Kon Knueppel: Inside the Milwaukee Native & Charlotte Hornets Star’s Amazing Rookie Year & Offseason

SPEAKER_01
0:00

What was it like stepping on the floor against Giannis? So I couldn't really sleep. I was I was so pumped to play in Milwaukee. You guys made a big trade with Lamella. Was that a shock to you? Yeah, definitely a shock. For me, I just I like focusing on today. What can I do to get better today?

SPEAKER_03
0:19

Hey everyone, we're back for a special episode of Milwaukee Uncut where Lex and I are joined by Milwaukee Native and Charlotte Hornet star Khan Kanippo, who's coming off an amazing NBA rookie campaign with a lot of great moments. We cover the first time he stepped on the floor against Giannis in Milwaukee. By the way, he scored 32 points in that game. And speaking of that game, we talk about when he brought his pretty much entire team over to his parents' house the night before for dinner. He also went on Jimmy Fallon this year. We touch on the big Lamello trade that just happened, how he finished second in rookie of the year voting to his good friend and former roommate Cooper Fleg, and he got praise from Steph and Giannis this season. Since he's a Milwaukee native, we also touched on his favorite places around Milwaukee, and he's a big Brewers and Packers fan, so we talked some Wisconsin sports as well. It's a great episode, and it was really cool to have him in. Before diving in, I just want to thank our partners who make Milwaukee on Cup possible. We'll kick things off with Nicolilla, the Midwest law firm injured. Get Nicolan, Russ and the team will take great care of you. Drink Wisconsin Bleed Beverage Company, best vodka brandy and canned cocktails in the game, available at bars and liquor stores across the state. And now available at Am Fam Field if you're at a brewer game. Make sure to check out their corner bar over in Wright Field. And last but not least, our good friends over at Annex Wealth Management. If you are looking to get your finances together and have a goal that deals with your money, your earnings, your investments, go talk to the experts at Annex. They have an amazing team, ready to listen and help you with your personal goals. Annex Wealth Management, know the difference. All right, let's dive in with Khan Kanipple. Alright, welcome back to Milwaukee on Co. We've got a Milwaukee native. He went to Wisconsin Lutheran, where he was Wisconsin's Mr. Basketball in 2025, won a state title with a 30-0 record, then tended Duke, where he was the ACC tournament MVP, made the Final Four, fourth pick in the 2025 draft to Charlotte. Historic rookie season where he broke the NBA rookie three-point record and became the first rookie to lead the NBA in three-pointers mid. Came in second in a very highly contested and debated rookie of the year award. He's been on Jimmy Fallon. He's done some media as the NBA player correspondent. Thanks for having me. Good introduction. You've just been on a tear in life recently. Yeah, I mean, I guess. Did you um it I mean, obviously people thought you were you were gonna be good. You were the fourth overall pick, but did did you surprise yourself this year? Did you see all of this coming?

SPEAKER_01
3:10

Um, I think a little bit. Um you know, definitely um, you know, was gonna throw my all into it and see how big of a role I could carve out for myself. And um I think you know the trust that teammates and coaches put in me um early on um really helped spur that along and uh just made me more comfortable. And then I was able to find my footing pretty early when we had some injuries and guys go down where I had to you know play a bigger role. And then once we had all the guys back, like that that trust from them was was still there. So um it just allowed allowed me to keep growing and keep getting better throughout the season.

SPEAKER_03
3:47

Um we're obviously a Milwaukee-based show. One of the early moments for you this season in November, you came home, you dropped 32. First time playing against Giannis, growing up a Bucks fan, took that game to overtime. What what was that whole experience like?

SPEAKER_01
4:05

Uh it was it was awesome. Um I just I came home and obviously my my teammates came to to dinner at my parents' house the night before, so that was that was fun. Um a cool experience to kind of show them where I grew up, and then um obviously we're we were sitting at the trade like right across from the fire serve, so I couldn't really sleep. I was I was so pumped to to play in Milwaukee and just be home. Um and then obviously the the game started and I got two early fouls, so I was out early in the first quarter and they threw me back in there and then just got going from there. Um obviously would have liked to win, you know, had a big, big shot three-pointer to tie it and send it to OT. Um, but just kind of a kind of a tough one. The Bucks ended up beating us, but it was a special night.

SPEAKER_03
4:49

Um was it weird staying at the trade when you grew up like 10 minutes away? Yeah, very weird. Just thinking about that, like coming coming to your hometown, you're like, my bedroom's like 10 minutes from here.

SPEAKER_01
5:00

Yeah, very weird. Um never never stayed at a hotel in Milwaukee, so um definitely a different type of feeling.

SPEAKER_03
5:08

Yeah. Um the the dinner's been talked about quite a quite a bit. How did um how did how did that come about and what what what was it like having all those guys in your house?

SPEAKER_01
5:20

Um, well, I they were like kind of like, oh con where we going out for dinner. Um and I was like, well, I'm going, I'm going back to to my house in Wisconsin, going going back home. Um and so they were like, okay, guess we're going over there. And I was kind of joking about it. And my parents had texted me, you know, like a day later. Um, because they joked about that on the flight. We were flying planes somewhere else. Um my parents texted me a day later, like, invite anybody who wanted to come over, and I was like, I think I'm gonna invite everybody over. Um, and so we had some guys, and uh or most of the guys came. Um, and uh one of them, Mason Plumley, is like an an older vet um who was on our team for uh half the season, great dude, also a fellow Dukey, but he was like, This is awesome! Like we never get to I've never done this before, and he's been in the league for like 14 years. Um so very very cool to we don't get that a lot as players, a home cooked meal, especially on the road. Um and so I I think the guys thought it was special, and you know, my brothers, my brothers had a really good time with it too.

