Rudy Gay joins the show, Rick Pitino’s Rise at St. John’s & Shooter McGavin: Legendary Villain

You came to the Entourage movie premiere.

Remember coming?

Yeah, I do.

I go through the red carpet.

The first people I run into when I walk in is you and Wesley Matthews.

You guys are talking about one of you dunked on the other,

and the other person's swearing it wasn't on them.

No, he didn't dunk on me.

I mean, I love you too, Wes.

Stay out there, bro.

Don't get into that thing. Welcome to another episode of Throwbacks.
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We're going to start doing mailbags. Matty Ice, how you doing today? I'm fired up, bro.
I'm fired up. I can fucking tell, dude.
There's nothing better than just multiple cups of coffee before 8 a.m. when you're just fucking rocking, when you're ready to rock the day.
I can see it in your face. I can see just it in your skin tone.
I can just feel it. You're ready to rock.
We need a coffee sponsor because also rarely these days do you time the caffeine out where you peak. It's like a performance.
It's like a a PD where you're peaking right when you're about to go on a pod or do a live or go do a workout, whatever it is. I'm fucking peaking right now.
People are going to think I'm on Adderall or something. I can tell.
Well, listen, man, it's exciting. We had the week off last week, but a lot going on.
I know you have a lot going on because you're in a different place right now. For those that are going to be watching this, you are in a different place.
But I do want to say something really quick before we get going. Wife's birthday was this week.
So shout out to Josie. Happy birthday.
I'm not going to even name her age. I was about to do that.
I'm like, wow, she might get pissed for that, even though you could look it up. But happy birthday to my wife.
Also, my wife and my mom share the same birthday. Happy heavenly birthday to my mother.
She's been passed for eight years now. Isn't that crazy? I was thinking like my wife and my mom were born on the same day.
They're very similar in a lot of ways as well. And we're in our own battle over here into that later, but, um, Oh, we're going to get into what you got going on.
Oh, dude, we're, we've raged war over here at our house. There's war.
It's a, it's a fucking war zone over here, but, um, I want to know where you're at. What have you been doing, man? Well, real quick before we jump into where I'm at, I'm definitely in the place with a lot of sunshine coming up in a little bit.
Uh, joining us later today, we got Rudy Gay on the the show obviously we're going to talk about college basketball his run with uconn and then you know he wrote an amazing piece in the players tribute players tribune when he retired and then we just go deep on the nfl nfl nba so i got nfl on the brain a little bit which i did not expect to say uh rudy gay is I was a big fan of his. He just retired.
As you mentioned, he kind of wrote that piece last year. Just retired, but played, what, like 17 years in the NBA? Yeah.
Had a great career. Yeah, he's awesome, man.
And also a big part of UConn back in the day and some of those great teams. But, dude, first of all, shout out.
Hold on. Shout out to Aviator Nation, the hoodie that you're rocking.
Look at you just step up your game. No more black teams.
This hoodie will come back. If you're watching this on YouTube, guys, if you're listening, I'm wearing a yellow and green and red Aviator Nation's hoodie.
Let's just say Leinart had a big part in me wearing this hoodie. And there is a nice piece of content we have coming at some point this year.
Father, it just made me think, so I'm such a, I'm such a West coast guy. And so, and you're such an East coast guy.
Like it's like, not in just the way we both talk, but like, I think in our clothes and just how you carry yourself. There's just very different personalities.
The other day it was been raining raining almost every day, at least last week here. So look out and rains in LA, get, get the range.
No, but this is typical me. I'm outside in pouring rain.
I no joke in the morning, dropping my boys off at school. I'm in a sweatshirt, shorts and sandals, just straight.
And if one guy goes, no, one guy goes, hey, did you not? Did you? I know him. He kind of gave me a smart ass.
He's like, did I get the memo, man? It was going to rain sandals. That's aggressive.
I just looked at go. I don't even know.
I said, I was like, yeah, dude, I got it, man. And I was just rocking it.
So Aviator Nation, very West, very, very beach, right? Very beach lifestyle, West coast. That color looks good on you, man.
And they kind of blew up, not like during COVID, but I feel like something happened with Aviator Nation over COVID. I don't know if it timed out that way or it just happened to be during that time period.
Maybe. I don't know.
They've been rocking for a while. But I just feel like I became more aware of them in the last few years.
Anyway, this was not a cheap hoodie. Shout out Sinclair.
I think Sinclair bought this for me for a content piece. But I haven't worn it yet because I've been in a dreary gray Ohio.
I feel like if I wear this, they're going to think I'm doing construction or something. But I came down.
I'm down in Florida right now. Or as my wife calls it, Florida.
We're from New York. Florida.
Florida. You probably say Florida, right? I just say Florida.
Yeah, Florida. One syllable.
And I'm down here doing a few days on this indie, and Brie has an amazing way where she does a scouting report. If I have to go somewhere on a work trip, whether it's to shoot something or throw back...
She's not dumb, bro. Put it this way.
When we go to Green Bay to do a live show, she's not coming with the kids, right? If we go to Indianapolis for the WNBA All-Star Game, she's not coming with the kids. But when I come to LA, or if I come down here to Florida to shoot something, oh, next thing you know.

She's not down, bro.

Kids are down here.

We're renting a house with a pool, and she's treating this like I'm doing a Marvel movie. I'm like, you realize I'm not getting paid tons of money for this movie, right? You know that.
This is not some big payday. They put you up for that, though, right? yeah but like I can't be like

you know my wife and kids are going to come

for the two week shoot on this

three million dollar indie

that i'm doing which who knows if anyone's gonna see it or not hopefully they do uh which i could get cut out of very easily you're gonna have you're gonna have one one viewer i'll watch it for you buddy well it was it was fun though to be down here with the boys we were down in like the sarasota area great yeah It's a spring training town. The Orioles are here.
Yankees are up in Tampa. I've been keeping track of the random jerseys.
I saw walking around at this fish bar last night. I saw a Brady Anderson jersey.
I did not think I would see a Brady Anderson jersey who went from eight home runs to 52 the next year. Some great ones.
I saw a good Pirates one too. I used to run in a little Brady Anderson circle back in Hollywood back in the day.
Shout out to Brady Anderson. Stop.
You partied with him a little bit? That's pretty random. Oh, yeah.
Brady had a house up in the Hollywood Hills. Most random jersey you saw outside of Brady Anderson, which is sort of random.
Brady was random. There was a Tony Gwynn.

I'm like,

the Padres aren't even,

they're not even down here.

I don't know why.

Maybe the greatest hitter of all time.

I think it was the Pirates jersey,

I think was Doug Drabeck.

Anybody remember that name?

I think there was a Doug Drabeck jersey.

And I saw Ron Gant.

You remember Ron Gant on the Braves? Jack Ron Gant. Ron Gant.
Outfield, yeah. He used to hit bombs.
He played for the Reds too? It's been good. What's that? I thought he played for the Reds as well.
I remember him on the Braves. Him and...
Was Andrew Jones in that same outfield? I don't know. Was Gant on that team? Because they played the Yankees.
No, I think it might have timed out that way i i think it might have timed out that way i think it might have timed out that way and then while we're down here of course my older kid jacob lost his first tooth which was good for me because my younger son's three years old i don't know if anyone on instagram's ever seen pictures of him he's missing his front tooth which uh i was directly responsible i essentially dropped him all that shit out accidentally uh My younger kid, yeah, but so I was directly responsible. I essentially dropped him.
Did you pull that shit out? Accidentally. My younger kid, yeah.
So I don't know, you've had to handle the tooth fairy in your day. And if you're driving, any parents driving, listening to this, and if you have kids in the car, maybe pause for a minute.
But obviously my five-year-old got super excited for the tooth fairy. But then he starts asking questions like, how did the tooth fairy know we were going to be in Florida? I'm like, tooth fairy is always watching.
He goes, even when I'm in the shower, is the tooth fairy watching? Because I don't want the tooth fairy to see me naked. I'm like, well, no, the tooth fairy knows to give you privacy.
He's going to be the kid. I think I got like two more years left with this kid before.
He's santa's bullshit uh let's just undo this which means my younger son will probably did you care like when cole stopped believing in that stuff did you even care or were you like thank god it's tough man it's a hit right it's a hit dude it's a gut punch it's uh it's like the end of their adolescence you know it's like you just the tooth fair to me is dude. I don't understand it.
I mean, the kids get excited, but like, and like the Easter bunny for a while is when Santa's, Santa's the one where it just, innocence is lost. Yeah.
It just, it hits different. It's like, damn.
Like, cause we, I, we, I mean, I had it with Cole. Obviously we have a long time, but, uh, my going there.
My nephew turns 10 this week. And it's not, it's still there, but it's still kind of like, just how long can you keep playing it up? Playing it before, by the way, before friends say something or someone else, you might have another family who doesn't believe in Santa and their kids are just out there.
Yeah, so there's just a lot of stuff. But yeah, that one hits, man.
Tooth Fairy, I think it's, I try to embrace the moments of that because the tooth fairy it's like that innocent conversation you'll remember and then in about six years when your boys become assholes to you and brie they're you're gonna be like i i i i wish he would just believe in the tooth fairy i remember when you used to think the tooth fairy used to look at you naked yeah yeah so yeah that's fine i think it just softens the blow for the tooth like some kids are probably freaked out like oh a tooth is about to fall out of my mouth so i think someone created this tooth fairy with a gift or a dollar or whatever you leave so it like makes the what did you what is the tooth fairy uh what does the tooth fairy bring in the ferrara household we they're super into monster trucks so he got one of his favorites monster trucks. But no, for the first one and after this, it's going to be like a buck.
So how do you explain the tooth fairy putting a monster truck under their pillow? I'm telling you, I cannot match wits with this kid, so I'm not even going to try. Because if I go too far down an explanation, he's like an FBI agent when he interrogates me.
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I got to get a few things off my chest before we get to Rudy.

