Stephen Curry Reveals The REAL Reason He Chose Azzi

00:00:03
Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome back to another episode of futt Around and find Out. I'm here with my girl as Shanty.

00:00:10
Speaker 2: We have a very special guess Azy.

00:00:13
Speaker 1: Today, we have a super special guest. I'm super excited about this episode.

00:00:19
Speaker 2: Today.

00:00:20
Speaker 1: We have someone who's been in my corner for a really long time. He's been some when I look up to a mentor, a champion, one of the greatest shooters, honestly, just one of the greatest players to touch a basketball period, the one and only Stephen Curry.

00:00:35
Speaker 3: What's happening? What's happening? Thank you all for having me on this is this is special for sure.

00:00:41
Speaker 2: Thank you for being here.

00:00:42
Speaker 1: Okay, So I want to start by taking it back to twenty eighteen Curry Camp when I was invited.

00:00:50
Speaker 2: What do you remember about that?

00:00:52
Speaker 4: Man?

00:00:52
Speaker 3: Oh man, it was like a very special time in you know, my journey in terms of what the you know, the select camp actually meant. I had been with UA for four years at that point, and we had had like this really tight roster of all young men who were coming in the ranks looking to work on their skills, and we had this idea obviously of you know, how can we make this better and more representative of what basketball looks like.

00:01:23
Speaker 4: And hear you and cam Brink come in.

00:01:28
Speaker 3: Walking into Walnut Creek, California in the gym and as the first two female Curry Select campers, and one I noticed just your confidence walking into the room of I'm supposed to be here, even if maybe I don't know how what your experience was, but it felt like one year ready to work and you were willing to do any and everything that we asked of you. But two, it was like you could tell the talent and the skill and the dedication to the game immediately. And so from that point it was it was the perfect kind of transition into you know, you taking that chance on coming and not knowing what you're getting into to now what it looks like, what eight years later and you're paving the way for so many athletes behind you now and now as a counselor coming in and hanging out with Cannon, you like you're like part counselor park babysitter, because that's all he was looking for, is where it's at.

00:02:29
Speaker 1: I prefer friend, you know, like me and Canon we're friends now, that is true. That is true.

00:02:34
Speaker 2: If you remembers me.

00:02:35
Speaker 4: Oh, he definitely remembers you.

00:02:37
Speaker 1: I still remember getting my invite to that first camp. Cam and I were on the you seventeen USA team I think or six I remember when you sixteen USA whatever. We're on the USA team. Just got to Belarus. My mom called me and she was like, hey, you just got this invite. Have you seen it? And the WiFi was weird, so I hadn't seen it, so they sent it to me. But Cam and I were actually roommates and we were talking about it and it's like this whole hype video of Curry Camp.

00:03:04
Speaker 2: What that looks like? They want to invite me?

00:03:05
Speaker 1: And I remember like being confused as to why you guys wanted to invite me, but also just in shock, like no way, And it was funny that we were roommates. We got to talk about it and then see each other a week later.

00:03:17
Speaker 4: There that's crazy, just knowing.

00:03:22
Speaker 3: We broadcast a little bit of the camp, and you know, you've seen some clips. I think it was like Seventh Woods and Dennis Smith Junior, who were like our first two campers back in the day into what it was when you showed up, But now we've got was it twelve to fourteen young men and young women both on as part of the Curry Camp. But none of that would have happened had y'all not accepted the invite and took a chance on us. So we're forever grateful for that because you had to walk through the door.

00:03:53
Speaker 2: Well, we definitely appreciate it. I do too.

00:03:55
Speaker 1: It's definitely a life changing moment and experience and has been since. Okay, Well, you've supported me through high school, my college commitment, through college, through injuries, championships, and now my rookie year. What moment has stood out to you?

00:04:12
Speaker 4: I mean, how much time do you have? How long's this pot? It's like so many moments, so many moments with you.

00:04:17
Speaker 3: I think my favorite moment though, is you trying to go out here and think that you could win the three point contest in a boot.

