The Last 48 Hours (and Draymond Green)

I've been drinking Aperol spritzes, watching my daughter's volleyball tournament in Hermosa Beach. By the way, beautiful part of California. Hermosa, Manhattan Beach, fantastic. That ain't bad. I just did a huge contract for a client, Kenny Clark of the Packers.

I just flew to New York. We love Kenny. We love Kenny. Good kid. I just flew to New York for about a four-hour meeting.

Of course, JetBlue meant lay down airlines, which is great. So I had a few cocktails in that as well. And I just got back, Marshawn. And you've been doing some Amazon football stuff, right, Marshawn?

Everything. This is normal, typical.

And then, because it makes it a little bit more spicy, because I'm sitting down with possibly the motherfucker that could really go and do it, though.

I'm like, what the hell are they talking about? So I put it down to two. I'm walking. I think it was four, actually. And I'm walking.

And I'm like, whoa. And that was the last thing I was expecting on a quiet Sunday. And then, I mean, lights out on the cell phone and all the emails and everything else.

So we locked in like this. And I'm like, hell. yeah. I thought we was going to get in the mix.

And now voicemail is full. And I get all these text messages from the White House. And the President is trying to get in touch with me. But I didn't even see them. So you didn't get this call?

No. So President calls. The Vice President calls. I'm still in the damn gym. And I haven't even, I mean, literally didn't even know that they called.

Because the rest of my phone was lighting up. And I was just focusing on putting out a statement on behalf of the President. Marshawn, I'll tell you what's going on. People are all in now for Kamala Harris. All in.

I've never seen anything like it. Let me tell you. Just a few years ago, your hometown girl from Oakland, on Martin Luther King Day, she had a rally that was unbelievable. Almost 15,000, 20,000 people on Martin Luther King Day announcing her campaign for President. And she raised, I remember it was like a record-breaking day for a presidential candidate.

I mean, it wasn't record-breaking, but it was impressive. She raised $1.5 million in 24 hours. In the first 24 hours after the President resigned and supported Kamala, she raised $81 million, just in 24 hours. Everybody lined up from myself, other governors. We had former presidents like Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, endorsing her candidacy.

Now she has the delegates. she needs to lock this in, including California, on Sunday night. The delegation came out formally to support her. And then, just yesterday, she had this unbelievable rally in Wisconsin. And it was just next-level energy.

She's raised significantly more money than $81 million in the first 24 hours. I've never seen it. The script is flipped just like that. 48 hours.

Or one day I might want me something exotic. Then I might want something with a little bit of, you. feel me, little kitchen in the back.

Or you got Kamala Harris. that's just lining it up right now. By the way, I will say this. I pity Donald Trump right now. He was not prepared for this to happen.

He's flat-footed. I know you don't want to get in politics. You know, I don't. I know.

Many men wish death upon. I said, look, I don't do the politics and all of that. But that was some. Look, I don't know. I'm with you.

I'm on the outside. You feel me? I don't know what I'm talking about. I'll just be chilling and shit. But that was a pretty.

Nothing. Gavin, edify me real quick. Yes, sir. So I've been on a plane. I've been watching CNN and MSNBC.

First of all, this J.

D. Vance guy, this guy's dangerous, man. This guy's a bad dude. Doug, I mean this. I think if you're Donald Trump, you're stewing right now, because you know you made a big mistake.

He doubled down on stupid. Especially with Kamala now in there. They weren't prepared. He's flat-footed. He doesn't even sound like himself.

These guys, I mean, this whole. You talk about a script. In this case, it is flipped. All of a sudden, Donald Trump is on the defense. Just like that.

Marshawn, the whole point is, after assassination attempt, nothing about that right. And it was universally condemned. And the Democratic Party, not just the Republican Party, there was nothing about that was right. And I reached out to his family. There was nothing about that.

But I'll tell you what. It shows, what. In politics, man, anything can happen. It happens fast. And so now this thing is a sprint.

You got the convention coming up in a few weeks. But I got to tell you, it's a lightning bolt for the Democratic Party. It was filled with so much anxiety and doubt about will he, or will he not continue to stay in the race. Again, with grace, I hope we have a chance to focus more on Joe Biden. But it's changed.

You know what I mean? I politic like we doing right now.

Got a lot of respect for you. I fuck with you, my boy. But this, you feel me, this is a president, you feel me, running for president. How the fuck you let something like that even, you feel me, how you even let something like that transpire, though?

to your question of how the hell can you let this happen? You can't. There's no margin for error. There's no excuse for that. And now, look, all of us, I mean, it's radically changed the way people think about everything right now.

And it's sobered everybody up. And, you know, look, again, but it also just proves everything just flipped. You had the RNC last week. You had sort of what up until Trump's speech.

That ain't right.

We're fired up. We're beyond her. We're. we got to get that dude out of there. We got to get Vance out of there.

Not a big fan. So let's get this thing rolling. We got great things in front of us next four months. Let's rock and roll, Marshawn. Tag and drag, baby.

Tag and drag. By the way, we also have something in front of us today. And that that's Draymond Green, man. Our first official interview on this podcast, Draymond. And that was a hell of an interview.

People are going to enjoy this one. Yes, we do. A hell of an interview. Yes. Draymond Green.