SPEAKER_00
6:26

Yeah, what was it like for some like your brothers to just have an entire NBA team stop by?

SPEAKER_01
6:32

They were pumped. Um, we came we came in the team bus. So we were we're driving down our street and we we turn in, we were like on a cutoff alleyway, like that's where we live. In in Walatosa. Yep, and so they they rolled in and um I could see my brothers like peeking through the windows.

SPEAKER_00
6:50

It was very funny. I don't blame them at all. I did see one of your brothers try to dunk on the mellow ball.

SPEAKER_01
6:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00
6:57

Yep. Is that the first canuple brother to try to dunk on the mellow ball?

SPEAKER_01
7:01

Yeah, I think so. I never tried. Uh Kidman was just trying to distract him and come flying through. It was very funny. Um, kind of outside his personality a little bit. So we find it really, really funny as well.

SPEAKER_00
7:15

You gotta go for it when you get a moment like that. Yeah, absolutely. When you get a can you go fix the rim to the mellow ball? Oh man, you gotta do that. Very funny.

SPEAKER_03
7:22

Uh speaking of stuff like that, what was your most surprising moments your rookie year? Maybe one on the court and one off the court?

SPEAKER_01
7:32

Um, well, that's up there for most surprising. Um just that guys like enjoyed that and and and wanted to do that. Um off the court, I I'd say doing Fallon, like you mentioned. Like that was something that How did that come about? The the NBA was on NBC for a lot of games this year, so Fallon's on NBC and they wanted to they kind of did it throughout the season where they brought bring somebody through um from a from a team that's playing in New York, playing the Knicks or the or the Nets. Um, and so they would bring somebody through from whatever team was in town. Um, and the Hornets wanted me to do it, so I was like really I I didn't really want to do it. I was really nervous and I was like, I don't I don't really want to, but then after doing it, I was like, Oh, that's pretty that was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03
8:17

Yeah, you were good on there. Yeah, it was it was it was fun. Was it one of those moments where you just like go on and black out and it's done and you don't remember much of it and then watch it back or uh I don't watch it back.

SPEAKER_01
8:28

Um it was interesting how um that the production of that too, like behind the scenes, like they kind of prep you for what he's gonna ask, kinda. Um, but then not all the way because they don't want you to they want you to be authentic up there. Um and then the crowd there is interesting, and it's this filmed that night, and then they show it later that night. So it's like filmed at like five and then they show it what whatever time it's on. Um, which it was it was cool to do that. And um my my mom and my aunt came and they were super excited. Were you more nervous for that or any game this season? Um no, I was nervous. I get nervous for games. Um probably most games, I was more nervous than that, but I because I was I was I was settled in after a little bit when I had gone through all the all the prep when I went out there. I was like, alright.

SPEAKER_03
9:24

Yeah. Was the was that first game in Milwaukee the the most nervous you've been before a game?

SPEAKER_01
9:30

Um this year. Maybe this year, yeah. Yeah, that was that was uh nerve-wracking one, but it is cool when you get introduced for the starting lineups and like there's a bunch of cheers. That calms it a little bit. Yeah, that was that was a cool feeling.

SPEAKER_03
9:46

What was it like stepping on the floor against Giannis?

SPEAKER_01
9:50

Um yeah, it was pretty pretty surreal. Um just I mean, I came to a bunch of Bucs games when I was when I was real little, when the Bucs were terrible and you know, he was on the team as a rookie. Um and so it was very cool. This just kind of full circle, I guess, um playing playing the Bucs and playing him specifically. You know, he's done so much for the city, so uh it was it was really cool.

SPEAKER_03
10:19

What uh uh what's it like mentally? Because you got a lot of friends and family watching, and then you get two two fouls, you're out, and then you rebound and drop 32. Yeah, he was like what's going through your head?

SPEAKER_01
10:32

Are you like, oh shit, I'm I'm yeah, like foul trouble is the worst because you're you're taking yourself out of the game for stupid, stupid reasons. You know, I think in that game I got like a a stupid, like it was a bad call, and then I got one where it was like it was a dumb, dumb fall on my part. Like, wow, I was I I can't necessarily remember specifically what I what I did, but that was like that's always like rule number one. Don't get in fall. That's my dad's only rule. Like, don't whine, don't complain, good body language, don't don't fall. Like, don't fall out. I want to see you play. Um, and so that that was uh frustrating, but you know, you just gotta stick with it, um, be ready for the next opportunity. And late in that first quarter, I got going a little bit.

SPEAKER_03
11:19

Um, growing up in this area, when did you know you were different or maybe had a shot at the NBA someday?

SPEAKER_01
11:28

Um it I mean it it took a while. Um I mean after I mean, still even in high school, you never really know. Um and so I by my senior year I felt like I was getting better like uh incrementally each year, like come back and I'd have something new and something something that I was better at and a different way to affect the game. And I feel like that's just kind of what I've been been trying to do each year. Um come back each season, come back with something different, um, just a little bit better. Um, and that's the that's kind of the biggest focus. So I was never really focused on man, I want to make the NBA, I just want to get better. I want to get better this year, I want to get better today. Um and for me that works. You know, some guys like to lay out a huge plan or dream. Um, for me, I just I like focusing on today. What can I do to get better today? Um, and stacking that over a long period of time has gradually gotten me to the point where I am right now.

SPEAKER_03
12:27

When did uh when did you start getting looks for big school from big schools? And was was there anyone in the running with Duke that you were interested in going to?