00:04:23
Speaker 4: That's still my favorite. You remember that you were hurt, You were hurt.

00:04:29
Speaker 3: She's hurt, like can't really do all the other drills, but she's still around. I think this is the second year. We came back the next year and we had like an all star game at this high school in Oakland, and we have like a halftime three point contests and We're like, I think ag might shoot, but she's got Lily a walking boot on. We're like, all right, we'll see what happens. And she's the one out here having fun, but that look.

00:04:52
Speaker 4: Of I do this.

00:04:55
Speaker 3: And so she got out There was cash from all around the court, every rack in a boot. I don't know how she calibrated the balance and all of that stuff, but that was just to me, like my favorite moment of you're your confidence, your competitiveness too, Like no matter what the situation was, you just wanted to compete, get out there going against the guys, and so I feel like that was my favorite moment just knowing that you're a killer, it doesn't matter what the situation is. Toughness like you had to show that and there was no stakes of all, Like what a summertime select.

00:05:25
Speaker 4: Can three points shootout?

00:05:27
Speaker 2: I just wanted to win.

00:05:28
Speaker 4: I tell you to sit down.

00:05:31
Speaker 1: Yeah, Brandon was so mad at me. He did not want me to shoot or for everyone listening. Brandon is one of Stephan's basketball trainers that I work out with as well.

00:05:40
Speaker 3: He yeah, he's serious about we have to protect the asset like she's not supposed to be and you couldn't tell you anything. So he's been through that a lot with me too. He was he was well conditioned for that. That no answer.

00:05:52
Speaker 1: I'm good, Okay, this is something that I've always wanted to ask.

00:05:57
Speaker 2: But why me?

00:05:58
Speaker 1: Why did you decide once you invited me to kind of just take me under your wing. It's something you did not at all need to do.

00:06:07
Speaker 3: Whenever people ask me this question, like I think they answer changes just depend on what moment pops up in my head first, But I think generally it's just when you're around the game long enough, you understand somebody that has a spirit of gratitude and appreciation for every moment that they get to hoop. You get the seriousness they take it when it comes to watching you work, and you can't fake that. And no matter how talented you were, highlights us all if you're in high school or this and that, like when you you know, understand your parents and when you got to you know, talk to them and hear the story of you know, how you grew up and how much the game means to you, how you treated people when you came into the building like the most not polite, but like just professional even as a high schooler of understanding why you're here and not wasting anybody's time.

00:06:58
Speaker 4: That goes a long way. So yeah, we loved like.

00:07:01
Speaker 3: The fact that you were like one of the most talented, uh you know, hoopers that we had seen, But just the idea of just how you handle things on and off the court that matters more than anything, because then there's this idea that no matter what comes your way, you're gonna be able to figure it out. Like not everybody's path is and you would know and everybody's path is straight in terms of just this uh you know, easy breezy coast to the w n b A, but just the idea that no matter if it was an injury, no matter if it was you know, a tough loss or bad game or a hard workout or whatever the case was, like, you were going to show up. And so I think we felt that from the jump, and it's pretty much gone exactly as expected in terms of your ability to be able to figure out whatever challenge is in front of you. So, uh, the fact that you're wearing that sweatshirt right now is still crazy to me. Wanted means getting it means I'm getting old, But it's also dope. It's also dope that you're you know, you're right where you're supposed to be because of what you you know, the work that you put into it.

00:08:03
Speaker 1: Thank you, I really really appreciate that.

00:08:06
Speaker 2: That's so beautiful.

00:08:07
Speaker 5: And yeah, girl super resilient and you heard it from one of the goat's mouths.

00:08:12
Speaker 3: So I'm gonna keep giving the flowers. Don't worry out what I said, how many questions you got. We're gonna hype her up because she deserves it for.

00:08:18
Speaker 5: Sure, Literally me all the time. Okay, that's my family to so steph Azy. You guys are you know, two of the best shooters in the game.

