But where do you think the state of the NBA is today?

I think we're in a good place.

I mean, we've got a lot of great superstars in our game, and we've got a lot of great, not just superstars, they're great people.

too.

The one thing I love about the game is when you look at some of the best players in our game, they don't do it in the air, right? They're not super athletic.

They're not super fast.

Like, you know, when you look at Cade Cunningham, Cade from the shoulders up is probably top two in the league.

How is he getting it? Is it just the mystique of it being UConn that Bobby's getting these guys, these high-powered guys to come? too stork um to play basketball there or is it just nil like everybody else that we're dealing with

Yep.

Uh, he, he's also a New Yorker.

He actually lives in, uh, in Arizona now, but he, he's been amazed at the level of detail and, you know, all the things from, uh, from his stomping grounds that he's picking up.

Um, so just the level of research that has gone into this, uh, you know, we're using, um, geo-referenced maps, uh, as our source material to create the game maps.

Um, so they're far richer and more detailed and more accurate than anything that had done, uh, was in the original.

Um, as far as the engine goes, um, there's a variety of configurable files.

So one of the reasons we wanted to move to this new engine, uh, the Musket and Pike over the EAW engine, is we can conf- uh, configure, um, victory points, uh, movement rates, um, and, and all sorts of different attributes per unit.

I- is, is the engine that flexible and fungible that you didn't have to make massive changes as you're going forward in history?

Are you paying people to watch basketball? What's going on here?

Very special time of the year right now.

What it is, I'm partnering with Red Baron Pizza.

And we are encouraging fans to sign up at redbarons.com slash professional fans.

And you got to mark well to sign up.

And this is something that we're doing and we're We're looking for one special fan and three of their friends.

And what we're doing is we're providing unlimited amount of pizza for you and your friends to watch college basketball.

But it was still pretty cool.

What was it like for you, uh, in that time focusing and, you know, I, I guess envisioning the moment? Uh, is that a, is that an appropriate way of, of looking at it?

Yeah.

Yeah, you know what? When I was a kid, my dad used to always make me sit in the RV and, and meditate and visualize the outcome of, you know, games.

And back in the day, it was a hoop it up game.

Uh, that's where it started.

Or a YBA game.

He'd always just say, you know, "Meditate, visualize the outcome of the game, how you're gonna play, so when you do play, it's almost like you've been there before." So when we got to the national championship, or played against Ohio State, 'cause they had a great team with Michael Redd and Suzie Penn.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So he was like, "Man, you know what? I...

Pshh.

No." So when we got there on that stage, and knowing the history of us going back and forth and always competing against each other, I'm looking at Chauncey now.

I'm like, "Bro, I can't let this dude beat me again.

Hell nah." Like, like...

I...

(laughs)

Yeah.

Jack, I could tell you a funny story, man.

After we won the national championship, and this is before the social media era that, you know, nobody really knew or talked about.

But we just won a national championship, right? So we're going to, uh, so, so we're on campus, and Khalid comes up to me and is like, "Hey Rip, let's go to, to Hartford," right? "To get some gear," because that's where all the hip hop, you know, you get all your hip hop clothes and get fresh.

He was like, "Yo, my man got a store there.

You know, let's go down there and get some clothes." So I'm like, "All right, cool." You know, so we go to the store, get some gear, whatever, whatever, right? So we get back in the car.

Now we on our way back to campus.

[laughs]