00:00So, of course, I got to start with this incredible run that the Knicks had at the end of last season, all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
00:06This year, this season, the franchise has a new coach, new mindset.
00:10What are you looking forward to the most as you get ready for the season?
00:14You know, just evolving, you know, this team evolving to another level and giving ourselves even a better chance this year to make it to the end and find ourselves on the right side of history.
00:23You were part of a blockbuster trade that brought you to New York, brought you back home, really, because you grew up in New Jersey, right?
00:30What's the biggest difference in basketball culture between where you were in Minnesota and here in New York?
00:35Well, I want to first start off. Minnesota, amazing basketball city. Fans are truly lovely, and they treated me with nothing but love and respect in all my nine years there.
00:44Coming here, though, you know, Madison Square Garden is just a different beast, and it's amazing to be here, to see so much history that's gone down here at Madison Square Garden,
00:52not only in basketball, but in sports and entertainment, and to be part of that.
00:56Every single day, walking on that floor, to step on the floor, that Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Bernard King, all the greats have stepped on it.
01:02It's something special every night.
01:04You know, and I noticed that you have longstanding partnerships with Gatorade, with Nike.
01:08How does coming back to the New York area for Minnesota change the conversation with these important partners?
01:14Well, they've been, you know, they've been amazing to me since day one, since I came into the league.
01:18In Minnesota, they've treated me with nothing but respect, and they had so much faith in my ability and my talent and who I am as a person.
01:25So to come here to New York is a huge improvement in business and the eyes that you have, but they had that love for me in Minnesota, and the love has not changed since I got here to New York.
01:37Yeah, but in terms of what you can do with the attention, with the media, with the fan base, I'm sure the numbers that you're talking about are a lot bigger than they were before.
01:45I think, you know, numbers started off really well, so I think that for coming to New York, it definitely helps with, you know, coming to the table.
01:54But when you have partners like that that have treated you so well for so long, and we've had such a longstanding relationship, it makes going to the table very easy, regardless of where I'm at.
02:03That's fair.
02:04Now, New York, of course, as you know, the world capital of finance, fashion, and media.
02:08How have you been able to capitalize on this since becoming a Knick?
02:11Because I noticed that you worked at Bloomingdale's, for instance, just across the street for a little bit there.
02:16Does that pretend a future in finance?
02:18Yeah, I think so.
02:20It's my second year now, partnered up with Bloomingdale's, an amazing partner to have, and it's been seamless, you know, just such a fine partnership.
02:28We've been doing some really cool social content and doing some content for the world, and to be in that kind of space and to be here in New York, obviously, has helped tremendously make that happen and come to fruition.
02:40But I'm just super happy that I'm having the opportunity to make all these new relationships that are different than what I had in Minnesota.
02:47But being here, like you said, being a hometown kid, it's helped a lot just to always be part of those brands and to see them.
02:53And I've worked with them, you know, one-offs here, but to have these longstanding partnerships with Bloomingdale's example, the second-year, full-year relationship, it's been great to be able to utilize the New York market.
03:03How do those partnerships come together?
03:05Are you going out to them?
03:06Are they coming to you because you're a hometown guy?
03:09How does it work?
03:10I think it's both ways.
03:11I think that they've been able to come to me and approach me with opportunities and ideas and see if I connect with those ideas and ideologies.
03:19But also for me, too, reaching out to certain brands that I feel that could join the fold.
03:25And I think with my brand and their brand, we make a great relationship.
03:28And I think that it's been amazing to do that with so many other brands that I have never had a chance to work with.
03:34Yeah, so you've got fashion, you've got media.
03:37What about finance?
03:38I'm wondering if you see a future for yourself investing in NBA franchises or other sports?
03:44Oh, absolutely.
03:44Oh, absolutely.
03:45Absolutely.
03:45I think not only just basketball.
03:47I know because I play basketball, we jump to the NBA franchises.
03:50But I think there's more opportunities out there in other sports as well.
03:53And I think one of the ones that I'm very intrigued in is MLS.
03:57I think MLS has a large growing factor.
03:59And with soccer already so big around the world and outside of America and only growing here now thanks to, you know, Messi and some other big names coming over,
04:08I think that there's a chance to get in early right now into the MLS game.
04:13Sounds like you're going to be watching the World Cup.
04:15Absolutely.
04:17What about in front of the camera?
04:19I saw that you had interviewed Kevin Durant as a high school player, as a high school student.
04:24Do you want to eventually end up in front of the camera broadcasting?
04:27You know, you never know, maybe.
04:29But I don't know if I'll ever be as good as you, Scarlett.
04:31Oh, please.
04:32So I'll try my best.
04:33You're the expert.
04:34I think that there's an opportunity.
04:37There's an opportunity for sure there for me to, for the first time, instead of being in front of the camera, you know, playing basketball,
04:43be able to sit there with a suit and talk to it about the game I love so much.
04:46What excites you the most about the game of basketball in terms of the changes it's making?
04:50The NBA has an innovation tech conference every year.
04:53They're really ahead of the curve in terms of making sure that they bring in new technology and integrate it into the game, into the sport,
04:59into what's presented to the audience.
05:02What gets you excited about that participation?
05:05Well, like you said, we've been the pioneers, I think, of American sports for a long time.
05:10And we've been critical into sports change.
05:13And for us to continue to evolve the game of basketball requires us to think outside the box.
05:19And I think Adam Silver in the NBA, with us at the NBPA, has done an amazing job for the last couple of years of thinking outside the box
05:26and evolving with the game and evolving with the world.
05:29Technology, like you said, has been a huge component of the world right now we live in.
05:33And for us to, instead of run away from technology, we've ran towards technology to improve our game,
05:38speaks volumes to us as an NBA, NBPA of improving the game.
05:43Okay, final question as we get ready.
05:45As you get ready for the upcoming season, what are you going to be focusing on for the game and for the Knicks franchise as a whole?
05:51There's only one goal.
05:52It's always been the same goal.
05:53But I think for us, just every day, just work on being the best version of ourselves,
05:57presenting our fans with an even better version every single game, and to continue to evolve.
06:02Like I said in the beginning, our team, last year you talked about the historic run we've made, but that was last year.
06:08Now we have to start 0-0, everyone else as well, and we have to continue to evolve and show even better version of ourselves
06:14that we expect to reach the goals that we have for ourselves.
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