00:08:29
Speaker 2: Step.

00:08:29
Speaker 4: What makes a great shooter first is confidence. I think that's the biggest.

00:08:34
Speaker 3: It's kind of undefinable trait in terms of like if I walk into gym, I don't know how to say who's the most confident of the group. If you got a bunch of shooters but being able to mentally turn off, you know, a miss and have amnesia almost when it comes to what's supposed to happen next. I think there's like mechanics that you could direct somebody to if they're starting from scratch, on like what's quote unquote the perfect shot in terms of you know, your balance, how your feet are, position, shoulder square to the basket, what you're supposed to be looking at on the rim ball, position in the hand, like all that stuff. But I will say everybody, all I know, you know so many great shooters that everybody shoots differently. Me and As have totally distinct forms, Az and Klay, Thompson closer, but still different and unique to each of them. So I think it's a it's a mental part of the like the confidence and you're sometimes called it irrational confidence of no matter what shot I'm taking, I think I'm going to make, and it's built on you know, the reps helu.

00:09:43
Speaker 4: Yeah, for sure, the reps that you put into it.

00:09:45
Speaker 3: But then there's there's a repeatability that you know, great shooters have no matter what their shot looks like.

00:09:52
Speaker 4: That's what Asy has almost mastered.

00:09:54
Speaker 3: If you took, you know, a thousand pictures of a thousand shots, they probably it would all look exactly the same at the top of her her jump shot, and that's why she's such a consistent great shooter. I have a little bit like looser kind of mechanics to me, But I think when I get to the top, it all.

00:10:13
Speaker 4: Kind of looks the same as well.

00:10:14
Speaker 3: So you got to have a little bit of mental and the physical connector, but it's all built on work.

00:10:20
Speaker 4: You can't shoat the game.

00:10:21
Speaker 2: M Well said, what.

00:10:24
Speaker 3: Do you think I'd say, I'm not the host of this podcast. I'll ask you what is a great shooter to you? Because I want to know from another great shooter what that means.

00:10:32
Speaker 2: I agree with what you said.

00:10:33
Speaker 1: I feel like, if anything, when you watch basketball, you see not like no shots look the same, no form looks the same. You can have the ugliest looking build up wind up, but if it works for you, then it works for you. If it's consistent, like you make it work then but I agree you have to be able to repeat.

00:10:51
Speaker 2: That has to be consistent.

00:10:53
Speaker 5: I like the delusional confidence where it's like everything I put up is going in period period.

00:11:01
Speaker 3: If you if you if you could have a microphone on in your in your brain, like at that moment when you're about to shoot, it's like there's no other option.

00:11:08
Speaker 4: You almost surprised if you miss.

00:11:10
Speaker 3: But also I will say, you know you get to a point where you know right away, as soon as that ball leaves your fingertips, that which was about to happen, we could we could pretty much predict the outcome. You might get a couple of surprises or lucky bounce, but for the most part, we know as soon as we let it go.

00:11:30
Speaker 2: Could you break down some of your shooting drills or workouts.

00:11:34
Speaker 4: It depends on the time of year, in season, out of season.

00:11:37
Speaker 3: You know, if it's a shoot around, a bigger practice where I have some more time and a little bit more rest on the back end to really go hard.

00:11:47
Speaker 4: But I think we have.

00:11:49
Speaker 3: There's there's a different categories, I guess, so like conditioning shooting drills where you try to simulate kind of games.

00:11:57
Speaker 4: Look at our face, look at those are the ones. Those are the ones we love.

00:12:03
Speaker 3: We have a love hate relationship with those because you know you're getting some out of it, but you don't look forward to You don't look forward to those days at all. Like the full court star drill, but you have to also put a goal on top of the drill, and then if you don't hit that, then it could be a long workout, a longer than a longer workout than necessary. But like those conditioning drills, whether it's the full court star drill that people have seen or this drill that we do call perfection where you have to make four in a row five different spots, than three in a row, than two in a row.