SPEAKER_01
12:37

Yeah, uh after my freshman year high school is when I started getting recruited. Um my uncle is a coach at Toledo, so he offered me, he's like, I think you'd be really good. So he offered me first, and then we went to for Wisconsin Lutheran, we play at Marquette team camp down here every year, and I had a really good camp. And Marquette offered me a scholarship after. Um and so they they were they were in it right up right till the end.

SPEAKER_03
13:02

Um what year that would have been what five years ago?

SPEAKER_01
13:06

Yeah, so I was a freshman in that would have been 2021, 2021 summer. Okay.

SPEAKER_03
13:14

So Marquette was pretty good at that. Stand and Stevie and those guys, or was that? No, I think it was Marcus Howard.

SPEAKER_01
13:21

It was Shaka's first year, okay, I believe. Marcus Howard was. So it would have been it would have been like that camp, they would have had Oso and Kolick and Oh yeah. Cam Jones was a freshman. So it was their first year. Um so it was uh they they were they're great. You know, even going back, watching my brothers play at the camp now, you know, get to talk to them for you know 10-15 minutes. They're really, really good people over there.

SPEAKER_03
13:49

Could Marquette possibly get get any of your brothers? We've got three Marquette alums in the building right now.

SPEAKER_01
13:56

Uh I mean, we'll see. I mean, they gotta keep working hard. Um you know, Marquette has uh not done great recently with like in-state recruiting. So I feel like they, you know, try to sometimes they they stay out of it a little bit because you know it's tough to recruit in-state guys like heavy and you know, kind of not not not land them. So um, you know, they've been they've been looking elsewhere um for for players uh recently.

SPEAKER_03
14:26

Maybe we could help with we got a former mascot in the building here. Yeah, maybe I have some pull. I can show back up. You had a you had a couple games as Iggy, right? Yeah, back in the day.

SPEAKER_00
14:36

Talking about basically the same. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03
14:42

Dan, your bro, your uh brother Kegger just committed to Duke what a couple weeks ago. Yep, Cager. Uh Cager, excuse me.

SPEAKER_01
14:48

No, it's all good. He uh he committed to do, yeah, that was two weeks ago, maybe. Um really cool. Um I just he was he was getting recruited by them and I was trying not to you know influence one way or the other. Um and I was just like, oh, I mean, like, whatever's best for him, like that's cool if that's best for him. And then he committed there. I was like, that's pretty cool. That's pretty sweet. I was excited. What ultimately want you over to go to Duke? Um I think a big thing that was underrated about it was it's a smaller school. So I was at the time, I don't necessarily feel this way anymore, but when I was getting recruited, um I was a little intimidated by the bigger schools. Um and so there's 6,000 undergrad at Duke. And so that that was really um intriguing to me. I liked it, and then all the other stuff that comes into it. I mean, it's for the most part, it's a basketball decision. So um I love I love Shire, I have a really good relationship with him. Um, but also the the um just the the the program and what it is and and what it's become and um playing you know on prime time TV all the time. I think that's really fun for a pla any any player uh to play on that stage. Um but ultimately I felt like it was the the place where I would go and compete against the best players I could and every day in practice, and that's where I'd get the most better. So I felt like that was the right choice.

SPEAKER_03
16:18

Did uh I've I've never been to Cameron Indoor. Obviously, I've seen it on TV a million times. Um did you go down there during high school a couple times and check check out games there? And like what's what does it feel like playing inside of that stadium?

SPEAKER_01
16:32

Yeah, um you know it's it's a complete so I went to a game this year to watch, and that's a completely different experience than um when you're playing just how awesome like that environment is because when you're playing you're focused on like the game plan, what you gotta do. So you're trying to not focus as much on the crowd, even though like they can give you a bunch of juice um on on like a big run or something, but you're trying to focus on what what you're supposed to do. And so it was really, really cool seeing it as a fan. Um, because it is electric in there. Um and there's only like eight eight thousand seating small, but they're they're on topia, and it's it's really, really cool. Um the chants from the the crazies and um the pregame stuff. It's it's it's really really special place. I only got to play 17 games there, so it's uh I'm uh I don't get to play anymore. So I'm I'm a little bit jealous of of Cager. You know, he gets to go on there and play some games there.

SPEAKER_03
17:36

I mean you're close. How far of a drive is it from Charlotte?

SPEAKER_01
17:40

Uh 230, two and a half.

SPEAKER_03
17:43

Not terrible.

SPEAKER_01
17:44

Not terrible, not terrible, not terrible, but it's like a little bit farther than like than like uh he's playing tonight.

SPEAKER_03
17:51

Let me just swing over. Right.

SPEAKER_01
17:52

Like it when he's there, it'll be different. Like I'll go up there. But like when you're playing a full 82 game season, it's like I don't want to drive five hours tonight. Sorry, little bro.

SPEAKER_03
18:01

And sit at a game. Was that uh was that the biggest adjustment this year? That's a lot of uh basketball.

SPEAKER_01
18:09

Yeah, for sure. Um that was the biggest basketball adjustment. Like you just gotta get ready to ready to go every every night, um which sometimes like a lot of times your body just doesn't feel good, which is like most of the time when you're like in college you're playing, and every time you play, like you're getting your body to the point where I feel great, I'm like ready to go. And there's well, we had 16 back to backs. So the second night of the back to back is tough. Like you just go out there and like your mindset is like I just gotta like grind through this one, and then we'll have a day off tomorrow. But like it's really, really hard to your body feels does not feel good for that that second game of the back-to-back. So getting your body um in a in a spot where you can go out and compete and and feel good, and it's it's mostly mental of like I can I can do this and get through this.

SPEAKER_03
19:04

What's a typical back-to-back like? So I'm guessing you leave the stadium around like 10 or 11 at night. Are you flying out that night to a different city, or do you stay overnight there, fly in the next morning, do like a little shoot around, and then so there's like rules in NBA are like rules.

