Speaker 1: Welcome back to EVE Sports Radio live from Panama City, Panama.
Speaker 1: It is a fantastic, beautiful morning in Panama City. Fantastic city.
Speaker 1: If you've never visited here, you'll have to make if
Speaker 1: you can get the opportunity, please come. You would be
Speaker 1: amazed of the size, the beauty of the people, the
Speaker 1: attitude of the people. It's a thriving city. They're building everywhere.
Speaker 1: I'm not talking about three or four story buildings. I'm
Speaker 1: talking about sixty and seventy story buildings. They're building everywhere
Speaker 1: in Panama City. So welcome back to Eve Sports Radio.
Speaker 1: It is June the twentieth, twenty twenty five. Phone numbers
Speaker 1: five zero two five seven to one seventy nine hundred.
Speaker 1: That's five zero two five seven to one seventy nine hundred.
Speaker 1: I have got rip behind the glass. Shannon, of course,
Speaker 1: is unremote. With Matt Jones, I'm gonna have to whip
Speaker 1: Matt for taking Shannon every Friday. I'm gonna have to
Speaker 1: whip Matt. That's all there is to it. I can't
Speaker 1: whip Shannon, but I can get Matt Jones, so I
Speaker 1: may have to just whip Matt. So I appreciate you
Speaker 1: sitting in with us, Rick, how are you doing this morning?
Speaker 2: I'm doing pretty good. Jerry wish I was down there
Speaker 2: with you, no question.
Speaker 1: How's the weather, Rick, I just need to know. Has
Speaker 1: it been raining since I've left.
Speaker 2: It hasn't rain in a couple of days.
Speaker 3: It's gonna be close to ninety today and we're gonna
Speaker 3: be in the mid nineties.
Speaker 4: All weekend, so it's finally feeling like summertime.
Speaker 1: Gotcha, I'm gonna have to have one of my brothers
Speaker 1: water my grass because I can't have my grass that
Speaker 1: I've been working on it too hard.
Speaker 2: Rich, too hard.
Speaker 4: Yep.
Speaker 1: Here we are catching in my front yard that I
Speaker 1: planted grass seed because I had two huge trees taken down,
Speaker 1: so I've been trying to grow the grass in those spots.
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna have to get after them. I was
Speaker 1: hoping we got a little rain. I thought I saw
Speaker 1: yesterday it was supposed to have gotten a little rain,
Speaker 1: but we didn't. So anyway, Rick, appreciate you sitting in
Speaker 1: with us and giving us that weather news or meteorologists today.
Speaker 2: You just do a little bit of everything for E
Speaker 2: Sports Radio.
Speaker 1: Now let's get to my host first and foremost youngest
Speaker 1: son anything, and he's sitting there with us.
Speaker 2: Andy, how are you doing today?
Speaker 3: Oh my god, I'm doing amazing this morning. We've got
Speaker 3: a lot of stuff to get into later this afternoon.
Speaker 3: And you know, all I can say is Panama has
Speaker 3: been treating me well. Even the casino.
Speaker 5: Trying to treat us well last night.
Speaker 3: Just jump just a little bit, just a little bit,
Speaker 3: you know, very very modest. God, It's it's been an
Speaker 3: amazing trip so far.
Speaker 2: It's crazy.
Speaker 3: I actually was kind of just looking myself last night,
Speaker 3: just I kind of looked on Google Maps to kind
Speaker 3: of see how far we were from back home and
Speaker 3: showing the distance. It's crazy that we're farther if you
Speaker 3: look on the map, if you're looking dead at it,
Speaker 3: we're farther east than we are Kentucky. But the timeframe
Speaker 3: here is an hour behind back home, which is completely different.
Speaker 3: So we've always wondered because the sun is six o'
Speaker 3: eight right now, and it will be looks like it's
Speaker 3: fully daylight within the next fifteen minutes, but the sun
Speaker 3: goes down so much earlier here in six thirty, six thirty,
Speaker 3: seven o'clock, seven thirty comes around, it starts to get
Speaker 3: pitch a black outside, so you think it's later than
Speaker 3: what it is, and then you look at your phone
Speaker 3: and it's not even eight o'clock. Back in the Louisville
Speaker 3: and Son stays out until nine o'clock, eight forty five.
Speaker 3: So that was something that kind of threw me off.
Speaker 3: The first two days. I thought it was super late.
Speaker 3: I'm kind of yawing and getting a little tired, and
Speaker 3: I look at the phone and it's six forty five pm.
Speaker 2: I was like, this add up.
Speaker 3: Adding up, And then I kind of looked on the
Speaker 3: map and just realized that.
Speaker 1: No question, Let's bring on that other guy. Hey, George Williams, Hey,
Speaker 1: have you been looking at your watch? Has the casino
Speaker 1: been good to you?
Speaker 2: George?
Speaker 5: It's always good to meet Jerry. I'm always a winner.
Speaker 5: I never to George.
Speaker 2: I know, hey George, because we don't gamble, all right,
Speaker 2: you knew.
Speaker 5: That it be good to meet exactly. I watched other
Speaker 5: people quiet, but I'm always happy.
Speaker 2: I do to George.
Speaker 1: I just did behind him and go help there those
Speaker 1: twenty more dollars, No, but they all wasn't yesterday, George.
Speaker 1: So everyone was happy last night. Everyone table was good.
Speaker 1: Black jack table was good, George.
Speaker 4: Everyone everyone was happy.
Speaker 5: Yeah. I like to see no so much. I don't
Speaker 5: even go in them.
Speaker 2: Hey, George, I could walk to them every day. George.