00:12:36
Speaker 4: Than one in a row, but you can't miss.

00:12:38
Speaker 3: You can't miss two in a row, you can't miss two shots in a row, or else you have to start all over. So it's more of a test of mental resilience. At the end of a workout, we've got warm up drills where you're dribbling one basketball at the same time you're shooting with the other hand to kind of training like the mental dexterity being able to lock in on the shooting motion while you have something else kind of distracting you while you're drivening the other basketball. That's a fun one because it kind of just gets the mind and the body going.

00:13:08
Speaker 4: We do that at the beginning of workouts.

00:13:10
Speaker 3: But yeah, there's like a lot of different categories that and I'm still trying to figure out and kind of design new ones because you got to, you know, keep your got to keep challenging yourself in new ways. You don't want to kind of settle into a groove of knowing exactly know how you're going to experience a drill. So seventeen years into the league, I'm still trying to figure out new routines and stuff.

00:13:33
Speaker 1: And that was a very vague explanation of what his workouts looked. Like what I love about what his work he very lightly mentioned it. But everything you have to think like you have to there'll be addition, subtraction, multiplication, like number of letters in some of those drills, doing ball handling while having like multiply plus three with different colors and tennis balls and juggling, and also with the shooting drills, Like my favorite part is that it's not just okay, make ten, make three in a row and then do this like it's okay, Well if you don't do this, then you have to go back if you don't do that right thing. So like you're constantly being challenged in different ways.

00:14:08
Speaker 2: And I love that.

00:14:08
Speaker 1: I mean, and explains why he's the best. But yeah, I love watching him.

00:14:14
Speaker 2: Doing math with colors while dribbling issues. I don't even know how to describe some of these drills.

00:14:21
Speaker 5: I mean, by itself, maybe that's awesome.

00:14:26
Speaker 4: Be pays holding.

00:14:28
Speaker 3: In front of you and you're like, all right, answer, oh man, it's fun, it's fun.

00:14:38
Speaker 2: It is fun.

00:14:47
Speaker 1: Okay, I want to take it back to your draft night. What what's one of your favorite memories from your draft night?

00:14:53
Speaker 3: Ooh uh, well fun fact, not fun fact, horrible fact. That was the day Michael Jackson passed away June twenty fifth, two thousand and nine. So I heard Jeff t tell the story on his party the other day because we were in the same draft class. But it was my dad's birthday. It was the day Michael Jackson passed. In New York, it was just the idea of being in the you know, in the city, getting dressed like I did the old get It was like the premature get ready with me situations when.

00:15:32
Speaker 4: I had on my fit with a little purple tie.

00:15:34
Speaker 3: Nervous as all get out, but one I didn't know how long the night was going to be. So you're there for two hours before the David Stern at the time, the commissioner, before he even walked out. And so yeah, there are a lot of fans in there, and you know a lot of New York fans, which are pretty awesome.

00:15:53
Speaker 4: My favorite moment is how loud.

00:15:55
Speaker 3: They booed when Golden State selected me at number seven. We're passionate, yes, one hundred percent, so they they bowed like crazy, and I'm trying to, you know, have that moment. I couldn't get that distraction out of my head, like they booing. I was like, oh, no, they really wanted me. I got it that It took me a second. Is in that moment, there's just so many thoughts going on, but you're getting that call was from Larry Riley, the GM at the time. Don Nelson, who was the coach at the time, getting that call and being like, hey, we're looking forward to having you excited, and then me quickly looking at my phone trying to figure out exactly where Golden State was.

00:16:41
Speaker 4: All I was thinking about was New York. But careful what you wish for. But I'm glad. I'm glad I went. My wife for sure.

00:16:48
Speaker 1: Everything works out that part, that part, I guess step if you were drafted today, what would you wear?

00:16:56
Speaker 5: I like the like purple tie. Look, I saw the drop. It wasn't I've seen crazier.

00:17:02
Speaker 2: It wasn't bad.