SPEAKER_01
19:22

You don't do a shoot around on a back-to-back. Um, and then you also, if the game starts anytime before seven, you also don't do shoot around. So if it's if the game starts at 6 30. Interesting. The game starts at 6 30, it's like, alright, no shoot around today. It's very, very so that's a league rule. The team can't it's I don't think it's a league rule. The the second one, I think the fur the the back-to-back one might be something that the MBPA put in. But like I think it's just like league, like an unwritten rule. If you play at 6 30, we're not doing shoot around. Um But the worst ones are road back to backs. So we played in in San Francisco, we played the Warriors, got smoked, lost by like 20. Um, we didn't play well, and we had to fly to Denver the next day, which is like it's a long flight. Denver air Denver's airport is like 30 to 40 minutes from downtown Denver. Yeah, oh you fly into that. We we flow we flew into Denver, got there at like two, drive to the hotel, get there at like 2 40. Um no shoot around, sleep, slept till like 11, got up. We didn't even have anything until like we're we're leaving for the gym. Rookie's got to be there early, so um I get there, uh the our bus leaves at like 3, 3.30 for a 7 o'clock game. Um we get there, uh, we shoot, we lift before the game. Um, and then we have you have chapel like an hour before the game, talk about the game plan. That was the first time we talked about the game plan.

SPEAKER_03
21:01

So no no film or anything.

SPEAKER_01
21:03

Like they'll they'll send you clips um the night the night before the the that morning, they sent us clips, and then like what we're gonna do is wasn't really discussed until like 30 minutes on the clock. We go out there, win by 30. Like that's the the difference of the MBA, but like some of that stuff is just like especially in those back-to-backs. We were really good in back to backs the second night, just because we'd go out there and like we're gonna play hard and like this is what we're gonna do. Um, because a lot of it is just a war of against your body and your mind throughout throughout an 82 game season, yeah. But that was kind of like a small picture of a road back to back, those are the worst, or like a home and then road, not fun.

SPEAKER_03
21:46

Yeah. Um, Cooper Flag, your your your roommate. What was it like that one game you you guys won against each other, which you did win that one? I think you both had career highs, or at least were your highs at that point in time, and then just back. With him in the rookie of the year discussion. What was are you guys super good friends off the court and what was that?

SPEAKER_01
22:05

Yeah, yeah, we're good friends. Um just got to see him out in Vegas at the Duke. We had like a little Duke dinner, um, which is cool.

SPEAKER_03
22:13

Like Duke Alum and Oh nice. Who who was who was at that dinner?

SPEAKER_01
22:17

Um so most of the guys from my team were there. Uh Shire or assistant coaches, um Jason Tatum was there, Grayson Allen, um Mark Williams, uh, and then you had like people that work in that in the NBA, Quinn Snyder, who's coach of the Hawks, yeah. Uh Mike Dunleavy, the GM of the Warriors. So it was very, very, very cool. Um just to kind of talk to those people.

SPEAKER_03
22:47

And Dunleavy, I was at the uh game when Giannis decked him. Oh, yeah, when we lost by like 60. The Bucks lost by 60. Yeah, yeah. That was back in the early. I think that was still at the Bradley Center. Yep. I think he was trip a little chippy with Giannis, and then Giannis just went full linebacker mode on it.

SPEAKER_01
23:05

That was that was cool because that was when we were down, the Bucs were down 3-0, I believe, and won two in a row against the Bulls. Did they win that game? He decked him. No. Okay. So they were down 3-0, they won two in a row, coming back home. Okay. And obviously, no teams ever come back 3-0 and we're like, we're coming back home, like we're gonna win this game, and they lost by 60. Giannis got ejected.

SPEAKER_00
23:27

Yeah, they had I mean, if you're losing by 60, you might as well get ejected. It was like 55 points.

SPEAKER_03
23:32

They had some good playoff series against the Bulls in the in the mid-2000s. Um God, I'm blanking on one game. I was at the Bayless, maybe? I don't know. Made some buzzer beater layup that uh Jerry Bayliss. Yeah. Anyway, I didn't mean to digress from Summer League and Cooper Flag and the in the in the Duke dinner, but was it uh did did you do you think you guys made it made each other a lot better at Duke just going at it every day in practice?

SPEAKER_01
23:59

Yeah. And you know, we had a lot of I think now we had Sion, Tyrese, Cooper, me, come on Malawatch, and then we had Malik Brown got drafted this year, Isaiah Evans got drafted this year. So that's seven NBA players on a team. That's wild. And then you have Caleb Foster who's still there, Pat Gongba who's still there, who are probably gonna be NBA players. Um and so like that's a really, really loaded team. You think about going into practice with that every day, like you're gonna you have no choice but to get better. Um Iron Sharpens Iron, right? So that was a it was a a fun, a fun year. Um and just good people too. So it was it was good to be around those guys all the time.

SPEAKER_03
24:46

Yeah. Um and how's how's the offseason been for you? What have you been up to?

SPEAKER_01
24:50

Um I've been in Charlotte for the most part. Um rookies kinda, you know, we want you they want you in market for most of the off-season, uh, just working on your game. Um which is fun. You know, it was it was it was fun. But I I came back pretty much every weekend um when we're off. So just come back up here, uh chill with buddies, girlfriend, family. Um which you know, I love it up here. Other than right now, it's can't even breathe outside.

SPEAKER_03
25:17

But yeah, we have the we have the the the wildfire smoke going on right now. Hopefully it'll be cleared by the time this episode airs on uh on Wednesday. Okay, yeah, it's wild. I haven't seen anything like it down here before.

