Steve Blake: Why He Clicked with Kobe, Leading By Example, and Getting Coached Hard By His Dad, Frank Martin, & Gary Williams

Steve Blake  00:05

I'm pretty quiet in for the most part. But if I felt like I needed to say something I would the best leader isn't always the loudest person in the room.

Tim DiFrancesco  00:17

Hello, and welcome to today's episode of the basketball strong Podcast. I'm Tim DeFrancesco, former LA Lakers strength and conditioning coach and Doctor of Physical Therapy, and I'm here with my co host, Emmy nominated writer and author Phil white. This podcast is not just for basketball junkies, it's for anyone who loves to hear the human stories behind great people, while learning the science behind preparing your body for the court and high performance. This episode is brought to you by our friends Chris and drew at where testers save yourself time and money on your next pair of basketball or running shoes. By checking the detailed reviews from the pros at where testers every review talks about fit, cushion traction materials, and my favorite support. I promise you you're not gonna find another shoe review source who's out there wearing the shoes and then giving you the real deal truth behind what each pair of shoes brings or doesn't bring. So get to wear testers.com w e a r t e s t e r s.com or check out their YouTube channel for more detailed shoe reviews. Our guest today is 13 year NBA veteran Steve Blake Steve has a winning pedigree at every level, he won a high school state championship at Miami high he won a National High School Championship at Oak Hill Academy won an NCAA championship with Maryland under Gary Williams. And we had an absolutely incredible conversation. Let's get into it. Steve, you grew up outside of Miami, and were in that youth process of of getting into sports and being around that area and growing up in that time. Where did you fall into basketball? Or was was there was basketball the first love out of the gates for you?

Steve Blake  02:07

Yes, for me, starting out in my sports journey, it was pretty much every sport. You know, my dad had me playing basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, you name it. I was doing it. We were very athletic family. I have three older sisters, who all were big into soccer. And I was as well. But I was always really good at you know, pretty much every sport. And as I got to around seventh or eighth grade. my dad said, ‘You’re getting older – let’s pick a sport and focus on something instead of just bouncing around all the time. And basketball was what I was just drawn to. I loved it. I loved the competition. I was probably a little bit better at that than everything else. And it was the sport I wanted to pursue. And then from that point on, we we kind of just went after that.

Tim DiFrancesco  03:00

Talk a little bit about your dad's relationship with your dad growing up as a person that supported you pushed you and and helped you to kind of grow into that love for basketball eventually. But what was that? How did your dad do that? And what was your dad's style of helping you and coaching you as I think he was a very good golfer, correct? Is your dad.

Steve Blake  03:24

Yeah, my dad was was a pro for a little while. Yes, he won the Florida open and the Jamaica open. So he taught me golf from a young age. It was another sport I love to this day, especially now that I'm retired I play a lot of it. Yeah, but yeah, my relationship with my dad, we were super close. Someone that probably took me to every practice and every game starting from a little kid. And he was a property manager for a company that kind of gave him it kind of gave him some freedom to be there for me more than maybe some other some other kids. He was able to he he pushed me he taught me and it wasn't always sometimes challenged me in ways I didn't like but at the end of the day, the way he pushed me and always put me in situations to be successful really helped me out so we were really close really close to this day along with obviously my mom as well and somewhat in the background but always there for me and supporting me and my family and and all that so um I was very blessed to have a great home with a mother and father for sure.

Tim DiFrancesco  04:32

Talk a little bit about those times and maybe there's a specific example that you're you're open to sharing about that was sort of a heat of the moment you look back with with your dad pushing you and pushing you maybe right to the edge of things and and back now and you say hey, you know that's that's kind of what it took. That's what I needed at the time and maybe at the time you hated it, but it or you battled it, but is there is there anything that stands out on that?

Steve Blake  05:00

Yeah, I mean, there's there'll be times, you know, as you get older and you become a teenager, you think you know what's best, right? There becomes a point where you're like, Come on dad, I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm talking about. And, you know, you'd be like, No, this is what you need to be doing. And this is what you know. So you'd have those confrontations, but, you know, in the moment, they stink, you know, but, you know, the day goes by you wake up the next morning, and you realize that, you know, he's only trying to help you out. And we we had those battles back and forth at times. But I obviously looking back, I know, it was great for me. He was the guy, he really pushed me no question. I mean, he, we had a small backyard in my house, and my dad laid concrete down in the back and put a hoop up in my backyard. And every night, he'd be like, you know, if you're not working, you know, someone else is he would always send me to the backyard, you know, go get extra shots, go play. And you know, and at the time, like I said, I had three older sisters. And so they always had their guy friends around. So I was always playing against bigger older guys, older kids. And so they got pushed around a bit, which kind of made me tougher, and but yeah, at the end of the day, he did everything he could, for me, he sacrificed a lot. And that's what, that's what it took to help me get where I where I was at.

Phil White  06:21

No. glad you mentioned that his older cats. Because, you know, throughout your career, you developed a reputation as somebody who wouldn't back down, you know, if somebody came at you, it wouldn't matter if it was, you know, an opposing opposing point guard where you'd had a rivalry over the years, and you were just used to going back and forth, or it was a bigger wing or even someone from the you know, a power forward or Senator come at you where do you think that that toughness, and that steeliness came from? Was it those kind of backyard battles? Or was it just something innate in you?

Steve Blake  06:53

Probably both. You know, having three sisters that tease you, you know, having big, older kids around, and my dad was kind of that way as well, I go watch him play pickup games, even from a young kid, and he was a tough guy, and he would always even take me to, you know, what would be considered maybe, you know, tougher games as a kid and to tougher areas where, and he would just always preach, you know, don't back down, don't you ever back down from anybody, you know, just just go out there and give it your best. And, you know, I just kind of was taught that from a young age. And, and that's just kind of the way I, I was. And you kind of had to be that way down in Miami. You know, it's basketball in any sport, really. It's tough. You know, someone's always trying to get the best of you. And you just have to be prepared for that.

Phil White  07:42

Steve, you mentioned some of these great athletes coming up in Miami and you came up with you Don is Haslem. Can you tell us a little bit about what he was like both as a player and a person back in the in the high school kind of era?

Steve Blake  07:56

Yeah, your deines was awesome. I mean, I transferred into Miami high. And he was already there. And from the second I got there, he was the type of guy that was like, Man, I got you, I got your back. You ever need anything here? You're part of the family now. And you can see that that's how he is now in the NBA. You know, anybody that talks about him knows he's a team guy. He's gonna He's got your back, you know, he's gonna fight for you. And he was that same way from from the young age. And so I always had a lot of respect for him and always be my brother. And, you know, it's no surprise that He's stayed in one team for so long and had so much success. It's not a surprise as well.