00:17:03
Speaker 3: It was kind of chill with a pop on the time. What would I wear it this year. Oh, that's a good question. It would probably be like something like real fitted, double breasted, like kind of pin stripey, but like dark navy suit. Just something classic, but something that fit actually fit me more than my suit did back in on nine because we had a whole different definition of what what fit.

00:17:27
Speaker 4: Yeah, something something classic like that.

00:17:29
Speaker 2: I like that vision you gotta You're gonna.

00:17:32
Speaker 4: Hear me say that and you go see what I'm wearing at the met gall of the night like that? Ain't the same person?

00:17:39
Speaker 2: Is it like a crazy look? Or you could tell us this drops off like on a Friday.

00:17:46
Speaker 3: I don't have it with me, but it's it's like, uh, I'm like the black Assassin's creed. Let's put it that way. I like, I gotta uh yeah, and it involves gloves. Let's put add that to big, big, big hood and leather gloves that.

00:18:07
Speaker 2: I'm excited to see. I am excited? Is it just you? Ors I usual with you?

00:18:15
Speaker 4: With me too? So she is? Uh? I think the theme is costume mark.

00:18:20
Speaker 3: She's got it fall less like silhouette dress with a little little legs showing it's gonna be nice.

00:18:27
Speaker 4: I'm the arm candy this time around.

00:18:30
Speaker 2: You guys are gonna look amazing. But listen, we all still like make macaroni and cheese on the side.

00:18:38
Speaker 4: You know this is true. It's just true.

00:18:41
Speaker 1: Well, I had some more questions from his rookie year, but we're gonna We're gonna bring it back. Sorry, that's exciting. The process for going to the NBA is way different than the wu of months prepare, get ready, combine train. What was the hardest part about transitioning for you?

00:19:00
Speaker 3: I think just getting comfortable with the physical demands because we have a certain in college. You know, like there's it's just different in terms of the college practices are.

00:19:10
Speaker 4: Insane and hard.

00:19:11
Speaker 3: I know you play for one of the hardest coaches in terms of the expectations on a daily basis, But everybody had that experience of you know, six am workouts and weight room and study hall and then back practice and then like two games a week, So practices were even crazier just because they had the time to run you into the ground. The league is different because it's more self motivated, like you have to figure it out for yourself how to meet that level of work because there's nobody really like you got team camaraderie. I know there's you know, organized team activities and stuff, but for the most part, your prep has to be your own process. And it took me a minute to understand how to set that up to you know, get me through the off season. And thankfully I got to hang out with Chris Paul a good amount over that summer, and I basically shattered him for like two months off and on. I even went to I was joking with him. I went to their family reunion in Orlando. Me and I used to just we we got a room because he was working out in the mornings, and so we went down there for three days and just to see his process, you know, and how he showed up every morning with an intention of what he was trying to work on, and how he pushed himself even when he didn't have to, how he made himself uncomfortable. That was great to kind of draft off that energy and it helped me, you know, transition into the league. And then obviously once you get the training camp, it's a whole nother process. Like every every day is something new and something different. It's so cool talking to you literally right now, because you're right in the middle of that.

00:20:53
Speaker 4: I saw that video yesterday. You're doing the jump ball situation like.

00:20:59
Speaker 2: We're talking about like the handshakes.

00:21:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I don't get like I don't know these people yet, like I have to go say hi, th like I don't.

00:21:07
Speaker 2: I was so worried. My gosh. I remember watching that. I was like, she looks just so excited to say hello. I'm like doing. I was like, I don't know you like high Hi. Hello.

00:21:21
Speaker 5: That's so it's hilarious, so funny.

00:21:27
Speaker 4: It's a little stuff like that.

00:21:30
Speaker 3: Okay, I guess, But then you got locked back into what was the coverages?

00:21:35
Speaker 4: What's the first play called?

00:21:36
Speaker 3: Like it's just a mental mentally exhausting, like going through all of these reps, but it's going to help you in the long run.