Draymond Green is one of the best. Him and Marshawn. I go way back along with myself. And he's. it's a great, great interview.

People got to listen. It's informative. It's powerful. You know why it's powerful and informative? You listen.

You've never heard Marshawn Lynch and Draymond Green. be this damn honest. This is next level. This was, I'm telling you, this is a powerful, powerful and important interview. Hey, Gavin, here's a true story.

Marshawn might remember this. One of the most powerful moments. Marshawn got to me was actually, ironically, in Draymond's hometown of Saginaw at three in the morning, outside of a white castle during one of a camp out there in 2008.. And Marshawn got at me and said, hey, we need to talk. It was three in the morning.

I'm like tired, want to go back to my hotel. And we had to talk until 545 a.m. literally. And remember that, Marshawn?

We want to welcome the four-time NBA champ. Oh, I thought it was five. It was almost five. I wish it was five. We'll get to that story a little later on, Marshawn.

But four-time NBA champ, two-time gold medalist, one of the baddest NBA players of all time. Great father, great husband, great person. This is the first time I've ever met him. Draymond Green, welcome to Politiki. And also Draymond Green with the Draymond Green show, which is one of the best podcasts in the country.

Legit. Thank you for joining us, Draymond. We appreciate it.

So thank you. I really appreciate it.

And it had to be one of the biggest failures, one of the worst things I've ever done in my life. And when I did it, I don't know, I probably did maybe five or six episodes. And in my mind, I'm like, I need to go in there. I need to say something. So everybody get upset and break the Internet.

And, like, I was just on there going for hot takes. It was pathetic. And so I stopped. And, however, I knew that it was something that I would want to get back into, because what I did enjoy about the podcast space is, like, sometimes I think I have some great answers, but they can get a little long-winded. And in an interview, that's very hard to do.

So I'm like, I can get on a podcast and rip. So I was like, all right, when I get it back into it, it's got to be great. And I've had my one shot at it. that's been a failure. If I mess it up this time, like, I can't get back in.

So I just wanted to get back into it, so I can kind of give more long-winded answers and kind of carry a conversation throughout, as opposed to kind of these choppy things that we get when we're doing interviews.

which, for us, is the beginning of what was our last championship season. And everybody's like, hey, man, you can't podcast. How dare you podcast and play the game? You should be in the gym. And I just look at it like, well, I've been in the gym.

So what should I do with these 21 other hours of the day that I'm not in the gym? Is it maybe okay for me to podcast a little bit there? And so that was kind of the talk. And before you know it, sports media, television, they're like, oh, he's podcasting, he's focused on this, the fans, he's podcasting, he's focused on this. And then the podcast started to become a focal point of conversation.

And so it was motivating for me. Like, you know what? I got to play great, because they're going to try to use this thing. We ended up winning the championship. So what I'll tell you, Gavin, is this.

You get ready, my friend, because they're going to come at you. They're going to say you're not running the state. You're not doing your job. We need a new governor. How is he sitting here doing the podcast?

We're hearing these people talk. all the things that they're going to have to say that are baseless claims, but it's coming. So get ready.

people like, yo, like you, should be doing this, you should be doing that. And so then you click on like their Instagram profile, and it's like no disrespect to the common folk, but like, if you can do something else with your hour in the day, why can't I do something else with my hour in the day?

You know what I'm saying? So it's like what is going on with our country?

You know that.

And what struck me about Dre Mon early back then was him and Marshawn are the same people. They don't give a shit. They do their own thing. They don't listen to people in terms of conforming. And you've always done that, Dre Mon.

I appreciate how you've lived your life, because you and Marshawn, as you know, are very similar, and you guys are like family. And you've done it the same way. And you're both going to go in the Hall of Fame as two of the best icons of all time. And everybody, athletes around the world, marvel at you and Marshawn because they all want to do what you guys do, but they can't do it. And so I appreciate what you've done in your career and how you've done it, because it's real, and it's raw, and it's really impressive.

Like, Marshawn, the thing that they don't say is, Marshawn went to Cal Berkeley. Like, no, no, like, no, no.

You should have told her to get in here and give me one of them, what's it called? Air hugs or some of that.

On the media. shit, but no, realistically, though, bro, I think what it is is really fucking simple. We just comfortable in our skin. I mean, a lot of people, you feel me? I feel that they lack that, or they just, they not accepting to, you only get one of you.

And, I mean, you know, you just got to maximize that motherfucker. And I think, you feel me, in your situation, I think that's exactly what you're doing. You're not living your life for nobody else, because once that motherfucking casket dropped, you feel me, though, that's it. Absolutely. And to live your life for the acceptance of somebody who probably wouldn't give a fuck about you, it kind of just don't make no sense to me.

And then what I heard was common sense ain't coming. But from my understanding, it's like, why would I live to get you to accept me, bro, or get you to accept me? Because at the end of the day, when that motherfucker, like I said, when that motherfucker drop, it's cookies. So I'm going to enjoy this motherfucker while I'm living. And you know what?

I love to be me. I love that shit. Yes, you do.

When I look at it and I'm like, damn, look at my son, don't give a fuck about what nobody got to say about him. He living his life the way that he want to. You know what I mean? For any young athlete, you know what I mean, coming up in the game, you feel me? Fuck athlete.

