He’s the Special Assistant to Dallas Mavericks Owner, Mark Cuban, and he’s the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Texas Legends. You can feel the hockey love in Al Whitley’s voice (and a little of that Canadian accent, too), but he lives and breathes the world of basketball.
Winning the NBA Championship is no doubt and no surprise a highlight of Al’s career. He talks about that magical time, working with Mark Cuban, and even shenanigans with Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.
We talk about the NBA G-League and how the Legends are profoundly focusing on developing these young players to set them up for success in the NBA.
Enjoy Al’s unique perspective in helping bridge the Legends and Mavs in episode #45 of Hustle and Pro.
Show Notes
- [1:20] Quick hits with Al Whitley
- [3:50] NBA vs NHL – what’s harder to win?
- [6:15] Al’s sports as a kid
- [7:00] Al’s role with the Mavs & the Legends
- [9:30] Two-way players and the importance of development
- [15:30] G-League structure and future
- [20:00] Mavs / Legends Philosophy
- [21:30] Steve Nash, childhood friend destined for greatness
- [26:00] Punk’d with Dirk
Resources within this episode:
- Al Whitley: Instagram @alwhitley | Twitter: @bigalpumpy
- Texas Legends: Website | Instagram @texaslegends | Twitter: @TexasLegends
- Dallas Mavericks: Instagram @dallasmavs | Twitter: @dallasmavs
- Kelly Walker: Instagram @kelly_walkertexas | Twitter: @kelly_walker_TX
This episode is sponsored by i9 Sports North Dallas.
Visit i9 Sports to find the program that works for your family. Age Groups include Pee Wee, Juniors, and Seniors. Sports include Flag Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer and Zip Lacrosse.
i9 Sports® provides a youth sports experience unlike any other teaching the importance of good sportsmanship on the field and in life.
The Way Youth Sports Should Be.®
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Transcript: (machine-generated)
This is Hustle and Pro with Kelly Walker. Join Kelly as she talks sports with players, coaches, organizers, and entrepreneurs from Peewee League to Pro. Now here’s your host, Kelly Walker.
You guys know I like getting athletes here on Hustle & Pro, players from all of our pro sports teams here in Frisco especially. But in a weird way. I actually like having guests on like today who are the organizers, the front office and the people with all the real access to everything. So enter Al Whitley who has a particularly cool access to the pro basketball scene here in Dallas. Welcome Al. Thank you. Thanks for having me. I’m excited. Well, I’m excited too. We have Brandon May with us again because you know all things basketball, he’s here to help me out. The real expert. The real for sure. For sure. So I want to have a couple quick hits just to jump off with and then we’ll get into some questions for you. This is a simple one. Who’s your all time favorite athlete? Wayne Gretzky. Grew up in Canada, You know, if you’re growing up in Canada, you’re a hockey guy and just mesmerized by him, his creativity, uh, from an early age and just watch all those Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers. So he hands down was my favorite and a close second was Michael Jordan.
Okay. Yeah. So when we talk about the farthest distance you’ve traveled for sports, how far have you traveled to either play sports if as an athlete, maybe yourself as a kid or now in your professional life? I think professionally, it was China with the Mavericks, you know, recently last year. We’ve been to Europe, we’ve, you know, kinda been all over the world, which is incredible, if you think about it, you get to travel the world, see different cultures and you know, you’re technically working. So it’s uh, yeah, China would be, that would be the farthest for sure.