00:21:42
Speaker 4: So like little stuff like.

00:21:43
Speaker 3: That that always makes me laugh, just because there's no way to really prepare yourself and what you about to get into.

00:21:49
Speaker 4: You just gotta go through it.

00:21:51
Speaker 2: You just gotta do it.

00:21:53
Speaker 1: Okay, So how long would you say that it took you to really get down your routine because that's like even just the game day routine. Like I'm looking around, it's so different than college and I'm trying to look at my bets and people who have much more of an understanding what's going on.

00:22:07
Speaker 2: But like, how did you figure out what works best for you? How long did that take?

00:22:10
Speaker 4: So I think the answer to the question is about four years.

00:22:13
Speaker 3: Wow, it took me to understand what worked and what didn't work, what I had time for, what I didn't, How I could blend my process into the game day, practice day, shoot around flows in season. But within that four year process, it was almost like every three months, I felt like I was either forced to change something or experimenting on my own, even the idea. I talked to a lot of young guys today who come you know in our locker room.

00:22:43
Speaker 4: You got to learn how to rest too.

00:22:45
Speaker 3: That's a hard thing, is a as a young player, because we're you're trained like you got there because of your work ethic most likely and the idea of I know, I might need to go get a couple extra one hundred shots, or I might need to thirty minutes, you know, working through some ball handling stuff or whatever like.

00:23:03
Speaker 4: Those are important.

00:23:04
Speaker 3: You kind of have to learn yourself as you go, But you still have to balance being sharp and ready, especially if you're playing, you know, minutes as a rookie, which not everybody has that experience, so it's a little different. But that even that part you're always reassessing four years is when I got comfortable. But even in that I still was changing things from time to time, but I just got comfortable knowing everything that was going to come at me, and I felt like that's the moment where there weren't really any surprises on just the day to day experience of being professional.

00:23:34
Speaker 4: You know a basketball player.

00:23:36
Speaker 2: When you think about your rookie year, is there anything that you would change?

00:23:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, our win total. We struggling to get twenty wins my rookie year. Our only thing was chasing I think we might be like twenty three wins to get Don Nelson the record for all time win as a head coach, which is last year and he needed I think it was twenty three, Like correct me if I'm wrong, But that was our only goal, Like the last half of the season was can we get him that record? And when we did it in Minnesota and we celebrated like we won a championship, and then you came out and like we were thirteenth place in the.

00:24:17
Speaker 2: West steps celebrate the.

00:24:23
Speaker 3: Small ones beginnings humbo beginnings for sure, but I wouldn't change anything else just because my experience was my own.

00:24:31
Speaker 4: You had to figure it out.

00:24:34
Speaker 1: Okay, early on, how did you navigate walking into a locker room with players already established in the league and trying to find your voice in that space.

00:24:44
Speaker 3: That was one of the harder journeys for sure, because even to the point of where we were that year, I had a couple of vets Roni, Terry offf Corey mcghetty and Andris Biedrin's who were the voices that kind of helped me navigate some stuff. They made it hard on me at times, but they showed me so much love, just introduced me to, you know again, what the NBA.

00:25:08
Speaker 4: Life was like.

00:25:09
Speaker 3: And then Matte Ellis was kind of in between as a guy that was a budding All Star and trying to get, you know, lead a team himself because he was a part of that we believed team that had a bunch of older guys and he was the young pup. And then when I got there, he was considered the vet even though he was in his mid twenties. And that balance was tough because you know, it was tough being two small guards in that backcourt and we were you know, he felt like we were under achieving based on where he had been me even a couple of years before. So me fighting my voice as a leaders mostly by example and like you, establishing a trust in my teammates because of my work ethic and how I showed up every day.

00:25:52
Speaker 4: But I don't think I'm going back to that four year journey.

