Former NBA Players Explain Why It's Hard To Retire From The League

That's why I be important for like vets in the league, man. Come on, man. Preach, man. I had Marcus Canby and I had a couple other ones, but like nobody was telling me like I was doing that. You know what I'm saying? Like I just was doing it. I used to say that. I used to say that when I was, obviously, it's easier when you're 37, you're still playing and you're doing it. But like, I think the league misunderstood like how important real vets are. For real. But now you got, it's a fine line. So when they throw this back at you, you got to be able to, you know, combat them. But like, because some of these vets aren't real vets. Some of these vets are hating ass. A lot of them. So, and I tell all my kids, obviously, on this agency side, like, hey, be careful who you surround yourself with. They're going to act like they're going to bring you in some deep waters. They can swim. They've been doing it. They know what time it is. 100%. They know exactly what's about to happen. But the real vets, man, are the biggest thing these teams are missing. The biggest thing. And I used to tell these, man, if you're trying to tell me an 18, 19-year-old kid is your 12th, 13th, 14th, he's not playing anyways. Get someone in here that's going to show up and practice every day. Show these guys how to work. Talk to him as a real dude. Like, yo, you're f***ed up. Right. But the problem is, is like, there's other vets out there, and y'all know who y'all are. F*** it up for everybody else. Exactly. It don't make sense. It don't make no sense. Hell no. You get the real ones in there, though, and I'm telling you, they're more important. UD, to me, at the end of the day, was more important on that team than the seventh man on that roster. For sure. Easily. But why not? Because now we're starting to see the success. We're starting to see what JJ was able to do. We're starting to see how Indiana, all the success they had, everybody, they kept talking about what James Johnson did to their team. So you're starting to see. It was the same thing in Dallas. But I was with you. I remember that. Exactly. Same thing in Dallas. I was with you, so I was able to learn how to do it. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, when you, some of these guys still in position to be able to play. Right? And even when you're 35, you know, we feel like we better when we got older. We're a lot better. Like, because we know the game. We don't have to do as much. Because I'm going to get there, and I don't have to. You know how we go. So, some guys can't put that to the side. Right? Like, I can't put, like, my pride to the side. So, I'm not going to, like, empower these young to get better. Same, we was talking about that Hayden. Like, that happens. So, now, they looking at that, like, you ain't doing ---- anyway. Like, we'd rather take a young player that the minimum is 2.1 or 2.2 than pay a bet that's 3. Yeah. Why would we do that anyway? Yeah, you ain't going to lose. And have all the youngers on the bench, not cheering. Not even knowing what camaraderie is. Not even, like, understanding. They can't pass the message. How about that? Stop acting like a bitch. Good. Can't pass the message. But motherfuckers not grown men no more. You ain't a, you not around a bunch of hungry motherfuckers no more. If the coach has got to be holding the fuckers accountable, then you got a problem. You're done. It's over. That should never get to the coach's locker room. That should never get to that last seat. Even with the NBPA, right? For us to have fucked up that CBA as bad as we did, right, it should be, and I talked to Iggy about this, it should be a designated seat for a veteran player on every team. We talked about that. We talked about that two years ago. That shouldn't go against the salary cap. That shouldn't go against nothing. That should be able to happen because we helping the **** leave. We talked about that two years ago. Yeah, that's like if you were in a hospital bed. The same thing. You've been working for 15 years anywhere else in the world. That's really good. Anywhere else in the world. You've been working for 15 plus years. Why the **** wouldn't you want to keep them around? You know where that idea came from? Raleigh told me that. Coach Raleigh told me that. And I brought that to Iggy a couple years ago. That's a real thing. Coach Raleigh said that, bro, because he was talking about my situation. He's like, yo, there should be a spot on every NBA team for a guy like you. That don't count against the salary cap. We had those issues, though, with a lot of those bets. And we'll touch on it. A lot of those bets, though, because what you said. Yeah, at 35, we'll go in there. We still bust the ass in practice. Separating that, though, and why you're not playing, they don't appreciate the fact. At the end of the day, man, and that's why we talk about it, play as long as you can in this league because there is nothing better than it, one. And two, you ain't going to ever have a life like that ever again. And that competition, you can't duplicate it ever in life. But the problem