For any young person coming up, just to be comfortable and accept who you are,

there's no feeling more satisfying than looking in the mirror. and, just like, damn, bro, I love you. When I look in the mirror and I love you, that's a great-ass feeling. I love it. You know what I mean?

I don't need no acceptance from no other person to make me feel loved. Now, if you love me and you give me love, now, that's extra and that's off the script. But you know that love from yourself, that shit is so genuine. You know what I mean? And I see that you got that.

And that shit is, you know what I mean, it's a proud thing. And then, like you said, you know what I mean, to upstanding young women, our mothers, like. I just know for a fact, you know what I mean, raising boys in America, you feel me, like that shit is so important and instill in us. And I believe, you know, like you said, they did a great-ass job doing that. You feel me?

Man, you got to tell mom to come over here and show her face, man. Take this hat off.

What would you have done differently or thought differently in terms of whether it be family, friends, businesses, whatever it may be, if you could draft it again tomorrow?

I was going through a growth spurt, a seven-inch growth spurt over the course of like three and a half months. But I had no idea. So, after football season, my knees were hurting so bad I could barely run up or down the court for basketball. And in my mind, I'm like, oh, my God, they were chopping me down so bad. They're killing my knees.

for basketball. I got to stop. I went from 5'11 to this height that I am today in between September. But you figure, no. November of my – well, basketball season started in December.

So you figure November of 2004,. by March 2005,, I was this height from 5'11.. And so I was having crazy knee issues and I stopped. Nonetheless, I got a lot of respect for football players. And, as tough as I think I am, I don't know if I'm that tough.

He play like how they used to play. We out there, mobbing on shit, you feel me? Bruh ain't taking no – Bruh, slide on your ass on the hoop court, for sure. You feel me? Straight up.

Don't come in here with none of that weak-ass shit, bruh. You feel me? Because it ain't that type of time over here, bruh. If you're going to come in here, you got to come in here the right way, bruh. And don't be hella soft, because I'm going to tune your ass up quick.

You feel me? But the thing is, what I like about it is the way that you play the game, bruh, I see you putting that to how you live your life. You feel what I'm saying? You go hard with the family, you feel me, though? You go hard with that shit and your business ventures.

Realistically, you the same that you is on the court, that you is, you feel me, though, in your everyday walk in life. Absolutely. That shit show, bruh. That shit show. I appreciate it.

I ain't going to be proud, though. You feel me? We ain't too far off in age. You know, Doug was always strolling down memory lane. You know what I'm talking about?

Memory of you and Sag. No, you was a youngster. Lamar was like, yeah, this is Marshawn Lane. And you feel me? Lamar, my dog, you feel me, though?

But, you know what I mean? As soon as we done clicked, oh, we was on. We was rocking. Like, yeah, this is bruh. And then, when you get drafted to the, I mean, you come to the Warriors, you feel me, like, oh, yeah, man.

Oh, am I looking? Oh, man, come on. You feel me? And then, you feel me, like, you know, some real shit, though. You feel me, though?

A lot of people get into a position where, you know, they go to the league, and then, you know, they might forget their roots or whatever. You was popping out to the hood. You feel what I'm saying, though? You pull up in the ice on me. We was talking about when I had came back to the writers.

Nigga, we did the little barbecue. Oh, that was crazy. You feel me, though? And I remember my little cousin just sitting there, stuck, like, that's Draymond Green. Like, yeah, go, say what's up.

Little cousin. He showed me that picture every time I pull up on him. But I'm like, you feel what I'm saying, though? Like, you pop out to the hood. Like, man, what's happening?

I'm not saying it like I'm glorifying it or whatever, but, I mean, you know, just, to me, it was like, you come back to where you feel comfortable at.

If you would have asked me, like, any team, where I was going to get drafted, the last place, the absolute last place, I would have told you was, I don't think I'm going to get drafted anywhere in the state of California. Like, the state of California, to me, sounded just so far away from home, like, so far out of reach. And I'm like, I don't think I would get drafted to the state of California. Now, not only do I get drafted to the state of California, but you start talking about, like, destiny and, like, how your life shape up. But I get drafted to the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California.

I get to Oakland, I feel like I'm in Saginaw.

Like, it's cool being me. Oakland understood me. You know what I'm saying? Like, the city of Oakland, understand me. Like, it's great.

And when I look at how it all played out, like, for me to be drafted to that place, like, I couldn't have asked for a better situation. Obviously, the way basketball played out, we all know. But for me to be drafted to that particular place at that time in my life, it set me up for success, because it set me up to be exactly who I've been, exactly who I am. And no matter what, nobody could change that. And to do it in a place like that, it just gave me more comfort.

But you commented about when you tried that first podcast, and you were trying to be something you're not. You know, we're just societally dealing with so much stress and anxiety. People put a mask on, and their face grows into it, meaning they become how people think they should behave. It's so resonant what Marshawn was just saying about being your authentic self and just bringing that every day and loving on yourself, but not in a way that's braggadocious, not in a way that's narcissistic, but just bringing truly yourself in everything you do. Does that resonate with you, what Marshawn just said?

Be a leader. Be a leader. Why are you being a follower? Be a leader. Be a leader.

Be a leader. That's all I ever heard. And when she would say it, she'd be like, God, Lee, stop telling me the same thing over and over. What does that have to do with anything? But what she was teaching me was that very thing of being comfortable.

