In this Legends Talk episode, join us as we sit down with Louisville legend, former NBA player, and current Overseas Pro, Russ Smith. Russ shares his incredible journey from college basketball to the NBA and beyond, offering valuable insights and inspiring stories along the way. Don’t miss this exclusive interview with a true basketball icon!
Welcome welcome welcome everybody the Legends talk man where we dive into the lives of the Ballers who’ve called carved their names into history today we got a real game changer in the building none other than Russ Smith yeah that Russ Smith you know what I’m saying but
Um yeah man from tearing up the courts down in Louisville to making power moves in the business World Russ is the epitome of a hoop Legend turned entrepreneur so let’s Kickback go grab your refreshment and unravel the epic journey of the man himself Russ Smith both on and off the court Legends talk
We Here Yo love love appreciate you for having me on bro thank you thank you hey hey you you earned it man you earned you right man you right only right for quick turn around on the on the interview and all of that I appreciate your time bro of course of course n
Definitely man but yeah man I got to got to show love to the to the cats that really was was in the trenches with it man putting in that Blood swea and Tears um throughout the years um you know what I’m saying your name repeatedly comes up
As that that that dude that was just a dog you know what I’m saying a lot of people mention that that dog category dogs you know what I’m [Laughter] saying whatever whatever f dog you wanna you want to label it Pitbull Doberman you know what I’m saying man yeah I try
To play Both Sides man that’s that’s that’s the only way to be able to do that that’s the only way to be able to do that absolutely man but yeah man we GNA get right into it man and um yeah man for for those people that are out
There that may be unfamiliar or just been you know been you know been under a rock all these years um you know what I’m saying tell the people where you know where you originally from and um how did you get into this basketball game how did you get introduced to the
Game that we all love man you know so I’m originally um raised Brooklyn New York and uh been living there almost my whole life I have most of my family though they Up In Harlem and the Bronx my dad did a lot of basketball up there
New York G CH etc etc but I played a ton of ball even my high school career out Queen so I was kind of um touching every part of New York um growing up um on a on a grand scale um always outside always hooping riding bikes to Parks
Scooters to Parks hopping turn Styles the parks wherever it was who whatever it was smoke at uh I was I was probably there and um I got into the game my dad is a big um big connoisseur of the game uh ran the SAT and Sunday program at
Galos for over 30 years so he’s got a lot of people under his belt and then um just being around my whole life uh just just kind of made me take it all in and just hone in on my skills definitely man salute salute to your dad man you know what I’m saying
Definitely was a um definitely a Pioneer in this game for a lot of a lot of the youth so definitely salute to him even you know even up till your you um your your jersey retirement that I peep um there saying front and center and um
Even even got a few minutes on the microphone man and they seem much as they love you n of course they uh everybody love Big Russ man and then um for those that know they know how how instrumental you know obviously Mom Dukes was always uh making sure the
Grades was tight and um taking me to games making sure the schedule was moving but um for the most part as far as like basketball go um everybody knows how instrumental Big Russ is to the not only to the community not only in the basketball world but um but to me you
Know um we’re we’re working out 500 a. 5:30 a.m we’re doing 3 4 five a days and um a lot of times if I had any friends the the main goal was to you know all right if you going to hang out with your your friends then you got to meet me you
Know at the park at 6:30 in the morning like you know can you can you handle that responsibility the next day or you got to make sure you you playing basketball against some games and you know what are your friends doing and um that that was that was the big thing
Growing up and um I think um now I got little brothers so it’s it’s it’s it’s different so now he knows the um how it goes he knows that that that fun part of of childhood is is necessary to be able to you know enjoy the game you love but
Also that discipline that responsibility um that’s that’s that’s more important than anything absolutely man now you you you mentioned those uh those four five six six of days and that’s that’s that build character man a lot of people they don’t know about leaving the leaving the um the house in
The morning you know 8 in the morning 12 midnight not at all not at all not at all and even having friends bro that just that that that like that’s locked in with with you you know that’s you know I go to my homie house and um we
Balling from 9 10 and then you know you know we black so it’s it’s I’m around food stamps and EBT card so we’ll take the little EBT C we’ll go to the store we’ll grab whatever we can grab load load up and then we’ll go back out 12:31
In the morning we hoop until 4: or5 in the morning and I’m running on 1 hour two hours of sleep I got to get to the stairs over by 55th or I got to get to con Island and you know is age 13 age 12
Age 11 so uh yeah I was this was this is real created a monster but yeah man like like um like and what you said so so what age did you actually start playing ball n we started um as early as I can um as I can hold
One so maybe maybe two um three years old as early as as early as it get that’s that’s probably when I started and um the Pops Pops had me had me together since then now were were you one of those like child prodigies that was you know um third third rank second
Grader in country I didn’t know what that was until my senior year in college that’s one of the reasons I came back to school but um I was uh God I was unranked probably my whole entire life um I was always skinny always undersized uh
Playing off of the ball uh my dad was a defensive player and the guy that used to work me out Eric Harris was a major defensive player so besides always learning how to play defense first my dad always wanted me to make sure I was able to score the ball because that
Wasn’t his cup of tea so to speak so um everything that I did was predicated on putting the ball in in the basket as at a high level too so um there’s a lot of guys from New York that’s that that made pro that that had amaz has amazing
Careers and everything but I don’t know if a lot of those guys have a lot of stories like mine there’s a lot of stories uh that people may have um about me like man I watched Russ get 50 in a Cass I’ve watched Russ get 40 in a face
Mask Russ is one of the first people I’ve seen at age eight score 6 you know like it’s it’s a lot of stories like that I played a lot of hoop but u i I’ll I’ll say that that’s because Dad uh installed that like scoring uh prowess
In me at a very young age super young age now that’s dope that’s super dope yo where you at right now man did I catch you on location n yeah yeah I’m chilling man I’m in Italy I’m playing pro out here um you know I’m just doing what I