00:25:55
Speaker 3: Like that year four or five, six was kind of when I really became more of a vocal leader. It was very uncomfortable at times because it wasn't that necessarily my strong suit, or knowing when and where to say you know what, or when to bring that fiery emotion, or when to pull somebody aside and have a one on one conversation, like learning your teammates and what can get the most out of them.

00:26:20
Speaker 4: There's no playbook for that.

00:26:22
Speaker 3: You just have to one not be afraid of judgment or you know, fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

00:26:28
Speaker 4: Like that's easier said than done for anybody.

00:26:30
Speaker 3: But eventually, I think that's where it became noticeable that that was important for us to get where we wanted to go because I don't think people are going to look at me as the guy on the court playing at the high level and how it worked. But that voice matters because they want to know that there's expectations.

00:26:47
Speaker 4: On the line.

00:26:47
Speaker 3: They want to have you know that you got to make people uncomfortable at times. I think that's that's just a learning curve as you go through, especially if you wanted like the quieter types, and I think that's that's who I was early.

00:27:01
Speaker 4: In my career.

00:27:09
Speaker 1: It's hard like obviously not knowing you early in your career, but it's hard to think that you were quieter knowing who you are now.

00:27:17
Speaker 4: No, for sure, it's it was like seventeen years.

00:27:22
Speaker 3: You think about all the different iterations of me as a as a person and a player. I think I haven't changed much in terms of how I see the world. But I think to your point, yes, it's challenged you to stretch you and force you to to mature and grow in different areas that you never really thought you'd have to.

00:27:38
Speaker 5: I guess you mentioned earlier that you know Chris Paul and you had other great bets who came alongside you. Is there anyone in particular that really like took you under their wing to help you develop your voice and develop your leadership style.

00:27:54
Speaker 4: That's crazy as it sounds.

00:27:55
Speaker 3: He's younger than me, but it was Draymond and that my fourth year because can you imagine he was the loudest one in the room even in his first year in the locker room, and as me and his relationship grew, it kind of became important for me to make sure I elevated my voice so that he wasn't the only one that you heard on a daily basis. It was kind of like a big ying yang kind of perspective that was necessary. Those guys that I mentioned before were more of the vets that I had that. Oh, Darrell Wright was another one as well, who was a guy my second third year that just had a charisma about him and connected with, you know, pretty much everybody in the locker room. So I kind of got to see how he navigated that space. And he was a champion in Miami why the time he came, you know, with us, and so he had been around a successful veteran team and so he had he had seen how it's done.

00:28:49
Speaker 4: And even in that short time I learned a lot from him.

00:28:51
Speaker 3: So yeah, between you know, my rookie year vets, Darrell, Jarrett, Jack and Draymond. Those were are my guys that helped me elevate my presence more than just you know, the skill and the talent.

00:29:09
Speaker 2: He's gonna loved hearing that.

00:29:11
Speaker 4: That's my guy for sure.

00:29:13
Speaker 1: This was my last question about your early years, your rookie years. But looking back, what was one thing that you wish you had understood or learned early in your career that you figured out later on in the league.

00:29:26
Speaker 3: You realize how fast these games come, and you learn not to dwell on the losses are.

00:29:32
Speaker 4: The bad games for too long? Uh.

00:29:35
Speaker 3: In college, you have a whole week to think about a tough loss, thirtain situations and it's it's miserable, Like all right, coach, how many times can you watch film on this exact game.

00:29:46
Speaker 4: Like we get it.

00:29:47
Speaker 3: We we were horrible that night, and then you gotta wait, you know, forever to go back out and redeem yourself in the league. It got turned the page quick, you know, every other night, back to back. So the emotional rollercoaster, I would say, learning how to still keep your competitive fire but try to stay more even keeled because it's such a long season. I think for me was what I wish I learned earlier.

00:30:15
Speaker 1: You know what, stuff go ahead, wait, yeah, we still have beef. I have a bone to pick with you. I was in college for five years.

00:30:24
Speaker 2: Five years.

00:30:24
Speaker 1: Granted I didn't play a lot of those years or a lot of those games, that's still five years of opportunity that you had to come to a game.

