Evolution and Personal Growth

Welcome to Pablo Tore Finds out. I am Pablo Tore, and today we're going to find out What this sound is. I would have played for significantly less if that meant staying with the with the Kicks. like significantly less because my heart was always here rightight after the ad Yo. Do you need coffee, anything? You gotta shoot affated I am Huring right now imes you h to bed last n Dude I didn't sleep last night till like Dirty You're in the USPN machine now, man Yeah, no. It's so funny to haveave you in studio V very happy to be here. Dude, I saw you. I mean, I first met you When you werere a senior. Yeah. And you were you were trying to set up your Xbox I was nice at Halo three I was gonna say. The halo the halo resume was a lot stronger, it seems than your draft stock Yeah, no. there There weren't too many weaknesses in my Halo three game in my draft stock that wasn't too hot. No No What was what was it like to be there in person last night. We're talking on Tuesday morning Last night was game three. What What did it feel like? It was So I'm there hours before And I'm there likeike an hour before they even let fans in. And so as they start to let fans in and they're trickling into their seat You know, an hour and a half two hours before the game. I'm doing some media on the on the Skybridge, I think, is called And I'm walking and The people in the nosebleeds are seeing me and, you know, there's, you know twenty five percent fill because they just open the doors And they're going crazy and I'm like, This is insane. And then they give me that that u You know, the introduction I didn't know, but apparently it was close to a standing O or a standing O You know, I'm instructed So look into the camera Wave and just stare into the camera and smile. So I'm not looking, I can't see the greater arena. and I don't know what's actually happening. I can't see it on the Jumbot Tron or anything. I can only hear kind of, oh, there's some highlights and st standing into the camera and I'm just focused like this It wasn't until after when some when Scott Vamppeel told me he was like they gave you a standing O. and I was like, reallyally? I did not know that, but obviously just completely completely blown away. There was a lot happening last night. The thing that I kept on hearing from fans, from friends, and of course, I have a particular advantage point on this, but they kept on saying We are most excited to see Jeremy Lyn fking back in this building The whole thing about this next team I'm forced back into contemplating Um It is you because the garden hasn't sounded like this since You were playing in it. The exclusive interview with the man at the center of the biggest story in sports. His name is Jeremy Lynn. He's the seemingly out of nowhere overnight star of the New York Knicks, The man who launched a thousand bad puns like Lynn Sanity and Linderella story. W. Fall in his hands It' another rebound. Lynn for free. Be The show continues here at Madison Square Garden. I've heard that reference a lot Yesterday I think the last time it was like this was when insanity was happening. and I was like, really, they've had some playoff runs recently. and Um and whatnot, you know, but I haven't been back so I don't know, but u it was it was Guinely overwhelming, you know, even when we were filming for, you know, the initial show, the pre game show, I'm seeing My shirts my Jersey the city people or it's like it's twenty twelve. I appreciate it. And even at the game yesterday, you know, like You see majority is Brunson, but there's a little bit of of my stuff sprinkled in there and so you see the number seventeen. I'm just like I'm just like, wow, like New York, they really They really got my back Well, look, the whole the whole thing of what the potential of the garden is and how this team obviously making a finals run is is meeting that possibility. It was it was proven by you Just the idea of like, this could be the greatest building in sports in my lifetime. That's that's the thing that I felt and again, I've been I've been covering you for way too long, But but that was the premise. And so watching this team for you, I mean, it's gott to be We weird Kind of just surreal on a bunch of levels It's so nice to see what's happening for multiple reasons. One, there's always so much appreciation, but there's always going to be a part of me that was like I wish everything turned out differently In terms of the ending with my Nix I didn't see that time Ending so fast. I was expecting and hoping and praying to be back for more seasons to give more performances to be able to help take us further U and so to me, there's always a little bit of like Nick fans deserve more and I wasn't able to do that for them and I just hope that anybody will be able to give them what they want, which is to win, win big and to turn the city upside down So for me I'm seeing this and I remember yesterday, I was just like This is overwhelming, the production of everything, the energy of everything And then I saw, you know, a journalist who has been covering me for almost the same amount of time that you have been covering me And she says to me, she says I want you to soak this in because you are now in the spectator