Jamal Mashburn, Former NBA Forward

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Offers end soon. Call 562-314-4603 for details. All righty, rocking and rolling, it is the Zach Gelb show, Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. This March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Kentucky legend and former All-Star Jamal Mashburn is teaming up with Exact Sciences and the Blue Hat Foundation to challenge people 45 and older to box out colon cancer by getting screened for the disease. And the former NBA player, Kentucky superstar is kind enough to join us right now on CBS Sports Radio in Studio.

Jamal, thanks so much for doing this. How you been? I've been doing good, man. Back in New York, you know, live in Miami and it's a little colder up here, but I'm surviving. I've got thin blood now. Well, you're used to it.

Have you now become one of these people in Florida when I get a call from my grandmother and it's like 75 degrees that they whip out the the north face now? 100%. 100%.

So you got soft. Yeah, 100%. I have no, you know what, with me, it's just living in Miami. Miami is a dynamic city. It still has enough room for growth that you can make an impact on it. I can't make an impact on New York City.

New York City is going to always be what it is, but Miami is a nice place to be. But, you know, I'm enjoying basketball retirement. Yeah, well, it's not a bad life, obviously. I can't speak for it myself, but we were just talking right before you got on the air and you also got Joe Stonecrabs in there. I know you're going Saturday. You'll see my guy Bones at the door and you'll get the the excellent Stonecrabs and then the most underrated twelve or fourteen dollar fried chicken you'll ever get. Yeah, I mean, it's when people think of Joe Stonecrab, they might as well sometimes put Joe's fried chicken up there because a lot of people have known for that and it's awesome. It's very good.

I mean, the service is phenomenal. Legendary spot. Been there for many moons. So good luck if you can get a reservation.

It's worth a wild table there. So you met Rick Pitino, what in the late 80s, early 90s, right? I would say it was for me, it was late 80s, mid 80s. I used to see him quite a bit at five star basketball camp when he was the Providence head coach at that particular time. So they used to have these camps up in Holmesdale, New York, and they were bringing a lot of the top high school prospects in there and different things like that.

About 400 kids or so. And he would do like motivational speeches and teaching clinics. And for some reason, he would always pull me out of the crowd. I used to tease him after a while was you were recruiting me back then.

You know what I mean? And so he developed a relationship along with the other assistant coach Herb Sendek. He was the primary recruiter. And then when Coach Pitino took the job at the New York Knicks, I really started to follow him there and his style of play and everything like that. And then once he left the Knicks, he took the Kentucky job in 89. And that's when he started to recruit me heavily to go to Kentucky. Is it surreal to you still to this day now that he's still coaching because he's on the sideline with St. John's and when he was in Greece and then he goes to Iona, people thought Iona was going to be his last stop.

And now St. John's is supposed to be his last stop. You know, I don't I don't to me, you know, Rick Pitino is the true phrase of lifer. You know, I don't I don't see Coach Pitino doing anything else but being around a game of basketball. If Coach Pitino left coaching, I think the natural footprint for him in his age would probably be, you know, somewhere as a consultant, management, maybe overseas or something like that, or even a commentator of the game. You know, I don't see him ever leaving the game. He still has competitive fire. He can still turn around a program. I think the landscape has changed on him a little bit where it's pretty much become professional sports with NIL and the transfer portal.

It's always been that with the money that's in college athletics. But, you know, he's a lifer. He's a teacher of the game. You know, he loves it. He goes to his ebbs and flows during the season, just like any coach. He's probably a little bit more emotional about it and outwardly emotional.

It worked a few weeks ago. He threw the entire team under the bus and then it's like, oh, that little fire under their ass and they start playing better. Yeah, I mean, it's a different time and a different age when, you know, things like that during my era playing with him was pretty common. And that was one of the reasons why he wanted to recruit three New York City kids to go to Kentucky because he only had three scholarships. I was the only one that accepted to go at that particular time was he wanted kids that could listen to the message and not the tone, you know.

And New York City kids during that time, I can care less if you curse at me or scream at me. What are we doing? You know, tell me another day that ends in Y. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. I'll get a curse and scream that walking down the street.

No problem, you know, so it's all good. Talking to Jamal Mashburn right now, looking back at your final four run with March Madness coming up in a few weeks, what's still to this day when you think of those memories in March that just still stand out to you? Well, I can't run away from it. If I tried, it would be the Duke Kentucky game and Christian Layton hitting the shot. And that was the elite eight in 92. And then also my experience in the final four playing against the Fab Five, you know, Chris Webber and Jalen Rose and all those guys.