Love to do this team taking care of me um they’re helping me with with my liquor um and basically just a really good situation and at this point in my life I just want to be uh in a in a in a happy place yeah yeah we gonna
Definitely tap into you know we gonna get into the the liquor we gonna get into a couple other things nice you know what I’m saying we G we G this a well-rounded well-rounded thing man we a’t we ain’t into the uh the the you know the controversy me absolutely not
Yeah absolutely no yeah that’s not what this is I don’t want you to say better than such and such or whoever no no I’m definitely not there you know it’s wild too because I uh um a lot of my a lot of my boys they they always talk they always talk about that
Man and and it’s like it’s like you you can’t SC you can’t scale these things you know like so I really that’s why I really stay out of it it’s like you know so many people have brought so many different things to the game and the game’s always changing the game’s always
Evolving so um to to say those things it’s like it it never really sat right with me you know it never really sat right with me but um I I I agree yeah yeah I mean you know I I just I’m I’m more of a fan of the journey you know
What I’m saying and when when you look at somebody that um that has the resume that that you’ve had and you look at that Journey it’s just an incredible journey and it and it’s it’s still going you know what I’m saying and right the foundation to what you you’re doing
Today but um but yeah just to rewind a bit man um you went to Archbishop Malloy for your you know for to begin your high school career what made you interested in that school and what you know what did basketball at that school look like
For you um you know what um it it was because coming up um a lot of people knew I was good um going you know my Junior High School going into high school but I never like we talked about earlier I was never ranked I never had
Any kind of uh like push or any kind of any kind of machine behind me was always me and Dad and then um just like Word of Mouth um from the outside but I was you know I had an opportunity to go to Rice because Mo hick knows knew me he knew
Knew what I was capable of uh llan uh for sure sarian for sure but I had academic scholarships to a lot of schools too cuz I was I’ve been a 90 student since my entire life um A Plus student and um then um Lincoln my dad uh
Was close with tiny I played with juice so um Lincoln was on the table uh I didn’t I didn’t want to go to Lincoln I’m not going to lie I was pretty nervous about it but I did want to go CU of Bassie but um I I was just nervous
About what tiny was going to do I I know if I was going to play I didn’t know what was going on and then um and long story short uh while on the highway my dad was in LA he thought I was actually going to L you know tiny was calling him
Off the hook we knew we had mooy and it’s s that we knew it was going to come down to the wire um I’m on I’m in the car with my mom’s you know my mom’s is you know she’s an academic woman too um and so she’s like no you’re going to go
To Malloy you know Malloy is top five in the city and academics and we just stayed on the highway man the first day of school for Lincoln was the first day of like school for Malloy we stayed on I got to malloy’s uh School steps and they did
Everything right there on the spot figured out a scholarship figured out a ID card better they better figure that out you know but I the only thing I really knew about Malloy man was uh Kenny Anderson and Kenny Smith and um I was always a big fan of of of Kenny when it
Comes to New York guards or New York players in general he’s always in my top five I have so much uh respect for for what he brought to the game so that was for sure instrumental piece and then the coach that we had there um his coach the
Likes of both candies and then Yad was there and um they had another guard uh Marlon was there and they they had some good players you know some good guards and um coach current’s experience and I thought that I would get an opportunity to to play the style that I
Like to play because I’m I have a certain style the way I play and um it’s and it has to be kind of um accepted and uh coach Kerman was willing to give me that freedom and I thought that was the most important thing of it
All that’s tough man now now now was this like uh Varity I I know a lot of you know as especially with that program um you know especially with you know top top programs in the city or just top programs they don’t like to play um you
Know freshman on the Varity level was that you as well yeah yeah yeah yeah um honestly I’m not gonna lie too uh that’s but that’s what it was at the time too in the chsa um playing freshman was that was the thing you know like you play
Freshman like all the top freshh in the city played freshman so the games was was all some of the games was more lit than the varsity or just as lit but unfortunately or fortunately I don’t know what to call it our Mallo team out of Queens was stacked we had a good
Freshman team so there wasn’t going to be enough minutes for everybody that was there so um I decided to play JV U my first year and it was it was dope but playing JV kind of threw me kind of put me in the dark cuz while the varsity is
Rocking and all the freshmen are rocking I’m kind of just in the cut somewhere um doing damage on the JV level but it was that was that was cool too um and then the following the JB year I got a chance to do do varsity and get a couple
Minutes my sophomore year right right so now you know in terms of in terms of college recruiting um did that ever come to you know how did that matriculate like matriculate into what you were doing at Malloy did you get any offers did you um you know at that time it was
Like college letters and stuff like that but um yeah all my friends all my friends for real did because I was with you know the Cho um I hoop with Team odm I was with the Ravens I was with juice I I was with all the guys you know and all
My friends were were’re getting offers left and right and um for me I’m you know I’m 5’11 510 could barely dunk barely touch the rim and um I’m a shooting guard combo guard it wasn’t it wasn’t really many many schools knocking on my door and I didn’t have no offers
So uh my junior year led the city in scoring um I was getting some d2s some low D1 interest and then my senior year led the city and scoring again um almost at 30 a game but um a lot of schools were saying hey you know you should go
Prep school work on your body this and that maybe maybe your point guard skills you know the the usual so um that that year and that summer I had a trainer his name was uh speed pet and all we did was work on like legs so I
Left my senior year and going into that summer because we played on the circuit I went from barely like touching the rim and I had like a a 46 45 in vertical I’m 120 lbs so I mean it it felt like I was jumping off of a trampoline every time I
I was attacking the rim it was fun and um then that after that summer I ended up going to prep school ended up going to South Kent and all of my uh a lot of a lot of highle recruits were there I mean they were getting recruited by all
By all the schools and that helped get me into that light but it’s interesting because all these schools was like I’ve always heard your name but we’ve never got a chance to watch you play like um you come to New York you gonna go to a
