Beyond the Court: Josh Okogie | Phoenix Suns

Beyond the Court: Josh Okogie | Phoenix Suns

Ki breaks out the Eraser and then runs it to the rim bringing some f that’s nasty Locked Away by aogi Steel by aogi here he comes in a Flash and one Ki Champs it home composter right on top of Desmond Bane J with a little slide Po Josh thanks for the time great to see you you picked this spot y Mavericks so you hang out here are you a Big Bowler yeah I love to bowl um early on in my career like Top Golf was like my thing I used to love Top Golf and I try actual

Golf but I had a love for it but then like like this last summer I just had a knack for bowling I’ve been bowling all summer so frustrating for golf anyways like because that game can drive you away like if you struggle a little bit

It can but but that’s why I just stick to top gol yeah yeah had to stick the top gol that’s that’s a lot better non-stop I mean that’s your nickname where did that originate so I had a eighth grade gym teacher and you know he always promised me like you know I’m

Going to come see you play so one one game he came and see me play I had a pretty good game then the next day in school he was like man you were just non-stop you know that’s your nickname for the rest of you you know for for the

Like till I you know um for him it was my nickname like non-stop non-stop Non-Stop and I was like okay I guess I’m non-stop cuz he said when I played it just looked like I just kept running all up and down the court so I just kind of

Used it in high school and I never changed it so it just followed me everywhere he’s got to be pretty proud of that I mean now that’s like that’s your handle we still talk about that today uhhuh how about the sports that you played growing up I mean aside from

Basketball football baseball anything else I’m Nigerian so you know one of the household Sports there is soccer so I grew up playing soccer my older brother played soccer so uh I actually helped him a lot help him practice you know help him train so naturally I just kind

Of got good at it but I never really played it organ organized soccer but I still have some skills all right so you’re born in Legos Nigeria and then I think you were 3 years old when you uh you and your family came here to the states correct what do you know about

That experience through your parents and through your siblings so I don’t remember much uh there but I have all the stories that my parents told me growing up talking to all my uh my extended family on the phones and you know through social media and I’ve been back a couple times too to

Kind of put names to to faces and you know know different areas uh see the city see the village and yeah so I’m pretty familiar with the area and and all the people how did they choose Snellville Georgia as a destination well um typically when you know families come

From you know overseas and move to United States they typically go where they know somebody so my my family my mom and dad they had friends that lived in uh that area not necessarily Snowville but the guette County area so uh that’s where we kind of moved I

Actually moved to Norcross Georgia when I first got there and then like after a year or two then we moved to Snowville okay tell me about Snowville how big of it uh how big of a city is that it’s not it’s not too big but it’s not like too

Small either it’s it’s 30 minutes from Atlanta so it’s not like I know it sounds kind of country but I’m not I’m not I’m not two hours from the city so it’s not too bad and you go back and you still hold some events there during the

Summer you got a bash and a summer carnival uh why do you continue to do that yeah for me it’s just to find a way to give back there’s some things that I used to love going to when I was a kid kid they used to have like a taste of

Snowville when they used to have different vendors from the uh City come and they used to have like a a carnival type theme and I used to love going to that as a kid but for some reason it just stopped so you know my mind I’m

Like let me try to bring that back you know just for kids who know looking for something to do during the summer right before or right when school starts so I wanted I felt like it was my responsibility responsibility to bring that back to the city so you know that’s

What I you know just trying to do annually and um and it’s not only just fun I also have an educational uh piece to it um I think we I parted with Best Best Buy and they came to came through and taught the kids coating and the uh VR and drones and all

That uh technological stuff so it was cool and then you have a ton of fun too I saw some of the events man there’s like water slides and looks like you guys are playing a little football out there we we had we had a Bless yeah

What’s it like then for the kids to when you show up and obviously there’s probably not a lot of professional athletes that have come out of Snowville maybe there are but you’ve got to be kind of a rock star when you go home yeah I mean also for me it’s like just

