This backfires for Parsons, but excellent celebratory singing by Kelce.
Travis Kelce is enjoying some well-deserved time off. Since helping his team win it’s second-straight Super Bowl title, the Kansas City tight end has taken some down time and traveled the world to support his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, as she continues her massive Eras Tour.
Swift and Kelce spent some time in the Bahamas while the 14-time Grammy winner is on break from her tour, and now the Chief is hitting the links with friends for some quality golf time.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons posted a story to his Instagram (@chandlerparsons) of Kelce lining up for a shot from the fairway. In an attempt to get in Kelce’s head, Parsons (or someone else in the foursome) was blasting Swift’s “Bad Blood.”
Instead, it massively backfired as Kelce made good contact with the ball. The tight end celebrated with a shoulder bump, playing golf club guitar and singing into the camera. No notes, perfect execution by Kelce.
Chandler Parsons posting Travis Kelce playing golf with Bad Blood playing in the background and then Travis singing along really has a whole different meaning in 2024 pic.twitter.com/KoyOfREcju
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons thinks LeBron James getting his fifth championship this year would end the G.O.A.T. debate.
Ever since LeBron James won his first NBA championship in 2012, there has gradually been a growing contingent of fans and pundits who feel he is the greatest basketball player of all time.
Many still feel that Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan still deserves that honor, but with James’ Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals versus the Denver Nuggets, he has a chance to strengthen his argument.
Of course, James already augmented that argument a few months ago when he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading career scorer.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons says that if James leads the Lakers to the world title this summer, he should be considered the greatest ever and it would “put an end on the whole debate” for him (h/t Lakers Daily).
The Lakers lost Game 1 to the Nuggets on Tuesday, 132-126, but they still should have a very real chance of winning the series and advancing to the NBA Finals to face either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat.
In particular, a championship over Boston would greatly help James’ argument, especially among those who have been reluctant to give him credit for his accomplishments.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons said that Kevin Durant was scarier for him to guard one-on-one than LeBron James.
Along with Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James and Kevin Durant have been the two greatest NBA players of the past decade or so.
Both have gotten things done in different ways. While James has been an irresistible force, especially in the open court, and one of the two or three greatest physical specimens in basketball history, Durant has consistently outskilled opponents.
The Phoenix Suns superstar is a silky smooth player who can hit contested jumpers from anywhere, and he can easily drive on defenders, stop on a dime and score.
Chandler Parsons, who played in the NBA from the 2011-12 campaign until three seasons ago, says he feared guarding Durant in one-on-one situations more than he feared James (h/t Lakers Daily).
“There’s harder matchups one-on-one,” Parsons said. “When I was playing I feared guarding Kevin Durant more than I feared guarding LeBron James just because of his ability to score in iso, the way he can break you off. The way you can play great defense, he can shoot over you. LeBron is more passive.”
Parsons said that by “passive,” he meant that James is more intent on distributing the ball and getting others involved than he is on scorching defenders himself in iso situations.
One criticism James has gotten over the years has been about not developing his offensive skills as much as some have wanted him to, whether it has been his outside jumper or his low post game. Parsons mentioned how the game plan against James has often been to give him a few feet of space, knowing he doesn’t have the deadliest jumper around.
Still, even at age 38 and in his 20th season, there is perhaps no scarier sight in the NBA than seeing James coming barreling down the court or the lane in transition with tunnel vision, looking to attack the rim with a vengeance.
Chandler Parsons had some strong words about Ben Simmons’ NBA future.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons made some very strong comments about Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons this week.
On FanDuel TV’s program Run It Back, Parsons assessed Simmons’ future in the NBA and surmised that the former first-overall pick might not be a premium talent anymore.
In fact, he went so far saying that Simmons could be a “minimum player for the rest of his career” unless he’s able to dramatically turn things around.
Basically, Parsons alludes the potential-laden Nets guard may not be long for the major contract he’s making in Brooklyn and could eventually be a buyout candidate rather than a foundational pillar for that franchise.
“He’s most likely a minimum player for the rest of his career…”@ChandlerParsons on Ben Simmons 👀
After a promising start with the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons’ career has cooled considerably. He’s not played a full season since his rookie year and has only averaged 6.9 points this season and 6.3 rebounds this year with the Nets.