Like, Lee, be comfortable with who you are. Someone will follow you if you just lead. You don't have to follow those dumb things, because that's not who you are. Like, I know the kid that I'm raising. Like, that's not who you are.

And hearing that on a daily, every single day, like, I, had no choice but to be who I am, because the moment that I wasn't, it's like, no, that's not you. Like, I know who you are. That isn't you. Right? And growing, and as I continued to grow and understand, to understand what she was saying, then it all started to come together for me.

But then you go through so many trials and different things for being who you are, because someone wants you to conform. Someone wants you to be this. And I would just say, like, I just feel like I'm much better at being me than I'd be at trying to be someone else. Like, I think I do a much better job of being exactly who I am than I could ever do being someone.

I'm damn near pushing 40, that, you feel me? I still got that fear of my mama. when she, you feel me, don't get that tone in her voice. Like, I don't give a fuck how old you is. You hear that tone in mama's voice, you know it's like, oh, yeah, okay.

I better straighten my shit up. You feel me, though? Mom's, had that, you feel me, though? They pump that fear in you, that make your ass straighten up.

There's nothing that can change that. Like, no matter what it is that she say to me, like, still to this very day. Like, I still live my life. She actually just walked in here. I still live my life based on, like, what I think she's going to say if I do this.

Like, there she is.

That's Gavin. That's Doug. Hi, Gavin. How you doing, mama?

You know what I mean? You know, got kids over there. Got kids over here. And I'm trying to bring them all together. I'm trying to grow into that father figure that, you know, I should have been, you know, back then.

But, you know, it's all coming together now.

And you end up with Bob Myers, our great friend, and your former GM and family, at the suite at the Coliseum. So, what I want to know is, how did Marshawn get there? And if that whole game was filmed and audiotaped, how great an epic moment would that tape be for the playback 20, 30 years from now, in terms of what you guys were talking about?

Because that footage was absolutely insane. So, I get kicked out. I get kicked out of the game. Well, I don't get kicked out of the game. Quite frankly, I don't get kicked out because I didn't make contact.

So, you couldn't kick me out.

So, I'm like, I need to be close by. The A's were having a game. Bob was like, listen, you can watch the game at the A stadium in the suite. I'm like, oh, that's great. I had an all-black.

I had my route that I was taking through the arena down. I was going to walk right past the Cavs while they was crying in my all-black. And it never happened. So, fast forward. Bob sits in the suite with me.

And Marshawn comes and sits in the suite the entire time. He called me. And he's like, yo, where are you watching the game at? I'm like, I'm watching the games at the A's, at the stadium next door. At the A's baseball game.

He came and watched it with me. And again, if we could have had a tape rolling, a camera rolling, during that time. I mean, what an amazing time.

Footage that could have been captured. Obviously, I wish we would have won. But, man, I look back on those times now. And you remember those people. I remember them being there with me.

I can tell you everybody who was sitting in that suite. Because it was such a – we had these turning points in life. These moments where you can turn to it. That moment did this. That was one of those huge moments for me.

That footage would have been some of the most iconic stuff of all time.

It's a little challenging. Two real ones like that as MVPs of these leagues. That's a little challenging.

these aren't machines making these decisions. So it's not – no decision ever made in NBA history, in NFL history, is black and white. Because you can't go to a rule book and say if Draymond gets into a fight, he's suspended for X amount of games. There is no rule. There is no number.

That number is then decided by human beings. And so I don't think it's rigged. And just doing this for the last 12 years, I know how these outcomes work. I don't think any of it's rigged. But I do think, as human beings, you're going to be swayed one way or the other.

By whatever you're swayed by. Someone called me right now and said, yo,

Draymond should be suspended because of la-da-da. And then someone else called me and said, Draymond should be suspended, la-da-da. I don't know their reasoning for why they think Draymond should be suspended. But what I do know is that I hear them constantly in my ear telling me that Draymond should be suspended. So I could be swayed by that.

So it's not necessarily that I'm swayed by, yo, Draymond, if they win this game, Draymond wins the finals MVP. I don't necessarily think that, by the way. But that person on the phone, calling trying to persuade you, can't be thinking that. You know what I'm saying? And so I do think that the decision could have been swayed by anything, because it's not black and white.

It's not like this thing happens and it's over with. It's a human being that's watching things, that's listening to things, that are reading things. And all of those things can sway your decision.

No, you know, that's just how the connection goes. I mean, you know, I go to his home state and there's love. He come to mine. There's love. And then we can sit down and politic over some bullshit fines.

You know what I mean? I mean, you know, we got that in common. Then, you know what I mean? Holding up that trophy. Well, I didn't get to hold mine up.

But holding up that trophy at the end of the season, crowned as champions. And then, you feel me, though, outside of that, you know what I mean, everyday walk, being comfortable in your own skin. You know what I'm talking about? Like, it's a lot of common similarities that, you know what I mean, that we share, which is why, you feel me, though, even if we don't talk, we can not talk for the shit. It could be years on out.

But then, as soon as we click back up, it's like, shit, we was just with each other yesterday.

That's, you know what I mean? When you building and you grinding, that's what that shit is about, man. You feel what I'm saying? That's, well, you can't say that. You can't say that either.

