How The Professor Became The BIGGEST Basketball Content Creator On Earth | Sessions Ep. 5 - video Dailymotion

Ballislife

In Episode 5 of Sessions w/ Frank we have one of the most popular streetballer of all time, the biggest basketball content creator in the world and one of the most down-to-earth and coolest human beings on earth, The Professor.

Transcript

00:00:00 I was making videos trying to get booked for live events because you could get a DM on YouTube back then.

00:00:05 I got a million subs in like one day.

00:00:06 Shut the hell up.

00:00:07 The last couple plays, a dude, I crossed him and he fell, no contact.

00:00:10 Yeah.

00:00:11 And then the next play I crossed him and he like threw his shoulder out of the socket.

00:00:14 I tell you, that shit was viral as hell.

00:00:17 When I first got in there, I was like, "Who is that?"

00:00:18 And then you could see the moment, I was like, "Yeah, it's Professor Ball."

00:00:21 How do you feel these park takeovers win?

00:00:23 Do you think anybody in our era right now will be able to message y'all?

00:00:26 Back then when we played, it was like a pro level.

00:00:28 You're supposed to put on a show, but you got to like, we got to whoop their butt and put on a show.

00:00:32 Top five streetball players ever.

00:00:34 Top five.

00:00:35 Your ever?

00:00:37 Your top five.

00:00:37 Yeah.

00:00:38 Your top five ever.

00:00:39 All right, man.

00:00:41 So we're back with another episode of Sessions with Frank Nitti.

00:00:45 I have my co-host here for the day.

00:00:47 We call him Gangsta Ro.

00:00:49 Everybody know him as Ro.

00:00:50 He gonna be helping me out today, but I want to get into this introduction real quick because we have a

00:00:57 myth, man, a legend, a pioneer to basically, man, Hooper and content creating.

00:01:05 I feel like he made that lane for all of us.

00:01:07 We saw him do it and we ran with it.

00:01:08 A lot of y'all know him best from the Spider-Man series.

00:01:12 I done seen him trash a bunch of people, man, but let me get straight to it.

00:01:17 The Professor, man.

00:01:18 Streetball and one legend.

00:01:20 Hey, humble, bro.

00:01:21 Let's hear it for the champ.

00:01:22 You got something.

00:01:23 Yes, sir.

00:01:24 Anything you want to get off your chest before we get started?

00:01:27 Oh, man, I'm just happy to be here with y'all, man.

00:01:28 Yeah, I see.

00:01:29 How's it going?

00:01:30 Reviving, reviving.

00:01:31 How you feeling, bro?

00:01:32 I'm good, bro.

00:01:32 Like I was telling him, he mentioned Cam Murray and I'm like, that's, you know, that's my big bro.

00:01:38 Okay.

00:01:38 I got a picture with him.

00:01:40 Yeah, bro.

00:01:42 I have a picture of him at the ball that we was in.

00:01:44 I want to say Norfolk.

00:01:45 Was it Norfolk?

00:01:47 9/11.

00:01:48 Yeah, it was at Norfolk.

00:01:50 I got a picture with him.

00:01:51 So I was so mad I couldn't find it, but I wanted to bring it today.

00:01:54 Yeah, you got to find it.

00:01:55 Yeah, I'm gonna find it.

00:01:55 Yeah, ball of days.

00:01:57 Season one, right?

00:01:57 Yeah, it was season one.

00:01:58 It was like when it first was, he was trying to, I was fresh from college.

00:02:02 I was like, yeah, I was like my junior year in college, I believe.

00:02:05 Gotcha, gotcha.

00:02:06 Okay, so let's get over to the first question I got for you, man.

00:02:09 Let's hear a little bit about your story.

00:02:11 Tell us more about Grayson, man.

00:02:12 Yeah.

00:02:13 Who's that?

00:02:13 For sure.

00:02:15 So I'm originally from Oregon, a small town called Kaiser, Oregon.

00:02:20 Nobody's ever heard of it.

00:02:21 I live in the Northwest.

00:02:22 I was there.

00:02:23 You never been to Kaiser, though.

00:02:24 No.

00:02:25 I ain't never heard of it.

00:02:26 That's not right, you got me there.

00:02:27 It's near Salem, the capital.

00:02:30 It's like halfway in between Eugene and Portland.

00:02:32 Okay.

00:02:33 But yeah, no, I grew up in Oregon.

00:02:36 I started playing ball like two years old.

00:02:37 My dad's passion for the game wore off onto me and then playing all the way up

00:02:43 through school, AAU and all that.

00:02:45 And I was always an underdog, man.

00:02:48 I always looked like I was like 10 years older than I am.

00:02:51 So by the time--

00:02:52 Wait, it was when I was doing the big high school?

00:02:54 Look old?

00:02:55 No, no, no.

00:02:56 Sorry.

00:02:56 10 years old.

00:02:57 Oh, I'm like, when you at the big high school?

00:02:59 No, no, no.

00:03:00 No, not even.

00:03:01 All right, go ahead.

00:03:02 Not even.

00:03:02 Go ahead.

00:03:03 10 years younger than I am.

00:03:04 Okay, go ahead.

00:03:05 So--

00:03:05 Oh, they blew.

00:03:06 Did I say older?

00:03:06 Trippy.

00:03:09 Trippy, yeah.

00:03:09 10 years younger.

00:03:10 So like by the time I got to junior high school, I come from the varsity team, held back on JV.

00:03:16 By the time I graduated high school, I finally had to transfer schools to play varsity.

00:03:21 I had a good year.

00:03:22 Then I tried to play community college.

00:03:24 I got cut from three community colleges.

00:03:26 Finally redshirted at one.

00:03:29 Then there were some injuries.

00:03:30 So they threw me in the lineup, played three minutes a game.

00:03:33 But all the while, my whole childhood, all I did was ball.

00:03:36 You know what I mean?

00:03:36 I literally, all my hours not at school, not socializing, not doing family events was all hoops.

00:03:42 So when Ann One, you know, Ann One was hot at the time.

00:03:45 And when he came around to Portland, Oregon, I just drove up as a fan.

00:03:49 I literally drove up as a fan.

00:03:50 Like I was a fan of Ann One just as much as I was the league, if not more.

00:03:54 And I tried, I really just going to watch.

00:03:56 I didn't feel like I belong.

00:03:57 I actually didn't even feel like I could belong with them.

00:03:59 It was those guys.

00:04:00 - You sound like me.

00:04:01 - Bro, I can relate to your story though.

00:04:03 You know, I saw a clip of yours.

00:04:05 You were talking about how like, you never thought you were good enough.

00:04:08 - Nah bro.

00:04:09 And that plays such a big role in us as human beings.

00:04:11 - Yeah.

00:04:12 - If you think you're not good enough, it's a lot of times we won't reach for the stars

00:04:15 because we feel like we're not good enough.

00:04:16 - It's confidence.

00:04:17 - Yeah.

00:04:17 - You feel like you don't belong.

00:04:18 - Bro.

00:04:19 - 100%.

00:04:19 - Yeah, this is good.

00:04:20 We should get into that too.

00:04:21 Because what happened, so in my whole run, I was very like, it was very like systemized

00:04:26 basketball.

00:04:27 You know what I mean?

00:04:27 - Yeah.

00:04:28 - And it's all about how your coaches view you, right?

00:04:30 How they're going to use you and what they're going to let you do.

00:04:32 So if I cross somebody in my high school, if I cross somebody and they went flying over

00:04:37 there, because I mastered the AI cross.

00:04:39 I was in fourth grade.

00:04:41 - You had that?

00:04:42 - I had a trainer, shout out to this dude, Rodney Howard.

00:04:45 He was my trainer in fourth grade.

00:04:47 I was picking up moves like within a week.

00:04:49 You know what I'm saying?

00:04:50 So I became known as like this little white kid with handles like early.

00:04:53 - Okay, so your trainer, he was in the fourth grade.

00:04:56 You guys was working specifically on that?

00:04:59 - Yeah, this was before.

00:05:01 And nobody had trainers.

00:05:02 That's the crazy thing.

00:05:02 I remember that.

00:05:03 - That's what I'm listening to.

00:05:04 I didn't get a trainer until I was 28.

00:05:06 So take it, proceed, please.

00:05:08 - That's one thing, I give a lot of credit to my parents because they had me in camps,

00:05:11 clinics.

00:05:12 They put me up with this trainer and he was roommates with Gary Payne in Oregon State.

00:05:16 He played at Oregon State.

00:05:16 But he was great at just breaking down the footwork.

00:05:19 So anything he showed me, he showed me the in and out, you know what I'm saying?

00:05:22 Showed me the AI cross, I had the Tim Hardaway.

00:05:24 And I'm like, so I'm crossing adults, but I'm like this tall, you know what I mean?

00:05:28 - This little dude, yeah.

00:05:29 - Like it was actually crazy.

00:05:31 But when it got into systemized basketball, like in the season, like they didn't trust it.

00:05:35 They didn't like it.

00:05:36 They felt like it was showing off because nobody played that way there, you know what I mean?

00:05:39 Like primarily all white, you know what I mean?

00:05:41 - Yeah, yeah.

00:05:42 - Like they don't do ISOs and, you know, don't have primarily pick and roll offenses.

00:05:47 We're doing motion and high, low and four man, you know what I mean?

00:05:50 - You know, ISO ball.

00:05:51 - Yeah, so I was always systemized and then I felt like I would always kill

00:05:57 and pick up and play street ball.

00:05:59 But then when it got into conventional, I just wasn't as good.

00:06:01 So I started, just like you, I started to believe like maybe a conventional

00:06:05 where the way the big dogs play, I don't fit in.

00:06:07 But then it's like after my freshman year in college, I don't know what happened.

00:06:12 But I started getting a little more physical on defense.

00:06:14 That was always my biggest setback, looking so young, being timid.

00:06:17 - Yeah.

00:06:18 - So I got a little more physical on defense.

00:06:20 I hit the weights and then like this, I was like better than my teammates.

00:06:23 Like we're playing open gym, you know, after a freshman year, I'm running court.

00:06:29 Like all of a sudden, just out of nowhere, it kind of clicked for me.

00:06:32 And then I go try out, the timing was crazy.

00:06:34 I just go try out for and one.

00:06:36 And I just thought I was getting lucky the whole time, you know what I mean?

00:06:38 - You wasn't getting lucky though.

00:06:41 - No, I thought that though.

00:06:42 I'm thinking like I'm pulling off.

00:06:44 - Did you watch it?

00:06:44 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:06:45 - What it looks?

00:06:46 - No, but I'm thinking I'm pulling off stuff.

00:06:48 I'm like, I never pull that off.

00:06:49 And then I'm thinking maybe they were chilling.

00:06:52 Maybe they weren't trying as hard.

00:06:54 I don't know.

00:06:54 - Nah, it get like that.

00:06:57 And I'm gonna piggyback off that because a lot of my juice was like that, man.

00:07:02 It was like the more I put into work, the more I was like,

00:07:04 damn, these dudes really can't guard me.

00:07:07 And then like I'm a defensive player.

00:07:09 So when I'm guarding the best guys, like I went, I don't know,

00:07:12 six, seven summer straight guarding like the best NBA guys and stuff like that.

00:07:16 They having rough nights.

00:07:17 So before off night was off night, I gave a few guys off nights.

00:07:21 So like I started to see that, oh, I can kind of hang with them.

00:07:24 And at that time I'm still working my nine and five.

00:07:26 At my age, I'm 27, 28.

00:07:29 I can't just get as not my stability.

00:07:31 I have to go chase a dream because everybody think I'm good at it.

00:07:34 So I hear what you're saying on that.

00:07:35 That's huge.

00:07:36 I do want to go back before we get into the N1 stuff.

00:07:40 OK, so I do want to go back to Juco days, man,

00:07:43 or even because we got a lot of people on us, a lot of viewers

00:07:47 that who that experiences and that's going to experience this.

00:07:49 Being cut that many times, being demoted, demoralized.

00:07:55 Basically, everybody telling you, you can't hoop, bro.