Parsons based his reasoning on the “minimum player” comment on what he calls Simmons’ “strong mental block … where he just can’t overcome it.”
Simmons didn’t play in the 2021-22 NBA season as he reportedly dealt with mental health issues. His absence from the game didn’t stop him from joining a new team, as he was traded to Brooklyn by last year’s NBA trade deadline in a deal involving James Harden.
Nobody really knows what the future holds for Simmons, and Parsons rightly concedes that there is still a chance the former Philly standout regains form.
While Parsons is fair to wonder what Simmons’ future may hold on the court, basketball always comes second as taking care of your mental health is no joke. It’s commendable that Simmons is willing to continue his career just as it was commendable that he was willing to step away to seek vital care.
Time will tell how Simmons’ career unfolds from here, but Parsons doesn’t sound too confident that it’s headed in the right direction right now.
Chandler Parsons is back in Gainesville this weekend to be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame Friday night, and he’ll also serve as the honorary Mr. Two Bits on Saturday.
The University of Florida is inducting nine new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, including former Gators basketball star [autotag]Chandler Parsons[/autotag]. With the football team in need of an honorary Mr. Two Bits on Saturday against Missouri, the University Athletic Association asked Parsons if he wanted to give it a shot, and he gladly accepted.
Parsons spent four years with the Gators and finished with 1,452 points (15th all-time) and 859 rebounds (ninth). The Houston Rockets drafted him in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft with the 28th overall pick. His pro career was cut short due to injuries sustained in a 2020 car accident that was caused by a drunk driver, but he made good money over his nine seasons and now lives in California with his fiancé and 11-month-old daughter.
The entire family will be on the field when Parsons does his thing in the yellow shirt and orange and blue tie. It should be a fun moment for the couple before the two tie the knot the following weekend. Parsons has a lot going on right now, but he’s more than happy to stop by the Swamp to show his family what his college days were like.
“My (fiance) has never been back to Gainesville with me. She went to the University of Hawaii, so she really doesn’t understand about the SEC and how things operate,” Parsons said “I’m looking forward to showing them the ‘Swamp’ for the first time and showing them where it really all started for me; something that’s really been a constant for me my whole life. A grew up a fan, watching every University of Florida football and basketball game. And I will be a Gator until the day I die.”
The Gators and Tigers are set to clash at noon on Saturday, and CP will be out there bright and early to help lead the pregame festivities.
The University of Florida announced its 2022 UF Athletic Hall of Fame class on Thursday.
The Florida Gators announced that it will induct nine athletes, coaches and administrators to its UF Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022. The inductees are chosen by the F Club Committee based on three categories: Gator Greats, Distinguished Letterwinners and Honorary Letterwinners.
This year former Gators running back and track star [autotag]Jeff Demps[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Joe Haden[/autotag] and forward [autotag]Chandler Parsons[/autotag] headline the class. Former Florida swimmer Conor Dwyer, softball outfielder Michelle Moultrie, track star Christian Taylor, baseball catcher [autotag]Mike Zunino[/autotag], tennis player and coach Steve Beeland and former athletic director Jeremy Foley round out the class.
Demps played for the Gators from 2008 to 2012 and finished his Gators career 10th in total rushing yards at 3,592 and 11th in total touchdowns with 23. On the track, Demps won three consecutive NCAA Indoor Titles 2010-2012 in the 60-meter dash and was a two-time NCAA Outdoor National Champion in the 100m and the 4x100m relay.
Hayden was a star cornerback for the Gators from 2007 to 2009, starting all 40 games he played in. In addition to helping Florida to a national championship in 2008, he racked up 218 total tackles, eight interceptions, 3.5 sacks and 34 pass breakups that rank fifth all-time. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft.
Parsons played for Florida on the hardwood from 2007 to 2011. He became the first men’s basketball player in program history to be named SEC Player of the Year in 2011. Parsons finished his Gators career 12th on the program’s all-time scoring with 1,452 points.
The Hall of Fame banquet will occur on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, prior to the football team’s home game versus Missouri.
A four-star recruit, Parsons committed to back-to-back defending national champion Florida, giving his all in his 4 years in Gainesville.