But that's real.

You guys just won the game. You're going back to Boston for game six, which you won. And we were like, you know, great game, all this bullshit. And then you just randomly, I don't know if you remember this, you say, man, you're like, I'm not looking forward to going back to Boston. I said, what the hell?

He goes, it was next level. I deal with shit all the time. People saying, F this. But that crowd and the n-word, and you said it got in your head. I think it was game three.

For all the bravado, all the BS, you just had a great game. You guys crushed it. I think Wiggins had a ridiculous game. that game. You guys were on high.

It was inevitable. you were going to win game six. But you were, like, hurt by that.

Listen, I think I've been booed in just about every arena.

It happens. A part of my sick mind, I love it. It gets me going. Sometimes I run out. Every now and then we'll catch an arena where I run out and either the crowd missed them calling my name or maybe they don't hate me as much as the next place.

But every now and then I run out and I don't get booed. And it is like the weirdest thing. It's like a thing in our huddle. If I run out and I don't get booed, everybody's like, yo, what's going on here?

So that's what happens. It's been happening my entire career. When we got to Boston, I had never heard.

Like, Cleveland, you can imagine, getting suspended for trying to hit Brian. Cleveland, they are drunk, loud, raunchy. Like, Boston was that times 1,000 on steroids. I couldn't believe it. The things that they were saying, like, how they were saying, like, you could hear the hatred running down the sideline and the way someone would say something to me.

Like, you could hear, like, it was almost giving me, like, wow, you really want to do something else to me. Like, if you could and I wasn't running up and down this basketball court, you would be willing to take this as far as you could take it. Like, I'm getting that feeling running down the court. And then, by the way, every time, every time there's an opportunity, there's a break. in the moment, it is the loudest chance of fuck you, Draymond, ever.

And then those chants, like, as the game starts back and I take off running down the court, the fuck you, Draymond chants go away. But now, like, the jabs from the sideline, from the court side, from people right behind the court, now all those jabs are coming in. And it's N-word, it's the B-word. It's, like, everything you can imagine. I'm just like, yo, this is nuts.

So, game three, it threw me off. It's like, whoa.

Game four, I got benched. I haven't been benched since I started playing. I get benched in game four. Steve Kerr starts going offense to defense up. I'm playing, I'm, like, so out of it.

Steph, I caught the ball out of a trap. And I'm like, this is game four. I caught the ball out of a trap. There's not really anybody in front of me. I don't even look at the rim.

I just turn back and look for Steph again. And Steph comes flying out of nowhere. I hit him on the right wing. He hit a big three. It was a dagger three.

But, like, I was so mentally gone, I didn't know what to do with the basketball. I was just like, ah, here, like, take it. And at that point, by the way, because I'm going offense to defense, so my confidence offensively is shot. Like, you're now taking me out of the game on offense and only putting me back in defense.

I got you in game five. And then we're going to come back here in game six and these boys done. And that's exactly what happened. But, man, I was, like, I was gone. There was no better feeling than the way I bounced back in game six and watching their fans, some of them, walk out the arena and watching some of them sit there in disgust, watching us celebrate the championship on their floor.

In Buffalo, we were playing in Philly. And one of the fans told me, Hey, fuck you, you black motherfucker. Go, get back in your fucking car and go and hit somebody. Like, what the fuck is going on? You know what I mean?

That was the closest to something I had like that.

This started happening. So I'm like, you know what? If I don't get him out of Buffalo, he may not ever get out of Buffalo. You know what I'm saying? Like, his career may be done.

And they would follow him home. All these different things. At one point, I yelled at a cop. Publicly, I said a cop in Buffalo was a racist, rogue cop. And this cop sued me for basically calling him out for defamation.

Luckily, I found out he didn't pay his taxes. Oh, man. Oh, wow. And my lawsuit was dismissed. Yeah, so we got rid of that.

mentally, though, bruh? With everything going on, for the position that you're in right now.

Just realistically, aside from everything, what the public know, or that you might post or you might put out there. How you doing mentally, though?

And it really took me to a real fucked up space. mentally. It is. Like, in going through everything that I went through last year,

I think it took me to such a bad space. Basketball is one thing. If I'm honest,

you know me well. The person that I am when I'm competing is not the same person that I am on a daily basis. I can beat that person at any time. You can push me to that point, but I'm way more calm on a day-to-day basis than I am on the basketball court. I'm competing like it wake up a totally different beast.

But regardless of who I am on the basketball court or whatever, the things that people started to question and say about me that was affecting people around me really started to get to me. Like, you can say what you want about me. That's fine. I've heard these things for years on end of the things that people had to say and their thoughts about me. I can deal with those.

But when it starts to affect people around me, in particular my children, like some of the things that my kids will come home and ask me or say to me that's been asked of them or said to them at school, is kind of like, that started to tear me up. That started to really bog me down mentally.

I really started taking therapy, going to therapy. It was a very interesting thing for me, because I tried it once before, but I tried it on a very specific thing that I was dealing with. I was dealing with a specific thing, and I'm like, man, I need to get some help with that. So let me try this. It's crazy, because every year, our league, they do these, where they come out, they talk about mental health, they'll introduce the team, psychologists and all these things.