00:07:59 Like speak, speak a little bit about how you kept going and how that changed your

00:08:04 pro like your projection was.

00:08:06 I always played with a bunch of people who probably I was better than who I can get my

00:08:10 confidence up with.

00:08:11 But then like when I go play at college or, you know, open gym at the Juco, you play with

00:08:16 like recruits and stuff like that.

00:08:17 So it'd be like a higher level.

00:08:18 So I think it's good to play against all levels of competition, right?

00:08:22 Play against people you can get your confidence up against your level or below.

00:08:25 Yeah.

00:08:26 And then play against people who are above you also.

00:08:29 So I think that was important because whenever I get cut or not be doing good, you know,

00:08:33 I'm still playing pick up a lot.

00:08:34 I'm having fun doing that.

00:08:36 And then just stay with it.

00:08:37 I just love the game.

00:08:38 I didn't love nothing else.

00:08:39 So like I always stuck with it.

00:08:41 And I think that's a big part of it, too.

00:08:42 Like whoever sticks with things the longest sometimes succeed.

00:08:45 They go, you know, I mean, like didn't quit.

00:08:47 You just didn't just didn't quit.

00:08:48 You know, great.

00:08:49 Nick, great.

00:08:50 Nick.

00:08:50 And that's so that's so familiar to me because when I was working my nine to five, people

00:08:55 were pissed that I was playing the adult leagues because you know, adult league, everybody

00:08:58 getting off work.

00:08:59 They're not trying to deal with trying to get a sweaty, midi at the adult league.

00:09:02 But that's the worst.

00:09:04 Yeah.

00:09:04 So and back then, like nothing hurt on my body.

00:09:07 So I'm in here crazy, crazy, bro.

00:09:10 We don't do a couple of leagues.

00:09:13 We just I got kicked out of the league, man.

00:09:16 And I can't come back.

00:09:17 It is so like it was that bad.

00:09:20 And people like me want to get off work and don't want to come deal with that.

00:09:23 Right.

00:09:24 So I would people that play like us.

00:09:26 And the people who play like us were don't go and get the bag.

00:09:31 It was here.

00:09:31 It was there.

00:09:32 It was just higher up.

00:09:33 So like the love for the game kept me going bad.

00:09:36 And I didn't want to get fat.

00:09:37 I know a lot to you.

00:09:38 And I was like, I don't I don't like working out.

00:09:41 I don't like trip.

00:09:42 I don't like none of that stuff.

00:09:43 But I was like, the only way for me to stay in shape was to hoop.

00:09:45 Yeah.

00:09:46 And I was like, that's like and they say like there's no shape better than basketball.

00:09:50 Sure.

00:09:50 Going back to college, going back to college.

00:09:54 Did you ever go see any of them teams that catch you?

00:09:56 Did you catch them on court?

00:09:58 We played it.

00:09:59 We played it.

00:10:00 They're all on that.

00:10:01 And the league up there.

00:10:03 Yeah, we played them.

00:10:04 I got a little burn, but we got beat.

00:10:08 You know what I'm saying?

00:10:08 I get that like, yeah, that's my favorite.

00:10:13 Because there was a few schools that did me like that.

00:10:15 Yeah.

00:10:15 Citrus, Mt.

00:10:16 Sac, I'm from that area and they didn't want me.

00:10:19 But at high school, I was pretty good in high school.

00:10:22 They didn't want me.

00:10:22 Really?

00:10:23 I go to another school a little further out.

00:10:24 Dang.

00:10:26 Cooked them every time I seen them.

00:10:27 Dang, that's a good look.

00:10:28 I was going to get back.

00:10:29 But it's hard because I only played like a few minutes.

00:10:31 So one of them, they blew us out.

00:10:33 I went in with three minutes left.

00:10:34 They dunked on us.

00:10:35 The other one, I actually played 10.

00:10:38 I played like 10 or 12 minutes.

00:10:40 But they gamed us with a buzzer meter.

00:10:41 Oh, no.

00:10:42 I know.

00:10:43 It's cold.

00:10:44 It's cold.

00:10:44 I got the whole story for that, too.

00:10:46 So obviously out of high school, I wasn't that good.

00:10:49 But I was good enough to be on the Juco team.

00:10:52 And I played at Irvine Valley College.

00:10:54 Oh, God.

00:10:54 I'll never remember the coach.

00:10:55 Jerry Hernandez.

00:10:56 F*** Jerry.

00:10:57 Oh, dang.

00:10:59 Still beef.

00:11:01 I'll never let it go, bro.

00:11:02 I'll never let it go.

00:11:03 I don't care.

00:11:04 He sat me, bro.

00:11:05 The whole-- all I did was play like a couple minutes a game, bro.

00:11:08 And I was talented enough to play on that Juco team, bro.

00:11:11 But it's not to say.

00:11:14 So my assistant coach to pick me up from high school--

00:11:18 or the assistant coach to pick me up from high school to go to IBC.

00:11:21 Yeah.

00:11:22 Got the head coach job at Saddleback.

00:11:24 You know, we in the same conference.

00:11:25 And get straight to--

00:11:28 You got to go to work.

00:11:28 That get back--

00:11:29 Motherf***er, ain't it?

00:11:30 Was that song?

00:11:30 Y'all won state championship?

00:11:31 No, we didn't win.

00:11:32 We lost in a state championship.

00:11:34 So I ended up being MVP of the whole conference.

00:11:37 I averaged the-- I'm pretty sure I averaged the most points,

00:11:40 rebounds, and almost the most assists.

00:11:42 A couple months later.

00:11:44 Dude, you ever had a call vote with Duke?

00:11:46 Nope.

00:11:46 I don't want to talk.

00:11:47 He saw it.

00:11:48 He saw it live in effect.

00:11:49 And I made sure we play him.

00:11:51 Y'all know how I talk.

00:11:52 Talking greasy the whole time.

00:11:54 And my coach, who was an assistant coach, now the head coach, loves it.

00:11:58 So like, now I went from somebody who hates it and hates me

00:12:01 to somebody who loves me and is just letting me flourish.

00:12:04 And now I'm just-- I'm basically just a whole different player.

00:12:07 Yeah.

00:12:08 And I know for him to see that, I was like, "Damn, I really had him sitting on the bench."

00:12:11 It was one of those things like, what's understood don't need to be explained.

00:12:14 So--

00:12:15 It's all about how you're portrayed and how you're looked at by your coaches.

00:12:18 It's a big thing.

00:12:19 That's why-- that was why--

00:12:20 I'm a big fan of transferring.

00:12:22 Like, I transferred my senior year of high school.

00:12:24 Got second team all-state.

00:12:26 Wouldn't even have played varsity.

00:12:27 Right.

00:12:28 At the other school.

00:12:28 That's how--

00:12:29 So like, situations.

00:12:30 Might have to move around.

00:12:31 Yeah, one thing.

00:12:32 I say that all the time.

00:12:33 That's my favorite thing to say.

00:12:34 The basketball I saw a situation on.

00:12:35 I talked about it-- the podcast with Dev.

00:12:39 I was happy for Hesley because he got in a perfect situation in the Big 3.

00:12:42 Went crazy.

00:12:43 Went crazy.

00:12:44 I saw that.

00:12:44 Herp he was dead.

00:12:45 If he was there his senior year, he would have probably had the MVP.

00:12:48 That's how I feel about this one.

00:12:49 I know.

00:12:49 Right?

00:12:50 When nobody know you too, like, and they think you can't hoop, that's the best thing ever.

00:12:54 Going into the--

00:12:55 You got no expectations?

00:12:56 Oh, man.

00:12:57 Miss those days.

00:12:58 And listen, I loved it for him because he had-- for a couple games, he had no coach

00:13:02 and Isaiah Briscoe was gone.

00:13:04 I loved it for him.

00:13:05 Oh, yeah.

00:13:05 And everybody loves to come and ask me, "Bro, can Hesley really hoop?"

00:13:08 I tell them, "Hesley's a bucket, bro.

00:13:10 He can really score that."

00:13:11 He can score.

00:13:12 And people don't believe me.

00:13:13 So like, I keep--

00:13:14 I was like, "Why is everybody questioning?"

00:13:15 It's because--

00:13:17 It never ends, right?

00:13:18 It's how Hesley be carrying himself on the court.

00:13:20 Yeah.

00:13:20 So it's not like people will-- I have conversations-- me and Hesley, or we go back.

00:13:24 Oh, yeah.

00:13:25 So people will come up to me and, "Man, you better--" and I'm like, "Y'all don't get it."

00:13:29 Like, you're seeing how he acts on the court and it's off-putting to y'all.

00:13:33 Like, "Man, I don't like him on it."

00:13:35 But you can't stop what he's doing either.

00:13:36 No, you can't.

00:13:37 You cannot stop what he's doing.

00:13:38 I love it.

00:13:39 I already tell.

00:13:39 I saw him play once or twice, but I can tell.

00:13:41 Let's go back to Antwon really quick, man.

00:13:44 Talk a little bit about that, your experience in that.

00:13:47 Antwon?

00:13:47 Yeah, yeah.

00:13:48 Tell me realistically, who are those guys that you think could have played the NBA?

00:13:52 So talk a little bit about Antwon and then tell me--

00:13:54 obviously, Rayford.

00:13:55 Yeah, I think it has a bad rap.

00:13:57 I saw it the other day.

00:13:59 I commented on-- I don't know if you guys saw it.

00:14:00 Why they be sh*tting?

00:14:01 Hey, NBA dudes, I love y'all.

00:14:03 But stop sh*tting on us, 'cause we done gave a f*cking--

00:14:06 It's about me right now, Street Boy.

00:14:07 It ain't about me.

00:14:09 I love y'all 'cause y'all talented and we have never stepped on y'all toes.

00:14:12 But we done gave y'all some problems in a couple runs, but go ahead.

00:14:16 Yeah, that's what I think.

00:14:17 Like, there was the ESPN doc.

00:14:18 I wasn't on it.

00:14:19 It was about the beginning of Antwon.

00:14:20 The ESPN doc.

00:14:22 There was two docs that came out at the same time.

00:14:23 - Four years of time. - ESPN.

00:14:24 There's a Netflix one.

00:14:25 But the ESPN one, I wasn't on, but they had like NBA players saying like players were a joke.

00:14:31 And then I couldn't make the lead.

00:14:32 They said none of us couldn't like mess with them.

00:14:34 Yeah, and I think, honestly, I just felt like--

00:14:37 I wouldn't even argue that like dudes weren't gonna make the lead back then, right?

00:14:40 I wouldn't argue that, but like guys had NBA talent.

00:14:43 And then like the style of play that we did play was like genius, though.

00:14:46 It couldn't have been duplicated.

00:14:48 Like there was no hot sauces in the NBA.

00:14:50 I know.

00:14:51 There's no professors.

00:14:52 There's no skip to my lose.

00:14:53 They could have did it that way.

00:14:54 And it was genius and it carved out a niche in basketball.

00:14:57 So I just felt like that video that went out with Kyrie,

00:14:59 A, we don't really know how the questions were pitted.

00:15:02 Because I feel like the questions was more like,

00:15:03 "Do you think they could play with you?"

00:15:05 So I made it personal.

00:15:06 Exactly.

00:15:06 So I think they were fighting back like that.

00:15:10 Because Lou Williams would say, "AO's favorite player."

00:15:12 But if you saw how he was answering,

00:15:14 you never know with a doc how it's portrayed, how it's spun, right?

00:15:16 Yeah.

00:15:17 So I think that was a little bit unfair.

00:15:18 And I just thought like, instead of saying like,

00:15:21 "Oh, this was a genius, amazing style of ball that these guys did for years."

00:15:24 And it carved, it changed the whole game.

00:15:26 It said like, "Oh, these dudes were bums.

00:15:28 They couldn't make the league."

00:15:29 It was just a bad narrative.

00:15:30 Because my argument is never like, "They should have been in the league."

00:15:33 I wouldn't say that.

00:15:34 But I would say like, a handful of dudes had NBA talent.

00:15:37 You know what I mean?

00:15:38 I would say like, you know, Alimo.

