02x02 - Love & Basketball

[bunniefuu]

[cheering]

[commentator] Welcome to
Oklahoma City Thunder basketball.

It's good to have you with us
on opening night.

-Me and Jamal gotta jump.
-These two.

[Murray] Whoa.

Perfect way to start the season.

[commentator] Step one
on the 82-game path happens tonight

in Denver against the Nuggets,

led by reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.

[SGA] Preseason's over.

[commentator] Jokić dials up
a triple to open play.

This season, a lot of good talent.

-[commentator 2] Curry.
-[commentator 3] Jayson Tatum.

[Montgomery] Who knows who's gonna be
the MVP this year?

SGA knows his talent level is MVP-caliber,

but he knows
that he's coming against guys like Joker,

who's winning it back-to-back.

[commentator] Doesn't take the J. Jokić.

So tricky!

The 2024 MVP from the Denver Nuggets,

Nikola Jokić.

[Shaq] I don't like
to rain on people's parade,

but I'm not happy with this one.

Joker, you know I love you.
You're the best player in the league,

but I want you to hear it from me first.

I thought that SGA should've been the MVP.

That's no disrespect to you.

Thank you, Shaq.

We don't judge people here,
you know, so that's fine.

It's your opinion.

Let's get some where we set
because Jokić cannot do…

Let's get some where we set,
and I can swing down at Jokić.

-Okay, yeah.
-Yeah.

[SGA] There's no chip on my shoulder.

Obviously, I didn't win MVP.

I had a worse taste in my mouth
losing in the playoffs last year.

And I think that was,
like, my main focus all offseason

to kind of carry this thing out
through June.

And then when you do
what you're supposed to do,

the accolades follow.

[commentator] Gilgeous-Alexander,
the pull-up three. Bottom.

Wow, we didn't see that much last year
from Gilgeous-Alexander,

just dribble up into a three.

[SGA] I obviously, like,
got better over the summer skill-wise.

Becoming a better three-point sh**ter,

I feel like a different player
because I can get that shot off

at a comfortable level anytime I want.

I got Mike. I got Mike.

[McGrady] SGA is a problem
because it's like what do you take away?

He's stronger than he looks.

He got left shoulder, right shoulder,
step-back left, step-back right.

He can sh**t the three.
Oh my God, what do you do with Shai?

Um…

sh*t.

sh*t. sh*t. sh*t.

[laughs] Yo.

[commentator] Shai to the dribble.

Off the stutter step,
spins, 12-footer, a beauty.

[commentator 2] The hustle,
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

[Rooks] Big Shai.

Smooth is the number one word
that I think of.

He makes everything look effortless.

You know, I think the kids call it aura.

[SGA] I'm gonna try you for sure.
I'm gonna try you for sure.

You know I'm gonna try you.

I got no choice but to try you.

That's right. I ain't doing it.

[commentator 2] What a night
for Gilgeous-Alexander

in the season opener for OKC.

[SGA] Yeah, blue!

[commentator 2] Tremendous showing
by the Thunder,

picking up where they left off.

[buzzer sounds]

[commentator 2] Oklahoma City
knock off the Nuggets on opening night.

Yo, good sh*t, baby. Good luck.

Stay healthy, baby.

[Montgomery] First game of the season,
of course SGA understood

that he was playing against
the reigning MVP.

He showed that he should be
in the conversation. Day one.

[SGA] Good way to start the season.
Obviously one of 82, but we'll take it.

Yo. Yo. Yo. Yo. Yo.

[SGA] Do I feel like I'm unstoppable?

I don't feel like I'm unstoppable.

I just feel like I'm very, very, very,
very, very, very, very, very hard,

very hard, very, very hard to stop.

But not unstoppable.
Just that many verys of hard to stop.

[cheering]

[indistinct chatter]

[SGA] ♪ Hard to just accept
I was a stepping stone ♪

Look.

[Ares cooing]

[SGA] Did he poo again?

[woman] Check. Uh, no.

-[man] Is this one enough for you?
-[woman 2] Does this one work on the TV?

[woman] Here. It's off.

[SGA] Ah.

Wait one second. One second.

And then you can turn around all you want.

[SGA] I want people to learn

that

I'm no different than you are.

The way you do in your everyday life,
I probably do in mine.

I just play on TV at the end of the night.