Speaker 1: I used to gamble, and after I lost money as
Speaker 1: an NBA player, I said, that's enough.
Speaker 2: We played eleven games.
Speaker 1: I told people this, eleven regular season games in Las
Speaker 1: Vegas in eighty three and eighty four with the Utah Jazz,
Speaker 1: and George by game five or six, when I was like,
Speaker 1: I'm losing money, that was it.
Speaker 2: That was it been done. The thrill is gone. The
Speaker 2: thrill is gone, George.
Speaker 5: I was just talking about that. Jad. I just talked
Speaker 5: to a friend of man. He has family to come
Speaker 5: over their house and they play a little card game.
Speaker 5: They put up like quarters and fidgets and stuff. They
Speaker 5: always answered me, I don't even go to the house
Speaker 5: when they gamble. I said her Man, I cannot lose
Speaker 5: a nickel of my money and think I don't have
Speaker 5: an attitude. Jee, I'll be ready to get up and
Speaker 5: want to rumble. Dude, you want to know the more
Speaker 5: personal than basketball?
Speaker 2: You like that band, Uncle George, lose the diamond? Want
Speaker 2: to go ad it?
Speaker 5: That horble? Uncle Jay Bought is losing my money. But
Speaker 5: I'm glad y'all won. I'm proud of you guys. Just
Speaker 5: bring me something back, that's all I am.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the sports radio. Sorry for the technical difficulties.
Speaker 1: Things do happen when you're out of the country trying
Speaker 1: to host a sports talk show.
Speaker 2: This is Jerry's of course, I'm.
Speaker 1: In Panama City, Panama, and we're gonna hope to keep
Speaker 1: the signal, but I can't promise you. We're just gonna
Speaker 1: do the best we can. Now, George, before we introduce
Speaker 1: our co host, we're gonna chop it up with Today
Speaker 1: and George. This young man right here is a Baltimore,
Speaker 1: Maryland guy. I don't know if you know anything about Baltimore. George, Uh,
Speaker 1: you scared of people from Baltimore. You're scared of him, George.
Speaker 5: Nobody know what Jerry I mean. They people, I mean,
Speaker 5: I teat them canny. They treat me canny when I'm
Speaker 5: good to you.
Speaker 2: Don't treat me kindly. You don't treat me kindly.
Speaker 5: Well, I said, people, Oh, my friend, my friend, you
Speaker 5: my friend Jared. That's what it is.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1: But George, let me tell you, we're gonna bring on
Speaker 1: this young man, great person. I mean, his mom has
Speaker 1: got the beautiful personality. You have to meet Michelle one day.
Speaker 1: But Amien Lee or a cardinal from a dregs were great.
Speaker 1: It's unbelievable how quickly time has passed. George, I can't
Speaker 1: believe I'm looking at this. He left louis on twenty
Speaker 1: fifteen sixteen. It's like he left Louisville three years ago.
Speaker 1: Let's bring on the one and only. We'll get through
Speaker 1: all the accolades because he's a co host.
Speaker 2: I mean, George, I gotta pup him up. We're gonna
Speaker 2: talk junk to him. Everybody. Welcome Damien Lee to E
Speaker 2: Sports Radio.
Speaker 4: Damen, how are you I'm doing? I'm going well. I
Speaker 4: appreciate that because it definitely feels the same way. It
Speaker 4: feels like it has not been almost ten years since
Speaker 4: I've been gone.
Speaker 2: It's crazy, Damien. I mean, I'm looking at you like
Speaker 2: I told my son. Truly he pleaded the lords. I
Speaker 2: can't believe that.
Speaker 1: Fifteen sixteen, fifteen sixteen, con you're a University of Louisville
Speaker 1: shooting at three, living a.
Speaker 4: Life so Davien life. I got three kids.
Speaker 2: Man, that's still living a life. That's a good deal.
Speaker 2: I'm telling you that a best friend in life.
Speaker 1: But George and I we're gonna get after you a
Speaker 1: little bit today, Damien.
Speaker 2: We have to.
Speaker 1: We're gonna get you with tough questions. I appreciate your mom.
Speaker 1: I told everyone. I didn't say that. George said your
Speaker 1: mom got you up early. It's four fifteen in Phoenix.
Speaker 1: I didn't say that. That's what George and Anthony said.
Speaker 1: They you know I didn't.
Speaker 2: I would never say anything like that, Damien. You know
Speaker 2: that I wouldn't do that.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, but it's early. But you know, brother,
Speaker 4: I got kids, so at some point, you know, the
Speaker 4: time is the time. You'll figure out the time to
Speaker 4: get in that you'll figure.
Speaker 5: It out for itself. I thought you was crazy to
Speaker 5: get up this time in the morning to come on.
Speaker 5: That's that's what I thought. I said. If I had
Speaker 5: anything to do with Moore in the morning, it would
Speaker 5: not be helping Jerry with vacation in Panama and winning
Speaker 5: money in it. Can see, no, Damon, that's not what
Speaker 5: I see it.
Speaker 4: Well, at least I can at least I can. At
Speaker 4: least I can move my workout of earlier. So sooner,
Speaker 4: as soon as off the phone, I could just I
Speaker 4: can go right to the gym and work out. Get
Speaker 4: it over with.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you say being gafag your normal time. Damon, I'm
Speaker 5: gonna tell you, bro.