Chandler Parsons (2007-2011) – Small Forward
Chandler Parsons was one of the best players from the late Billy Donovan era, leading the Gators to an Elite Eight his senior year for the first time since the back-to-back national championship seasons. He leveraged that college success into an NBA career that lasted nine years before being jeopardized earlier this year by injuries he sustained in a car accident.
Parsons was born in Casselberry, Florida, before moving to Winter Park, where he attended Lake Howell High School with future Gators teammate Nick Calathes. The pair led Lake Howell to three-straight Florida 5A final fours, winning the championship their senior year in 2007. That season, Parsons was a first team all-state selection and was the MVP of the state championship game with a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double.
A four-star recruit, Parsons committed to back-to-back defending national champion Florida and coach Billy Donovan. His first season in 2007-08, he wasn’t a starter but averaged 20.7 minutes in 36 games with 8.1 points and four rebounds as UF missed the NCAA Tournament.
The Gators missed the tournament again his sophomore year, though he was more productive, starting 28 of 36 games with 9.2 points and 5.7 rebounds a game. Though he only started 18 games his junior season, he still managed a career-best in points with 12.4 a game as well as 6.9 rebounds. That season, he hit a 75-foot buzzer-beater shot on the road to stun North Carolina State on its home floor, and Florida made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed, losing in the first round to BYU.
But Parsons saved his all-around best season for his senior year. He started 35 of 36 games that season, averaging 11.3 points and career-highs in assists and rebounds with 3.8 and 7.8, respectively. He hit another buzzer-beater shot, this time a three to beat South Carolina, and he was named the 2011 SEC Player of the Year, the first UF player ever to receive that honor.
Florida made the NCAA Tournament again that year, winning games in the first three rounds against UC Santa Barbara, UCLA and BYU before stumbling against Butler in the Elite Eight.
Despite his collegiate success, Parsons fell to the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft and was selected by the Rockets with the 38th pick. During the 2011 NBA lockout, he played for French team Cholet Basket before debuting with Houston, with which he started 57 of 63 games as a rookie and was named to the All-Rookie Second Team.
He started every game he played in for the next two seasons with the Rockets, averaging double-figure scoring in both (15.5 in 2012-13 and 16.6 in 2013-14).
He became a restricted free agent in the summer of 2014, and when he received a three-year, $46 million offer from Dallas, the Rockets didn’t match. Parsons made his debut with the Mavericks that fall, starting every game he played in again. But injuries limited him to just 66 appearances, and despite averaging 15.7 points, he was sidelined again in the first round of the playoffs against his former team, this time causing him to miss the remainder of the season.
He averaged just 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 2015-16, both the lowest since his rookie season, and once again struggled with injuries, as a torn meniscus in late March cost him the rest of the year.
Still one of the top free agents in the 2016 cycle, Memphis eventually signed him to a four-year, $94 million deal that offseason.
He didn’t live up to the Grizzlies’ expectations, however. He averaged career lows in points (6.2) and rebounds (2.5). He started all 34 games he played in, but once again he saw his season cut short due to injuries.
Injury became a recurring theme for Parsons in Memphis. He only played in 51 games over the next two seasons and started just 11. He was kept under a double-figure scoring average both seasons.
With his relationship with the Grizzlies stagnating and a pricey deal not working out, Parsons was traded to Atlanta on July 6, 2019. He appeared in five games with the Hawks, averaging 2.8 points, before he was hit by a drunk driver in his car on Jan. 15, 2020. According to his attorney, he suffered a traumatic brain injury, disc herniation and a torn labrum, and his injuries could be career-ending. While rehabilitating, he was waived by the Hawks on Feb. 5.
Parsons was one of the greatest players of the post-national title era of Gators basketball. A four-year contributor who hit multiple legendary game-winning shots, Parsons overachieved in the NBA based upon his draft position. Though the final few seasons of his NBA career saw stagnation and his career is currently in danger of ending under tragic circumstances, Parsons’ legacy as a Gator leaves him as one of the best to wear the orange and blue in recent memory.
Per The Athletic, Steven Adams ‘has been discussed’ as a player the Atlanta Hawks could pursue via trade in an effort to help at center.
Thus far things have been fairly quiet on the trade front since the restrictions on free-agents singed over the summer were lifted on December 15.