Number one, have you ever been to any March Madness games,

women's or men's or anything or Final Four?

Because I have.

And I got a little unknown fact.

So probably not as much as you.

I went to USC Women's last year, not sweet 16, round of 32. They played Kansas.
Yeah, that was a good one. I remember that game.
So we were there. I'm actually going to the women's game next week.
Obviously, they're going to win their first game. But they'll play, I think, the 8-9.
They'll play either Cal or Mississippi State, maybe, I think, is in the bracket. I'm going go in a couple of days to go see the girls.
Because when girls, they get to host, which is pretty cool. I always think that's where they get to host.
Coach was pretty fired up. We had, you know, Coach Galevon.
She was fired up that they were the lowest ranked one seed, right? That pissed her off. And they're in the same bracket as UConn, which is crazy.

I mean, that's going to be awesome.

There's very few upsets in women's basketball.

So those two teams are going to be on a collision course,

which is going to be awesome.

USC beat UConn earlier in the year, but that'll be a great game.

Shout out to the Pump Brothers.

I went to a game with the Pumps.

If you don't know them, Google them.

Google them if you don't know them.

Probably a decade ago, more than a decade ago,

over at the old Anaheim Pond down in Anaheim.

But that's it, though, man.

That's it.

I love March Madness.

I've never been to a Final Four, though.

I went two years in a row.

And then one year I saw Villanova, their championship run. But what you don't realize is I went to the games in San Antonio, did the Riverwalk and all that, but went to the final four games.
I forget who Michigan was playing, and I forget who Villanova was playing. That's how long ago it was.
Maybe they even played each other. But what I remember is we went for two games.
So you're there for six, seven hours. I'm not a big big tailgate let's get hammered at the game guy, but for two games, but it's dry.
The final four. Are you in a suite? Are you in the I was in the state.
I was upper end of the first bowl. Good seats.
Wasn't too close. Wasn't too far.
Dry? Dry. Because it's college.
It's dry. No alcohol.
That doesn't make sense because college stadium football stadiums all serve alcohol most of them i was there and there was not a beer or a vodka soda to be found in the whole thing you're there for like seven hours you watch the first game break watch the second game just sweat just nothing dry so that really stuck stuck out. So go accordingly if that's what your move is going to be.
Maybe pack a little. I think the Coliseum went dry a handful of years ago, and then they brought back the beer and stuff.
I'm like, what the fuck are you doing? You got 80,000 people in there, and you're not going to serve alcohol? What a terrible business decision. Not to be total homer, but have you paid any attention to St.
John's basketball this year or no? It's okay if you haven't. It's a lot to take in.
They also haven't been good. What are you now, a St.
John's fan? No, I'm not bandwagon. Spike Lee is getting crushed because he went to the St.
John's game. He's probably the first St.
John's game he's been to in 20 years. No, I am not claiming to be something Johnny's fan.
I love Patino. I've always loved Patino.
Well, have you paid attention to Mike Rapoli from the Body Armor founder? This whole NIL world, right? Because basically, what do you mean? He came out and he's a billionaire and just came out and said that. He bashed a team three years ago or four years ago, called them a disgrace or or something like that and then he put his money up and he i think he was a big part how long has patino been there how long has patino been there do we know can we check that real quick is this year one i think this is year one okay so either one or two was it was it mullen was mullen the coach mullen was the coach and i think anderson there's someone in between i i did go to a game four years five with Mullen there.
It was fun to watch. They played Georgetown.
So I can see that conversation. Basically, Patino gets hired.
He reaches out to him. And a couple years ago, he just said, let's fucking fix this.
Says, I need 20 mil. Yeah, I need 20 mil.
I need Phil Knight, Oregon, some of these other, you know, Kevin Plank for Under Armour, Maryland, like some of these big dogs meet with these coaches and just say, give me this and we'll win. And Patino, I mean, Patino's a legend.
Patino's one of the best college coaches of all time. So I'm going to tell you what's going to happen.
Tell me, please, because you know a lot more about this than I do. They are going to be, well, I mean, look, the guy're the guy just said basically you have unlimited funds go out and get the players that you want you can

get nil deals uh that's what makes them now unique you in the same probably boat as like a duke or a

carolina or some of these traditional he's on par with the big where you have you have big time

alumni that all they care about like all kentucky kentucky football has done a good job actually

but it's kentucky basketball that's like what that is so it's very similar now to st john's

Thank you. big time alumni that all they care about, like all Kentucky, Kentucky football has done a good job actually, but it's Kentucky basketball.
That's like what that is. So it's very similar now to St.
John's is they're going to get a lot of top players. They're going to, they're going to get one and dones, but they're going to pay these guys millions of dollars.
And they're going to try to build these little college super teams. Like we've seen Duke try to do a handful of years ago with Zion and Reddish and RJ Barrett, the Kentucky teams, um, uh, with Calipari, that's, what's going to happen to St.
John's. I think it's awesome because again, it's like football.
There's more parody in the sport now of basketball with NIL. And now that you got a big dude like that, who, by the way, we got home games at MSG too.
How cool, like, you know, it never won the biggest tournament in 25 years. So to, to see it happen again, something about something about St st john's too we're like i'm not a bandwagoner but i you you've we've talked on the call this week like felipe lopez right chris lopez i watched him in high school there's something about st john's hoops it's like it's kind of dope it's kind of like back in the day like uh like rhode island right was rhode island was lamar odom did lamar go to rh Coutinho Mobley went to Rhode Island? Yes.
Is that right? So like, remember back in the day where they had a couple of years where like, oh, let's get in. Like St.
John's is a more traditional powerhouse, I guess, than Rhode Island. But like, I'm excited to get on the bad wagon of St.
John's. Like, that's awesome.
And that's all they got. That's the thing.
That's all they got. Mike Rappoli, Queens guy, you know, started Body Armor.
Obviously, he's got all the money in the world. But I feel like if I were a billionaire, now, I don't have a school affiliation, but I would behave the way he's behaving.
Go Google him because he's out there. It's not even like he's quietly going about it or said, like, I'll give some.
He's out there in the streets doing interviews, talking about it publicly. It's almost like, again, not like ownership in the NBA or something.
Cause he's not going to make profits. Although I do think this is good for his brand and his company.
He's like, just, I mean, I've had conversations with people close to billionaires and it's not just USC, other schools. And I won't name them that they've told told me, they're like, there's no ROI, right? Like, what am I, good for the brand, maybe he has some of these.
You're just, you're basically just, you're just pulling it out, you're flexing it and you're just saying, this is what I can do. I don't need $20 million because it's pennies to me.
It really is. I get to help my school.
I get to be the face of now this. And a pseudo, I mean, he owns it.
He's essentially going to own the team. If that's what they're going to go out and pay kids, I mean, that's his money.
He can give NIL deals to the whole freaking student athletes at St. John's and be totally fine.
So I love it. I don't know.
I mean, that's why billionaires stay billionaires because they're cheap. That's how we saw the owners in the NFL.
But I love this, dude. I mean, I love guys like that.
It's like Bomber. It's like even Phil Knight.
It's just guys that love their team. They love their – Cuban in a lot of ways was kind of like just a vocal person who loves their sport.
Now, three years ago, he hated them. Right.
He publicly called them out, but that's why I respect it. So last thing know you don't have anything i'm just hypothetically there's no way right there's zero because what i would have the hardest time doing if i had that kind of money and say i went to st john's or i went to uc i'm like all right here here's here's 15 million but can i point you in the direction of a few players i like like zero say.
There's no rules against that, but just no coach or athletic director would tolerate that. But there's no rules in place for that either.
Just because you are a rec league all-star doesn't mean you have credibility in building a basketball team. No, I just like to talk about sport.
I'm not even saying, like, here's what I think you should do. Can I be in on those talks? For sure.
That, that happens. I know guys, I know big money people that donate to an NIL collective that, that at the very least, they want to know a vision of which the team is being built.
Right. How are we building this team? What's the model? What's the, how are we going to win? Like, what is it going going to take because a lot of people that are like this are just fans of their sport they're fans of their school they're fans so they they are watching one because their money's at play but two they they're passionate about their program whether it's football basketball whatever it is women's basketball like it doesn't matter so i i do know that there's that there's's, but that's also why now like coaches are putting, are hiring general managers.
Now there's GMs in college now. So now they take that.
Those GMs now can deal with the money people. The coach now can just work on, I mean, recruiting, you're still building, but like you have GMs now that basically are dealing with all of that.
The money people, raising money, fundraising. But yeah, those people are in meetings.
They're in meetings about the vision. They want to know like, Hey, like, like my, I'm giving you millions of dollars a year.
What were, who are we going after? Like, and I'm sure that's whatever, but there's zero say. I'm getting them on the pod, man.
I already have put feelers out there. I already am reaching out through a network of people.
I want them the show because uh queen's guy doing it i got a lot of questions too i just it's such a fascinating world now you know and and just it's just crazy like someone i don't know if you'd say like someone either turned the switch on or off but it really was because even hearing like you know we have a fun episode coming up too where we talked to a former college athlete who didn't go too deep on it but now it's like all the guys even back in the day who you know were getting paid now could almost not come out and say everything because you know it's really yeah i was good we were on or off, but it just happened one day, and now I don't even really remember life before. Even NCAA 26, the video games, already collecting money to pay out to get ready for.
It's crazy, man. It's crazy.
All right. It's now time for our fresh moves of the week brought to you by Wendy's.
Head to the Wendy's app to get a $1 JBC or a $1 double stack with offer and additional purchase. So I know NFL is like free agency was is kind of done.
And I'm not trying to just talk Giants here. They legitimately still don't have.
They only have. You don't have to preface every giant talk by saying, I'm sorry.
You can just do it, buddy. Well, I, as Twitter will tell you,

