Dwyane Wade & Travis Diener on MKE, NIL, MU Hoops, Home Court Weekend… and the Wolf (bonus segment)

SPEAKER_03
0:00

Who is one market player that you would have added to that roster from all the years?

SPEAKER_02
0:05

It's easy for me.

SPEAKER_04
0:06

For me, it's easy too.

SPEAKER_02
0:07

Speaking of NIL, out of the final four, you know how much money man travel for?

SPEAKER_03
0:11

What would you have done with the money? Transplant gone away. You're back in town. What brings you back to this fine city? The people, the vibe, the experience.

SPEAKER_06
0:22

Every time it's better and better.

SPEAKER_03
0:25

Hey guys, welcome back to a very special episode of Milwaukee on Cut where we sit down with Dwayne Wade, Travis Deaner. And since that was only about a 12-minute interview, you're gonna get a seven-minute bonus interview with the Wolf of Milwaukee who is back in town for Summerfest this past weekend. We luckily caught him outside of the St. Paul Tiki Bar. With Dwayne and Travis, we cover their upcoming home court weekend from July 16th through 18th. They've got a lot going on, including a guest bartending event, a dinner, and a basketball camp. This is all linked in the show notes. They've got a silent auction too. All linked in the show notes. We talk about if they would have rather played in the NIL era right now or when they did in the 2000s. We talked Mark Hoops in one player from after they played, who they wish they could have added to that Final Four roster to maybe get them over the hump, and the city of Milwaukee. And then with the Wolf, we get to we got to cover best bars in Milwaukee, dead or alive, favorite Summerfest acts of all time, and his famous bomb strategy. If there's any uh you know 20, maybe 30 something guys listening in the area right now or or anywhere that that should be some useful information. Before diving in, I want to thank our partners for making Milwaukee Uncut possible. Annex Wealth Management, if you're looking to get your finances in order this summer, talk to our good friends, the experts at Annex Wealth Management. Know the difference. Head over to annexwealth.com. Nicolay Law, the Midwest law firm injured. Get Nicolay and Russ and the team. We'll take great care of you. Also, we've got a big announcement with them coming soon that you are not going to want to miss. And last but not least, Drink Wisconsinably Beverage Company. Best vodka brandy and canned cocktails in the game available at bars and liquor stores across the state, including the Drink Wisconsinably pub across from the Pfizer and the new corner bar in right field at Amfam Field. That is Drink Wisconsinably Beverage Company. Alright, let's dive in with D. Wade and Travis.

SPEAKER_04
2:38

I know, I know, thanks.

SPEAKER_03
2:41

Oh, you're a better athlete than a golf, sir.

SPEAKER_02
2:43

No, a better golfer. Because you gotta be a non-athlete to be a really good golfer.

SPEAKER_03
2:47

What's your game like? Yeah. Yeah. Can you can you you you're not doing the golf outing this year, are you? Wow. Is there a reason for that? Yeah, we're saving him. He's better than me in golf. So you took the whole golf outing out of the weekend?

SPEAKER_04
3:03

Anything that I'm better at, it changes real quick.

SPEAKER_01
3:05

We just didn't center it.

SPEAKER_04
3:06

So I was just doing like a center.

SPEAKER_03
3:12

I feel like he could drink more than you. You like your wine though, right? Yeah, but uh you're from Fondi. Okay, anyway, are we are we? We've been wrong. All right, great. I I will give you two a proper introduction then. So we we've got the point guard on the O3 Marquette Final Four team, played six years in the league, then had a very successful career in Italy where he won the title, TBT legend, Fonde legend, which we just covered, and was awarded a Big East legend, even though he didn't play a second in the Big East. He was that good, and the owner of this beautiful establishment, Ravis Deener.

SPEAKER_04
3:57

Yeah, Big East Legend. Never played a minute.

SPEAKER_03
4:00

How jealous are you of that award? Not at all. Okay. Anyway, the person who's not jealous of that award, maybe because he's a three-time NBA champion of finals, MVP, an Olympic gold medalist, was also leader of that 03 Final Four team and recently won several Emmys with your production company and as an executive producer, 59th of Prairie. Yeah. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_01
4:26

Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah. So you see why I'm not done? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03
4:32

It is cool to get in a workplace. Something you've never done. You actually did did a lot for those awards.

SPEAKER_02
4:37

Listen, I wish I wish I'd got an invite when I knew he was going to get it. I would have been there to come on the sideline clapping.