[gasps] Who's grumpy?

Is that so funny?

Who's grumpy?

Whoa.

-Yeah, he's all right.
-See.

Whoa.

[SGA] I've been in the NBA
for seven years now.

I failed too many times to count
in my basketball career,

and I'm still here.

[commentator] Misses it intentionally.

Rebound Holmgren,
three-quarter court Jalen Williams.

No! And the Dallas Mavericks,
for the second time in three years,

are going to
the Western Conference Finals.

[SGA] Yeah, it sucks. Um…

You… you… you

wish you could take the moment back, um,

but it's not the way life works.
You can't.

Uh, you just have to learn from it,
um, and I will definitely learn from it.

[SGA] Like, the way I think
and approach the game,

like, I put
so much more pressure on myself

than all the externals,
the media outlets, the fans, the…

even the coaches.

Like, what I want
from this game is… is so…

Like, I… I want the… the utmost
and… and ultimate from this game.

It's like what I dreamed of as a kid
in my driveway.

This is working. I might stay here.

[upbeat music playing]

We met in high school
through a mutual friend.

He played basketball. I played basketball.

We kind of just met
through the basketball world.

I remember going to
the Raptors game a long time ago,

and we were in the nosebleeds.

He's gonna say we weren't.
We definitely were.

We were super high up,

and he was like, "Don't worry.
Like, I'll be playing here one day."

"I'll be in the NBA." And I was like,
"Yeah… Mm-hmm, okay." [laughs]

Every boy's dream.

Growing up, I heard Canadians were soft.

Like, playing basketball.
They used to always say we were soft.

Growing up, I was short.

I think I went into ninth grade
at, like, 5'7", 110 pounds.

I was a small kid.

I was never, like,
getting anywhere off of athleticism

unless I was, like,
deceptive with my movements

and, like, changed speeds
from going slow to fast.

Here with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
and Nickeil Alexander-Walker,

two Hamilton Heights Christian Academy
representatives.

Growing up in Canada,
we were together all the time.

We played on the same basketball teams,

doing drills, playing one-on-one,

telling each other
we have to compete against each other.

I gotta always wanna beat him,
and he has to always wanna beat me.

Canada Basketball was great,
but it was at a time where

you needed to have more eyes on you.

You needed to go to America.

[SGA] Some Americans think Canada is like…

Like, I've had people ask me, like,
about igloos and stuff like that. Yeah.

I came off the bench
to start the year in Kentucky,

but I was more focused on
just getting better every game.

Every single game, every practice.

[indistinct chatter]

Kind of made it to where a coach
couldn't take me off the floor.

[commentator] Harris now with six.

Gilgeous-Alexander
goes right by Massenburg.

-[man] Shai, are you nervous?
-No, not… not at all.

-Super cool?
-Can't wait.

[Hailey] Draft night was… surreal.

He's always been into fashion.

That was custom-made from…

It was either a curtain
or a tablecloth he saw at a store.

It was not, like, a normal suit.

He… he saw the fabric
and was like, "Please, let's make this."

So he's… he's always been into that.

That was his…
his first big outing with fashion.

Yeah, that's my draft suit.

A little gold,
some floral stuff, you know.

Just trying to be a little different.
Trying to…

Don't wanna blend in with the rest.
I wanna make a statement.

[Gebrelul] From him being unrecruited,
almost, by Kentucky

to going… moving up the mock draft.

It's amazing for him,
and it's a blessing for him too.

It doesn't always work out that way.

[announcer] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
from Hamilton, Canada

and the University of Kentucky.

I wanted to go to the Clippers,
and I really just felt great. Um…

But, yeah, it was a great feeling,
and I… I just can't wait to get started.

♪ Uh ♪

♪ Made a name out the one way… ♪

LA is… We got some of the, like,
most beautiful women, like, in the world.

[woman] How have you
navigated these LA streets?

[Harden] Man,

I got a girlfriend.

Uh…

She's really, like, my…
like, my… my best friend, for real.

'Cause it's like there'll be times…
a lot of times where I'll be annoyed.

I don't wanna talk.
She'd let me get in my space.

It's… it's a good situation for me.
I'm… I'm… I'm excited about it.

It's time, man. It's… it's… I'm mature.

I ain't calling myself old, either,
so don't take my words.

But I just feel like
I found somebody that can like…

You know what I mean?
That we can grow together.

