When we were sharing, like, these dark stories, this happened to me, like, about three times now because, like, when I start sharing how I grew up and what I went through, everybody gets, like.

It gets real quiet.

It gets real sad.

And I'm just in the mode of talking.

When I look up, people got, like, the puppy dog in their eyes, and I'm just like.

I'm like, all right, fuck, let's stop talking about this.

Let's go back to, like, basketball.

Yeah, let's talk about something happy and stuff like that.

Like, I was on a.

I was on a production right before COVID right before the initial lockdown happened, and I was telling them, like, what my father went through, and I was like, oh, you worried about him?

Like, I told my father about COVID He was like, man, I seen all our black leaders die, and dog's been sitting on me or something like that.

I'm scared of a virus, right?

I went through all this stuff like that, and I was just telling about, like, what I went through and what my father went through, and it was like this.

Came and started hugging me and shit.

I was like, I'm okay.

Like, yeah, I'm here.

I'm happy.

Good.

Right.

But, like, so I just.

When I.

When that stuff happens, I just try to flip it real quick.

Like, oh, you know, I used to play ball, and we used to do this and that.

I get a little happy.

Yeah, that is.

Try to.

That's quite a transition, though.

So we definitely want to hear a little bit about both.

Maybe you could tell us a little bit about your pro ball career and then how you transitioned into cinematography.

Okay.

So I went to Winston State University, and after I graduated there, tried out for, like, worked out for, like, two NBA teams.

It was the New Jersey Nets.

Okay.

Got the Brooklyn Nets and the Bobcats and also got scouted by the Spurs.

None of them wanted me.

Brought me in for workouts, you know, the whole thing.

Like, ma, quit your job.

This is it.

Nah, none of that happened.

They're lost then.

Yeah, I like to think that.

I really do, but unfortunately, that's not the case.

First went on to win championship right from there, talked to some agents, and my first gig was in Japan.

I played for Toyota.

What year is that?

Sorry?

This is 2008.

2008.

2009.

Okay.

Okay.

And that was your first time traveling, I believe, right?

Yes.

To Japan.

Well, no.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

No, my first time ever traveling, I went to Switzerland, in Paris for a Nike tournament when I was.

No big deal.

16.

Yeah, 16 and, yeah.

And, like, this is just give you.

Like, my family is so loving and everything like that.

But just to give you an idea of, like, my mom wanted me gone because, like, I left at 16.

It was two weeks, right.

Came okay.

One of them allergic to dogs, so we don't have, like, animals in the house, right?

Yeah.

Came back.

There's a dog there.

My room's, like, been damn near packed up.

Did I click something?

Sorry.

Yeah, it's all good.

My room's been damn near packed up.

And she's like, oh, you about to go to college soon.

You'll be all right.

Like, just go.

But that was my first time out the country.

That was my first time being like, there's a whole nother world out here that I want to see.

So playing in Japan, playing for Toyota was just like.

I played in the second league.

So Toyota had a top league as well, a top league team where.

I don't know if y' all follow a lot about basketball, but Charles o' Bannon played.

So the Bannon brothers won the national championship at ucla, so.

So he's older than his crazy.

Probably was, like, three years from retiring at that time.

They were playing against him in this big tournament around New Year's.

New Year's tournament.

Yeah.

And it's like 25 to 30,000 people in the arena.

Okay.

And we had the free throw line, and, man, he was such a G.

He was such a G.

He was at the free throw line, and I was.

No, just shooting.

I'm just like, yo, man, why you never try to go back to the NBA, man?

You're still hella nice and stuff like that.

Why'd you stay out here your whole career?

And he was like, well, because of this.

And he took one step off the free throw line and raised his arms, and it was like, 30,000 people had, like, clappers.

Yeah, yeah.

He was like, oh, Bannon.

Oh, wow.

Oh, Bannon.

Right, right, right.

And I was just looking around, and I was looking around, and I was just like, yeah, I want this life, man.

Like, he's like, yeah, I've been a bench player in the NBA.

I wouldn't.

I wouldn't be getting that type of stuff.

I was gonna ask you.

Cause, I mean, we all go through things.

We work hard towards goals and different objectives in our lives.

How did it feel in the moment?

Just like a brief overview of the feeling when you're going for these pro teams, and then you realize you had to redirect your life to another direction.

You told me, like, from not making NBA?

Yeah, yeah.

