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02x05 - Overtime Elite and the state of the NBA

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "Game Theory with Bomani Jones". Aired: March 13, 2022.*
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Features Bomani Jones, one of the most unique journalists working today, as he breaks down timely issues playing out in the world of sports.

02x05 - Overtime Elite and the state of the NBA

Post by bunniefuu »

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♪ ♪

The worst sports movie of all

Time is hoosiers.

I don't understand why I'm

Supposed to root for them.

Not one believable crossover.

I'm supposed to like them

Because they're not good at

Basketball, explain.

One if you ever like to somebody

They couldn't hoop?

None of the main characters

Got--

Bomani: they didn't even

Have fundamentals.

I'll root for the movie

Characters, I'll root for the

Director,

No more.

Bomani: if you love the

Movie, flock f*ck you.

♪ ♪

Bomani: thank you,

Thank you.

Welcome to game theory.

We have a lot to talk about

Tonight.

Aaron rodgers has gone off

The grid to his darkness retreat

As he called it.

He previously said he would

Pay someone to let him sit in a

Dark room and for I didn't

Say I'm going on my darkness

Retreat just to figure out if

I'm going to play next year--

Anytime I've gone on a

Meditation retreat or ceremony

Or something, I'm going to call

This and I'm going to do this,

It never happens like that.

Bomani: you think that

Darkness retreat is wild but

Guess what?

That might be the most normal

Thing he said in that whole

Interview.

That you hear about the

Epstein client list?

What's that?

What are you talking about?

Some files that have some

Names on it that might be

Getting released pretty soon.

Oh.

Nothing to see here.

No.

Nothing.

Look, there's ufos flying over.

We just shot them down.

Johnny depp trial!

Bomani: he said that like

He doesn't have the trial on a

Dvd box set.

This is the irony.

What's the real distraction?

Us acting like aaron rodgers is

Doing solitary confinement at

Fantasy cap to make a decision

About whether to play football

For $60 million.

Like we don't know how that's

Going to end.

This is what I want to know:

What's tyree irving think about

All of this?

Does he see a kindred spirit or

A double standard?

He's gotta be jealous, right?

Aaron rodgers gets to be an

Insufferable weirdo with none of

The consequences.

Though to be fair aaron rodgers

Hasn't gone the full kyrie yet

We still don't know what his

Shape he thinks the earth is.

But aaron wants to be friends

With kyrie.

He's likes his tweets!

That's just the start.

Next thing you know they are

Going to be doing a podcast

Together with a special guest

Every week and some goes to they

Summoned in a seance.

Sports weirdos aren't new.

The difference now is how

Seriously the modern weirdos

Take themselves.

It used to be these guys were

Eccentric I miss the good old

Days when the athlete weirdos

Used to do harmless weird things

Like wear wedding dresses and

Dye their hair.

But the kyries and aaron

Rodgers' of the world have a

Massive platform and they think

They're smarter than everybody

Else.

Like they're the only ones with

Youtube and no one's allowed to

Read books.

If they weren't so smug I might

Find most of that stuff cute but

Instead they sound like a dude

Who read one wikipedia entry

About the cia and thinks they

Saw history.

That's why I am praying this is

The last off-season I had to put

Up with aaron rodgers antics.

Cuz it feels like we're two

Weeks away from him telling us

Damar hamlin has actually been

Cloned.

Aaron rodgers, see you on the

Other side to.

[Cheers and applause]

My guest tonight has been a

Correspondent on the daily show

Since 2015 and is now one of its

Guest hosts.

In april he's hosting the nerd

Prom, the white house

Correspondents' dinner.

Give it up for roy wood jr.

Happy black history month but

That also means its annual

Rooney rules a season.

Black culture is not denied

To.

Bomani: I got a call a

Couple days ago from somebody

Wanted to talk about the rooney

Rule-- you knew this day we

Were going to have the same

Conversation we were going to

Have every year.

This quality now, there's

Progress.

Eric bienemy who's the offensive

Coordinator in kansas city got

To visit washington to also be

Offensive coordinator, is that

Not progress, a black man doing

Really good without getting--

Here's my question about all of

These coaching interviews in the

Nfl, especially with eric

Bienemy.