I’m sure we’ll talk a little bit more about Mark Cuban, but what is your favorite Cuban moment or a memory? I think, um, you know, when we won the championship, just, uh, we had a, an embrace in a hug on the court and just the, the pure joy of, you know, accomplishing a goal that was set years and years ago. The amount of hard work, the things that have to go into it in order to reach the pinnacle, um, behind the scenes, uh, lots played out in public, so on and so forth, uh, was just magical. It really was. And I know how much he puts into it, how much he cares. He’s a, you know, he’s not just a face, he’s an owner that’s invested not just financially but all around. So to finally see that happen, um, was really, really special. Now that you’ve seen it happen, you also now how hard it is to recreate, right? Yeah. You know, just to go back in time a little bit, in 2006, you’re up to in the finals and I have a hard time talking about it too. And you know, you think, Oh wow, this is good. There’s nothing guaranteed. Right. And things didn’t work out. And then the next year we start off 0 and 4 and we’re like, wow. But then we go 67 and 11, we’re the number one seed. And we’re thinking, okay, we’re back. You know, this, I guess we can get back there every year. And it just doesn’t work that way. There’s just so much, there’s so much luck that’s involved making moves, team chemistry, whatever you have. There’s so many factors to get to that level that you really, really, really appreciate when you’re able to. And in 2011 we were um, when you get there, cause it’s, you know, nothing’s guaranteed in pro sports.
Yeah. Going off script here, but do you think, um, winning a NBA championship or hockey NHL championship is tougher? I’ve always heard people say that they think hockey is the toughest series to win and repeat. Yeah, that’s a really good question cause I’m Canadian and you know, um, the love of hockey for me, is endless, but I’ve worked in basketball and pro sport, you know, for 20 years. They’re equal. The seasons are equal. I will say playoff hockey with the grueling, um, the way they play the up and down in the physicality of it, it honestly might be the hardest one. I’m going to say basketball is a very close second, right? It’s kind of like in baseball. If you’ve got that ACE, sure. Then you can pitch them a couple of games. You can put the same with hockey, it’s like, okay, maybe you made it in as an eighth seed. But if you’ve got that goalie and it’s a, exactly. I tell everybody all the time, you know, especially down here and be like, Hey, you know, tell me about hockey, whatever.
If you have a hot goalie going into the playoffs, it doesn’t matter what seed you are. Um, you can ride them all the way to the Stanley cup. Yup. It’s pretty incredible. I mean, how unprecedented was Vegas? Yeah. Unbelievable. It was crazy. You know, the funny thing about Vegas is, so when they first said they’re getting an NHL team and I’m from Pacific Northwest, I’m thinking, you know, I’d love to see Seattle get a team before Vegas and you know, it’s coming obviously, but um, we were at a showcase G league showcase and there was an off night where I actually went to a, to a Vegas hockey game. Just wanted to check it out thinking that it was going to be just another source entertainment in the city. Yeah. Tourists come down, check it out. Yeah. They’ll have a decent crowd. It’s one of the best crowds I’ve ever seen. Literally every second or third person had a Jersey, a golden Knights Jersey, and it was a home based hometown team. Like crowd base. I was blown away. They ate it up and they, and you know what, and they did some really creative things entertainment wise that I’ve never seen at a hockey game and it’s working and they did an unbelievable season. Would you compare that in a way to how Nashville is embraced it? For sure. It’s like they’ve got, you don’t consider those hockey, you know, parts of the world and for them to, you know, LA when Gretzky got there, it wasn’t a hockey city. Neither was Dallas, neither was Dallas. And now our Winter Classic royalty that just happened. Yeah, I missed that. But I heard it was amazing. Yeah. Well I saw it on T V and it was amazing on TV.
So real quick, I know, I want to kind of know, just like growing up were your sports hockey and basketball personally? What all did you do? Actually my, my, my biggest sport was lacrosse and it was like box lacrosse and field lacrosse back then. This is a lot of years ago. I played soccer. Uh, I definitely played hockey. And then we all kinda hit the eighth grade and my, all of our group of friends decided to start basketball, start playing basketball, and I fell in love with it immediately. Um, probably had a chance to play college lacrosse. Um, and I picked basketball, I played college basketball in Canada, but, uh, you know, the ultimate dream growing up was the NHL or the NBA. And uh, I had to find another way to get there.