All right, en… enough of that.

[woman laughs]

[Harden laughs]

Enough of that.

Still have a game today.

I feel great. You know what I've been
doing for two weeks? Carnivore diet.

Just meat, no… no sugar,
no vegetables, no carbs.

People get on social media
and start just doing anything.

In reality,
it's, like, just making up sh*t.

-It's the carnivore diet.
-You don't even…

-You done that sh*t for four days.
-Two weeks.

Straight?

I mean… Okay, so today I didn't…

See? That's exactly what I'm saying.

-I ate a little bit of mac and cheese.
-Just lying.

When did we meet?
Probably around this time last…

We've only been together a year.

[Harden] I've seen her a couple times

and looking at her Instagram,

and I asked one of my homegirls,
"Give me the number."

He called my phone five times
at eight o'clock in the morning.

I didn't know who gave him my number.
I didn't know what was going on.

She don't know who I am,
what's going on, none of that.

So then he FaceTimes me.

She's so weird, she answered the FaceTime.

Weird.

Hey, it's you again, huh?

He was like this…

He's like, "You look so nice
at eight o'clock in the morning. No wig."

I'm like, "How did you get my number?"

We talked for an hour and a half.

The first time.

I got game, like…

I know how to put words together
to where it makes sense.

So you, like… you're, like, stunned.

James does not have any game at all.

I think he thinks by being mean
and moody, it's, like, game,

but it's not. Not to me.

She understands me.
She took… she… she takes the time,

and still to this day, she takes the time
to understand me and, like, who I am,

and she won me over, you know what I mean?

And it was, like…

It just happened.

Don't get all mushy and all that.
"Aw." I don't wanna hear that.

♪ I don't care if we on the run ♪

♪ And if loving you had a price ♪

♪ I would pay my life for you ♪

[woman] Y'all went to a wedding.
She caught the bouquet…

I couldn't believe it.

-[woman] You know what that means?
-No, I don't.

All the girls get in a circle.
They get in the middle,

and they waiting for her
to throw the bouquet.

So me and his best friend, Molo,
were making a joke with him,

like, "James, me and Paije,

we're gonna… we're gonna run up
to the front of the, uh, circle

and try to catch the bouquet."
He was like, "No, no, get back here."

Three, two, one.

♪ I hear signs calling me… ♪

It was like a movie.

It was like,

"Doo, doo…"

Off people's fingertips.

"Doo, doo…"

It lands in right here
in front of her feet.

[cheering]

[woman] It was Paije!

[curious music playing]

He talks about marriage more than I do.
He called me his wife already.

I think he made a joke one time.
He said something. I was like,

"Yeah, but you already got a girlfriend."
He was like, "You're my wife."

And I was like, "Oh, okay."

I love her a lot though.

I'm in love.

I'm in love.

[woman] All right,
let's get back to basketball.

-I don't know why I signed up for this.
-[woman laughs]

-♪ Who's calling that sh*t? ♪
-♪ Who's calling? ♪

-♪ Who's calling that sh*t? ♪
-♪ Is it Stacy? ♪

[commentator] For Oklahoma City tonight,
it's the Los Angeles Clippers.

[commentator 2] OKC, they are
without question a championship contender.

[commentator 3] When players walk down,
it's all about their drip.

[commentator 4] I'm liking this fit.

[Montgomery] The first thing I think of
when I think of SGA is,

like, "That man got style."

Like, he's gonna end up in
the tunnel walk Hall of Fame, of course.

This is not even…

this is not even a hard guess.
Tunnel walk Hall of Famer.

[SGA] People say I walk a certain way

when I'm in the tunnel,
like it's not my natural walk.

I don't try to walk too fast. That's it.
That's the only thing.

I wanna make sure
I'm walking at a good pace

to where the cameras
can, you know, capture the moment.

[man] Right here for NBA.
Right here. Right here.

-[woman] Do you ever repeat an outfit?
-Oh, never.

That's impossible. Yeah, nah.

Unless it's, like,
going to the grocery store.

You wear gray sweats and a black hoodie.

But to a game? No, never in my life, no.

[woman] You go to the grocery store?

Oh, no, I don't.

But that was just an example for people
that do go to the grocery store.

You can repeat outfits as much
as you want. I will not hate, I promise.

I saw you the other day.

