What Really Happened Between Latrell Sprewell & PJ Carlesimo 

This really is the first time I've heard a full breakdown of this story 😂

Dickey Simpkins signed with the Bulls, shot 63% off the bench, got playoff mins for the first time and won his third ring after Warriors released him. Love that ending for him.

Robert Horry is solid for backing him up.

Man, '94 Warriors Sprewell, C Webb, Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullen, was The Truth

We need a 30 for 30 on this story. And the aftermath for each player that stood up. This would not fly in today’s era.

"you got traded too?" "nah they CUT me" lmaooo

Thanks for clearing up the Latrell Sprewell story for a old guy and life long warriors fan, those were hard days for us for many reasons but something I missed hearing after that was “Spree from 3”! Thanks my dudes!

I don’t know any Wu-Tang songs that go; “you don’t wanna fuck with a soldier.” Sounds like No Limit to me.

Story mode is the best thing to happen in the world of player podcasts. Hearing these stories is entertainment on end. Please keep featuring the OG’s!

I was a huge Knicks fan as a kid and loved when Sprewell came to the Knicks. I did not like that certain sportscasters and reporters would never let the incident go. While Carlisimo went on to play victim and became a tv analyst.

It’s like the Bill Burr standup when he said “I wonder what she did”. There’s always context that leads to an event and the choke didn’t just manifest itself out of nowhere. What PJ did would be constituted as creating a hostile workplace environment and lead to termination in any other workplace.

Which is why as a die hard born n raised in Oaktown Warriors fan, to this day, PROUDLY sport my SPREWELL jersey. I wore it to the victory parade in Oakland in ‘15 and ‘17 and while screaming for the team during the parade in the front row of the barricades, Adonal Foyle literally stopped his parade car, walked over to me and said “I love your jersey man”. Always a SPREE fan!!!

25 years and we finally get some insight into what went down, salute to B-Shaw and those other guys for being real ones and standing with Spree!

PJ did a complete 180 coaching style after that ordeal. Remember there were free agents that didn’t want to play for GS while he was head coach and some even veto trades.

A disrespectful coach ruined a player’s career then played victim

9 year old me had some pretty good intuition. My first thought was 'I wonder what his coach did to deserve that. That doesn't seem like something a person would just do.'

I used to play basketball with someone who played at Seton when PJ was the coach. He flatly told me that he wasn't surprised when Sprewell choked him out cuz he used to talk to his players at Seton crazy

This shows how media destroyed spee, not taking his side of the story

Damn Brian Shaw is like the Forrest Gump of the NBA. He was around every great player and wild moments.

This incident is one I have never forgotten, even though I'm not a Warriors fan, I always wondered what happened, Latrell Spreewell never strike me as someone who would do something like that out of the blue, now it all makes sense.

I worked for ESPN back in the day, 1 night after a game, I bumped into B Shaw at a bar. We had this near exact conversation that night.

Can always tell when someone is being honest and straight about something. Body language, speech. He wasn’t trying to twist the story or anything.

Miss that era of basketball. Thank you Spree for the great memories in Golden State. It was a heart breaker, you put your heart on the floor when you played. To this day we have respect for you and your game. Miss the Don Nelson summer basketball camps... " Owns it!.. ." with Cweb

When Sprewell was on and mentally into the game, it was poetry. I've never seen aggression meet finesse like that.. then and now. And he was a legitimate 2 way player. Legitimate, expend bulk energy on the best perimeter player then go and do some damage on offense. Fastest guy in the League. Dialed-in, prime '93, bald head, 1st Team Sprewell was on another level. What makes me lose my mind: Tim Hardaway recently said Sprewell never practiced in the off-season. He only worked during the season and then disappeared back home. He was a natural at this game.

“I’m Latrell Sprewell I’ll choke the coach” -Lil B

"Regardless of rain or snow, sleet or hail / I kick street tales, choking 🥷 like I'm Sprewell / Golden State, holding your fate in the palm of my hand / Blow you away like it's a part of the plan" - Nature

This was a great synopsis of this situation. I knew about PJ being verbally coarse wih the players, but it is good to really find out the build-up to the incident and the fallout.

The original “Fu@k around and find out”moment in NBA history 😂😂

For years I've always heard that PJ yelled out you can't cut the mustard towards Spree and that's when Spree got triggered and went off on him, after all these years I finally get to hear what really went down SMH LOL

Great to hear the details finally, but we knew the deal when it happened. Even Rod Strickland, who played under PJ previously made the comment, “…and y’all thought it was just me.”

This is one example for why players have taken control of their destiny through player movement.

Man you gotta love today's platforms where you can hear classic stories like this

As a long time Knicks fan Spree helped us get to the finals off the bench! Even though we didnt win he played hard for us! I still have my knicks spree jersey!!

Warriors Sprewell was on track for greatness man. Dude was my favorite player in the league back then. I have legit hate in my heart for PJ to this day. This just reaffirms all that.