Right. So let’s talk about that. Brandon, I know you have some NBA specific questions for Al. Well, so I was born in 77. Mavericks were originated in 1980, so almost literally a lifelong fan. Uh, are you basically Keith Grant 2.0 is that what we’re doing here? Equipment manager, getting into the front office. Sure, sure. Expanding. Have you talked to him? You know, Keith has been an incredible mentor to me. Um, obviously his story’s incredible. It’s not a road you know, normally traveled. Uh, especially in modern day NBA with the staff size so big and so many other things going on. I’m definitely in a unique situation where not many people get an opportunity like I’m getting. So that would be a, that’s a scenario, you know, that’s my goals. Um, I’ve always set high goals for myself. Uh, I’ve always dreamed of being, you know, in the front office in some capacity and getting the chance to do that and kind of grow my skills and development in the G league is a perfect fit for me. And you know, we’ll see where it takes me. But it still is the ultimate goal? Absolutely just, you know, just to be a, you know, just to be a part of the front office and, and be a resource and just, you know, help out where I need to be helping out. I’ve always kinda been a team guy. Whatever’s needed to be done. Even all my years as the head equipment guy for the Mavs, I was always trying to learn every aspect of the business, so, and prepare myself that one day if I got the opportunity I was going to take advantage of it. And so here we are, you know, year two of that and uh, you know, I plan on continuing to do that.
I heard, I heard you tell, I think it was Skin Wade or somebody, that you had put that out there and finally somebody read it. Every year in my bio I always put, you know, uh, uh, future ambitions, you know, front office management or whatever. I said it maybe, I guess our owner finally read my bio after 17 years. Yeah. It was funny. And so officially, with the Legends here, you’re the VP of Basketball Operations. I am. Yep. It’s an unofficial Mavs liaison title too. Cause that’s what, that’s what people refer to you as. For sure. I think my Mavs title is special assistant to an owner. Um, but basically I am, you know, it’s my job to kind of bridge the gap between the Mavericks and the Legends, oversee our development of our two-way players, our you know, draft picks are young players and uh, you know, and then roster basketball operations with the, with the Legends. I run that with Malcolm Farmer, our president, and just kind of create a system where we develop these guys and potentially, you know, hopefully if things go well into NBA players at one point.
So what’s your role in for example like recently when we had a two way player that’s playing on Legends one night, first NBA appearance and the Mavs one night, two nights later back in Frisco or wherever their away games are. So what, what are you doing in all of that time? So I’m in charge of kind of all of that and basically, um, it’s like a proud parent moment, you know, when these guys get called up and it’s their first NBA game, um, it’s, it’s pretty special for all of us, especially in the Legends who are around these guys every day and know how hard they’re working, that they’re fulfilling a dream. So I’m constantly, it’s my, it’s my job to help these guys develop in the G league and prepare them. So when their number is called, like Josh Reaves the other night and, uh, Antonio Cleveland’s going to be, you know, he was with the Mavs today and hopefully tomorrow night, um, that they are prepared and ready to make a seamless transition that when the Mavs, you know, the hardest part is when things are going well with the Mavericks or offenses, you know, a number one in the league efficiency and all this great stuff. How do you fit these guys and keep them connected to the Mavericks? And that’s the hardest part because, um, you know, it’s there, you got to pick and choose the time to do it. But going back and forth helps develop them the most. So, you know, we have injuries right now with the Mavericks guys are getting over a few bumps and bruises here and there. It’s that time of the season. So it’s our job with the Legends to have these guys ready that when they’re called upon, which they have been this week, um, that they can step in and, and if, when they’re needed and, and contribute.
How difficult is that balance? Because obviously you’re trying to win games, but then if you’ve got your talented players, then getting called up from the Blazers, you’ve got people coming back and forth. For sure. You’re talking on the Legends perspective? Yeah, I mean the roster moves, you know, that’s the, that’s the hardest part, especially for Coach Galanopoulos is, you know, your roster can change, you know, in a matter of hours in the gym. Right. It’s a great experience for him. It’s a great experience for me to deal with moving forward in my career as well. But you gotta be, you gotta adjust, right? Pro sports, you know, is being able to adjust on the fly. I really think that’s the most, you know, it’s one of the most crucial things in my whole career with the Mavericks is you gotta have a plan a, B, and C because you never know what’s going to happen in a time and you gotta be ready for it.