But that doesn’t mean that discussions haven’t been going on in front offices across the league.
Oklahoma City has made it known that Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams are available to be traded. Paul so far hasn’t drawn any interest, but Adams has apparently caught the eye of a team in the East.
Per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk “told season tickets holders the team will have to address the center position in the coming months”. To do that, one of the players Atlanta has its eyes on in Oklahoma City big man, Steven Adams.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Oklahoma City is open to accepting the higher salaries that teams want to move, including long-term deals. The Thunder’s Steven Adams is one of those players who could be dealt before the deadline, and he is someone who has been discussed by the Hawks, according to a source inside the organization.
A trade for Adams would be appealing for the Hawks because Adams is slated to make $27 million before becoming a free agent in 2021, which, as noted by Kirschner “would not impact the Hawks during what could be a loaded free agency class”.
That being said, to give up Adams, Sam Presti would certainly want something significant in return.
Should Atlanta want to move forward in a deal for Adams, Kirschner believes that the player the Hawks would be most likely to part with would be Chandler Parsons, “because the salaries would match.”
Parsons is making $25 million this year and will hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
Atlanta does have a first-round draft pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but don’t get too excited, Kirschner doesn’t think that the Hawks would be willing to part with it unless it got them a bonafide NBA star in return.
NBA veteran Chandler Parsons opened up to HoopsHype about the strange circumstances surrounding the most recent few years of his pro career.
NBA veteran Chandler Parsons opened up to HoopsHype about the strange circumstances surrounding the most recent few years of his pro career.
Parsons, 31, is currently on the active roster for the Atlanta Hawks and is in the final season of a maximum contract. That means next summer, the 6-foot-10 forward will become a free agent for the first time since the summer of 2016. As such, the market will be able to correct itself with a new deal for Parsons – who is eager to prove he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
We spoke to the former SEC Player of the Year about the Hawks as well as his new home in Los Angeles, advice on training and more.
What are some of your general takeaways the Atlanta Hawks? What are some of the things that you’ve noticed about the locker room of such a young team and being a part of it as a veteran?
Chandler Parsons: It’s cool just being a veteran on a young team like this that has a lot of talent and a lot of room to grow. Obviously, we’re not winning as many games as we’d like to. But I think this season has pretty much been dedicated to developing these young guys, getting them more experience and just for them to continue to grow in a positive way and not get accustomed and get used to losing, but to learn from it and get the experience, get the exposure and continue to grow and get better. For me, I’ve just been a veteran, good locker room guy trying to lead these guys off the court and just waiting for my opportunity to play.
When you hear those terms like “good locker room guy” and the like, what are some of the things that you’ve picked up along the way to become?
CP: Yeah. Just being there for them, answering questions, leading by example in practice and shootaround and film sessions and just helping out any way I can. Some of these guys like Cameron Reddish are 20 years old and for some of these guys, it’s all so new for them and it’s a long season. They’re pretty much at the length of their college season now, they basically have two more. It’s long. There’s still a lot of basketball to play and these guys are going to continue to get better. Just doing really anything they need, being another coach out there, things like that.
Would coaching be something that you’d consider after your playing career is over?
CP: No chance! Never. I’d rather own the team. I’d rather own the team than coach the team. I don’t know if I have the patience enough to coach. I guess I wouldn’t count it out.
Speaking about owners, how’s your relationship with Mark Cuban these days?
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
CP: Me and Cuban and cool, man. I spent some time with him this summer. I’m happy for him and the way Dallas is playing. Luka Doncic has really taken his game to the next level. He’s one of the best players in our league. Kristaps Porzingis is balling, Tim Hardaway Jr. is balling. They’ve got a lot of pieces that know their roles and they play hard so I’m happy for him.
How often do you pitch Cuban with an idea for Shark Tank? If I had his number, I’d probably get him one or two a week.
CP: It’s crazy. I don’t, but it’s crazy how many people around me are like, “Hey, you’re still in touch with him. Can you ask him about this?” My mom hit me up the other day about some weight loss stuff that she heard about and how it’s crazy and I hit him up and he was like, “Yeah, That’s not mine. It’s not real. Don’t do it.” Something like that I’ll still talk to him about, but I’m not really inventing things and pitching it to him.
