Jack Cooley, Sacramento Kings and Ryukyu Golden Kings legend joins The Insiders

Jack Cooley, Sacramento Kings and Ryukyu Golden Kings legend joins The Insiders

that’s James ham I’m Kyle Madson and that is Jack joining us from an undisclosed location um played basketball in Notre Dame played for the Kings played for the Suns played for the Jazz as well uh and now the uh ryuku golden Kings out in Japan uh a how much are you enjoying Japan and uh B is that where you plan on being for the rest of your career uh yeah I mean first I’m happy to be here uh I know we chatting but yeah I’m happy to be here and uh yeah Japan is unbelievable I love it there uh the fan base is incredible um the support there that the culture is just so kind and so nice and everyone’s so accepting and it’s just it’s the place and to to latch on the second question yeah it’s where I want to finish finish up my career I mean I’ve always said even with this team I don’t want to leave the Kings and um I’m going to do everything in my power to get the finish with them and um yeah I’m just I’m having a good time here and I’m really uh really enjoying I mean I’m in Paradise it’s okwa you know it’s tropical island I live near the beach like and I play basketball so I’m not you know I would love to end my time there you know Jack uh we’re watching the the NBA Finals play out but really it started like the whole second half of the season when you’re watching the way that the officiating has changed here and and how it’s being officiated not only in the finals but in that last like 25 30 games like number one how much do you want to play in a league where that’s the way it’s officiated but also like how surprised are you that the league has made this dramatic shift and how it’s played out here uh yeah I mean I just think and it’s kind of GNA St him into what’s going in the finals I think that free throws are boring and you know it’s just like I don’t think that they want these games lasting forever and I just think that um you know comp and the complaints to the officiating has just gotten I mean there’s one player in particular we all know who and it’s just outrageous how it impacts now yeah yeah yeah in the finals right now DJ Washington I knew it and you know classic tjj you know it’s just it’s it’s good to see because um I also think current players are like man everybody calls this current time soft and and we’re just all babies and we wouldn’t like back in the day you know and um I think the game the game is a physical game it is it involves some physicality and I like the way it’s being officiated and uh you know when you’re playing overseas you look at NBA players complaining about the quality of NBA officials and you’re like if only you knew the dumpster fire we have going on over here and the elite breakfast that you actually have in the NBA it’s um it’s Unique to see it really is is that the biggest difference playing overseas CU you also played in Greece correct Italy Greece Italy Italy Italy so you also played in Italy so is that the kind of the biggest difference outside of outside of talent that that you notice playing in those leagues yeah the officiating level I mean it’s it’s just because the NBA refs have such a defined like growth pattern like you know it’s just like you go you have these different steps you go through and you grow and then you eventually get promoted to the NBA and you have to pass these checks to get there whereas overseas those checks those lines a little more blurred and um you know some of the officiating is is a little lackluster so that and obviously the talent level are two two of the bigger things so I think the change though in the officiating is good for the game I really do I think it’ll it’ll help the NBA I think it’ll it’ll improve some of the grifting that a lot of people are really really don’t like watching it was so bad last night we are very much anti-g grifting anti-g grifting in general but anti foul grifting this is this is a no grifting showri like in general in general no grifting but certainly no foul grifting unless you want to advertise on the show in which case I will grift all we will [Laughter] grift Jack uh when you’re watching the the level of play that we’re watching from the Celtics uh this is one of those just magic moments where a couple of guys figure it out that’s what it feels like it feels like they’re just coming of age at the right time together as a team but also their two stars are are sort of old enough and mature enough to accept what it is to be in the finals and and how difficult it is to be there and how difficult it is to win is is that something you’re seeing and how cool is it to see sort of the progression of players like this like Jason Tatum like Jaylen Brown uh I think it’s incredible really and like you said I think they learned quite a bit the last time they were there and they lost I think they were able to kick those jitters and um now they kind of feel a lot more confident but also even in game three there was a little stretch where um Tatum was settling for some terrible threes and uh his team is just so wellb built and so smart he’s got holiday and even Hower they did such a good job of exposing Luca on defense to kind of offset some of Tatum’s like um I mean they’re not it’s Jason Tatum you know they’re not I’m not going to say that these pull-ups are terrible shots you know but um I think that the whole team as a unit did a very good job of picking him up and that gives them confidence to build off of where they’re like oh I had two bad shots but we’re still in this game everything’s okay and then they can still settle down a little more and keep getting people involved and that’s just another sign of growth they don’t try to dominate these games in the at the end and do too much forgetting that they have really good pieces around them and again I think the Celtics organization that team is so so wellb built and just it it really is it’s really done well and again it goes along with the time line and they’re they’re