Lock game why you got Jayvon donon lamb over there and a bunch of others F you can fill in the blanks then you go to Christ the King you come to New York you got IR bird Sean Johnson whatever you go to Rice like holy C like you not
Thinking about what’s going on at Malloy at that that day and day and age there’s a lot of other stuff going on in New York and then out the state um when traveling on the gout show I mean if you’re any type of big school you’re going after the Durant Scotts the Amari
Lawrences the Kevin Pon and and so it’s a for me I kind of just um it I kind of just fell through the cracks on a lot of people’s uh radar but being at South Kent um and had all those schools come up especially Louisville um we knew some
People there they got their eyes on me and I was able to to make something happen out of nothing that’s that’s fire man um now you mentioned you mentioned you know going to prep route and um now that that kind of built your Buzz up a little bit
What what other schools were kind of knocking on your door at the time when you went prep um you know I know you said Louis was there but um what other schools were were you know out there trying to trying to recruit you so we had for Louisville um I I always tell
People there like my best friend at the time was was JJ Moore and JJ Moore was a was a borderline McDonald All American at the time like you know he was highly recruited so I always felt like Louisville was recruiting me to to to to
Get my friend and um but we had uh we had uh barely was knocking at my door hard um in Prep School barely was rocking with me um if I didn’t do Louisville it was for sure B but now that I remember we I also did
Took a unofficial to to L that was that was pretty dope that was the only like visit I ever took outside of Louisville and other than that um um I think that was it and then oh I had I had I had Houston I had a Houston coach call but
By that time um he was trying to get me to decommit from Louisville so it was it was already too late um but yeah that was it man um it was it was case open case shut right right yeah soon soon as that was it now I’m trying to see exactly what
They doing as soon as we get the Louisville call I’m I’m I’m pressing that like that’s that’s that’s it it’s it’s Rick it’s the Big East over there yeah let’s let’s get this done that’s a fact now now everybody see you know everybody sees how how it played
Out for you over at Louisville right now the the time that you spent out there um how did that time at Louisville kind of influence your personal and professional growth as a player and as an individual man uh like coming from New York bro uh you know New Yorkers man like we
We just we we could be loud we could be Reckless we could be funny we can be we can be whoever you want to be charismatic you can be whoever you want to be uh when I got the when I got the Kentucky man um and I got
The Louisville and it was it it changed me because um when I started to play and I started being around coach like I just realized how how serious um you know he takes the game and how serious that fan base they take the game and and then I
Started playing and and stuff was just moving so fast um that I kind of just really locked in I it almost didn’t feel real that I was playing at such a big stage coming from nothing but also contributing on a mass level you know like you don’t really get to talk to too
Many you know two time consensus all Americans in school like this but so many of them and that was just my last two years my my sophomore year we went to a final four and I L that team in scoring so uh just being in school for
That period of time that stretch with Coach um it gave me a totally different um like view or or Vibe just on basketball itself because I didn’t come to to L to make the NBA you know I came because that’s the best school I had and I was just trying make something
Happen you know and um the goal school for free is the goal but then you parlay the school for free into a division one into the big eeve into a Hall of Fame coach into a final four into a chip into all into all this stuff and it’s like yo
Stuff just keep happening and just happening um we wasn’t prepared you know myself and my dad even for the NBA that that never that those conversations never even came up um just because we know how you know the the business works on that the who you knows the setup um I
Was talking to a a friend of mine another time and we talked about like Kyrie Irving and how you know we played I played against him in Portchester and you know we were both young we were 17 or 16 whatever when he was like yo how
That game you know he’s asking me how that game go I’m like we were playing two different games like it we both probably had a good game but on one hand I’m trying to get my first school and figure out what I’m doing and on another hand he’s preparing to be a pro
So and that’s and that’s what I think was the was the uh the caveat and and being at Louisville I had to quickly um put my direct my gears into into go into going hey I’m trying I gotta make I’m trying to make money playing this game now at a high level
How do we do it and myself and my dad being in basketball Savant was trying to figure that out um on the fly but at a high level though so that’s kind of how that went that’s that’s tough man because I I look at I look at Rick Co Coach Rick
Patino man and as you know um you know he’s a legendary coach um with with an extraordinary resume and but when I look at like I’m like I I I can’t I wouldn’t be able to play for that type of Coach because he looks so intense you know what I’m
Saying he’s mad at you off the rip and um yeah know I’m saying but but I just wanted to I just wanted to point that out real quick man because that’s that’s no easy task to play for Rick patino man and um and you did it but but when did
When did it start getting real to you man in terms of yo this this could possibly turn into something you know what I’m saying when did it start getting um you know while you were at Louisville I know you had some you know you guys
Won the you know the the chip and there was some you know some issues with that that we we’ll probably tap into a little when did it start getting like real for you um so I I’ll start out with my freshman year when it came in um when I
Came in um nobody knew who I was I I came in hurt uh tore my knee tore my Meniscus whatever then I played a little bit more broke my foot so I was hurt the whole first like my freshman year um I was miserable in practice turning the
Ball over getting yelled at um I’m wasting a scholarship and you at a big school that’s that’s a big deal so you’re wasting a scholarship and we’re not that good my freshman year so I’m miserable right but I don’t want to leave because it’s going to feel like I
Failed you know I didn’t want to I didn’t want to feel like that I failed I didn’t want people back home to go oh Russ Louisville he transferred like I I didn’t I I didn’t want that so I was like you know what I’ll just hold a hold
Up a scholarship if I have to and I’ll figure it out life out after but I’m stay then my sophomore year uh came seven guys got hurt um seven eight guys got hurt like five of them was in like directly in my position and the other
Two were just like like Swingman so when when that kind of happened like I’m I’m a I’m like a I’m a chill dude bro like I like simple I like video games I like pingpong I like CH chess like I like like going to the park just chilling
