"This is not basketball it's business" ... If you making 20 Million you gonna play | Emmanuel Mudiay 

Quinn Synder is a real one for even saying something. Some coaches make you feel like you did something wrong and don't tell you anything.

This is literally how life is for everyone, everyday.. you do everything right and it’s still “it is what it is” - only ONLY difference is you’re making a ton of money for it.

This def what Cam Thomas is going thru in Brooklyn right now lol

Basketball has always been a business, most nba players don’t realize this until they make it to the nba because everyone is on the same level until contracts come into play

Theo might not be on a team right now but this podcast been carrying all year my favorite NBA podcast by a player

This is life tho. You work hard but it doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed anything.

Cool thing about social media. We learn so much more what behind the scenes is like.

A lot of ppl saying real life for everyone is like this, but that’s not quite the case. It hits different when you’re playing a GAME that you have honed and yet you have no control over anything. My college coach did the same thing to me, even when I played good. Except he never pulled me in his office to keep it a buck with me. Instead, when he pulled me in, he said he’d rather lose with “his” guys than win with me. That shit hurt my pro career. I went overseas and did great but couldn’t get any big contracts because I kept losing out to “…guys who also played D1 but actually have stats”. By my third season (averaging 20 and 8 in Chile) I just gave up. Haven’t really touched a basketball since. I hate it now

I admire his honesty and im glad he is happier, but you cant expect to make that kind of income and not feel the influence and political pressure of the business part.

4:13 I was just about to comment “From afar it looks like Theo going through the same sh!t. But his attitude is what has kept him around

EVERY nba player goes through this. People who belong will adjust & always find their way back. He didn't or COULDN'T.

The 20mil guard I’m guessing is Mike Conley, and at that time even with Mudiay playing well, I don’t see any team benching Conley for Mudiay

I like these conversations. We see what goes on behind the scenes. You take any of these players and put them in a foreign league and they’re killing it. The same foreign players that can go head to head with people from the US. I know this is a business but it has to be more basketball than business.

Played against both of these men in highschool. Killas 💪🏽

Found out the difference between Basketball and PRO basketball. Its Professional Ball for a reason

Mudiay didn't have the mental make up to be a great player and this interview confirms it.

Great discussion guys! Hope only the best for yall!

We need guys like this coaching on the grassroots and college levels to really give these kids the game. Because now the "business" aka the politics of it all starts as early as high school. We need coaches who have been through it and can tell these kids the truth

I want to clear things up a little bit. What he is saying is true to an extent. There are politics in professional sports but at the end of the day, the name of the game is winning. Winning is good business, and if you’re good enough, you will be on the court! He may have been more talented than certain players on the team but he may not have been exactly what the team needed. It is that simple!

Dang that’s crazy, this is side of sports you don’t see or hear about.

Imagine going thru this in high school and losing that love early. S/o to the one who fought through it

Real basketball fans know it’s real politics involved some people have a whole career on the floor and others have to fight just to touch it …. We watch these players since high school probably even earlier and in this social media area we literally see the work they putting into the game in real time so that bust stuff isn’t as transparent anymore …. Teams will draft a player knowing their game and not appreciate their game …. They’ll drop people in the g league and completely forget about them , they’ll starve them of playing time and highlight every mistake they make when they do get a little …. Only a few teams in the league excel in developing young talent the rest play mind games chew players up and spit them out … for the sake of the team and business…. It’s funny how all this happens to players who love the game just as much as the stars getting the spotlight and everyone alike just writes it off but the whole NBA community advocates for mental health when the higher ups and fans alike are really truly causing it

I’d take this 1000 percent over dealing with corporate America

Really love y'all perspective of the ins and outs of being a role player in the league.

Man this speaks volumes, the NBA is wicked

Tough ..& theo had some big games in Dallas. Looked like a good fit.

Emmunial mudiay was the 7th pick, he legit has no excuses outside of his own play😂

It really does suck but it just is what it is. I'm sure every person who has ever made it to the NBA grew up with that vision of the clock counting down with the ball in their hands to take the final shot. You then do all the things you need to do to make it to the NBA, the league where that dream you had growing up takes place, just to end up not even being to get minutes because another guy who makes money is also on the team, and the best your coach can do is basically tell you that his hands are tied

This is very well said Emann. It’s love in Dallas.

