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Oh, what’s up, Shump!? NBA Champion, rapper, and fashion king Iman Shumpert joins Knuckleheads this week! We get going on Chicago basketball, of course, and Shump explains where he learned to talk his talk, playing all over the city, and why that Chicago streetball intensity is like nothing else. He talks balling out in high school — getting paid by his brother to dunk it and wanting to face off against the best city schools because of … the girls? He gets into his decision to go to Georgia Tech over UNC and discusses how his injury delayed his ascent to the league. Post-school, Iman’s draft process was pretty unique, specifically when he got into a fight during his workout for the Bulls and why that attitude actually attracted NBA teams. Then it’s to the mecca, and Shump explains what it was like playing in NYC as a rookie, his Knickstape, learning to understand the NY media and why his loyalty to Melo will never leave. He talks how he was unsure about getting traded to Cleveland, what it was like to win a championship and why he had to reset himself after winning. Then Iman bounces around the league — how he loved Sacramento but Houston not so much, and what his short experience with the Nets last season was like. He ain’t done there, though! Teyana Taylor. Delivering their kids. And where he’s taking his rap career. Shump brings everything! Don’t miss out! 

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Oh, what’s up, Shump!? NBA Champion, rapper, and fashion king Iman Shumpert joins Knuckleheads this week! We get going on Chicago basketball, of course, and Shump explains where he learned to talk his talk, playing all over the city, and why that Chicago streetball intensity is like nothing else. He talks balling out in high school — getting paid by his brother to dunk it and wanting to face off against the best city schools because of … the girls? He gets into his decision to go to Georgia Tech over UNC and discusses how his injury delayed his ascent to the league. Post-school, Iman’s draft process was pretty unique, specifically when he got into a fight during his workout for the Bulls and why that attitude actually attracted NBA teams. Then it’s to the mecca, and Shump explains what it was like playing in NYC as a rookie, his Knickstape, learning to understand the NY media and why his loyalty to Melo will never leave. He talks how he was unsure about getting traded to Cleveland, what it was like to win a championship and why he had to reset himself after winning. Then Iman bounces around the league — how he loved Sacramento but Houston not so much, and what his short experience with the Nets last season was like. He ain’t done there, though! Teyana Taylor. Delivering their kids. And where he’s taking his rap career. Shump brings everything! Don’t miss out! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tommy Dee is in the house today for all of you New York Knick fans out there! Tommy Dee is an Emmy Award Winner who has been on TV with SNY and he started the Knicksblog.com. He also runs both his own successful Podcast and Patreon, scouts and analysis as well being a trusted source for inside info with the Knicks and the NBA. He is also a huge Pearl Jam fan and we respect that!

Eric was in heaven as we got to talk quite a bit of Knicks but also got to hear his take on the NBA draft, scouting, and some of the upcoming prospects. We got to learn all about the craziness of his experience covering the LeBron decision and what that meant to the league and MUCH more!

This is an episode not to miss, especially for our listeners who have aspirations to have a career in sports journalism. We loved the conversation and getting to know more about his background and how he got his start into the sports media world.Tommy Dee is someone with great knowledge about the game and the business side of covering the league. Above all though…he’s just overall a great guy and we can’t thank him enough for his time.

Thank you!

Follow him on Twitter @ThomasCDee and checkout tommydeedigital.com

The Matrix, aka Shawn Marion, joins the fellas on this week’s episode of Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles! One of the most underrated NBA players of all time looks back on his unlikely ascension from barely recruited high schooler to standout JUCO player to one-season star at UNLV. Q remembers the first time he met Shawn, at a Jordan camp where The Matrix was shocking everybody by putting on a show amid the nation’s elite. Then Shawn talks about getting to the NBA, where he was the only rookie on the Suns in 1999 — and why that situation really helped him in the long run. He reveals what it was like to play with Jason Kidd and how that experience gave him so much confidence. Then it’s time for a little reminiscence about the 2004 Suns, when Q came aboard, and just why that team was so damn good. Shawn lays out the crucial importance of his shift to the four spot and then takes time to point out just how impressive it was that, at 6'7", he could hold his own against the toughest position in the Western Conference. Speaking of impressive, do you know who the first player in NBA history to have 15,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocks and 500 threes was? Yup, The Matrix. Shawn then talks about moving around the league a bit and how hungry he was to win a championship. Shawn bounced from Phoenix to Miami (actually learning he’d been traded in the middle of his own Super Bowl party) and made a pit stop in Toronto before finally landing in Dallas. In 2009 that Mavericks team was special and they knew it. Shawn even remembers Jason Terry getting a championship trophy tattoo at the start of the season. That Dallas team would go on to beat the Heat in an epic run, propelled by a playing-out-of-his-mind Dirk Nowitzki. Shawn reveals that he and Dirk would play one-on-one every day after practice to get Dirk ready to face off against smaller guys. Shawn Marion had one hell of a career and you best not forget it — Trix is a must listen!

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From the West Side of Chicago, to the Basketball Hall of Fame, to this week’s episode of Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, it’s the OG Isiah Thomas (aka Zeke). The guys start by taking it back to Zeke’s high school days playing for legendary Chicago coach Gene Pingatore (2:27). Zeke recounts a few memorable moments from his college recruitment process (7:32), including the time one coach showed up at his house with a briefcase full of cash — and the time his mom called a press conference to announce his commitment to Indiana for him! He laughs about deliberately tanking interviews with NBA teams in an effort to get drafted later in the round by Chicago, but admits that going to Detroit was a huge blessing after all (17:59). Zeke then takes the guys through the history of one of the most underrated great teams in NBA history: the Bad Boy Pistons (21:01). We’re talking Dennis Rodman, Mark Aguirre, Joe Dumars … you know the lineup. Q and D recall their feelings when Isiah was left off the 1992 Dream Team, but Zeke holds no grudge, saying he realized that the basketball gods had a bigger plan (41:38). The Knuckleheads share some of their favorite stories from Isiah’s coaching years, including one with a lesson on how not to react after someone dunks on you (58:45). And Isiah has a message for all the NBA front offices: You want Jamal Crawford on your team, on your coaching staff — somewhere. Straight up (1:23:27). The guys wrap up talking about Derrick Rose, the kid from Chicago who got to live out that dream they all had: to be a Bull (1:14:11).

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