Listening to music being on the computer so while I’m just out having a you know a good time being a student you know being a college student next thing you know all the fstar recruits and all the rotation players is hurt and now while I’m going to the dorm I got coaches
Checking on me like Hey Russ like what are you doing make sure you get some rest you know we need you for the game tomorrow and I’m like damn you know where was all this when when I when I was doing my own thing you know what I
Mean so um I think I think right when guys got hurt and I started and I had to just immediately start playing um that’s when it got serious and then um it was a week before my sophomore year we played Kentucky and um that week I was on a
Teer I think I had a quad almost a quadruple double with uh against Memphis on CBS I flirted with a 30-point quadruple double and then um I had 25 against the Rivalry team WKU and then the first Big East game against Georgetown Off the Bench I had 20 and
Then we played Kentucky at rup I had like 32 on CBS again so after those four games in a row I had it was so all all of the coaches was just was just on my line on my phone bringing me to work yeah like study hall grades
And yeah and then I was like oh this is serious serious I have to play and they’re like yeah coach is thinking about you know playing you 20 to 25 minutes he’s going to let you do what you do he’s gonna let you score you know
He’s going to let you uh basically be you as long as you play defense and don’t get trouble and like you know they talking to me I’m like oh well I’m play you know I’m playing the game you know and I’m like all right cool I got you
And I think I just always had like a a nonchalant approach to it all and it made it playing under Rick that much easier because Rick never really stressed me out like trust me I recognize how crazy he was but I just always felt like I could be doing
Something more fun so when I was playing basketball under him um it just it made it so much easier because he allowed me to be me right right now that that Kentucky game that you mentioned is that when you threw it on Julius Rand no that that was
That was two that was two years later that that that that that only that came with a little more experience man out there real quick just thr that out no bro they they was punching they was punching my they was punching my [ __ ] man punching my [ __ ] all like all
First half like yo next time I D down this joint um um it’s whoever’s there is going in the rim so sad to say man it had to be somebody man but um but in what ways did you did your experience man at Louisville kind of prepare you for the transition into
Playing in the NBA you know what I’m saying because I know first it was M now you know now develop like what kind of transition did you take mentally um to to get yourself prepared for that for that League man it was hard uh it was
Hard because you’re one of one right um you know nobody in my family has ever done anything like like that like um in in in basketball right so U so it was as far as the preparation it was basically the competing part cuz we comped every
Single day now as far as the game itself um coach patino would you know he bring me to the side or he’ll talk to me my senior year even in my junior year he go Russ like if you want to make money playing this game you got to learn how
To be a point guard you got to be a point guard you can be a scoring point guard but you gotta play point guard and I’m like I didn’t come to school for that I came to school to get Buckets you know like I in in my head
Like I came to school to be me like I was never a point guard or a shooting guard I was always just like a like a player um so I never thought about it on the on a high level professional level from what he was talking about and um
That’s one of the things I always look back on and go damn you know coach was always right about that and so when I became a pro I also never looked at um size right like my favorite players um for my position was always like Allan Iverson the Monte Ellis the Lou Williams
That’s My Style you know so I’m like oh you just thr me on a court with a point guard like you know I’ll make it work you know I never I I never thought deep I never thought too deep so but when I became a pro I um when I got to the
League it was like oh I’m under Monty Williams he’s coming off a 10e with Chris Paul so he’s handed me like you know big playbooks and he wants things designed a certain way he wants things orchestrated I’m like damn that’s kind of never been me you know so I’m trying
To learn on the Fly and that was tough and you know safe to say you know I couldn’t really I couldn’t I couldn’t um I couldn’t do that um at that at that level at that time then I go to Memphis you know Memphis got Mike connley and
Mike connley is 8 to one assist turnover ratio he knows maebo likes the ball gasa likes the ball he knows where this person likes to shoot it I’m like damn like I’ve never thought about it that deep I’ve always been like hey give me the ball we gonna ISO run a pick and
Roll yeah we gonna just play some ball and um I think I think being being at Louisville just always just made me um able to compete and and just and just fight so through injuries um through adversity um I think I was always resilient and I always preserved and I
Was always at the top of my game to perform and um I think that’s the most important thing that I learned I was always Dependable like you can always count on me to do what I do and and I and I think that’s and I think that’s
Important I think young kids need to understand that like like you you got to be able to to be dependent on for for anything specifically defense you know so no that’s tough that’s tough man and you mentioned you mentioned the word adversity right like and it’s no secret
That you know in 2013 you guys had the you know your your Champion your National Championship vacated by the by the NCAA um how did that kind of impact you personally man after all of the work and sacrifice that you guys put in you know I’m saying the Blood Sweat and Tears
That you guys laid on that court and um how did you and your teammates kind of navigate through that that challenging period of time so for us uh cuz we we know like like like it’s it’s it’s hard to ask me because it’s like uh we’re so
A part like we know what happened so it’s like it it’s different and then I’ve personally been been cleared by the the NCAA because if I wasn’t my number wouldn’t be in the Raptors so you have to have all of your stuff reinstated so with uh when when when that when that
Whole situation or or issue had came out and released we knew it was much deeper than what it was on the on the surface because in college sports a lot of things happen right I’m not one of those uh players as a recruit that that got
The red carpet rolled out for them got shrimp and lobster and steak you know my visit was my visit was I came my dad seen his friends and we left the next morning at 5:30 in the morning that’s kind of how my visit went and um but for
You know but for some recruits and this goes on at a lot of big schools like you hear it I mean North Carolina have no classes uh like and you know so it’s it’s you know and and stuff like that happens at at at different levels on different magnitudes um our situation