To show the kids that you know these roads that you’re driving on and these uh you know places you’re walking you know I’ve walked these same paths you know I want them to see me as one of them and and just being an inspiration for them to know that you know big

Things are you know possible for them as well you know for me as growing up you know you kind of get discouraged you always think about your future what you want to be your goals and aspirations and I just want be just a walking example if if you know if you put hard

Work to it and you you really focus anything’s possible oh seriously wow you got the spin on and everything so the fingers are not going into the ball you’re just kind of no my fingers are in the ball I told summer D when did you start

Learning how to put spin on it this summer see my finger in the bow oh it looked like it just came off your hand I don’t put my thumb in it though oh there you go okay see that’s that’s off ah stay in stay in see that’s why I put

The spin cuz if you if you if you bow straight for that spare you have to literally hit it between the the first one and the second but the spin you can hit all of them with the ball who’s been your inspiration growing up whether it be professionally in the game of

Basketball or you know parents uh friends who’s been kind of that one big influence for me just my brother uh you know my oldest brother I should say him just taking care of all of us you know um watching our backs and you know just just being that big brother but still

Being able to do what he’s done me he’s a dentist and he’s he hated school so for him to just go through a lot and still make the most out of himself I mean that’s that’s as good as it can get yeah I know you’re a very spiritual person you’re always

Very grateful for every day that you have on this Earth is there a passage or maybe like a CREDO that you live by that helps steer your life I mean my my model is just treat people how you want to be treated um and that’s kind of just what

I’ve been doing my whole life and I love to live with gratitude you know just be so grateful for everything cuz you know I grew up where it was wasn’t the nicest upbringings you know um didn’t have the most but everything that we did have I

Was grateful for it and always found you know I was was op you know optimistic you know for me the the glass always half full so just whatever you have just making the most of it and that’s just kind of how I live and then the non-stop energy defensively especially I mean

Obviously you got a great shot as well but where did that come from was there an NBA player that you modeled your game after like played that hard on the defensive side too uh I didn’t really model my game after nobody but um I just

Just love the sport and um when I was in I just always played for like my high school coach was a heavily defensive coach so as my Au coach uh when I got to college you know I was a lot more offensive offensive mind I actually wasn’t the one of the best defensive

Guys really in college at all but um you know when I got to the league and you know play for tibs and you know my calling card was defense you know that’s kind of what I just focused on and just naturally I got good at it pretty

Quickly and uh that’s just what I’ve been in the NBA and then last year you won the Dan Marley hustle award what did that mean to you I mean Dan was a guy is is still revered here in Phoenix and played all out all the time yeah I mean

It meant a lot obviously like you said Dan Marley is a guy where you say his name and Rings a lot of bells not only in uh the basketball world but in in Phoenix in general so to be honored after him for you know a hustle award

Award on in my first year on this team was was tremendous yeah have you had kind of that NBA moment uh that you look back on and go man that’s my signature play is there one that jumps out uh not for me not really is cuz I’m thinking the the block of

Jaylen green and taking it the other way for the dunk green look at for step back three can’t shake aogi who Rises up breaks out the Eraser and then runs it to the rim bringing some boom here late in the third that was that was a cool

Moment you know that was a cool moment everybody about everybody El to talk about like the block and James hard in my rookie year uh this this this there’s a lot of moment that I had that I felt like you know worthy of just you know contemplation but I guess those two were

Probably like I would say the Biggest Steel by aogi here he comes in a Flash and one chance at a three-point play for Jo the Pitbull off the court you seem to be a guy who’s really into style too I mean I’m looking at some of the pictures on Instagram and a lot of different outfits different hats

Different looks looks how would you describe your style yeah I just like to I just like to experiment uh I like to experiment I like to you know just look at stuff and try to put things together I I look at fashion for me it’s like a puzzle always trying to like piece