Tim DiFrancesco  08:34

What are the things that you look at as what how you brought what you brought to the table and brought the team together? And then, you know, you and you don't assume that together just being such a tandem?

Steve Blake  08:46

Yeah, a lot of that, just that success, Miami high with Udonis also was because of our coach Frank Martin, who's had a lot of success in college. And it was someone that had that, that drive that win that intensity that kind of stayed with me and his other, my other teammates, probably all throughout their life. So he helped set that stage as well. But for me as a player, you know, growing up, I was always really small and skinny. I was the shortest guy so I had to have the skill set and the brains to run the point guard, you know, I had I had had to do that. I wasn't I was never going to physically out man, somebody that just wasn't something I was going to be able to do. And so I needed to be quick, which I was I was pretty quick, but then I just had an understanding for the game. And so I wasn't I was never going out there trying to dominate in a scoring capacity. I was always trying to make other people better. And my job was to understand the game, pass the ball, handle it, and knock down open shots. And I basically did that my entire career from a little age, all the way up to 13 years in the NBA. It was the same style Basketball. I mean, I've probably never averaged more than 15 points at any particular time in my entire career. And so passing became what I did best and winning came along with that. And as long as I won, I was preached this from a young age, if I want, I'll have success and didn't matter what my stats and stuff a bit. So that's kind of how I played all the time.

Phil White  10:22

For anyone else that you know, has a similar body type to yours. And particularly these games days, you know, people just seem to be getting longer and broader and be able to leap out of the gym, increasingly young age, what might be some tips that you would have for a younger player listening or the parent or coach have, you know, a precocious kind of young point guard coming up, where they can, as you said, kind of dominate with their mind kind of read and react, and just learn how to do that.

Steve Blake  10:49

Yeah, I think, you know, as I even as I grew up, and even through the pros, at times, like, I was preached a lot, man, you got to get bigger, you got to get, you know, you got to get more muscle, you got to get, you know, fill out some. And there was times where I tried to do that, and I probably put on a little bit, you know, probably got up to 185, one closer to 190 at one point in my career. And I felt slow. And I just realized that's not for me. So I needed to be thin, I think and, and I thought being quick, and being on balance, for me was more important than anything. And I realized that. So I didn't, I didn't need to be super muscular. Not saying that you don't lift weights for this, obviously, you do need to lift weights, you need to have those functional movements, you have to be able to control your body and all that stuff. But everybody's body type is different. And for me, I needed to be lean and thin. And I needed to be quick, more than anything. And so just don't be disheartened by your body shape or your size. Because you can use it to your advantage depending on what you're trying to do.

Tim DiFrancesco  11:57

I love that you said that, Steve, because one of the things I would say to incoming players that either we just drafted or that I was we traded for gotten free agency or when I first got to the Lakers, but during my time there was what's the body weight that you prefer to play at, and that you feel best at? Because I don't know what that feels like you're the one you know. And so some guys like to have that little extra mass. Some guys like to feel like yeah, if I can keep that on. And during the season, it's tougher and tougher as the season goes on to keep on some mass and things like that the games come so fast and furious, and we're traveling all the time. And it's tough, but some guys like that little bit of extra mass and it feels better for them because they play a certain position or they play a certain way that they need that extra bulletproof and to bang or do what they've got to do. Like you said, That's not for everybody. That's that's dependent on the individual that's dependent on your, your style of play, the position you play, and the minute you play in a certain game. And, and so being able to approach that from a case by case basis was always something that I felt like was really important. And And who am I to say? Well, I think you should weigh this right? Everybody just sort of blanketly says to players, you got to bulk up. You got to like you said the coaches say you got to fill out, man, you got it. Yeah. And I think that happens a lot. But it really should be a little bit it needs to be a little bit more nuanced than that.

Steve Blake  13:28

Yeah, for sure. Like the whole, you know, the bio individuality type, ya know, thing, we're all different, but you got to grind, you still got to grind. You got to grow in the right way. And you gotta grind it, you know, and you have to take advice from someone like you, Tim, who, and you talk it through, and you work it out together. That's what it is. Yeah. And it shouldn't never just be like, this is way like you said, it's this way or the highway, right? Because there are different ways to go about it. And sometimes your trainer will be right. And sometimes the player will think he's right, but he's not right. You have to kind of work back and forth and work together.

Tim DiFrancesco  14:00

Yeah, it has to be a team and a team effort and a dialogue and a conversation. And I think that's the piece where I was respected so much with you, as we just always had a conversation it was I was learning from you as much as as much as anything I could, you know, teach or show you and and, and so that's the part from both sides. If if you're a strength coach listening, I think that that approach is any any player wants to be, you know, they should they need to have equal say and kind of how we designed this program and what we're doing and then, you know, both the player side needs to sort of be open and saying, Yeah, you know what, because like you said, you have to get those reps in. They don't all have to be with an agenda or an objective of saying, hey, our goal here is to put on 510 pounds of mass, but putting those reps in and time under tension and being under the bar so to speak. It people often forget it. You know, because having a 13 year NBA career there's a lot of toll that it takes on your body you have to create the durable 80 that being in the weight room does for you. But it doesn't always have to mean it, the objective is to bulk up. And I always do find it, it funny where you have this myth that still exists where players I think, fall back on it. That is, I mean, you always were one who was like, let's go, we're gonna get in, we're gonna move some weight and get strong and, and we would not super, we would not necessarily go high volume of things with that bulking objective, but we would move some weight around as as time allowed. And you You love that and, and, but some people fall back on this thing that still exists. Yeah, I'm gonna stay away from the weight room, because I think it's gonna mess up my shot. So that's the piece where I'm like, well, I won't do that, I promise you. So you look at some of the greatest shooters out there are who, you know, Ray Allen lifted hard and often and, you know, you look at guys like, I mean, you're a great shooter, you lifted hard and as often as was necessary and regularly all throughout the season. And you have Steph Curry now who, over time has has gone from a leaner body into you can see some muscle definition that he's put on and on purpose in a calculated way as he does everything. And there's so many great shooters, that that that was, they were never afraid to push some weight around and do it in a way that didn't necessarily change their body size and dimensions, but that helps to support that what they're doing and be quicker release or be more balanced on your shot and things like that.