Why was he going to washington

Two or three days-- washington

Should have been at baggage

Claim with a ring and two ribs

In their hand, going please just

Be here.

Either you want him or you

Don't.

The interview progress all neck

Process for certain occupations

Is unnecessary.

My resume is that two trophies I

Won with andy reid.

Either you want to hire me now

Or you don't.

Bomani: this is the idea

That gets to me about him going

To washington.

What I did with patrick mahomes

Wasn't good enough, I got to go

Do this with whoever they are

Going to end up starting to

Prove I can pull this off.

Just about everybody else rides

A superstar quarterback to fame

And fortune, eric bienemy has to

Go prove himself with who I

Believe will be sam howell who

Many people watching this had

Never heard of before.

Assuming he does a good

Interview this time.

You know they say he's a bad

Interview-- interviews are

Stupid to.

The point of the interview is

For me to make sure you aren't

On drugs.

What is a bad interview, what is

That?

Bomani: I have to be the

Devil's advocate.

They have hired other

Afro-americans in this time span

Who have interviewed.

Sometimes when a white dude

Keeps going to get interviewed

And they keep telling the one

Dude no, I'm saying maybe he's

Musty, I don't know what it is.

But at some point I do have to

Wonder what it is that we don't

Know.

There's a big macro level issue

With hiring but they are telling

Us they don't want to hire that

Man.

I think eric bienemy is

Looking at a disadvantage

Because he's a hall of fame

Coach with a hall of fame

Quarterback and if he doesn't

Get the exact same product with

Less quality personnel he's

Never going to have an

Opportunity.

Bomani: it's over already

For him.

If they weren't going to put

Bienemy on after record-setting

Office for five years are not

Going to do it.

I feel it was certain

Occupations humility and

Personality is a detriment.

I do the game the right way--

Maybe bienemy needs to start

Talking sh*t.

If I was offensive coordinator,

The way players are online

Talking to each other on twitter

After the game-- you sell what

I did to that white boy?

Yeah, if he had a little bit of

Swag and I'm not saying you have

To go full prime time dion

Sanderson have the name on the

Back of your coach jacket but at

Least give me a little herm

Edwards, dennis green,-- they

Aren't going to lie, you qualify

For the job and no one will give

You a chance even though you

Know you're qualified for the

Job.

Nobody has asked you to do the

Job.

I'm just talking about me.

If I was a black offensive

Coordinator I would make disco

Records against other white

Coaches.

I would can pin slander adds, I

Would go full campaign put on a

Headset, hello I'm eric bienemy,

Did you know I whipped the

Eagles a*s?

Do whatever it takes to draw

Some level of attention to

Yourself because I feel like

They take humility and they use

It against black coaches to

Suggest they are content with

Where they are, they aren't,

They're just being polite.

I think that is the issue.

Bomani: they will stop with

Being polite and get fired for

Being an as*h*le, thank you so

Much.

What's a job that should

Absolutely not encourage its

Workers to be social media star

Stars?

Politics.

Really?

It almost k*lled everybody.

I would definitely say

Judges.

I can see that, what do you

Think about a surgeon?

That would be fire, now you

Have a track record of all the

Successful operations you had--

I just opened them and closed

Them.

Bomani: can you imagine if

You got done with the surgery

And you found out they put it on

The ground trying to do trick

Shots?

I don't want to see a judge

Doing a tick tiktok dance.

They would do it.

Bomani: we are talking

About over time lead to

Professional basketball league

Kids start playing as young as

16.

How much you think they getting

Paid?

Minimum wage.

Bomani: you think someone

Would move their kids out there

For minimum wage?

May be minimum wage and a

Promise.

Bomani: tonight we are

Talking about overtime elite,

It's a league that will have

Basketball players as young as

16 Years old.

I'm sorry-- I didn't mean to

Interrupt you, did you know

That's where I got my start in

My career, working with

Overtime?

Bomani: I have to be honest

With you I didn't know anything

About you until 10 minutes ago.

And the first weekly talents

They had on overtime.

Bomani: what are you doing

Now?