You mentioned winning, you still want to win, but I still feel that in a development league the winning is prioritized less and less when you have to prioritize the development. For sure. For sure. I think in any development situation you want a culture that’s based on winning, but it’s promoted through development, right? And accountability. So of course developing not only our players but our staff in the G league level is priority number one. We want these guys, whether they’re their MBA potential is, or their basketball potential, excuse me, is NBA, maybe it’s a great contract overseas, whatever the case may be. We want to do everything we can to put them in a situation that they can achieve that and our staff too, right? If there’s areas where our staff are doing really well and they can be, they can move on to the next level or we can help them out too. We take a huge, you know, huge pride in that as well. So, but at the end of the day, we’re, you know, if you’re at this level of pro sports, we can talk all we want about that winning is not the most important thing and it’s not, but it’s pretty close up there. We’re all very competitive. We want to, you know, we put so much work into these game plans and practicing and these rosters and stuff. At the end of the day, it is nice to win and winning promotes development. At least you know, it is a little bit faster. Everything feels better when you win. It does. Right? Everybody’s smiling the next day as opposed to not smiling. Right, right.
Well that’s one of the questions I asked Isaiah Roby was, okay, you could be on the Mavericks on the bench, but you’re getting maybe two, three minutes of burn and have a blowout game either way. Or you can be here and you can play 30-35 minutes. What would you rather do? Cause you, obviously your dream is to be in the NBA, but players want to play. So what did he say? Well, I’m hoping he said, um, that he wants to play. Yes. And so anytime you’re in a development role and you’re, you know, we drafted Isaiah, he was signed to, to the team, we believe in him, but if you look at our roster, he’s not gonna get the minutes like you were talking about. And the only way you can develop is to play. And if you’re going to be up with the Mavericks, you know, when you get to this part of the season, yeah of course we’re practicing every day, but it’s not you know, they’re not scrimmaging for 30 minutes or all this kind of hard contact stuff because we, you know, we have three games in four nights coming up. It’s just not reasonable. And it’s just not, it’s not gonna happen. So they’ve got to play to develop and the G league, 20 minutes up the road, I mean, what better situation can you be in? So, yeah. Yeah. I asked the same question, what last year to Ray Spalding and same answers, like, yeah, I really want to fly on that really nice plane. And that’s the thing, right? The perks, right? It’s, it is really nice. This dream, it’s the dream, right? But you got to work hard to achieve the dream. And they’ve worked hard to this point. But professional basketball is different than AAU. It’s different than college. These guys, you know, have to put the work in and if they do, um, and the opportunity knocks and they’re ready, then they’ll be on that plane, they’ll be in that nice hotel and you know, so on and so forth.
Well, in turn, that makes you look good as, I mean, like there’s a reason the Blazers chose you guys to send their two guys to, right. They could have gone anywhere for sure. I think we do a really good job of that. And, and that’s, you know, attribute to Malcolm. Uh, he’s been doing this since day one. The Legends were here over 10 years. And just the way that we, um, yeah, we want those guys to come in. We’re helping to develop them to, um, and I think we do do a really good job of that. I’m giving them the minutes that they need and give them their coaches and their other teams reports on how they’re doing and we just keep in constant contact. Do you like the way, because what I like the most about the G league, I’ve always wanted a minor league system in the NBA and they’re getting there. I still think that there’s movement or do you have anything that you like as much as I like the fact that we’ve got players from the Blazers over here or just people from overseas that just want to get some better competition, all that stuff. Would you be more inclined to say all of you belong to the Mavericks or am I going too far. You know, like a baseball minor. Yeah. Baseball. Even hockey. Right. I grew up with a hockey modeling system. And you do have the rights to all of them. You know, I don’t know how. I know there’s been conversations, I don’t know how close they are to making that happen. Um, you know, markets like New York, LA, you know, Frisco is a pretty nice place to play in the G league. Do they have an advantage? And if, if it’s a rights in like a free agency situation, are the smaller market teams in the middle of nowhere going to get players? I don’t know.