I just want, like, how did that.

How did you feel and how did you overcome that?

Because that feels like a big part of this story.

Well, so how it works is, like, I had some connections where in my mind, I'll still go make the NBA.

Okay.

I was like, yo, go overseas for a couple of years, make some good money, bulk up some more, work on what I was lacking.

Because, like, when they bring you in, they pretty much just like.

It's like a shit party.

It's like, yo, you know, I mean, when I met the rep from the spurs, he came to a game where I had like 35 points, you know, I mean, I shot real good.

I was like, all right, this is it.

And he was just like, yo, your foot slow, your foot speed slow.

And then your shot gets off a half a second too late.

It was just like a constant teardown.

And I left that.

I left that.

You know, I was younger, immature at the time.

I left that meeting like, yo, fuck you.

Right?

Right.

I mean, I'm outta here.

But so my mindset was like, I got a couple years and I'm gonna get the opportunity to work out again, which I did.

I ended up one of my best friends who was my professional trainer.

He ended up getting connected with Dan Gilbert and World Wide West.

So I worked out with a lot of pro players that were trying to bring in.

I don't know if y' all know who World Wide west is.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But he's one of the most powerful men in America.

Yeah, shit, maybe America.

Who knows?

Definitely a sports.

But he was just like.

He was a huge asshole, man.

I mean, he's a very.

If you're in his circle, he'll take care of you, but, like, he'll have players that I was giving him the business, but because I wasn't in the circle, it was like I wasn't getting opportunities.

Right, right, right.

So after that point, it got to the point where it was like, I'm just gonna focus on making as much money as I can and playing in as many countries and seeing as much as the world as I can.

A good idea.

Yeah, we shall go ahead.

No, that makes sense.

Makes good sense.

Yeah, that.

That makes me.

I want to ask about another thing that you told me about regarding travel and discovering the world and the attitude that you may have had before that and how that changed it.

And what.

What was that like?

What really changed after that first time you traveled?

So America brainswash you to make you feel like the world's dangerous.

And there are places in the world that are dangerous.

But it's like they, they make you think like we're the best, here's the best.

Everywhere else sucks.

Everywhere else is dangerous, right?

Don't leave here.

I mean when traveling the world, man, I made some great friends, had some great experiences.

Japan is one of my favorite places I ever been to in the world.

Just the culture, the people, the food, everything was amazing there.

Have you been back?

Yeah, I was able to take my wife like I always talked about.

So like I was able to bring my wife back there actually.

Right.

Right before COVID hit was there like in January.

Oh wow.

And great, great time, great experience.

We actually want to go back when ain't allowed to travel again.

Hopefully that's it.

Yeah, hopefully.

Yeah.

But like my biggest thing was like when I got my contract to Saudi Arabia, my mom was like, yo, don't go, it's dangerous out there.

You know what I mean?

Like terrorists, things like that.

I was like, well, my agents tell me it's cool.

A couple of my other boys played in other parts in the Middle east and they spoke highly of it.

And I went out to Saudi and man, it was amazing.

I wasn't Muslim so I was, I played for a team at Mecca, which is one of the most holiest cities in the world.

So I had to live in the desert on the outskirts of the city.

But my teammates were, were so cool and they took great care of me and they're very, very family oriented out there.

They never pressured the Quran on me, but they gave me one to read.

They prayed five times a day.

Which I'll tell you right now, that prayer call your first week there will scare the shit out of you.

Cause it comes on at 5am in the morning.

It's like it echoes throughout the city.

And if you're not used to that, you're like what the fuck was that?

But they were just great to me out there, man.

It was very safe.

The most dangerous part about being in Saudi was like driving because like they can't drive.

It's like bumper cars out there.

And then it's like, well, the rule changed now.

But before when I was out there, women weren't allowed to drive.

So you see like eight year old boys like barely standing over the steering wheel to drive their mother to the grocery store.

Right, right.

Wow.

Wow.

Law abiding citizen.

I did not think of that solution.

I don't know if I thought.

Of course that's the solution really.

If you need milk.

Yeah, you Know, So that was like coming back and telling my friends and family what.

What the world was like, that experience.

And I mean, and like, I came from.

Not the best situation growing up in Queens and stuff like that.

But like, I played in.

I played in Ecuador in the Amazon, in this small city called Marcus, where it rained.

Like, you know how it storms early today?