Steve Blake  16:41

Right, right. Yeah, and I'll touch on two of the things that you kind of talked about, like the communication between a player and a trainer, and I think this is something you were really great at, is like I I like to grind I like to work really hard. But there was some days, as you know, I come in to like, Tim do, I just don't get it, you know, so I'm worn out, like, I need a break. And you'd be like, No, I'll Good, let's just do something really, like, you know, you know, just to get you moving or something. And, and that was that's, that's huge. It's huge, versus you know, if I might come in tired or day, and instead of forcing it on me, you know, we kind of work together and that, you know, throughout a whole season and summer and all that that's kind of where the communication is really big. And then also, when it comes to shooting, you know, that myth of the rule, my jump shot, you know, our bodies are so adaptable, you know, if you if you've never lifted weights before, and you go in the weight room, and you push hard weight, and then you go right to the court, your body's not going to be ready for that. But after a few months of doing that, your body, you're gonna lift weights, and you're gonna go out there and be like, dude, I'm totally fine. I'm used to this now. So that's, that's just the way it goes. And then you kind of fine tune like are maybe I won't live, maybe I'll lift an hour before practice so that I have a little time, some reps up, or maybe I'll lift after practice or something. But in general, it's not going to ruin your shot. If you're not lifting in the wrong way, you should be fine.

Tim DiFrancesco  18:06

I'm so glad you highlighted that. And I think to your first point there, it that's the feel side of being able to be in the strength coach role or rehab professionals role or athletic training role, that kind of thing, sports medicine team and and every day is you have to reassess every day, you don't know what happened in the last 24 hours, how many minutes you played, what kind of what was your opponent, maybe your opponent was a bigger guard who really battled you and got you into some, some more physical contact spots. And your body's feeling that the next day or maybe it was a guard that you had to chase around off of screens and that kind of thing. So there's different reasons and different, every game is not the same. Every game is very different in terms of who you're guarding, and what happens out there. And not only your, your minutes can change from night to night, but that ability for a person in my role to be able to say again, you know, let's we'll figure out what we're going to do tomorrow, tomorrow. And and, and your body's going to tell us what that's going to feel like you're going to know Hey, I'm feeling extra crispy today, man, we've got to let's let's just get some mobility work. And it's it that old line of if you if you listen to an athlete, if you listen to a patient, or an athlete long enough, they'll they'll tell you what they need. And the key word there is listen, you have to be able to listen and I'm glad that looking back that felt that way for you and I wasn't too much of a hard ass trying to tell you what to do. Yeah, I think you know, the other piece of of what you talked about there is such a good point that we would be drafting during my years and years we had together we were drafting a lot first, second, third. And early top 10 draft picks. And so you get these 19 year old 20 year old kids that come in, they've definitely never spent time in the weight room really that much, they probably didn't do a ton in high school, they put depending on where they were, they probably didn't do a ton in their one year at college, because they showed up in August and then practice balls rolled out. And then they made make a run towards the Final Four, if they're on a good squat, and then they go to the draft. So, you know, I think a lot of times they get there and they're like, I'm, I'm not so sure about this, I've never added this stimulus into the mix. And I don't know how I feel about it at first. And then you take a guy like you, you take a guy like I brought up Antoine Jamison on this podcast a lot before he was he was a guy that loved to lift pretty intensely hard. But quick before a game, he liked how that switched him on. But he had to get adapt to that to use your word. And that was the perfect way to do it. That's what your body does. And your body has adaptation abilities that you get used to things and then all sudden, shooting after you lift doesn't feel quite so daunting and really changing. You get used to it and your body physically. And sort of mentally you get used to what that feels like and you're fine with it. And it takes some time, but you the plus the benefits are so big of the durability side of, you know, just turning your body on to that those levels and feeling like everything is solid before you go out and play and get banged around and have to have your yourself on all cylinders. It's it's just so so important. So I think I'm so glad you brought that up. And I think for a lot of younger players, give it some time, play around with it, like you said, you don't have to just jump right out onto the court, you could set it up where you lift an hour before, give yourself a chance to go eat something light after you lift, and then you feel like okay, I can shake up my arms a little bit before I start, you know, working on my shot and having to shoot but I think you have a lot of guys that you were actually a guy as I remember who would also take advantage of and I want you to touch on this a little bit, the the train that just start steamrolling of the NBA season, where you knew if we don't lift after a game, for instance, in some cases, and you might have just played 30 plus minutes and be exhausted, but you'd grab me on the way into the locker room before the coach talk and say I'll meet you in there in 10 minutes. And we will get a good lift right after the game. Talk about that a little bit.

Steve Blake  22:21

Yeah. Especially in the NBA, it's kind of about understanding your schedule, understanding what's coming up ahead, kind of what works for you. Because in general, like I didn't, I wasn't a big, we did a little bit in the weight room before the game, but I wasn't a big heavy lifter before the game. For me, personally, that wasn't my thing. And so I knew I didn't want to miss a whole day. Or sometimes it could be two, three days, because we have a couple of games and then. So we we would communicate and at grabby, like feeling good. Like I'm already loose, grab a bunch of minutes, my body is like, you know, I competed hard, but I still got some left, you know, so let's go let's go do it now I'm loose. And so that's kind of became a routine for me at some point, I forget what year it was, I kind of figured that out. I figured but that became something that I regularly did, you know, not every game. But you know, when the schedule, you know, was was was to a point where I needed to do it. That's that's what we did. So yeah, that was it was great.

Tim DiFrancesco  23:23

The lesson there is for the younger player to start to say, Hey, if you want to really make something out of wherever, whatever level you're at, or get to another level or extend your time, at a certain level, it does come down to looking at it as a business person would look at developing their own business and this has to be you have to do planning, you have to do projecting, you have to see you know, be able to do that. So you were one of the best at that.

Phil White  23:48

What kind of leader would you say you are, like if you had to give a scouting report on your leadership on the floor. And in the locker room.

Steve Blake  23:56

I've always in general, lead by example. I think, you know, especially my competitive spirit. You know, I didn't feel like I needed to be that rah rah, you know, you know, always talking, you know, giving speeches type of person I think Tim can share to, to that I'm pretty quiet in for the most part. But if I felt like I needed to say something I would I didn't hold my tongue by any means. But I was okay with other people being vocal leaders. Now on the court, I was very vocal, you know, I was going to help, you know, tell people where to go and be communicating all throughout the game. But in general, I just tried to compete as hard as I could and hopefully people will follow that. I read a leadership book. I really wish I knew what it was really early on in my career. And the biggest thing I took from it was that the best leader isn't always the loudest person in the room. And it made me It talked about little things like it might just be, you know, someone like myself who may be you know, maybe six, seven go down the line and say, you know, a totem pole of the team, you know, you got two superstars and whatnot. But I could go talk to those guys privately, maybe the loudest guy and put something in his ear and give him some advice, you know, and then maybe he'll be the one that says it out loud. And so I kind of would lead in those little ways by having conversations, you know, without having to be someone who's talking in front of the team all the time. And I think, for young people, especially to realize that you can be a leader, by not even saying a word. I mean, it can be as little as just diving on the floor, or, you know, it could be a side conversation and, and know that you're making an impact. So that I've always believed in that.