So I think there’s a lot of things you have to look at. I like to have the rights cause then you get to develop them. And you know, we’ve got a couple of players on our team right now that I think are NBA talents and NBA worthy and, and I will be surprised if they don’t get an NBA call up from some team. We don’t own their rights. Right. Right. But I want to see them do well, they put the work in and that’s the goal is to develop these guys to get to the highest level. So, um, you know, it’d be sad to see them go, but they’re, you know, it’s also they’re attaining their dream and would never want to hold them back from that. It does feel like the more depth though that the Mavs could have in the, in the G league would be better for the development overall with only two. Right? Yeah, for sure. Two. So we have two, two way players so we, nobody can take, you know, if they’re playing really well, another team can’t come in and sign them. They’re ours, you know, for either it’s a year deal or a two year deal. The Isaiah Roby’s who’s on our roster, if he’s assigned to us like he is right now, nobody can take him. But the rest of our rosters open that they’re playing at an NBA level and it just takes one team to like you, they could apply to the exhibit tens as well. Yeah. Exhibit tens yeah. Fair game. Yup. Okay. So, you know, and that we’re in that season right now, you know, the 10 day contract in the NBA just started a couple of days ago. So a phone could ring any minute that one of our guys has been called up and we will, uh, we’ll do a nice celebration presentation in front of the team and wish them well. And either they’re going to be back or they’re not going to be.
Yeah. So, yeah, that’s why I’ve always wished that just cause I’m old enough to remember when the NBA draft was more than two rounds and they cut that back because they realized guys weren’t making teams like, well if you just had a minor league system and sure put them down there. And not only that, but we’re coming up on the trade deadline now. They’re not just players, they’re assets that you could put in as prospects. No different than hockey or baseball does. But I guess they’re growing. I mean, not every team even has a G league affiliate yet. So. So 28 of the 30 teams do. Denver and Portland are the only two that don’t. Okay. I suspect that, you know, in the next couple of years all 30 teams will have them. But you know, you just don’t know. I honestly think the NBA could almost move to a third round with the two way players because um, you know, most of those guys are decided draft right after the draft. It’s kind of a scramble to, you know, to find some good two way players that you think have NBA potential that you can hopefully develop. So when does the one and done rule end, is that next year? Yeah, I think it’s a year or two away, but it’s, it’s, you know, that changes the G league too, right. And the talent level is going to go way up. It goes up every year right now and just get more and more guys want to stay home and, and this is the fastest way to get to the NBA is to be, you know, there’s scouts all over the world. If you’re good enough we’re going to find you.
But um, you know, just to, to stay home close to your families and have a chance to make the NBA more and more guys are staying. Then you add this, I mean the G league is, you know, is legitimate. I was watching uh, the Toronto Raptors sure. Defending champions, their head coach, G league, two championships, two different teams in the G league of athlete G league. Chris Cruciate now on their roster, even Yakim G league. They’ve done a really good job up there in using their G league, developing these players and you know, look at them now. Yeah. Then yeah, fantastic example. So does that speak then kind of to the cohesion between Mavericks-Legends philosophy, development, all that? Absolutely. We want to kind of mirror it. Right. You know, and that’s why one of the things that was so appealing to coach Galanopoulos is he’s been in our, Mavs video room for the last two years. And so he knows the Maverick style of play, what we’re trying to do, the culture, uh, the staff. And so it’s just an easy transition for him and teaching that cause we’re, we, you know, it’s the same principles. There’s no secrets here. Yeah. Um, if I feel like if you’re doing it, have a successful G league team, it’s usually mirroring the NBA team. Um, for the guys that are down in the G league, if they are called up, it’s a pretty seamless transition. It’s not two different offenses in two different defenses and look like, you know, a ghost out there. Right. So that’s the goal. And that’s why George, you know, among many things was so appealing this summer. With his background, is that kind of the similar trajectory to like Spoelstra cause he started off right in the video room. For sure. There’s a lot of guys that started in the video room and you just work your way up. I mean when you know the video room, you’re buried in there. Studying all the time. All the time. And in your 12, 14 hour days easily where you just, you don’t even see the outside of the, you know, if it’s sunny or raining outside, they’re studying film, cutting film. So those guys know the system inside and out and they’re great guys and resources to tap into and to use.