I have talked myself into some crazy shit. I've talked myself into Aaron Rodgers.
I've talked myself into Joe Milton. Chador.
I've done it all. And at the end of the day, I still don't have any clue who's going to be quarterbacking for this team next year.
Well, yeah, no one does. You have Aaron Rodgers.

I think Kirk Cousins is staying.

Cousins, Jameis.

And I love Jameis.

We talked to Jameis at the red carpet.

I love him.

But I still feel like as fun as Jameis would be, that's like a seven-win team, right?

If we're lucky.

Shout out to my guy, Jackson Dart.

He's going top 10 in a lot of drafts.

I mean, he'll be there for the Giants if they want. You're going to get one of the top three quarterbacks at number three.
You can't take Jackson Dart at three. If it goes, what if it goes Cam Ward, Shador, and now we get to the Giants at three? I have no clue.
I'll put money at right now that one of those two quarterbacks will fall to you. Not fall.
I mean, they'll be available at three. Well, and then also, I don't know why everyone's so...
The question is, are you going to take one of those two at three? Well, I don't know why everyone's so mad again. People say Aaron Rodgers is polarizing.
I think it's everybody else who won't shut the F up about it. when's he going to make his decision? Who cares? Let him make it when he wants to make it.
Also, or do you just sign Jameis? Or, I mean, because he... Rodgers is the enigma.
I think Rodgers goes to Pittsburgh. But you sign Jameis for a year, and you see how many games you win, and then you...
Or you pseudo-tank, and you will get Arch Manning next year, number one. I don't understand necessarily.
I tried to detach from, because I'm in Cleveland, from the Deshaun Watson stuff, and then I know he re-injured the Achilles, all that. But then just kind of popped up on my feed where he's showing workout video, inspirational stuff.

And like,

great,

by the way,

great.

I hope he gets healthy.

I hope I don't got engaged,

like all that.

I just,

as a,

as a viewer from the outside,

I would be in the witness protection program.

If I were at the Sean Watson,

you just wouldn't see any workout videos.

I wouldn't post anything about my personal life.

Not saying like in a shameful way,

just in a like,

Thank you. protection program if I were to Sean Watson.
You just wouldn't see any workout videos. I wouldn't post anything about my personal life.
Not saying like in a shameful way, just in a like, I want all this attention off me. I want to work on getting myself healthy again.
So I will come back and resurface publicly when I'm ready to contribute on the field. So it just was, I was a little shocked to see, not shocked.
I was like, well, I just would be, I would be quiet. I'd be on the low.
I'm always, I mean, and especially as a quarterback, I'm always rooting for these guys. Of course.
And really, comeback stories, second chances, all of that stuff. I'm just thinking about the last handful of years.
And you go back to Deshaun when he was starting in houston and he was like i mean he was unbelievable yeah and i don't know about three years ago was that three years ago and then you and then you dealt with all the off-field stuff obviously which takes a toll and all that and then the injuries and then just being in cleveland where i mean gosh some of these games he's looked awful and the vibes are super talented for any Yeah, it's just like, I can't remember an athlete. And by the way, he's making 50 million a year.
He's fine. But I can't remember an athlete just having that type of career and then falling so fast.
And because, man, in sports, and you know this, you're a sports fan, but anything, you start, the minute stuff, it's like an avalanche, right? Once it rains, it starts pouring. And it, because man, in sports and you know this, like you're a sports fan, but like anything, like you start the minute stuff, like it's like an avalanche, right? Once it rains, it starts pouring.
It just becomes this avalanche of just shit and negativity. And that's just kind of what's surrounding him, man.
And I just, like, I hope he gets healthy. I hope he gets a sec, another chance somewhere, um, to play.
Cause we know he has it. We know he has it.
You know, you don't just lose that, but man, like it's, it's wild. I look,'s wild i look i'm at the end of the day too like i would say this the only thing i would combat to that is like at some point like you do you just got to live your life too and you got to you know like he got engaged i i understand what you're saying but like it is what it is i mean you can't when you're deshaun watson you can't hide from the media anyway he's not gonna lock himself in a in a training room and like that you just go go live your life and go try.
When you get another opportunity, make the most of it. I've been there, bro.
I've been there. I talked about those hot tub pictures.
That shit, I wasn't hiding for three months in Palm Springs. I was fucking devastated.
One day, we're going to devote an entire segment to the- I didn't have 50 mil a year, though. We're going to devote an entire segment to the hot tub pictures one of these days.
I just want to take a quick second. Thank everyone who's listening or watching.
We've steady been in the top 10 on sports podcasts on Apple and Spotify. We're doing great.
And that's all because of you, the listener. Something that does help us is when you rate and review us.
I know a lot of podcasts say that. It genuinely does help.
And also, we read them. I'm going to read one right now.
This one is Shay631. She left a review on, I think it was Apple Podcasts, but she said, not a pairing I was expecting from a podcast, but it's incredible.
Great chemistry, amazing stories, really fun listen. We'll definitely have this in the rotation.
And that's all we want. We want to be in the rotation because these days there's a lot to choose from.
So keep us in the rotation. Yeah, I think the goal for us always was like, man, like the stories we can tell, the two industries that we can combine, whether it's sports, entertainment, culture, parenting, husbands.
Like, you know, I think that's something that we try and do um and try and try and relate i'll we always say this like how can we relate to the people that are listening because like we're everyday dudes and the shit that i'm about to say is is fucking pissing me off oh whoa no but i'll get to that second but again as you said early um listen obviously go subscribe please follow us at throwback. Email us at feedback at throwbackshow.com.
We check our emails. We like to do mailbags now.
So we listen. If you guys have questions, concerns, we are therapists outside of our everyday job.
Rating and review. We love it.
And we will read it. Give us the rating and review.
Matt, I don't know, man. I'm clearing the decks here.
What's going on? Our house is infested with fleas, bro.

What?

Our dogs brought in fleas a couple weeks ago.