Tim DiFrancesco  25:42

Yeah. And from my lens of it, and being around you, Steve, and watching you do your craft, execute and, and perform your craft so artfully and skillfully, a big part of what you brought to the table was the leadership in that unique way, as Phil said, you being you not getting outside of your normal personality. But you brought up Steve, something that I tend to talk to our staff here at TD athletes edge about into any entry level professional in my field, who says, Hey, what does it take? How do you? How do you move up the ranks? Or where it? How can you give me some tips on how to get to where I need to go, they think I'm gonna give them some, you know, big textbook that they should go read and tell them the secrets of technical skill development. And it's like, Look, if let me help you start with one thing, start with being enjoyable to be around somebody that your teammates and your your people that you're on a team with that they say, Yeah, I love being around Steve, it, whether we're in competition, or we're just preparing for it, or we're just hanging out. And that's all within our control, we control that we have the ability to control that. And I think that that has to be the bedrock of what it starts with. And then yes, of course, there's ways to develop your technical skills. And there's that you put in the wraps and you do that you get around people that have done it before and you learn from experts and or people that are advanced in that kind of thing. But it's not going to work well for very long, if you're not enjoyable to be around. Those are the people that you say what happened to so and so. And that's that's just the reality of it in any profession, in any industry in any field. And you have I have plenty of examples. I'm sure you do, Steve, as well, in terms of basketball players, I have plenty of people in my field who are far more advanced knowledge wise, they have incredible just knowledge and insight and they're very educationally just just curriculum based on their, their sound and extremely advanced from what they know and, and how they can talk about the industry. But that is a lot different than being enjoyable to be around. And when you have both of those obviously you have Hall of Fame level people but that's what it has to start with you had that you also had this competitiveness and this reliability aspect that I think as a leader is it's it's non negotiable, it's it's you you need to know as a teammate, and you will start to look at somebody as a leader, if a they're enjoyable to be around, be they're always there, when they're doing their job, whatever their job is, you always had that. And you know that hey in the trenches in the foxhole, as I've used the term before I want this guy next to me, and and I think that's and then that last piece is the communication that you brought up and that's a piece that as I'm thinking through kind of what three prongs help to describe a really great leader that does not have to be rah rah and communication doesn't mean yelling, screaming barking orders, it just means in your that was such a good example that you brought up there of hey, I wasn't it didn't need to come from me It actually wasn't going to be as good coming from me because of my personality it would seem not as authentic but if I go to the person where it would seem authentic from maybe they just needed the seed of what they needed to talk about. And so that's just a deeper level of leadership that maybe those little pieces were conversations you had off the quarter or in off hours that I never even really saw and thank you for opening up that that insight that I didn't even get a chance to see so good so good there so Tuesday titles at Miami high. You then spent a year at Oak Hill Academy right?

Steve Blake  29:24

It did just to clarify so Miami high did win two state championships and many more but I was I was there for one of them.

Tim DiFrancesco  29:32

Okay, okay, got it. So

Steve Blake  29:34

my my junior year I was my sophomore year I was at Miami Killian high school first and then we we lost in the finals. The final for my sophomore year, went to Miami high want to change state champ and then we went I went to Oak Hill Academy after that, and we won a national championship there. So yeah, Oak Hill was another you know powerhouse basketball school. If you follow high school sports everyone you would know that if you know, basketball, many NBA guys have been there, Steve Smith's a Hall of Fame basketball coach. And it was an amazing, you know, different coming from a big city to going to Oak Hills in the middle of nowhere in Virginia. So small, the nearest town was like 20 minutes away, and there's like one stoplight in that town. That's awesome. So it was like, it was tough at first. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, you know, going from, you know, with my family to living by myself in a house with a bunch of basketball players. But after that month or two of getting used to it, it was amazing. We played the best competition in the country, we traveled all over the place. All you do is school and basketball, you walk across from your little dorm, and there's the gym, so you're gonna get better. My schooling got better and you know, when you're playing your own teammates are the best in the country. So you're playing against the best every single day. And so that was a heck of an experience as well.

Tim DiFrancesco  31:00

What describe what the the because you know, you have some of those old kill rosters in over their years and their runs of dominance where that you have guys that I mean, Carmelo went there, and you have guys that did have long careers, but it sounds like your team that won a title a championship there didn't have necessarily that that upper echelon guy or prospect or person that was going to be a potential number one pick type of guy, which they've had plenty of, what was the DNA? Or what was how would you describe what, what allowed your team though, to win that title?

Steve Blake  31:38

Yeah, you know, there's different types of teams, you have those teams where you do have the Carmel lows and rage on Rondo went there and stack house and you have those teams where you have a superstar and you kind of base everyone else around that person. We were a team full of guys kind of like myself who were really good. We weren't McDonald's, all Americans. We weren't like right at the top of the class. But we were all really good. And we were all going to grind it out and compete. And so yeah, we do that we won by committee, we were so I mean, we think that year, we probably played like 10, top 25 teams, we were undefeated. But we all wanted to play defense, we all wanted to do things the right way. We all just had that, that competitive spirit. And so we that just that's what's that, that's what made us great. And that kind of what's I'm sure we'll touch on in a minute was kind of like my college team as well. Just did it by committee with a bunch of really good basketball players.

Tim DiFrancesco  32:35

You alluded to earlier that little bit of a culture shock of getting going from Big City to one, one, stoplight town and middle of nowhere was there. How short of dicey did that get for you? Was there a point where you're calling home? Or you're calling you're thinking man did? Is this gonna last? Do I want to be like, How bad did that get?

Steve Blake  33:00

Yeah, internally, pretty bad. You know, you move into a house, the bunch of rooms with your teammates, but I had a room by myself. And, you know, I have a very close family of three older sisters and you know, I've was just always around my family, and to be separated from that. Plus, with no outlets of really being able to go anywhere, see, like my old friends. And I remember some nights being in my room, just like what am I doing here? Like, this isn't worth it, you know, and, but those are the type of things you get past it, you know, something will happen the next day and you'll feel better and then you have those ebbs and flows. Like I said through with that that first month and a half or so, until you start to build those relationships with your teammates that are there and you start to play more basketball and get into the season all that stuff and then you and then you just get comfortable. Yeah, but it's trying I mean no question you know, as a young kid I mean it's it's it was tough. But it was what's best for me and it worked out

Tim DiFrancesco  34:03

one of the things that I'm as I'm as we're you're weaving this story in this journey for us so beautifully is coming together is you had winning at every stop. One of the things you highlighted and underscored earlier is you were preached to and believe strongly and bought into the fact that winning success will for you will follow from winning as a team and being able to have that fall together as you're seeing things, you know, come together what what was that like in terms of that chapter of is one year at Oak Hill and then it was sort of your into this recruiting period at that point where it's really kind of time to make a decision. What was what was that? Like? What was the recruiting time for you and how did it end up being Maryland where you ended up? Landing?