Gratitude for sharing I had the Sprewell Converse Acropolis. Fam was nice on the court. He was the franchise.

Thank you for this story. I was the biggest Spreewell fan back in his GS years and when this happened I felt kinda embarrassed to say I was a fan, but I still hung in there for him as a fan all throughout his career. This makes sense as to why he did what he did, and I don’t blame him for standing up for himself against an a-hole of a coach.

This is legit the first time I'm hearing this story from a player who was actually there. For years we only got the version the Warriors organization put out that painted Sprewell as a thug but I always knew better. I never rocked with Carlesimo, he didn't know how to talk to grown men without being disrespecful. I was so happy when the Knicks got Sprewell, he was a dawg.

Brian Shaw...didn't expect I would sit back and just listen to him. Good speaker.

I didn't realize that trades and a cut happened behind that. They gave the warning to the younger guys though. They knew it was comin'.

We finally get the other side of the story! Thank You!

We knew it! I say we cause anybody that really hoops ain’t gone choke they coach unless he was being disrespectful and overbearing

I cant believe it took me all this time to finally hear the full breakdown of the story! Thanks Brian!

Thanks Brian, always figured there was more to this story then we heard

Great interview

Dude well spoken know how to tell a story dawg. No bullshit.

It's pretty obvious PJ was provoking Sprewell and the Anger switch got triggered

I was a freshman at Seton Hall in 1984 PJ’s 1st year as coach. Two memories stand out that told me PJ had it coming to him in the Sprewell attack. First, sophomore year my friends and I were playing half court 3 on 3 in Walsh gym the afternoon before an important Big East home game. Tech from ESPN wanted to install mic on the rim so we stopped playing. The guy was so nice he did not want to interrupt our game. Little did he know we were in Walsh because the school tore down our bubble facility for construction of a new and modern rec center. To accommodate current students during the 2 year construction, the school scheduled open gym and intramural games in Walsh. I remember 11pm tipoffs for some of those intramural games. 🙄 Meanwhile, the school raised tuition and board to help pay for construction. But, I digress. 😅 Anyway, the ESPN tech insisted we continue our game. We shrugged and continued to play, though very carefully, around him as he stood on a ladder setting up the rim mic. That’s when PJ came out of his office mid-court. When he saw us playing around the tech he immediately started screaming at us to stop and get the hell out of there. The tech spoke up and assured PJ that he insisted we keep playing. PJ just said, “Oh” then walked back into his office. No apology. No big deal but his behavior to immediately fly off the handle screaming at a group of students playing so carefully around that tech, realizing he was wrong then not thinking to apologize made a lasting impression on me…what an asshole. Second, we had graduated college and buddy and I traveled to Miami during winter for some warm, sunny winter weather and to watch Terry Dehere and PJ’s Seton Hall Pirates take on U of Miami in an away league game. Pirates were down single digit at half. Dehere, the team’s best player, was walking w/his teammates toward the locker room. PJ ran after him. When Dehere turned around PJ grabbed a fist full of Dehere’s jersey, pulled him in really close in his face and chewed Dehere’s ass out. We were sitting on the other side of the arena unable to hear what PJ was screaming at his star player but the spectacle was nothing but ugly, especially considering PJ was behaving like this w/a student athlete. However ugly PJ’s behavior, it worked. Pirates smacked the home team Miami in 2nd half to win another league game. Still, PJ’s behavior was certainly questionable despite the success. When I heard about the incident w/Latrell Sprewell I had an inkling PJ had it coming. That kind of behavior toward grown men gets a different response than from college kids. PJ had to learn the hard way and someone had to stand up. Though, Sprewell grabbing PJ by the throat (Once I witnessed paralegal grab an associate attorney by the throat in the workplace. Ed simply pushed Charlie too far. All was quickly forgotten and the team went to dinner together that night.) seemed a tad excessive. 🙃

Thank you for sharing this. Big time story. For decades I never believed the narrative and now P and B (and KG in the Darius Miles podcast) confirmed the script the NBA spewed about Sprewell was/is a total distortion. Even the "feed my family" remark--dude averaged 20ppg, most threes by any player in the 2004 playoffs, TWolves finally made it out of the first round, KG was stoked. You should get paid for successful performance considering that team's postseason history. Instead, Taylor offered half of what Spree was making for three years. Then you see non all star guys like Chandler Parsons (never averaged 17ppg, no defense) get max dollars while the media skewers Sprewell. What's wrong with this picture. #FreeSpree

Cuz stood on business 😂😂😂

I remember when Sprewell and I got into it in practice at Golden State! He was a great guy and fierce competitor.

THANK you!

*He was listening to "Protect your neck"*

Thanks for posting this. I've never heard the actual story before. Nuance can add much more to even long-held opinions, lol. Thanks again.

