Can you talk about what the We Believe Warriors was and what that did for you in your career, specifically, and the guys you had in the locker room?

Yeah, Oracle Arena was different, man.

It got so loud in there from the support and the fans in the Bay, man.

You know, they support out there, man.

The love is different out there.

And going into that series, Don Nelson had just came from Dallas Mavericks.

And at the time, him and Mark Cuban was beefing.

heard

Yeah.

Yeah.So Don Nelson calls me and BD like, "Meet me, uh, at this little, at this spot, this bar." Right? Little hole in the wall spot.

Me and...

He, he send a car to me to get me and BD from practice.

Take...

We go, we get there, we get out.

It's a little small little bar, him and his homeboy sitting in there, and, uh, he was like, "Yeah, man, well, I brought y'all here to play some shuffleboard." Fucking shuffleboard.

Mm.

But they know this much about what you're about if this is all they're using.

They don't...

They're- that's not even 10%.

The- the- the- the loyal part of me, yeah, you see that on me, you see, uh, that I'm a solid guy, but I'm so much more than that.

And you know what, Dan? I don't care if people that don't matter to me look at it a different way.

I don't.

But- because I don't come in contact with you.

Refund.

(laughs)

Nothing like that, bro.

Has no...

I'm talking about has not one ghetto side.

He is a respectful dude.

He about his money and he's a solid person.

Everybody he come around, he's smiling and speaking to them.

(laughs)

Yeah.

... to make sure the other person, you know, was, was taken care of or was right.

So I don't feel bad about any situation I've been in, because I've always left that person better leaving me than when they, when they came with me.

So, um, just experience and me being accountable.

I held myself accountable for everything.

Mm-hmm.

I, I started something during the George Floyd time, uh, something that says, "Love for all who have love for all." And I always put every hand, every color emoji.

But at the same time, you wanna let your, especially a Black, a Black young man, you wanna let him know who he is, but also let him know that you don't need to demean the next race to make yourself look better.

Mm-hmm.

And, uh, th- second, third year I played in 2003.

So I had a le- I had a little time to grow in that San Antonio Spurs system for two years.

I was learning how to be a professional.

Mm-hmm.

I was around Steve Smith.

I was going to church with David Robinson.

So I was starting, I was starting to grow up a little bit.

How would you describe OKC's approach?

Um, the only reason I have a cha- a championship right now, Dan, is because we had the number one defense in the league.

A defense win championships.

Uh, I think the teams, people don't, people underrate defense.

Defense says a lot of things.

When you have the number one defense, when you have the, uh, number one defense in the league and also the best team in the league, that says that your whole team is playing balls out.

Your whole team is competing to the ultimate level.

Yeah, college, international play.

How would you describe OKC's approach?

Um, the only reason I have a cha- a championship right now, Dad, is because we had the number one defense in the league.

A defense win championships.

Uh, I think the teams, people don't, people underrate defense.

Defense says a lot of things.

When you have the number one defense, when you have the, uh, number one defense in the league and also the best team in the league, that says that your whole team is playing balls out.

Your whole team is competing to the ultimate level.

College, international play.