Steve Blake  34:52

Yeah, I mean, it starts pretty early on, you know, I was I was a good player as a freshman and sophomore in high school and had though in those early times, when I was a kid, you just start getting like 1000s of letters. And you start to realize, you know, every school send them to you. But then you realize at first was like, wow, look at all these letters, they all want me. And then you realize, Oh, those are just generic letters, they just want you to feel they really don't know who you are. Yeah. And then so then as you get better, you start to play on some AAU teams, played some travel teams. And then you start to get really good recognized, and then they'll call and whatnot. And by the time I got to Miami high, there was a few universities that was really interested in. And I was kind of, I was interested in kind of committing early, I kind of wanted to get through my dad and I were like, Let's get through this as quickly as find the right place. And it kind of came down to there was NC State was there early on, because I had a great relationship with the player that played there. I'm Chris coach, Jani Syracuse, in Maryland. We're kind of the three. 

And I considered Miami a little bit, but they weren't a very big program at the time. You know, they weren't selling out games. It just wasn't that that college atmosphere that I was looking for. So I took unofficial visits to Syracuse and Maryland. And I actually ended up committing while I was at Miami high even before I went to kill. And for me, it was it was a it was a there was a few things that kind of really intrigued me about Maryland for why I went there. And one it was an ACC school, I love the ACC. I went on their campus, I really enjoyed the players, I got to spend some time with the coaches. And but the biggest thing, I would say the fact of why I chose there over over Syracuse was that I knew I'd have a really good shot of starting my freshman year, they had a senior point guard rail Stokes, that was there that was graduating, and Steve Francis had just transferred in he was a junior, but I knew he was going pro, which was going to leave a vacancy at their point guard position. And so as you know, Frank Martin and my dad and myself were like, well, this seems like too good to be true, you know, I'll come into a major university that doesn't have a point guard, I'll be basically the only true point guard on the team, you'll have a chance to start and kind of run with it from there. And, and they didn't promise me the starting job, but I kind of just was confident I felt like it was a great situation. And so that ended up being why I committed there's because that opportunity to not have to sit behind a junior senior for a couple of years, and I could just get in there and start playing right away.

Tim DiFrancesco  37:30

That's incredible. And I want to point out it's the ACC at that time was that was the OG ACC that was ACC was a beast night in night out not what not that ACC that we see. Now. It's it's a lot different now. But not to take anything away. But that was a different level.

Steve Blake  37:49

That's when the tradition of the of that conference was at all about those rivalries and the competition. And man I just loved you know, before I got there watching those, you know, North Carolina Duke games, the Maryland North Carolina, and that was that was I'll tell you this one story for one reason I fell in love with Maryland really quickly was they Maryland was playing number one ranked North Carolina. And I remember watching it on TV was on ESPN at coffeehouse at Maryland. and Maryland beat number one North Carolina and the crowd was going crazy. And it was just amazing. I just remember that game. And the very next day, their assistant coach Dave Dickerson was in my high school gym at Miami high recruited me. And I was like, What are you doing here? Me? I just watched the game last night. He's like, Nah, we want you to bed like I'm here. Like, I was like, to me, that meant so much, you know, for him to like, just have one major game like that. Very next day be they're trying to talk to me. I mean, that stood out in my mind. And I was like, Okay, I that's someplace that wants me there. I believe that it felt good.

Phil White  38:57

Yeah, and I think for any young player listening, you brought up a good point that this was a decision by committee. So obviously, folks, we're going to leave it up to you to make the final call. But, you know, your coach was involved, your family was involved. And it was, you know, it was seems like a very mature and cerebral decision for a teenager to be making at that point.

Steve Blake  39:20

Yeah, and my dad had a big, big part of that and just kind of helped me realize, you know, let's, you know, take advice from your coaches and, and because as a player, I wouldn't have known to really think about the position. The situation's of the position, like is there a junior senior there? Like, how's that going to pan out? Like I, I was probably too young to be thinking about that. But they weren't, you know, they were thinking ahead for me and kind of pointed those situations out. And it made a big difference.

Phil White  39:48

Yeah, talk to us a little bit about that, that freshman season and you know, how the season progressed. And then obviously, you ended up surprising some people and weren't able to take it all the way the champion Shit that first year is TD sad, but when you guys went on a pretty healthy run there.

Steve Blake  40:06

Yeah, we were good. We ended up seeing my my first year, we lost to an in the tournament, an amazing UCLA team that had a ton of talent. And you know, we just didn't play very well in the tournament, and it kind of, you know, that year, which was a good year, it kind of came to an abrupt end for us, and it kind of hurt, you know, hurt that we, we were better than we finished. And I think all of us as a group, wanted to take it to the next level. And so we that summer was huge, we all worked hard, we got better. And we came back and we became one of the best teams quickly one of the best teams in the country. And, and they're going to a final for my sophomore year. And again, we you know, at one point, you know, we were up 20, I think against Duke in the Final Four. And unfortunately, we we gave it away. And that was a heartbreaker. It was a tough loss. And like we've kind of touched on a few times, it's it's how you respond to those tough moments. We weren't satisfied with just getting to the final four. And we most all of us were coming back except for Terrence Morris. And so we knew we were going to be really good again. And we took it personal and we got better. And we got better every year, every single day, every game and came back the next year and won a national championship.

Tim DiFrancesco  41:35

Yeah, I'm glad you highlighted that. It's it's it really is there's going to be setbacks, there's going to be tough pills to swallow on anybody's journey, whether you're in your own individual journey, or you're talking about a team's process. I always love looking back at teams, that people they come on to people's radar when they win the championship or when they when they're finally in that final four. And it's like, Wow, where did Maryland come from? Or where did you look at a team like OKC and the NBA, for instance. And the years that when it was Harden, Durant and Westbrook and they had to go through a lot of growing pains and a lot of losses and earlier exits that maybe they felt like they were talented enough to be exiting as before they crack through and they're, you know, they're playing Miami in the finals. And who knows what would have happened if that never gets broken up. But those those years that and honestly, it was a couple of those losses early in the playoffs to to the lit to Lakers teams and things like that, that they do you they you kind of look at it as like one little layer at a time. Okay, your freshman year you build this layer, okay, we're not pleased with that. But that was way too early from what we're good enough to be doing. You put that second layer in, okay, we made it to a Final Four. But we just had to be faced with this bitter moment. And we're going to what you said was really, really key. And I think that great people in any industry in any field, and certainly athletes that I've been around, they do take it personally. And I think there's a there's a dangerous side to taking everything personally. And there's people we all know who they take every little thing personally and that's not what we're talking about. But to have this collective group of players in their early young adulthood who this means so much and yeah, we took you guys took that personally that that was not what your standards are. And that's not what we're about. And I think it's easy to be sometimes in a team environment, you get a bunch of guys or, or women who young women who it's easy to be in a group and it's like too cool for school type of attitudes. Like yeah, whatever not big deal. I'm gonna go on maybe play pro after this anyway, so what's the big deal, but you guys didn't you guys took that personal and then you put that final layer on in 2002 and said, Let's go Let's go prove it. So that's, that's fascinating. That's really impressive. Talk a little bit so here we are again. Next chapter. Next stop winning is following you Steve within every chapter and and you're you're bringing it along with you and both and both and and you're going from Frank Martin to Steve Smith to coach Gary Williams. And another really Hall of Fame level coach who you get a chance to be around and soak up and what was it like getting coached by Gary Williams.