improving each and every game so it kind of feels like this is and we’re talking with with Jack Coy here former Sacramento king um it feels like this is just kind of where this entire season’s been heading we needed to see Boston prove it in the finals right quote unquote prove it in the finals but now that they have they’re just kind of imposing their will the same way they have since October much better julan inevitability I mean if kind of felt maybe if the Nuggets got there they could do something I think if the Timberwolves would have gotten through I think that their just overall Swagger might have really tested the the Celtics but I don’t know they’re just kind of they’re just so confident going into this and just cutting the head of the snakes off and and and I mean even Kyrie played well last night so like you know it was it’s yeah it’s an inevitable this team is so good it’s so good and barring injury it was just it was they were going to make the finals we all we all knew that and and uh it was depending on what team came out of the West and how healthy they were and um yeah again this is just kind of it’s some years they’re just the team that’s steamrolling just steamrolls and that’s just how it is when you’re looking at uh the the Mavericks I mean I’m not sure that they have a way out of this situation I mean down you know 03 it’s pretty much over but uh I also like going back through your history uh you played with uh with at least one of these players players uh you played with Dante exom and his rookie season when during your time in Utah you also played with Rudy goar as a young player who almost made it to the finals here um do you still pull for for guys that you played with is that part of like the experience when you’re watching uh the finals or Western Conference Finals yeah absolutely um I mean I’m so happy for donante oh he was in such a tough situation in Utah and he’s such a gifted player and and then I think he went to Cleveland after that and was still it that wasn’t a team where it was easy to develop and have success and then he went overseas and then people were like oh yeah Dante’s really good at basketball and he’s just dominating the Euro league and then he comes back and he’s shooting he’s shooting so well which is always his big his big draw because defensively and and his movements is so he’s so gifted so I always pull for him obviously I mean I know a lot about his game and um you know I I I pull for him and and Rudy I’m always a fan of Rudy Rudy was so nice to me when I first got to Utah and um got go over to his house all the time we’d play video games and we go to dinner and stuff so those guys I I do always pull for them um most of the time my favorite player in the league is still foxy but um you know I pull for I pull for all the guys I’ve played with are you so I have I have a two-part question here I I I know you you watch the Kings Still uh quite a bit when you jump on league pass or whatever whatever you have to watch games is that is that are the Kings the team you tap into most Yeah by far the most I got a I have a you know what I’m not going to say what I use because you know we don’t want to expose our secret methods to watch NBA games and and get it get it destroyed so you know just I watch the games yes I tap in um how as a as a professional basketball player I’ve always I’ve always thought this is kind of interesting because obviously your perspective is is quite a bit different than than me who has not played professional basketball FYI and I’ve I’ve always wonder when you’re watching are you just watching as a fan or are you are you kind of breaking things down in your head of like this is what should have happened or this is what they’re trying to do how do you go about watching a game as a person that’s that’s so deep into the sport um with it’s crazy to say that because with the Kings it’s different I analyze how it works and um and I kind of break down some of the plays and and how things should work but with other teams I’m just watching I’m just like eh you know sometimes I’ll I’ll I’ll describe a play or not but um the Kings I get very set by some of the decisions they’ve made sometimes with plays um most notably was last season when Harrison Barnes set a ball screen to switch Draymond Green on to or to switch it was I still remember that when when dearen had the ball going downhill uh what was it game three and then Harrison Barnes hit that ball screen and then pick and popped and missed the three oh that’s game four yeah game four yeah I still I still think about that all the time why wouldn’t you let the fastest player in the NBA just go downhill from half court but um you know it’s just there’s some plays that I just think about a lot and break down and um sometimes I like being a fan though a lot of all the other teams I don’t really care so but then you know so what do you take from your your year here in Sacramento like I loved covering you like you and I had plenty of discussions in the locker room you’re good dude um but you also played with a like a good group of guys it wasn’t like a highly successful team but you had Dave joerger you had you had Zebo you know you had some some bets you had Vince Carter there um but what was your what was sort of your favorite takeaway from your time here in Sacramento uh you know just the just the mindset of the fans really I mean because it’s a fan base that’s just gotten you know hasn’t had a lot of success and has gone through some very tough times but still the level of just positivity that they give to the players even during downtimes and um that was really what I loved I mean it was just how welcoming they were and how kind and like listen we didn’t win a lot of games and there weren’t my DMs weren’t full of people just be like you stink uh this whole team stinks everybody stinks like I want you to tell so and so they’re bad like I’ve been on other teams where I mean when I was in Utah people weren’t always that kind they were kind but they weren’t like