We've been battling

these little bastards every day.

My wife literally yesterday says,

and I quote,

my little wife,

she goes,

she goes,

these little fuckers

want to rage war.

I'm raging war.

That's literally what she said to me, dude. Oh, so it's a battle cry now.
It's gladiator. It's a daily battle cry.
I just got a text from our nanny. Josie asked me to salt your mattress again.
So no bed lays for you until later. Crying emoji.
She said she'll vacuum once she's home later since it needs to sit for a couple hours. We are salting our mattress now because apparently we went online and said, oh, you can salt your mattress.
That kills them. Dude, our dogs, long story short, our dogs had fleas.
We forgot to get a medication. So anybody listening, you get it, dude.
If you've had fleas, you know exactly where I'm coming from. We need help.
Mailbag, send us help. Send us whatever you can.
um we can't we every couch is turned upside down we've thrown away multiple rugs we have a very

you help mailbag send us help send us whatever you can um we can't we every couch is turned upside down we've thrown away multiple rugs we have a very expensive rug in the front of our house that is the one that is probably that we just keep vacuum vacuum nine trying to save it you're trying it's probably number one dude we wake up we're in the war zone of trenches all day like we are just like what do we got like question do you feel like it's brought you and josie closer together in the heat of battle or have you sometimes split apart listen man the other night the other night no the other night she goes babe i can't i can't sleep in the bed i'm like i'm like who gives a fuck baby if one fleas on you you're gonna be dead asleep no one's gonna care she just can't she doesn't have that she have that. She doesn't have that foxhole mentality.
Like I do where I'll sleep with a hundred fleas on me. I don't give a shit.
As long as I'm going to bed and I can't feel them, I'll go to bed. So face worse.
Yeah. I mean, God damn, dude, I face worse.
I feel like I'm camping right now in the, I've seen the hits. So she goes in the kid's room.
So she's sleeping in the trundle bed with the kids,

with the baby in the baby snooze.

So in our little boys room, there's five people.

And I'm like, you know, whatever you need me to do.

She's like, babe, I'm not sleeping in our bed.

And I go, whatever.

So two nights in a row, dude,

I've been sleeping on our mattress with one time

because every blanket that we use, we have to rewash.

I'm sleeping on a little ass blanket on the mattress, like I'm fucking in college, dude, with my pillow. I don't care.
I was like, I don't care. But that's the only difference between us is if they're on me at night, I really don't care, dude.
I feel like that's a big, I finally got like an advantage on you at five, six and you're six. I get a lot more out of a blanket than you do.
You need like a blanket. I just need like a little towel and I'm covered up.
I mean, has anyone out there dealt with fleas in the house, bro? It is not fun, dude. It's just, it's more annoying than anything.
Because I told her, I said, babe, like, listen, man, it's not like they're fucking tarantulas, dude. It's not like they're bees.
They're not going to hurt you. They're just little fleas.
It's the mental part of it. Matt, you're going to get through it.
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That's CozyEarth.com slash Spotify. So I want to ask you if you remember this.
If you don't, it's fine. You came to the Entourage movie premiere.
You remember coming? Okay, in LA. The first people, I go through the red carpet.
The first people I run into when I walk in is you and Wesley Matthews. Yeah.
And I feel like I caught you guys, not arguing, but like, did you dunk on him? Or did he, you guys are talking about, one of you dunked on the other and the other person's swearing it wasn't on them. I mean, he, that's the thing.
Wes is like, when we see each other, like the competitiveness comes out. Yeah.
I love Wes. He like, he dunked around me.
Okay. Yeah.
Cause it's hard to think he dunked on you, but I love Wes. He didn't.
I mean, I love you too, Wes, but your thing is, you know, the hour. Yeah.
Wes can shoot. there, bro.
Don't get into that pain. Did anyone ever dunk on you? Like posterize you? Yes.
Yes. And it's out there, bro.
And this guy actually was my teammate afterwards. It was Travis Outlaw, and it was bad.
Oh. Travis Outlaw.
I remember him, yeah. an athlete.
He, yeah, it was bad. It was off a rebound.
Did you see it coming? Did you think it was a risk or did you know what was happening? He jumped and caught the rebound and I didn't think he can jump again that quick. Granted, I didn't give it my all.
I just thought I was going to be able to block the shot and he like he's an athlete in that moment are you what I was I mean I maybe I've I've been dunked on in like a wreck definitely dunked on for sure I play some high level rec hoops over here but what's a dunk on can like what is that like this like a like a blindside sack or something like that what is that like well I would say no I would say yeah I would say no because a blindside sack like i would say i think it's like what saquon did to that i feel like i feel like getting posterized or at least like you might have got maybe he jumped over you like a rebound like getting poster actually trying to go up and block someone and then getting dunking on i feel like has to be a real lonely place like when you're done like you're just like damn, damn, that was shit because everyone's, because you know everyone's going to make fun of you. I always said this, like dropping, either dropping a snap from center in front of 100,000 people, which you'd be surprised happens, or getting your foot stepped on and tripping before you hand off a ball.
It's like, especially in college because once you're down, you're down. In the NFL, you can get back up, but you don't want to get back up because those motherfuckers are coming after you.
I feel like that's probably the equivalent. It's just a shitty place, man.
You're like, it's embarrassing. It's a bad place.
The rule of thumb is get the ball out fast so you don't have a good picture. They can't get good pictures.
But in that instant, it was like we were jumping together, and it's just like he just kept going. And I'm like, ah, in the middle of the air, you just got to protect yourself.
So it was like, get the ball out quick. Let's forget about it.
I feel like I've seen some players make life choices about not getting dunked on. Is that something like a coach will just chew you out for, or is it understood like, okay, maybe back in the day you should have tried to challenge and foul the guy, or is that like a coach has come back like, why didn't you challenge the play? It's like, because John Morant would have just dunked on my head.
Yeah, I mean, I don't know. It depends on the coach.
Like Pop, when I played for him, he was like, that's not competitive. Like, you have to at least try.
It's a good pop. He wanted me to do.
But, you know, the older I get, the more it's like, I just foul them before they even get to the point where they're... Yeah.
Give them a little bump or something. Don't try to hurt them.
Just, you know, swipe at the ball or something and just get out of the way. Did you ever play with RJ in San Antonio? Did you guys cross past there? No, no, no.
I'm like, I'm like four years after him, but I've heard a lot of stories. He might have been at Golden State.
He's my guy. We've been boys for a long time.
Played a little beach volleyball down here together. He's fucking hilarious, man.
I'm just curious if you ever played with him. He's an idiot, man.
I was playing my last couple years. He's like, oh, look at you, the old guy.
I'm like, bro, you've been in my shoes. Why are you calling me old?

He's seen you on the Cavs, and you got a ring with the Cavs.

He's like the little red-headed stepbrother that just needles you and just talks shit.

You love him, but you're like, get the fuck out of here, RJ.

We're going to get him on the pod, too.

But that's my guy.

I was curious.