-[SGA] Really?
-On Saturday.

-Here?
-No.

-You were walking your dog.
-Kind of…

By your house, and you were walking
with your family in that park.

Oh, okay, yeah. How are you?

Good.

-You were going to your friend's house?
-Yeah.

I remember.

-Thank you, Shai.
-Thank you.

-Are you going for career high?
-[chuckles] Yup.

Hello.

Oh, this, please.

-I came from Japan for OKC.
-I love Japan.

[SGA] I got a wire on me.

Yeah. Yeah.

-[SGA] My dog, you good?
-Good.

-2 got a rose on him.
-I got a wire on me.

-Be careful.
-Stop talking to him.

I got it on me.

The Clippers came into town,
and I would be lying to you

if I tell you I don't get up
to play the Clippers every time.

For obvious reasons.

[commentator] Twenty-five
for the baby-faced rookie.

[SGA] A great first season
with the Clippers.

We blew expectations out of the water.

I think we were…
we were not supposed to be very good.

We ended up making the playoffs.

-[man] Together on three. 1, 2, 3.
-[team] Together.

[SGA] It's a great feeling.
Not a lot of rookies get to experience it.

I'm not really nervous.
Just go out there and have fun.

End of the day, it's still basketball.

Um, I'm really trying to learn
from the experience and soak it all up.

[commentator] The buzzer sounds,

and I just hate
the fact that this season is over.

God bless this Clippers squad.

[Durant] Shai wanted to impose his will
on the game.

Knocking down the three,
getting to the rim,

putting pressure on our defense. I mean…

He played with no fear tonight.
It kept them in the game.

-You were fantastic. I love your team.
-Thank you.

I thought he was, um… he was great.

He's got a great future.

[SGA] I've come a long way.

Uh, I feel like
I'm a completely different person,

a different basketball player
from what I was a year ago.

I was getting ready to go to Summer League
to, like, work out with the team.

[Gebrelul] We're all
on the phone together,

and I get the drop-down notification,

and it said, "Kawhi Leonard agrees to sign

a multi-year contract
with the Los Angeles Clippers."

You guys went from a fringe playoff team.
You guys are about to make a real run.

Kawhi's in his prime,
just won a ring with the Raptors.

We were celebrating.

Drop-down again.
"Paul George to the Clippers."

We're like,
"Paul George, Shai, and Kawhi?"

I'm like, "Bro, this is… this is…
You guys have the new big three."

"You guys are the best team in the NBA."

We're celebrating.
We're yelling on the phone.

Then the next drop-down on my phone.

"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been traded
to the Oklahoma City Thunder."

In the beginning, it was, like,
kind of like a punch in the gut.

We're like "Damn," and then right…

Shai right…
right away was like, "It's all good."

[SGA] I didn't see it coming.

I just remember, like, thinking to myself,

like, I had proved
to the Clippers organization

that I was worth the pick

and a good enough player
to be their starting point guard.

I remember thinking to myself, like,

"Okay, now I have to redo it all again
with the Oklahoma City Thunder."

[Gebrelul] He just turned it
into a positive. Then he's like,

"I have my own situation now.
Now I could really rock."

I'm like, "All right, like, I feel you,"

and then he's just like, "I'm going…"

The next morning,
he's like, "I'm going to the gym,"

and he never left the gym for,
I don't know, maybe a month straight.

-…the baseline a lot.
-[SGA] Yeah, true.

Bucket.

[SGA] I wanted to make sure Oklahoma City
felt like, when it was all said and done,

they won the trade.

So it might have looked one way
at the time,

uh, but that was my main focus,
to try to flip the script.

[commentator] OKC comes in 8-2.
Clippers are 6-4.

Their last loss came against OKC.

Let's take a look at tonight's
Parrish DeVaughn injury report.

Kawhi Leonard remains out for LA.

For OKC, Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren.

[SGA] That was the first game
where we had zero bigs.

And we were all like,
"I don't know how we're gonna do this."

They had…

Obviously, they have Zubac,
who's seven feet,

and I kind of wanted to set the tone

that we weren't gonna make an excuse,
and we were gonna do whatever it takes.

'05-'06.

Oh yeah.

I'm like Shaq.

[laughs]

For real, though, in his absence,
we're being mad aggressive.

-Yeah, I know.
-We don't have no choice.