Steve Blake  44:27

It was great. Another coach that a bit similar, more similar to Frank Martin then then to Steve Smith, someone who is not going to take anything less than 100 percent effort and doing things the right way. And from as little things to Don't ever come on the basketball court with your shoes not already tired ready to go. Like like things like that was like if you come in a locker room Have you shoes ready to go, we're ready, we're gonna compete right from the second step on the court. And it's like, you have that instilled in you on a daily basis, like every day, like, you gotta be ready, you gotta be ready to go right from the start, you know, mentally, physically. And he, you know, instilled that into all of us. And we were ready to go from the second we stepped on that court, and we were always ready to compete. And as well as him being a great teacher, I mean, we had a specific offense, we ran the flex offense. And he taught that to us on a daily basis, and we became extremely proficient at it. And then, you know, defensively, he, you know, his competitive spirit, and when someone is that intense, you can't help but be that intense as well. And you're in your own way. And you had to bring it, because if you weren't gonna bring it, you weren't gonna play. And so that was that's just the way it was. And so we had to, and he got the best out of us.

Tim DiFrancesco  45:53

How did you process getting coached hard, and by intent by intense coaches every step of the way? Pretty much. It's, you know, I

Steve Blake  46:02

don't know how to pinpoint that. Specifically, I think I just, my personality wasn't to, you know, butt heads with people. And, you know, part of, it's probably just, my dad telling me, You better listen to your coach or else. Early on, yeah. And, you know, showing respect for, for coaches, and for you know, someone older than you, and you're being taught those kinds of things. And, and you just, you know, you listen, you say, okay, and you try and be better. I don't know what else to add on to those just well,

Tim DiFrancesco  46:42

it's almost interesting, because it's like, it's like disability you had to take losing personally, that's the thing that that I'm here to win. And that's what you were there to do at any level. And you took it personally, when you lost that big game, and the final for any game, or any competition, that is a great place where it helps you to take that type of instance, or a situation personally, but then you also on the other side of it had this ability to not take it personally, that this coach is riding me, like you said it was maybe about relationships, all these coaches that you've talked about, you've talked about their ability to win over or get buy in do through their ability to have a relationship because you had that relationship. I think there's a lesson in here for both coaches and players. Because I think the coaches you've now described had a really strong ability to get give, you know, develop a relationship with their players know that they had their their players knew they had their back. And yeah, part of it's going to be intense, but they knew they cared. And then in from show from coach's standpoint, it's a lot easier to expect a lot from a player or team when you've developed those relationships. And then from a player standpoint, and this is just me putting it together as I'm listening to you. But it from a player's standpoint, the lesson is, look, if they didn't care about you, or think that you had potential, they're probably not going to ride you or expect a lot from you, you want them to expect that from you, you want them to push and pull almost at times the most out of you. And sometimes, I mean, we all need that we all need a coach that has a nother level of expectation. So I don't know, it just it's amazing listening to you. And and those are some of the things and that that it starts to sum up for me as I as I listen, it's so fascinating.

Steve Blake  48:32

Yeah, absolutely. Relationships are a huge key to what coaches need to be doing. I mean, even kind of like for me today, you know, being a father, you know, I Yeah, you know, I have this relationship with my kids. And there's times where I'll scream at them, or, you know, yell at them, but they know that I love them. I mean, we have a hard time in the moment, at times, but the end of the day, you know, the next day, we're gonna hug and we love each other, and we're just gonna, we're gonna move on, they know I love them. And they know, I know, they love me. And it's just the same thing with a coach player relationship. You know, that's why I kind of you kind of hear a lot of coaches as father figures and because they're there to help you, but they are going to challenge you, and they're going to maybe yell at you at times, but in in on that, looking at it from the outside. And sometimes you're like, Why is that guy? Why is that player letting him yell at him like that? He shouldn't take that. It's like, well, you don't know the backstory, you don't know what they've been through together. Like maybe they've had some emotional thing in the background that kind of joins them together where they can they can have that type of relationship, they can yell at them. And so I you never want to be too judgmental, if you don't know, actual situations. But yeah, so coaches. Like you said, the relationship allows that kind of communication at times. What was

Tim DiFrancesco  49:51

your routine for preparation of a game over the years and what it maybe evolved into once you got into the NBA or maybe it kind of stayed the same? from Miami high all the way to the Lakers. For me

Steve Blake  50:03

in the NBA, I did settle into a routine where I very early on, I would get to the arena really early, most way before most of the other players were there and, and I get a workout in and shots up and stuff, even while the you know, the arena is pretty fairly empty. And I kind of get that routine in and then I come back and you know, drink my, my coffee, you know, my special Tim coffee at times. And that's right, yeah, to be able to relax and get whatever, you know, maybe treatment I might need. And, and so I had that really early on workout treatment of some sort, kind of a relaxed state. And then as we got closer to a coach's speech or whatnot, then start ramping up in my mind kind of what you know, studying our film, or sheet of information on each player and what they like to do and kind of getting that study mode and then kind of ramp it up from there. And that kind of kind of became my routine and then lifting weights afterwards.

Tim DiFrancesco  50:59

Yeah, yeah, no, I'm so glad you detailed that. And, you know, I have to let listeners into what you just uncovered the the very tip of in terms of the coffee routine that you were one of the early customers of my my friend, my French press team that I would bring into the, into the locker room and then into the evening we would travel with and I can remember I can remember being a preseason in China and having a little coffee station going in my hotel room in China. We were not leaving home without a five pound bag of coffee grounds and a French press. I'll tell you that we had a separate trunk just for the coffee. And we'll we'll do a little mini series of episodes on the story of how coffee intertwined with the NBA and how big of a under culture it is now but Steve Steve was on the way he was a forefather of what you see now you see a French press and just about every every locker room every coach's room, and we were we were doing on that on the early end. But

Steve Blake  52:05

Chris, Chris and Chris and I took that from you on when we both played together in Portland, we just became you know, other people join in and it's just kind of became what it is now,

Phil White  52:14

though. Yeah. And then you see the apex of it in the bubble, where it's like players are literally running like the pop up coffee shops or espresso.