00:30:33
Speaker 2: And you didn't, and you didn't.

00:30:35
Speaker 4: I'm going to deflect the blame. You're right. I'm going to deflect the blame on Adam Silver for not.

00:30:45
Speaker 3: Scheduling us in the Northeast at a certain point, or at least giving us a day off when you were in the tournament.

00:30:51
Speaker 4: And then I'm gonna also blame.

00:30:54
Speaker 3: Larry Riley, who drafted me, because if I was in New York, I could have been up there. No, probably they had to put us little on either side of the coast like I was. You know when you come to the Bay and you come to Balhalla, and it was that ju June something.

00:31:12
Speaker 2: June seventeenth is the first I'm going.

00:31:13
Speaker 4: To try to make up for five years and one night.

00:31:16
Speaker 1: You see how he said try. So there's still like a back door for him to escape. But that's cool.

00:31:21
Speaker 2: We'll see. I'll believe it what I see.

00:31:23
Speaker 4: It's on you to accept my apology.

00:31:28
Speaker 2: We'll see if I forgive you.

00:31:29
Speaker 1: You have a little over a month to figure out your schedule that part.

00:31:35
Speaker 4: That part, I'm gonna be there.

00:31:39
Speaker 1: Okay, now that we got that out of the way. I mean, you've done and accomplished a ton of things with having a movie come out championship. Just what is one thing that you have not done yet that you want to do.

00:31:53
Speaker 4: That's a great question.

00:31:55
Speaker 3: I've been blessed, man, I had such a blessed NBA experience that just obviously, winning a championship is the only real motivator for for anything outside of that, I'm a pivot to to golf because that's my other love. Like eventually we're not going to talk basketball, but eventually. Uh, it's a very niche community. I'll understand what I'm saying. But I would I would want to qualify for a US Open as an amateur.

00:32:23
Speaker 4: Oh wow, that would be that would be another goal.

00:32:26
Speaker 2: The popularity of golf is going up.

00:32:29
Speaker 4: It's going crazy right now.

00:32:31
Speaker 2: I see a lot more young people get into it.

00:32:34
Speaker 3: And I love that as they should. There's a lot of room. The water is warm in the golf world, so eventually it's shanty as you gotta get y' all out there too, as she's been the top golf and I try to. I try to help the swing a little bit, but there's some game in there somewhere.

00:32:49
Speaker 2: Raw talent. I gotta work on.

00:32:53
Speaker 3: Raw.

00:32:55
Speaker 2: Extremely wrong, extremely wrong.

00:32:57
Speaker 1: We could have kept talking for hours. I have so many more questions, comments, things I could ask you, say to you, but we know you're busy, so I really appreciate, we really appreciate you taking the time spending this time with us today.

00:33:09
Speaker 2: Listeners.

00:33:10
Speaker 1: Thank you guys for watching, for listening, for tuning in, don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to fut around and find out wherever you get your podcasts, and we'll see you all next week. Steph again, thank you so much for being here today, but for the last what like eight years, you being in my corner, supporting me, being someone I look up to, a mentor either or not enough words to tell you how grateful and appreciate it if I am for everything you've done for me.

00:33:37
Speaker 4: Super proud of you.

00:33:38
Speaker 3: Keep going and watching every step of the way through a pronoun so, let's get it, let's get it, let's get it.

00:33:44
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Steph.

00:33:46
Speaker 1: Futter Around and find Out is a production of iHeart Women's Sports and Unanimous Media. Executive producers are Jesse Katz, Eric Payton, Charlotte Sumter Brugette, and Stephan Curry. Co executive producer is Kleana Maria Cutney. Producers are My Mike Costcarelli, Grace Ughs and Mackenzie Fitzpatcher, and co producers are Kurt Redman, Maya Howard, and Jacquelin Schoeninger. This podcast is edited by Mike Coscarelli and hosted by me Aisy Fudd and as Shaunty Plummer.