SPEAKER_03
4:42

Yeah, that's a that's a good friend right there. Um okay, so we got home court weekend coming up. What are you guys most excited about?

SPEAKER_02
4:50

Uh I think first and foremost, getting a chance to spend time together. And that's always important for Drive and I. And um, and then from there, um, just to be able to, you know, understand that you know, we put together this weekend to have a bigger purpose. And that purpose is to get back a component of both of our lives. And he drive is here at the facility, he gives back you know every day. And um and so it's to get back to the community of Milwaukee. Um, I have a program at Marquette that it's a summer program, it's a reading program, named after my beautiful sister, True Gill. And um, you know, Trive and I want to bring awareness to that. Obviously, we want to raise uh, you know, a lot of as much money as we can to make sure that we give him back some more kids have the opportunity to you know get their reading levels you know up to par. Um, you know, we understand the importance of what reading does for all of us when it comes to the ability to be able to you know comprehend, uh, read, listen, write, all the things. And so it's a foundation piece of your youth. And you know, we're trying to attack that. And outside of that is you know, continue to build relationships and continue to expose people to you know the fun we like to have and the way we like to enjoy ourselves in the midst of giving back is important too.

SPEAKER_03
5:56

Trav, what are you what are you most looking forward to this weekend?

SPEAKER_04
5:59

Yeah, I mean it's the opportunity to hang out, enjoy, give back, um, you know, trying to grow this thing each year to be better and better and uh evolve, and I think this will be the best year yet. But most importantly, just raising awareness uh for such a special program and a program that means so much to Dwayne. And when we started this, you know, just being very supportive of Dwayne and what we were trying to do because I am you know I live here and I can have access and communication with people and have intimate conversations and reach people. So it's been a joy, and it's it's always great to have him back in the city and uh because uh you know the things that you know we're trying to accomplish uh from here on out.

SPEAKER_03
6:42

This is a uh Milwaukee-based show. Duane, you come back, it seems like several times a year. Travis, you've made Milwaukee or Mequan here your home. What are your favorite things about Milwaukee and what are your favorite spots to go to?

SPEAKER_02
6:54

Um, I really just go wherever Trav goes. So I go to the Daniel's house, it's not be chilling, hang out in the backyard, live that life that Trav lives. I love to come out here and do that.

SPEAKER_03
7:04

Way to let everyone know where to hang out. Yeah, I just hang out at Trav back here. Go to Trav's house. It is awesome too. Did you have any favorite spots while you were at Marquette?

SPEAKER_02
7:11

No, didn't have no money, didn't really leave Marquette at all. It's different, you went to NIL at all. So my favorite spots was the gym. I was trying to get up out of here.

SPEAKER_03
7:20

And that that's that's why you were able to do what you did. Yeah, I have a lot of favorite spots. Trav, where do you like going? What do you like about Milwaukee?

SPEAKER_04
7:27

Uh I like the summertime. I like this, I like golfing. Um, so much great golf here in Wisconsin, as you know. Um, you know, having the lake and the water, um, outstanding food, diversity. Um very underrated city for things nationally for a lot of people. Um, it's beautiful out. So yeah, I mean, anytime we get downtown to get a bite out with my with my wife, obviously four kids gets uh don't spend as much time downtown as as uh we used to, but you know, I just think it's a very underrated city, and uh especially in the summertime you can find a lot to do. And when it's winter, you should be in the gym anyways. I got on a boat out here. We got on a boat.

SPEAKER_02
8:07

How'd you like it? Uh first of all, I went to school here and I never seen a boat. I didn't even know a boat was out here before. Like I never thought about it.

SPEAKER_03
8:15

You never went east of campus?

SPEAKER_02
8:17

No, no, I was focused. Um I never thought about it, but we got out on a boat and I was like, I could be anywhere in the world. You went on a boat resident in college. I mean, listen, when yeah. Uh but it it to be able to, and I said this earlier, I think one of the things is really, it really is an underrated city uh from the standpoint of all the um, you got every sports franchise, you know, out here, all the big sports franchises out here, and you have all the big concerts, everyone comes through here. You have all the in the summer, you have all the fests that come through here. It's a lot of energy that comes through here, and so you know it's a place a lot of people have not experienced. But when you come here, it has that it has a small town feel, but it has big city energy, and I think that is uh one of the most underrated parts of Milwaukee.

SPEAKER_03
8:58

So so you would you disagree a little bit with your uh running mate from Miami and Cleveland LeBron when he he said there was nothing to do here?