seat and that's what it was like when you were doing everything. And I was like, that hit me really hard because I was like This is overwhelming seeing just how much is happening for this team and how like ablaze the city is What have you been learning as you watch this team, but also think about what watching you must have felt like because I was there. I was at the garden when you dropped thirty eight on Kobe and the Lakers. I was covering you for S sports Illustratatedout that whole run What are you realizing about what that must have been like fourteen years ago It is just it's the feeling of I can't wait to like jump out of my seat and and yesterday's multiple times, I cannot see, I cannot see the floor unless I'm standing And even when it's like, you shouldn't be standing, they're still standing. you know? And it's like They just can't wait for anything good or semi good to happen so they could just jump out their seats and just cheer and go crazy. And that's just like That's the pent up yearning for Nick success which is decades long. and it's It's highs and lows, but really it's it's a lot of lows. it's primarily lows through The last you twenty years and the last fifty three years when they won it, twenty seven years since they've been in the finals. but It's just the pain and the if you look at the arc of the organization it's the gut wrenching pain that makes this that much more exciting. and don' don't even get me started on what the Nicks mean to the city, what the Nicks mean to the world, the brand recognition. It is a cultural institution. and so It is literally, it feels like when you're walking around the city, it's almost like I'm scared to even have colors that look like I'm rooting for the spurs. And I'm like wearing a suit, you know? So I'm like black and white. and people are like, arere you rooting for the spurs? I'm like I'm wearing a black and white suit, okay? Its just a black white suit they're like, can'tot for spur.' like don'try I' not rooting the spur There's that like level of You must The Nicks This is a Nick city. Yeah, watching like Carl Anthony Towns watching Jayalen Brunson and watching these guys, MichKel Bridges, watching them to feel like they're levitating I mean, the thing about the garden, the thing that people need to appreciate On some level, yes, I'm born and raised in New York. I think that the sensation of New York City when this is happening is unparalleled in culture and entertainment.'s just Unparalleled ive of being at the center of it and feeling like you are riding this high Yeah At the time, you felt I know they're going crazy, but It's almost like you can't process it all, right? Like you can't allow You can't allow space to process it. You can't allow space to enjoy it Because the minute that you do that, you start to lose your edge. And I think that's what we're seeing with the Nick. Yeah like are they able to really process what's happening? I ask. They know. because the minute that you do and that's that's the That's the beauty of professional sports is It is literally the, you know, zero point one percent that make a difference. And so, you know, you see Brunton who looks pissed off when they win and has been pissed off this entire series. You see H Josh Hart Joshart They're just angry They're angry and they're locked in and they refuse to take in what is happening and that's the only way Because the spotlight is so big, that's the only way to stay focused. But also because and this is where it sort of like speaks to your experience, also because there's an understanding that all of this is fragile Y that this is fleeting. L someone out there is going to be asking themselves Is this for real? Yeah. Is this guy someone I can trust or is this going to evaporate? and we're going to all think that man, was that What a weird dream we had because because I think againgain, this goes to understand the context and the history of the Ns where it's like I wantan to put all my hopes and dreams on you but then there's that always like that Cutious optimism of like what's going to happen. like I'm expecting the other I'm waiting for other, you know, for the other shoe to drop, like kind of having that feel too. I'm just going to enjoy Wallace here. You know, there's just so many emotions that are coming out. It's intense and it's and it's understandable You know, I need to remind people that You used to be a terrible quote. Thank you, I appreciate that. I love the honesty and you're so right I remember like covering you at Harvard was one thing and I was like, okay, he's a college senior, whatever. I'll give grace. But when you were going through this thing You know, it was it was it was ably uncomfortable probably started to realize that maybe five days into it, every site I'm going to, it's like, Oh, Ln this, Ln that and it's just A a little overwhelming You know, and obviously we've known each other for, you know, over a decade now. So you know my personality. and when I was Senior in college through the first two, three years of my career If you put me in an interview I would tense up I would be like starting to sweat and have like, you know, I have that, right? Like when I used to walk into a restaurant P peopleople start to reconize