00:15:42 That was a recipe.

00:15:43 That's my favorite street ball ever.

00:15:45 Yeah.

00:15:46 Ayo was regarded as one of the, when we were on the team, like the best.

00:15:49 Yeah.

00:15:50 Alimo, Ayo.

00:15:51 They used to go at it too.

00:15:52 Yeah, Alimo.

00:15:52 Prime Objective went to camp with two teams.

00:15:55 He was only on the NL with two years.

00:15:56 So people don't really know him as an NL player, Prime Objective.

00:15:59 But even, but Main and them were good too.

00:16:02 Like, Main played like Charles Barkley.

00:16:04 I didn't think Main was...

00:16:06 Bro, he's nice though.

00:16:07 But he's just like, if you see him, it's like,

00:16:09 why did he run our tests?

00:16:11 You know what I'm saying?

00:16:12 Like, his hands is like, he's like a gorilla, bro.

00:16:15 I always say that, but like NBA players, you can always tell like,

00:16:18 are just like talented people.

00:16:19 You tell their bodies are different.

00:16:21 Yeah.

00:16:21 Like Kawhi's hands and like bronze size.

00:16:24 Like people just aren't built that way.

00:16:26 So like SGA.

00:16:28 I don't think people realize SGA like 6'7", 6'8".

00:16:31 It's something crazy.

00:16:32 He's tall.

00:16:33 And he make everything look something.

00:16:35 They don't look normal.

00:16:35 They're not normal.

00:16:36 Yeah, but I get props even like Sick with it.

00:16:39 Sick.

00:16:39 Who was the MVP of the Drew League.

00:16:41 Sick with it.

00:16:42 He was MVP of the Drew League back in the day.

00:16:45 Even Baby Shaq, like Baby Shaq was 6'2".

00:16:49 But like there's NBA dudes that couldn't stick him.

00:16:51 Like you want a street ball run.

00:16:52 So that's the thing.

00:16:53 Like we thrive in the street ball where some NBA players can thrive over there either.

00:16:57 So I just felt like that whole narrative was just unfair overall.

00:17:00 I agree.

00:17:01 But I think a lot of dudes have NBA talent,

00:17:03 but maybe didn't have the full package to like.

00:17:05 Put it together.

00:17:06 Yeah.

00:17:06 And they weren't in front of the right people.

00:17:08 Yeah, situations don't matter.

00:17:10 View the grind right.

00:17:11 Like even myself, right.

00:17:12 I made it to the CBA, which is like the OG League.

00:17:15 And when I was in the CBA, when I look about how I went about trying to make it,

00:17:20 because I still try to make the NBA when I was like 25 or 26.

00:17:22 I did all the wrong play, like train with the wrong people.

00:17:25 Didn't have the right agent.

00:17:27 Wrong circle of people that I'm hanging with day in and day out.

00:17:31 Not lifting like I'm supposed to.

00:17:34 Not trained.

00:17:34 You know what I mean?

00:17:35 Like if I would have been with some mentors, some people had already been there.

00:17:39 Because I started training with this dude, Mike Pemberthy.

00:17:41 Like in the...

00:17:42 I don't know him.

00:17:43 He's from here, OC guy.

00:17:44 Yeah, he's with Denver right now.

00:17:45 He was with the Lakers, player development.

00:17:47 He went to Mother Day High School, I think.

00:17:49 No, he went to...

00:17:50 He's from like Fresno, but he played at Masters College.

00:17:53 We played with the Lakers, played with Kobe and Shaq.

00:17:55 But I started training with him 2012.

00:17:58 And I was like, dang, if I would train with a dude when I was 18, bro.

00:18:00 It could have been a real opportunity.

00:18:02 But I was just too immature, too green, too...

00:18:04 So not everybody has the full package.

00:18:07 Yeah.

00:18:08 And I feel like a lot of that is important because like...

00:18:11 Your success is really built from how much work you put in early.

00:18:14 And I don't think a lot of people realize that.

00:18:16 Yeah, early.

00:18:17 And like I was...

00:18:18 And perspective.

00:18:19 Yeah, I was in Oregon with Mike James and he had Nazir from the Blazers at the time.

00:18:24 I don't know where he plays at now.

00:18:25 Yeah.

00:18:26 Okay.

00:18:26 He had him over there and he was telling us, man, he was in a gym in high school.

00:18:31 He would wake up at 5am to go like before school opened.

00:18:36 And like, bro, I was in bed, bro.

00:18:38 You were 5am.

00:18:38 You woke up at 5am to get your work in and like get better.

00:18:41 It's like mama.

00:18:42 Yeah, bro.

00:18:43 And then by the time you go to...

00:18:44 You got a whole day of school now.

00:18:45 And then after school, you got practice.

00:18:46 And then he go to practice for a long time.

00:18:48 Then he stay after practice.

00:18:50 I said, oh yeah, you meant for the NBA at that point.

00:18:52 Yeah.

00:18:52 You gearing yourself up like preparation is everything.

00:18:55 Yeah.

00:18:55 And I feel like he went through those perfect avenues to make sure he can like give himself

00:19:00 the best shot.

00:19:01 Granted, he is 6'6".

00:19:02 Yeah, that's how it is.

00:19:04 Leave no base uncovered though, right?

00:19:05 Yeah, yeah.

00:19:06 Like having the right people early in your life telling you, look, this is how you got

00:19:11 to move.

00:19:11 This is how you got to be.

00:19:12 That's how I feel like Kobe, right?

00:19:13 He maximizes work.

00:19:15 He couldn't have trained harder.

00:19:16 Couldn't have worked.

00:19:17 Couldn't have studied the game harder.

00:19:18 Yeah.

00:19:19 Couldn't have been more focused.

00:19:21 He wasn't going to let it be an excuse on why it was...

00:19:23 You know what I'm saying?

00:19:24 I did everything I possibly could.

00:19:26 Yeah, 100%.

00:19:27 And then obviously, I want to talk a little bit more since we're on the A1C and straight

00:19:33 basketball.

00:19:34 So you're one of the big dogs in this, street ball.

00:19:38 How do you feel these park takeovers went, going?

00:19:41 How do you feel about those?

00:19:42 Talk a little bit about these park takeovers that everybody's doing, not just Ballers Life,

00:19:46 not just us.

00:19:46 Everybody doing them, man.

00:19:48 I think Nas just did one in Puerto Rico and they had like 3,000 people out there.

00:19:53 But go ahead.

00:19:54 I think it's fire, bro.

00:19:55 I mean, it's as much of a bring back from A1 that you could have.

00:20:01 You know what I mean?

00:20:02 I think the older crowd unfairly compares it to A1, right?

00:20:08 Yeah.

00:20:09 They're unfairly.

00:20:09 They're all in the same order.

00:20:11 But it's different because think about it.

00:20:12 There was only like 50 channels back in the day.

00:20:14 A1 was on like 50 times a week.

00:20:16 So the anticipation for those moves and it was the first time seeing a lot of style of

00:20:21 playing the moves.

00:20:21 So the anticipation, the crowd hype was on like another level, the excitement.

00:20:25 So...

00:20:26 I'm kind of lucky with that.

00:20:30 People didn't have like social media to see everything.

00:20:32 But you had to come to the show.

00:20:34 Yeah.

00:20:36 It's easier to get people to a live event.

00:20:37 But no, I love it.

00:20:39 I mean, you know, for me and YouTube, I was doing it like because I was trying to recreate

00:20:44 A1 on my YouTube channel when at first, when I was on YouTube in like '06, I had editors

00:20:49 like putting videos up.

00:20:50 Then when AdSense became, I made my own channel in 2009.

00:20:54 Right around.

00:20:55 Yeah.

00:20:55 Alberto taught me to edit.

00:20:57 This dude, Alberto.

00:20:58 Shout out to Alberto, man.

00:20:59 Um, Alberto Entertainments.

00:21:01 Is that you in the driveway?

00:21:03 What?

00:21:05 The videos you're talking about?

00:21:06 What?

00:21:07 You like dribbling in the driveway?

00:21:08 I seen it like you was like, young, young in the driveway.

00:21:12 Okay, maybe.

00:21:13 I don't know.

00:21:13 He probably don't put up so much.

00:21:15 Yeah, I'm trying to think.

00:21:16 But but anyway, I met Matt Eric, owners of Balls of Light around that same time.

00:21:20 But but I started my own channel because AdSense became a thing.

00:21:23 Yeah.

00:21:23 And then I was making videos, trying to get booked for live events because you could get

00:21:28 a DM on YouTube back then.

00:21:29 So I was trying to get booked and then went viral like 2013.

00:21:33 And then that's I got a million subs in like one day.

00:21:36 Shut the hell up.

00:21:36 Spider-Man basketball episode one.

00:21:39 Yeah.

00:21:39 So that shit was viral as hell.

00:21:44 When I first, you know, I was like, who is that?

00:21:45 Then you can see the most.

00:21:46 Yeah.

00:21:47 Yeah.

00:21:48 And then and then Trash Talk, like shortly some time after that, I did a Trash Talk vid,

00:21:54 but I put a story around it because people always they get on me like,

00:21:57 oh, he ain't playing no competition.

00:21:59 You know what I'm saying?

00:21:59 They favorite goat.

00:22:00 YouTube is listen, y'all the most toxic environment I've ever seen.

00:22:05 So bad.

00:22:05 Just let us be happy and successful, man.

00:22:08 You can have you can be LeBron James.

00:22:11 They gonna tell you he don't use his left hand enough.

00:22:13 I know.

00:22:16 No, you good, though.

00:22:17 You're right, though.

00:22:18 So I put a story around it, like to say why I would play like this heavy set, dude.

00:22:23 I put a story around this video, this Trash Talk video.

00:22:26 But with the last play, last couple of plays, the dude I crossed him, he fell.

00:22:30 No contact.

00:22:31 Yeah.

00:22:31 And then the next play I crossed me like threw a shoulder out of the socket.

00:22:35 And I put a story around how that game came up.

00:22:38 My thumbnail was a perfect ankle.

00:22:40 I did everything right.

00:22:41 The title had a number.

00:22:43 It was like for 100 bucks or something like that.

00:22:45 And that was my second video that had a huge viral spike.

00:22:48 It was my biggest video today on the channel.

00:22:51 And so that was kind of it wasn't a park takeover.

00:22:54 It was like me and my homies went to Laguna.

00:22:56 We played it kind of right.

00:22:57 But like I know now it's like 505 is part of the takeovers.

00:23:00 But I love it, man.

00:23:01 I love people kind of bringing streetball back into the fold today as much as it can be.

00:23:07 You know what I mean?

00:23:08 Yeah, for sure.

00:23:08 Would you hold something like that?

00:23:10 What, like a park takeover?

00:23:11 Because I know you big one on one guy.

00:23:14 Like that's what you do.

00:23:15 Would you hold something like that?

00:23:17 Yeah, I would for sure.

00:23:18 And I've done fives before, I guess.

00:23:20 I started doing half court because like as you get older, it's less miles in your body.

00:23:24 But also in the content era, though, like half court is awesome because like

00:23:30 you get the ball over and over and over.

00:23:33 Like 505, you never know how it goes.

00:23:34 You play with some new shoes.

00:23:35 I have court in real, man.

00:23:37 You let somebody be face guard you foul.

00:23:39 You know what I mean?

00:23:40 Like in the half court, you control a lot.

00:23:42 You might you leave the day with 37 highlights.

00:23:44 I got 37 TikTok.

00:23:47 I got this many IGs.

00:23:48 I got the shorts and the YouTube video that go crazy.

00:23:51 So it's a much more highlight filled video.

00:23:53 That's all. That's the reason I went away from fives and easier to find.

00:23:57 Right. It's hard to find a five on five.

00:23:58 Oh, yeah.

00:23:59 So I did that.

00:24:00 That had nothing to do with just it's just it's built for YouTube.

00:24:04 And people like the smoke of like one on one.

00:24:06 Yeah, people like matchups.

00:24:07 But no, I love five on five.

00:24:09 So, yeah, when I hosted for sure, I've played with all type of ideas.

