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00:00How you doing? I'm back.
00:02All right, y'all.
00:16All right, y'all.
00:18Up next, we're gonna meet three hometown heroes
00:21who took their talents from the bayou to the big leagues.
00:25Coming to the stage, we got Langston Galloway,
00:29Greg Monroe, and Alfred Payton.
00:32Y'all clap it up for these gentlemen.
00:49Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen.
00:52So for my first question, it's actually for all three of you guys.
00:56In what ways do you think being from Louisiana
00:59contributes to your authenticity as a professional athlete?
01:03You can go first.
01:06You want me to go first? All right.
01:07How you guys doing? You guys doing good?
01:09Good, good, good.
01:11Yeah, no, being from Louisiana, I feel like it drives a certain authenticity for, you know, getting out the mud,
01:21being able to find your own niche, being different, you know what I mean?
01:26I think everything that I've accomplished in my career and continue to do has been out the mud.
01:32Got it from nothing, you know, made something out of nothing.
01:34So I think that's what has kind of molded me and continued to build me to the man and the person I am today.
01:39How about you, Greg?
01:43I think for me, I think it's a certain level of uniqueness we have here, especially culturally.
01:50But I think as far as Louisiana players, all of them that I've met and played against,
01:56and I think of myself, it's toughness when I think about people from Louisiana
02:02and what we try to bring to the game.
02:05Hey, Alfred, what about you, my brother?
02:07Yeah, I think the same thing.
02:08Just like the toughness that we have, a lot of things that we went through coming from down here,
02:13especially like, you know, us three too, like having to go through Katrina
02:17and just all the things that we, you know, we had to go through growing up, it makes us different.
02:22So, Langston, you played in the NCAA, the NBA, and the G League.
02:27What about growing up in Baton Rouge prepared you to play all three?
02:32I think being able to see so many people around me that have pushed me to the point that I'm at in my career,
02:39whether that be, you know, my parents, whether that be my friends,
02:45whether that be, you know, acquaintances that I've met over the years.
02:49And I've seen the difference between, you know, being able to get out and go and play at St. Joe's University in Philadelphia
02:56and so many people that, you know, had the opportunity, much more talented than me, much more gifted than me.
03:02I mean, it really, it brought a lot of, like, desire, hunger, and want that I was like, hey, look,
03:09I got to get here every single day because nothing's going to be given to me.
03:11I'm a 6'2", you know, I'm a little guy. I'm not the fastest. I'm not the quickest.
03:15But, you know, I work the hardest, and that's how I always carry myself, being from Baton Rouge.
03:20Now, Greg, you kind of had a similar journey except you also played ball overseas, too.
03:24So what about that experience impacted you the most, both as a professional athlete and as a man?
03:30Well, as far as going overseas, going overseas just made me understand how much I love basketball, I'll say.
03:41You grow up and you love the NBA.
03:43It's the greatest job in the world, and you kind of get the feeling that if you're not in it
03:47and you don't play there that you kind of failed.
03:49And what I've learned going over there and play is that there's great basketball all over the world.
03:54And, you know, you just find your own love and understand that you love the game more so than the league.
04:00But it's a great experience over there.
04:02As far as a man, I mean, you just see a whole other world.
04:05I mean, you see things that we grow up in school reading in books.
04:09You're actually in it in real time. You get to experience it.
04:12Your family gets to experience it with you also.
04:15So that's definitely the upside of going overseas.
04:18So Alfred, take me back to the moment that you signed with the Pelicans
04:23and what made you proud to be able to do what you do best at the highest level for your hometown team?
04:29For me, signing with the Pelicans, that was a very proud moment.
04:33I think, like, for these guys can attest to, like, they have a lot of teammates.
04:36Like, when we go on the road and the guys say, like, oh, I'm going home,
04:40and you ask them, like, where will you stay at?
04:42He'll be like, well, I got to go 30 minutes or, like, an hour away.
04:44Like, no, I really stayed.
04:46Like, my grandma's house was 10 minutes from the arena.
04:48So, like, I'm really from here.
04:50I think that was one of my, like, one of my proudest moments.
04:53And then, you know, just being able to, you know, playing games and, you know,
04:57afterwards being able to see, like, my third grade teacher coming to my game
05:00or, like, old candy ladies coming to the game and stuff like that.
05:03So that was kind of, yeah, like, that was, like, one of the proudest moments.
05:07Like, just seeing people that knew me from, like, when I was small being able to come and support.
05:12So speaking about your third grade teacher, like, in life, just in general, was there a teacher, coach,
05:17or family member that really kept you on your toes as a young athlete?
05:21I mean, I think it'd take, like, a village for real.
05:25But if I had to, like, point to one, like, my grandfather.