Speaker 1: George, let's just start with the tough part, even going
Speaker 1: through a tough stretch, and we'll talk our way out
Speaker 1: of the tough stretch. You've I've had major injuries the
Speaker 1: last two years. You're bouncing back from them. You know,
Speaker 1: you've had setbacks. I was reading all about you again
Speaker 1: yesterday and some of the mental aspects you've gone through
Speaker 1: trying to get back after all these injuries. Tell me
Speaker 1: where you are physically and mentally with the basketball game.
Speaker 2: Where are you right now?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 2: No, So.
Speaker 4: My major injury was two years ago. Had a knee injury.
Speaker 4: Took about a year to recover. But then all last
Speaker 4: year I was fully healthy. I was fully healthy. I
Speaker 4: was available for all eighty two games. I was ready.
Speaker 4: Just you know, I was ready for whatever opportunity, whether
Speaker 4: you know it's pick up games, you know, amongst the team,
Speaker 4: throughout the season at home, on the road. Yeah, I've
Speaker 4: been feeling really good about my game since let's say
Speaker 4: about last December and then you know, this opportunity didn't
Speaker 4: fully present itself, you know, throughout the year for whatever reason.
Speaker 4: But yeah, I was. I've been healthy this whole past season.
Speaker 4: Once the season ended, I took about a week off
Speaker 4: and then just been back in the gym. So yeah,
Speaker 4: I've been I've been grinding it out, man, Just you know,
Speaker 4: kind of want to break that narrative of it's funny
Speaker 4: you're you're like probably the third or fourth person to
Speaker 4: be like, man, you've been hurt for two years, and
Speaker 4: it's like, no, I was only hurt for one year.
Speaker 4: That last year there was just a bunch of there's
Speaker 4: just a bunch of you know, stuff that was going on.
Speaker 4: So you know that.
Speaker 1: But I mean, majority you have been Let's just be honest.
Speaker 1: You've been fighting through this. You have broken your hand twice, yep,
Speaker 1: acl twice. I never heard, George, have you ever heard
Speaker 1: of a root repair?
Speaker 2: Damian?
Speaker 1: I had never heard of I was reading this. I'm like,
Speaker 1: I've been lets my entire life. I've never heard of
Speaker 1: a route repairer pastry. So you've gone through it, young man,
Speaker 1: you have really gone through it. So last year you
Speaker 1: did play twenty five games. Let's start then I'm gona
Speaker 1: let George Teacher with one. But Kevin Durant the news
Speaker 1: with Phoenix. Kevin Durant wants to be traded and is
Speaker 1: leaving the team at Phoenix. Where are you all right now.
Speaker 2: As a unit?
Speaker 4: Well, I don't really know. I mean, obviously we know
Speaker 4: it's reporter on the media and everything of that nature,
Speaker 4: but like, I don't really try to concern myself with that.
Speaker 4: Like I know, you know, something will happen, whether he
Speaker 4: traded or whether he stays. But you know, I'm I'm
Speaker 4: kind of in the business of you know, I'm a
Speaker 4: free agent this summer myself, so I'm just trying to
Speaker 4: make sure that, you know, everything's good with my family,
Speaker 4: like know, with us having a newborn, having three three
Speaker 4: kids four and under, and you know, just trying to
Speaker 4: really concern myself with that. I mean, I know, obviously
Speaker 4: I've known Kevin, I've played with him multiple years on
Speaker 4: different teams, and you know, just understanding the talent that
Speaker 4: he is, like he's one of the best players such
Speaker 4: a basketball But you know, you also understand there's a
Speaker 4: business side of things, So you know, I feel like
Speaker 4: they'll figure it out, you know, at some point, if
Speaker 4: you know, he gets traded, if he doesn't get traded,
Speaker 4: whatever it's for. But I'm really concerned about what I
Speaker 4: can do in my immediate future, knowing that, you know,
Speaker 4: I still got some miles left on these left left
Speaker 4: on these times.
Speaker 5: I got George Williams go ahead, Yeah, damn, I got
Speaker 5: a question. I know it doesn't come up quite often,
Speaker 5: but I know what the trade deals like, the rants
Speaker 5: going through, And you said you're a free agent. Do
Speaker 5: you guys ever think about who has to be mixed,
Speaker 5: who has to leave the team when you're trading a
Speaker 5: superstar because you know the money some mess foot both teams,
Speaker 5: and do you have a think about what you be
Speaker 5: included in the deal? The players think about that if
Speaker 5: a trade is going down, the players trade think that
Speaker 5: they may be moving because another player is moving.
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, definitely. I mean the other you know, the
Speaker 4: guys that are free agents that are trying to wait
Speaker 4: out to see who the team brings in for a
Speaker 4: guy that they're trading for. If you know they're trading
Speaker 4: for obviously you know some of the better players you
Speaker 4: know in this league. That means that you're trying to
Speaker 4: trade them to get multiple players back. So some guys
Speaker 4: definitely see like, all right, there's the money match, especially
Speaker 4: with the new CBA and the restrictions. You know, whether
Speaker 4: you know teams are in the luxury tax, they're not
Speaker 4: in the luxury tax if they're hard cap first apron,
Speaker 4: separate second apron. Sorry, I'm throwing all this jargon out there,
Speaker 4: but there's the stuff that I study, you know, throughout
Speaker 4: because that's just the way of the league. Like you see,
Speaker 4: all these guys are getting paid a lot of money,
Speaker 4: so some guys may be thrown in deals, but there's
Speaker 4: also certain restrictions that come with that, which if the
Speaker 4: team is in the second apron, then they can't put
Speaker 4: together two contracts to get one guy back. So yeah,
Speaker 4: there's a whole bunch of stuff that's going on and
Speaker 4: everyone in the league is still trying to figure it
Speaker 4: out in real time.