Sacramento King’s kind and um you know it’s just that was kind of what I liked a lot and I still there’s so so many fans that I still talk to and like again when Kyle was like you gota come to show I was like I will drop I was almost going to do this in the zoo yesterday time today you know it’s just I’m gonna be at the zoo but I will walk away from everything I will tell the elephants to wait so I can go do this if you need me how was the zoo oh it was it was great it was I don’t know if you’ve heard of the cicada infestation we’re having out here but um yeah other than that it was it was it was really good Athena had time of her life she was that’s that’s your your yeah yeah um what what is your favorite animal or exhibit to see at the zo oh gosh that’s a great that’s a great question uh I’m a big fan of the Bears um there’s we got there luckily during feeding time for the polar bears and I watched the polar bear just eat a watermelon it was the it was the most eye openening thing I’ve ever seen in my life whereas you know there’s like oh what animal could you take no one can take a bear no one the way this watermelon just evaporated in this thing’s hands no PR talking with Jack coie here former Sacramento King the pr that Coca-Cola has done for the polar bear is just insane they will they will murder almost anything without hesitation yeah and that’s coming from a a very a very large man like Jack if you don’t think you can take on a a a bear then I don’t think Kyle orai could take on a bear yeah no no I’m I’m anti fighting bear for sure for sure I I know I know that that you’re you’re still a relatively young guy so it’s not like the the end is near for you but have you of your of your basketball C I mean um have you considered what you want to do after basketball um there are a couple things you know I’ve had a few of members of different front offices poke at me and ask what are you doing when you’re done and would you want to come do this and you know that’s an interesting angle and I’m not ever going to take anything off the table but um I really kind of wanted to get into the media and broadcasting that kind of aspect uh I love basketball I love talking about basketball and I love being around the game I know if I went cold turkey away from basketball I would I would go inan so I got I’m trying to think of something that I can do in that regard and um you know just something something down that alley is really it but again I’m such a like future Jack will deal with this thing to a fault at times that um you know but the time is this is the first summer where I’m like man maybe I should go to some of these class the NBA puts on and start start getting into it no that’s a good idea uh you also were you had a front row seat to watch Vince Carter like put on like fireside chats with Vince Carter after every game talking to the media and you we’re all just sitting there like oh this is cool Vince Carter shocking to us but it was also like look at this guy like honing his skill that’s what he’s doing he’s like honing his skill the whole time so yeah I think you would actually work out really well you’re uh you’ve got a big personality that like doesn’t always come out but when it does I think you would be great with uh with Media stuff and you can get reps here anytime you want you just yeah just come and hang out with us we’re totally cool thanks anytime any time you need a segment fil just text me and I will tell the elephants they need to wait and I will come as running if you guys need me so there we go what uh what was your finals pick before the series to win between the Celtics and the Mavericks yeah I thought it would be um Celtics in six is what I thought I thought they would get one I thought they’d get the second one in Boston and everybody get all excited and they get the first one in Dallas and I thought that there’d be then um the Celtics would just steamroll after that it’s kind of the train of thought that I had and um yeah it’s just been man it’s I did not I mean obviously this could have happened but man this is this is something just methodical it is they’re just so much better yeah I mean that’s at the end of the day like we we keep discussing it and trying to think of different ways to package it but at the end of the day the one team is just complete from top to bottom you know they’re their top seven their top eight their top nine are just way better than everyone else’s top five six seven eight nine in in the league let alone uh better than the Dallas Mavericks it’s it’s really wild to see that’s what but the thing is it’s the Celtics so you don’t know how they’re going to you you know they could be loose to Miami Celtics or fall apart against the Al Horford doesn’t get move up above the free throw line against the warrior Celtics you know it depends on what Celtics team shows up so you’re like maybe Luca comes out swaggering and blitzes him and they don’t know what to do and the way that they’ve come together as a unit just as you said methodically just dismantle them and just everything you love to do we you can’t do it anymore has just been like man that execution has been hats off to Missoula because this is the way he’s orchestrated this dismemberment is incredible uh talking about Jack hully formerly of the Sacramento Kings um UTA Watanabe I believe is going to play for the Chiba jets in the league that you play in did that move the needle for you at all oh is that confirmed I I I don’t know if it’s been confirmed I saw the report that it’s happening but I have not seen like an official announcement or anything wow that um I mean yeah it does see something cha is like our sworn we and we buttthe heads with them every single year um you put them in the playoffs this year right yeah yeah and I don’t know if anybody they didn’t make the finals and we did so that’s how that series went and um the UT watab going to Chiba that’s something man I mean good for there chiba’s getting a new stadium um it’s gonna be it’s going to be interesting but we we match