is, yeah, you show up on Thursday in practice and you're busting that dude's ass. You're like, damn, why didn't I play? For us, as real bets, you understand it. It's called self-awareness. This team ain't ready for me right now. This team's trying to do this. We're not here yet. If we were here on championship contenders, yes, that's where the bets become huge. A lot of people fall out of the league because of that. But you know, when we came in early in our career, it was like the older players like, when we ready to stop, that's when y'all going to play. That's right. Y'all ain't playing until we ready to stop. It ain't just like if we busting y'all ass, you're the best players going to play. But the older players is like, we better than y'all. Young fella, I got about two more years left. You know what I mean? Let me get my 15 minutes of game. No matter how it go. Nowadays, it's like it don't matter how good you actually are still. It don't matter. No, I don't. Once you get to a certain age. It don't even matter how good you are. You kind of get pushed to the side. Here's the biggest issue though. The championship teams are the smart ones to bring the bets on. The bad teams are the ones that need the bets the most. Because you're in the lottery every year. Every year, right. And you're letting these talented – because if you're getting a lottery pick, yes, there's some misses. But most of the thing is just they're walking into a situation of structure that there's not grooming on. Right. And so that's where the bet needs in the most. Like, yo, are you coming to 930 tomorrow? I'll never forget. When I was in Denver my last couple years, I ain't going to mention the kid's name, but the ownership came to me and said, hey, man, we need to work on this kid's jumper. Just work. I said, all right, cool. Hit him up. I'll be there tomorrow at 9 o'clock. Shows up at 915. I'm cool with that though. I'm like, all right, cool. Listen, young fella. I'm 38. I don't really need this. I'll be here tomorrow at 9. Shows up at 930. I said to him last time, I said, yo, young fella, listen to me, man. Just so you know, I got one more game. I'll be here tomorrow at 9. One more game. Shows up at 945. He got later and later every time? I hit up the boss man. I said, hey, this ain't it. And this was the lottery pick, man. And I'm moving out the league. I didn't know who you talking about. There's a lot of that. There's a lot of that going on. But that's why in the league, they got to separate, you know what I'm saying, and understand who's good for who. You know what I mean? They so concerned about this little bit of money. But they only concerned about it with the minimum bills. Only thing that happened in the CBA is the riches, Richard Scott, and the mid-term pushed them all down. And now everybody looking for a spot is like, what sense is that, man? What they don't understand up top is in every single locker room, it's one you can't get rid of. You can't get rid of. In every single locker room. Most of the time, it's one of us. Most of the time, it ain't going to be your superstar. Yeah, you can't get rid of him because of what he do on the basketball court. But most likely, he's not the guy that's going to keep you together. That ain't the guy that's going to hold you accountable. And the superstars understand that, though. That's the part. They know they need you. You upstairs need to start identifying that one that keeps your locker room together. There's just one guy in every locker room. And all the players know it. And all the coaches know it. It's just you don't know it. It's a real thing. It's one guy in every locker room that everybody in that locker room know you can't lose. And you up there continue to lose that person. You're right. I walked away. I landed my own place. It ain't me. But I see it all the time. You don't understand the power of brotherhood. It's one in every locker room you cannot lose. And you keep thinking it's your best player. It's your best player. It ain't him. The best players is not the leaders. Yeah, I don't get it. I don't think that. I don't understand. I don't get it. These guys like us. So they can tell us when they're upset and they're not feeling something, who do you think they're telling? Telling, right. They're telling us. And now I got to tell them. You're talking to himself. He's off the ledge. No, he's that bad. I'm like, no, no, no. Chill, chill, chill. I got them little. And we also can tell them when they don't. You just worry about basketball. I got them. We also can tell them when they don't. Right, right. It's different coming from me or you than coming from a coach. Exactly. And nowadays, the coaches can't even. They can't even connect with the younger players. They disconnect. The players are getting younger and the coaches are getting older. They're getting older. It's such a disconnect now. He's flipping them out so much. Every team is young. Every team is like, even on the front bench, there's new guys there every year. I'm watching the Sixers. I was just with the Sixers. Bro, they switched the whole team out. Yeah. I'm like, I know I keep saying this. I'm like, but