you're like, that's I would immediately like tense up and like bumps or like Stuck my head. It makes me nervous crave the spotlight. It makes me uncomfortable But at the same time, I am built for the spotlight in the sense of I'm built to perform under the brightest lights and I am built to rise to the occasion of whatever it is. and that's been true in my basketball career from a young age But personality wise it's tough man and And so yeah, I apologize for all the bad quotes and the horrible answers, the short answers, the I don't know why he's talking to me about this. I don't know how to answer it or whatever. all that And then you're going back trying to figure out how am I going to craft this? This answer was so damn bad. lookook, I was pretty annoying myself because I was the guy who was just like relentlessly badgering you What color was your brother's couch that you were sleeping on? What neighborhood was it? Will you write this book with me? And it's just like, okay, we were all, we were all We were all very young back then. But the thing of what you were like, I mean In those interviews, I could hear you thinking which was the opposite from you on the floor. Yes And I want to explain to people Like you growing up From Palo Alto You've told me Stories about growing up and course Asian American parents. I got to know your parents when I was interviewing them When you were in college. and the level of both Trust and belief that they had that like, youo, this Our son might be a basketball player. Could you explain for people who don't know, like Your mom, for instance, just what she invested into that possibility, which is opposite from what any caricature of an Asian American parent. Yeah, My mom grew up and she loved dance but she couldn't. pur it. My dad grew up, loved sports but couldn't pursue it because their parents, my grandparents wouldn't allow them to do that. So when they got married and had kids, the one thing they decided was if our kids have a passion toward something, we won't restrict them from going down that route And so they've funneled so many resources into, you know, competitive basketball is expensive and we're an immigrant family, so we don't have that money, right? And so they're literally interventions with our grandparents and likeike my grandmother and then also their friends and they're like spending and wasting too much money your kids playing basketball like That's not that's not okay. You shouldn't be doing that. That's a bad investment. That's a bad investment. likeike youre you're messing up your future And's funny because once I made it to Harvard, then these same parent came back and was like, w wait so what other sports can my kids play? like fencing or what you know But even in Harvard, it wasn't like you're gonna to graduate and play professional basketball They're like, you got Harvard degree. You're going to graduate and you're going to Use your economics degree and go do it with economics degrees to go do We were financially in such a tough position and When it really came down to it when I was preparing for the NBA draft My mom emptied out her entire four hundred and one K so that I could eat until I was full so I could prepare for the NBA draft. And at that time we had We were very far in debt. We had already borrowed from the bank. we had borrowed from the house, we had borrowed from Harvard. No one would let us borrow anymore and then we had to borrow family And so my mom is and dad are like, they're in a very tough position. And then my mom just has a little bit left in her for hundred one K and gives it all to me and says, You got two years. and if you don't make this work in two years, you got to go use that Harvard degree. And so The point of all of this is you weren't eating til you were full Yeah I was like I mean I was yeah, I was just trying to save money. So I was just eating sububway every day because they had five dollar foot long. And I was just eating Like I was just eating until it was like seventy five percent full because I was like, man, if I keep eating and eating, that's another five twenty five It was five dollars and twenty five cents including tax. And I remember it to this today because're not econom Yeah. I'm an econ major. and I'm eating this every day because I don't have a choice. But when it really comes down to, when it really comes down to putting money your money where your mouth is My parents did that, and I don't think a lot of people will No. I mean, this is the this is like the hidden context for when you're making the MBA and you're in the in the was then called the D League And you have this opportunity to finally get off the bench This is the stuff That is fueling the level of desperation. Absolutely. And God's timing is so crazy Because I finally signed with the warriors on a partial guarantee y minimum Kid you not within Four weeks Both my parents were laid off because this was when, you know, they're engineers, they're engineers in the Silicon Valley That's when tech and apps and everything was booming. And so they started going with a lot of younger engineers and the whole industry shifted And my parents who have been computer engineers their whole life, they got laid off within two weeks of