C.J. Miles on Surviving the NBA at 18, Being an Artist & Mentoring Myles Turner

Breanna Stewart and Myles Turner are joined by 17-year NBA veteran C.J. Miles, the player who helped mentor Myles during his rookie season with the Indiana Pacers. The trio discusses how C.J.'s basketball journey might have looked very different if NIL had existed when he came out of Skyline High School in Dallas in 2005. C.J. opens up about the challenges of entering the NBA as an 18-year-old, the isolation he felt as a teenager in a veteran locker room, and the lessons he learned while finding his place in the league. They also dive into the evolution of C.J.'s career as he became one of the NBA's most respected 3-and-D players. C.J. explains why every player in the league is ultimately a role player, some just earn more trust and responsibility than others. Myles reflects on his own rookie season, including the West Coast road trip that helped spark his breakout after months of hard work behind the scenes. The conversation also explores C.J.'s passion for self-expression, photography, music, and the creative outlets that helped him stay balanced throughout his career. Plus, the show closes with C.J. vs. Myles Trivia as the former teammates test how much they remember about their 2015-16 season together in Indiana. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.