Two different scenarios. 1992 for the University Kentucky squad, we were coming off of probation. Nobody expected a lot out of us. It was almost like the David and Goliath story facing Duke at that time. Christian Layton to me is probably one of the best college players of all time based upon his accolades and his impact on the game. And then you fast forward to 1993 and facing the Fab Five, a cultural phenomenon, you know, and what they meant to this game of college basketball. They might have been the true NIL group.

You know, when you think about it, all the things that they've kind of ushered in, meaning the baggy shorts, the lifestyle, different things like that. So it was a we just didn't have enough to get past the combination of Duke and all that they had to offer. But to me, there was a winner and a loser, but Kentucky actually won in my opinion because you were back on the map and then getting to the final four in New Orleans, you know, I want to be in a New Orleans pelican at one point, you know what I mean?

So that's a full circle moment. But for me, that's the purity of the game, at least from a player standpoint, take all the money, the sponsorships and all those different things out is one and you're done. It's like a pickup game, you know, in the streets of New York City or wherever you play at, you know, somebody got to call next and you might not be the person that will be continuing to play. So that's what I love about March Madness, the college basketball experience. It's show up and you might have your off night and you might lose and go home, or you might be a 16 or whatever, see 11 seed or whatever it is, and you can make it to the final four. You know, I never thought about it until the way that you were just looking back at your matchup against the Fab Five. Everyone then remembers the championship game with Weber and the timeout.

So you lose the round before, obviously, in the final four, the semifinals. Do you remember watching that national championship game at all? Like, you guys weren't still there, right? Yeah, we stayed. Oh, you stayed? Yeah, we stayed. So I think the championship game was on a Monday and we lost on a Saturday, I think it was, and Coach Patino was just like, hey, you know, you're in New Orleans, go hang out. We're going to stay till after this.

I think we flew out that Tuesday morning and that Tuesday morning actually is when I had my meetings with four agents and four business managers that Coach Patino has set up. And that was the process that we talked about before my junior year started. But we stayed. Coach Patino was, he was a big part of yeah, it's basketball, but also you guys are college kids.

You got to enjoy the experience, you know, and that's what he let us have and have that opportunity. And also we had other people who were freshmen that probably need to see that experience. They didn't play a lot.

I think one player played a lot, not a lot was Tony Delk and also Roderick Rhodes, but it was one of those things where he was trying to show them, you know, what the experience can be like by experiencing the whole Final Four rather than just the piece you were in. Talking to Jamal Mashburn, who joins us in studio right now, when you get to the current day Wildcats, we know John Calipari has been there a long time. First few years in, he won a national championship. When you're at a school like Kentucky, you win one, it's okay.

When are you going to get the next one? How do you look at so far the long tenure of John Calipari? You know, I think it's, it's kind of like the evolution of adding social media into the mix. People having a voice that are part of the fan base that gets louder and louder when they don't think you have achieved what they think they are entitled to have and that's championships, but the competitive landscape of college basketball has changed. Even if you look at it before NIL and the transfer portal, you know, who he recruited were one and done kids, you know, the top of the class and everything like that.

So his roster turned over every year. And I don't think people realize how difficult that is to have continued success and get a new group every year in there and have to restart it. Back before then, you know, kids stayed three to four years and you also had kids in there that were probably not pros, but they were very impactful glue guys that did a lot on the college level. One of my good friends who I played with the Gauchos with here in New York City, Orlando Antigua, he's the assistant coach there.

So me and him stay in contact quite a bit. And you know, it's a pressure cooker down there. It's not everybody's built for Kentucky basketball. You know, I've seen a lot of kids and even when I played in my time there that transferred, they were from Kentucky. They just couldn't handle the pressure of it. But I think John Calipari, in my opinion, has been a success.

I kind of wracked my brain. You know, we had Tubby Smith after who coached me and helped recruit me as well, then Billy Gillespie. Who else could step foot into that program and consume everything that needs to be consumed that goes around just beyond coaching? You know, there are very few guys that can step in there and have success. I mean, I don't even know if a guy like Roy Williams could have had success there.