Was a $5,000 transaction like what’s $5,000 in the grand scheme of things um we got when you got uh coaches paying for kids uh parents houses and homes and mortgages so um I think that the uh the ruling was extremely silly nobody benefited none of the the actual players
Benefited off anything um but for us and for me it never really affected me or bothered me it was a funny period because I thought it was silly but um I think in the long run uh nothing nothing changed or uh deviated from um I guess you could say uh our
Legacy and and my personal Legacy like like I like I said earlier they they’re not going to put your number in the rafters if all of your num all of your stats are vacated you know so um and in order to get your number retired it’s uh
It’s not even Jersey because a lot of people get their Jersey to get your number you it’s like you have to at minimum at minimum consensus allamerican that’s where that’s where the bar starts then there a bunch of other stuff now like so you know because I I
Don’t want to dive too much into that but you know what I’m saying like you you made it you made it to the to the league you get drafted now of course there’s a a transition right there’s a transition from college to the pros like
U how did you kind of navigate the the transition um you know from a physical from a physical point of you know standpoint how did you kind of navigate that and um like what was the biggest challenge for you um physically having to adjust to you know some people say
The the the 82 game schedule um some people physicality what was it for you that was most challenging I think it was it was it was definitely the uh the the the the the size of the of the players like the um for the position uh was
Always a small lean dude and um so when I’m when I’m going in practice you know in my position it was I’m 160 pounds and I’m not and it’s not like I’m they’re using me to my advantages you know if you see Allan Ivon play you see Monte
Williams play or L when he was younger the paces is frenetic they’re going up and down you can’t catch them you can’t be able to put your body on them but playing for Monty like we were playing at such a slow P pace and we had such
Big guards like we had Tyreek Evans he’s 66 230 Eric Gordon 64 230 Drew holiday 64 230 um like then these are the guards that you know I’m having to SW I have to those are just the guards like not even the the wings those are the
Guards a no you can’t you can’t hide in the zone can’t hide in the zone can’t can’t press like it’s nothing I’m and we’re playing at a at a snail pace so it’s like I didn’t enjoy the pace um and I think that part that part wore me down
But it got me a lot better because I knew now as as I gotten older I know how to play against bigger guards stronger guys and um I got that experience but then I go to Memphis you know Memphis is the same thing you know I’m a I’m a
Uptempo player like I’m in Memphis we’re slowing the ball up like and I’m beating everybody up the court you know Mike Conley is is you know he’s reading the game on he’s playing 5D chess but then the guards there is just Mike and boo udra boo udra 63 210 64 210
Like 25 22 years of experience as a pro 22 years don’t let that go over your head he was 36 years old he was playing pro since he was 14 in Europe men since he was 14 years old you yeah so I’m getting like so when I say I
Was getting not like it it’s not cooked in practice it’s just being um it’s being taken to school right you know you hear the OG say I’m a taken to school you know like it’s it’s like it’s a learning it’s a learning lesson every day I’m in practice and um I think that
Was the biggest um the biggest adjustment I had to make as a pro I had to learn how to use my weight and My Size because it is a disadvantage um to my advantage um but I always defended well you know I always fored I was always Scrappy um but um
Steph um Stefon marber is one of my favorite players and one of my favorite players out of New York and he’ll say it like he always said this he like sometimes I had to use my offense for defense and that’s that’s what I had to get you start doing more against bigger
More physically empowering guys now a lot a lot of people you know a lot of people who have these podcasts and you know specifically uh the Knuckleheads um shout out to Q rich and Darius miles great podcast over there now they always they always ask the player like
Who’s the first person to bust your ass right right in your case man what was that welcome to the NBA moment for you that was like kind of like surreal like oh my God I can’t believe I’m here yeah like that’s is that really AI you know
What I’m saying or or whoever it was I don’t know in your situation what was that moment like for you I had those uh I had those moments sitting on the bench right I’m on the bench like because I yeah I didn’t really get the
Bump that I wanted to to to truly get though but the moment I had this was like preseason I was like damn this this this [ __ ] really here like this is really him I think I got into a game in pre-season and LeBron was still in the game I caught a
Rebound um I caught the rebound and my man ran down Court I Outlet it it and this is this is you’re talking about LeBron just left the Heat LeBron and when I threw the outlet he ran like a cornerback and jumped in the air grabbed
The [ __ ] with one hand I’m like damn I just got in the game too so it don’t look good and then he pushed it made a play something happened they missed then then right then right the next play Fast Forward I grab it again I chase a ball
Down from the corner and I I try to I try to outlet it or throw it full court again and boy he sprinted again deflected it and they got another steal I was like yeah I’m coming out the game bro LeBron go LeBron gonna get me [Laughter] fired like oh yeah that’s me
Yeah LeBron G get me fired bro I can’t I can’t be in the game with LeBron in the game right now at this point uh but but that but that was that was that time was that was pretty dope but um I never really had like that moment because I
Never really got a chance to to catch real real life squabble I was always in uh where it was when it was yeah it was pre-season or a few minutes and I don’t think that really counts that’s not fair you can’t throw me in there for two
Minutes and say they cook me yeah that’s not fair bro I wouldn’t do that I wouldn’t do that to I wouldn’t do that to my worst enemy bro I wouldn’t do that I mean you know I mean from from the perspective of you know a dude that’s
That’s from the city you know I’m saying it’s just it’s monumentous man even getting that level you know what I’m saying whe whether you playing 35 minutes or or you playing five seconds you know what I’m saying at the end of the game right right you made it to the
Leag and you got a you got a chance to wear that jersey with your name on the back you know what I’m saying and I’m sure that’s n that for sure means a lot bro I’m not and I’m definitely on no point like you know trying to downplay
It I think it’s really amazing but that goes to show you like I’m highly competitive bro and and in my life like I’ve I’ve gotten I’ve gotten my ass whipped just as much as I’ve won so I I know what it feels like to lose I know
What it feels like to win and and I know what it feels like to you know compete against the best and know that you you belong there so against starting out when I was little playing against the riversides and the goutos when we were getting Mercy ruled until we started