I'm doing online sports I

Realized they were stealing from

Me and I'm doing it on my own.

Bomani: describe steal.

When you make it less of a

Tent than what you make them

It's like you're robbing me.

I don't want to be petty, just

Give me my $7,000.

Bomani: this lover stomach

Level of egg over $7,000 is not

Petty but it's massive.

I haven't been on tv as long

As you.

Bomani: fair, that's the

Most entitled thing I've ever

Said to.

What's the big deal?

Bomani: I would've k*lled

Somebody for $7,000 as recently

As seven years ago.

[Cheers and applause]

I tried to watch college

Basketball the other day and let

Me tell you something, I didn't

Recognize a single player.

All tips, no gladys.

That's because playing college

Basketball is no longer a

Priority for the best players,

Other paths have opened up.

And there's one new path to the

Leak that is especially unusual.

Kids hoping for an nba payday

Have a new path, a pro league

For 16 to 18 year olds called

Overtime elite.

The inaugural class of 27

Players are considered pros

Because they're paid to play.

Contracts start at $100,000 a

Year.

When the athletes aren't at

Practice, they're in class

Learning about financial

Literacy, social activism,

Mental health, and the business

Of basketball.

Bomani: all that's missing

Is a class on the nba's guide t0

Nondisclosure agreements.

This "new path' to the league is

Overtime elite.

Founded in 2021, it functions as

Part boarding school, part

Basketball league, part training

Ground to get to the nba.

Part everything.

We just got to the arena.

I mean, this thing is huge.

Look at it.

We're about to hop up in here

And check it out.

Holy sh*t.

This is insane.

They showed us the facility,

The lifestyle, and we really

Wanted to do this.

Where we at right now?

What is this?

We in the players lounge.

Got two tvs, a chef back there.

A chef?

A chef.

Cooking it up.

How's that food?

It's b*mb.

Bomani: that has to be

Humbling for a chef, your job

Making pop tarts for teenage

Basketball mutants.

Overtime elite bills itself as a

Paid path to the nba first

Recruits.

Essentially, an alternative to

Going to college, playing pro

Ball overseas, or entering the

Gleague.

There are currently 68 recruits

In the overtime elite program,

Including projected lottery

Picks amen and ausar thompsen

But there's one major difference

Compared to those other options.

If you choose to play ball

There?

You got to make a lot of

Content.

We have to take a lot of

Pictures, interviews, lot of

Videos with the guys from

Overtime.

I didn't know that all this

Stuff goes into social media,

But I think it went pretty well.

This really isn't a place to

Be like camera shy or anything

Because there's always a camera

In your face.

It's crazy.

We're pretty much all used to it

Now, but at first, it's just

Like crazy.

Bomani: the kids going to

Have vietnam-level flashbacks of

Being told to floss on demand.

Overtime elite reflects a

Massive shift in basketball,

More specifically the way

Basketball is consumed, which is

Already a massive problem for

The nba.

Cuz the youth seems to lack the

Attention span to watch full

Basketball games.

57% Of gen z'ers don't watch

Live sports at all because they

Aren't interested.

That's not to say genz doesn't

Like basketball, they just don't

Watch live games.

They prefer content like house

Of highlights, one-on-one

Tournaments, or knockout

Basketball contests.

If you google knockout style

Basketball I bet it's just kimbo

Slice videos at rucker park.

Regardless, gen z loves

Basketball.

The nba is the most to follow

The lead on instagram, twitter,

And tiktok.

It's not just social media where

They are showing love.

Gen z has a higher percentage of

Fans than the generations older

Than them.

They just watch basketball.

Differently.

And overtime elite took notice

Of this shift.

Or more specifically, their

Parent company "overtime."

A social media start-up that

Made its money posting hundreds

Of highlight compilations of

High school players on youtube.

And the founders of overtime,

Zack weiner and dan porter, are

Highly aware of how their

Audience wants to watch

Basketball.

It was very clear to us.

The data was saying kids are

Watching less live sports.

So we started with that and said

Let's test and iterate how to

Get into the hearts and minds of

Young people.

This is this kid mac mcclung

There, this is a dunk that he

Made, you know, in a gym,

Without his shirt.