It sounds like you’ve got a good real estate mind, though. How is the new property? I saw some photos and I know it’s from the creator of CSI.
Atlanta Hawks forward Chandler Parsons is headed to the beach after shelling out $9.25 million for Malibu home of 'CSI' creator Anthony Zuiker https://t.co/Iw3SizIYqv
CP: Yeah, the house is sick. I was spending a lot of time in Malibu last summer and just like the vibe out there and I found a good house. It pretty much will be my main residence going forward. It’s an hour away from the city.
Will this be your first time really living in L.A. or have you lived there before?
CP: I’ve like that last six years, so I just kept migrating West. I started in West Hollywood and then went to Beverly Hills and went to Bel Air and now just keep going closer to the water.
Are you a surfer? Are you a big water guy?
CP: I like being on the beach, I like being on the water. I like paddleboarding and being out on a boat and stuff like that. I think it’s really my vibe during the summer, beach workouts and things like that. Malibu, it’s a whole nother world.
Who do you train with when you are in Los Angeles?
Since his hiatus from the Memphis Grizzlies, Chandler Parsons has been working out with Drew Hanlen in California to prepare for a comeback. Here's Hanlen discussing Parsons' regimen: pic.twitter.com/6KBuDUEMjB
CP: So it depends. I’ll mix it up between Noah LaRoche basketball-wise and Drew Hanlen. I was with Rob McClanaghan. I mix it up. I don’t think guys should train with just one trainer. I think if you can learn something from Chris Brickley when you’re out here in New York or if you can learn from Rob McClanaghan and take away from everything. Ronnie Taylor when you’re in Miami. I think there are so many good trainers out there that you should try and expand on your game from anybody that you can. That’s what I do and then just have a whole training regimen with different rehab guys, different strength guys, cardio guys, just things like that and mix it up.
Is that one of the things you tell younger players? What are some of the other tidbits you give them?
CP: I think it’s good for them and just to experience everything. I think if any of the rookies are in L.A. this summer, hit me up and stay with me for a week and do a day in the life of a vet or something like that and see step by step what to do. I guess everyone has their own place where they live in the summer, but everyone pretty much lands around at some point be in L.A. I think it’s important just to try everybody and see what you like, see who you don’t like and go from there.
Who are some of the guys that took you under when you came into the league?
(Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
CP: I was always cool with Blake Griffin. He was in the league before me. Even this past summer I hired his entire strength team and we trained together accordingly. Joakim Noah was one of the guys I trained with every day in the summer. That’s pretty much our group and then we’ll go to different workouts, different pickups like UCLA or pickups at West L.A. College and have our team already.
Do you know how Noah is doing these days? I know that he had some serious injury that kept him sidelined for a bit.
CP: He’s good. You can tell he’s been working out. He’s the type of guy that works so hard that he’ll be, during the deadline and during the buyout season, somebody will pick him up. He’ll be a key part for, hopefully, a contender.
You’ve played with some incredible guards in the past like James Harden, Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley. What are some of your thoughts when you look at Trae Young?
CP: Trae is a lot better than I thought. I thought that he was just this guard that jacked up a lot of shots and had some range and could hit buckets, but he’s unbelievable. He’s one of the top point guards in the league. He can handle it, he can shoot from anywhere, he can get in the paint and can get to his floater when he wants. When he wants to pass the ball, he can average 15 assists per night. He’s really, really good and just continues to work hard and continues to be one of the best players in the league.
What about some of the rookies that Atlanta drafted in 2019? They have an interesting class of players.
CP: They’re really good. You see De’Andre Hunter over there and he’s just so solid. He doesn’t play like a rookie. He’s like Harrison Barnes, quiet. He’s methodical. He gets to his spots. He’s under control. He’s never going to take a bad shot and Cameron Reddish is the same. He’s a little looser and a little more swaggy when you see him play, but just the potential. The sky’s the limit for both of them and they’re so advanced. It’s almost like the game is so easy to them in a way, it hurts them because they’ve just got to continue to work, continue to work on their craft, keeping being good guys. Like when Reddish struggled the first month, he was still defending and was probably our best defender, which is good. A lot of young guys, when their shot’s not falling, they’ll shut down. He stuck with it and he found ways to impact a game without scoring really or not being effective or efficient on the offensive end. But he stuck with it and now he’s having some big games. You can tell he’s getting more comfortable every single game. And then there is Bruno Fernando too. He’s a big body. He can step out and shoot the ball. He’s a mismatch down low on the post. The future here is crazy. Before the season, obviously, it’s not going the way we thought. But those three rookies and Trae and Kevin Huerter and John Collins? I don’t know a younger core that’s that good.