SPEAKER_00
25:29

No, it's very it was like record bad the other day.

SPEAKER_01
25:32

Well, it yes. Delayed my flight by like six hours coming in. Really? Yeah, yesterday. Just because of the the smoke.

SPEAKER_00
25:38

Oh, yeah. I guess it's like visibility.

SPEAKER_03
25:40

Yeah, it would probably be hard to see anything driving and flying an airplane.

SPEAKER_00
25:44

It already just feels hard to see anything like on the road. Yeah, right. Yesterday I woke up and I was like driving to work and I was like, this is my dream. I woke up and gotham. Like I'm Batman.

SPEAKER_03
25:55

I've tried to send Cody out to get uh drone shots and in Mekwan at the Chinookse, and he like drove out there and turned around halfway each time. He's like, Yeah, we're not uh not gonna be able to get the shot you want. Okay. Um what it kind of, what do you like most about Milwaukee? Where do you what spots do you like going to?

SPEAKER_01
26:13

Here.

SPEAKER_03
26:13

Any any favorites?

SPEAKER_01
26:16

My my favorite, like or food spots? Is it a lot of things? Yeah, yeah, let's do food spots.

SPEAKER_03
26:22

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SPEAKER_01
27:01

My favorite uh bar spot is JMB's uh right on Blue Mount, like that row of bars like right by right by Ampham. Um but I've been going there since I was real little, so I that's that's my favorite every time I'm here again.

SPEAKER_03
27:15

Your parents just introduced you to those spots early. I like that.

SPEAKER_01
27:18

Honestly, honestly, is my my my cousin my my uncle um going there with my cousin because my my dad doesn't drink, so um you know he'll go to a bar spot and eat, but it wasn't wasn't like one of his favorites to go to, but it's it's a really good spot.

SPEAKER_03
27:33

J and B's. That's a bit that's a large spot, right? What is it? It's pretty big in there, right? Yeah, the whole back room. Yeah, the back room. Oh, they got good chicken tenders there. Yeah, we've we've been there before and after brewer games before.

SPEAKER_01
27:44

Yeah, no, it's got the shuttle, it's got that big backroom. Um, I remember watching like March Madness games back there. Yeah, very, very cool spot. Um, that's that's my favorite.

SPEAKER_03
27:54

Yeah, any other food spots you like hitting up when you're back in town or spots around Milwaukee?

SPEAKER_01
27:59

Um, I mean, I my buddy I brought some of my friends that I made at Duke uh up here. We went to the Luke Combs concert. Um, and so I introduced them to cops. Nice. Um, which I was like, you know, the and we walked in and they were like, this is awesome. Like in the old hats, like the the workers wearing the hats and stuff, and they were like felt like they were in 1950. I was like, Yeah, this is the spot, man. Like Stranger Things had yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03
28:27

Were they uh did you guys do anything downtown other than go to the concert?

SPEAKER_01
28:32

Uh in Green Bay. Well, it wasn't it was at Green Bay. Oh, it was in Green Bay. It was at Lambo. Right, at Lambeau. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_03
28:37

So, no, you guys did not do anything in downtown Milwaukee. Since it was not the concert was not here, I remember that. I was Lambo for a I've never been to a concert there.

SPEAKER_01
28:46

Yeah, they that was like the first one in a long, long time because they they're Lambeau's great. There, there's the field, the guy that runs the field is very strict about what can be on the field. Um because we we keep we we take care of our grass slash turf combo, whatever it is up at Lambeau, the frozen tundra. Sacred. So very cool. And the and I got to we got to meet Combs, which was cool. Um but normally the team that's host or like the stadium that's hosting will let like you know the main guy get the the locker room, the home locker room. And they don't like Lambeau does not let people get the get the Packers louder. Interesting. I was like, I love this team. Dude, we love do you go to many Packer games or did you growing up at all? Um actually like I only went to for like 10 years I had gone to one game, and then my senior year, one of my buddies, we he had tickets and we drove up uh three times to go to go to a game. So yeah, I was I was thankful to him. Um so I've been to like four or five. Nice, but watch every single one.

unknown
29:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03
29:51

That's just a magical place.

SPEAKER_01
29:53

Yes. It's you get it's bucky list, like you gotta do it. It's I've been to a lot of college football games, like when I was getting recruited and visits like Sunday at Lambeau, is especially when you're like parking on somebody's lawn and walking in, yeah, is unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03
30:08

We uh I mean we went up there I think every game except one this year. Talking to the opposing fans is always fun. Yeah. Because they're just blown away that there's this NFL stadium in the middle of a neighborhood with like modest houses around, and that they're treated very kindly. Yeah. They're for the most part.

SPEAKER_01
30:26

Yeah, that's what they that's I see videos of that all the time. Um where they're like, yeah, everybody's so nice. Yeah. Which is which is true.

SPEAKER_03
30:35

They're just blown away by that experience. Um, all also in the offseason, you got you guys made a big trade with Lamello. You got um Lex's favorite player over there, not Nazareed. Um and you got it, yeah, for first round, first round pick, few swaps, few seconds. Yep. You played well with Lamello. You guys were kind of like branded as the you know the future of the Hornets. Was was that a shock to you? And how yeah, what do you think? Would have you processed it?

SPEAKER_01
31:04

Yeah, definitely a shock. Um, you know, Lamel's a great dude. Um I I I loved he was he was awesome.

SPEAKER_03
31:13

We had a follow-up question. Someone was curious if you ever gotten in a car with him driving before.