Speaker 1: Yes, the players agreement is very complicated. A lot of
Speaker 1: people say too complicated. But at the same time, George
Speaker 1: Teacher with a great question as being a free agent,
Speaker 1: is that saying that you cannot be part of a
Speaker 1: trade deal now that your contract is expired with Phoenix.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so it'll technically expire on June thirtieth. But yeah,
Speaker 4: so the only way that I could be included in
Speaker 4: a deal is if I would if I re sign
Speaker 4: with Phoenix before I guess that trade would go through,
Speaker 4: then that would be the only way.
Speaker 5: Come again, Oh, I want to hit you with a
Speaker 5: follow up to that you were talking about that the move?
Speaker 5: All right, then do some teams sign you back just
Speaker 5: to make the dollar value match? So they may not
Speaker 5: we're gonna keep you, but they'll sign you back just
Speaker 5: because the dollar value and they can move you as
Speaker 5: well as the player they want to move. Yeah.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so some teams do that, or some teams will
Speaker 4: sign you to an inflated number in the off season,
Speaker 4: so like after summer, I mean after free agency starts
Speaker 4: with like the intention of trading you down the line,
Speaker 4: or the possibility to trade you or to add you
Speaker 4: into a trade down the line, because guys, there's like
Speaker 4: a sweet spot. There's like a sweet spot number guys
Speaker 4: making between like you know, say in that mid level
Speaker 4: area between six to ten that is viewed around the
Speaker 4: league as easily tradable contracts.
Speaker 1: It's just a tough business. Now that you've been in it.
Speaker 1: You understand the old Dallas saying. When players call it
Speaker 1: a game, the owners call it a business. When the
Speaker 1: owners call it a business, the players call it a game. So, David,
Speaker 1: about the luck, when do you think that you'll be signing.
Speaker 1: Are there any teams that you're looking at that you
Speaker 1: can tell us about before we get into your golf outing.
Speaker 4: Uh, No, nothing, nothing at the moment. I mean, really
Speaker 4: just taking it day by day, that's all my When
Speaker 4: I last talked to my agent at the beginning of
Speaker 4: the month, I was like, let's just you know, reconvene
Speaker 4: towards the end of the month. I don't you know,
Speaker 4: it's it's it's good to hear that people like you.
Speaker 4: But also you have to produce, and you know, knowing
Speaker 4: me what I've you know, been through two years ago
Speaker 4: and in this past year not playing as much, I
Speaker 4: know I have to show and produce. So I'm willing
Speaker 4: to go anywhere and everywhere and show that I'm still healthy,
Speaker 4: that I can still play the game at a high level.
Speaker 4: And yeah, so there's nothing. I'm not even concerned about
Speaker 4: that just yet, because you know, waiting for the finals
Speaker 4: to get over and then once some trades start going through,
Speaker 4: then I know, you know, things will uh, things will
Speaker 4: start opening up.
Speaker 2: Gotcha.
Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about something good because that part is
Speaker 1: very difficult, going through which I did myself, and waiting
Speaker 1: to get a contract, waiting for a team to call you.
Speaker 1: I went to the CBA and played, got called back
Speaker 1: up with Sacramento. It's a tough thing, but of course
Speaker 1: you've been doing it quite a while. Now you're a
Speaker 1: professional and ultimate professional, and you're going to come out
Speaker 1: on the right side for sure. Let's talk about your
Speaker 1: golf outing, coming back with your foundation to the city
Speaker 1: of Louisville again.
Speaker 2: Tell me the time, the place. What's going on with
Speaker 2: your golf outing.
Speaker 4: Yeah, so we're back again fourth year, which is crazy
Speaker 4: to think. How you know, we had an idea four
Speaker 4: years ago to start it, but this is our fourth year.
Speaker 4: It is a Damien Lee Family Foundation Golf Scramble. It's
Speaker 4: August fourth and Louisville, Kentucky at the uf L at
Speaker 4: Cardinal Club. The registration link is on the website, which
Speaker 4: is Damian Lee Samilyfoundation dot com. It's also on my Instagram.
Speaker 4: We still have some spots available for anyone that wants
Speaker 4: to sign up in the Louisville or you know, Indiana area,
Speaker 4: so anyone that wants to come from out of town
Speaker 4: as well. Uh, and then yeah, we also have some
Speaker 4: sponsorship slots available as well. So yeah, it's August fourth. Yeah,
Speaker 4: where it's it's it's it's a great time. We you know,
Speaker 4: auction off items, we have you know, sponsors there as well,
Speaker 4: we have you know, celebrities come by, come play as well.
Speaker 4: It's it's truly an amazing time. Everyone that's come for
Speaker 4: the past three years always you know, show up and
Speaker 4: show out and uh, you know, they say that it's
Speaker 4: one of the best events you know that they come to.
Speaker 4: So I'm just super excited to have it again. You know,
Speaker 4: some of the proceeds that you know, we have, we'll
Speaker 4: go back into the Louisville community, to the West end,
Speaker 4: you know, some of the schools that we've been working with,
Speaker 4: and you know, the y m C a great James
Speaker 4: Academy that we've been working with since the Inargole year
Speaker 4: in twenty twenty. So we're just you know, we're just
Speaker 4: super excited about it.
Speaker 1: Well again I'm gonna participate George of course, and Damian
Speaker 1: you didn't have.
Speaker 2: To call me out of celebrities.
Speaker 5: I didn't hear that.
Speaker 2: I wanted the celebrities. I wanted the celebrities. George, of course,
Speaker 2: well I.