I know he played for 19 teams, So I figured maybe he crossed past it. He still needles us Knicks fans, too.
Hey, now he's calling NBA Finals. He's doing his thing, for sure.
You were just recently back at UConn. And I saw, first of all, that had to be a great experience.
And I think you were with your boys. What was, I mean, like just UConn hoops is just like, I mean, that's the pinnacle, obviously in college, I was fortunate.
I played it for a football like school that was like just USC football was USC football. What was it like to be back? And like, what was it like to have your boys now that you're kind of newly retired, you have your boys back with you and experience that with them? It was unreal, man.
I was talking to someone. I was like, man, it's kind of emotional.
I don't want to sound like a punk, but it was kind of emotional. You know, to be with your kids, like the place where it all started, like you work so hard to get noticed by those kind of schools, right? Like the work that puts in and like the kids, obviously they live a different life, but that's one of those things where, and you know what, it's not even just them, like other family They don't understand the work that puts in and like the kids, obviously they, they live a different life, but, um, that's one of those things where, and you know what, it's not even just them, like other family members, they don't understand the work that was put in to me, at least getting to that point.
And at that point, you know, I felt like I had a chance to be what now I did. You know what I mean? Like at that point, being able to go to Connecticut and getting a scholarship and playing and becoming an All-American, I was like, okay, this is, that was the hard part.
Like, now just, you know, keep working. I've set my foundation.
Now keep working and become a better pro. And to be able to walk those halls and, you know, walk around the campus with my kids, it was like, you know, it was like full circle.
Do they, so when I was playing, my oldest is 18 now, but he was. Goodness gracious.
I know. He just had a baby too.
I've got 18, five, three and five weeks, dude. I'm just, oh man, I'm tired.
Three boys, three boys. I just got my baby girl and my oldest was a Hooper too.oper too.
And I, he has a question. I have a, no, I appreciate you.
I have a question for you later on from him, but no, I just, I remember playing and I retired young. I retired at 30, you know, I didn't play as long as I'd hoped, but he doesn't remember much.
I think he was five or six when I was done. And it's just, it's just funny because doesn't really remember me as a football player.
But your boys, how old are your boys? Because your boys are old enough. Obviously, they've been watching you play.
Well, they don't remember me being me. They remember.
They remember old Rudy. They remember me hobbling around.
That's what they remember. My kids are 10 and 9.
10 and 9. Okay, so I just curious, the relationship.
We want to get into your Players Tribune article, which I thought was really well done too, man. Do they understand at all? Are they able to grasp you going back to UConn and walking them through the halls and what you were able to do to get there and then having the great NBA career and playing for a long time.
Do they, do they understand that or do they just, I always think it's fascinating. Like they view you as pops, like this, my dad, he was a Hooper or do they, can they, can they understand it at this age? No, I don't think so.
And I think you, you can relate to this. It's like, they don't, they don't get it.
It's like, they, they know what people say to them when I'm around them. Or like highlights.
They can watch highlights. I mean, they see highlights, but they're not.
I'm going to be honest. They're not certain.
They probably say like, yeah, you weren't that good, dad. You weren't that good.
Funny story. I was playing 2K, which I never.
Well, I do. It's okay.
As someone who ran the Knicks 2K League team, this is a friendly place. Don't worry about it.
Yeah, yeah, okay. So anyway, so I was playing, and they had, like, some, you know, the all-time teams, and I was on one of them.
And I was looking at the starting lineup, and I wasn't in it. One of the teams.
I'm like, actually, no. We were playing with a current team.
This was a couple years ago that I was playing with. utah yep and um i um he didn't put me in the game i was like you're not gonna put your dad in the game he's like no dad you suck on this game you're like overall you're overall like 80 i'm like dad that sucks isn't that crazy yeah yeah i mean everything is predicated on your your ranking in 2k now so like if you're not ranked high they're not gonna you know i think i feel like i just started because again i'm a little different my boys are older and he committed to play college football and he still doesn't like i keep telling him i'm like dude like like i did play man i played at a high level i i went through a lot of good a lot lot of bad.
Like I went through it all. Like, you know, as a pro athlete, you go through everything, like good and bad.
And he's just starting to kind of turn the corner of like asking advice now at 18. I'm like, thank God, man.
Like, please. Is he a quarterback? He's a QB, man.
He was a big hooper too. but he finally gave up basketball this year because he's getting recruited pretty heavily in football.
Well, that's what I want to ask the both of you. Edward, your kids play hoops, right? Yeah.
And my kids are five and four, so it's like they will not listen to a word I say about anything. But if a coach says, hey, so like, do you find that? I mean, now I'm just some scrub, like five foot six actor.
You guys played at the highest level. Do your kids still not even take coaching advice from you? Like little things? I would say you take it even further.
Like I have nephews and nieces, well, nephews that play basketball too. And they're walking around like, yeah, this coach told me I can do this, I can do that.

I have to tell my nephew every day,

stop listening to people, bro.

That does not matter.

Shut up, go to class and play basketball.

And my kids, it's like I can have,

I coached their team.

And therefore they had to listen to me,

but I would have my assistant coach talk to my son because he does not listen to me at all.

You know, he doesn't listen to me at all.