05:28My grandfather was on me a lot about, you know, making sure I work on my game,
05:32taking me to the park, making sure I'm, you know, shooting with my left hand,
05:36working on my left hand, little stuff like that.
05:38So if I had to pinpoint one person about my grandfather.
05:41Greg, same question, brother.
05:43One person?
05:46It was a couple?
05:48I mean, I definitely had some positive influences of, you know, different people.
05:52I started really young at the park.
05:55I had some great coaches at the park ball level.
05:59They just taught us discipline and what it meant to actually work at a very young age,
06:04and I think that definitely stuck with me throughout every level that I was able to go to.
06:07How about you, Lance?
06:09Do you have any, like, mentors or, like, somebody special that helped you stay on your game?
06:13Yeah, it's been a lot of people that have helped me over my career, my pops, my uncle.
06:19But I'd say the most challenging was playing in high school.
06:24My high school coach, I was in the eighth grade trying out for the team,
06:27and, you know, there was moments where I felt like, man, I want to quit, man.
06:30Like, you know, he pushed us to the limit, you know, a lot of dudes that was on my team.
06:33And so as time went on and, you know, I started realizing, you know, what he was instilling in me,
06:39you know, hard work.
06:40He's cussing us out.
06:41You know, we running, we doing, you know, diving on floors, doing all type of stuff.
06:45But it really made me mentally stronger.
06:48And it built me, built the character that I needed to kind of persevere through everything I've been through in my life.
06:53So I think that those are the moments that really kind of, you know, transformed me into, you know, my career going forward.
06:59And this question is asking for all three of you gentlemen.
07:02I'm going to start back with you again, Langston.
07:04How have you been able to give back to Louisiana since you become a professional athlete?
07:08Yeah, I've been really excited about all the efforts that I've been able to do here in Louisiana,
07:16every city I've played in.
07:17But especially here in Louisiana, we're coming up on year eight of the Langston Alley basketball camp.
07:24We have it in Baton Rouge, July 28th, 29th, this upcoming summer.
07:28We've started to do court restorations.
07:31This is our second annual court restoration.
07:34We have a gala coming up as well.
07:36So that weekend has really propelled, you know, our foundation into something special.
07:42And it's not just myself.
07:44My wife has been a huge benefit to helping with that whole process and everything that we've accomplished.
07:49So, you know, just taking it one step at a time and figuring out, hey, how can we continue to just not just impact Baton Rouge,
07:54but impact, you know, more and more cities across the state of Louisiana.
07:59I've been able to give back in some of the same ways as well.
08:03My foundation has been doing basketball camp for over 10 years now.
08:08We actually have a gala coming up as well at the end of this month for a scholarship program that we've been doing for over 10 years now.
08:16And so it's just been fun to give back.
08:18We've been doing mentoring programs at elementary schools.
08:21My mother has been a big help in scheduling and coming up with ideas to affect the community around us.
08:28And so it's been fun.
08:30It's always fun working with the foundation and giving back, helping the people that helped us.
08:35I think that's the most important thing.
08:37And just understanding that we appreciate, you know, everything that the community gave to us as we came up.
08:43We, you know, all try to do as much as we can to give back.
08:47Yeah, same thing.
08:49You know, I've had camps.
08:51We've done kickball tournaments.
08:53I have my own foundation.
08:55We've done all kinds of things for kids.
08:57Taught them how to play instruments.
08:59Taught them how to write a poem.
09:01All kind of teach them how to dance moves and things like that.
09:06So just trying to be out there, show positive influence and things like that.
09:10So just being out there.
09:12Another question for all three of y'all too.
09:15What advice would y'all give young athletes from Louisiana who aspire into following y'all footsteps?
09:22You want me to go first?
09:23I've been spending all summer with a 12- and 13-year-old travel team.
09:28Nah, man, honestly though, listen.
09:31I think that that's one thing that I can honestly say I did growing up.
09:35I never thought that I knew everything about the game.
09:38I never thought that I was too big or too good to get coached.
09:43And I think that helped me moving forward.
09:45Just learning as much as you can.
09:47Appreciating the game.
09:49Don't ever take it for granted because I think I can speak for all of us when it has done a lot for us and all of our families.
09:55And so, and I know the work that we all put in.
09:58And so just stick with it.
09:59Listen.
10:00Believe in yourself.
10:01And you've got to be your biggest critic.
10:03You have to be the one that pushes yourself the most.
10:07And I think that's important.
10:09I think the biggest thing is like not getting caught up in social media.
10:12I think there's a lot going on right now.
10:14Like people seeing other people getting five-star, the five-star recruit or this one ranked.
10:19And like none of that stuff really matters.