Emmanuel Mudiay? Yoooo he don’t even look the same

damn that really mf sucks, im sittin here really feelin for mudiay… i used to rock wit bro on 2k n all and when he disappeared i did no research and just wondered but hearing this hurts the heart man… losing love for basketball in basketball’s highest stage… i can’t even imagine

What he won’t talk about is him being the 7th overall pick and not being able to shoot the ball efficiently. He had keys handed to him in Denver and he didn’t maximize his potential. You can keep the excuses it is what it is. Stand on that

It makes total sense he didn’t love it, you could tell by how he played.

Mudiay was supposed to be a top 5 PG imo ,but i 100% get not wanting to play the "industry games "

I just went through this playing my first season of ABA .. team was 4-4 before I joined .. we finished the season 14-5, ending on a 10 game winning streak .. I averaged 20ppg, 3 rebs, 4 asst, 1.5 stls .. championship game was this past Sunday and I played 6 total minutes! I was shocked and hurt .. not to mention we lost by 30 .. bad coaching and politics can truly ruin a team/player/season 🤦🏾‍♂️

Business is cutthroat no matter how you look at it. I guess for the NBA it’s super strict; 15 guys to a roster so there’s little room for error. Guys at the end of the bench are probably grinding in practice every day just to keep their spots.

Not true……it depends on the coach and situation for example Evan Fournier makes 19 million a year and is out the rotation

He wasn’t destroying his opponent in practice.!!!

I find it funny that a guy who went to play pro basketball in China as a teenager to get paid suddenly doesnt love the business of basketball when it no longer suits him...sounds like major denial and lack of accountability

Man this why I kinda stopped trying to play college basketball. I was better than some dudes but bc coach gotta long relationship with you and kno ya family he looking out for the cookout. Freshman in HS I worked harder than a lot of mfs but had to “pay my dues” bc ima freshman

Mike Conley was way faster , could shoot , and had winning experience from playing in Memphis he definitely was going to get 20 mil n minutes

Shoutout Theo Pinson man one of my favorite Heels of all time! Ik he can play & be that scrappy lead guard

He was 2 way playmaker for the Knicks. Payton and him.

This is the reason why I stopped pursuing professional basketball- I was playing pro in the TBL league and you have to remember these teams have to produce money / sell tickets - My minutes we’re going to a 5’9 guard that had a big instagram following- smh this is when basketball becomes frustrating dealing with the politics

I don't make any value judgment regarding the mindset of any particular player or of one era vs. another. However, I think that long time basketball fans sense that today's players don't love the game, on average of course, compared to players from the past. All sports have more competition now from the increase in entertainment options, international sport like soccer, MMA, etc., but NBA ratings are way down over the last 20 years. That's not good for the game and I think the feeling that today's players don't really love the game has something to do with the reason that March Madness is so huge. It just seems like the college players care more about the game. When they lose they look devastated. They have that fire in their eyes we remember from the Celtics/Lakers/Pistons playoff games. This is a problem that the NBA needs to deal with and I don't claim to know how to do that. It's possible that some of today's players would never have been pros in the 80s given the lower salaries. Maybe you had to really love the game to play for 250k a year (which was still a pretty good salary in the 80s or even for anyone today aside from tech CEOs, surgeons and athletes).

Every year there is a draft ,and every team has 15 players in roster. What do you think will happen? The player that was good to make the roster will no longer be good no matter what the following year because someone younger or better is coming. That's the name of the game.

I went to the Jordan classic game that he played in the Barklay and he was the best player on the court easily

You have to be down with the brotherhood. The G

Hilarious he’s talking about Mike Conley in 2019-2020

This is why team USA always getting cooked. Business over hoops

Mudiay wasn't making 20 million a year and he started on the knicks. Jamal Murray wasn't making 20 and he took Mudiay sporting Denver

He gotta be talking about Mike Conley Jr.

This is how I felt when i started playing college football lol.