That's what I do. That's what I did.
I coached my son's flag football. I didn't coach hoops.
I coached baseball and flag football. And man, I had, my coaches were like, dude, because I wasn't like a yeller or screamer.
I definitely wasn't that, but I was like, you know, I was trying to teach him and like, dude you throw an interception this and that and god he would just blow me off and i would then it get then i get pissed then i'd be like so then i finally just said all right you think you know everything but and then but they do they respond they respond to other guys the only time i don't even know why i just thought of this but i have a sport court in the backyard and we were hooping and the only and he's and rudy you're gonna're going to get this too, man, when your boys get big, cause I'm sure they're going to be tall. They start to get, they start to get that age where they start to think they could take pops.
And I was like, and I was like a pretty good basketball player. Like I was a good athlete and we're playing in the backyard and we, and I almost, I almost fought my kid.
This was at fifth. This was right after he's 18.
Now he's probably 16 or 16. We almost threw blows in the backyard.
He got to the age where then he started to be like, you suck and you kind of call me names. I'm like, you better watch your fucking self, dude.
See, that's where the compagnie is. You're not there yet, but you play your boys and you still got it.
Then there will be a point if they become like their dad that they might be able to take you. And talk about another lonely feeling, man.
I'm in the gym every day, man. Yeah, so they won't get you for a while.
I'm just going to foul. Well, that's the thing.
I can't guard my son. I can't guard him.
I'll take him down low and be physical, but he's big as shit now, too. Yeah.
Fuck, dude. Yeah,'ll get there one day.
I'm almost going to hurt him. That's what it is.
Just got to put that fear in him. My kids can beat me now, so I don't really try that.
But, you know, something fun that your kids – not fun, but, like, I think about your path because I grew up in Brooklyn. Players I watched at the high school levels like Marbury, Felipe Lopez, those were like the guys, right? But I always heard about Baltimore basketball in the high school level, right? What was it like for you? I mean, I just feel like it's one of the more competitive places you could play high school basketball.
Am I wrong when I think that? Or maybe it's because I remember hearing always Mello's name and your name coming out of Baltimore. Baltimore seemed crazy with high school basketball.
Yeah. I mean, yeah.
It was like, what made it crazy is the type of city it is. It's like, it's really, really, really, back then was a rugged city.
And, you know, you had to, had to, had to be competitive. Everything was competitive.
It was always, no matter what, you compare it to the next person. Unfortunately, I came up after up after mellow so it was like you had to be this guy so like you know shout out to mellow which you know our podcast 7 p.m 7 p.m and brook i love it man i love it yeah it was always so competitive and you know you couldn't lack it any day because you know as soon as you have a bad day you know you will hear about it the next day.
So it was always just competitive. And, you know, I appreciate that now because I'm super competitive now.
We talk about with our kids, Matt, you talk about how you wanted to beat your son up. And I could see myself wanting to do that.
Don't do it. But, yeah, you could think it.
At least don't say it out loud. Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, it was always just like you have to be show up and show out every time you step out there. And, you know, it's not too many cities like that.
Actually, I was born in Brooklyn, too. Funny you say that.
I know. You know, I caught that.
I know, like, Mello's route was, like, born in Brooklyn, moved to Baltimore. You similar.
How long? Was it born and you were out of Brooklyn quick? Yeah, so I was a couple years in, but my dad still worked in New York. So we still lived between Harlem and Brooklyn.
Yeah. I would go back and forth.
Look, I know you're from Baltimore, but you always did, to me, have a New York vibe to you. I could just tell, man.
I could just tell. There's just something about it, right? Well, I feel like the toughness you were talking about, and it's something even you mentioned in the Players' Tribune article where like, you know, showing out for your city on the biggest stage meant something to you.
And Matt and I were talking about this off the air. It's like, before you came on, it's like, okay, let's just think about some of the players Rudy probably had to guard because your physicality, your six-not, right? I just feel like every night for you is like, all right, you're guarding Kobe.
Tonight, you're guarding LeBron. Maybe you'll throw you on D-Wade.
Maybe they're going to throw you on Mello. Like you, before this, like three and D, like you, I just feel like you always had those matchups, man.
Yeah, we didn't have, I didn't, especially back in those days, it wasn't really too many days off. And it was hard for me as far as accolades.
It was tough because, you know, when I got into the league, it was, you know, Kevin Durant, Kevin Durant, T-Mac, Melo, Kobe, Ron Artest, which was a house down there. It was like, you saw that next day, right? I mean, even playing some fours i had to play dirk yeah sometimes um you know it was tough it was really tough luau dang in the east um it was every night was somebody you had to you had to match up with especially in that position how how nasty how nasty was i mean you named pretty much every hall of famer howirk? You know what? The crazy part about it, he was one of my favorite players growing up.
And when you guard him, you see why. You see, I mean, it's like he's not fast.
Like, especially when I first got into the league, he was mobile. So he could tell him.
He would bring the ball up the court, knock down threes, and put you in the post and do everything, really control the game. You know, it was just, that's one of the best.
In his prime, he's one of the best shows, you know, in the league for me. Yeah, I mean, we, you know, when you look at basketball today, obviously every team's shooting so many threes.
And I know so many people always jokingly, like, blame Steph for that. but Dirk really was the first big to really get those three-point attempts way up there and it was like he never missed right it was and he's shooting from like nine feet up man I don't even know how you block that shit man and he would never hit the rim it seemed like it would just be straight net who was who was I mean who was the toughest like who was the toughest player you ever had of guard? I mean, all of those guys were great, but who just gave you fits night in and night out? I'd say Mello was one of them because he just always attacked you.
Him and Kobe in different ways. Kobe was tactical with how he did things.
Mello was just physical right through your chest and whatever. And I kind of adapted, you know, both of them in my game a little bit as I got a little bit older.
But like those two guys were tough. And as I got – and later in the league, it was KD being seven foot, being able to do what he was doing.
It's insane. I can't believe KD's legit seven.
I thought that was one of those myths of, like, guys just continually fluctuate. I feel like, too, with, like, Mello and even Kobe, it's, like, it's got to suck as a defender.
It's, like, once they actually get the ball, you know they're putting it up, right? So it's, like, okay, I'm on. Like, you're not paying attention to any cut.
Like, you know they're putting it up. So it's, like, where is the danger going to come from? Like, where are they going to go? Yeah, that's the difference between like a LeBron or something like that.
Because LeBron, he pretty much runs the whole show. Those two guys is like, I'm going to score on you.
And you have to stop me, you know? So that made it a little bit tougher. I've asked some NBA players this before because, you know, I'm just curious and you're so recently retired, like when, like the JJ Reddick stuff, like he is not as recent as you, obviously, but, and now he's coaching.
I just feel like that's such an advantage. Like if you were to get a coaching job tomorrow, you theoretically, you've played against 98% of this current roster.
Like, do you feel like that would work for you as a coach? I feel like it works for, I mean, he's also a highly intelligent basketball mind, but I just feel like knowing the current league is such an attribute for a coach. Yeah, it is.
It is. It's just, I think that outside of, like, that part is an advantage.
I think the disadvantage is the respect from your assistants, because they've been doing that for years. Good point.
That's the other side of it. JJ's done a great job.
He has a great basketball mind. We've heard time and time again on his podcast or on ESPN.
I don't know what he was on. Maybe ESPN.
He's been doing great, man. And also it helps that you have LeBron and Luke on your team.
Let's not, let's not. Yeah.
Let's not. Remember when they weren't going to be able to figure that out, Rudy? He was like, oh, I don't know what that fits going to be like.
That is coaching, though. Like, he has found a way to make it work.
And that's that. You got to take your hat off to him.
I saw a video the other day, and I think he has Scotty Skiles, who he played for in Orlando. And he's got, obviously, an NBA staff that has a bunch of head coaching experience.
I think I saw a video of him. What he's been doing there, to your point, Rudy, is he's really allowed every other coach.
I think he takes all their input, which a great head coach takes input from all their coaches, and then you figure it out. But I think he out.
But I think he's, he's been able to do that because of what you said that you guys got a lot of guys that have, have coached a lot of teams. You mentioned the podcast and you, you, you're on the pod with Mello and Jerry and I talk about this all the time.
What's your thought on current players having podcasts? I mean, Draymond, Draymond was active play like Draymond, which I personally love it because I'm a sports fan. I love hoops.
I love listening to like, you know, like from a player's perspective while they're actually in it. Micah Parsons has his in the NFL.
What is your thought on just that? Like, would you have ever done that or nah? I'm good. Maybe.
I mean, I love it, though. Me, personally, I don't know in my prime, I don't know if I would have done it.
But I love it, though, because you get to hear from the source instead of somebody else's perception. Matt, you understand.
Jerry, you've been around enough sports to know like what they what you know what what is perceived outside of the sport is not always what happens you never know um but you know draymond is uh is uh he's he's doing his way as well he's crazy man maybe i'll say he's nuts but i always look at it like some of the things I've done over the years, whether it's an episode of Entourage or Power or a movie, where it's like sometimes things get criticized in a way in media. And I always was taught like you got to just accept it, even if it's bullshit because don't get engaged in all that.
But there always was a part of me that's like, well, if you only knew that this dude like stormed off set and this other dude didn't know his lines that day because he was out till six o'clock in the morning. Like if you didn't know a little bit of that, you might understand why that episode sucked.
And I do feel like there's so much more just behind the scene. I feel like production, movie, TV sets, and sports franchises are aligned in that way where you're for better or worse, you're a big family.
And sometimes it's smooth sailing. And sometimes it's not even when all the talent is there.
There's so much of the other stuff that could just take away from the fact that we should be making the Eastern Conference finals or the NBA finals, you know? Well, people see, that's the thing about that's also a bad part about media and social media is the fact that people have an opinion and they can voice their opinion from their phones. Like you said, even about you being on set, I've heard of stories where you have a scene and it may be zero below two degrees outside.
And like, no, I'm not going to be into this scene like I should. It's cold as shit.
Or, you know, you're making it seem like you're in the summer, but you're in like, you know, the Hudson River or something like that during the winter. Like, stuff like that.
I've heard that that's happening. Like, you never know.
Like, inside the game, like, you may be nursing a sprained ankle and you just don't want to say it. Or you might have a migraine or something like that.
Like stuff happens, man. Like people don't expect us to be normal.
When we were talking about like the getting posterized, you kind of, you showed yourself for a minute there because you were saying like, you know, inbound it quickly, no one's catching it. You have one of those unique things where, you know, you kind of probably vaguely remember playing your sport pre-social media.
I remember being on the set of Entourage where I had a line where I said, Vince, you have 2 million Twitter followers. And I had to ask what Twitter was.
Like, I remember having that line. I feel like even with the posterization, a fan's going to get it.
Someone's going to get that. And it's going to be instantly, while the game's

going on, we will be discussing

on Twitter that you got

posterized while you're still playing.

It may be on someone's

wall. It may be on Travis's wall.

You know, I don't know, but

it's somewhere.

I'm about to YouTube that when we get off

this, though. Yeah, it was like a top play, too,

man. It made it worse.
It was like, ah, that that whole week I was like, I got to dunk on somebody now. Well, I said all that to say too.
It's like, as far as even current players having pods, it's like, yeah, well, they also do have to fight it. Yes, the media, but also social media, right? Where there's narratives that just spin out of control.
So being able to have a little bit of control of your own story, I feel like in today's landscape is much different than, you know, early Facebook, Twitter years back in like 2011, where, you know, it wasn't just that, it was only like one or two sources really where that shit came from. Yeah.
I mean, it's a, it's a gift and a curse though, because you're speaking from your perspective and everybody everybody's not going to like your perspective. So you have to be prepared to deal with what people have to say about what you have to say.
So, you know, it's just, you know, taking control of the narrative has a downside. I wish I could have taken control of my narrative when I took a photo with the chicks in the hot tub.
That would have been good. Rudy, you probably don't know that, but that was messed up.
I've probably seen it. Where'd that photo come out, though, Matt? What magazine did that appear in? Well, I'm not even going to give the website its due.
All right, don't say it. Fuck them.
I'll tell you the story. Actually, Rudy, this was 2006.
So were you at UConn in 06? I got drafted in 06. Right there, yeah're the same same kind of same year so it's march madness i'll never forget and i won't tell the whole story i won't bore you all but march madness had some of my teammates over we didn't go out we elected not to go out because of that very reason that was pre it was right when like camera phones weren't exist hadn't existed yet but, but it was like the sites, the websites, the Gossam sites were there.
Yeah. And I said, hey, let's just come to the house.
We'll watch March Madness. We'll have a little party in the backyard.
My boys were there. Like eight of my teammates were there.
I'll never forget. It was like the most low key thing ever.
And then like my, this dude I knew brought like a handful of girls and they were cool as whatever. And I was in the jacuzzi, my jacuzzi in my own yard with my teammates who you could see in some of the photos.
And they asked to take a picture with me. So I just took a picture.
I was like, all right, cool, whatever. I took a picture.
The only problem was the only thing where I screwed up was I did hold a beer bong for one of them on accident. And I don't think she was 21 at the like problematic yeah i mean they were like oh can you do this i was like i was just at that point i was you know i wasn't even fucking thinking um but that was but talking about like controlling a narrative i wish i would have been able to get on a shit a pod the next day and be like hey this is actually what really happened my bad but like this is what happened so welcome to another episode of Matt and Reggie.
Yeah, Matt and Reggie had, I was telling Jared the other day, we had Matt and Reggie TV back at USC. I don't even remember what we talked about, but we did some shit.
Never saw it. I want to ask, we mentioned the Players Tribune article, and you just recently retired.
I thought it was great, man. It was really well done.
Yeah, it was awesome. Yeah, just enjoyed.
And you had a hell of a career. I mean, I remember watching you a bunch.
I know how hard it was for me for a brief time. I got lucky getting into TV right away.
So I really didn't have that year to be like, damn, what do I want to do? And as an athlete, it's hard because we're kind we're like kind of put in this like just like this tunnel of this is all we can do. One, just how has retirement? I know it's just brief, but how has retirement been for you? And, you know, like when you look back, is there, you know, like the highlight of your career? You talked about kind of UConn and just the work ethic that it took to get there and just kind of like highlighting your highlighting your career man because you had an unbelievable career I you know when you're in it you don't think about it right yeah and then when you're done it's kind of like it's kind of like a death like you like you're killing your former self and it's like you're trying to figure out like we're young what do I do like what it is you said you got into tv early but I'm but I bet you still had to get yourself in a new kind of rhythm of doing new things.