Different things together and just try to make a picture out of it colors I mean are there certain colors that kind of you feel comfortable in see the crazy part about that is like sometimes I’ll go all black or neutral then another day I might just go a lot of colors you know

It just it just how I’m feeling that day so feel a little all black today to so yeah I’m I’m I’m here for business I’ll be right back let me get the spare oh see that’s the that’s one thing about Bowl bowling is each each lane is

Different like you got to gauge the lanes because some some some Lanes if they’re oiled if they’re oiled it’s it’s it’s a late spin if and if but if they’re not oiled it spins as soon as it touches the it touches the uh so this

Little drier this no this one is this is oil so that’s why you have to bow slower if you’re spinning cuz if you bow fast and spin the spin won’t register till lck so when you bow slower it has time to register the spin and then then it

Goes tell me more about um your family and your parents and how often they get a chance to come out here to Arizona and spend time with you and especially over the holidays I’m sure it’s probably important I have a pretty big family so uh it’s hard to kind of get everybody

Out here at the same time you know I have two of my siblings are married you know uh one that isn’t married is also in his 30s and I have a younger brother who’s in college playing basketball so it’s kind of like to get everybody at

The home at the same time and in Phoenix is it’s pretty difficult so they usually come at different times uh sometimes they try to collaborate and come at the same time but if one can’t make it they’ll try to make it at another time but you know my parents love to come you

Know they love to stay a while so this is year two in Arizona what do you think of the state the City of Phoenix the desert it’s so calm I I love it I mean no matter how good or bad a game is you wake up the next day and there’s the sun

Smiling at you so little different from Minnesota man the the the sun was frowning at me over there it was so cold but uh you know I’m grateful for this uh City you know everybody here is nice you know it’s always calm Chill Vibes and I

Love that have you been able to go out and travel see like Sedona flagy Booker Booker talks about that a lot he does and I’m not really like a nature guy okay you know I don’t mind just being at home and just looking at the sun Through

The Windows and just chilling on my couch watching watching sports hiking pesta Peak or Camel Back Mountain doesn’t interest you really you get plus you need to rest your game what I do like though is driving on the interstate and having seen like the mountains in

The backdrop you know I I love that then when it the sunset is beautiful yeah that’s nice that’s a good one right there oh told you all right so am I going for the left side want to hit it in the right side now so in between the top pin and

The right and the right right ah I went left side you were right I went left side and two stood I do it in I’m I’m going to try to do an inverted spin so usually I spin to the right and it goes left now I’m going

Spin to the left and try to make a bow right you do so you flipping it you turning your wrist it’s like English so I spin like this now it’s like spin like this you weren’t joking you got the serious split though yeah I don’t know why I did that that’s pretty cool

Though I like that one that’s a good one it’s right down the middle way see like something like that I’ve never spared nothing like that before there spear something like that this a close game I don’t like that J with a little Wizardry inside you know he’s loving every minute of his rhythm against his old team talk about the Nigerian national team because your coach there was Mike Brown coach in Sacramento he’s coached of course many teams in the NBA seems like a just really personable guy but what do that

Experience and what did that experience mean for you professionally and for playing for that country I mean it’s always good to to meet different people in the basketball world he definitely brought a different Dynamic to the to the to the national team I mean you know

We I know it was just a scrimmage you know it’s funny cuz I was just talking to uh Brad and book about it yesterday uh we beat the USA team in the scrimmage obviously book wasn’t playing cuz he in the finals but you know the you know to

Beat like you know the USA team who had you know KD uh Damian Lillard Brad on the team all those guys and to beat them in the scrimmage in Vegas and my Aunt uncles everybody was calling me like who like the whole it’s like the whole country felt that you

Know what I’m saying so so was it televised back in Nigeria then I mean everybody was watching it it had to have been cu the way they were texting me but I mean it was cool like I said he brought that excitement to the to the uh