each other. This is within four weeks of me signing with Golden State and they could never find and they were looking. they couldn't find a job after that. And they had they were consistently looking and nobody would hire I'm just like How would we have made it through that stretch of If I didn't make it and if I didn't make it in NBA, like what would happen It's the thing that takes you from Warriors to the rockets. Aain, part of the legend is you get cut on Christmas Eve by the Houston Rockets and our good friend Darrel Mory, Yeahep, ye. And you land, you land eventually hereere in New York and just the highlight reel, the montage, the stuff that made me laugh the most, that was also I'm sure terrifying I remember headlines, Kim Kardashian wants to Jeremy Lint What's the weirdest paparazzi moment you had Stuff about me dating You know, Kim Kardashian I mean, I have no idea where that came from and all these other rumors and you don't think you're the Kim Kardashian type Uh no, I think no I don't think I'm that tightred I still don't know the origin of that So this is what I've heard and I don't know if it's true or not, but this is what I've heard That request did come in to the NX and that is a real request I think basically She at that time was filming her show. which is, I don't know if it's like keeping up with the Kardashians or whatever show was happening back then But I know that she was looking for kind of like a New York athlete Um And so to kind of be on this show, essentially And this is all like, again, is this true? or this not? I don't know. this is what was told to me afterwards becausecause the request came into the Nicks. they immediately declined it without even asking us because they're like, this is not this is not, you know, we're not allowing are young second year player to go down this route right now. They wouldn't let me interview you That was how protective the Kicks were you at the time. Yeah. I mean I didn't even know that What was the sort of most memorable or scary part If you're just to look back and be like, oh yeah, that part of my existence in the city So I'm living on the couch Your brother goisco And then all of a sudden it's like We have like ten fifteen offers. from the nicest properties in Manhattan Come stay at our penthouse suite for free Bah blah blah, come stay here for free, Everything for free. I'm like, o So I move into the residences at the W. And took care of me, I didn't have to pay for anything, and I was just like, oh, I'm glad I'm not on the couch. Is everything's furnished? It was great And I remember because the paparazzi and the fans and everything was so crazy. I couldn't really leave unless it was like Midnight or something I sneak out or you go out the back entrance, but there's a stretch where I couldn't leave without being followed And I remember I was always, I was on like, I don't know, the thirty, fifth floor or something. and I was always I would always look out The window and just see like Which cars are down there the by the lobby? can I leave right now or will I be followed? But it reminds me that as much as you were like the most popular person in New York City, you couldn't actually explore the city at all. Like I remember learning that you hadn't you didn't even like know what Times Square was Like you were You were sort of like going from place to place, sequestered secretly. And so thing that you're getting to do now fourteen years later is actually like be in actually community Yeah like people. Yeah, No. yeah I get to walk down the street and say, What's up to the fans and whatever. And one of my vivid memories and it's extremely vivid because when I come back to the city, I think about it every time I come back to the city was during that stretch This was after the season had ended. I had torn my meniscus and I was trying to rehab. And I remember like me and my brothers and my family, we went and walked to an outdoor park very late at night and we were like shooting around and playing horse and That was One of my most vivid memories from that year of because I finally felt safe. doors with my family and it felt like I was a kid again And it was in Battery Park and that was one of the things I remember the most because I just wanted to feel normal again Hello, it's me Pablo We have been very interested in what you guys actually like about this show And so in the show notes, there is a survey You'll find it magically as a link somewhere down there And you can tell us what you want more of, what you want less of, what annoys you about me potentially all of my friends We will use this to improve the show. It takes like thirty seconds. so please fill it out And we will make this better The idea that you were trying to find something like yourself through this whole process It reminds me of findinding out, I remember talking on the phone with you and your reps about the Kicks not matching the contract because back comes our friend Darryl Mory and he has this big offer from the Rockets and the Kicks had told you test the market. Yeah. And you did And you got an offer and you're a restricted free agent. and the nextick said Congratulations on your new contract, but we're not matching this. Yeah I just remember thinking