up well with everybody um it’s going to be but man that is that is something that is that is really something um yeah it’s not been like there’s no no official announcement yet but okay that that’s happening yeah there’s so many moving pieces behind the scenes of like if so and so goes here so and so’s leaving and if this and that because people don’t like each crazy it’s just like it’s it’s wild behind the scenes it really I sent him a DM on Instagram didn’t ever see it so um I did my best to get to my team didn’t see it recruitment effort didn’t didn’t didn’t work out yeah so I’m I’m over for too I I shot a shot at the Nebraska guard too and just didn’t see it either so oh the wow Japanese Steph Curry yeah yeah he didn’t Kay didn’t didn’t even read it so oh haters amazing out here um your stats over there are are pretty incredible um but it feels like you know winning is is like that matters right so like how how have you done over there what has been sort of your your highlights uh so we made the finals the last three years in a row and um there’s this mid-season tournament that we’ve also made the championship to out the last three years so out of the six possible last championships we’ve been in five of them um unfortunately only W one but we have been there and uh you know it’s just it’s just the success that culture that we’re trying to build in this team is a level of just sustain success and we don’t want to be happy with coming to the finals and losing that’s just not what we do and um I’m just just trying to build this culture up again because this team is relatively young I believe it’s about 10 to 13 years old and um to get to where we are now is just incredible so I just it is really cool seeing on on Instagram and stuff you you post all the time uh either photos with your teammate or or highlights of your teammates making plays really trying to gas those guys up that’s a really cool thing I feel like we we need to see more of that in in the US yeah no I it’s a lot more team oriented o over here in a lot of ways um so yeah I love I love my teammates I lost a couple of the ones that have been with me all five years are leaving this year so a little bit a little bit sad my younger brother younger brother basically on the team is he going he’s growing up now he’s going his own way so wish him the best of luck so it’s um yeah there’s a lot of there’s a lot of camaraderie going on over there how have you done with the the language barrier and sort of learning and on the Fly and figuring it all out while you’re there uh you know I L I know a few I know a bunch of of Japanese but I haven’t really learned as much as I want to and it’s a little disappointing this year I actually hired a tutor for this next year so I’m going to five you know what I will go five years without learning the language but I will be danged if I’m not going six you know I will that is where I put my foot down and I go on so I’m I live in ok now and there’s a huge uh American influence with the military so almost everyone they learn knows English so it’s kind of made it where I don’t need to learn it but I mean again I’m always of the like Japanese people are so polite that they’ll be like I’m sorry I don’t speak English and I’ll be like I’m in your country do not apologize I don’t speak your language like please this is my fault they’re like I’m sorry for now but if you get to year six without knowing not nice will not be as nice hey what’s it like I I have I have two two more kind of quick questions here um what’s it like the first time you’re at the mall and you just see them this massive poster of yourself um pretty it’s just it’s just surreal I mean it was it’s just a giant just double Miz poster of me and I was like wow this is this is something you’re going up the elevators like the signed autograph things around the escalators and like I don’t know it’s just this the way this team is is just the fans are so nuts I I we can’t go to the mall like after we won the championship last year the team have to making a statement where they’re like hey if you see them in public just wait but please like so many of you are running up and taking pictures and asking for autographs which they’re so nice and I’ll always do it I don’t care I don’t you know I don’t but a lot of my Japanese teammates are a little more private with their with their private life so um but me I don’t care and come come on outside everything so awesome that’s really really cool uh I have a request from our chatty house here and this is a question we ask basically any guest who’s a first Tim on the show what is your favorite cereal uh my favorite cereal uh I’ll say Lucky Charms I’ll go I’ll a little basic yeah you know it changes cinnamon toast and Lucky Charms are one too they’ll alternate based on availability Cinnamon Toast Crunch is delicious yeah I love it very good but during the year I don’t I don’t eat sugar so or I limit sugar and take a lot so you know it’s it’s difficult that makes sense got to keep that that body F fine oiled machine well that was my problem in Sacramento was I just gained so much weight because it was just um there was a kind teammate that paid for my room service because they they really they were a very nice person and I took full advantage of that and they they know they did yes they did know that they did that uh I did not pull the pull the the tell the front desk to put it on their room um so yeah I gained a lot of weight and um but now I’m you know sliming down a lot this year so I’m just trying to keep it down as I get older you got to stay in shape more it’s better for injury prevention no doubt yep uh that is Jack Coley former Sacramento King a friend of the program and uh man throw was a hell of a wedding as well uh Jack we’ll we’ll do this again soon all right yes and Kyle was a peak member of that wedding so thank you guys for having me I appreciate it flying around all right buddy take care see soon right there he goes That’s Jack

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