And that takes time to do that, too.

So it took me a little while.

It took me maybe about five months to really figure out, like, no matter what I was before, like, I have to kill that.

To the point where I just wasn't even thinking about basketball.

Like, people come up to me and I forget that I was a basketball player.

That's what I'm saying. I was before, I have to kill that.
To the point where I just wasn't even thinking about basketball.

People come up to me and I forget that I was a basketball player. That's why situations like going back to school and hearing people like, I remember you here or this and that.
This is during a time when I was so focused on trying to be a pro that I didn't appreciate that these people were fans of mine. Yeah.

You know?

Yeah.

So that was one of those things where I was like, okay, yeah, I'm done. I'm done.
And this is like, it's not about, you know, me trying to get, become a better basketball player anymore. It's about me, you know, just trying to become a better person and figure out like a better businessman, a better, better father and stuff like that, you know? Yeah, I think for,

appreciation is huge.

Like I retired, God,

I've retired like 10, 11 years ago.

So I feel like, God,

I don't even feel like I was a football player.

It feels like a lifetime ago.

But as you get older,

you do appreciate,

like you just learn to appreciate.

One, like you can kind of,

like you can pat yourself on the back.

You're like, man,

like I was able to accomplish that.

I provide it for my family. Like I've been a role model for my boys, even though they don't fucking know it yet they're gonna know it at some point um like you do you do have a better appreciation for the fans and just like what you were able to accomplish i've learned that as i've gotten older it's like damn like that was fucking a great run like it's passed now you move on to the other stuff and you get to that's a cool thing too about post time they get to like you get to try a lot of new shit like you're doing your pod you're gonna do t like you've been doing some tv stuff like it's it's fun man and i just wanted to give you your shout out man because you were yeah you had a hell of a run and um i know yeah it was it was fun to watch you i mean we watched you too.
You talk about 2006. I remember sitting in the...
With Dan Orlovsky? You guys were... No.
Different party school. Daniel.
Different party school. I remember sitting in our training room just looking at watching you guys just dominate and I picked you guys to win it all and you did.
So, I don't want to say say you won money, but... And now we have to blame Matt and Reggie for the tush push we have to watch in the Super Bowl because they kind of created that play.
I told Jerry, we invented that shit against Notre Dame. Yeah, you did.
And then I told Jerry, Reggie had texted me when he was up in Detroit with Stafford. He had the same type of play.
He pushed Stafford in in like OT, and they won. And I swear to God, he texted me right after right after you see that shit we just did the push push again in Detroit I was like yeah dude I got you I was such a New York kid the Big East was everything I feel like your run with UConn like that was sort of like the last of like the heyday of the Big East right because then it changed and there's so many I don't even know for sure who's in the Big East anymore.
But when you're up there at UConn, like, what is their fan base? And who was you players back then was, like, the team you wanted? Was it Syracuse? Like, who did you want to – who was the biggest rival just in general? That Big East was a behemoth back then. I mean, it's tough.
It's, like, especially back then. Like, it was so many big games.
I know. Like, you got to think, like, the kind of guys, like, you know, St.
John's, the guys that came out of Syracuse, guys that came out of Villanova, guys from Georgetown, like, all these games are like, what makes a rivalry is, like, you had big games against them, right? And we've had, like, in the Big East, everybody has been stacked at some point. So, it was, like, hard to say who our real rival was.
Maybe Syracuse, maybe Pitt, maybe St. John's, maybe Georgetown.
I don't know. Like, all of them, like, it was just, like, we didn't like any of them.
We didn't like any of them. So, it was, like, you know, so.
At least the Big East still exists. The Pac, I mean, I played in the Pac-10,

but the Pac-12-10 doesn't even exist anymore,

which is crazy.

It's wild.

I've seen some of the weirdest games I've ever seen,

like Washington versus Maryland.

I'm like, why are they playing each other right now?

Before we let you go, who, all time,

I want to ask you this.

Oh, well, actually, real quick, I want to ask you, this is from my oldest. Who's got a better mid-range, you or DeMar? I taught him everything he knew, man.
There you go. Everything he knows.
He said, dad, ask him who's, because he just saw, he just saw, he went to a Clippers game the other night, and DeMar was there. And DeMar's that seed kid, obviously.
And he's like, God, DeMar's so cold. And then I told him you were coming on.
He's asking, who's got a better midi? I said, all right, I'll ask. So you, you're the godfather.
Yeah, we played together. But you can shoot, though, too.
Yeah, he doesn't shoot three. Yeah, he don't shoot.
It's all midi. Management was like, we got two guys that just shoot mid-range jumpsuits all day.
Well, that's my take on it. It's like, i choose you as a fan because also like it just you were probably not forced but everyone was probably telling you take a few steps back shoot the three right like i feel like the rosen didn't and i he does shoot threes but like i feel like he never took those few steps back because he's so he just got so accustomed i feel like again that, again, that was a part of, like, the 6'9 thing.
Like, drop

back, shoot a few threes.

It was, I mean, it was, for me, it was

more of, like, injuries that

limit me from being able

to move to get that,

those midgets off.

Thank God DeMar has had the injuries I've

had, and I wouldn't wish that on him.

That's one of my best friends. Yeah, he's great, man.

He's a great dude. Who, last thing, Rudy, all-time uconn starting five who do you got i'd say uh kimball walker nastiest step back in the history of the tournament man he had the greatest run too yeah two would definitely be ray allen three would be rip hamilton that's a squad you put yourself a four you'd be a small four yeah You're there.
I'm going to get in trouble for this one. I'd say a Mecca Ockel four.
No Karam Butler? You guys probably play the same position, right? He was a small four. Yeah, I mean, I'm biased.
Kill me. I was going down a list.
Khalid Al-Amin was a dog back then. He had some guys.
I still also, too, not to keep bringing up your Players Tribune article, and obviously I'm not going to add, but your story about getting dimed out by a teammate to Coach Calhoun, all I'll say is I just can't believe it came from someone. I was going to say, you probably fought that dude.
I'm horrified for you. I know you're not going to mention the name, and you should, but I am still I'm traumatized just from reading that story that that a teammate did that.
It hurt my soul to read that. Man, it was crazy because like back then it was like they they just he was like he'll manipulate you to think that he didn't care about things that he really cared about.
It's because, like, I remember I got, like, 20 parking tickets.

And the guy, like, the guy's like, I'm going to tell you your coach.

He's like, so I was like, I'll tell him.

So what?

And I knew he wouldn't care because he had, like, 20 parking tickets on his car, too.

Right.

But, you know, he would act like he cares to the guy.

Like, whatever, just whatever.

But, like, going to class, anything that would keep you off the court. He didn't play.
No, he didn't play. Yeah.
I was telling Jerry, did you guys have class checkers? We had class checkers come by. We did.
They'd be peeking. God, what was his name? I couldn't function.
Fucking narc. What are you doing? Get out of here.
He would come to the door. They would come to the door, look, see if you were in there, and then they go report to the coach.
That's a rough gig. Who's taking that job these days? It'll be random people.
Coach Calhoun would pay random students to tell him whether I was in class or not. It was crazy.
Listen, man. 7 p.m.
in Brooklyn is one of my faves. I'm always checking.
Yeah, you guys are great, man. We need y'all in there, man.
I'm coming. I'm going to be in New York in April.
I know. Tell Mero I'm coming for him, too, with his Call of Duty playing.
Mero Monday streaming Call of Duty all day. And yeah, honestly, if you haven't read Rudy's Player Tribune, it was awesome, man.
I appreciate you for opening up like that and giving us the perspective and um yeah man i wanna i mean i'll come see you over there i'll come i'll come i'll come give some bad takes out on 7 p.m you wouldn't be the first thank you so much appreciate your brother yeah thanks for coming on man man i appreciate you go. All right.
Again, big shout outs to Rudy Gay.