That did way more views for us

Than nba clips that we have

Posted.

Bomani: it's cool, we're

All thinking the same thing--

"Thank god he's wearing shorts."

Despite how unsettling that

Video is, the overtime founders

Got investments from former nba

Commissioner david stern,

Amazon, and nba players like

Trae young and kevin durant.

And carmelo anthony.

Overtime is currently valued at

500 Million dollars and has

Helped rapidly accelerate the

Trend of youth basketball on

Social media.

Which has created massive

Basketball in influencers like

Mikey williams, a dude who was

So young his name is still

Mikey.

Ja'quaye james, who created

Something called "jelly fam,'

Which sounds delicious.

And julian newman, a shorter

Player who didn't receive any

Scholarship offers to d1

Schools.

But even julian still has nearly

700 Thousand instagram

Followers.

All those people are just

Following the little dude who

Played high school basketball

Once.

You can find that had an 8-foot

Locker.

It will be the guy dressed like

A

Ref selling you

Shoes.

These dudes are instagram harlem

Globe trotters.

They're doing things with a

Basketball but they're not

Playing basketball.

But overtime had greater

Ambitions than just propping up

Influencers.

When people came to summer

League, they got to watch all

The players that they had

Watched on overtime.

And you think that's great, but

I think it used to fantasize

What if we have our only?

Bomani: you're going to

Fantasize about child labor,

That's what you're about?

But this dream of creating their

Own league led to overtime

Developing what we now know as

Overtime elite.

An intersection of the way gen z

Consumes basketball and the wage

Nzei plays basketball.

We keep calling them jens ebert

Is another word for them-- kid

Kids.

Were talking about kids who

Still need to go to school.

What is ote?

We are a basketball media

Educational conglomerate, I like

To say.

The rest of the world has

Changed and evolved in so many

Different ways and yet school

Looks exactly the way it does.

The way you chase your dreams in

Sports kind of still looks

Exactly the way it does.

And so I think that's the reason

Why we should try some different

Stuff.

Bomani: just curious,

Anybody know where you can get a

Bachelor's degree in "different

Stuff."

When overtime elite's players

Are hooping or making tiktoks

They get educated as though they

Are already in the nba, not like

High schoolers.

In addition to regular classes

They learn skills like "how to

Give news conferences and use

Social media, go to a math class

Or questions are likely framed

In terms of basketball.

That biology class probably has

Them dissecting benny the bull.

But besides making kids take ap

"Free throws' or honors "mental

Toughness,' let's be real.

What is the point of learning

How to give press conferences if

You don't make it to the nba?

The only time you'll be talking

To a reporter is if local news

Covers a crime at your

Neighbor's house.

But the founders of overtime

Elite don't bring these kids in

To get an education, nor is

Their priority developing

Recruits into the best

Basketball players they can be.

Their business is about getting

As much hoops content as

Possible on the internet.

Right here is the show court,

Meaning that while we have games

Here, we don't have teams that

Come from different cities.

We play for the internet.

And we play for the crowd, so

It's 1200 seats.

But really it's for people

Watching on the internet.

Bomani: ah, the internet.

The same place that gave us

Those big old red boots.

Now, this all seems kind of

Exploitative to me.

So why did the kids even want to

Be there?

What excited me most about

Joining ot was that I was gonna

Get to go against the best

Players every day, people from

Across the nation from overseas

That I've seen on tv.

And it's just like, I don't

Think you could beat that

Anywhere else.

I always had thought about

Going to college before this,

That was the whole plan.

But when I really saw what it

Was about, I was like, you know,

I got to be here.

Bomani: I don't know if you

Can hear me but blink twice if

You need help, man.

The real reason the recruits

Join ote is the reason these

Kids do everything else clout!

Because most of them are

Forgoing a direct paycheck from

In favor of retaining nil rights

And college eligibility.

Overtime elite will also give

Them $100k towards college if

The program doesn't result in

Them going to the nba.

Which, first of all, 100k today

Is getting you like 3 classes at

Most colleges.

Second, giving kids money to

Leave for college sort of feels

Like overtime elite and its

Recruits are tacitly admitting

Even they don't know if this

Whole "basketball hype house" is

Going to work.