SPEAKER_01
31:18

I I have not. Okay. I have not. Smart. But he he was he was great to be around every day. Um, and so that's already missed, you know, just the the joy and energy that he brought to to the locker room. What's he like in the locker room? Is he um yeah, he's just he just uh he's loud, um, but he he comes in every day and he says hello to everybody. Um and I mean like trainer, strength coach, assistant coach, whoever's cooking the food in the in the meal room. Um so it's just cool to have people like that around.

SPEAKER_03
31:53

Genuinely nice guy. Yeah, nice guy.

SPEAKER_01
31:55

He's got some does he have some rescue dogs too? Yeah. Did I see? Well, I don't know if you I don't know, he's got some huge dogs. I think they are. I think they are um but he he's great. Um and so definitely, definitely tough. And like one of the guys that you know embraced me as a rookie, um, which is this is this is all I know is playing with him and being around him. So it's just different um day to day walking in the in the in the in the room. But he's he's awesome. I uh you know, we wish him all the success success in the world. Um and uh you know I'll we'll stay in contact. Like he's he's a good good dude. So um but yeah, definitely tough. I'm excited though. Um, you know, I think we're we're gonna continue to build something in Charlotte. Um met Nas. Nas is a great dude. Um we got some other good guys that are coming in. Um and so I'm definitely excited to keep building and going forward.

SPEAKER_00
32:51

Very humble guy, Nas. I think you'll feel that joy and the the happiness energy in the locker room with Nas.

SPEAKER_01
32:58

Yeah, that's what uh that's what I've heard. Like all I've heard is that he's an awesome dude and obviously beloved.

SPEAKER_00
33:02

There is there is so much love for him in Minnesota. It is I actually have a random fact for you. Do you know a thousand five hundred people got tattoos of just Nas Reed on their body?

SPEAKER_01
33:12

Yeah, I remember I remember seeing that go going viral.

SPEAKER_00
33:14

Yeah, you gotta push for a Charlotte tattoo artist to start bringing him up.

SPEAKER_01
33:20

Nas Reed tattoos in Charlotte.

SPEAKER_03
33:22

Was there a campaign for that, or how did that even happen?

SPEAKER_00
33:25

Basically, everybody just loved him so much, and everybody just started saying just Nas Reed. Like you could say it to anything. They'd be like, Do you want to go out to dinner? Nas Reed. Like it was the only thing people talked about on that playoff run. So then this tattoo artist was like, I'm gonna give away free tattoos only if you're getting the words Nas Reed. And there was like a line out the door. One of my coworkers got one. I was hoping we got a championship, and I would have got like a forehead Nas Reed tattoo. Yeah, Big Jelly, he's he's a great guy. Um, very, very great playmaker. The way he handles the ball at 6'9, I think I think that's gonna be a fun thing to add to Charlotte's bag.

SPEAKER_01
34:04

Yeah, and he can shoot it.

SPEAKER_00
34:06

And I can't wait to hear Eric Collins talk about Nas Reed.

SPEAKER_01
34:11

That'll be fun. Yeah, Eric Collins, the best in the business.

SPEAKER_00
34:15

He is the best in the business. What's it like when you watch back some of your like game footage or like hearing the way he talks about you?

SPEAKER_01
34:24

Yeah, um it's it's cool. Um I he just goes crazy. Uh we're gonna, I mean, the best wouldn't he's like LAMELO! So we're gonna we're gonna miss we're gonna miss that for sure. Um no, but he he's awesome, really good dude, love like knows so much. Like he he comes on the on the broadcast with facts like every every game. And my my uncle and will will text me like yo, this is like what do you had today or whatever, had tonight. Um, but I love he they travel with us, obviously, so um we get to talk on like the airplane or stuff, and he'll always have trivia for me. So I love I love that sort of stuff, and you know he's he's he's a really cool cool dude as well.

SPEAKER_00
35:08

What were your thoughts on the nickname he gave you of basketball catch up?

SPEAKER_01
35:12

Basketball catch up? Uh I thought that was cool. That's a that's a big compliment. Um I know my extended family and cousins really like that one.

SPEAKER_00
35:21

They thought it was that does that make an appearance sometimes from the family?

SPEAKER_01
35:26

Um no, I'll just get like texts about it. Like what'd be catching up?

SPEAKER_03
35:30

What is the meaning of basketball catch-up?

SPEAKER_00
35:33

Make everything around you better. Yeah. That is a high that is high-preise comparison. I think it's a very like Wisconsin way of saying you're you're a good team player. Yeah, yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_03
35:44

Did does does Eric Collins flip the switch when he's on, or is he is he just he's just like that 24-7? The same. You gotta love that. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01
35:52

Yeah, he's the same all the time.

SPEAKER_03
35:53

Were you uh were you excited to get drafted by the Hornets to stay in state? Yeah. Were you kind of like indifferent on who you got drafted by going into that?

SPEAKER_01
36:01

Well, you kind of gotta be a little indifferent. Um, because if you're like you you make it like, man, I really don't want to go there in your head. Yeah, you don't, you know, and you're like, and you end up getting drafted there, it's like well, you don't want to be disappointed at whatever. But um I was I kind of knew that that was an opportunity to go to Charlotte, and I was like, I I know the state, like I've been here, it'd be cool to have like some of that support, that fan support right away. Um, so I I definitely kind of wanted to go there.

SPEAKER_03
36:31

Um, Khan, any uh you're you're a pretty big brewer fan. I listened to your show when when you were on with Yelic as well. Any favorite brewer memories growing up or like a favorite run or year that they went on?

SPEAKER_01
36:43

Yeah. Um the Wood Woodruff home run in 2018 off Kershaw was was awesome. And it's even more awesome.

SPEAKER_03
36:53

And that was that the Dodgers series. Yeah, Dodgers.