Tim DiFrancesco  52:23

Right. Right. Right, exactly. So, you Okay, so you win this NCAA championship, you're on the pinnacle of one of I'm sure what was one of your goals of of going to Maryland and why you chose that school to be in the mix on that and have a shot at that. And you and you do it, you check the box and then some. Now it's turning to was there a point either before or after that at Maryland, where you're saying to yourself or maybe you knew all along, but take us into where it was like, Okay, this is this is lining up nicely, I'm gonna be able to get drafted, I'm gonna be be I'm gonna be able to hold my own, I'm gonna be able to get to this next level that I always probably dreamed of. But I'm confirming it at through my time at Maryland. What was the point where it's like, hey, the NBA is gonna happen for me. I just have to play the cards, right?

Steve Blake  53:15

Yeah, Slow slowly, through my freshman year on up to winning the national championship. I was starting to believe that I was had what it takes to be in the NBA. I didn't know exactly for sure. But I was starting to believe it and other people were starting to say and then you win a national championship and then you hear from more people. And then you hear some other people who maybe maybe you could leave early. You know, but you know, let's explore that. So you explored a little bit you realize, you know, not a guaranteed first round pick, you know, it's not that's I don't want to leave school early if that's not a foregone conclusion. So we had small talks of that. Now, at this point, I'm like, but I know I know I can play you know, in playing in the summertime against some of the guys in the league and you feeling that you can do that. And then you go to your senior year and you I had another great year. came first team all ACC think we lost in the sweet 16. B. We were still really good, but we didn't quite have you know, we'd lost one Dixon and Chris Wilcox and Monty Baxter We lost three starters. You know, if Chris Wilcox would have come back to school, maybe we had another chance at it, but we were still really good. And then, you know, that senior year, I was more of a more of a main guy as far as scoring a little bit more but still staying within my role. And, you know, people are telling me, you got a good chance of making it. But you still it's never a given for someone in my situation. You know, I'm still you know, a point guard who's not overly quick. I'm not going to overly I'm not dunking the ball you know, I can talk but it wasn't wasn't my thing. You know, I wasn't gonna throw it down on people and so I wasn't you know, You didn't look and being like, Oh, he's he's physically ready, you know, type of situation. Sure. So then you get into your workouts. You know, I think I was like, maybe 10 NBA workouts, which was, for me, it was good because I could show the NBA teams what I could do, but I was kind of in that situation where it was really hard to get those top rated point guards to work out against me. And so that's another challenge you kind of have to face as someone trying to make the NBA because those guys that are already projected lottery picks, like why would they play against someone like myself, you know, it only damaged what they're trying to do. But I did well enough to where I showed some teams that I shouldn't be in the NBA. And that's why I ended up getting drafted, which I'm sure we can touch on at some point. Yeah,

Tim DiFrancesco  55:45

any of those workouts that stand out for you and that sort of 10 team run that you have to go through and the carousel there.

Steve Blake  55:53

Yep. Probably. The team that ended up drafting me which was the Washington Wizards Yeah, my workout there went really, really well. I was able to actually to play against Kirk Heinrich, who at the time was a highly rated point guard was going to go pry, he was going to end up going lottery. And he was a guy that was, uh, someone that if I was to move up in the draft board and whatnot, I needed to play well against and I did, I had a really good workout. And I think that's probably why the wizards drafted me. I went, the second round was the 38th pick. But I think it had to do with, I was able to play against a really top really good point guard. And I showed that I could I could do what I could do. And so that kind of worked out for me.

Tim DiFrancesco  56:37

No doubt, no doubt. So you, you get drafted by Washington? And what's that? First? What's that first year of NBA life? What were the parts that were easy to kind of flow into or parts that were hard to adapt to? And get used to?

Steve Blake  56:59

This, it's hard to say I mean, it was it was easy, but I wouldn't say it was hard by any stretch of the imagination. I mean, you're, you're young and you get treated like a rookie, no question. I mean, you got, you know, Christian, Laettner making me get his bags and stuff. And but, you know, I had been around quite a few of those guys, just because Maryland was only, you know, 15 minutes away, 20 minutes away. And so I played against a few of those guys, and they kind of knew who I was. And so they treated me with respect, and the level of basketball obviously increases. And I would always say, tell people like the difference between college and the pros, especially at first is, and on an NBA team, the 15th guy on the roster is the best player on a college team. You know, so it's, whereas in college, that 15 guy is a walk on, who's you know, not ever going to play anywhere, for the most part, and so, everybody's good, everyone's huge, everyone can play, they're all fast, strong, you know, so everyone can play. 

And that's, that's the biggest difference, I think, at first, and then you get used to the speed and, and getting comfortable, you know, I was nervous as heck, the first time I got on the NBA court, you know, in a preseason game, you know, my legs were weak and you know, was on a fast break, and I think I could barely jumped and laid it and I was so nervous that first game, even though it's just, you know, it's like managing that, that nervousness, you know, but after a couple of games, you get used to it, and then you just you just roll with it, and you just playing basketball, you're working out and you round great people and coaches, and now you're making some money, and it's feeling great. So you're having fun. Yeah,

Tim DiFrancesco  58:36

that's, that's so cool. That's so cool. So you know, 13 years in the NBA one of those stops was with the Lakers and that's obviously where we had the I feel from my end the amazing fortune to develop our friendship and spend our time together and I always sensed Steve that your relationship with Kobe and rest in peace and you know your your time your the way that you interact with him and the way that he interacted with you. I just sense now I'm just looking to see if this felt this way for you or what it was like from your end but I got anyways from how I had to interact with Kobe and get to know him and and get I would say accepted by him. I think he made people earn his trust, earn his friendship earn his respect as as much as as anybody that I was around and I always felt like you had that and in in just the highest amounts from him. Did that feel that way for you and what was your time with Toby like and am I on base or off base on on kind of how that felt for you?

Steve Blake  59:54

Yeah. Still still sad things? Think about, but just to so hard, it started it started, literally the day that I decided to commit in sign or verbally commit to the Lakers. I think it was maybe a few hours later that he reached out to me, you know, I mean, right, right off the bat is like one of the he was one of the first people to contact me after I had already committed to go there and sign a contract with him, you know, he reached out, I was just like, Hey, Steve, I love you as a player. Welcome to the family. And, you know, that to me that that was that was touching to me, you know, one of the best players ever played a game someone I competed against. And to be honest with, I didn't like as you know, I wanted to because he was so competitive. And we had butted heads before in game yeah, like, you know, you go from, you know, kind of this kind of respect, but kind of a hate relationship type of thing, you know, to all of a sudden you guys, you know, he's calling, he's one of the first people to reach out and say, Welcome to the family. And that's the kind of person he was.