like that's how this ends doue time, I guess to kind of close ully close theook because I've always The one thing I've always kind of maintained is What I'm most proud, one of the things I'm most proud of through my career is what I haven't said. It's not what I've said or what I've done. It's what I haven't said and the timing of what I have or have not said It's been hard because Obviously I'm human and. I'm okay if you tell me I suck I'm okay if you tell me I can't shoot it well or I wasn't a good defender when I was younger, or I couldn't go left when I was younger. likeike you talk basketball and you criticize me. It doesn't bother me. That's okay It's when you attack my character That's what you know, has historically been like Man, like it brings a different level of emotion And so I think, you know, this trip coming back Shout out to the current Ns because what it has done is their success has been healing for many, many people, for many fans for many people is brought people together And it has also healed many things from the Ly Sanity stretch because I'm having conversations, I'm in spaces that I haven't been in before, and we're all doing this because the current Nicks are doing so well Very recent news, but Uh, you know, I was able to have a Good conversation with Carmelo Anthony because of the current Nick stretch. And so we talked a lot about things that happened and we were able to have a very good clear the air discussion privately And so I think now it's appropriate to, you know, share these things and I was crushed would a Nix It wasn't just when the Kicks didn't match. And I still remember that very vividly because in my mind, I'm like Everything leading up to it is a three day period, but everything even before the three day period, I was like, there's no way they match. There's no way they match. And that three day period felt like three months was like The longest three days of my life And my agent is just telling me like, be prepared that they won't match. And I'm like, there's no way. There's no way. I gott to go back to New York You know, I wasn't able to When everything started, it was, yeah, it was there was no contract. They could have offered me three years nine million. But there wasn't even that offer on the table. And when The rockets offer came in The first question I ask my agent is Are the next gonna match this He's like, I don't And I was like Can you go back to the rockets and tell them we won't accept this offer? We only want a lower offer. I tryed to take less. I was like, I was trying to sabotage the rockets. Good, good ecCon major. Yeah. I was like I don't like this poison pill, like bring it down. It was designed. The contract was designed to be hard to match exxactly because that's what the rockets strategy was. Yeah. And I remember it I remember it vividly as I was fin I finished this this lift an hour and a half lift and and I run out outside I call my agent back and I'm like, okay, the offer came through like No, we have to, we have to get a less lucrative offer because I got to go back to New York And then finally, I'm like, can we just not accept their offer? And he's like, no, we can't not accept their offer because the Nicks refused to give us any offer. You have zero offers on the table. You have one option right now There is no, there is no alternative You have one offer and you have to accept it and leave it to the next to match or not. And that's how badly I wanted to go back. And so yeah obviously for me it was it was kind of difficult just to see like peopleeople thought I willingly left the Ks or I want did it for the money or whatever. And I'm just like, man, like I would have I would have played for significantly less if that meant staying with the with the Kicks. like significantly less because my heart was always here. I didn't think I would see it happen Honestly. And the things you've been navigating that you're too diplomatic to say, It's like people accusing you of like, oh, he's greedy. He just wanted the money. He was thought he was bigger than he was. I mean, that's If you don't understand the backstory of your life It can be insanely, of course in terms of like what people think of you. And that's and that look, it takes us to what your career you to which was Houston and then the Lakers and then Charlotte and Brooklyn and Atlanta, and then Toronto and watching you from afar It was watching someone try to find himself And I don't just mean like the different hairstyles, but I also kind of mean the different hairstyles, justust the idea of like Who am I? What am I in public How do I figure that out as all of the context for people Maybe onlyn knowing me for one thing, but not necessarily knowing what to make of me otherwise, like that's I was uncomfortable watching you be uncomfortable. Yeah. I mean, it's palpable, you know, like you, other journalists, other people When they look back They were just like You were scared, you were overwhelmed, you were reg guarded, you didn't know what was happening. You were trying to find yourself. And that's all true, right? Like The different hairstyles, what was that? That was me Learning to be okay being criticized and laughed at I was criticized and laughed at a lot, especially