That's a different personality. Coach Spatino, when he got there, he had that New York charm with him, or you want to call it New York BS with him. You know that he can navigate the politics of different things, bring people closer, but also keep other people away from his players so that we didn't get in trouble as far as, you know, extracurricular stuff. But there's not very many guys that... Coach K, Tom Izzo. I don't even know if Coach K. Oh wow.

I mean, Coach K, he embraced the one and done late in his career. You know what I mean? I don't know if he had the capacity to do it.

I think you need to have a little bit of salesmanship with you. You know what I think could do it? Probably Bruce Pearl. Bruce Pearl or Auburn. You know, I got to know him a little bit. I like him a lot. He comes on the show a bunch. Yeah, he has a personality for it. He's engaging in different things like that.

So there's only a few that I can see in my mind that can actually sit in the center of that job and have success and longevity. So it's safe to say you're not at a point now where it's like, oh, we gotta get... I'm always... I like Calipari to be clear, but a lot of... Some people in the fan base, even though what the contract is, what the contract is, they're like, oh, you gotta get them out of Kentucky. Yeah, I think, you know, grass is not always greener.

You know what I mean? And then also too, you know, the landscape has changed on how you get players nowadays. You know, it's come down to the power five. I think football has made an impact on that part of it as far as basketball is concerned and different conference alignment. A lot of factors.

A lot of factors. You know, you're... I would say Kentucky basketball is probably the closest thing to a professional basketball franchise where your coach has to be a CEO. You know, other coaches and other programs can just be managers of talent or manage the program.

But it's a collective. That's all of Kentucky that supports it. You know, Louisville's out of the question right now. I knew that was coming eventually.

I don't want to kick him while they're down. Because Kenny Payne was at once, you know, even though I played against when he's at Louisville, he did coach University of Kentucky. I know you guys.

You like to beat the crap out of Louisville. Come on. You know what? But, you know, it's a lot of pressure in that state.

It's a lot of pressure. You're the main thing. You're the main thing. Did that pain you when Pitino was coaching at Louisville?

Nah. You know, me and Coach Pitino, one thing about us was we had a relationship beyond Kentucky basketball. And he approached me when I was a young kid and always approached me in the way that he valued my ability, physical ability, but also he valued my mind as well and on the basketball side.

So me and him had an open dialogue and conversation. In a way, I've always looked at once you become a pro and he went to the Boston Celtics, I didn't think he should have been the president of the Boston Celtics. He should have just kept the head coaching job and let somebody else handle their personnel. But I understand why he did it.

You know, he wanted control. I just think that, you know, me and him, once I became a pro, I understood the business of college basketball. Different when you're in college, a little bit more naive. Yeah. Yeah. You're a little bit more naive. You're a little bit more emotional.

You're probably more attached to the institution and the program and different things. Yeah. But once you've seen professional sports and been traded a couple of times, it becomes a lot different. Absolutely.

Wrap it up with Jamal Mashburn. Do you like the NBA today? You know, I get that question a lot. Yes. I think there probably needs to be a little bit more of tweaks.

I think the analytics have impacted the game to the point where guys are looking at evaluating using analytics and not necessarily value in other aspects of the game. For example, I watch guys run for threes. Fine. That's cool. We did that in college.

That's not a problem. But to me is the when people talk about the lack of value for the mid range game. To me, that's where you create space. You know, it's difficult to guard at the three point line because you have opportunities. But just from three to rim, there's still a middle game that is required to win in the playoffs. You know, we can take NBA players can take away the perimeter. They have a shot block at the rim. Sometimes the best offense is the most open shot. And that's the mid range 15 to 17 to 18 footer, which I don't think they value as much. But as a true basketball player, you know, you have to have all three levels, in my opinion, to be an effective player and have that skill set.

I like the game. I think the skill set of the players reminds me of when myself, Grant Hill, Rodney Rogers, Penny Hardaway, the guys that weren't Penny was a point guard, but the point forward, I think that ushered in what we're seeing today. And I think what's been eliminated, if you take a look at it, Chris Paul is the last remaining true point guard. Now, the point guard has to be a combo guard because you have your big that can initiate offense, non-traditional centers.

Close to a two than a one. Correct. You know, so you have to be able to shoot dribble and pass and have an IQ for it and also be able to defend your spot.

And I think sometimes people get confused. What does defend your spot actually mean? You're not going to guard an NBA player one-on-one.