SPEAKER_02
9:06

Uh I mean, yeah, he's playing basketball, he's focused. I'm not playing no more. So now I think that's the same.

SPEAKER_03
9:10

So you guys were just absolutely dialed in. Dialed in.

SPEAKER_02
9:13

You don't be great if you ain't dialed in. Discipline.

SPEAKER_03
9:15

Spe speaking of NIL, are you glad you played in the uh early mid-2000s here when there was no NIL and no social media, or would you have preferred to play in this era?

SPEAKER_02
9:27

No, I take the NIL.

SPEAKER_03
9:29

You take the money.

SPEAKER_02
9:30

Out of the final four, you know how much money me and Trial would have gone by? A lot.

SPEAKER_03
9:33

A lot. Man, listen. Well, okay, Duane, what would you have done with the money? Would you have been good with it? What would you have bought?

SPEAKER_02
9:40

No, I wouldn't have it today. I would have it today. I mean, I would have, you know, obviously given it back to my family. Um, you know, I I come from a very tough community. And so I would, I would have given it back. I had a kid when I was here. Um, you know, at the time as well, it would have it would have been it'll help me home. Um but yeah, I would I definitely would have enjoyed coming back for another run knowing I can get the NIL money the way that you're getting it for sure.

SPEAKER_04
10:04

Yeah, Trav, you want to take a swing at that one? That's a tough one. Um you're very involved. I don't know how I would have handled it, uh to be honest personally. I you know would have handled it. There's a yeah, maybe my dad, but there's a there can be a sense of complacency when when you get that money at that young, and uh maybe you know your drive to get better, your work out that can be affected. Um but you know, we're you're talking about a lot of money in these days, so yeah, I mean, no one's gonna say no to that. Um I think we had all both probably entered the transfer portal a couple times just to test the water. Get some leverage. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03
10:38

How do you think Steve would have handled it? Well, Steve would have been gone.

SPEAKER_04
10:43

Steve would have been out of here. Yeah, no. Um, I think what made our team you know a little different is is our chemistry. You know, so if NIL would have existed back then, Dwayne probably went to declared for the draft. He would have came back, and we probably would have a national championship. So blame MIL, blame Dwayne for being greedy, and we only got a final four and not a national championship.

SPEAKER_03
11:04

We're broke. Greedy or broke, you didn't want to do that. They can go together sometimes. Um speaking of getting that, uh winning a national championship. I got some rapid fire questions for you. Who is one Marquette player that you would have added to that roster if you could take one? From all the years? From all the years. We could go more recent. We could go after you on the player. Who is it?

SPEAKER_04
11:26

For me, it's easy too. I wonder if we're thinking the same.

SPEAKER_02
11:28

Yeah, mine's Tyler. I'd ask for another point guard.

SPEAKER_04
11:32

Um He got me. He got a guy. That's who you would have gone with? I would have no, I definitely wouldn't have gone with that. He got me with that one. Um Jay Crowder for me would have been a guy. Jay Crowder. That would have fit our fit our team very well. Yeah, he was tough. I mean, Tyler could have given us some. Yeah, we didn't have a backup point guard, so he could give us some minutes.

SPEAKER_02
12:00

Who's more competitive out of you two? I think we're both competitive. I think we just got different ways of expressing it. Well, I don't think we neither one of us more competitive.

SPEAKER_03
12:10

How does he express his competitiveness?

SPEAKER_02
12:12

You just you can see it on his face right now. I ain't even looking at him. You see competitiveness on his face. You know how they say you wear it on your sleeve?

SPEAKER_03
12:20

Does he have phases before he's about to go off?

SPEAKER_02
12:24

Can you feel it boiling up, or is it just I feel it boiling? Listen, I was his roommate on the road, and I I might have snored a little bit. And I I felt a lot of things. I felt pillows hitting me, I felt all kinds of things. And so um the wrath of tribe, everybody knows it, you know what I mean. And he was our leader, he was our vocal leader. Um he was an emotional leader for us as well. And so we all got the wrath of Denner's competitiveness.

SPEAKER_03
12:47

Was he as focused as you on the road, or was he coming back in the middle of the night sometimes? Or was he I don't know, I was asleep. I don't know what he was doing. You were s you were snoring and he wasn't happy. We were not allowed to have much fun. We had security outside our road.

SPEAKER_02
13:02

Yeah, we had security we couldn't go nowhere.

