Coop,

you can – you know, you can take the kid out the hood, but you can't take the hood out the kid, and I think it's – they needed a game, always had to compete and make sure that, you know, I was one of the, you know, just wanted to play hard.

I never even realized I was in the NBA until my third year in the NBA.

And I'm out, out in California, dating this girl in Oakland.

And I'm reading the newspaper where we played the, we played the Celtics and the, in a six-game series, and I'm out in LA going like, no, out in Oakland, and I'm reading a San Francisco newspaper there, the local paper, and I'm like, why is my name out here in California? You know, I'm sitting there going like, that was unimaginable.

We didn't have social media, so we had to read it in ink.

So when I read that, I'm like, Oh, shit, I'm in the NBA.

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Why was it such a fit for you?

It wasn't i- I, I didn't choo- Did I choose it or did my mother choose it knowing that I was gonna be...

Didn't know.

She just wanted me to get an education and get out of the, get out of my hood up in Hartford, Connecticut, because I think Dee Rowe, back in the day, who was coaching the UConn team, uh, and next thing you know, the UConn Huskies, and I'm sitting there.

He comes to visit us my senior year and tells, you know, players on that team.

Well, he told me I couldn't play for him bec- at that time, I think he had John Thomas, and John Thomas was like, you know, a big force.

But, you know, I'm still young, just learning how to play basketball.

What was it about that team for you guys, for Detroit, that finally got you over the hump?

AP

...

Coop makes me laugh because it's like when we first, when we were doing, uh, the Big3, it was like, "Okay, I gotta ta-" Or when we were doing the WNBA, "Oh, gotta talk to Coop." And it was like, you know me, I'm like, I'm, I'm, I'm kinda like a happy-go-lucky type guy, but I tell you something.

When, when Coop would see me, Lamphere, and myself, and he would go like, "Ugh, I can't stand them guys." But it was, it was fun to me 'cause I, it was like, shoot, that, that's, I left that on the court.

I didn't care about what we were doing after we played.

It was, it's fun because I talked to Coop, and I also talked to some Celtics.

And it's like, you know what? We- we're building blocks of this NBA, and that was fun.

[laughs]

Everybody didn't see this coming, but man, Orlando Magic is giving Detroit Pistons all they want.

Well, you know, Brad, a lot of people don't understand, especially the fans that we all see.

It's like, okay, they're the eighth seed.

Don't ever put a label on some team that was hurt during the year.

And this is what Orlando, you know, I'll go at the beginning.

I always assess What teams will make the playoffs? Last year, you know, I said, OK, we'll make it succeed or something like that.

But when I look at Orlando and came with my predictions this past year and I write them down the day of, I said, Orlando is one of them teams you worry about.

either.

Coop, you

can, you know, you can take the kid out the hood, but you can't take the hood out the kid.

And I think it's a, playing any of the game.

Always had to compete and make sure that, you know what, I was one of the, you know, just wanted to play hard.

I never even realized I was in the NBA until my third year in the NBA.

And I'm out in California dating this girl in Oakland, and I'm reading the newspaper where we played the Celtics in a six-game series.

And I'm out in LA going like, no, out in Oakland, and I'm reading a San Francisco newspaper there, the local paper, and I'm like, why is my name out here in California? You know, I'm sitting there going like, that was unimaginable.

yeah.

B.S. games, just up and down with a half court, a full court.

I'm 66, and check this shit.

I was still playing ball.

And, Brad, you know, once the league started expanding, then all of a sudden it was weak.

So now the more you expand, that's when you got guys, you know.

Shit, I could go back all the way to my first year.

It was only 11.

You ain't even coming out