But one thing is certain: it

Will get a lot of tech burros

Rich in silicon valley.

I'll be honest.

And I don't like that sh*t, dog.

Because that isn't about

Basketball.

It's about money and individual

Fame.

Basketball, that's a team sport.

When I look at the nba right

Now, I feel a similar concern.

So much now is for the graham.

Lonzo ball, a dude who gets

Injured every 34 seconds, has

More ig followers than giannis

Antetokoumnpo, a dude who has

A title.

You know who kyle kuzma is just

And two mvps.

Because of who he's dated.

Or because he has somehow

Survived being swallowed whole

By his own sweater collection.

And it's not as though the

League hasn't always had stars.

But they were always

Contextualized by the teams they

Played for.

Cuz we like individuals.

But we love them as a part of

Something greater than

Themselves.

We became basketball fans

Because of game sevens, win

Streaks, rivalries, celtics

Versus lakers, bulls versus

Pistons, the pacers versus the

Greater detroit metro area.

You know there's a problem in

The league when spike lee's not

Even wearing his knicks jersey

Anymore.

Now he just wears a basketball.

[Laughter]

You can called me an old head

But I kind of miss virtues--

Teamwork, hard work, dedication.

I know it all sounds corny but

The truth is corny is necessary.

That feels like overtime elite

Is devoid of any of that.

Which kind of worries me.

Because of this venture is

Successful, this might be with

The nba ends up too.

Because the leak can't seem to

Get a grasp on where the youth

Is but overtime elite?

They think they've cracked the

Code.

For the sake of basketball and

What we love about basketball, I

Really hope they are wrong.

What's going on, it's that time

Again.

One weekend for us, a members

Only party for 72 straight hours

Sponsored by crown royal-- nba

All-star weekend.

I was hype about it, then I

Remembered this year in

Salt lake city, a place with 98%

Of nba players for reasons.

That's why I asked james davis

To head west and investigate

What could be an uncomfortable

Culture clash.

The nba decided to have black

Thanksgiving in a city with so

Few black people it makes

Portland look like will conduct.

I couldn't pull up to eight utah

Unprepared so I assembled my

All-star team of all-star

Experts, we attended the

Parties, fashion shows and

Concerts that extended all-star

Weekend from exhibition game to

A weeklong celebration of

Black excellence.

There like who's going to

Have the hottest party, who's

Going to be the dope as the d.j.

Arnon basketball fans who

Also come to all-star weekend.

Absolutely.

It's for the everyday person,

The dude that's k*lling in

Church league.

And there's a guy who's worked

As a bus driver the last 15

Years.

Do you think salt lake is

Ready for the culture to just

Descend upon it?

They are not ready for it, to

Be clear.

The clubs are inside and

Outside, they aren't ready for

That.

It's 20 degrees outside.

There's definitely going to

Be a lotion shortage.

Don't they have a bunch of

Goofy a*s liquor laws?

Liquor companies aren't going

To be able to get enough

Alcohol.

It's a byob all-star--

Weed is ill*gal president

Biden: that's going to be a

Problem.

A lot of people from l.a. Are

Going to be--

Utah jail already sounds

Redundant, what could be worse

Than that?

You have to watch out for

Them white women, they will meet

You at the sandwich spot and be

Like lets you go for a hike in

The next thing you know--

I had to get to the bottom of

This, the culture is depending

On me to fix the situation.

I boarded a plane full of white

People and dove into the belly

Of the beast.

I went to the office of the

Executive vp of the chamber of

Commerce and I had to tell them

I don't think you are ready.

We are absolutely ready, we

Could use a dose of nba and

Black culture in salt lake city.

How do you respond to

Accusations that salt lake city

Lacks basic flavors like honey

Bourbon barbecue and

Lemon pepper?

There's a wings place just a

Few bucks from here, 30

Different flavors.

How much shea butter is in

Salt lake city's motion reserve

And please answer in pumps or

Big bottles?

We've got some work to do.

You do have work to do.

How are people going to start

This weekend when the forecast

Says it's going to be 20 degrees

Out?