Beating them and then you know in high school we’re playing against the Rice’s lockers and St Raymond everybody’s counting us out and then you get to College you know things is different like it’s like oh you’re winning you’re doing this and you get to the pros it’s
Like damn I’m on the bench again I got to figure a way out to get it and then now you’re a pro and you’re trying to figure out your own path your own Walk of Life your best situation um but playing in the NBA is is is amazing and
Um it’s an amazing experience my draft night I wish I had a little better a little better attitude I was a little disappointed I went second round but um looking back on that like it’s what is it that makes it like a half of a half of percent like that’s that’s nuts so
That’s pretty that’s crazy you don’t really think about it when you’re going through it you know what I’m saying you expect more you know greatness and when maybe sometimes it doesn’t happen like that you know it’s only natural to get discouraged just a little bit but um you
Know what I’m saying you that dog man so you you know what I’m saying you were able to to rebound right back but it’s easy for me oh you said what now go ahead N I was going to say cuz it’s easy for me to like to to motivate myself I
Just need a reason and then I’m motivated like the smallest one so my motivation was really man like I I dominated College on all facets and I don’t know pro basketball I don’t know about agents I don’t know about the green room I don’t know about these
Things I only seen this stuff in East Bay magazines and the Slam Magazine with Bassie and Braun and Brandon jenin I only those are the only things I know so when I’m living it and I’m like oh I’m checkbox National Championship checkbox all americ check box MVP at is check box play of
The year I’m checking all these boxes so I’m like oh who’s who’s on these on this board this person this person this person I beat all these people I I perform better than all these people so I should go first round you know like but I’m I’m thinking about it in such a
In in a in the simplest way but it’s so much more deeper than that and now that I know these things I can look back on it and reflect and now I could gain playing with my little brothers when their time to do it like nah this is how
You got to do it you know because this is how I would have done it and pops would have done it if we would have known the things we know now but it’s it’s it’s still crazy it is crazy man and and looking back on your your entire Journey you
Know what I’m saying I know you you know you mentioned you know balling over at at Louisville to making the league and go you know even going International um and and scoring you know what would you had 65 points one game over you know where wherever across the world you was
At um yeah we have a world we have a world scoring record um so besides the g-league record that’s 65 but we also have a world scoring record for most points average in a professional season and that is 61 points per game second to that is Will Chamberlain at 51 so
There’s nobody that’s average more points than me in a professional League living or dead amongst us that’s tough man did you did you think you know was it always a situation where you were kind of chasing that that uh that opportunity to for the league again or were you just having fun out
There that’s a good question um I don’t know I did I think I did all of that out of spite um I think it was more so out of spite because because I I think my I think the way I’m wired I don’t try to be with the machine
A lot of times a lot of times I try to go Against the Machine and um that’s and that that kind of pushes me to eventually get a call from the machine you know eventually the machine goes hey Russ like n we want you a part of us and
Um that’s kind of where where my was that I was like I was like I’mma do this for me first because if you don’t do it for you first if you don’t if you’re not happy with yourself if you can’t live in your own skin and if you can’t look back
At on your own career and smile and go damn you know I was giving out work every single level I was doing it my way every single level I tried to do it another way and it didn’t didn’t work then what are you really doing it for
Then you doing it for somebody else you know like and that’s and you’re not going to get any self self- gratitude out of that like I don’t play for nobody else other than um my parents and myself and the people who genuinely love my game like it brings me so much happiness
When um someone goes Russ like I tried to mold my game after you you don’t get that many it’s not you can be a 20-year Pro you could have all the Highlight tapes all the money in the world but when you start influencing other players and having players that now play pro at
High levels go when they see when they see you on the court they they they get nostalgic it’s like oh my God show that respect yeah like I can’t believe this like you know this is this is crazy you know like and I get more satisfaction
Out of that like um I’m I’m a true lover of the game itself and um hopefully I’m able to one day you know come back play in the league have a different role maybe I do all defense I don’t know but maybe I’m just a vet on the bench I
Don’t know but as of right now I I still feel like I have a lot of basketball left that I that that I should I want to play a lot of minutes and run to the wheels break right you got to man hey gota you gotta
You gotta go to the wheels fall off man but for the sake of time and I definitely want to turn over to the your entrepreneurial Ventures right and um like what what inspired you to venture into the spirits industry with the creation of Mr and Mrs um bourbon company your your spirits company
Appreciate that uh cal um honestly man um coming out of New York York uh you know it’s a big entertainment um place of of business right uh especially night life so there’s always clubs fashion always something going on but other also there’s uh you have tequillas you have
Vakas like sarak you have cornac such as henness um now you have your duces because of JayZ um you have your crowns so um the New York part always that that whole aspect even even um coupled with the music so that whole lifestyle and aspect always like intrigued me even after basketball even
If I didn’t become a professional athlete um I can see myself in those spaces I’m a social person I like to go out um so but when I got to Kentucky 98% of the world’s bourbon and whiskey is made in Kentucky did not know that going in so
After my career at at school I got a chance to meet all of the players in the game and these aren’t your normal players these aren’t people that don’t make decisions these aren’t the people that clock in these are the people that stay home you know these are the people
That that uh that started the companies that founded them and we’re hanging out you know we’re we’re at we’re at um social Gatherings we’re playing golf we’re at the bar um like I said like I have friends from all walks of life and you in the room that you you needed to
Be yeah I’m in those rooms and I don’t feel any way to say it and uh there’s no other way to say it I’m in those rooms and um these guys are showing off man this is a 3,000 bottle of this this is a 2,000 a 12,000 bottle of this and this