I always say a lot of the things that they do, though, like the financial things, just check the box. There's no real commitment to. you should do this or you should do that.

On most of those things. However, when the guy would come speak every year, Steph and I would kind of lead out, and Steph would share his experience or not, that he's had or not, and I'd share my experience, that I had or not. And my experience would always be, man, fellas, I know I need to do this, but I'm scared. And so I'm really telling y'all this because I'm afraid of it, and if I tell y'all that I'm afraid, this may be the thing to push me to go, do it. Right.

And, nope, I'd still be afraid and not do it. So finally, I was like, you know what? I have this very specific thing that I'm dealing with. Let me see where this can get me. And I started taking therapy to deal with it, and it got better for me.

I was able to talk through it and work myself through it. And so I'm like, man, that's interesting. Still not enough to get me to where I need to go, because the issue that I really need to go for, I think, is so deep and I'm not ready to face it yet, because the thing with it is when you go to therapy, you can uncover some things. You can't just leave those things there. You've got to deal with those things now.

So I'd be afraid.

So, so afraid that I'm like, nope, I'm still not ready to do that, and I pulled away from it. And then, once I started going through this, I'm like, you know what? I need to do that. But not only do I need to do it to deal with this thing, I'm finally at a place now to where I'm ready to confront those things that I need to confront, because, by the way, those things could be driving me back to the same spot I keep on ending up in. And, man, that was such a great time for me because it was like, let's see.

It was, I mean, I didn't play basketball for a month and a half, and I didn't, like, do anything basketball-wise, work out, like be on a schedule for like three to four weeks. And it was great for me because it allowed me to settle back into just being Draymond, not the pressures of going to work out, not the pressures of a schedule. I've got to be there tomorrow. I've got to be here. It allowed me to lock back into me, focus on the things that I need to focus on, start the process that I needed to start, the things that I needed to work through.

And, man, it was such a, and has been, not because it continues, but it has been such a powerful space for me because, and as you know, in our neighborhoods, we're taught that those things are for soft people. Like that. if you do that, that you're weak-minded and you should be just, you should be able to push through these things. But the reality is these things that we're pushing through is killing us. And, yeah, I can push through it all I want and I can be tough all I want, and I can look like to you that all of it's bouncing off of me and I'm just running through it.

But the reality is what it's doing to me on the inside is like really tearing me down and it's not allowing me to be my best self, not only for myself, but for those that I know, depend on me to be my best self. And I am also someone that, even if you don't depend on me to help you be your best self, I think I have a way about me of helping you be your best self in a way that you didn't really know that you needed. And I wasn't able to fulfill that in my life. And that was bothering me. And so it's been an incredible journey.

It's very interesting because I used to have these conversations with my mom. I'm like, man, why is mental health being pushed and all of these things? And it's crazy, because to get to that space and actually go through it, like for her to even be like, you know, for my mom to even look at it and be like, start asking questions. Well, what about this? How does this work?

How does that work? And it's like, wow, like now we're talking about if I can change her and we start talking about changing generations, that's the real change we need. Because in order to change the generation after us, it's also our responsibility to change the generation before us. And so that's been my. that's that's like.

I haven't been extremely outspoken about it because to me, it's a very personal journey and it's personal to me and to those that I am close to. And so I'm like I got very long winded. But I started out to say I'm in a great space mentally. But I worked. I didn't work.

I work really hard to be here.

I mean, you have no idea how resonant that is with so many folks. And to hear a guy like you be that honest, man, that that's that's going to make a real difference. So I really appreciate that. No problem.

. Going into 13..

But look, one of the things you feel me, though, as I just heard you speak, like, I mean, at the end of the day, you know, I mean, being, you know, in my position, shit, retiring from the league, what, two, three times or whatever, how many times it is. When I got to that point, you know, I felt institutionalized, right? So after the first time I had retired, when I had this time to myself and it was on me to make a schedule, I was clueless because I was, I mean, I'm, I'm used to, you know, at this point in time, I got to do this at this point in time, I got to get ready to go, and, you know, get ready for OTAs or mini camp or whatever. And, you know, I mean, realistically, what I did was, you know, I mean, I shortchanged myself, you know, by being in a league, just not preparing myself for what, you know, comes after that. So if it was be anything that I would give to, you know, younger players, it would be.

Don't take this time while you in a league to understand how to schedule a time for yourself. For a day, because that shit was so hard for me, bro. And when you talk about, you know, the mental aspect of everything and how that shit started to weigh on you and how it started to tear you down, I could not plan a day for myself. So when I went back to the Raiders, you know, I took the opportunity to learn some shit about myself in order to schedule, you know, I mean, times for me to do certain things, or, you know, I mean, just just to go through the day, you know, as a person, because we've been, like I said, institutionalized. So if it's something that I would give you, I mean, that I would give to you is not to take for granted.

I mean, the opportunity that you have right now at your fingertips, for, you know, when you're done. But it's something that you are doing right now that I think, you know, you are, you know, 10 steps ahead of the game, because you are actually, you know, doing something that's going to set you up for when you're done. I mean, you'll fall into and you got, I mean, you got a. you got a, like a rhythm of something that you could get into. But learning how to schedule your your day out as just a, as a as a human, which I feel I feel a lot of guys who, you know, I mean, retire from the game, because they all believe that, oh, I'm going to do this shit for forever.