when I didn't go back to New York and And then the performances of Linani and averaging those stats started to dwindle I was it hurt and it ate me up. but me trying different hairstyles was not because I thought they looked cool. they were horrible. They looked ugly. but it was just be okay being made fun of Be okay being criticized and be comfortable in your own skin and It was so hard to find myself Be the world didn't even know what to do with me. And so there's this huge evolution of How do I handle everything that came to be? And Linania itself the moment was so big and it's like that's not that's not normal stuff, man. that kills and that's why the mananzelles and the Bieers and And the people who get that level of fame that quick or overnight or that young, like my heart goes out to all of them because you will end up jaded and bitter or and you will have to go through kind of the cycles of You know, you're naive And then you're on clloud nine And then you start to like question things because people are changing and people you trust it are ch things and you're starting to realize the reality of the world and how people operate. And then you go into this Jaded, bitter, angry face and then you start to lash out. And then after you do enough of lashing out and jadedness, then you start to have small moments of hope and gratitude and eventually you evolve to Get to a place where You can embrace and be grateful for all of it. And these are the stages of, you know, processing and and all of that that I was going through. I remember visiting you when you were with the Lakers and this is Koby, this is the soft like Sarman era This is you not wanting to even save the term insanity. Yeah It was like I Distinctly remember you like holding the term insanity, like You know, someone would hold a diaper Just like away from you and it's like that's not No, I don't call it you kept on calling it when New York happened. Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't even say the word Why not I think it was just a shadow that Cnt outrun And I think how I used to see it was, like, I'm competitive. I'm ambitious. so If you're talking about what happened in twenty twelve, That means I haven't done my job as a player because in twenty thirteen, I should be surpassing what I did in twenty twelve. In twenty fifteen, I should be surpassing what I did in twenty thirteen. There should be new memories. There should be new stories, new chapters, a new legacy. and The truth is You cannot top insanity. I was the number one most searched person on Google. I was the most popular person on the planet. How do you top that? You cannot top that And so for me, even if I went on, I was a let's say I was a starter and all star and I won a championship. on another team. It does not top Lyn Sanity.. It's not New York City. It's not a story of what it was. It didn't come out of left field. I'm not sleeping on a couch. The city would not feel, I mean, no city could feel like what Linand. It's impossible to top. And because of that, that crushed me because it was like Well, the trajectory arc of any young player is you get better and better and keep going higher and higher And so yeah, I held it out like a stinky diaper. And it was a shadow and eventually I realized This is one of the coolest things in the world. This was a life changing moment for myself and for millions of others. That's the thing is that as you were trying to prove that you were more than this all time cultural moments people for whom this was a peak all time cultural moment never stopped thinking that you were the guy. Yeah and making peace with that that you had different The different demographics are responding to you in different ways, right? Carmela Anthony, Kobe Bryant, the NBA They're like, who is this Who is this guy who thinks he's bigger than we are? Yeah And then there were the people who were like, thank God this guy is representing us at the highest levels. And it's all of those combined, right? and making peace with every elements of it Lin Sandy essentially was a crash course, an accelerated course on these important lessons that I need to learn on life And so when I was able to see it that way I was actually grateful that I was able to learn that much in a short amount of time. grranted, there was a lot of pain and a lot of heartbreak, but I was learned a lot in a short amount of time and it very much shaped who I am today. And so I do feel like, man, L Sandy really grew me up and I became different. And why am I now able to kind of speak out and carry the mantle, not as a weight but to carry it as a source of pride to embrace being Asian American, to be able to speak up and do these things and to be able to say yes, I was player that started Lyn Sandy and to say that proudly and to say, it changed lives. It inspired millions That is all part of my evolution of being able to embrace it and see the positive because there is just so much more positive than negative The thing that I don't know if you were ever able to appreciate was that you felt to so many people, me included, like the picture confidence During that run It was unapologetic. You were waving people off in Toronto on Valentine's D. You were pulling up from three. You