Is what this goes for this is our margins on this this is our stuff on that and I’m like then I start then I go home I go home I’m like you know what does what does Jay-Z do you know what does Diddy really do you know because
Those are black guys that are in the liquor industry that that ring that ring my bell so I know what Diddy does now I know what Diddy does now I know what JD does and it’s two totally different things um and when I started getting interested um I asked one of my close
Close friends um he’s invested in a bunch of um bourbon whiskey Industries he’s loaded millions and millions of dollarss and I was like yo I want to do what you did or I want to do what this person did like how do I start gave me a
Blueprint like you GNA have to do that you gonna have to do that you GNA have to do that it was just three or four things not much I knock those out and then after I knocked those out he sent me to another contact and from that
Contact that’s when the bar got lifted then I had to start getting license I had to start getting government approval I had to start getting certain paperwork and a whole bunch of things but once I and I was in China too playing I was playing also but I was
Hurt time I’m playing yeah so while I’m playing but I’m also getting hurt at the same time so I miss maybe three years of my Prime because of my shoulders so while I’m out six months at a time I’m knocking this out while I’m in China I’m
Emailing I’m doing all my stuff I’m knocking it out so um I had all the Time in the World to do it and by the time it was all said and done after being in the industry three or four years networking another two years getting paperwork and stuff off
The ground now it’s like all right I gotta finally be able to put the actual liquor in in the in the bottle and I got to figure out that side so I did all the foundation work now I got to figure out the business side like retail distribution
Supply chain Dry Goods margin um do I want investors debt uh turnover and um once I learned once I learned the intricacies of that uh Supply supply and demand I know it sounds crazy but supply and demand like how do I want my consumers to perceive my brand how much
Money do I want them to spend on my brand who do I make it accessible to first um all of that came in play but gota dive into it yeah you gota Dive Right In it’s like basketball all over again and if you don’t know your competitors if you don’t know the
Pioneers you don’t know your business then you can miss a step and I’ve made some mistakes but I think I’ve learned a great deal and we’re in a extremely uh lucrative and power position right now now that’s tough man that’s for for a young you know a young black man to be
In that business um that’s incredible man um you know somebody that came from the same walks of life that that uh you know a lot of a lot of young black men come from in the city and so um would you actively you know still being actively playing
Professionally over sees how do you balance the roles as a a professional basketball player and as an entrepreneur and have these two aspects of your life kind of influ influenced each other in any way man I like you know we spoke about this earlier in the uh in the in
The in the show um it takes a level of responsibility and and and and discipline um like there are nights where I want to go out when I’m overseas but I have a business meeting I have my weeklys I have my in I have intros I got
To do and um you just can’t you know and it’s like you know it’s sacrifices there are times where you know I have practice and it’s or I know I had a t tough shooting night and it’s like damn maybe I I should hold off on this meeting and
Um um we can kind of move the call um to another day or or time but I have a really good intimate team um I don’t have a big group I don’t work with a big group but the intimate team I have is my lady I’ve uh we’ve been together since
College um we just brought on she’s our coo you know she got some I gave her some ownership uh we have a VP now and then my agent who actively helps me with basketball I Chang agents at 30 or 31 um um um not for anything any malicious
Reason um but this new agent um he’s a whiskey bourbon whiskey connoisseur fan and that’s the second part of my life that I’m preparing for because I’m already a pretty decent name in basketball so I can always find a job so now it’s about the uh second half of
Life and um he helps me big time and um so I would say us four we run a tight chip and then if we need any help or whatever um we’ll figure it out if we need to to hire someone we’ll do it um but but yeah man I I think it’s really
Just the passion that drives me if you if you can do something for free really good then somebody will pay you for it and there’s value in that so um I was doing this for free I I was putting my hard on earn um sweat I didn’t ask
Nobody for anything when I started out I put my own money where my mouth was and I’d say now we’re in a really yeah I’m in a I’m in a great uh great situation we’ve been operating like a multi-million dollar company for a year or two now as far as like payout and
Inventory so um we like we’re we’re basically we’re basically on our way on our way there you on your way man and and it just it just speaks volumes man you know what I’m saying because you were such a fierce player right I’m I’m I’m just thinking that you taking you taking some
Of that same aggression or that same fierceness into into the the spirits world and and that right there who you know they in trouble whoever you know whoever you know you know what’s dope uh 50 50 c is my spirit is like my spirit animal bro like
Everything about we spoke about hve and and Diddy what they do in the spirits but like I’m a 50 fan like I’m a 50 fan and I like the way he approaches um whatever it is he puts his hands on and um that’s something that that that I try
To that I try to implement as well it takes a team to win though you know but it takes one person to set the tone and if you if you could be that person to set the tone and if you got a group of people that’s that that’s with it that’s
Going that’s going to be right with you that can go to war with you too and that’s that’s kind of the way we’re moving so uh we try to carry um the same amount of weight but we try to also carry more more weight than than we can
Hold sometimes and I think that’s dope because we always got each other back so where someone Falls I’ll pick up my girl falls I pick up where I fall my agent got me where we miss out our VP is on it he’s sending follow-ups up um he’s
Setting up meetings so um it’s it’s a really good situation you got to have that well oiled machine man and and quick a quick um if if nobody picked up picked up on this man um especially for all of the kids out there that might stumble on to
This interview there’s a a real big takeaway that you mentioned and that’s being in the rooms that you need to that you need to you know be in and don’t be afraid to you know put yourself out there and you know whether it be something that you’re experiencing or
Something that you’re not experiencing you know take take don’t take it for granted just go out there and try and that and that’s what you’ve been doing but um for the sake of time man I just want to ask you um one last question um because we’re you know we’re rounding up
The um the hour we at the hour mark right but um what advice men would you give aspiring athletes and and entrepreneurs who are looking to pursue their passions and build a a career that kind of is parallel to yours and some you know something that that you’ve already