But on that same note, unfortunately: How hard is it for you to not get that playing time even with knowing how important it is for Atlanta to develop their young core?
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
CP: It sucks. It really sucks. Obviously, I want to play. I want to help. I’m healthy and I’m in a contract year so I want to show the team that I’m healthy and I can play and I can definitely help this team win. But at the same time, I understand the objective here and I understand the operation and knowing that development, so I’m just staying ready. Like I said, I’m being like being a leader and being a good locker room guy whenever he wants to play me, I’ll be ready.
What do you perceive for the future of your playing career? What are some things that you think you can provide a team moving forward?
CP: Yeah. I know that in today’s NBA I can definitely be a stretch forward. And I feel like, with these lineups, I can also even play the five. Also: twos and threes are the same positions so I can play two through five. And I can bring the ball up, I can shoot the ball and I’m 6-foot-10. There’s not a lot of people that can move like me who are this height. I’m tall, man. It’s always been about health with me and I’m the most healthy I’ve been in a long time. I’ve just got to sustain that and keep managing it. My knees feel great, my body feels great. Hopefully, it’s just a blessing in disguise that I’m not playing now and I’ll be ready. It sucks, but at the same time preserving my body and like I said… I’m dying to play but it’s out of my control.
Do you think that there were misconceptions about you and the way everything went down with your contract situation and how everything went down with your finish in Memphis?
CP: I think anybody with a brain in my situation would have taken the contract. It’s funny. People that are hating on it, if they were in my shoes or if their son was in my shoes, they would have told them to do the same thing. Right? Should I have predicted that I was going to be hurt and took less or took half the money? That’s psychotic. Now the contract is what it was and obviously, I didn’t live up to it. I think if I was healthy, I fully would have done that and I think it was on the path of being a really good player in this league and people are judged off of their salary and I understand that and that’s how it goes. It was out of my control as far as injuries go and not being able to play as much as I wanted to in Memphis sucked. But it’s silly when people hate on it. Anybody in their right mind would’ve done the same thing.
Now that your contract (and so many others around the league that had big deals that summer) is coming to an end, are you almost excited for a new chapter?
Photo by Cato Cataldo/NBAE via Getty Images
CP: I am excited. I went from my rookie deal the first three years to a max contract over the last six years. So I’ve had a lot of expectations, a lot of pressure. And I haven’t been the healthiest player in the league. I think just to get on a team next year, on a financial friendly deal, it changes the whole look of you to the fans as well as you to the media and just you to everything. You see a lot of guys that do that. Dwight Howard on a max deal was awful. Dwight on an interim deal is phenomenal. Someone like Andre Iguodala, when he goes to say, the Lakers for minimum, he’s going to be this huge value and people are going to love him. That’s just how it goes. I have no complaints. I’ve played basketball in the NBA. I set up my future here. I still think there is still time to just show I can still play. I just turned 31. It’s still young and technically I should be in my prime. I’m not worried about it. I just want to play. People probably don’t think I’m healthy just because I’m sitting over here and not playing. But I’m practicing every day. I’m doing every shootaround. I’m doing every lift. I’m doing everything that the team is doing besides playing in the game.
I don’t think that a lot of people know that you are actually healthy and active.
CP: I think people to see that and they see that I’m not playing. That’s what I’m saying, they think it’s my choice and I don’t want to. Basketball is my whole life. It’s been my whole life. Obviously, I was really good about it to get the contracts. I’m really good at it to get the contracts I did. No one just gave me those contracts. But yes, I always say: “Take something away that you love the most in the world and not be able to do it for the last basically three years.” Nobody will enjoy that. I think I haven’t really done media. This is the first time I’ve talked to media since I’ve been in Atlanta. I did a media day in Atlanta, but that’s really the only time I’ve ever talked about anything the last couple of years.