And that's not the reality of what it is that we in. So, like I said, if it's something that I could give to you, like, take the scheduling that you got right now and think about how you can apply that to your everyday life, because that shit get, you know, I mean, 10 times harder. Like my life outside of the league is so much different and so much harder because it's not that I got to go be accountable for something that got something to do with the team. But this is something I got to be accountable for my life and growing like all of that shit matter. So, like I said, as far as, like, you know, the meetings, I mean, the nutrition, fucking workouts.

You know, I mean, the study time, you know, I mean, the whole situation, like starting your mind to to start to plan something that you'll be able to take away from the game, that you could be able to implement into your life, for when you done. And I believe that, you know, I mean, any player that has the opportunity to play for a professional team, like to take that and learn how to implement that in your everyday life. And I think, like a lot of the mental issues that we have, professional athletes have for after they done. I think that's how you can counteract, you know, all of the shit that's going on. Because, you know, I mean, you know, you talk about the financial literacy.

when they come in. I can remember going to meetings and I mean, you know, all the young dudes, they only stay in this meeting because they know at the end of it, we get to get the Madden checks.

You know, I mean, financial literacy. I mean, you know, health things that you do to help your health. I mean, just to keep your mind right. And nobody was paying attention to that shit. And I was one of those guys that would just sit in that meeting on some shit that, just like, you know, I mean, I don't want to walk out.

They give us some information. They give us some ism. I want to try to at least if I could sit in this meeting, you know, for an hour or two. You know, I mean, to get something that's going to help me in life. Because, I mean, I was one of the players who, you know, I ain't going to be able to do this for the remainder time of my life.

But what I'm going to be able to take from it. And even though I did stand on it, I still felt like I shortchanged myself by not, you know, I mean, implementing all those small things that we take for granted. So it's just them little shits that I believe that, you know, we should really focus on and pay attention to in order to help us to get, you know what I mean, outside of our mind. Because one thing I know is about professional athletes. Once we get in our head, and it's not for the right reasons, then we have those situations to which we'll just talk about, where, you know what I mean, the smallest things like crowd noise.

We know that shit on a day-to-day basis, that shit don't mean nothing. But once we get in our own head, that shit start to affect us to a point where we don't even recognize ourselves. But, man, what you just said, though, bruh, that shit was powerful. And I mean, you know, just being in my position, I feel like, you know, at a point in time, you know, it will come to, you know what I mean, me having to be vulnerable to open up, to go and sit down with somebody. to, you know what I mean, express my feelings and my thought process.

to, you know, to see where I'm fucked up. And I mean, you know, we just, like you said, where we come from and how we look at things. where, you know what I mean, we look at, if you do, it's a weakness, you know what I mean, you soft, you know what I mean, you pussy, all that type of shit. But at the end of the day, man, the way that you said, I'm doing great, like, I can see that on your face, and I can believe it, considering when you talk to somebody and they bullshit like, no, no, I'm doing good type shit. And in reality, they got a motherfucking Costco list of shit that they dealing with.

that got them fucked up. You feel me? So, man, yeah, realistically, like, I appreciate you saying that shit, because, I mean, you know, it put me in a state of mind where, like, you know what, maybe this is something that I want to try, though. You feel me? So, hell yeah, I appreciate that, bro.

Some solid shit, my boy.

One of the best exercises that I've ever done in my life was like tracing something back through my life. Because, A, it takes, like, and again, you have to be prepared for it, because it can take you through some places that you're like, your smile is big as hell, right? Like, wow, it just took me back to that moment. Like, that was incredible. But it can also take you to a moment that you didn't love.

You know what I'm saying? That was like real dark for you. But that's a part of it. You know what I'm saying? That's a part of getting back to the root of this problem.

So many things, like, it's no different than things that we deal in America, like, or things that you deal with over here. If I just fix what looks like the issue on the surface, there's still a problem underneath. that's going to eventually, if there's mold up here and I take that thing off and replace something, replace it with a new cap, because the new cap isn't molded. But the mold is underneath. So then the top cap, the new one, just molds.

Hey, Draymond, let me ask you a question. And I say this, you're so talented, bro. You got. you got so many things you can do in your post career. Obviously, you got a huge media career.

You could go to the team side to be at ownership at some place and all that. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Because you got so many things in front of you you can do. That's really cool. But I mean, other than the media and owning a team or being a GM somewhere, whatever it may be, where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?

I want, like it's going to change and I want to spearhead that change. I think media, as we've seen it on a daily for the last 20 years, nothing lasts forever. And I think a big change in media is coming. And, like a side of social, obviously, social media has changed. But I think a big, big change is coming in media, sports media.

And I want to be a leader of ushering that change in. So I would love to. I would love to be a part owner of a sports team. And I think for me, I don't, just like I've seen, a part owner of a sports team thing. If I want to be a part owner of a sports team, I want to know the reason I want to do.

that is because, A, I see something special in that team and that organization and that owner of something. But, more importantly, I see something that I can bring to that situation, that can help that situation go further. I don't want to be the guy that's just like, oh, you can plant some money. Like, like, that's great. And like, we're all looking for great investments and there's no better investments in sports teams right now.

Like, I want to help. win. Like, sports is fun, but there's nothing like winning in sports. Like you talk about. you talk about.