SPEAKER_03
13:06

Okay. What are you most excited about for this Marquette season? Any predictions?

SPEAKER_04
13:16

I think we're gonna be um I think we're gonna surprise a lot of people from the outside. I think uh with the two editions in the portal, um the guys coming back, the freshmen who proved that they belong last year. I think we're gonna go uh way back uh in the tournament where we belong, and I think we're gonna surprise a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02
13:36

Well, I'm not here in Milwaukee, so I gotta take drives. I'm gonna go with that answer. All right. If we they got our support, that's all you need to know. We support, we ride. Let's go.

SPEAKER_03
13:46

All right. Well, um, thank you guys so much for for your time, and everyone should attend Home Court weekend. Let's do it. Coming up July 16th through 18th. All right, huge thank you to Dwayne and Travis for sitting down with me and to our good friends at Visit Milwaukee for having us. Awesome organization. That whole team does so many great things for Milwaukee. We really appreciate them. And um, yeah, I was I was pretty starstruck during that that interview. Hadn't met Dwayne before. Travis had come on before. It was it was good I knew him, but um yeah, that that was that was an awesome opportunity. And up next, we've got the wolf, who is just an absolute one-man wrecking crew in Milwaukee in the 2010s. Well, Dwayne Wade was putting up all-star numbers on the court in front of millions of viewers. The wolf was putting up all-star numbers on Water Street. Like I said in the intro, we caught him and Brandon Chocker of the Milwaukee Esports Alliance outside of the Tiki Bar before Summerfest on Friday. So here's the uh the bonus seven minutes from that one. And like I said, make sure to check out Dwayne and Travis's home court weekend, all linked in the show notes. Summerfest is the world's largest music festival, and it attracts people from all over, including the Wolf of Milwaukee, who mindlessly decided to move to San Francisco. But now he is back in the city here at the Tiki Bar. Wolf, how are you feeling today? Great.

SPEAKER_06
15:17

You just can't escape the pull of Milwaukee. You know, it's like the vortex, it's around orbiting the horizon of a black hole. But every time I come back, it's better and better. I mean, you yeah, that that's it. When did you get to town? Well, almost a week ago, just to prep myself. There's a lot of preparation that comes in for these the debauchery for the evening. Okay.

SPEAKER_03
15:36

So, how much time has elapsed since you got in town to the debauchery began? I heard you were were you behind the bar at Joe Cat's a couple nights ago.

SPEAKER_06
15:46

I may have dabbled, I may have snuck behind to grab a drink or two, which is great. Um about seven days total. It's a lot of prep time. It's not for everybody, not for the faint of heart, depending on how many days you want to do it, but you want the full experience.

SPEAKER_03
16:02

What do you do to prep? I remember last time when I was at your apartment, you had about 73 supplements laid out, and I asked which ones you were taking, and you said all of them, and looked at me like I was a fucking idiot.

SPEAKER_06
16:15

Funny you should say I now I now travel two full pill boxes. So I've I've expanded. It might be close to a hundred. So the monthly cost, it's not, again, you know, there's a there's a lot that has to support what I do. It could be a thousand a month in supplements.

SPEAKER_03
16:30

You gotta be stacking cash out uh uh in the Bay Area these days. I'm doing the best I can. You know, the wolf does what he can. We love to hear it. Wolf, what would you say your favorite bars in Milwaukee? Let's get Brand, let's call Brando in as a celebrity guest. Um, what would you say your favorite bars in Milwaukee are dead or alive?

SPEAKER_06
16:50

Joe Cats, for sure. That's on the list. It was rest in peace to Mikey's. That was it. Taylor's, of course. Did Mikey did Mikey's pour the best bombs that you've ever had? You know, it wasn't so much the poor, it was the quantity. So when you when you can stretch $50 for 50 bombs, it's really hard to worry about the poor because you just double up, you know. So yeah, I guess a long as well.

SPEAKER_03
17:15

I mean you would be walking around with terrace to all the women of Mikey's.

SPEAKER_06
17:19

I mean, you know, actions speak louder than words, isn't that what they say? So we just provided the actionable, which is you're probably thirsty, you don't want to wait for five, ten minutes to get a drink. Let us help you.

SPEAKER_03
17:32

What about flanneries?

SPEAKER_06
17:33

You know, it it's around March we'll call it the month of the Irish. Uh you know, Dabble Flanneries, Trinity, Harp, even uh McGillicuddies, right?