00:24:13 But I always tend to do that because you know how it is.

00:24:15 Now we have to make our money with campaigns because viewership is hard to keep up with

00:24:19 the ad sense.

00:24:19 You know what I mean?

00:24:20 So it's like you need to need to turn in a video in a week and a half.

00:24:23 It's like organizing a five on five is a big production.

00:24:26 And so for mine, it's better to try to get a crowd and play a few people.

00:24:31 It's half court.

00:24:32 Yeah.

00:24:32 Gotcha. Gotcha.

00:24:34 So why are we talking about that?

00:24:35 Obviously, you're the top dog.

00:24:38 You grabbed your five and one players.

00:24:40 Do you think anybody in our era right now will be able to mess with y'all?

00:24:44 Oh, and one?

00:24:46 Yeah, because a lot of it is, I think, in the YouTube.

00:24:50 I say they were not on that level, right?

00:24:52 Like, I see what you're saying.

00:24:54 We got so much more.

00:24:55 Yeah, well, I think I think like the YouTube space is like they're all good hoopers.

00:24:59 Great.

00:25:01 They have an audience and it's awesome, right?

00:25:03 If you do not hurt nobody, you can inspire, have an audience.

00:25:06 I think it's great.

00:25:06 It's not morally wrong.

00:25:07 Like some basketball elites.

00:25:09 I feel like they think basketball is like moral.

00:25:12 Like if you ain't doing it at the highest, how they do it, then it's like bad.

00:25:16 You know what I mean?

00:25:16 It's always been like that.

00:25:17 Even people you say and was like circus basketball bad for the game or whatever.

00:25:21 Yeah.

00:25:22 So I don't think that at all.

00:25:22 I'm not an elitist when it comes to like basketball stuff.

00:25:25 So I think it's all dope.

00:25:26 But I do think like the comp back then when we played, it was like a pro level.

00:25:30 It wasn't maybe not NBA.

00:25:31 It was definitely we're playing overseas hoopers.

00:25:34 Like our games were verse overseas hoopers and people who tried out that day.

00:25:39 But it's like five to seven guys with a contract to play like five to ten games.

00:25:43 They're all overseas.

00:25:44 D2, D1, D3 overseas players with guys who tried out that day or the best in that city who they invite out.

00:25:51 And so but we still put on a show or play like a D2 overseas team.

00:25:56 We got to whoop their butt and put on a show.

00:25:59 Yeah.

00:26:00 So, so, so, yeah.

00:26:02 So I think like the best of today, like, you know, you, Hezzy, Ty Glover was a body bag.

00:26:10 Yeah.

00:26:10 And I don't even know them all to be honest.

00:26:12 There's so many the ecosystem of like I find another social influencer hooper every other day.

00:26:17 I've never even seen him.

00:26:18 I have a huge follower.

00:26:18 I'll be like, you know, I know them all because they put all of them against me.

00:26:23 Every time I'm out.

00:26:24 You're in the smoke.

00:26:25 Frank is the gatekeeper.

00:26:26 Bro, I don't want to be.

00:26:27 You can have to be a part of this street ball.

00:26:30 You gotta go through me.

00:26:32 But that's dope though.

00:26:33 I think like, yeah.

00:26:34 And like that's a hard life to live though.

00:26:36 Because like that's what my whole career was.

00:26:38 And one through ball up.

00:26:40 It was always a proving next question.

00:26:42 Testing in a proven ground.

00:26:44 You know what I mean?

00:26:44 It's like you're supposed to put on show, but you got to like, it's just a lot.

00:26:48 It was a heavy lift all the time.

00:26:50 You gotta be good.

00:26:51 It's like, and I feel like the odds are always stacked against me.

00:26:53 Like even with the lineup and how much time you get.

00:26:56 Because we were always playing an all-star game, right?

00:26:58 Like everybody on there.

00:26:58 Nice.

00:26:59 Everybody get 10 minutes a game or sometimes who knows how it goes.

00:27:02 You know what I mean?

00:27:03 So now with the YouTube era, that's why I don't do like the one.

00:27:08 I don't, I'm not in the proving ground phase.

00:27:10 You know what I mean?

00:27:10 I don't go to the Drew league.

00:27:12 I'm not doing the leagues because then like you want a brand.

00:27:15 I'm just trying to be an inspiration impactful for the kids and stuff like more.

00:27:18 And the time we're in right now is tear down.

00:27:22 Everything's tear down.

00:27:23 Every, they're going to be little and tear.

00:27:26 You can have one off game.

00:27:27 Oh man.

00:27:29 I had a couple of games and the creators all start.

00:27:32 Boy, I ain't heard the rest of it.

00:27:33 I don't even look at the comments no more.

00:27:35 I say, yeah, y'all crazy bro.

00:27:36 Like, and they don't see, they don't care what you're going through.

00:27:39 No, they don't care that we had to sit one or two games at 35

00:27:43 and I'm going to get everybody that's 25.

00:27:45 They don't care about none of that.

00:27:46 All they care about is you want, you want the Frank meeting that we saw 10 years ago.

00:27:51 Wait a minute.

00:27:51 Con's like, can you just thaw me out for a second?

00:27:54 Let me enjoy hoop.

00:27:55 It's like me and you get on your half court.

00:27:56 You're on your bro.

00:27:57 Man, I'm about to start, man.

00:28:01 I've been running some threes and twos and stuff like that.

00:28:03 Yeah, for real.

00:28:04 I'm with it.

00:28:05 Before you hop on to the next question.

00:28:11 Yeah.

00:28:12 You both talk about the ebbs and flows of like, and one you guys did like your version

00:28:20 of part takeovers was crashed court.

00:28:22 Yeah.

00:28:22 You guys would do it at different programs and different leagues.

00:28:25 When you would show up to those and you're playing, what about when you're hurt?

00:28:31 How are you still playing?

00:28:34 You've been on like a trip with him one time where we're coming back from Fresno and somebody

00:28:39 hit him in the quad.

00:28:40 And the whole row, he's out on the plate.

00:28:42 But then he gets there and he sees the crowd.

00:28:44 It's all cookies.

00:28:46 Got turned up.

00:28:47 Man, listen, that's a.

00:28:48 Bro, I tell him that all the time.

00:28:50 I was up there with him too.

00:28:51 Because we'll start a game and Frank is on his, you know, man, like today y'all got it.

00:28:57 Like y'all got it.

00:28:57 I will say that.

00:28:58 He'll be like, well, he'll be tying shoes.

00:29:00 I look, I'm like, Frank, you ready?

00:29:01 He like, bro, it's you today.

00:29:03 And I'm like, all right, until we start that game.

00:29:06 Soon as the tip off.

00:29:07 Turns up.

00:29:08 Whole different person from what I just talked to five minutes ago.

00:29:11 I said, sometimes it's got a feeling.

00:29:12 Yeah, you know, a lot of it and a lot of it be adrenaline sometimes.

00:29:16 Like, so it's like when I got out the van that day for the game that Matt was talking about.

00:29:20 It was like, I didn't want to let the fans down.

00:29:23 So like sometimes like, you know, you'll go to something and the atmosphere ain't there.

00:29:27 The feeling ain't there.

00:29:28 And like, you don't want to put your body through that if that feeling ain't there.

00:29:32 But your body like is strong.

00:29:34 Like, you don't realize we so much stronger.

00:29:36 A lot of people say I don't get tired.

00:29:37 He one of them.

00:29:38 I have a third win.

00:29:40 I've never seen.

00:29:40 I love that.

00:29:41 I have a third win.

00:29:41 A lot of people don't realize when you push past the second win, you have to like,

00:29:45 willingly push past it though.

00:29:47 Like to the point where you're about to pass the guy.

00:29:49 Right.

00:29:49 I've done that countless times, bro.

00:29:51 Like we were down 19 in the Juvelee playoffs last year in the semifinals versus Harrison Barnes.

00:29:57 Like a good team to wear 19 down.

00:30:00 I went 15 straight.

00:30:02 On 12 of them was on Harrison.

00:30:04 12.

00:30:05 I might have seen it though.

00:30:07 I might have seen it.

00:30:08 But I'm not saying that to belittle Harrison.

00:30:10 He's a great guy.

00:30:11 I'll take nothing from him.

00:30:12 But I'm just saying that I pushed past how tired I was.

00:30:14 Because like I was getting denied.

00:30:16 I was getting like overhelped on.

00:30:18 They were leaving people.

00:30:19 Like there was so much going on that like I taught myself how to push past that basic barrier.

00:30:24 I'm just human.

00:30:24 Like now I feel like I'm more than.

00:30:26 So like I taught myself that and that's that goes so he was talking about.

00:30:30 Like anytime I feel like that moment is there.

00:30:32 I'm like I'm not tired.

00:30:33 I'm not hurt.

00:30:34 I can turn it off like now.

00:30:35 Am I going to regret this in 20?

00:30:37 Oh, right.

00:30:38 I regret it in 20 years.

00:30:39 Yeah.

00:30:39 But right now.

00:30:40 I mean the next day.

00:30:41 Yeah, right.

00:30:41 No, I feel it the next day all the time.

00:30:43 But again, I still was able to like figure out how to push past that normal pain.

00:30:47 And like put on a show for your crowd, your fans, people who come to support.

00:30:51 Because without them, without YouTube, without all these guys blowing your beams up, who would we be?

00:30:55 So like.

00:30:56 I respect that.

00:30:57 Yeah, I talk to people all the time.

00:30:58 But I take as many pictures.

00:31:00 I will take pictures for two hours straight because at the end of the day, I wouldn't be here without them.

00:31:04 So that's where I come from in that space.

00:31:06 Like I'm always like go all out for them.

00:31:08 I love that, bro.

00:31:09 I try to do that too with fans.

00:31:11 Like I always try to be available.

00:31:12 Yeah, but I can't.

00:31:13 It means a lot.

00:31:14 Now you're not always in the mood for it.

00:31:16 Now you're being tossed.

00:31:17 But my homies know.

00:31:20 But like.

00:31:20 Yeah.

00:31:21 But yeah, I think.

00:31:21 Yeah.

00:31:22 Who would you be without the fans?

00:31:23 But to what you were saying?

00:31:24 Yeah.

00:31:24 With the injuries and all that.

00:31:25 My whole.

00:31:26 A lot of my and one ball up.

00:31:30 I'm injured.

00:31:30 Always injured.

00:31:31 But you got to continue to play.

00:31:32 They actually wouldn't let us sit out unless we physically couldn't play.

00:31:35 So like I would have to get out there with a partial tear.

00:31:39 Partial pull, whatever.

00:31:42 Until we couldn't go.

00:31:44 But a lot of times you just kind of like nut up.

00:31:46 Yeah.

00:31:46 And just get it done.

00:31:48 But like you said, adrenaline's not take over and you forget you're injured.

00:31:50 Then after a game, like I am injured.

00:31:52 Yeah.

00:31:52 Right.

00:31:52 So I can relate.

00:31:55 Yeah.

00:31:56 All right.

00:31:56 So obviously I want to talk about the ball up.

00:31:59 That carried the scene for a bit.

00:32:01 How different was that from the and one?

00:32:03 And you know how that helped you?

00:32:05 Oh, I think it was.

00:32:06 Ball up was way different than and one.

00:32:11 I think with and one, like I said, we had that momentum from the TV show.

00:32:15 And the mixtapes.

00:32:16 Oh, the mixtapes was crazy.

00:32:18 Everything the OGs do.

00:32:18 I used to be there.

00:32:19 Footlocker.

00:32:20 Oh, you want the shoes.

00:32:23 Give me the tape.

00:32:24 I know.

00:32:24 Everything they built, you know, the OGs and everybody built like it was already.

00:32:30 The audience anticipation was crazy.

00:32:34 So with ball up, we're trying to bring it back to the forefront.

00:32:37 We didn't really know what to expect.

00:32:40 You know what I mean?

00:32:40 Like I remember thinking like, is it going to be a big reception?

00:32:43 Because I remember during those times I could walk around and not be recognized.

00:32:46 And people think that's crazy today.

