u/Existing-Sky9914

Host:

"In a lot of sports and, you know, even some here, throw in casinos everywhere, just trying to make as much money as they can. Why is it... why do you... why are you so intent on giving up so much revenue for the fan experience?"

Matt Ishbia:

"Yeah, so listen. I always look at it as like, I don't own the team, it's the city of Phoenix's team. And my job is to make it so everyone loves it and can cheer on the team, and how do I do that? First off, you can't be a fan of a team you can't watch. So making the TV for free, yeah, I know it costs money, and I make that decision, but I've got money.

And it's not about making every dollar. I'm not a guy that's 'How do I maximize return on investment on every single thing I do?' How do I do the right thing? Do the right thing by the fans, right thing by the players, right thing by the community. And you know what happens in my life? Money always follows success. Do the right things.

And so we always do the right thing by the fans. I focus like a maniac on the fan experience because I would love us to win 82 games and they love every single one of those games, but it's not... we can't win every single game. So how do we make sure the fan experience is great, costs down, do the right thing? And that's what we're about. And I'm really proud that I can deliver that.

And I'm hoping, the last comment on that is, other owners follow. Like the free TV, now 12 teams or 13 teams have it. So they're following us as a leader in Phoenix. The $2 menu, 3 or 4 teams now bought into something like that. We're going to lead in Phoenix. I'm going to continue to lead, sometimes it's popular, sometimes not popular. We're going to do what's right by the fans, continue to lead, and hopefully others will follow."

“I didn’t enjoy anything, bro. I didn’t go out to eat with family, with friends like that. No movies like that. None of that. No concerts.”

“Because I was totally locked in to thinking that I had to follow what Kobe was doing. Thinking Kobe was not enjoying himself, not going on vacations, not doing any of that. So I felt tricked in a way.”

“My fourth year, I ended up going to the Philippines with him. I saw him relax. I’m like, ‘Oh, you was tricking me the whole time.’ I dedicated three years, three years, thinking you didn’t do shit.”

“To see you actually out here just chilling, it kind of fucked me up. But I couldn’t take it personally because he didn’t even know I was admiring him like that.”

"I learned that really, really fast on the golf course, Third hole in, they were trying to take their shirts off.

You know, it's just like they didn't understand golf etiquette. Mikel (Brown) broke a club, a driver on one of the holes. So I learned really fast that I'm dealing with kids."

(@MikeVorkunov)

https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=kobetranscript

SAS: Well, if you don't know how you can move forward that that situation, you're still under contract with them, are you saying right here on this show that you you want to be traded?

KB: Yeah, I would like to be traded, yeah.

SAS: There's no ifs, ands or buts about it?

KB: No.

SAS: It's not a situation, I know before you reportedly said that you would like them to get Jerry West back. Are you saying now emphatically, regardless of what they done, you want out of Los Angeles?

KB: Yeah, I would like to be traded. And as tough as it is to say that, as tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there's no other -- there's no other -- there's no other alternative, you know. They obviously want to move in a different direction in terms of rebuilding. I wish they would have told me that prior to me re-signing with the team. They obviously want to move in a different direction.

SAS: But they want to keep you though, Kobe. They want to move in a different direction, but they don't want to do it without you.

KB: You got to be up front about that, man. Three years ago when I was re-signing, they should have told me that they wanted to rebuild. Would have affected my decision. Don't tell me one thing and do another.

SAS: Is there anything that the Los Angeles Lakers could do to make you change your mind and decide that you do not want to be traded?

KB: No.

SAS: Nothing?

KB: No.

SAS: What about their notion that you're locked in for at least the next two years before you can actually opt out, and there's really nothing you can do about that? What do you say in response to people who say you're not going anywhere; you will stay in Los Angeles and you will be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers next season?

KB: You know what, I just want them to do the right thing. Do the right thing, man. They know what they did. You know what I mean? They know the situation that they painted. You know what I mean? Do the right thing, man. Do the right thing. You know you was trying to rebuild. You told me something different. I re-signed because of what you promised me. You know the blame that you've cast upon me. You know that stuff. They know that stuff. So, just step up, do the right thing.

SAS: With that being said, since you said there's really nothing they can do, you want them to do the right thing, and the right thing in your mind is to be traded, is there a particular team that you have a preference to go to?

KB: Not really, man. At this point I'll go play on Pluto right now. You know what I mean? I just want to -- I just want to work hard, I just want to play, just enjoy the game of basketball, you know.

(....)

AS: One of the things that amazes me about you, Kobe, I consider you to be the best player in the game. A lot of people feel that way. I know most of coaches in the league feel exactly the same way about you being that caliber of a player. But when they look at Kobe, they say to Kobe in regards to this present state of affairs with the Los Angeles Lakers, he got what he asked for, he wanted it to be his team, he wanted Shaquille O'Neal gone so he could be the man, he could be the show. This is Kobe in a situation that Kobe created for himself. What do you say in response to people who feel that way?

KB: Well, not much I can say to them. If that's what they want to say, that's what they gonna say. But I think that I could have went to a team like the Los Angeles Clippers that had a lot more talent, and a cast that -- with Elton Brad, Maggette -- soon get Mobley and Cassell, we could have been -- we probably should be playing right now. I chose to stay here because of the promises that they made in terms of building the team.

SAS: You could have went to Chicago, too.

KB: Could have went to Chicago. They had a cast of extremely talented young players. But I chose to stay here because of what they promised. Now, if I knew they weren't going to be aggressive in getting Davis, getting a Carlos Boozer, that would have changed things drastically.

But, I didn't ask for this, certainly not.

(...)

SAS: Yeah, but with that being said, Kobe, you just finished saying there's absolutely nothing the Lakers could do to make you want to come back and remain with the organization. That's why I'd asked you what if Jerry West came back to the Los Angeles Lakers, even though that seems highly unlikely.

KB: Yeah, it's beyond that point. It's just beyond that point. I know who this insider is, you know what I mean? I know who it is.

SAS: So with that being said, my last question to you, I'm going to ask you one last time, is there anything the Los Angeles Lakers can do to get you to remain with the organization?

KB: No, bro.

D-Wade: “I was calling like, ‘Okay, why is my credit score so bad?’ No, this is real talk… And they was like, ‘Yeah, you got this in your name.’”

“I’m like, ‘Yo, me and my dad got the same name. Y’all got to take that off my credit.’ Like, that car that got repoed, that’s off my credit.”

“Don’t act like the repo man didn’t show up that day.”

Pops: “One time.”

D-Wade: “The repo man was like, ‘Repo, mf*r,’ I was in the room like, ‘Oh, damn. Repo…’”

“I took a loan from my agent before I came into the NBA. So I had money. And me trying to be like a smart young man, I bought like the things I needed to live, but also too, I paid off my credit debt.”

“And so it’s a lot of my money that I took from Hank, because my dad had a lot of debt in my name.”

Pops: “I ain’t know sh*t about no debt, telling me now, like 30 years later.”

D-Wade: “Well, I took care of it. What you was going to do? You ain’t have it.”

Pops: “Hey, after seven years, that sh*t go away.”