I thought it was Corey Holcomb 😂

This man needs a reality check. Conley, Donovan and Jordan Clarkson were all objectively better than him, and the only one making over $20 million that season was Conley, who was an all star the following season. This isn’t a conspiracy theory. He just wasn’t as good as he thinks he is.

That is basketball and life! Happens all the time at the playground or Gym The hoopers dont always get picked up guys tend to pick up players they’re comfortable with. A couple book suggestions for this topic: ‘The 48 Laws of Power’ By Robert Greene ‘How to win friends and influence people’ by Dale Carnegie ‘The art of the deal’ By Donald fj Trump ‘Think and Grow Rich’ By Napoleon Hill Just to name a handful. Visualize what you want to become write a plan and execute take Action. Focusing on what you want rather then what you do not want. “The grass you water will be the greenest”

E did “everything right” on the basketball floor, unfortunately securing a good agent to get you the appropriate bag you need to represent your worth as an asset to a team is what was NOT done right

They gave this brother the keys in New York and I can only remember two or so games where he shined.

Eman been good for so long it probably was a shock that he wasn’t the greatest and he shrunk from competition and ran from the grind

Being a really good player on AAU teams growing up many dont have to see the business side until they get to. Some high schools, college and Professional sports. Spending 10+ yesrs like that is hard for anyone to adjust as you have been succeeding and not being denied opportunities because you know you deserve it and are putting the work in.

It all makes sense now. Knew this dude was soft, but yeesh! Hes like "This dude makes 20+ million so they have to play him. What am i supposed to do?" That is a defeatist perspective. Ask Jalen Brunson what you should do. He was a high volume ballhandler on the same team as Luka. Ask Bradley Beal. He had to play 2nd fiddle to John Wall for like 5 years before he got the ball plus 50 million a year. What am I supposed to do, he asks. Youre supposed to keep destroying folks in 15 minutes a night until you become Terry Rozier, or any of the countless other players who started off in bad situations and just kept balling. You didnt love the game, and THAT is why you let the business get between you and the hoop. Thats fine; just own it, and don't pretend the whole thing isn't basketball because YOU didnt have the patience or work ethic to play through the BS.

That's why heatculture be hitting different

He had multiple opportunities to perform he was not that good. Period the nba politics only work for the good and above average players the average players will fall victim just like in any other work field and as for theo pinson he average 6pts in his college career and as a senior avg 10pts but made the league that was politics also now guys like melo, isiah thomas, etc who has perform on that level on a consistent basis being mistreated have a point but not a player that may or may not give you 10pts tonight ❗️

Theo Pinson was Cold asf at NC THE LEAGUE BE BLACKBALLING

I disagree with him.. I mean yes there is truth to that but it's also about fit and evolving with the game. He didn't really make himself marketable by working on getting a consistent 3 point shot.

This sounds like a young man who was blessed with tremendous talent but didn’t want to or wasn’t able to work hard enough when made to compete with others who were just as talented, or moreso. Mudiay was the best player anywhere he went prior to the NBA so it must have been a humbling experience to go from dominating the competition to being benched on losing teams. Perhaps there is some other information I am not privy to but there’s not a single year in Mudiay’s career you could argue he should start over Mike Conley, even present-day Conley who is starting PG for the #1 team in the West. There are 30 teams in the NBA and about 50 or so guard jobs give or take. Mudiay is not out of the league due to politics, he just wasn’t good enough.

This is why I have no issue when players push to get paid in their respective leagues.

Mudiay didn’t work on his jumper including his 3 point shot. You know that reminds me of Ben Simmons but Mudiay wasn’t entitled and spoiled like Ben since a teenager.

Long story short he was in his feelings, and didn't understand NBA business/politics

Will never forget that tough ass buzzer beater he had on the sixers

It’s facts both of theses guys are ballers in high school

This isn’t the “business part of it”…. There’s a high school coach in every city saying the exact same thing to a player right now. We’re just looking at a player who has prolly been the best growing up and got to the NBA and found himself in a position where so many get to with basketball. There was probably somebody he started above in hs that was in the same situation - Good enough to play but Quick got all the minutes!

I mean, Jordan Clarkson a hooper too

How do the greats stay at the top.. what’s the difference??

Respect to all the driven folks in the comments. Stay great.