00:32:49 Like it is.

00:32:49 Yeah.

00:32:50 I still had an audience.

00:32:51 You had a good.

00:32:52 But not what it was right when you're like mainstream to mid,

00:32:57 you know, I don't know how to classify it.

00:32:59 Right.

00:32:59 It's hard to say.

00:33:00 Like I felt the difference.

00:33:02 I remember I went to UCLA game and I got recognized by one person and they couldn't even name me.

00:33:06 They were like, they were like, yeah, they asked me.

00:33:11 They go, don't you play at some tournament?

00:33:14 It's a tournament on TV.

00:33:18 And one dude recognized me.

00:33:20 So I remember that was different.

00:33:21 That was like late 2009 because in 08 and when it ended, I remember before social,

00:33:27 I had my space and Facebook.

00:33:29 I'd have a mass following them.

00:33:30 They forget, you know what I mean?

00:33:32 It was different.

00:33:33 So you could like lose your relevance fast.

00:33:35 So now that's not the whole world, right?

00:33:37 That's not everybody in LA.

00:33:38 So there is a name and you might look different that day, right?

00:33:42 Where it had or whatever.

00:33:42 So when it came back to ball up, it was successful.

00:33:47 CSUN, but I think that ball up kind of missed the wave of like social media.

00:33:52 You know what I mean?

00:33:53 Because everything was changing.

00:33:55 Just barely.

00:33:56 They have ball is life on it, but they should have been doing everything.

00:34:00 You know what I'm saying?

00:34:00 Like you could argue should have been a partnership where it was all balls.

00:34:05 Like, you know what I mean?

00:34:05 Like, I don't know what the inner workings were, but it wasn't out there enough.

00:34:09 And then like there was a show on Fox sports, but nobody watched Fox sports unless you're

00:34:12 watching hunting or like the Clipper game or the Laker game.

00:34:16 So I think it was just a different time.

00:34:18 And maybe it was too early for a resurgence.

00:34:21 But I feel like if it was online and we were doing it like if it was a version of balls

00:34:25 life, but let's say it was all street ball.

00:34:27 I think it could have went crazy.

00:34:28 And actually, I feel like it was an amazing idea.

00:34:30 We had amazing events.

00:34:31 They just weren't covered right.

00:34:34 You know what I'm saying?

00:34:34 And then it was shot to corporate.

00:34:36 It was like two NBA.

00:34:38 He was trying to, I remember the streets were like bad at a certain point when and one ended

00:34:43 and they're trying to take the street out of Iverson.

00:34:46 Remember that cross?

00:34:47 It was a carry and then a dress code.

00:34:49 Yeah, but the way that issue is right.

00:34:52 Yeah, the wave of entertainment was that streets is actually not corporate friendly.

00:34:57 So we're trying to go corporate.

00:34:58 So I think like the owner of ball up, he didn't.

00:35:01 It wasn't even his fault.

00:35:02 But like that was his view was like, we need to corporatize street ball because we know

00:35:06 the play is there.

00:35:07 But I think it was the wrong.

00:35:08 I was just saying, he was just raising.

00:35:12 Yeah, it sounds like he was just trying to do what was best for the brand.

00:35:15 And sometimes it was best for a brand is letting the brand be a brand.

00:35:18 I think so too.

00:35:19 And then, you know, in hindsight, it's 2020.

00:35:21 We didn't know.

00:35:22 I knew like my YouTube blew up while I was on ball up.

00:35:25 I started making three times as much money from YouTube as I was from my contract, my

00:35:29 endorsement deal with the thing.

00:35:32 So it almost was like a conflict.

00:35:34 It almost didn't even make any sense.

00:35:35 I couldn't even be a YouTuber until about 2016 when ball up and all that ended.

00:35:39 Yeah, but but yeah, so I don't know.

00:35:44 I think it just, you know, the changes of the tide with the marketing.

00:35:47 We didn't hop on that digital wave as much.

00:35:48 And then I think as it kept going, they changed it two or three times.

00:35:53 The next thing you know, it was like guys were passing.

00:35:55 That was another thing, too.

00:35:57 I think the players, it was like the fourth quarter for a lot of those players, like being

00:36:03 jaw dropping, like their performance being jaw dropping was kind of a little bit past

00:36:07 now that they weren't so good.

00:36:09 Yeah, but like with anyone, it was like the greatest game you've ever seen.

00:36:13 And we won by 20.

00:36:14 It was like a maze.

00:36:15 You leave there a maze with this one.

00:36:17 Some of the games were close, even though you get a lot of crazy plays, but it just

00:36:20 didn't feel the same.

00:36:21 Gotcha.

00:36:22 Gotcha.

00:36:22 Yeah, I didn't feel like it didn't have that superstar aspect.

00:36:25 I mean, but some of the games did, though, like some of the games like some of the games

00:36:29 we played in New York, we did St.

00:36:31 Sold out like St.

00:36:32 John's two or three times.

00:36:33 It was like amazing games were like New York and Harlem and City College was fire.

00:36:37 So I feel like if they were captured a lot more like and one more like at the court level,

00:36:42 it could have been insane.

00:36:43 And if you did more BTS around that, but it's hard to say, you know, I guess.

00:36:48 Okay, since we're talking about obviously the revenue stream you created in the YouTube

00:36:54 space and that started the conflict, talk a little bit about, man, how you how you made

00:36:59 your living or how people can make a living without hitting the NBA as athletes.

00:37:04 Like a lot of people don't realize we're brands totally and how we actually make a

00:37:09 living.

00:37:09 Yeah, because I think like that's the thing now with digital is like people do so many

00:37:14 things like you only catch a glimpse of everything, like even you, right?

00:37:18 Like I've seen a ton of like IGN highlights, the street ball balls, like videos I choose

00:37:24 to watch.

00:37:24 But how many have I actually watched them?

00:37:26 All of them, right?

00:37:26 Probably like a fourth.

00:37:27 Even though you could say, hey, I'm a fan of this dude, right?

00:37:31 I'm a fan.

00:37:32 But it's like how much you don't mean even like I watch King Bats videos, right?

00:37:36 Like he's mad fun.

00:37:37 But how much I probably only see half of everything he does.

00:37:40 So I think people like they don't see like maybe some of the campaigns and like like

00:37:45 appearances.

00:37:46 So the way my main revenue stream actually is changing right now used to be just like

00:37:51 AdSense on YouTube, like from the viewership.

00:37:53 Yeah, that's what happened for me.

00:37:54 2013 is like my YouTube channel blew up.

00:37:57 Now what that's paying for months just based off the viewership was like my main source

00:38:02 of like highest source of income.

00:38:03 And then now it's changed to where campaigns are actually my top thing.

00:38:08 So like an ad on my YouTube videos, a sponsored post on IG or TikTok, a couple of stories.

00:38:14 It'll be like a flat rate.

00:38:16 You know, a company will come and say, hey, we want 30 seconds in your YouTube vid, two

00:38:20 IG in feeds and then two stories and tweet.

00:38:23 It'll be like a full package deal.

00:38:25 So you want as many of those campaigns you can.

00:38:27 Yeah.

00:38:28 And that's what makes it hard sometimes that you want to meet all these deadlines, but

00:38:31 you want to still make hot content for the channel.

00:38:34 Don't just make it all ads.

00:38:35 I know.

00:38:35 So that's the conflict I have.

00:38:37 It's always hard balancing.

00:38:38 And I haven't even dabbled in it, bro.

00:38:40 Like I've done it a few times, but sometimes it just doesn't generate with what your followers

00:38:45 used to seeing.

00:38:46 So now you're having that torn like, oh, they don't fuck with this.

00:38:49 But like you still got to make a living.

00:38:51 So it's really like and a lot of people ask me, I get a lot of young guys who be like,

00:38:54 Frank, take one.

00:38:55 I'm like, how are you doing so many different things?

00:38:57 And my thing is, I just try to tell guys, like, if you want to do it, show you can do

00:39:02 it.

00:39:03 So like, well, modeling, that's like my biggest thing the last two years.

00:39:06 Oh, that's far.

00:39:07 Okay.

00:39:08 That's how you make your main source.

00:39:10 That's my second main source.

00:39:12 Okay.

00:39:12 But it just depends on the month, to be honest, which that's how crazy entertainment, man.

00:39:16 Come on, man.

00:39:17 So that's just how it is.

00:39:19 Some months, it'd be one job paying anywhere from 7,500 to 15,000 for a 27 commercial.

00:39:26 So like something like that.

00:39:28 Like I just shot a commercial with Rui Hachimura.

00:39:31 I can't say what it is, but I just shot a commercial that's coming out.

00:39:33 Pay great money.

00:39:34 So it just depends on what month it is and what you're doing.

00:39:37 But little stuff like that is like huge.

00:39:39 And then like on top of that, like I'm still doing like castings for different gigs.

00:39:43 Then on top of that, I'm still doing modeling for Jordan brand Nike.

00:39:46 And then that doesn't even incorporate like the same thing you're talking about, like

00:39:50 IG and stuff like that.

00:39:51 When people get to ask you, okay, we want one feed in post, two story post.

00:39:56 Once you get to all that, now you just got one big pot.

00:39:58 As long as you keep working, the pot just adds up at the end of it.

00:40:02 Especially because most brands pay you net 30 for the most part.

00:40:06 Right.

00:40:06 Most brands, most like big brands.

00:40:08 And then you have your normal income that's going to pay you regularly.

00:40:11 But a lot of that is just like having different talents.

00:40:14 Just try it.

00:40:15 A lot of people are so stuck in my friends don't think that's corny, so I don't want

00:40:19 to do it.

00:40:19 F**k that.

00:40:20 You think it's corny.

00:40:21 You think I'm as corny as you want.

00:40:23 You got to do what works.

00:40:24 You know, I think like that's yeah, I think as I got older and more in entertainment,

00:40:28 you got to be more vulnerable.

00:40:29 Right?

00:40:29 Like during the N1 era, I never would have did a cosplay video.

00:40:33 Like, my teammates and everybody who's in my ecosystem at that time would have clowned

00:40:39 hard.

00:40:39 Right?

00:40:39 You know it, bro.

00:40:40 But you know, like you got to lay down your cool.

00:40:42 And I think that's a lot of people who start up YouTube or social media.

00:40:46 They ask me about it.

00:40:47 What do they think?

00:40:47 I think you should just start it off and you do it how you want, but you'll learn that

00:40:52 usually how you do it, how you want to do it isn't fully like what the audience embrace.

00:40:56 So you got to go at least half what they want, some percentage what they want, and some percentage

00:41:00 what you want and meet in the middle somewhere.

00:41:02 Because if you're going to do it for a long time, you got to like it.

00:41:04 You can't not like it, but you're going to have to tweak it to where they like it.

00:41:08 That's what I found.

00:41:08 So like the way I do YouTube now, I like it, but it's like something they like too.

00:41:12 That's smart.

00:41:13 Yeah.

00:41:14 To summarize though, AdSense on viewership, campaigns, appearances, podcasts, years of

00:41:23 my, I never even thought about like modeling.

00:41:25 Some people got acting gigs.

00:41:27 So it's a little bit of everything and everybody's a little bit different.

00:41:29 But for me, that's what it is.

00:41:31 It's kids, campaigns, appearances, AdSense, and then like one-off things here and there.

00:41:36 I'm starting a program, dribbling program.

00:41:38 Yeah.

00:41:39 Oh, how do you like that?

00:41:40 It's coming up.

00:41:41 It's going to, it's like a month away from dropping, but.

00:41:44 Okay.

00:41:45 Hell yeah.

00:41:45 I like that.

00:41:46 Yeah.

00:41:46 Teaching game, teaching handles.

00:41:48 How did you come up with that?

00:41:50 How'd you come up with the spider?

00:41:52 Like what made you say, let me put on this Spider-Man costume and go start cooking people.

00:41:56 My homie was more genius.

00:41:57 Yeah.

00:41:58 My homie actually came up with the idea.

00:41:59 My homie, Robert Monroe, he was a genius, bro.

00:42:02 He's come up with a lot of great ideas for my channel.