Done um from the athletic perspective from the athletic standpoint I think it’s uh discipline and responsibility and competing you got to be able to compete you know you can’t complain you just compete like no one no one cares you know what it is that you you if you
Didn’t eat breakfast that morning nobody cares you know if you missed the bus you’re not trying to hear that you know games at five be here hour before the game stretch you know get it done right then um discipline is knowing you have a game getting the rest you need preparing
Watching film whatever it is you got to do um do it study your opponent study your position know your job Know Your Role and then uh responsibility is being Dependable bro like uh you know what your job is let’s do it every game you know be responsible and um come every
Game be a pro you know listen to your coach you know be a good teammate um if you’re a young young kid don’t lose your jersey you know if you’re a kid in college you know pass the drug test you know don’t don’t break curfew you know
Things like that man and I think that goes a long way and then if you go into entrepreneurship and and business you’re going to take all of those things that you learned as a athlete and you’re going to bring that discipline you’re going to bring that responsibility you’re going to bring that teamwork
Mindset and winning mindset into business like you’d be surprised I I I run into so many people in in like the office or those spaces some of these are the some of these guys are the most unorganized undisciplined people that you’ll ever meet right you know but most
Of these guys just have drive and they have the survival instincts because they maybe have never had the talent that we’ve been blessed with to play basketball and to meet people so I think it’s important um that when going into entrepreneurship you got to respect the
Fact that some of these guys were not as maybe talented as you were with with a football and a sport so you got to respect their survival instincts you got to respect their drive and that’s one thing I’ve always done I’ve always been amazed at the people that I’ve worked
With like this this one per this one guy does corks like what the hell do I know about corks but this guy knows everything about it yo talk to me let’s let’s have some coffee together and you tell me all about your industry you know what I’m saying and I think um just
Being in that space being a good person that’ll get you into those rooms and then you speak up you follow your passion but you got to speak up I told a good friend of mine I go hey bro I can’t hang out with you you know I can’t be
Around you in these rooms a lot if you’re not teaching me the ways of your buddies you know because I’m trying to do what you guys are doing but if I don’t want to be here looking like a Oddball you know and um and he got the
Yeah you know what I mean just the athlete guy like you know and he ain’t investing in nothing no let me know show me how to do it and he showed me how to do it you know if you ask somebody if you ask people they’ll more than willing
To help so uh I think I think that’s the the basis you know um competing discipline and responsibility but I hope that helps I hope I nailed that no for sure man like but you know it’s crazy man like like that you’ve been able to
To to do all this stuff you know what I’m saying simultaneously at times but like you know what what looking ahead man looking ahead you know La you know this lastly you know looking ahead what what Legacy are you hoping to leave through your contributions both on the
Basketball world in the basketball world and in the spirits industry like what what’s the final uh Legacy that you trying to leave you know what um I was talking with my dad not long ago right and um because like you said you know early in the podcast you know there’s
Been a lot of highlight circling around a lot of um a lot of me um you know maybe on social media and I was like man you know sometimes watching my highlights it just it kind of makes me emotional you know because I expected or
I wanted to be I wanted to be Alan Iverson you know I wanted to be that you know that was that was my goal and um but also it it’s like I’m sad with with happiness because I’ve reached it in in a different way like I was able to to
Leave my own Mark in the G League I was able to leave my own Mark in China go to Puerto Rico go to Italy and play the amazing basketball that I wanted to play and be happy so I’m I’m simple um I I put a lot of work in New York and
Everywhere else I just want to be remembered at a high level and my play to be remembered because when I’m done I want to be the uh the one of the biggest Mogul in the spirits industry that’s ever went from Athletics uh to to business um Junior Bridgeman’s another
Guy that um I follow closely I’m very close with his uh family his uh his daughter um Eden’s a good friend of mine and and her wonderful husband uh Greg so um you know just just stay trying to just stay close to to to high level Minds and and
Reaching um certain certain points that that I have checked off or boxed or unchecked off and getting there you know but yeah just I I want to be the the best period you on your way man you on your way and um you know what I’m saying
I I thank you man the the people at all things Hoops we GNA we we here well it’s really just me but I’mma do my my I’mma do my job you know what I’m saying my my what whatever I can do so that people know who you know who Russ Smiths of the
World the basketball world are and who they you know what kind of work they put in and um what you know what other things they they were doing as well because it’s not only basketball you know what I’m saying right right I appreciate your time bro I hope that you
Um you kill at your next your next game you know what I’m saying your next what whatever you got next going on yeah I’m in a little I’m in a little slump right now so I can use all the I could use all the good Juju good juj man word word I appreciate
You thank you for taking the time out man and um you know what I’m saying when you get when you get State Side man uh you know let’s connect man hit me up you know what I’m saying like we’ll definitely um have some have some things to talk about bro absolutely absolutely 100
Good looking man I appreciate you that ladies and gentlemen Russ Smith man the legend himself there’s not too many guys out there man that that came from the trenches and made it to the heights that that Russ Smith has made it to so we definitely want to salute him you know
What I’m saying the strong family background that he has he he got his head on straight man he he’s doing he’s doing everything that he needs to do so you know what I’m saying we here at all things hoop salute him everybody make sure that you tap in um with with his
Brand Mr and M you know what I’m saying when you want to when you want to have a drink a bourbon or just just whatever man you know what I’m saying make sure yall supporting the people that that really is doing the work out here man
With that we out of here next week another edition of Legends talk man we a to bring the the best Legends and the guyss with those inspiring stories to to the platform every week so um I appreciate everybody for for staying tuned and um tapping in with your boy
Cal Griffin we out of here