Listening 2 Wu-Tang to later play 4 NY had 2 be dope lol

Great story about Spree, one of my fav players from his time with Knicks

Wow.....getting that backdrop was great....love Latrel PG and Hali see u n Indy next year!!

Interesting, a few years later , former NBA player and Bulls GM John paxson , was mad at bulls coach Vinny Del negro , came to a practice and choked the coach , the NBA kept this quiet and nothing was done to Paxson. Quite a double standard.

As someone that worked in college sports…the head coach in college is damn near a God…but in the pros, you are damn near coworkers. You are leading these men but you cannot disrespect them.

Story went exactly how I thought it would. 🤣

Choking PJ made Spree my favorite player in the league

Remember that was still David Sterns NBA. It was his way or the highway

Sprewell with Wu Tang in his headphones is a crazy combo

This was about a year or two before I became a Warriors fan, I was 7 at the time but I always heard about this and it is nice to finally get the full breakdown.

As a longtime Warriors fan, I remember this being the very dark days where it seemed like everything would go wrong. A few years before this incident they had Hardaway, Sprewell, Mullin and Webber, NBA contenders and it all fell apart within a few weeks with Webber getting traded and everybody else getting injured. I had read about this incident so I figured there had to be some sort of build up before a player does that to a coach. While it's wrong, a coach has to earn the respect of the team and apparently that wasn't the case here.

B Shaw is the guy! Knew him since I was a kid. He used to be real cool with Reggie Lewis back in the day

*Spree & Allan Houston🔥🧊* *Fire & Ice*

Never did you hear anyone in media ponder what PJ had done or said to provoke this.

As an adolescent back in 1997, I always wanted to know what went down. The only image I had in my mind was Sprewell as the villain and PJ as the victim. Great story 😊

Seeing Joe Smith at the airport “you got traded too?” 😂 “Nah they cut me” 💀

Brian Shaw is real af

Thank you PJ. As a Knick fan, we loved having him here with us ✊🏿

Wow great take on this

PJ should've left well enough alone 😂 😂😂😂.

Can't keep poking the bear. From the beginning, it always sounded like the whole picture wasn't being shown to the public.

What's crazy is the same day I was in college and was about to get at my college coach. Words were exchanged, suspension handed out, but with the support of my team, the college community and my accountability plus an apology to my team and the coach we were able to reconcile.

Thank you

So pretty much PJ provoked Latrell? Got it!

99 Spreewell Knicks is the first team I ever rooted for. Great player for 2-3 years.

I was 11 years old on 38th n foothill east oakland n remeberd this..im 37 now n its the first time hearing from a teamate about it.

At the time it’s interesting they didn’t tell this side but shoutout to Shaw for clearing it up

Them 90s OGs built different. Not scared of anything, that's how to played and approached the game. Reason why they played more defense and not scared of the physicality

I ALWAYS wanted to know more about this!

I remember this like it was yesterday. They made Sprewell look like the ultimate villain. We only heard one side of the story back then. I’m glad we finally get the whole story.

B. Shaw tellin the truth! Thank you for breakin it down for us my fellow Dragon! BOD class of ‘86!

I knew there had to be something more behind this incident. I remember it well.

Sounds like a good ole boys club back then…

Wow in '97 I was 24 yo & remember this incident like it was yesterday but never ever heard any details like this 😲

It's interesting how a story can sound so convincing if other history and behavior is missed or not talked about. Shaw is a great story teller, but his story misses the fact that Spree came outta the locker room and punched his coach in the face, well after he choked him. He had anger issues prior to this incident. This incident and the actions that took place likely saved Latrell's career. Shaw wouldn't know about this because these issues occurred before he was on the team. Love to have a session that goes through each of the Lakers big seasons. I bet he has hundreds of interesting things to add.

That went beyond coaching and spilled into challenging one's manhood. Was it wrong to attack him physically? Yes, but PJ provoked the situation all the way

6:07 Felton Spencer: RIP

Great breakdown.

Legendary this story, I remember this as a kid. It was crazy.

Great story tellin

Shaw is a really good storyteller. 👍

I always knew there was something said prior to the choking incident. Thanks for providing the other side of the story. Spre was one of my favorite players seemed like an intelligent guy. I knew he wasn't the type to just snap and choke out his coach! It's amazing how things get twisted in the media to suit the offenders. Never heard PJ say anything regarding his involvement in this.

I remember years later they asked P.J "Why did Sprewell choke you out?" "I have no idea." Dude lies so hard lol.

After all these years.. I was always curious to both sides of the story

I’m glad you told this story man Latrell Sprewell was one of my favorite players man. I’m 30 and it didn’t hit me when i was younger but to me it’s like he just disappeared! Smh

This is so dope to hear, the funny thing is I asked myself the other day out the blue, WHAT LEAD TO SPREE CHOKING CARLISEMO 💀👀

I remember playing against Felton Spencer in high school dude was huge RIP Felton