00:42:04 But 2013, he was like, man, you never tried to go viral?

00:42:08 Like you never, he's like, because a couple of my vids had over half a

00:42:11 mil.

00:42:11 Right.

00:42:12 Damn.

00:42:12 And I was like, cool.

00:42:13 I didn't know what to think of it.

00:42:14 I also was thinking of it wrong.

00:42:15 Cause like we were mainstream with that one.

00:42:17 And I know now I'm not mainstream.

00:42:19 I don't know if we like B-list, C-list, D-list.

00:42:21 I don't know where we at, but it wasn't like it was.

00:42:23 So when I saw 300,000, I'm not really know what to think.

00:42:26 Right.

00:42:27 So I'm looking at it wrong, but he's like, bro, you can go viral.

00:42:30 This could be crazy.

00:42:30 You know what I mean?

00:42:31 So he came up with that idea.

00:42:33 He's like, we dress as a superhero.

00:42:34 We go prank a bunch of people.

00:42:35 And then we did Spider-Man cause it covered every part of the body.

00:42:39 Right.

00:42:39 And we just did that first video, bro.

00:42:41 I was only out there for like 25 minutes, man.

00:42:43 Just playing a bunch of people.

00:42:44 You might have been the first ever to do that.

00:42:47 Yeah.

00:42:48 Yeah.

00:42:49 I think you might've been the first.

00:42:50 And then after we did it, Mad.

00:42:52 Yeah.

00:42:52 Oh, for sure.

00:42:53 No, I wasn't out there.

00:42:54 But then Mad people did Cosplay in general.

00:42:58 There was like the, uh, with the ghetto Spider-Man.

00:43:00 He's a dancer.

00:43:01 There's like, uh.

00:43:02 There was a dancing dude.

00:43:03 And I was like, Spider-Cuz.

00:43:05 Bro, I swear.

00:43:06 Bro, it all, it came after that.

00:43:08 Cause Cosplay was actually really big online, but nobody, not that many people made the replica

00:43:14 costumes and then not that many people like did it for a living online.

00:43:18 Yeah.

00:43:18 So he came with that idea.

00:43:19 It was genius cause it was prank.

00:43:21 It was jaw drop in sports.

00:43:23 It was Cosplay.

00:43:23 It was like five things in one.

00:43:25 Yeah.

00:43:25 We didn't even know.

00:43:26 I just thought it would, I thought like it was going to do good, but I just thought it'd be funny.

00:43:29 Yeah.

00:43:30 I had no idea.

00:43:30 You had no idea he was going to pioneer a whole.

00:43:32 Man, the language blew up.

00:43:33 Like crazy, man.

00:43:35 You had everybody doing a little bit of everything with that.

00:43:37 So shout out to that, man.

00:43:39 Next thing I want to go over to, next thing I want to talk about is talk, talk to me about

00:43:46 the lessons you learned from being a Hooper and a content creator.

00:43:51 Like it's two different people.

00:43:52 People realize that.

00:43:54 Yeah.

00:43:54 It's two totally different people.

00:43:55 Talk to me a little bit about those lessons.

00:43:57 And yeah, I think at first, like I was saying, the way I wanted to do social media was just

00:44:04 like, and one, right.

00:44:05 Just put up my highlights.

00:44:06 Everything's the highlights that when we strive to get newer moves, better performances, and

00:44:12 then just go from there.

00:44:13 And then like, you realize like that's kind of monotonous over time, right?

00:44:16 You can't just put a highlight compilation every time.

00:44:18 And then, so then it morphed to like one on ones to keep the score.

00:44:22 And then it morphed to, oh, the cosplay thing.

00:44:25 That's crazy.

00:44:26 So let's go into our bag there.

00:44:27 And then it was like trash.

00:44:28 Oh, we got to tell us, oh, we got to tell stories.

00:44:31 Like, oh, and then it got morphed.

00:44:33 And then now today it's like full on production.

00:44:35 You know what I'm saying?

00:44:35 Yeah.

00:44:35 And that's the only way I do it.

00:44:37 Not only way, but for the most part, it's going to be at least loose production, like

00:44:40 full on.

00:44:41 So I think as time went on, now I'm like more of an entertainer than I am a hooper, probably.

00:44:46 That's what I was going to ask.

00:44:48 Yeah.

00:44:48 But you have to be, because like, I'd love to practice three times a week, being gym and

00:44:53 run.

00:44:54 But like, you can't, if you're trying to do this at the highest level, there's only so

00:44:56 much time.

00:44:57 You can't really full time be a ball player.

00:45:00 You know what I mean?

00:45:01 Like you've got to get on your grind because the business will always tell you what you

00:45:05 should be doing.

00:45:05 You want to go to new levels and all that.

00:45:07 So I still work out as much as I can and rehab and all that.

00:45:10 Like, you know, but yeah, like I had to like really get into my production bag and like

00:45:15 figure out how to do cameras and DSLRs, how to run a set and all that.

00:45:20 So lots of learning.

00:45:22 It's crazy what we teach ourselves to keep going, keep going.

00:45:25 Because like I was the same way, like when I had to get into modeling and I got into

00:45:29 like getting ready with me and then brands start sending me their clothes.

00:45:32 So they sent me free clothes to promote for them and paid me for it.

00:45:37 I said, oh, this is genius.

00:45:38 This is what I love.

00:45:41 I love this.

00:45:41 I'm not going to buy anything.

00:45:42 So like I feel like people don't realize one of the best things I forgot who told me it

00:45:48 was a content creator.

00:45:49 But they said our lives is content.

00:45:53 Like you wake up.

00:45:54 The only difference from a person that's a content creator and that's not is they don't

00:45:58 film their everyday life.

00:46:00 When you wake up, you're going to put something on to wear today.

00:46:02 That's a get ready with me video.

00:46:03 When you get in the car, that's a V-log video.

00:46:06 When you eat something, that's like everything can be a video.

00:46:09 It's just all about like people got to get over that fear of, oh, like somebody's watching

00:46:13 her.

00:46:14 They don't think this is corny.

00:46:15 Like we have a like, especially in my culture and our culture.

00:46:17 I'm a victim of that.

00:46:19 Yeah, I ain't doing it because the homies.

00:46:21 Yes.

00:46:22 You got the wrong homies.

00:46:23 Yeah, that's hard.

00:46:24 That's enough.

00:46:25 That part, bro.

00:46:26 That be our conversation.

00:46:27 I'm still open to everything.

00:46:30 I say all the time.

00:46:31 So I try to bring like as many of my homies, just showed him different ways to get through

00:46:38 life.

00:46:38 We can't keep, we call it crab in a barrel where I'm from.

00:46:41 And a lot of us think like we're stuck in our ways and we don't like to do anything

00:46:46 outside of the norm because they don't call us weird.

00:46:49 Are they going to say we corny or they going to say like that's stupid.

00:46:52 But a lot of those people in our culture are the people who was at the back of the classroom

00:46:56 making fun of me because I'm asking the right questions to my teacher.

00:46:59 So it's things like that that hold us back.

00:47:02 But.

00:47:02 Athletes and artists are completely different.

00:47:04 You know what I mean?

00:47:05 Because think about it.

00:47:05 Like I could say like back in the street ball era when everything was like cool and hard

00:47:10 and whatever.

00:47:11 We probably would have clowned how an actor thinks, right?

00:47:14 What they did in their last role.

00:47:16 Yeah.

00:47:17 What they got that, you know what I mean?

00:47:18 But was it bad?

00:47:20 No, it's just how it's portrayed by that group of people.

00:47:23 Yeah.

00:47:23 So yeah, I think like when you're in the social media space, being around other people in

00:47:27 it is a big thing because they get it and they're on the same grind.

00:47:30 It kind of like a motive of you because you'll become like whoever you hang with.

00:47:33 Yeah.

00:47:33 So I think that's part of your environment.

00:47:35 You're proud of your environment.

00:47:36 So I think that's huge is hanging with people who are in it and want who want better.

00:47:41 I get better just in general.

00:47:43 Yeah.

00:47:43 Like when you see a homie grinding and hustling and doing like, oh, this ain't as hard as I

00:47:47 thought it was.

00:47:48 Like even when I met and I met a few times, but then we did a commercial together and

00:47:52 then we sit in there.

00:47:53 I'm like, yeah, I'm like, bro, like this is what we need to like this is them.

00:47:57 The people that we need to click up with that and figure out, but, you know, in our culture,

00:48:01 we don't want to pick up with no bad competition, bro.

00:48:05 I'm not going to lie.

00:48:06 I'm not going to lie, bro.

00:48:08 When I got out of the street bowl thing, like it was a breath of fresh air because everything

00:48:12 was always like, you know, everything is always like heavy competition and beef.

00:48:18 And are you still nice?

00:48:19 And it was kind of a breath of fresh air to kind of be artistic, do something different

00:48:24 and then just like be more heartwarming, impactful and give back to people.

00:48:28 You know what I mean?

00:48:30 I'm not gonna lie.

00:48:30 That was a big breath of fresh air for me leaving the street ball world, even though

00:48:34 like it's still the root of what we do.

00:48:35 And I love it.

00:48:36 I love my OGs and my teammates, but it was a lot, bro.

00:48:40 I'm not gonna lie.

00:48:40 Hell yeah.

00:48:41 So I'm glad you brought that up because I want to talk to you also about like as people,

00:48:46 I feel like once you get to a certain level, once you get to the old starting, we lose

00:48:50 track of who we are as people.

00:48:52 How do you stay so grounded given like everything you've done?

00:48:58 Like there's a lot of people who are, had your level of success, who have shit bags.

00:49:03 So what's, what is your faith?

00:49:05 Like, what is it that keeps you so grounded to be like humble basically?

00:49:08 Yeah.

00:49:09 I mean, today's my faith for sure.

00:49:11 You know, I became Christian in 2011.

00:49:14 So that was like the pinnacle turning point of my whole life.

00:49:17 You know what I mean?

00:49:17 I try to do things for God instead of do things for self.

00:49:20 So yeah, I mean, that's what I attested to for sure.

00:49:24 But I had those seasons before though.

00:49:25 Like, you know what I mean?

00:49:27 People had bad run-ins with me and probably have a bad view of who I am.

00:49:32 You know what I mean?

00:49:33 But you know, we're all evolving as people.

00:49:36 Yeah.

00:49:36 You know what I mean?

00:49:37 We're all evolving.

00:49:38 And I think that's important to have grace for yourself too, right?

00:49:41 Because like, we can have a convo like this about how faith, they'll be like,

00:49:45 "Yeah, man, I conduct myself because of X, Y, Z."

00:49:48 Or that person watching this had a bad experience with me.

00:49:51 You might be like, "This is fake."

00:49:53 You know what I mean?

00:49:53 But like, the truth is we're all human and you got to kind of like have grace for yourself.

00:49:58 And it's important to be grounded just because even logistically, just like you said,

00:50:03 what would we be without the fan following and for the people?

00:50:07 So like now, yeah, like everything, I do it for God, but for the people.

00:50:12 You know what I mean?

00:50:12 Like before it was kind of like, you want to live your dream, it's for self.

00:50:17 You want to go as high as you can go for the glory of like, "I did this, I did that.

00:50:22 I'm trying to go far."

00:50:23 But now it's all about serving the people and then being an inspiration and an impact

00:50:28 to kind of view it in more big picture.

00:50:30 And then, you know, through that, I treat people better because like it's for them.

00:50:34 It ain't even for me.

00:50:35 You know what I mean?

00:50:35 So I think that's a healthier mindset.

00:50:39 That's how it is for me.

00:50:40 I love that.

00:50:40 For me, it's a little different.

00:50:43 I'm an impact.

00:50:44 I'm very, very like high on energy and I can feel like when somebody else is feeling the

00:50:49 type of way I hate it.

00:50:50 I hate how much I feel it.

00:50:51 Like my sense for other people's emotions is real big.

00:50:54 Okay.

00:50:55 So like, there was two things I was growing up that helped me develop this.

00:50:59 I was ugly and terrible at basketball.

00:51:01 You were ugly?