y'all trying to win a championship? Nope. There's no way. How can a first-year team where you got, you go to do from LA, Toronto, and they just going to mess. And you're going to try to win a championship? Hell no. Man, y'all got to learn how to keep basketball. Basketball, it's so much more politics. The money got to match now. It's so much money. What are we trying to match up to? You feel what I'm saying? You're bringing the quality of the game down. That's what's really happening. The quality of the game is not there. Motherfucker's not watching. On the flip side of it, though, these dudes keep getting better and better, too. If they just would organize and structure it right. You got your core superstar young guys that's taking off. These kids are getting bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic. The talent is unmatched. It's unbelievable. And by the way, we can say that finals, those dudes were competing, bro. They were dogging. The talent is unmatched. The talent, the young fellas like watching them. It's not even close. I'm all for it. They got the ball. There's no question. But you still need a hundred guys around. You need guys like us that care enough to want them to be their best version. Exactly. I want you to be your best version. I don't want to sit at home and watch this. What I miss in the league right now is what you said. Designated. You got a designated spot. I wish I had a year or two with Joe LMB. You keep talking about feeling. I wish I just had a year or two. I was there. I love to be with the Heat. Trust me, I'm a Heat great, and that's my home. But just on the other side, watching LMB and seeing what he could be, I just wish I had a year or two. I don't know if I could have helped, but God damn it. Yeah, you would have helped. It would have been some ass kicking. I was there. I was there with him. One thing we ain't going to do is you're going to have to kill me. I'm going to kill you in this, bitch. Something don't change. I think because they drafted him, what it is, they drafted him and allowed him to grow so much that he got so much control. So now, like, certain ---- that he's doing, I'm not going to squeeze in a lot for him, but like certain ---- that he be doing, you don't see in the league. I just wish I could. I see everybody that know basketball know what that could be. I came in the league, like, I came to Philly, and he did some ----. I was like, I never seen that. Like, I done been on a team where all type of niggas. And it wasn't like some crazy ----, but in my mind, as the guy, it was crazy, because just how people could be looking at it. And it's just us being OGs, seeing how talented he is. Nah, he's great, bro. Nah, nah, he's great. I just want to see the best version of Joel Embiid. I want to see that in shape, healthy, best version of Joel Embiid. If he was in shape, he might, like, right there, why can't he be the most talented bitch? I tell people that all the time, man. Listen, I'm not knocking Joker what Joker's able to do, dog, but if that man, Joel Embiid, was in shape and healthy and took care of his body, I'm taking Joel Embiid, dog. I love Joker. I understand what you're saying, killer, but if this man was in shape and took care of his body, it wouldn't be a conversation, in my opinion. I know, but we say if on a... If it wasn't Phil, we'd all be drunk. That's the truth, man. If it wasn't Phil, we'd all be drunk. But nah, that little time I was with Philly, dog, I'm not going to lie. He was having... I remember I was telling my homie, I'm like, just watch the game, no doubt Joel's going to have 20 and 15 by halftime. Yeah, literally. And he going to limp down the court and give it to you. I'm telling you, I was afraid, though. I'd never even seen nobody be fearful of a player. He coming in, I'm like, big ************. They didn't want no record. Unstoppable. He really is, but it's more frustrating than anything, in my opinion. That's what I'm saying. Guys like us wish that we could have impact on that because we know what that could look like. Guys like him, though, that make the game look so simple, it's frustrating as... Right? Same thing. Joker does the same thing. Because it's hard to help him understand after he had 20 and 15 in the first half that you didn't play good. It's hard because he's going to look at the stats and be like, I did. I had to deal with that with Hasan Whiteside. I had to have a triple-double with blocks. And it's hard for me to explain to Whitey, you didn't do what we needed you to do. Look at the numbers. It's not about the numbers. How many times did you roll to the basket? Empty stats. That kind of stuff. You know what I'm saying? So it's not a knock on them, but it's hard to get them to understand when they look at the stats and they don't feel it. NB's an impossible cover. Absolute impossible cover. Bro, and he do. That's why it's more impossible. I remember he came there one time, he didn't even shoot in layups. Like, he not even warming up for the game. He jab-stepping. He like, I got who in the middle? I'm like, yeah, he. He don't need no warm-up. 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