10:21You just got to keep working, keep your head down, be disciplined.
10:24You got to sacrifice.
10:26There's a lot of things that you could be doing, especially in New Orleans.
10:29You know what I'm saying?
10:30But if you really want this and you really, you know, want to go forward with it, be in the gym.
10:34You know, learn basketball.
10:36Like you said, don't be scared to ask questions.
10:37Don't think you're ever too good to be coached.
10:39Things like that.
10:41Yeah.
10:42And the three things that I definitely use in most of my speeches and most of the time I'm talking to, you know, the younger kids is that, you know, number one, how much are you willing to sacrifice?
10:51That's number one.
10:52Number two, how dedicated are you going to be to the craft?
10:55If you really want this to be your end-all, be-all, you want to make it to the pros and you want to make it be a professional athlete, how dedicated are you going to be to this?
11:03And number three, you know, how hard are you going to work to get it?
11:07Because it's not going to be given to you no matter where you're from.
11:11And like, especially being from Louisiana, nothing's, you know, we're at the bottom of the map.
11:14Nobody knows who you are.
11:15Nobody cares who you are.
11:16But, you know, how hard are you going to work to get that, you know, get whatever you want and make it, make a dream become a reality.
11:25So Langston, when it's all said and done, what do you hope your city remembers about you the most?
11:31I think the biggest thing that I've tried to put on a lot of people's hearts and minds about myself is that, you know, number one, I've been able to get out the mud.
11:45Number one, that's definitely something.
11:47Two, being impactful, starting my own sneaker brand, Ethics.
11:52So please go check us out, ethicsthebrand.com.
11:54And then three, you know, carving out a path for not just for myself but building a legacy.
12:01That's the three main things that I feel like is so impactful, being able to create that legacy for you, not just for yourself but for your family and for those around you.
12:09And I think that that's what we continue to do with everything that we have accomplished thus far and continue to do.
12:15So that legacy piece is huge for me and going forward for passing on to my son and my daughter.
12:21All right, Greg, same question, brother.
12:23What do you hope your city remembers about you the most when it's all said and done?
12:27What would you want your city to remember about you the most when it's all said and done?
12:30I was the best now.
12:32Honestly, just a humble person that actually took pride in coming from here and making a name for the city, especially in basketball.
12:49It's not the forefront here necessarily.
12:53But also just, like I said, someone that's humble, that gave back to his community and just tried to love the game as much as possible.
13:01And now on the back end just trying to spread it out and extend as much knowledge as I can to anyone in any way.
13:07How about you, Alfred?
13:08I just think like a person of perseverance.
13:13I didn't have like the most normal journey to the league.
13:17And so I just wanted people to know like my story and know where I came from and, you know, switching high schools, going to a small school, Sunbelt, like a school that's not really known for basketball and, you know, being able to make the USA team, things like that.
13:31Just perseverance and then, and something that all three of us have been doing is like just being here in the community, like being outside.
13:38You know, kids can talk to us.
13:40We not far away.
13:41These guys have camps.
13:43They're doing AAU, things like that.
13:45So just being here.
13:46Langston, Greg, Alfred, I appreciate you guys.
13:50Thank you for coming and talking to the Essence family.
13:52Tell everybody where they can find you on social media as well before we leave.
13:56You can find me, LaneGalloway10, all social media platforms.
14:00And then, like I said, EthicsTheBrand on all social media platforms.
14:04EthicsTheBrand.com.
14:05Check us out.
14:06Sneakers just launched shoot number two.
14:09Chapter three is coming up.
14:10So please go check us out and stay tuned.
14:12We got a lot in store.
14:15On Instagram, I'm Moose Monroe15.
14:19And definitely check out the Foundation website.
14:21GregKMonroeFoundation.org.
14:24And as well, the Big Easy League.
14:27If y'all interested in seeing some summer basketball.
14:30I started a program here.
14:31So it'll be on Saturdays and Sundays for the next few weekends.
14:36If you guys want to see some pro and college athletes playing here at home.
14:39They're all from here, from the area, from Baton Rouge all the way to New Orleans.
14:44On Instagram and Twitter, it's just Alfred, E-L-F-R-I-D.
14:48Definitely check out the Foundation page, AlfredPing.org.
14:51And I'm around.
14:54Y'all making some noise for the gentlemen up here, man.
14:57Appreciate y'all.
14:58Thank y'all, man.
14:59Thank y'all. Appreciate it.
15:05This is me.
15:06I got hurt.
15:07He thought you out there.
15:08If you know, you know.
15:10Yeah.
15:11You gonna have some body筋 and something, man.
15:13You let me.
15:14I wanna hit by no new penis.
15:15Ain't no fucking ball.
15:17My mother.
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