Speaker 5: Can thank you. I thought you said you were gonna participate.
Speaker 5: I didn't think you said celebrity. I thought you said participate.
Speaker 2: Celebrities.
Speaker 5: It's not a golfer. You're just not a.
Speaker 1: Golfer celebrity in my own mind, George, I understand.
Speaker 6: Love it about we all love you.
Speaker 5: The fans hate him Damon, but he's not a golfer. Damon,
Speaker 5: you got you got bad golfer journey to be in
Speaker 5: that with those guys. Put him over with the he
Speaker 5: was out there. That's the guy I know.
Speaker 1: See, Damon and I played, George, we've played together. See
Speaker 1: you can't get in between its George.
Speaker 5: How bad you are. I don't have to tell Damon.
Speaker 5: How about you beat him.
Speaker 2: Younger? Go ahead, David.
Speaker 4: Finish, I was gonna say I would saying now, George,
Speaker 4: Me and uh Me and Jerry played, and Jerry was solid.
Speaker 4: I can't even.
Speaker 2: Lie to be old, to be old, I was solid.
Speaker 5: George, You're the front person that ever come on this
Speaker 5: radio that said that much.
Speaker 4: I hope I'm not. There's the deal.
Speaker 1: Damien, here's the deal, Frank. Of course who you played
Speaker 1: with will be in the tournament. Anthony's gonna play well,
Speaker 1: we'll get to some other players. We'll get Mike Vines,
Speaker 1: but to play again like last year, we'll definitely have
Speaker 1: a team.
Speaker 2: Man. But my younger son wants to talk to you
Speaker 2: about your tournament. This is Anthony. Okay, how are you doing,
Speaker 2: mister Lee.
Speaker 4: I'm doing great, brother, how you I'm good?
Speaker 3: I know we met last year. I think the year before,
Speaker 3: I think I played in your golf ending.
Speaker 2: I think twice now.
Speaker 3: But now it's it's a phenomenal event. I love playing
Speaker 3: your golf out I got. It's funny. I go to
Speaker 3: the gym and play basketball all the time, and I
Speaker 3: wear your backpack to the gym all the time. And
Speaker 3: people always ask me where I got it from the
Speaker 3: Damien leef Allen, like, where'd you get a book back
Speaker 3: like that? I said, don't worry about it's exclusive.
Speaker 2: He gave it.
Speaker 4: He gave it to me himself.
Speaker 2: Little they know they gave it.
Speaker 3: To me because I pulled the one on tea on
Speaker 3: the whole number two into the golf range, so they
Speaker 3: gave me.
Speaker 2: A free backpack.
Speaker 3: Now, I know you're an honest guy, but don't lie
Speaker 3: about saying my dad is solid.
Speaker 2: We've played the last two months and it's been the
Speaker 2: farthest thing from solid. This is why we're playing in
Speaker 2: the scramble.
Speaker 3: If he had to play by himself out there, he
Speaker 3: shooting sixty eight, he was shooting.
Speaker 2: He shoots his age. Now there was due nine holes.
Speaker 2: It's handicapp going up by age each year.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, so, but but you know how it is,
Speaker 4: those the best people to have in a scramble, you
Speaker 4: know it.
Speaker 2: It's right we're gonna at the red T's.
Speaker 3: But also I know this is this is a little
Speaker 3: bit off talking from topic from the golf outing. I
Speaker 3: just have a question about it because I came from
Speaker 3: a lower school. My brother played out of mid major,
Speaker 3: and I know a lot of kids always feel like
Speaker 3: they have to go to a power five school like
Speaker 3: the U of L or Kentucky to be able to
Speaker 3: have a chance to make it.
Speaker 2: To the next level.
Speaker 3: You came from Dresville, came as a grad transfer U
Speaker 3: of L one. I want to ask what was your
Speaker 3: decision in coming to louis was a grad transfer in
Speaker 3: two What were the big do you think you had
Speaker 3: a better chance at making it to the next level
Speaker 3: coming to u of L or staying even just coming
Speaker 3: straight out of Drexel Because Drexel were your second team
Speaker 3: All Conference actual, your first team All Conference, first team
Speaker 3: All Defense your senior year, even your second team All
Speaker 3: ACC I think those are phenomenal a conferencements to make
Speaker 3: no matter what conference, matter what level you play. I've
Speaker 3: seen players come from We've all seen players come from
Speaker 3: low level schools and mid major schools come out there
Speaker 3: and be successful in their professional careers. But you think
Speaker 3: going to the uf L was a big turning point
Speaker 3: in your career to get to that next level.
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, that's that's actually a really good question. I haven't.