Like a feeling that you like that is hard to reproduce to anything else, winning in sports, there is no better feeling. So for me, absolutely. So for me, if I can be involved in team ownership, but involved in a way that I can help usher in some things from my perspective that I think can help win, I'd love to do that. And by the way, I've been in it now for 13 years. I think I know the difference in being someone that can help win and being an owner that everybody's, like, yo, get the hell away from me.

Because because we run into that, too. And I think I think I can easily find the balance in that, because I've been on the other side of it. Like I've been one of those players that's like somebody see the owner and their team coming like, yo, if you don't keep him as far away from me as you possibly can.

And what you got going on and what you've proven that, you know, I mean, you could be successful in real talk. You can give my. you could give Batman some, some, some advice, because you feel me like real talk. Like you, you, you, you in the game. You feel what I'm talking about?

You active in the game and you got a show. You feel what I'm talking about? Batman, active governor right now. You feel what I'm talking about? Like when this motherfucker get up out of here, he got to go.

I mean, back to the state cap and he got to go get back into governor mode. I'm talking about. But he got it. He got it. He got a podcast that he wrote right now.

So realistically, like, yeah, I mean, not just even from just the sports aspect, but I mean, you know, dog being a governor, politician and shit. Any active right now? Like I don't. I mean, you, you show that it can be done. And now I don't know if you could say following the footstep, but you could give, you could give some ism on how you know, I mean, how this shit can really work.

Like, what would you, what would you tell Batman as far as like being active and what you got going on? And then also. Having a platform to go and speak, I mean, to the, to the, to the public about what's really going on and how to balance that and how to actually make that shit successful. Are you really in that position?

But no, I think what I will say is this.

Listen, we understand that when we put ourselves, when we put ourselves out here like this. And by the way, I respect you. Obviously, you know, I've been had the utmost respect for you, but I respect you for putting yourself out like this. It's the exact reason why I've appreciated living in a state where you're the governor is because you haven't heard from anything and anything that's going on. You've been standing on the front lines and you've put yourself out there.

And right now is like. I don't, I don't know the numbers, but my guess is that you are the first governor to do a podcast. And if not, you're, you're, you're by far the biggest to do it. So when I look at that, like to put yourself out there in that manner, to me is admirable. And the reason that is admirable is because most people won't won't do it.

But number two. When putting yourself out there to where someone could potentially pick at it, to where someone can potentially use it to try to tear you down, when doing something like that, for as big as the risk is, is as big as the reward. And, you know, when. so for you to put yourself out there like the platform that you guys are going to build and have, there won't be a stronger platform than that. You know why?

Because I know exactly where to go, to hear what you have to say. And that platform becomes as important as ever. And you do whatever it is that you want to do with that platform. And for you and everything that you've done since I've known you, you're going to do good with that platform. People will tear it down.

Like I said before, oh, you're the governor. You're not worried about this. You're not doing that thing. There's a crisis going on over here. You should be doing that.

And it's like, well, quite frankly, I have a life. that is my job. I also have a team, that, even if I'm sitting here doing my podcast, I have a team that's working. It's like some someone's work. Like I'm just out here sitting down doing a pod and nothing's going on.

I also am not going to look at this sheet of paper for 24 hours a day or look at this screen for 24 hours a day. And so the thing that I would just say most is like embrace. Embrace the good in it. Embrace the failures, because you're going to say something that everybody's going to go crazy about. But, by the way, you're going to say way more good things, that everybody go crazy about the bad.

But none of us say all great things. So the one thing we say, everybody, don't, don't try to pounce on. And the only thing I would say about those times is like in the good, in the bad, stand on each one of them. And I know you've done that in your career and how you've built to this point. But when it goes good, I'm going to stand right here in this pocket and I'm going to appreciate it.

But I'm going to know that although it's going good, I got to keep working. And when it goes bad, I'm going to stand in this pocket, appreciate it and work to make it better. Because when you're speaking this much, it's only a certain amount of time that you have before you say something that someone don't like. Oh, and by the way, if you're absolutely great, 50 percent of people appreciate what you say if you're the absolute best. So I would just say embrace it.

Stand on. Embrace the platform. Dive into the platform, because the platform is powerful. The platform creates change. And that's what we're out here to do.

And in order to build a platform that can do that is special.

But you know what? You know what is right? Everything about you, Draymond, man, your leadership, you're all about accountability. You take responsibility. I mean, it's something we love about Marshawn as well.

You guys are just remarkably authentic people. And this has been a hell of a conversation, illuminating and insightful. And I'll tell you what, that is deeply part of my day job as well. To have the gift of a platform where we can have these real and raw conversations and check each other and all the BS that's out there. So I really appreciate you being here.

And, Marshawn, I appreciate. I appreciate how you guys engaged and elevated this conversation to a whole nother level. No, Draymond, we love you, man. Like I said, I got one question for you, Draymond. I remember, last question, back in 2008,, you fired your first agents, remember?

And I remember Lamar coming to me and said, hey, Draymond's going to leave his guys. And what do you think? And correct me if I'm wrong. If you say the wrong thing, I'm not going to have a good day. Did I have a chance to represent you, even though I was a football guy, if I came at you?

And have a great rest of summer and a great season next year. We'll see you soon.