To the country and um yeah it was shortlived but I mean we did what we could and one of your teammates chz he met to is now your teammate with the Phoenix Suns uh tell me about Mees he seems like a great guy in that experience together with the Nigerian

National team is the team captain of the national team and he you know he does he takes that with pride he’s always in the group chat seeing who’s available to play for the windows and he wants to take that uh organization to the to the next level and I think that he’s the

Right leader for it um he’s a you know tremendous player he’s a even more tremendous human being they call me janitor when I Boo the way I clean it up the way you clean up the way I clean up the Flint PS all right we going hard

Spin on this one I’m going do a so slow spin like like just like I’m listening to like R&B or something oh ah missed the spot kept me in the game so guys around the NBA who have you connected with I mean after playing in Minnesota I saw a little Jersey swap

With Anthony Edwards um it also seems like you’re really close with Chris Paul I think you went to maybe one of his basketball acmy uh a couple years back looked like you guys were working out together but I’m typically cool with anybody I’ve ever played with you know

What I’m saying um you know Chris I’ve known Chris since I was in high school I played on his a team so I’ve known him since 11th grade and uh me and him been close ever since you know Aunt you know Aunt from Atlanta so I’ve known him

Since he was in high school you know my earlier years you know wigs tus gorgi gorgi Jen Jeff Teague you know those are my guys uh you know then Aunt Jared Vanderbilt you know me and Pat Pat beev have have a bond uh Mel cam Johnson like

It’s just uh C Payne Tory Craig like literally anybody I Really Ever Played with like we still we still tired to thisday yeah I’m not surprised you kind of connect with Pat Bev like you guys have that same intensity what’s he like off the court away from the game people

And it’s funny because Pat Bev is probably one of the most chillest nicest human beings really you would ever be well not nice but chill like just no he’s not he’s a nice guy oh I know I’m sure he’s nice just I’ve never seen that chill side he’s chill like he’s really

He’s really chill he’s calm like I and it’s funny cuz you know how sometimes like you might see like Russell Westbrook everybody says how nice he is off the court but when he gets on the court he has that ferocious side Pat is like the same way like he’s not

Like how you see him on the court he’s nothing Clos to that off the court but then it’s like on game days it’s like he he like it’s just so crazy cuz like when you see him the morning game days he don’t smile at all he don’t really talk

Much cuz he’s just trying to win the game then then after the game he takes his it’s like the shower washes all that off and then he comes he’s smiling giggling like he’s the most one of the most goofiest teammates I ever had he’s

A cool he’s a cool guy what what are my FanDuel odds right now I’m taking the under on0 five pins being hit right now I just have one what are the odds of me knocking down the last pin the odds of you it’s 100% that you don’t knock it

Down that’s that’s the challenge I needed boom bam that wasn’t supposed to happen Youo leaping high and just rips that one away sons need a bucket J’s sneaking in the back door great do you have a game day routine is there something you go through even a meal or yeah um I’ll wake up eat breakfast you know we’ll typically have shoot around you I’ll go

To shoot around then I’ll come back uh home eat a snack play my video game for like an hour hour and a half then I’ll take my uh pregame nap and I wake up have my pregame meal then I which is what’s the meal it’s typically some type

Of pasta okay yeah and then I’ll um go back to the gym and prepare for the game what’s what is the personality of the team is it kind of focus direct stay is is there the thing about basketball like you can’t you can’t be too focused you

Know what know what I’m saying you can’t be too serious can’t be too direct but you then you can’t be too lack ofical you can’t be too goofy you got to have that every team got to find that balance you know what I’m saying I think we just

Have that good balance so we know when to lock in we know when to turn up we know when to laugh but we know when to get serious so who yeah who’s that guy I mean cuz you even talked about you got a goofy streak in you as well but like

Yeah who’s the guy that can lighten the mood when it needs to be light I try to lighten it all the time cuz sometimes it just be like the other day we getting ready for the game I’m telling sa like yo where’s the speaker at like play some like blast