Speaker 4: I mean, it's honestly been almost ten years since I've
Speaker 4: even thought about it. And it's like when, well, I
Speaker 4: since I thought about it, since it's been ten years
Speaker 4: since I've made the decision to leave Drexel to go
Speaker 4: to Louisville, And like, for me, it was just like
Speaker 4: I felt like at the time I did everything that
Speaker 4: I could do, you know, being at Drexel, and you know,
Speaker 4: I just I just felt like I wanted another like
Speaker 4: not another test, but you know, just to like measure
Speaker 4: myself up against those you know, which what I felt
Speaker 4: was was the best conference in the country, which was
Speaker 4: the ACC at the time, obviously Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, Syracuse,
Speaker 4: you know, all those guys. But when I was but
Speaker 4: I was leaving Drexel, that was that was part of
Speaker 4: the toughest decision that I had. But I knew that
Speaker 4: if I could hold my own in the ACC that year,
Speaker 4: it was just a test of myself like a challenge,
Speaker 4: and I'm someone that loves challenges. I love you know,
Speaker 4: that back against the wall mentality that you know everything's
Speaker 4: against you and how do you come out and figure
Speaker 4: it out? And I do think that that year helped
Speaker 4: prepare me to understand what it was like to be
Speaker 4: a pro. We stayed at you know, really good hotels,
Speaker 4: the travel that we had, we flew private. That was
Speaker 4: my first time ever doing that. But if I stayed
Speaker 4: at Drexel, I hm, that's tough. I don't fully know
Speaker 4: if I'd be where I am, But I know Drexel
Speaker 4: help made me to who I am today because I
Speaker 4: still carry that ship with me everywhere I go, even
Speaker 4: when I get announced for NBA games or on the pamphlet,
Speaker 4: I tell them to make sure they put Drexel like
Speaker 4: they'll always put Louisville, and Louisville holds a very special
Speaker 4: place in my heart. But those four years at Drexel,
Speaker 4: that especially Dregs wil being disrespected, you know, mainly in
Speaker 4: the city of Philly, like not not viewed at as
Speaker 4: one of those like you know five schools, the Big
Speaker 4: five schools, And every time we played against any other
Speaker 4: school in Philly was like I wanted to go out
Speaker 4: and dominate, to show like how much Drexel really means
Speaker 4: to me. And I will carry that with me every day.
Speaker 4: I mean, there's only three guys in the history of
Speaker 4: Dreuxel ever play in the NBA. Mike Anderson had played
Speaker 4: in the eighties, Malik Rose, and then myself. So I
Speaker 4: kind of carry that torch with me, you know, everywhere
Speaker 4: we go until you know, the next guy from Drexel
Speaker 4: comes along.
Speaker 1: Great George, when we come back, we're gonna throw it
Speaker 1: back to you talking about name, image and likeness and
Speaker 1: get Damien's view on college players being paid. This is
Speaker 1: easy Sports Radio. It's six poin forty We'll talk to
Speaker 1: you all after the break. Welcome back to Sports Radio.
Speaker 1: June the twentieth. It is seven forty three and George,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna throw it to you. They mentioned likeness, but
Speaker 1: be first thing, Damian, give me a two minute synopsis of.
Speaker 2: The NBA playoffs.
Speaker 1: Ok, see Pacers, and what do you thought about last
Speaker 1: night's game.
Speaker 4: I'm excited. I've been I've been excited. I think Game
Speaker 4: seven are one of the best things in sports. It
Speaker 4: doesn't matter what sport it is. To see how Halle
Speaker 4: was able to go out there and gun cut it
Speaker 4: out through you know, the calf injury. I think it's major.
Speaker 4: And yeah, I think what the game's on Sunday. So
Speaker 4: really just excited. I mean, I feel like everyone's gonna
Speaker 4: be tuned in. Some people are saying that the playoffs,
Speaker 4: that the playoffs weren't that good. I think, I think
Speaker 4: this has been one of the best playoffs in an
Speaker 4: NBA in recent history, from top to bottom, every single
Speaker 4: matchup all throughout, and then I think, uh, damn, I
Speaker 4: don't know who I'm picking. I just hope it comes
Speaker 4: down to the wire. But you know, just kind of
Speaker 4: ends off the playoffs, you know, in the right in
Speaker 4: the right fashion, but super excited. I've been. I've been
Speaker 4: nothing but pleased with all these games throughout the playoffs.
Speaker 4: And you hope the next year I can be on
Speaker 4: the team that you know can be back in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Absolutely no, I agree, George.
Speaker 5: Yeah, damon. You know they started in that L deal
Speaker 5: and we've been talking on this show, but even before
Speaker 5: in our al went down, the players should be paid.
Speaker 5: We always thinkured that one of the problems they had.
Speaker 5: They wanted to throw it to the Senate. They wanted
Speaker 5: to throw it to the uh uh and the NCAA
Speaker 5: just sit there and watch. I think it's out of
Speaker 5: hand now, don't get me wrong. But now they want
Speaker 5: to come and regulate the players, but they don't regulate
Speaker 5: the coaches, the people who make the n I L work.
Speaker 5: Are you guys? You know what I mean? So I
Speaker 5: think that they should because if you look at how
Speaker 5: even is now. Look at schools like Saint John's, all
Speaker 5: the big age schools with twenty one million dollars, they
Speaker 5: have no football program. Look at anyone to have recruiting.
Speaker 5: Do you think that this is good? Do you think
Speaker 5: that the NCA should have said it and either regulate
Speaker 5: coaches players. You just think it should just be the
Speaker 5: wild wid West.
Speaker 4: I definitely don't think it should be the wild will West.
Speaker 4: I thought it was supposed to be a way of
Speaker 4: like the original thought was like kids get paid through
Speaker 4: like partnerships with like companies, like local local brands.
Speaker 5: You know.