 And as soon as I got there, we started to connect on a more personal level. We both were young fathers, and had kids around the same age, so we were always sharing videos of our kids and sports and, and he kind of, I think he knew that I don't want to ever put myself in the same level as him. But as far as being a competitor, he knew, he knew that all I cared about was winning, doing things the right way. And I was going to do whatever it took to win. And I think that kind of helped me and him and I have a relationship. And we kind of were in for a lot of the same things. And we just bonded over the years and became great friends and and great teammates. And so yeah, I'm definitely miss miss those, those moments that we had and would have had,

Tim DiFrancesco  1:01:56

truly Yeah, I, I always felt like Kobe was a guy that was always looking around for who's going to who he wants and who he would know, without hesitation, I want that person in my foxhole. And you, you check those boxes, and then some, from your competitiveness from your ability to be enjoyable to be around. And from that reliability, he knew he could count on you, he knew you were putting the preparation, he I think he put a lot of stock in that, I think that he knew you were preparing yourself and that when that as you said, when the arena was smelling like popcorn, and the lights were brighter, and everything was a little bit hotter, and more intense that you were were going to be there for him and you were going to be there with him. And so that that's really it's touching to me, as we prepared for this discussion and a conversation we were going to have I went back and just sort of thought through what your relationship was like with Kobe. And I felt like there was a really special bond there. And it's, it's really special for me to hear you say that, that felt that way for you. And, and, and it's yeah, something that you had and a chance to compete with him in the trenches, I had a chance to work with him and be able to support him from the strength side of things and that you and I both share some really touching experiences and just that, that time that we had with him was was so near and dear to both of us. So

Steve Blake  1:03:37

yeah, absolutely. I mean, he was he was a special person. I mean, he was he had a unique ability to basically do whatever he wanted. I mean, he I share this right that time we we were talking on the bus or something like that. He's like, yeah, now I can play the piano and I can play like Beethoven or something like that. I was like, man, shut up. You can't? Like, he's like, No, I taught myself how to do it. I'm like, no, no, you didn't like and so we, I think we landed in Milwaukee, and it's like, one in the morning. We're walking into the hotel, and he's like, Dude, there's a piano in the back ballroom over here. I was like, well, let's go I got 100 bucks that you can't play this song right now. And he would go back there and just him and him named me and the security guy or whatever. And he starts playing. I forget what it was like Mozart and Beethoven or something like that. And I'm like, I crumbled up the $100 bill. I threw it at him.

Tim DiFrancesco  1:04:31

You you SOB God? What can he do? It's it was with everything right? I mean, it's so funny you bring that up because I have a piano Kobe story to where he we lost a Memphis and it was sort of like a just a real pivotal moment in the season and we had had a string of a couple bad losses and loss of Memphis we go to Chicago so the ship Gotta get rioted and and so we're getting into Chicago at 3am, whatever it was, and we're getting up to our rooms. Finally, after sending bags up and all that stuff and I get the text from him, what do you do? And in my head, I'm like, I'm about to pass out. No, of course I didn't text that bad guy said nothing, what can I help with and, and he's like I want to lift right now. And so maybe maybe in, meet me in the lobby downstairs and we'll go to the hotel, right weight room. So I come down, grab my stuff, I come down. And I come out of the elevator in the lobby level. And I hear just like you said, classical, amazing music coming off the piano. And I'm like, Why in the world? Would they have somebody sitting here to play at this time of day? No, no traffic in the going through the lobby right now. And of course, I come around the corner, and it's him waiting for me. Just just just taking a piano for a stroll and Mozart or whatever it was. And but yeah, I mean, I also think back to, I believe it was, it was one of our Thanksgiving, try to think about where we were, but it was on the road for Thanksgiving. And the team would obviously set up a nice little ballroom, and we'd get a great spread and, and that kind of thing. And I I think some you know, the whole traveling party could could come and to the team and the the team dinner there and, and sit down at the buffet and or sit down at the tables and grab something at the buffet and have a Thanksgiving, watch some football in the background, but somebody had a football, and they're throwing it and that the some of our color commentators were just playing a little game of if you could catch it with one hand, and from you know, 10 feet or 20 feet away, or whatever we were and of course he jumps into that. And you know, it's like, I know, no way and everybody's calling no chance. I mean, he had he didn't have you know, the the league's biggest hands. I mean, it was in terms of his his hand dimensions versus some of other guys. And so I was like, yeah, no, you can't do it. Sure enough, he I think he missed the first one. He's, again, run it back right back. It's like he's like Odell Beckham, Jr. All right. First of all, why are you even thinking of doing that? You're gonna jam a finger right now. Yeah. You know, he couldn't help himself with the competition. And yeah. And there he was. But yeah, yeah. Rest in peace, and just cherish all those memories and what he left as a legacy for all of us to take from

Steve Blake  1:07:37

you. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Tim DiFrancesco  1:07:40

Well, Steve, this has been absolutely incredible. I've just goosebumps from from the start to finish here. For me anyway. So for Phil, and I, thank you so much, and what a what a chance to get into your journey and hear what it's taken to do the amazing things you've done. We have one famous question that we always finish with. And yeah, this is this is the basketball strong podcast. And the question is, what does it mean to you to be basketball strong, and you can go spiritual, you can go technical, you can go emotional, and everything in between your head, your mind, your gut, what it tells you that means?

Steve Blake  1:08:28

Wow. There can be a lot that goes into being basketball strong. I think. When I think about my journey, I think of loving what I'm doing and sacrifice. Are you are you just because I had to sacrifice a lot to be in the gym all the time to go to schools that took me away from my friends to to not always have late nights and stay in and get up early? And? And where are you? Are you willing to sacrifice some comfortable things maybe enjoyable things to really become better and do what you love? And that's an that be that can go for whatever aspect of life in general are you willing to sacrifice for those things? And I was for basketball and it was the time you got to put the time in the gym and you know, do you love it? And are you willing to sacrifice for it? That's what's gonna make you strong. So powerful.

Tim DiFrancesco  1:09:33

That's, that's that's just so dead on and, and you know exactly why you've lived and continue to live a basketball strong life,

Steve Blake  1:09:43

sir. Appreciate it. Tim.

Tim DiFrancesco  1:09:44

Steve, this has been incredible. Thank you so so much.

Steve Blake  1:09:48

Well, thank you guys. Thank you, Phil. I appreciate the time. Wish you guys all the best and please stay in touch.

Tim DiFrancesco  1:09:58

Thank you for joining us today. If you enjoyed today's show and we hope you did, please give us a good review on Apple podcasts or whichever platform you listen to podcasts on. And so you never miss a weekly episode, be sure to subscribe and follow. You can find previous episodes on our show website. That's www dot basketball strong podcast.com For more basketball performance resources, and nagging injury solutions, follow me on Instagram at TD athletes edge and follow Phil at Phil white books. Until next week's episode, stay basketball strong