play in the big three you got to bring your game This is not a this is not a bunch of old guys These are guys that can still compete at a very high level Well, you know what was interesting last year some of the best players were guys that only had a quote-unquote cup of coffee in the NBA So they were still kind of young, you know, like early 30s mid 30s. The shard McCann. Yeah. Oh, Harrington I mean those guys are phenomenal. Yeah, so Stevenson, how do how do the older like Like guys who were legends, okay, but they're a little older And they're playing against these young guys. They weren't that good in the NBA, but they're younger So they might be better at this point. How did the the legendary guys? How do they look at that? Well, they know they got a lot of pride and they don't want these young guys is to kind of show them up Yeah, and so it's that's what makes them play harder But you know, we got some of the greatest coaches when I talk to Julia serving or George Gervin or Rick Barry or Gary Peyton. I mean, that's what we talk about Yeah, these guys come to play. They don't care who you were in the NBA. They care who you are now in the big three So you got to bring your game. All right. Let me ask you to see you coach last year I mean, it's three on three. How much strategy is there really? In there's a lot of strategy The high picking roles you got to make sure you got a shooter on the weak side Otherwise they're going to collapse because we'd have no illegal defense. Okay. You got a 14 second shot clock And and it's moving first one in 25. It's halftime. Yeah game is 50 You got a win by two So the games go quickly and if you got three point shooters and even four point shooters Which really makes our game stand out for many one else We got the four point shot and we got guys that could make that shot So you got to extend your defense way out Which leads a lot of room to go to work Now last year there were some guys Terrell Owens. Well, I think I think ice cubes set it up And Jeff to the point where you had to be an x NBA player. So you had to have pro pedigree But but I don't know if they'll open it up for tryouts if a guy's that good He's really really that good. You may want to think about it, but that's going to be up to them Wow, because you know, Terrell Owens a good athlete. Yeah They say it was pretty good basketball Yeah at this age, maybe but not obviously not when they're younger, you know, but yeah, it'll be interesting All right, I know you got a role. Thank you