were spin moving in the lane against Kobe and the Lakers. It was watching someone be in bloom And to know that that was who you are on the court. and off the court, you were managing essentially like A version of sports puberty in front of everybody. Yeah is this paradox that explains why This story is still still feels unsettled or at least it felt unsettled until this nextick finals run. Yeah. becausecause one of the people who was actually, it turns out Go through something like puberty at the time himself Who was an enormous fan of you W Carl Anthony Townes I give a shout out to Jeremyinn because he origin made me and experand and had to at Motels. trying to find Jere. Yeah, I have so much love. Jeremy Lynn is one of my favorite ms of all time. one of my favorite players time you made me so passionate about the Ks and It's crazy now that I'm in this position, I'm in this chair talkking to you guys as the next player Derered showed me the other day Jer social. And my outfit was gonna to be a Carl Anthony Towns jersey. I'm a big supporter of that, but I definitely need to get his jersey. Fory that. It was kind of crazy because I about it The love I have for him and what he's done for me and my next fandom second. It's honestly incredible because when out of the blue He showed up like two years ago wearing like a L insanity shirt. And so I'm getting text messages and screenshots and I'm like That is so random, like He's not he's not partian, you know. I was shocked. I was shocked that we were in community with Carl Anthony Towns. Yo. I didn't know he was one of us. I didn't believe it Right? Like the initial part was like, a, I don't know. like he's not like he couldn't really be a fan, you know? And And then I was like, but I think he is. He's rocking my shirt. So then we had a little bit of an exchange on social whatever, a couple years go by And And then I'm like, I got to show some love back. And so I get his jersey. And then this clip comes out and I'm like When I'm listening to him talk, I'm really I'm really like No, I made a difference in his life. And and that's that's like it kind of like it's shocking for me. I like I almost can't believe it Well, we had to go and find his tweets. We had to dig them up because we have like the first one here is from feebruary twenty three twenty twelve. And he says, having no school is awesome. Get to watch Jeremy Lynn highlights over and over again Then march thirty first, twenty twelve, can't believe Jeremy Lyn is hurt. Hashtag all caps, next season over. And then july fifth, twenty twelve No all cpped exclamation point exlamation point, exclamation point. Jeremy Lyn is leaving my next exclamation point, exclamation point, hashtag sad day for the nexts, hashtag need him as a Kickerbocker Those three tweets Insanity yourour injury The rockets thing we just described He was going through that. in real time. Yeah And when I think of towns and I think of your story, what you just traceed the arc of This relationship you had with your parents and particularly your mom And this search for identity and frankly trying to prove your toughness That's the story of Carl Towns too. Yeah. someomeone who lost his mom during COVID, someone who his voice, people made fun of him This guy' trying to pretend like he's Kobe. Like he's like he's tougher than he is. Yeah And I was thinking to myself, is whether you realize it or not That is also your trajectory in youroury The thing is like is tough N What is strength What is manliness? L Toughness is just different than what society really describes as toughness. And to me, it's like Carl Anthony Towns is soft. Carl Anthony Towns doesn't play defense. You can't win with Carl Anthony Towns the guy is rewriting his narrative Every year It's just are you paying attention Right? Like This is not the first time that Cat has risen to the occasion He's done that in the past against the best players Right? And his series against Yokch. There's been multiple bigigs where When it comes time to it, he rises to the occasion and he's doing that with Weenby right now. Also him anchoring the defense. iss also him in the locker room and you or him on the in the timeouts and him and the sound bites that you are now getting to hear because he's miced up because of the NBA finals Our offense catches up. We gott to keep playing defense this way. We're at thirty four percent for them. We got to keep playing defense this way. This will win us the game. Our offense will always catch up and didn't game w in Cleveland. We'll be fine His ability to be able to do these things is very different than the super loud ra raa, I'm in your face and the click bait or social things where it's like, you know, I'm getting in fights and what it's different, right? So He has this inner strength and this inner toughness and this quiet confidence, but that doesn't make him less confident person that's like that's more expressive about it. You know, that's what takes time to be able to see. Kat is extremely strong. Kat is extremely tough and Kat rises to the occasion and he has been doing that. And that's why he's so successful. And now he's getting the credit that he deserves. Well, it reminds me of this larger point about like There is toughness as