Speaker 4: I thought that was kind of the wave that it
Speaker 4: was going. But yeah, now that it's the wild wild West,
Speaker 4: like you have, I mean, you know, I'm happy that
Speaker 4: these kids are getting paid, like that's amazing, but it's
Speaker 4: also crazy to see like these kids go to a
Speaker 4: school for X amount of money and then they don't
Speaker 4: actually go to the school because they're like, oh, I
Speaker 4: didn't get paid my money up front, and then they
Speaker 4: transfer and they leave, and it's like that's where it
Speaker 4: kind of gets a little tricky for me because at
Speaker 4: some point, like, yes, it's about pay to play and
Speaker 4: these guys getting you know, compensated properly, but also like
Speaker 4: you're you getting a degree matters as well, at least
Speaker 4: in my eyes. I mean, I could be wrong, but
Speaker 4: you know, and then I think, I think eventually it'll
Speaker 4: probably go to just guys just having five years of
Speaker 4: college period. Like, I do think there has to be
Speaker 4: some rule put in where like you can't transfer after
Speaker 4: every year, you know, like kids going to one school
Speaker 4: and then going to another school and then going to
Speaker 4: another school. I feel like there should be a rule
Speaker 4: of like you can only transfer once maybe maybe twice
Speaker 4: max if like there's medical thing that comes up. But
Speaker 4: it's also like at some point, like I don't feel
Speaker 4: like you should be bouncing school to school to school
Speaker 4: to school for four years you go to different schools
Speaker 4: than like who's your allegiance to, Like what's your what's
Speaker 4: your fan base? Who? Like is it just off of
Speaker 4: sport or like what's like where's your where's your academics
Speaker 4: coming from? As well?
Speaker 1: That's George, great question, Damian, great answer. Uh, Damian, you
Speaker 1: sound like a little conservative right there. Now, I'm being straight.
Speaker 1: George knows that, Damien. I've been the same for years.
Speaker 1: Players should be paid, and yes, it is the wild
Speaker 1: wild West, but that's how things work. Things will be legislated.
Speaker 1: A lot of people agree with you. I've got close
Speaker 1: friends Damien that we're worried about the players leaving every year,
Speaker 1: and I agree with that. I don't know how you
Speaker 1: can get your degree doing that. I do agree with
Speaker 1: the way that you get it. You at your degree
Speaker 1: when you left rights to come to Louisville, But I
Speaker 1: don't like to limit the player's ability.
Speaker 2: To make money.
Speaker 1: And it was supposed the format was supposed to have been,
Speaker 1: you get naming rights throughout the city, you do commercials
Speaker 1: for people in your city. You start to gain contacts
Speaker 1: to where it will further you when you're finished playing.
Speaker 1: Like most athletes, most are not, Damien Lee. They don't
Speaker 1: make a dying playing professional sports. You know they don't.
Speaker 1: You're an exception to the rule. That's what people don't understand.
Speaker 1: And it was supposed to help them gain business contacts.
Speaker 1: Well now it's just turned into pay for play. I'm
Speaker 1: still not mad at that, though, Damien, I'm not gonna
Speaker 1: kid you.
Speaker 2: It's been too Damon.
Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty two, I played in front of seventy
Speaker 1: two thousand people when Michael Jordan hit the shot.
Speaker 2: I was in that final four.
Speaker 1: There's seventy two thousand people there and the tickets were expensive.
Speaker 1: So it's been fifty plus years before players like yourself
Speaker 1: were able to benefit and I'm glad that you all
Speaker 1: are benefiting. I do think the NCAA never does its job,
Speaker 1: Georgia alluding to it so that they always push it
Speaker 1: off on the Congress, Senate. They want someone to do
Speaker 1: it or a lawsuit has to do it because.
Speaker 2: They wouldn't do it. But you are correct.
Speaker 1: There needs to be guardrails put on this, and it
Speaker 1: needs to be put on really soon.
Speaker 4: I agree, and it's like, oh, sorry, you call it, George,
Speaker 4: all right?
Speaker 5: The thing I say what I think it should be. Yes,
Speaker 5: I think the school should be obligated to pay a
Speaker 5: certain amount of money. But I also say, if a
Speaker 5: player has the capability and he has and he doesn't
Speaker 5: accept the school's money and he says that I can
Speaker 5: get paid on my own, he should be able to
Speaker 5: make the money that he can make.
Speaker 4: Because I wholeheartedly agree with that, because it's like, at
Speaker 4: the end of the day, like it's just like like
Speaker 4: we're all kind of I mean, we're all in the
Speaker 4: same boat. It's like you should be you should be
Speaker 4: compensated for what you produce. For like, if you're the
Speaker 4: best player on the team, I feel like you should
Speaker 4: get the most amount of money. That's just how it is.
Speaker 4: It's cutting dry, yes, but because you're the one that's
Speaker 4: helped bringing in the revenue, you're help driving the ticket sales,
Speaker 4: doing everything, jerseys and all that. I just think it
Speaker 4: gets it gets tricky when you have kids that average
Speaker 4: four or five points a game and they're asking for
Speaker 4: five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred thousand dollars. Then it's like,
Speaker 4: all right, let's be like, let's be realistic about it, Like, yes,
Speaker 4: there's there's enough money for everyone, but like let's be
Speaker 4: real and if and and let's say you average four
Speaker 4: or five points a game, which is okay, it's not bad.
Speaker 4: That's just the spot that you're in now. But you
Speaker 4: go to a lower school and you average more, and
Speaker 4: then you build your name up. Then you go back
Speaker 4: to a higher school, which is why I said the
Speaker 4: possibility of like they're transferring twice thing, then at least
Speaker 4: you can get compensated for that down the line. But
Speaker 4: don't count your eggs before they hatch and think, oh,
Speaker 4: I'm gonna like I deserve this just because you see
Speaker 4: the next person is getting it. I just think that's
Speaker 4: like that's where a lot of these kids are just
Speaker 4: losing their minds.
Speaker 1: Productivity has to has to come into play and sports.
Speaker 1: It always has, it has to. Now, look, I got
Speaker 1: a gentleman as crazy. I just want you to know that, Damien.
Speaker 1: But he says he's got a personal question for you,
Speaker 1: and I'm gonna les George. He's George's guy. Ac is
Speaker 1: George's guy. Bring Ac do the show.