00:51:02 You were model?

00:51:03 No.

00:51:03 Exactly my point.

00:51:04 So I know what it was like to be an ugly duckling and terrible at basketball.

00:51:08 You know, it's always like that.

00:51:09 The models always like you should see an old picture.

00:51:11 You'd be like, "Whoa."

00:51:12 Yeah, bro.

00:51:12 You see an old picture of Frankie, you'd be like, "That's not you."

00:51:14 Yeah, bro.

00:51:15 Like it was crazy.

00:51:16 Like bad skin and everything.

00:51:18 So like I say that to say like it changed me simply because like no bull****.

00:51:22 It changed me because I saw how like people are treated when you're not good looking and

00:51:27 when you're terrible at basketball.

00:51:28 But now I'm like, "I'm not."

00:51:29 Jesus Christ.

00:51:30 Did you think about it?

00:51:31 I'm bad at basketball, man.

00:51:33 It's our lane, bro.

00:51:34 So it's like I know how people treat me now.

00:51:36 I know what modeling things I've done.

00:51:38 I've modeled for the biggest brands.

00:51:41 I've been on New York Times Square's billboards.

00:51:43 I've had a set of billboard on Sunset.

00:51:47 I've been on the side of crypto.

00:51:49 Like I've done big things now.

00:51:50 So it's like and I am who I am.

00:51:52 And now like I figured out how to accessorize and be like a better looking guy.

00:51:55 And now I'm treated with like the utmost respect.

00:51:57 So like I never want somebody--

00:51:59 Which is sad.

00:51:59 That's how it is.

00:52:01 Sad as hell because it is how it is.

00:52:02 That's the ugly truth.

00:52:03 Bro, real talk.

00:52:04 So I never want somebody who I meet to feel like lesser than.

00:52:08 So like my biggest compliment over the last like I want to say like five to seven years

00:52:13 is people's like when they meet me, they're like, "Oh damn, man.

00:52:16 You're a lot cooler than I thought."

00:52:17 Like I love that compliment because it's like I'm human, bro.

00:52:21 And a lot of people put us in this space of like, "Oh no, that's Frank Middy."

00:52:25 Bro, I'm Frank Possession.

00:52:26 Like the Frank Middy is who y'all see on the court.

00:52:28 When you meet me off the court, I'm the coolest guy ever.

00:52:30 I don't even think about my accomplishments.

00:52:32 I don't at all.

00:52:33 And when people bring them up, it kind of like made me weird because like a lot of the

00:52:36 time I'm an asshole.

00:52:37 So like I really don't want to like experience that.

00:52:41 It's two different people.

00:52:42 It's like Grace is a professor.

00:52:44 It's just two different people.

00:52:46 Like it's our entertainment.

00:52:47 So a lot of that helped me like grow from that.

00:52:50 But it's a crazy like environment to be in for sure.

00:52:52 That's dope, man.

00:52:53 No, respect.

00:52:54 I try to show other people love too because I think a lot of time in the basketball world,

00:52:58 like I said, there's an elite basketball mentality where it's like if you ain't

00:53:02 nice and I can't even respect your grind or you get down.

00:53:05 So I try to show love to even people who aren't good at basketball or whatever.

00:53:08 Because like you said, we're all human, right?

00:53:10 Sport doesn't define you.

00:53:11 You know what I mean?

00:53:12 So I found a lot of gratification, a lot of being able to be an impact and inspiration

00:53:17 to certain people when you show them love.

00:53:18 Like somebody who just like they're a Hooper influencer, but like they ain't know

00:53:23 what number is that not really, you know, don't have a shot.

00:53:26 You know what I'm saying?

00:53:26 If I show them love the same, I follow them, you know what I'm saying, or whatever.

00:53:30 So I feel what you're saying.

00:53:32 I love it.

00:53:33 It goes a long way, man.

00:53:33 It goes a long way.

00:53:34 I know everybody don't get to see that side of us.

00:53:36 That's why I like, you know, having a podcast now because we get to talk.

00:53:39 We get to humanize ourselves because a lot of people dehumanize us because of how talented

00:53:43 we can be.

00:53:43 Yeah.

00:53:44 I think so too.

00:53:46 And like I try to think like the older I get too, I try to make Professor and Grayson

00:53:51 the same.

00:53:52 I love that.

00:53:52 It's the same person, right?

00:53:53 Because I know what you're saying is separate.

00:53:55 Like they view you one way, but you're this way.

00:53:57 Bingo.

00:53:58 But you try to just be one, you know, because a lot of people in entertainment are split.

00:54:03 Think about rappers or people who got a whole MO.

00:54:06 Or actors.

00:54:07 This way, this way, and this way at home.

00:54:07 But like they go family man at home.

00:54:09 You know what I'm saying?

00:54:10 But he like for you in talking about Frank, he has to kind of be those two different people

00:54:16 because when we do go play basketball.

00:54:19 You're going to be a killer on the court.

00:54:20 Is that why?

00:54:21 Because he can't just come and just.

00:54:22 I got you.

00:54:23 Dude, I'm going to just go play and ain't nobody going to really worry.

00:54:26 Everybody and mama got something to say to him.

00:54:28 So it's like I've got to come into this like with that mentality.

00:54:32 But I think that's within sport though.

00:54:33 I don't think you're like I talk trash during the game.

00:54:35 But I'll say like you don't start it though.

00:54:37 I never do.

00:54:38 He be chilling and I tell him we don't leave him alone and it'll be a cool game.

00:54:42 Everybody have fun today.

00:54:44 Somebody starts saying something now 40 points later.

00:54:47 He got the whole gym laughing at this dude.

00:54:49 Like it's bad.

00:54:50 So I'm curious how did you like get out of that thing?

00:54:55 How did you get out?

00:54:56 Like how did you get out of people treating you that way?

00:54:58 Because like you can't tell somebody like, hey, stop.

00:55:01 Like I don't want to compete with you every time at the highest level.

00:55:04 You 22.

00:55:05 I'm 40.

00:55:07 Like you don't want to deal with that.

00:55:08 How do you?

00:55:09 I feel like if you got on the court play files right now, nobody would talk to you.

00:55:12 Oh really?

00:55:13 No, it's worse.

00:55:14 It's crazy.

00:55:15 It's worse.

00:55:15 It's super personal.

00:55:17 Every match of I ever played to current day is this.

00:55:21 Okay.

00:55:22 You know what though?

00:55:22 Yeah.

00:55:22 Okay.

00:55:23 Some people, some people have respect and they're out there.

00:55:25 Like just happy to be split.

00:55:28 I never get that.

00:55:28 It's split, but then some people are like, oh, I'm so hyped.

00:55:32 I'm playing right here.

00:55:33 But then a lot of times smoke is a thing with like nowadays, like with everybody else watching

00:55:39 YouTube and people watching the streamers, that's their, their trolls.

00:55:44 It's just a bunch of trolls.

00:55:45 A lot of trolls.

00:55:46 Like they don't even being on the court talking to you or him.

00:55:49 That's not even what they truly feel.

00:55:51 Sometimes it is though.

00:55:52 I'd say it's like three tiers.

00:55:54 Some people really like, they'd be like, you ain't like that, bro.

00:55:58 I seen all of it.

00:55:58 It's whatever.

00:55:59 They really believe it.

00:56:00 You know what I'm saying?

00:56:01 Like this is their time to shine.

00:56:02 They gonna have a career game.

00:56:03 They do.

00:56:04 Well, they, they, you never know.

00:56:06 They're going to 11.

00:56:07 They have a career game.

00:56:08 They're gonna turn up like you've never seen before.

00:56:13 And then there's some of those people who like, just, just troll for the camera.

00:56:16 They know it'd be a part of the video.

00:56:17 And then others who are just happy to be there, kind of like laughing and giggling.

00:56:20 But no bro, it's always personal, bro.

00:56:22 Like you have a saying for Frank, like, like I tell everybody it's hard.

00:56:26 It's easy to guard Frank when you're watching them on YouTube until you got to go guard him.

00:56:30 Oh, and then he'll hit you.

00:56:31 You know, he's still going a hundred percent.

00:56:34 Like that's, that's the annoying part though.

00:56:37 I'm trying to find that lane.

00:56:38 My last like year and a half, I've been trying to find that lane and just being cool.

00:56:41 I don't want to argue.

00:56:42 I don't want to argue.

00:56:43 I don't want to do all this crazy.

00:56:45 Yeah.

00:56:45 Let's compete.

00:56:46 Like I was just in the gym with Chris Paul the other day.

00:56:49 This is not a camera in sight.

00:56:51 Having a blast.

00:56:52 Yeah.

00:56:52 I don't know if I can put that out there.

00:56:53 Be careful with that one.

00:56:54 Um, he's coming up in injury.

00:56:57 Oh, gotcha.

00:56:57 Gotcha.

00:56:58 Yeah.

00:56:58 So I don't know.

00:56:59 I don't know him, Frank.

00:56:59 Yeah, exactly.

00:57:00 So again, so I'll go back to Kyrie.

00:57:02 Me and Kyrie was in the gym last summer competing against each other a lot.

00:57:06 Fire.

00:57:06 Camera in sight.

00:57:07 So like, it just depends on, and when, and when it's not a camera, but it was no animosity in there.

00:57:12 It felt like, like when I was growing up, that's what we had.

00:57:16 We didn't have like cameras where people had to act weird or indifferent.

00:57:19 We were just in there competing and getting better.

00:57:21 Or just for Kyrie, he's not getting better.

00:57:22 He's just, he's great.

00:57:23 He's phenomenal.

00:57:24 He's just thinking of new stuff.

00:57:25 Yeah.

00:57:25 He's just having fun with us.

00:57:27 Okay.

00:57:27 That's what we'll call it for him.

00:57:28 But for us, like the regular guys, we're in there getting better and learning from Kyrie and things he's doing.

00:57:32 So like stuff like that, I feel like it's so hard to go into a gym now as me.

00:57:36 I'm going to get the best defender every time.

00:57:38 Yeah, always.

00:57:39 Why though?

00:57:40 Because you're the man.

00:57:41 I'm not, no.

00:57:42 I'm not the, there's so many more, there's so many more talented people than me now.

00:57:45 Like there's so many more talented people.

00:57:47 I just play harder to have a name.

00:57:48 Look, look.

00:57:50 I'm not listening to you.

00:57:50 I'm not going to say like there's so many people more, like have more talent.

00:57:54 Talent?

00:57:55 Yeah, I like talent.

00:57:56 I like talent.

00:57:56 But listen, these YouTube dudes is doing crazy stuff.

00:57:59 Yeah, but we have these coverage, this is why we get.

00:58:02 But the higher you go, the more of a target you got on your back.

00:58:05 That's why still today I play, I always feel like I have to live up to the name.

00:58:08 There's always like.

00:58:09 So you still are, you still going crazy out there.

00:58:11 I feel like in basketball, you always have to prove, like no matter what, you always have to prove yourself every time you come to the table.

00:58:17 That's fair.

00:58:17 Um, even LeBron, he was saying that every night he gets everybody's best game, but he has to be just as desperate as they are to get over, you know what I'm saying, night in, night out.

00:58:28 So I think you're like that in your space right now.

00:58:30 Like you're the street baller.

00:58:31 Yeah.

00:58:31 You probably what you and Hessie the guy, right?

00:58:34 Yeah.

00:58:35 I mean, the big guys that people target and talk about the most.

00:58:38 Yeah, for sure.

00:58:39 Yeah.

00:58:39 A lot of people hate you too.

00:58:41 Well, they hate you because of like, they want to be your friend.

00:58:46 But think about it, hate is natural.

00:58:47 I think all the haters LeBron got.

00:58:49 I have mad, I got mad haters.

00:58:50 Like you got, I got wide range of like every, every single post we could break out right now.

00:58:56 It's like, why is dude not in the league?

00:58:58 And then his cousin is saying, I need to play Steph.

00:59:01 Other says he's garbage.

00:59:02 You can't play at all.

00:59:03 So like, that's what I'm saying.

00:59:04 I'm always curious to like how people view you still.