I have a non G league question. I cannot let you leave without asking you. I’m ready. You’re from Canada. You mentioned that. What’s the relationship with you and Steve Nash? Me and Mr. Nash. We grew up together. So we are, uh, we’ve been best of friends since we were probably 11 or 12 years old. And um, I actually did use to beat him a few times and one-on-one. I know it’s hard to believe. We all were kind of the same level, our group of friends, um, growing up and then kind of high school hit, we kinda, our development kind of slowed down a little bit and his just kinda took off and we were like, wait a second, where’s he going? And he never came back though. A group of friends you talked about at the beginning that started basketball. Is he one of those guys? Absolutely. And probably soccer group you mentioned, right? Really good. He was a way better soccer player than basketball. That’s what I’ve heard. Incredible. My brother played professional. He could’ve played first division over in and if that was his main sport and he chose, he was, I mean you just see him goofing around with the ball and stuff. Yeah. It’s his hand and eye coordination. It’s why his footwork was so good on the NBA court cause he was, he was a magician on the pitch.
That’s one of the reasons he and Dirk got along so well. For sure right away. The European football connection. Yeah. Yeah. It’s really cool. I love me some Steve Nash, I’m sure you do too, Brandon. Yes. That’s pretty amazing that you guys grew up together and you know. I just saw him New Year’s Eve. We’re uh, we played South Bay Lakers and I had him come to our shoot out. Yeah, it was pretty neat. It was cool. He came and talked to the Legends. He did. He just, you know, his story’s inspiring. He, you know, you look at all his accolades and two MVPs and Hall of Famer and third assists and you think, Oh, this guy had a pretty easy career or whatever. But it wasn’t that way at all. I mean, now Canada’s heavily scouted and we have an incredible group of basketball players, young coming up through the system. But when he started playing, especially Western Canada, it was hockey and what, what is basketball? So, you know, he had one college scholarship to the States, to a small school, Santa Clara, Santa Clara Broncos. And then, you know, when he first got to Dallas and got that contract and there was all this pressure and tried to play through injury, he was getting booed off the court. Like there was a lot of, um, there’s a lot of parts of his career that you didn’t know which way it was going to go. And just, you know, knowing the person he is and the perseverance and the mental toughness, you just, it was destined for greatness. Now, did we think he’s going to be a two time MVP at the NBA? No, but he’s just, um, he went to the gym every day with a purpose to get better. And that’s easy to say, but took for the guys that can really do it, the Steve Nash’s, the Dirk Nowitzky ‘s, the Jason Kids, you know, it’s truly amazing. So, his story was inspiring and I wanted him to come and talk to the guys and let them know some of these guys on the brink of the NBA. And don’t, don’t lose focus of that. You know, you got to keep working hard every day. You gotta be the hardest worker in the gym, you gotta be a great team mate, you know, bad body language, NBA teams aren’t going to look at you. Right. Just little things. I’m somebody who’s been there from somebody who’s been there and you know, one of the greatest to play his position.
So that’s what’s amazing too is that before he got here, he was a third stringer with Phoenix behind Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson. You are a basketball historian. Yeah. He’s a fatty. Big time. Like okay, at that point you got to realize, yeah, maybe I am third stringer, but for sure two dudes at that time and then realize what I mean because Donnie was on the coaching staff at that. Absolutely. And they got a chance to know him and you know, when you look at that situation, you’re like, I’m playing behind these two guys every day or I’m competing with these guys every day and trying to get better. And that’s what he did. And um, the, the rest is history. So pretty, pretty nice ride. So as a result of your friendship with Nash, then obviously you developed a friendship with Dirk. Sure. Yeah, it really, you know, and obviously, and Mark, you know, was the big one that when MC bought the team 20 years ago is when I first met him and we developed a friendship and you know, just unbelievably lucky. We were at dinner one night and he just, Hey, what are you up to and what do you want to do? And I said I’d love to move down here one day.