You're just not going to do it. It's being able to just contain them and contest. But I like where it's at. I'm a season ticket holder with the Miami Heat, you know, chat with Pat Riley quite a bit, but I go to the games, entertainment, you know, the Heat have done really, really well getting to two finals appearances and different things like that. So I like where it's at, but I do think they need to probably usher in some more rules that allow the defense to be a little more physical. My problem is the commissioner has basically created a culture where like the regular season feels irrelevant. And now with this playing tournament, which has only been successful because you had guys like Stefan Lebron in it.

When you have big name stars, people are going to go watch that. But in the regular season, I understand load management and stuff like that is going to happen. And when you're the Raptors and you win and Kawhi sits out 22 games, no one remembers the regular season. But there's a lot of times now where I just think people don't care about the regular season anymore. You know, that's a problem as a sports fan. Yeah, I can see that. And, you know, the narrative, I think, shifted. It's almost like, like this in-season tournament I thought was a disgrace. You know, I thought it was a success because it was the inaugural one.

Okay. I'm curious to see what it looks like in year four and five. How do people take it?

How does it transpire? I don't know if the neutral site in Vegas was the right fit. I think it'll be more of a thing than the thing. Correct. I agree with you on that part of it. And also the celebration of the of the in-season tournament.

That's kind of weird. You know, but I do think that, you know, you're correct in saying that I think a lot of this stuff has been borne or burdened on the player. Load management wasn't created by the players.

It was created by the organization. If you ask any owner if he wants his superstar to be playing the All-Star game, he'll say no. Probably won't say no publicly, but privately. He doesn't want his asset to get hurt. So I think that ultimately 82 games is a lot. The players have gotten bigger, stronger, faster injury considerations. But that's the evolution of the game in my opinion. And they're just trying to figure it out on how to keep guys healthy.

And I think sometimes science on the preventative side goes a little bit too far to the cuddling part, you know. But you know that I think me personally that narrative was created by guys who are veterans and organizations who are specifically going after championships. And we got to be realistic here.

Not every organization is going after a championship. A hundred percent. There's no doubt about that.

All righty. Before we let you run, this March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and Kentucky legend and former All-Star Jamal Mashburn is teaming up with Exact Sciences and the Blue Hat Foundation to challenge people 45 and older to box out colon cancer by getting screened for the disease. I know this is something that's very important to you.

Just tell us what we're doing. Yeah, you know, it's important for people 45 and older to get screened. I was impacted by colon cancer with my mother, Helen Mashburn. She was diagnosed ironically in my best season of my NBA career when I became an All-Star in 2003. And she'd have got screened earlier.

Probably we probably wouldn't have to deal with some health care hurdles that we had to deal with. And she lived a long life and everything. I was 18 years in remission, passed away pre-COVID from a heart condition. But I understand the impact that, you know, as a caregiver and as a son, how it impacts not only the person who has colon cancer, but everybody around you.

The caregivers and everything like that and how it impacts that. My mother didn't want to burden me through that that season. And when I finally saw her, my mother would carry around 200 pounds at 511.

When I saw her, she was 100 pounds, you know. So the disease is preventable. And I've often looked at life as in professional sports. It's almost like the older you get, the trimmer you have to be.

And if you want to have success. So why not use that health as wealth mentality going into life. And if there's certain things that we can prevent or have open dialogue that shares information with others. And I think as men, sometimes we don't want to talk about health at all.

You know what I mean? It's just not a topic of conversation for whatever reason. But we need to have that dialogue. And that's how I was impacted about it. I don't do a lot of things commercially, but when this opportunity came, it really hit close to home.

And it was something that I wanted to get behind because I had a personal experience with it. Well, hey, it's a fantastic message and one that a lot of people need to hear and enjoyed the chat. Appreciate you coming on into the studio today. Thanks, man. Have a good time, man.

Yeah, you got it. Enjoy Joe Stone Crab, by the way. Thank you, will do. Make sure you say hello to Bones. We got to make sure Bones is happy. All right, Zach Gelb Show CBS Sports Radio. Take your time out. We'll come on back after these short messages. Update time.

Here's the act man, Rich Ackerman. Old man winter here. If I had it my way, it would stay winter all year long. Short days, wind chill, black ice and a good polar vortex.

Heaven. Wait, is it getting warm in here? Your cold snap is over old man winter.

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But hurry in. These deals won't last. Add more joy to your journey at the Hyundai getaway sales event. Now get 0% APR or up to 1500 bonus cash on the Hyundai Tucson. Now during the Hyundai getaway sales event offers end soon.

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