So much pressure

... a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, a lot of anxiousness, but also just trying to, like, figure out what's wrong with my body, you know? So I remember I couldn't even...

Like, I checked in the game for two minutes, had to come out of the game 'cause I couldn't explode off my leg.

And that's when we kinda called the doctor and we're like, "What is going on?" And he had me run through a series of tests.

And he was like, "Oh, you have a herniated disc.

That's why your leg isn't working right." And, you know, I missed my college season due to my first back surgery.

Um, had back surgery, tried to rush back too quick and play in the NCAA tournament.

Mm-hmm

... expectations?

Yeah, I think, you know, um, the reason I have been able to achieve what I have and the reason that I've been able to overcome so many things and persevere is, is partly because of, of that, that pressure and that those expectations that were kinda put on me from a young age.

They did drive me to kind of adopt this perfectionistic, like, personality, and I think that, um, it almost, like...

I almost...

Of course I loved basketball, but I also worked so hard and played so hard because I had a fear of not reaching those expectations.

Um, I've talked to my dad about this, but from a young age he always would tell me, "Mike, you can be the best in the world.

You can be one of the best that ever played," you know? And when your dad is telling you those things, you, you really want to, you know, accomplish, accomplish those things that your dad is telling you every day.

Talk about, talk about that, but in its broader context of life will sometimes disappoint us even if we deserve better and have worked for better, but sometimes we just, it doesn't work out like we think it should.

You

know what? I actually did a podcast with Lana Rhodes and she was just talking about, and it actually was a really good podcast because she was just talking about how hard it is for her now Cause she did it for such a short period of time, but they choose so much stuff that it's all over the internet forever.

And like, she really hates, so she was talking about like the dark sides of the industry and how it was really hard for her and how it's been hard for her coming out of that.

Um, but yeah, like it's, it was even frustrating for me when people, cause people would ask like, why would you sit down and interview or do a podcast with a, with a porn star? And that pissed me off because obviously they didn't listen to it.

The point of the conversation was like, kind of a therapeutic type of thing for her.

And we were talking about how hard it's been for her since then and whatever.

But it's almost like some people just put that label on y'all and then it's hard to escape.

want to split the rent.

Let's

go.

You still in the conspiracy rabbit hole a little bit? I feel like nowadays it's not even conspiracy anymore.

A lot of the stuff is just out in the open.

I agree.

Like, people used to think that...

You know, all the stuff that came out with the Epstein files was conspiracy with these people doing what they do or the, you know, the secret societies and this and that.

Well,

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A window's been broken at your home.

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... done it in the past.

So I probably can't answer your question.

Even if I can't understand it, when did that happen for you?

Yeah, I did always grow up religious.

That was kind of instilled on us.

I'm so thankful that that was the foundation of our life.

My parents prayed over us.

It was the foundation of our family.

It was always like a thought in my mind that like I always, they would always recite that verse, you know, that God, those who he started a good work and he's going to finish or all things work together for those who love God.

My parents look

But sometimes we just, it doesn't work out like we think it should.

Yeah, that was kind of one of those things that was a goal of mine.

You know, it was a goal of mine going into the season and it didn't end up happening.

But you know what I've noticed is like we as humans have such a... like a craving for the next thing.

We'll accomplish something and then immediately it doesn't satisfy two, three days later.

I remember my goal all growing up was to make it to the NBA.

You know, I made that goal.

I can,

'Cause money can't buy you happiness

... yeah, yeah.

People that...

So like, and I saw that at a young age.

I saw, like, people that I knew that had a lot of money that were miserable.

So I always knew there was something more to life than making money, right? So I always li- was like get- trying to get deeper, trying to, like, seek the truth, what, what is the meaning of life, like what is purpose and all that, and that's why, like, money really doesn't mean that much to me.

'Cause I, I like to enjoy money and it can offer you some, you know, stability or whatever, and you can do fun things with it, but at the end of the day, like, why would I wanna keep getting richer and richer and richer and then die at 70 and I'm richer at 70 than I am now? Like, that makes no sense.

Mm

But when you're sort of like already facing athletic mortality that young, like how do you sort of like switch that to, you know, not just trying to play again, but compete at a high level, compete at a championship level?

Yeah, man.

I mean, it changed me as a person.

I used to be able to walk on the court and just have fun and be free and know I'm going to dominate and just lose myself in the competition and just be the best and know I'm the best.

And then after the injuries, it was like, man, I'm having to think about things on the court that I don't want to think about.

I'm having to take care of my body way more than everybody else.

And definitely to this day lost some of the pure funness and like the joy of basketball, you know? Because before it was just like, man, roll the ball out.

And then now in his case, you forget about the body of work