Go check out 7 p.m. in Brooklyn with him and Mello.
It's a lot of fun. I think we should go on there in New York, Matt.
That would be fun. All right.
We're going to bust out the mailbag again because I think we're going to start having our guests sit in on this mailbag too because some of them have been really good. Do you want to take and i'll take one yeah all right um chris in utah okay so i saw the trailer for happy gilmore 2 came out this week curious where you guys rank shooter mcgavin in terms of all-time great sports movie villains in the first one when he threatened to burn down happy's grandmother's house and piss on the ashes i was ready to jump through the the screen and fight him.
Thanks, fellas. Shooter, I mean, Shooter's got to be one of the all-time villains, right? I just like, anytime I think of Shooter McGavin, the first thing that comes to my head is, I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast, then Sailor's go, you eat pieces of shit for breakfast? It's great.
He's up there for me because I love golf. It's rare that you get the comedic sports villain, right? I think it's like you think sports villain is Ivan Drago, right? Clubber Lang, stuff like that.
He's shooting McAvins up there for me. He's a Hall of Famer.
What about White Goodman? Yeah, 100%. Right.
100%. White Goodman, Ben Stiller, Dodgeball reminds me of Shooter McGavin.
The comedic aspect of it. Bleed my own blood.
Blood. By the way, Dodgeball, underrated movie, by the way.
Dodgeball, underrated. Never in the top 10 sports movies of all time.
I wouldn't go that far because it's, but underrated, underrated movie in my opinion. I think Stiller's doing a pickleball movie in the same vein, I think, like a slightly comedic pickleball movie, which if you didn't, you should have got a cameo in that.
I should have. Is he a big pickleball guy? I guess, or enough to make the movie, but yeah, so to answer the question for me, he's up there i think ivan drago ivan drago is

probably one of the most iconic drago i i give shout outs to to you might not recognize the name let's see if you could get the name the movie from the name it's a fictional character it's a tough one to get you have to know the movie well clue haywood it's okay if you don't know it I don't know.

Major League, he's like the guy.

Oh. it's okay if you don't know it I'll jump in if you don't I don't know Major League he's like the the guy the slugger on the Yankees with the big chew spitting in slow motion that they have to strike out you said Clue Clue it is Clue Clue? I think it is Heywood the big the big for yeah for Taylor's talking shit to him at home play? Maybe it's Hacked.

I thought it was Clue Haywood.

We'll find out. All right, I'm going to read one.
Brad in Dallas. The one shining moment video that runs at the end of the NCAA tournament.
Something you stick around for or something you don't get all that hype for? um listen i don't get all that hype for?

Listen, I don't get all that hype for just because I can't guarantee

I'm going to be where I'm at

watching the championship

and the end of that.

But I will say this.

I am a sucker for highlights,

for highlight videos,

highlight films.

I think March Madness

is one of the best sporting events

every year by far.

It's right up there. It's like right up there with the Super Bowl.
It's just right up there for me. So I'm all for it.
I just don't necessarily watch it every year. But it's, yeah, I mean, it's just one shiny moment.
The buzzer beaters. It's why we love March Madness and Call of Duty.
It used to be must-see TV for me. And it used to be, you know, with the music.
It just, it's all perfect. I will say, I'll watch it if it times out.
It's no longer must see stick around because I think of social media because by that point, we'll have seen all the amazing moments so many times because I'm on social media with sports all day long when I can be. So I think by the time it rolls around, maybe you could make the which made it and which didn't.
But back in the day, I think the very last one that sticks out was like the Gordon Haywood missed buzzer beater from half quit. I almost went in.
That's like the last. I remember being at goal sports bar in LA.
That's the last one I remember. Like, no, no, we have to wait for no Villanova game winner, Jenkins, Chris Jenkins.
That was the great one too. That one probably is the one I remember.
Before we go, are you glued to the TV this weekend for March Madness? Or are you just kind of turning on? Well, I got to shoot some more to finish up this movie the next two days. So I'll be checking in.
I just will say not as much for the first and second round like I used to be. Are you betting on these games? Yeah, probably.
My big pick that I did for BetMGM was Colorado State. It was like my underdog because they're a 12 seed playing Memphis, right? But now they're the underdog 12 versus 5, but they're actually favored in the game now.
Are they? Yeah, I'm a Joe now. I made the most obvious underdog pick.
That's dangerous. So now I hate the Colorado State pick.
I was going to say, that's dangerous. And I tell you what, though, I don't do 400 brackets anymore like I used to.
Oh, I do. Fantasy, I dialed it way down.
Dude, I'm in this big pool. There's like 1,000 people, and it's, you know, whatever.
You can do unlimited brackets. i'm doing 20 brackets so far but like what's the one you feel just give me so i just go basically i've never won i i go i my i love i think florida would be the odds on favorite i don't know if they are i think they are i love florida i do like duke and i do like auburn so those are obviously three number one seed guy huh you're a one seed guy, huh? You're a one seed guy.
Well, those three. I'm not Houston.
People, I love Houston. I just, every year I'm like, oh, Houston.
Then they always just find a way to lose final four, lead eight. And then I don't, I feel like this year is like kind of chalk.
Like I just think there's like those five or six teams that are really good, can all win. And then there's just like michigan state this year they're really good they always hang around i think maryland maryland could make a little run like they're johnny's johnny's look out for the johnny's it'll be fun a lot of sec a lot this year it's been all about i think what 14 sec schools made are you are you glued while you're like like squashing termite uh or uh fleas are you are glued to the TV? Or again, not as much because you have three kids at the house.
I mean, my weekends just started sports last week. I didn't even – dude, I just coached my – Coach Kaysen in his first football game this past weekend.
I saw. By the way, I'm going to shed a tear.
Your kids are such good athletes already. Compared to the kind of level that my oldest is older than your oldest, you could just see the genetic gene pool of athlete versus non-athlete.
And he's playing. Watch one of your kids' Instagram videos.
He's playing kids a year older than him. Yeah, he's like putting and running and making dudes miss.
He's awesome. I want to talk about it next week because we have a football game this weekend too.
But I'll say this. My oldest, Cole's my oldest, but my oldest, my five-year-old is, I'm telling you what, this kid was born to be a fucking linebacker, dude.
All he wants to do is hit people. He ran like he's skilled.
And by the way, he was hitting bombs this weekend in baseball. Like I was like, and I'm not bragging on him because it takes him a lot of work.
It takes him a lot of work to work. He's not, Josie and I talk, he's a lot like Josie.
Josie's a hard, hard, hard worker, and once she gets it, she becomes elite in that, whether it's law, anything, like not necessarily sports, but just anything that's true can't yeah canon is like a lot like me a little bit like very natural coal very natural canon just natural three-year-old's just raking off the teeth like doesn't even care casein just has to work but he works it pays off because he can he can flip it dude all that being said this dude just wants to tackle and just crush people and run into people. And he loves it, dude.
He gets up and he just fucking laughs. I'm like, well, dude, he's psych.
I don't know where that came from, dude. He's psychotic.
So I think I'm going to have a linebacker with one of my three boys for sure. Please insert the program film room scene where Alvin Mack is looking at his assignments going, hit the quarterback, hit the running back.
And the very end is like, kill everyone everyone that's what i'm picturing my boy my my best friend brandon he coaches me he was telling we kind of laugh about casein because it's like he doesn't necessarily know like like he doesn't understand contain because we're trying to teach this kid hey you need to contain like whatever don't let him out this don't what's contain me but my boy brett is like dude all i all I said was, Kacen, go, go and just run after the guy who has ball. Just go.
Don't do anything. And sure enough, he just charges, dude.
Like he, he just, he's like a, like, it's just. I'm picturing Patrick Willis.
That's who I see. I see Patrick.
Anyway, I'll have more. We can talk about that next week.
It's been, but I'm in now i'm in full coaching multiple sports a weekend for my

five-year-old i was like that with cole 12 years ago i am right back it's cool that you get to do

it again it's fun man it's fun yeah all right well good luck to everybody's brackets hopefully

you don't get busted too easily and we'll be back next week