SPEAKER_01
36:56

Yep. It's even more awesome, is my like a family friend, like he was in like Toyota territory and like he was reaching over the edge and the like the fence, and like the ball hit his hands. Did he dropped it? He dropped it. So that's uh just adds a little bit of humor to the space.

SPEAKER_03
37:15

Has he gotten over it yet?

SPEAKER_01
37:16

No, I still like I'll go to I'll go to brewer his his dad coached me in AAU, so I'll go to Brewer Games, just take a picture from the tunger zone at the next day. They'll talk about it every every time we're there. And because somebody from the news like thought he caught it, so they went up to like interview him. He's like, I dropped the ball. I don't have it. But that one, that one was a big one for sure. Um last year was awesome. Um the Cubs series, yeah. Cub series was very satisfying.

SPEAKER_03
37:44

That was that was fun to be there because like yeah, you almost get the Cubs in the playoffs, and you're like, you're excited, but you're also like, fuck, we can't lose to these guys. We just like that would be the most demoralizing thing ever. And yeah, I was nervous when it went to went to five games, but uh thankfully they pulled through.

SPEAKER_01
38:02

Yeah, I was I was super nervous for that one. Um I even just last year, like I was in Charlotte for a lot of the end of the like the end of the summer when we were when it we won 14 games in a row or whatever. So um when we had like the we were down like 12 to 2, I think, against the Reds, and just came back and won like on that streak. Um so that was that was just a fun time. Like that was I was watching every night. Um but yeah, there's there's definitely a lot of them. How many games do you guys go? Like, where would you like go to a year growing up? So my my aunt and my grandpa split season tickets, so we would like when I was growing up, and you know, when we weren't as good, um we had like Giovanni Gallardo and Ricky Weeks and Ramos Ramirez and all those guys. Um and Ryan Braun, obviously, like we'd we'd go all the time, like probably like 10 games a year, 12 games a year.

SPEAKER_03
38:55

Well, were you like five years old at that point?

SPEAKER_01
38:58

Uh yeah, like 2013. I feel like we so I was like eight. Oh, 13, okay. 2013, I was like eight, that was probably the most.

SPEAKER_03
39:06

So they had they had like um what year were you born? 2005. Jeez, okay. Um, so yeah, they had a magical run. So when I was in in school at Marquette, it was like I kind of started there around 2008. And that's you were too young for this, you would have been barely allowed, but CC Sabatia, like they got him for half a season, and he just pitched like every other day, it seemed like, and just put the entire team on his back and got him to the playoffs. And I think I think that was their first playoff appearance since the 80s. Yeah. In the city just went crazy, and those games were so much fun to be at. Um, but yeah, we've we've been pretty spoiled for a small market team to do what they've done. It's been just insane.

SPEAKER_01
39:48

100%. It just seems like everybody we get, especially pitchers, come here and just deal. Um, and so I think you know the front office does a really good job of you know locking guys down, like we see with Prad and Laura, like just getting long-term contracts, and you know, we'll see how they they develop. But you know, locking down young talent, and obviously our farm system's always talented, so it's very cool how we can just kind of shuffle guys in and out, even though you know we're obviously restricted with with money. Um be cool to see us spend a little bit more, but yeah, it's been crazy what they've been able to do.

SPEAKER_03
40:26

And hopefully another long run this season. Yeah. They're looking good. Um, I had a I had a random question. Um, we do some clips on like favorite places around Wisconsin. I was curious if you had any favorite basketball gyms in the state that you like played in growing up.

SPEAKER_01
40:44

Yeah. Favorite basketball.

SPEAKER_03
40:46

Just like random spots. Like I remember playing in high school, which I I was not very good. I didn't get off the off the bench too much. Um peaked at the JV level. But uh, yeah, like Monroe, Wisconsin, they have like a stadium that's basically in a barn, and people are just like on top of each other. I grew up in the Madison area. Okay.

SPEAKER_01
41:03

But uh I played uh a great one as Nina. They had their old field house. Um, I don't know if you've been up there. I think they I don't I don't know if it's still I think it's still up, but they don't play in there anymore. They built a new gym, but they had this old gym that was that like had this round roof a little bit, and it was huge. Um so that that was a really cool one in high school. Um in AAU, like obviously like just a game in the Dells was always fun. Um just with like the all the high school memorabilia there. Um another fun one, AAU, fun one is like walk out and walk ashot center court. Um I haven't been out there in a long, long time, but that was a that was a cool one. Brown Deer High School has a great gym. Um just with like the you know, you got the the big space in the back because they have four, they have a field house. Um there's a good one in in our conference. We didn't Pi Pius has a good has a good gym. Um there wasn't a ton of great ones. Classic ones in our comp in our conference. Oh Rufus King. I don't know if you've ever been there.

SPEAKER_03
42:15

I haven't been inside really.

SPEAKER_01
42:17

Rufus King has I don't I don't I don't know if they still do. This was when I was like a sophomore. But the the stands are above the court so and then like the court's on the ground. Yeah. And then like there's like a bowl on top. So everybody's sitting up top and like looking down at at the at the player's plan. Oh, that's cool. That one's a really cool one. And it's it's old, yeah. But that one's a really cool one.

SPEAKER_03
42:40

Um any any other favorite like spots to go through go to in Wisconsin for like did you guys go on any road trips or any favorite summer clubs or stuff like that around?