Some music in here it’s two the vibe is too uptight right now like y let’s like let’s like let’s joke you know what I’m saying and then like you know sa plays the music it was funny cuz it was the song KD likes KD he was dancing in the

Locker room before the before the game he ended up uh this is the game we play you he end up getting 40 something he missed like two shots I told I told s I’m like look he out here dancing now he making now he making all his shots but

That’s just like that’s just basketball it’s more than just like getting out there and running plays it’s like you got to have the vibe like when you even when you think about your the best times in your life or any time where you had a

Job and you you had the most success it was probably days when you was just having fun you know what I’m saying that’s that’s just how life is you just have to have fun with it all right if you were not a Hooper if you were not an NBA basketball player uh

What would you be doing your brother is a dentist working for your brother I used to tell my mom I I wanted to be a law baser a what a law baseer a lawyer a basketball player and an engineer wow so uh that’s a good one if i w a basketball

Player I’d probably be a lawyer a lawyer or engineer cuz I love to argue I love to always be right and I just like to fix things and figure out how things are composed how things are made how things work so probably somewhere in that field it’s that

Engineering side you like into Legos and that kind of stuff or like building really a Lego Legos person yeah just like if the TV broke instead of hitting like the TV people they’ll call me and I’m over here checking all the wires and the remotes and that was that was me

When I was a kid so yeah so post NBA career I mean those are options as well you’re also really comfortable on camera too I’ve seen you on some podcasts and I think I heard you say like maybe TV or broadcast in could be yeah I don’t mind

TV I have a uh I have a way of articulating my thoughts in a way that makes sense for everybody um you know I know how to talk to you know different kinds of people different kinds of rooms so I I feel like TV could be something

For me you know I’ll see I actually uh I did some some shadowing and some internships and some some TV broadcasting networks like you know being living in Atlanta like the TNT Turner broadcaster station they got got the NBA TV they have you know the the NBA on TNT all that all

Those um stuff with you know Kenny Charles Shaq and all those guys so I’ve actually sat behind there and you know watched them in Studio J and do their thing and this this different things so I I I enjoyed it how would you be different from them what would your

Style be how would you make broadcasting better I think I can make it funny and like just more personable like you know a lot of times we see it and it’s just like facts facts facts facts facts but you know I think I could turn into like

A show you know what I’m saying obviously like TNT and them guys they have their show yeah you know and they make it funny but like I think I you know we can do that on ESPN or we can do that on uh on don’t tell me Arizona

Family Sports wa come on way to go man we can do we can make we can make it funny on there just just make it uh a show that everybody’s looking forward to so not only are you looking forward to the game you’re looking forward to

Hearing Jo you know act a full not act a full but like make people make people smile and make people laugh so I got no I need to get 10 basically I need to get if you get nine you lose if you get a spare you win spare a win a spare a

Knock down not gutter right all right like the free throws to win the game Tom what you going to do I don’t know but you got two free throws to win the game I think it’s kind of embarrassing that neither of us have hit 100 yeah this is the warm up though the

Cameras distract we it’s Photoshop you can put like a little one at the end of that 191 to 181 still believe that yeah that ain’t going to do it oh that’s rough that’s got to be right side head pin what you call it you got to hit like the you got you almost

Got to hit the the top pin straight on so it hits the other two got to slide yeah I got to hit the top one right side you don’t got got to be right cuz if you hit it right then the the uh what is it

The eighth pin might not go down you have to hit it straight middle and let it hit the two on the left should I be trusting you right now I’m not going to lie to you okay ah that one wow J wins in the nail biter J wins

In the know b89 coming to you live from Maverick Sports entertainment Josh a c beats Tom Leander in nail biter Bo

Our very own Tom Leander sat down with Josh Okogie at Mavrix Bowling Alley to talk about Okogie’s jounrery in basketball, fashion, his love for bowling, and more!

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