defined by what someone overcame in their personersal life in privacy that no one else from the outside ever knew or appreciated because it is personal to them whether it's the death of your mother, as Carl Towns experienced, whether it's you overcoming the specific beats of your story that we've just outlined. I have a soft spot people who others thought They could bully, they could push around. who not only end up being great Yeah on the court, but also emerge on the other side of it. super introspective and even more confident in what it means to be vulnerable Like that's the story of This team too. I look Kat and what he's saying to, like right now how he's answering those questions. I don't want to sound sugar coating or anything like that, but Shq, you know you would know what I'm saying I don't know what it was, but I just felt a calm and a peace. I don't know it had to bec come from the woman above, so I felt really confident about today. I felt good Oh You know, I felt like a kid. It felt like it was just fun out here. This is something as a kid, you always dream about You always hope that you just hope to be a NBA player let alone to be in the NBA finals and Um All day It was just a weird feeling. It felt like I was a kid getting ready to go play my Saturday AAU games and Sunday AAU games and A. In a way, I felt like I was seeing her in the stands and it was just it was fun. It was really fun. and it was really comforting just like How can you not root for this guy? How can you not root for this guy How can you not root for this next team Brunson gave up one hundred thirteen million dollars. That's not a normal thing, guys That's not talked about enough, you know, It's like He put his money where his mouth is to assemble a team of people. you know, he could have better stats if he doesn't give up one hundred and thirteen million and he shoots even more shots, right? Like I know he's getting a lot of shot, but I'm just saying it could be even more. like Cat sacrificing his stats and his shot attempts and his points to be able to do that. Miuel Bridges had a bigger role in other places and was able to do more and now he's kind of at the whim of when the ball gets swung to me and when I touch it and last night game three. I don't touch as much. so I only get like know, four shot attempt It's just this team, how can you not root for this team That is winning culture, that is winning stuff, whether they win the championship or not. is one thing, but that doesn't mean that they don't have winning habits and winning culture And that doesn't mean that they're not they're extremely, extremely tough and I love everything about these Nicks I love that you, without even you getting on television and screaming it, uh that you're also just through line here, that you're part of the connective tissue that connected Carl Towns to this team as a fan that showed the garden that This place can be better. It can be louder, it could be more intimidating And now you get to actually be there in person It's just look, Part of what I was always trying to do when I was covering you was figure out like what is the best ending to this story And I think the one that you envisioned, the one that I envisioned It had you staying here in New York the whole time. But what this is instead in the way that of course, none of us could predict It's just poetic in its own way. Totally And it's cosmic in its own way. Totally. I didn't realize, I've covered you since twenty ten And if you' to tell me that in twenty twenty six, this conversation would feel like It was to be in its own way I would not have believed that either Would I have loved to st on the nexts Yeahah, you know, longer and blah blah blah, blah.s there was kind of, as you said, our dream of what it would look like. But this is the perfect ending to that chapter in the sense of Our lives always meant to kind of progress and evolve. Can we go to places? Can all humans go to places and leave it better than when we first got there and past the torch where we were never meant to kind of just Go to places, do things, and that's the peak and that's the end. Like we all evolve. and so your goal is to leave a place better than when you got there and to continue to pass the torch. and everything is in life is about loving other people, serving the next generation, preparing the world and they're preparing the next crop of young people. There were so many Nicks legends that did what they did. They built MSG and the Kicks to what it was. I was able to be a very small part of that story. And hopefully I left it better than when I got there And now they're continuing to take this Nx franchise further than we could ever have taken it. And because of that, we get to heal along the way, like it is extremely, extremely poetic. and in many ways, it is so unifying in a very divisive, hostile time in society, in this world But when it comes to the next, we are one and that is beautiful Jeremynn I just want to thank you for being a way better quote than you used to be Thanks for the patience, man. Thanks for the patience. Thanks for being in my corner. It only took sixteen years This has been Pablo Torere findinds out, a Madalark media production And I'll talk to you next time