And it was kinda like, why don’t you come work for me? And I, you know, literally I was like, I wish I had a tape recorder. I’m like, did you really just say that? Like, and it took a long time. You know, we had to get lawyers involved cause I’m Canadian and it took nine months to get my working visa. And then my first day of the Mavericks was September 10th, 2001 the day before 9/11. I waited forever it felt like to get the working visa. If I hadn’t had got it when I got it, I probably wouldn’t be here. It would have been delayed for sure. And it probably never would have happened. So unbelievably grateful for the opportunity that he gave me. And 20 years later I’m still uh, still trying to figure it all out.
You were on an episode of Punk’d. Yeah. Yeah. So how did that come about, cause I think, had Nash already left for Phoenix? Yeah. Yeah. You were on an episode of Punk’d? I was. Tell me about that. Crazy. So Michael Findley knew a producer of the show and he comes to me because we’re getting ready for a trip to LA and says, Hey, do you want to punk Dirk? And I was like, okay. I feel like Dirk’s the biggest 12 year old in the world. Of course we want to punk him, but so many things are involved in that. We were on a back to back of back in the day, it was a noon game in Dallas. And then we played the next night in LA and Dirk a) doesn’t go out, but b) wasn’t going to even leave the hotel normally to even go for dinner if we played the next day. And if we lost the game in Dallas, there’s no way. So we had to tell them to set up the thing, set up the production, we hope we’re going to get them there. We ended up winning in Dallas. He was, you know, humming and hawing. He’s tired. He didn’t want to go to dinner. We forced him into a car. The table’s outside and Dirk’s notoriously always cold. And we’re in California. We’re in LA, but it’s still, it’s still a little breezy. So he starts complaining. I’m thinking, there’s no way we’re going to pull this off. And you had to be sitting in a certain spot. It wasn’t a restaurant we’d ever been to, but it was outside. So yeah. So there was a kid that kept on coming up to us and to Dirk and that was the gimmick and sign this, sign that and like sign LeBron James’ jersey and you know, and then Finn and I were just egging him on like you’re really going to sign that? He’s the nicest guy in the world. And literally, that’s how he is. And then finally with us egging him on he says, Hey, can I just finish my dinner first? You know, like, and that’s the most we could get out of him. He was so nice about it. You could tell he was getting irritated. I remember watching it like when it aired and of course I know who all of you are. What I thought was hilarious was they said Mike Findley. Yeah. And then they said trainer Al. Al the trainer. Lots of laughter. No, just Al, the trainer, I’m like, oh, who’s this guy? It’s weird. You’re walking in and you’re like, where are all the cameras? You don’t know anything. You just, you’re just like, are the cameras in the car on the way over there and we didn’t know anything. So they would have fooled you too for sure. So that was still at the time where the Mavericks were on the rise, but there was still the Lakers, the Blazers, the Kings, the Spurs. The basketball expert over here. There were so many good basketball teams back then that it was incredible. Just there are just way too many better teams in the West.
So what’s the next step then? Donnie Nelson, our team president has been incredible in, in mentoring me as well and, and bringing me into the fold with all of our Scouts. It’s been, you know, it’s a dream come true to be honest. So I’m fully immersed in this role. I love it. I, you know, it helps me develop and grow and learn. In saying that, you know, people who know me, I have high expectations of what I want to do and eventually down the road, but you know, to sit and talk about it now is, you know, that’s neither here nor there. When those opportunities come, they’ll present themselves. But right now I’m focused on developing our young guys and making the Texas Legends, the best G league team from a basketball standpoint in the NBA. We already are a franchise of the year and the business side you know with Malcolm and our staff have just done an incredible job on a match that on the basketball side and, and we are the premier development for young players and let’s get some guys into, you know, undrafted guys to the Mavericks roster one day. That’s the goal.
Well, you’re doing it. You’ve got that. Like I said at the beginning, you’ve got one of those dream jobs where you have access and just a perspective with these players. You’re not the player, right, but you’re there next best thing. You’re with them and you’re working with them and shaping them and getting them to the next level and it’s pretty neat. You’ve got a pretty cool situation. I’m very very lucky. Thanks for taking time out of your busy day. I know you’re in season full swing obviously, so thanks for coming over and jumping into the studio with us.
I appreciate you guys having me. This was fun. Nice to meet you. Thank you.
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