He’s probably referring to Mike Conley

This one my favorite player when he was in high school

Since it’s such a business, I think staff needs to start saying “we’re thinking about sitting you for the season and probably gonna trade you” instead of “stay ready, the league isn’t fair, blah blah blah”

I can understand both sides. The NBA is a BUSINESS! They have to sign players to contracts and of course they can't play someone making less money than someone who is. Also, there's a lot of dynamics and the NBA is trying to sell their players to a global market. That's why players need to see how they are marketing themselves also because EVERYONE is watching. Can you imagine this planet with everybody that plays basketball, how hard it is to pick the 'best of the best' and still try to give guys playing time? You can't unless you have more teams in the NBA. The other solution is to pay the top star players whatever they're worth and then everybody else roughly the same salary, give or take, to try to make things 'fair'

Fam during that Process Era..... I wanted you on the Sixers... keep working bul

Facts he’s saying big big facts.. this is a business

That's the problem with society, we suppose to be equal, and the system picks and chooses who makes more than the other, since the other has more money they get to do what everybody wants to do. Professional sports take away the love of the game for the love of money. Very Evil thing to do.

Yea but i feel like if you’re really that much better than your peers and/or your game fits the team and times. You will get paid more and therefore play more. Mudiay was good but maybe his game didn’t stand out or fit what a team needs for them to what to pay/play him more?

Wtf What does he think it is for everybody??? Most of these men tell us about how their mommas had to work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet, so DO THEY F***** THINK THEIR MOMMAS LOVED IT??? SHE DOES IT TO BE PAID (A LOT LESS) and they couldnt quit because THAT IS HOW THEY MADE THEIR LIVING! The problem with these NBA players is that they become stars in their teen years in college, everything is handed to them, they get in NBA very young and , on get their first big checks too soon without they know what life is outside their bubbles. They dont get time to realise how privileged and unatural their situation is (its for 5 to 15years) and once they told that they can t just do what they want (being instantly rich gives them the feeling of being poweful, untouchable, cant tell them nothing) and once they re made realise that contracts come with obligations like everywhere else, they dont accept it, because they think they re not like everybody else

I'm sorry but I've got a call BS on this. A head coach is going to play the guy that he thinks is going to give him the best chance of winning because his job is on the line. I do believe that if two players are playing basically at the same level they'll probably go with the guy who's getting paid more but this sounds like excuses to me.

I respect this point of view, people may dismiss what they saying cause its not a top 75 player saying it but, it don't make it less true. It makes sense. You'd have fans asking and saying why such n such not playing, that's probably why, they paying this mf 20mil vs your 7mil, production aside I'm not paying a mf 20mil to sit on the bench when i can pay you 7mil to sit.

This is probably what Ben Simmons been feeling like

Dude getting emotional instead of getting that check

At what point do you realize it’s a business? It’s a billion dollar industry what else would it be

The "so and so" he said Quin Snyder would play ahead of him seems like Mike Conley but it's probably Jordan Clarkson on Bogdan Bogdanovic

I have no love for someone who doesn’t love the game of basketball and uses it as a business. Props to you but I changed my whole life to play ball. I didn’t have kids until I was 37 because I loved basketball so much This is why we need to show love to guys like Bron who after 21 years still keeps his mental right and his love for the game to continue the grind. Same w Curry and KD etc

this is the 4th podcast in 2 days where I heard a player say this

Must depend on the organization because every year there are random dudes and undrafted guys that get a shot and end up with a contract And then you have guys like evan fournier sitting on bench for 2 seasons straight and he costing the team millions

James Harden is only MAJOR athlete who treats the NBA like business. The public might complain but he treats the League exactly how the league treats him. Thats why I’ll never complain about Harden forcing his way out of teams.

Excuses , if you worked on your game more and developed a 3 point shot you could of been a top 5 guard

If they saying that now just imagine how it was in the 90s. Players were literally controlled on the court and business-wise.

I can relate went thru this same stuff in D1 football

Man I thought this thumbnail was Corey Holcomb lol

Yea them boys get too emotional about it. It’s the real world. People will use to the extent how much they can get from you. It’s a multi-billion dollar business. Of course they operate like that

Bruh you playing behind Conley !