Yeah.

It'll be like that every morning until like 11 o' clock.

And it was so hot, by 12:30, everything's dry.

Wow.

She called that place like a rainforest or something.

Yeah, exactly.

Right?

They should.

That's a good name.

But people will come out, they have proper plumbing.

They'll wash their self in the street in the morning.

Right.

So, like, watching that level of poverty made me realize, like, as bad as I thought things were, you know, I mean, I was blessed to have certain opportunities and stuff.

Right.

Perspective is important.

And what did your friends think of that?

Other friends that have never left Queens, they were skeptical.

They were like, oh, this is amazing, D.

And stuff like that.

But like, oh.

Because whenever I was playing, I would be like.

I'd be like, yo, son, I'm being this country this year.

You got to come out.

I mean, my only thing was like, you have to buy the ticket there, right?

But I'll buy a ticket home.

You know, you have somewhere to stay.

Everything's on me.

I'm gonna show you a hell of a time.

We gonna party, we're gonna do it up.

You just gotta get there.

I'll give that to all my friends and overcome my career.

And nobody ever came.

Damn.

Because nobody.

Where I'm from, people don't travel like that.

It's starting to happen more now.

Cause you see more of the world.

But like, it took my best friend, it took him until he was over 30 years to leave the hood, you know what I mean?

Like, not even the country, just the hood.

Yeah, like.

Like that's even crazier.

Like, it's not even about flying.

It's about going to another town or another city.

They haven't even done that.

And I had to tell.

I had to tell him was like, yo, man, if you.

He's my best man at my wedding.

I was like, if you don't come.

The wedding was in Toronto.

Yeah.

I was like, yo, if you don't come, like, we're no longer friends.

And when I see you, we're fighting.

You know what it is?

And he was.

Of course he was there.

And he was only in Toronto for maybe like 36 hours.

They moved.

And that was Enough.

That was enough.

That man travels everywhere now, right?

He's like, yo, it was enough that way.

Yeah, yeah.

It was like more than enough.

He was like, wow.

I see.

He's like, it's amazing here.

I want to come back.

And then like his wife would travel.

She'll travel without him.

Oh, wow.

She'll just leave him.

Like, I'm going to Mexico.

Yeah.

So now they go together, you know what I mean?

And I mean, that's cool.

That's cool.

Watching that change in him and some of my other boys who've got money now, they're older, and then they're traveling and seeing other things of the world.

So he's still.

At least he's leaving the hood now, but it's like he goes to.

He goes all inclusive resorts and he doesn't leave.

Somewhat traveling.

I mean, listen, man, you gotta start somewhere.

You crawl before you walk.

Right, Exactly.

I'm happy that he's least.

At least leaving.

Where was your favorite place to play ball?

Like what was your favorite city or country?

Well, it's.

Keep in mind, they're all listening.

It's.

If it's strictly for basketball.

Yeah.

Canada.

If it's the overall experience, it was Japan.

Okay.

Why Canada then?

Yeah.

So Canada, when they started Canadian League out here, you had.

They had, let's say, the roster of 12 people.

You're allowed to have up to eight Americans.

Okay.

So it felt.

What?

Yeah, that's even in the CFL team.

Any Canadian league, we have to make room for them.

They're better than it was.

Like being in college again.

But we're all pros.

We're all getting paid to do this now.

Right.

And yeah.

Must be nice.

Yeah, it was a cool situation.

And then we was in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Okay.

And I don't know the correct way to say this, but they've seen black people before out there, but not a lot.

Rednecks.

Is that what you're looking for?

No, they never met some real black people.

I don't know if I'm gonna say real black people is another word I want to use for.

But we're not gonna use that.

Right?

Yeah, I know, but like they've never met people like us.

Right.

You got my boyfriend from like the hood.

Hood in Atlanta.

From Compton.

La, Right?

Yeah.

I mean, New York.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And it was just.

We just took over that town and it was just like they overwhelming for them.

Oh my God.

Was it.

Was it ever.

They did not know what you came out the box.

Yeah.

And they were so nice to us.

They were so nice to us.

Like, we were eating at people's houses.

We met so many rich people that were just like.

Was this before get out.

Yes.

This is two thousand and twelve.

Eleven.

Twelve.

Okay.

Yeah.

It was a great experience.

It was very nice to us out there.

Did you meet the trailer park boys?

No, I did it, but.