00:59:07 Cause like, obviously you, I keep saying it, you're the top dog.

00:59:10 So like, I'm going to go through an experience with your experiences.

00:59:13 So I'm just curious that your agents never go away.

00:59:15 Oh, I get a lot more, a lot of love though.

00:59:19 Like I would say like, what is it?

00:59:21 It's probably like, it depends where you go though too.

00:59:24 Like we went to, I went to San Diego a few years ago, some hood run in San Diego.

00:59:29 I even noticed the hoods over there in San Diego.

00:59:31 We were a hundred yards away from the court.

00:59:38 They yelling like, yo, we, we trying to get at you bro.

00:59:41 We played five and lost.

00:59:44 These dudes celebrated.

00:59:45 Like it was game seven, NBA final.

00:59:47 They were on the story.

00:59:48 Like, yeah, who is this dude?

00:59:50 Who is he?

00:59:51 This is the best.

00:59:55 At the bottom of that, we got some clips.

00:59:56 I know we lost it.

00:59:57 We lost, you know, how you play four, we play four or five games typically.

01:00:01 And we'll give somebody a six cause they want to play us real bad.

01:00:03 Yeah.

01:00:03 They'll beat us to six game and all man, we don't hear the end of it, bro.

01:00:07 I think honestly, I don't think you ever can be proven where everybody's just like,

01:00:10 oh, it's solidified.

01:00:11 I don't think you can.

01:00:12 Yeah.

01:00:13 And I don't think you can be on a lot in our space.

01:00:15 Like maybe you like made the league and now you're coming there as an X player.

01:00:18 No going half speed.

01:00:20 Maybe I don't think so.

01:00:21 Even then LeBron said it best.

01:00:23 He said he stopped searching for unanimous validation a long time ago.

01:00:26 You can't, there's no such thing.

01:00:27 Like even if Jordan, Jordan had the most unanimous validation ever, but he didn't have the social

01:00:32 media era.

01:00:33 Right.

01:00:33 Yeah.

01:00:34 And think how many sports media outlets there are.

01:00:37 They didn't have podcasts like this.

01:00:38 So the game is hyper-analyzed every day.

01:00:42 So there's all these like, this different narratives that work in the fold.

01:00:46 Gotcha.

01:00:47 Back then, bro, I think how many media, how many sports media outlets were there worldwide?

01:00:50 Like less than a hundred?

01:00:52 Maybe, maybe less than, I don't know.

01:00:55 I mean, you can, you can talk about local radio, but even like that didn't make the

01:00:59 narrative.

01:01:00 Yeah.

01:01:00 How many nationwide sports narrative outlets were there?

01:01:05 Now it's like this.

01:01:06 You could see somebody talking bad about Broadway.

01:01:08 Tons of them.

01:01:08 You know what I'm saying?

01:01:10 And we know there's that mass opinion will always be split.

01:01:14 So I think that's the answer.

01:01:14 I don't think never, bro.

01:01:16 I do get a lot of love though when I go out there, but there'll always be people talking

01:01:19 crazy.

01:01:19 That's all I care about though.

01:01:20 I care about that.

01:01:20 Okay.

01:01:21 The love.

01:01:22 There's more love than hate right now.

01:01:24 I think so.

01:01:26 But who knows though, the people be hate when you're not there and then they get there and

01:01:29 show love.

01:01:29 So I feel, I would rather that though.

01:01:31 I would rather that.

01:01:32 Yeah, that's cool.

01:01:33 You can show love and all that and then hate when I'm gone.

01:01:35 But like, just like, I'm still at like, I'm 35 and I'm at the age now where I get on court,

01:01:40 there's still animosity.

01:01:41 Yeah, I have no animosity.

01:01:42 I just want to help you at this point.

01:01:44 That's all I want to do because there's nothing more I can do at this point.

01:01:47 Yeah, it's pretty much to be honest.

01:01:50 So the last thing I wanted to ask before you go top top five streetball players ever top

01:02:02 your top five.

01:02:04 Yeah.

01:02:04 Top five.

01:02:05 Yeah.

01:02:05 You can't don't be biased.

01:02:08 Put you in there if you want to be in there.

01:02:09 Yeah.

01:02:10 All right.

01:02:11 Like you don't think nobody hold you.

01:02:13 Entertainment or are we trying to win a show?

01:02:15 We going streetball.

01:02:16 Okay, so streetball is it?

01:02:18 Nope, y'all doing too much.

01:02:19 Streetball.

01:02:20 Whatever you think it is.

01:02:21 Both entertainment and games.

01:02:23 I'm going to say yeah.

01:02:24 Streetball.

01:02:24 I'm going to put in entertainment because I feel like if you're in that lane, it should

01:02:28 be that because like the best is in the league.

01:02:30 You know what I'm saying?

01:02:31 So I feel like I'm going to say, dang, dang, dang.

01:02:36 Oh, I knew this is going to trip you up.

01:02:38 I'm going to say.

01:02:38 Yeah, top five streetball entertainment is skipped.

01:02:44 Malou.

01:02:44 Hot sauce.

01:02:46 So you got a hot sauce.

01:02:47 You got a hot sauce like change.

01:02:49 I'm going to leave myself out of it.

01:02:51 Skip.

01:02:51 Wait, bone skip.

01:02:54 Sauce.

01:02:55 Oh, I thought you were going to throw bone in there.

01:02:57 I was going to get it.

01:02:58 I'm going to be sick in this thing.

01:02:58 I was going to get it.

01:02:59 You got to throw bone.

01:03:00 Bone in.

01:03:01 Oh, you're missing.

01:03:03 Different.

01:03:04 My homie, S.

01:03:05 Escalated.

01:03:07 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:03:09 And then I'm going to have to go for entertainment.

01:03:14 Dang, it's got to be like main event or helicopter at the four.

01:03:18 I would go helicopter.

01:03:19 That's a small lineup.

01:03:20 That's a super small lineup.

01:03:21 But if I'm going all show time.

01:03:23 OK, I think I'll go there.

01:03:24 You sound really.

01:03:25 But it's just too hard.

01:03:25 Yeah, I didn't because I wanted him to agree with me and he didn't.

01:03:28 It's so hard.

01:03:29 No, look, look, I got alley mo.

01:03:32 I got heading.

01:03:33 I got a broader sick with it is mad.

01:03:37 There's so many dudes that I'm going.

01:03:39 I'm going to bone.

01:03:40 Good.

01:03:41 Hey, yo.

01:03:42 OK, Ali Mo.

01:03:44 How the hell do you not have man?

01:03:50 I'm going to have men.

01:03:51 I'm going to have men and I'm a go 50.

01:03:54 Oh, that's fire.

01:03:55 That's fire, though.

01:03:56 50.

01:03:57 You go get my two guards.

01:03:59 That's going to be here with the handle.

01:04:01 And then I have that's why I learned it is door 50.

01:04:05 Actually, it will be a little bit.

01:04:07 Him and I think he's going to tell you you should be in the league.

01:04:10 50.

01:04:10 But like, honestly, him in his pride note, like in the program, he might score 40 on.

01:04:15 It might be him.

01:04:16 He was actually nice like that.

01:04:17 Like, I feel like he doesn't get his props because of the way the marketing went.

01:04:21 You only remember like two to five and one players ever.

01:04:24 Right.

01:04:24 Most most most people you guys are.

01:04:26 I was deep in it.

01:04:27 I was deep in it.

01:04:29 I'm saying she was.

01:04:30 This is a casual something like a professor and soft skipping.

01:04:35 You know, I mean, who they saw the most or who?

01:04:37 Hot sauce was like the most popular one.

01:04:39 Yeah, I thought it was the headline.

01:04:41 Yeah, I saw it was different.

01:04:43 Yeah.

01:04:43 Anything anything else you want to shout out?

01:04:46 Give love to man.

01:04:47 Oh, man.

01:04:48 But we had I appreciate you guys have me on, bro.

01:04:50 I think just follow me on YouTube, Professor Live, all of their platforms, the professor

01:04:55 and stay tuned.

01:04:55 I'm dropping across the university.

01:04:57 I'm going to be teaching the game online.

01:04:59 If you go to crossover spelled out in number five dot com, you can sign up right now, get

01:05:04 a free video and then you'll be notified when I drop my program.

01:05:06 But it's free to sign up.

01:05:07 Oh, that man good.

01:05:09 I mean, that man is good.

01:05:11 Well, man, I've got a lot of your fight.

01:05:14 Oh, yeah.

01:05:15 We are.

01:05:15 I want to tell you this.

01:05:19 Since we touched the base, I want to know who you're talking about now.

01:05:23 Who are here now?

01:05:25 That's your father.

01:05:26 Do do period.

01:05:26 Do it over the camera.

01:05:28 Where you took a period first.

01:05:30 OK, I'll do it first.

01:05:31 Then you can go.

01:05:32 I'm going to bone.

01:05:34 I'm going half man.

01:05:35 I liked him a lot.

01:05:36 I love hot sauce.

01:05:38 I'll go.

01:05:41 I'll just because in helicopter.

01:05:43 I was a good thing.

01:05:44 I'm in seven.

01:05:45 Twenty.

01:05:45 You ain't like they're going to win.

01:05:47 That's a win.

01:05:47 That's not that's what I like.

01:05:50 You know, if I'm winning our prime objective, half man got to be in the full.

01:05:55 You know, I mean, that's how my brain works.

01:05:58 But even when I played with ball is my thing, we made up.

01:06:01 We still hoping at the end of the day.

01:06:02 I can't help it.

01:06:03 I love the wind, but some matches in your fight now.

01:06:05 I know, to be honest, I'm not privy enough.

01:06:08 If I was to say the five, I'll just go who I know.

01:06:11 I think we're going to go like Frank.

01:06:13 We go.

01:06:13 His Hezzy.

01:06:15 I know Ty Glover.

01:06:17 I know body bag.

01:06:18 This is Mr. I got five.

01:06:21 No, no, I got.

01:06:22 I don't know who the fifth.

01:06:22 I'm not.

01:06:24 It's funny because like I'm in it, but not.

01:06:26 Oh, I take the phone.

01:06:28 Now I'm going to the spot right now.

01:06:31 I'm going to be sure I'm going to school.

01:06:34 I'm going to kill.

01:06:35 I'm going to.

01:06:36 I'm going to body bag and tie.

01:06:41 I mean, those are five months.

01:06:42 Townsville Street like streetball.

01:06:44 I don't agree with that.

01:06:45 I say some dude.

01:06:46 Any of them.

01:06:48 I'm not saying right now.

01:06:49 Take one person better than that.

01:06:50 I pick one person better than the people in that.

01:06:52 Are you serious?

01:06:54 I'm just asking you to pick one person.

01:06:55 I'm asking you to pick serious.

01:06:58 Pick one person who can't think of his name right now.

01:07:01 Who the better than him?

01:07:04 Do you got to show me?

01:07:06 Come on.

01:07:07 No, no, no.

01:07:07 I'm going to tell you why.

01:07:08 Let me tell you why.

01:07:08 You can't say that.

01:07:09 I'm trying to hold you up.

01:07:10 I'm not saying why you're good about this.

01:07:11 Exactly.

01:07:12 Do take a backseat and Alpha's don't do that.

01:07:18 I'll see you do take a backseat a few times.

01:07:20 Alpha's don't everybody I name ain't going to take a backseat.

01:07:23 Everybody that you name will lose a game for you.

01:07:27 I'm just crazy.

01:07:30 No, they won't.

01:07:32 Body bag don't want as plenty of games.

01:07:33 Body bag.

01:07:36 Do you want to do this?

01:07:37 I don't care.

01:07:38 Listen, we're going to do this later, man.

01:07:40 Thank you for pulling up.

01:07:41 That's an argument for a different day.

01:07:46 That's a wrap for this episode with my guy, the professor.

01:07:49 Bro, appreciate y'all pulling up for me, man.

01:07:51 Until next time.

01:07:53 [Music]

01:08:03 [Music]

How The Professor Became The BIGGEST Basketball Content Creator On Earth | Sessions Ep. 5

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