SPEAKER_01
42:55

Favorite spot, like we we go up to um every summer, like we're actually coming up next week, we're gonna go up but to Sturgeon Bay. Um and we my great-grandparents used to live there on the bayside up in Door County. Um, not on the Bayside, sorry, the lakeside. So we're the water's like not very warm all the time and stuff, but we go up there and we're right by the lighthouse, the red lighthouse that's out there in Sturgeon Bay, um, right next to the canal. Um and so we have a nice beach area right by like public beach, so it's great. Um so that's our favorite, our favorite spot to be in Wisconsin. And you go up there and there's like Cave Point, and then you drive up to um you know, Egg Harbor or um uh Sister Bay, like those are there's the drive in theater, I forget which I think that's in in Egg Harbor, but like being up there is like our favorite place to be.

SPEAKER_03
43:50

Con, how are you uh I guess how are you how are you feeling about next season? You feeling good, and how do you take a so like a phenomenal rookie year? With kind of raised expectations. Do you think about that much? Are you just kind of moving forward and trying to get better every day?

SPEAKER_01
44:06

Yeah, I think about it a lot actually, just with like your expectations for yourself should be the highest. You know, then they should be higher than like the outside noise or somebody else's expectations for you. And I feel like that's been true for me. And so, you know, trying to balance that, like not taking that, and that was something I was thinking about for the whole team. Like, you know, we had a a great foundation and building year. Um, and that might change a little bit just with like the moves we made, um, where maybe that expectation isn't as high, but for me and for us, like our expectation is still that high to keep building and getting better and and having a better season this year than we did last year. Um and so not really worrying about going back to and you you mentioned, not really worrying about like what the outside noise is, knowing that those expectations are there, um, knowing that you know everybody else is gonna be thinking that. Um, but that our expectations for ourselves are are higher, and so you know, and the only way to for me, at least in my opinion, to um keep keep growing is is doing what you can do every day and what what we've always done, which is get better each day. And that's what what I've always done, and that's what I'm gonna focus on, and then that's how you meet those expectations.

SPEAKER_03
45:24

Awesome. Lex, you got anything else?

SPEAKER_00
45:27

Yeah, I actually do. One of my favorite one of my favorite plays from you ever came against NC State when you were playing at Duke. You probably already know where I'm going with this. You grabbed your teammate's leg as he's falling out of bounds. Like what what happened there? Like, how did you just was it just a quick reaction or what?

SPEAKER_01
45:45

Yeah, just quick reaction. I didn't really think anything of it at the time, and then like Tyrese, uh, whose leg I grabbed, um just grabbed me. He's like, You're a genius. I was like and then I kind of just smiled about it, like, oh yeah, that was kind of cool. Maybe I am a genius. Um, but I was actually looking, like I was just gonna throw on a shirt, and there was this my dad made like a shirt of me like holding his leg um that he's that he's worn before. But uh I was looking at that in my in the in the dresser back home. I was like, oh shoot, that's there. That would be funny if I wore that.

SPEAKER_00
46:21

What was the film session like the next game watching that back?

SPEAKER_01
46:25

Yeah, well, we actually didn't play very well against them, so it was it was kind of a tough film session. Um I they I think we just watched it and we're like, oh, this is cool. Um good heads-up play. Shire loves stuff like that. Um just finding any way to get the ball or get a possession, so um it wasn't it wasn't anything like super special in the in the film room because he was he was kind of ticked about how we played.

SPEAKER_03
46:53

Had you had you done that before? Obviously, Duke, there's a lot of cameras on you. You growing up or anything, did you pull any removers to keep team? That was just sheer instinct at that point.

SPEAKER_01
47:02

First time first time I'd done that, and then I like I didn't really think anything of it, and then it kind of went viral. Um that is like a thousand IQ play. I was like, the guy's falling out of bounds. I don't want to. Uh but he he he thought he was getting fouled, so that was pretty funny.

SPEAKER_03
47:20

So speaking of uh um, speaking of a high IQ play, like yeah, Giannis said you were one of the smartest rookies he's ever seen. Steph had some really high praise of you. What's it like seeing those clips from people like that?

SPEAKER_01
47:36

Uh it's it's really cool. Um for me, like I love part of the part of why I love my job is just I love I've always loved hoops and I love um watching and I love like following players, and that's kind of why how I got into got into it. Um and so like when I see any sort of former player, um it's really cool for me. And it doesn't matter like if they were you know an all-star or you know just a role guy, but like anytime I see I don't know, I saw like Brian Cardinal when I was at the draft combine, like that was cool. Like the janitor, um or seeing any, you know, Bucks players, or getting a conversation to talk to some of those guys, and I think that's really important, especially for for young guys coming in. Like, you gotta have respect for the people that have done it before you and um respect for the game to like want to know and follow and and um and have that knowledge of the game and of players, and you know, if you're really gonna meet your full um potential, like you gotta love that stuff, I in my opinion. And so to have guys like that who are all-time greats speak to you about that, that like means a lot to me. Um that's really, really cool because you know, those are the guys that have done it at the highest level, those are the guys that everybody looks up to. Um that's really encouraging, you know, just keep doing what I'm doing. Um, and so that's that's that's a cool thing. Um, and I think you know, for younger guys and like future guys that want to get to this level, like being obsessed with with that stuff and like the history of the game, and I think that really helps and goes a long way for you know how you can you know your your potential and what you can do in the in the league because um you gotta love you gotta love basketball to play in the NBA to play 82 games, like you gotta love hoops. Um, and so it's cool to have legends like that, you know, have compliments for you.

SPEAKER_03
49:35

Well, then thanks so much for coming on today, and we'll we'll be pulling for you this season.

SPEAKER_01
49:40

Yeah, I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_03
49:42

Hey everyone, thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Milwaukee Uncut before signing off. Just want to thank our partners for making the show possible. Drink Wisconsin Wheat Beverage Company, Annex Wealth Management, and Nicolilla.