I sat down with frostbite expert

To find out.

A 45 hour wait in line, what

Is going to happen if I'm not

Covered correctly?

You are at extreme risk for

Developing frostbite.

I don't know if you've seen on

Instagram people with these

Black fingers that appear

Mummified to.

You can be a white dude but

All of a sudden you are so cold

Your fingers look nigerian?

Correct.

Frostbite ain't no joke.

Previous all-star weekends,

Dr. Lewis said bodies start to

Get frostbite within 30 minutes.

There was an exception.

Do wigs, weaves, and hair

Units at any temperature

Protection?

Actually they do provide some

Insulation to the head.

You hear that?

Bring your weed too because

There is no legal weed in this

Whole--

We have a qualified medical

Provider in our dome and they

Will be able to assess your

Situation and get you a legal

Card and access to safe, legal

Cannabis.

Is that right?

Medical weed is legal in

Utah, all you need is $15, a

Condition covered by utah's weed

Laws, and you can get a utah

Medical cannabis card and you

Can buy up to a month's supply

Of sticky icky.

Up to 113 grams.

I would like to buy

112.9 grams.

I was fighting with

Salt lake city.

But I had to tap in with local

Black people but I didn't know

Where to find them.

So I went to the black chamber

Of commerce, the barbershop.

Are you happy with living

Here?

I've left, I've always came

Back.

I love utah.

That's what happens to most

People, they don't like it until

They go somewhere else.

Black people outside of

Salt lake city we know each

Other are like white people, we

Might assume that kind of

Dynamic might be taxing.

I feel like sometimes it's

Overexertion.

Talk about issues, what you

Are wearing.

I don't think we mean any

Harm with it but it's certainly

An awkward white people

Conversation.

All black people know each

Other-- and that might be true

In utah.

How many more black people

Are there in utah outside this

Room?

13 Or 14.

When it comes to local blacks

In utah it's quality not

Quantity.

My friends also gave me

Solutions on food.

You want some caribbean food?

Black entrepreneurs here, we

Go the mile.

Skirting those liquor laws.

Everyone is throwing their

Private parties.

Then you need and event space

Or may be a party bus and do

Your own thing.

A party bus like vegas.

What happens in the party bus

Stays in the party bus-- I like

That.

How did they deal with

Salt lake city's most terrifying

Threat?

Have any of y'all heard about

The white mountain women who

Come in from the hills and drug

Men and rob them?

[Laughter]

All-star weekend, there will be

More black people in

Salt lake city than in the

History of civilization go is

Salt lake city ready was maxed

Ready or not.

I'm ready.

Absolutely.

So many black people makes me

Feel blacknificent.

That's a word, put it on the

Screen-- blacknificent.

I'm not going to teach you

How to fish, I don't have time

For that, my brother owns his

Own business, my man owns a

Club, that's blacknificent.

My boy is spitting.

With only a few hours left I had

To pull up on my man d1 more

Time.

Sir, when I walked in I was

Very skeptical of all things

Salt lake city.

This still a little part of me

That's like I don't know but 98%

Of me is very comfortable with

This upcoming all-star weekend.

We just have 2% to get you

There.

I'll tell you how you get 2%,

Join me on a party bus.

When I say salt lake, y'all say

City.

When I say all-star, you say

Weekend y.ur

As I turned up on the party

Bus I realized all-star weekend

Is about one thing, giving the

City and all of its people a

Chance to embrace the game and

The culture that inspires the

Games biggest stars.

They got some real ones out here

And the locals are trying.

All-star 2023 is going to be

Lit, trust me.

♪ ♪

Bomani: that is our show.

Happy all-star weekend.

There's a kid about to get on

That overtime elite package, any

Advice?

Revenue statements, ask for a

Percentage.

He tells the most messed up

Thing you remember from

Overtime?

The most f*cked up thing is

That I worked there, no one

Specific thing, so many f*cked

Up things.

I made you minimum 100s of

Thousands and you know how I

Know?

I did the work that it did for

Myself I made myself hundreds of

f*cking thousands in about a

Year and a half.

There's no way you didn't make

That type of money from me and I

Am not a player.

Overtime is bullshit.