Speaker 6: Good morning, Good morning, miss Lee. First of all, I apologize.
Speaker 6: First of all, I did not know who you are,
Speaker 6: so I had to do some Google research. If I'm
Speaker 6: not mistaken, you won the twenty twenty two D Championship
Speaker 6: with Golden State. Am I correct?
Speaker 4: Yes, I was a part of that team.
Speaker 6: Okay, so I am talking to the right person. Good
Speaker 6: Let me ask you a question. I'm gonna be honest
Speaker 6: with you. I did not know who you are are,
Speaker 6: so I have to do some research. Let me ask
Speaker 6: a question. What was it like for you to play
Speaker 6: with the Splash Brothers and why in your opinion? I mean,
Speaker 6: this is what we see in the media. Why do
Speaker 6: you think your current teammates about to be former Kevin
Speaker 6: Durant is so sensitive? You know I'm gonna be crazy
Speaker 6: next week?
Speaker 4: All right, Well, I'll answer the latter First, I wouldn't.
Speaker 4: I wouldn't take Kevin sent itive. I mean that's just me.
Speaker 4: We've been teammates over over, like I said, a span
Speaker 4: of years. I just think he's one of those guys
Speaker 4: that obviously him being very active on social media, like
Speaker 4: he's not afraid to be who he is and just
Speaker 4: talk about whether it's basketball, you know, whatever the case is.
Speaker 4: So I think that's honest. I'd say from that standpoint,
Speaker 4: that's admirable because I wish there's there's some things I
Speaker 4: wish I could say back to people on social media,
Speaker 4: but I just don't, like I just don't, you know,
Speaker 4: have that have that one way about me. I mean,
Speaker 4: I you know I do have things. You know, if
Speaker 4: people say it in you know, in front of my
Speaker 4: face or whatever, then you know, I definitely always have
Speaker 4: something that you know, comeback willing or ready, but I
Speaker 4: just don't have it to you know, put it out there.
Speaker 4: And keV keV. keV has that and can speak on
Speaker 4: whatever he wants, and like that's something that I wish
Speaker 4: I could do. But to talk about playing with the
Speaker 4: Splash Brothers, I mean I always tell people this, man,
Speaker 4: I've been I've been fortunate and blessed enough, you know,
Speaker 4: amongst amongst my career to learn and play with some
Speaker 4: of the greatest players to ever play. I mean, all
Speaker 4: the coaches I've played for have either been to the
Speaker 4: NBA Finals or won the NBA Finals, been a part
Speaker 4: of championship teams. The players I've played with, I've played
Speaker 4: with at least sticks possibly seven Hall of Famers, and
Speaker 4: just try to gain as much knowledge as I could
Speaker 4: from them. All those guys, you know, I'm lucky enough
Speaker 4: to be friends with. And like I said, I mean,
Speaker 4: I've been to the finals twice one year twenty nineteen
Speaker 4: obviously had the injuries, lost to Toronto, and then being
Speaker 4: there in twenty twenty two, and just seeing what it's
Speaker 4: like to win a championship, to be a part of
Speaker 4: a team that's so special where everyone's completely bought in
Speaker 4: one through fifteen. Coach utilized everyone one through fifteen throughout
Speaker 4: and and it's just it's just empowering. But with those guys, man,
Speaker 4: if you give them fifteen minute workouts either before practice
Speaker 4: or after practice, it's just mesmerizing. You see why they
Speaker 4: are who they are for sure.
Speaker 2: But we got to get out again, let them know
Speaker 2: about your golf out. Let them know. I don't want
Speaker 2: you to kill me. Let them know about your golf.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah, so so Damian Lee Family Foundation August fourth,
Speaker 4: lou Uh you at Louisville Cardinal Club. I think it's
Speaker 4: Spoor one champions Way Simpsons, I'm not my FA. Yes, yeah,
Speaker 4: so we're there. Uh. Registrations on Damian Lee Familyfoundation dot
Speaker 4: com is also on my Instagram Damian Lee D A
Speaker 4: M I zero and L E E uh the links there.
Speaker 4: Registration is up. It's still open. We still got some
Speaker 4: spots available, also have some sponsorship spots available as well.
Speaker 4: Come out. It is a great time. It's one of
Speaker 4: the best times, one of the best golf outings that
Speaker 4: you'll come to. Yeah, it's it's it's amazing. And you know,
Speaker 4: some of the proceeds are going back to the West
Speaker 4: Ends of the Louisville community, the West n Y m
Speaker 4: c A and Chris James Academy.
Speaker 1: Great Damien Lee, we appreciate your time. Thanks for getting
Speaker 1: up so early in Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaker 2: To call in. Tell your mother I will see you there.
Speaker 5: I will definitely be there.
Speaker 1: I'll have my team in and George, you're not invited
Speaker 1: to play on my team period.
Speaker 5: Hey, if you got your son's playing your team, you
Speaker 5: just own the team. You're not playing, you own the team.
Speaker 4: Hey, George, George, all you gotta do is George, all
Speaker 4: you gotta do is get three more people you come
Speaker 4: pull up and then and then we'll see who takes
Speaker 4: the money.
Speaker 2: There you go, that's that's a challenge.
Speaker 5: Yes, George, don't play that game. I wear them out.
Speaker 1: I'll wear them out, David Brother.
Speaker 4: Contend your success.
Speaker 2: And see you in August.
Speaker 4: See that love you.
Speaker 1: Eastports Radio, Panama City. We'll talk to you along Monday.
Speaker 2: Bye bye,