SPEAKER_03
17:44

I mean, the dance floor at Flanneries, the elevated box, though that was something.

SPEAKER_06
17:49

It was something. I mean, it was a danger zone. You know, it was it was soaked, it was like a slip and slide at all times. But if you dared to venture up there, call it the penalty box, there were rewards. And I'm talking it paid dividends, my friend.

SPEAKER_03
18:03

All right, so did did you do when Brando came in, did you choose to stand up here to make yourself appear taller on camera? Or there was this um insecure.

SPEAKER_06
18:11

This is fine. Yeah. No, no, no. No, no, where to go.

SPEAKER_03
18:15

Brando, you you you're a well-traveled man around the city. What are your favorite bars, dead or alive here?

SPEAKER_00
18:21

I mean, we're sitting right next to it. St. Paul Tiki Bar, I think, is one of one. Uh, and you can always get a great buddy marry, you can always have a good Pacifico. And if I had to not be here, I'd be at St. Kate's.

SPEAKER_03
18:30

What about the pub club? You once ordered bottle service from the pub club, which we didn't know existed at the time.

SPEAKER_00
18:36

Yeah, I mean the pub club R.I.P. but replaced with an incredible place, 92K Cafe, uh, with an incredible restaurant group around here, Jake and Seth Denny. So yeah, I got a bottle there a long time ago. People got a lot of bottles and have a nice day cafe. So uh a lot going on in that spot.

SPEAKER_03
18:50

Okay, Wolf, we need your your top summerfest shows or moments ever seen.

SPEAKER_06
18:56

Ever seen? Probably Steve Aoki pit. Marshmallow Pit. Did you get a cake in your face at Aoki? No, but of course part of my group did. And it it it hit someone in our group. Did you go to Joe Katz or site 1A after? I think it was site 1A, Joe Katz, and then they locked the door to keep the party going until about 4 a.m. So if there's any Milwaukee PD listening, that don't worry about that.

SPEAKER_03
19:25

What did you think of Subtronics last night? I know Bree loved it. I I refuse to go by a mile.

SPEAKER_06
19:31

If you were ever to go, I wonder what would happen to a body in a microwave, you know, see if it would explode. That's what Subtronics did to me in a great way. So basically, you know, they have a lot of things you can do. It's a sauna, a spa, red light therapy. Having like 400,000 watts of bass at a sound level that you can't even hear, shaking all of your organs. Pretty incredible.

SPEAKER_03
19:55

Reese said it during the concert you were pounding a monster and a cocktail around 10:30 p.m. Did that get the night started?

SPEAKER_06
20:03

Well, I gotta correct you on it. It was two shaker martinis with a monster chaser. So then, you know, I do that, then I got tired of holding the can, so then you just you top up the martinis to keep the time going. And it cuts it cuts the bitterness out a little bit.

SPEAKER_03
20:19

Brando, what would you say your favorite Summerfest moments of all time are?

SPEAKER_00
20:22

I mean, last night Subtronics was up there. Uh that was an incredible show. Uh we've seen a lot of good shows there. Alice in Wonderland came through, she's an EDM show. And the music was so loud in the pit that people were picking up the paper off of the confetti and put it in their ears. So I would say that was uh pretty incredible to see.

SPEAKER_03
20:39

Wolf, as a as a as kind of a uh transplant gone away. You're back in town. What brings you back to this fine city?

SPEAKER_06
20:48

I mean, the people, the vibe, the experience. I mean, that that's it. It's every time it's better and better. And I will always say, you know, what's the T the t-shirts are the Milwaukee home? Uh I do feel that. Like, I mean, I I lived up here for quite a while and ran around with our good friend Brando, but it it it feels good every time I come back.

SPEAKER_03
21:08

Is there any chance you you could move back to this area in the future? The economy and the people miss you.

SPEAKER_06
21:14

It could be an investment property in the near future, coming from the wolf. So I could have more of a permanent presence. Okay.

SPEAKER_03
21:22

I might I might shed it too. It's so good seeing you. It's so good seeing you. What a what a what an icon, what a cultural icon here tonight. Yes, yeah, it's great to see you, brother. All right, if you've made it this far, thank you so much for tuning in. Like I said, huge thank you to Visit Milwaukee for having us to interview Dwayne and Travis and for those two for giving me some time. And and glad we caught the wolf in Brando. Just want to thank our partners before signing off. Annex Wealth Management, Drink Wisconsinably, and Nikola.