[crowd chanting] Defense!

[commentator] They go to Zubac.

There is Jalen Williams,
got that hand in there, knocked it free,

forced a turnover.

On the break, Isaiah Joe is
gonna clean it up and finish it off.

Dada.

Away! Away!

[commentator 2] We talked about that.
One key to the game is forcing turnovers.

We get one just right out of the gates.

[commentator] That's SGA dancing with it.
Wants the step-back three

and got the step-back three.

That was over Harden.

This is what the Clippers'd like to do
with Zubac. There's the cut by Powell.

Good defense.

Not able to get a clean shot at the rim,
and it squirts out to Wiggins.

[commentator 2] Again, the Thunder doing
a good job picking up those loose ba*ls.

[commentator] Oh,
and SGA goes right by Mann,

then finishes it off with the left hand.

Scruffy as hell!
Scruffy as hell! Scruffy as hell!

[man] I needed the route.

[SGA] This sh*t not fun and games no more,
right? Yeah.

Sorry, excuse my language.

[SGA] I would consider myself
the leader of the team.

The guys, yeah,

look to me for a little bit of guidance
no matter who we play,

no matter what's happening in the game,
what night it is,

like, playing a certain way
that'll ultimately lead to winning games.

-See what they're doing to me?
-Hitting you?

Why won't they do that to Shai?
We let them play one-on-one.

They're not letting me play. We let Shai.

It's a bunch of bullshit on the court.

-Give ground. Okay?
-Yo, but don't give him no angles though.

No, no angles. Square.

Shai is so good, ba*ls both ways,
but if you give him an angle, he got you.

Keep him out the paint, he gotta make
tough step-back field goals.

[ref] There's one guy. One guy.

[Harden] Shai, he's just really good
at basketball. Like, he gets it now.

Like, the game is so easy for him,
you know what I mean?

Like, he scores easy.
He understands where his spots is

and how… how to get to the spots, and…

Obviously, Shai is the leader.

He's been k*lling it,
so kinda wanna slow him down,

which is easier said than done.

[intense music playing]

[SGA] Shot.

[commentator] Shai with a wicked move.
My goodness!

SGA in the midrange. That was dirty.

Nice pass.

This time, Jalen Williams,
unselfish, gave it up to SGA.

J, somebody gotta step up.

[Harden] I just told him that.
I got five fouls, know what I'm saying?

-[SGA] Harden has five fouls.
-[man] That's it.

[commentator] As we come up on
the 2-minute mark, it's a one-score game,

three-point OKC lead.

Shai…

The step-back shot!

He's got 42!

[cheering]

[commentator] No time-outs.

Dort battling with Harden.

Pressure on the perimeter.
Harden lost his footing.

-[commentator 2] No time-outs.
-[commentator] Battle for the ball.

And it's gonna be a jump ball.

[player] All right, no time-outs.
They do not have time-outs.

Get the ball, take this home. Come on.

[commentator] Harden and Dort,
toe to toe, here we go.

It's tapped over right to SGA.

Symbolic.

As he fires it up to Wallace.

Clock running out.
Jalen Williams with the punctuation mark!

That'll do it here inside Paycom Center.
It's all over.

The Thunder prevail.

SGA just adding to his total here.

Career high 45, all of those earned.

It's not.

[Green] I think OKC definitely has
some special talent,

but the one thing I see
with the OKC team that

is a little alarming for me

is, like, with all the bromance and stuff
after the game.

Like, that's cool.
There's a time and a place for that.

There's a certain seriousness
that it takes to win in this league.

You have to understand
when your moment is,

and right now,
I don't know if OKC understands,

but their moment is now.

Yeah, I just wanted to be aggressive.

This game was
a little closer than we like.

At least we had control of it
the whole night. Um…

Yeah, we got a W, back in the win column.
That's all we can ask for.

[SGA] I don't understand
why people don't understand us.

We are who we are.

We're clearly good. We clearly have fun.

That's all that basketball is about,
winning and having fun.

And if you don't like it…

Some kids watching this, so I'm not
gonna say what I wanna say, but…

Yeah, beat it.

[Myers] If you wanna get to know a star,
watch how they treat their teammates.

[team whooping]

[Myers] The truth is,
if we're playing pickup basketball,

the best player on our team of five,
that's the…

that's the one we're looking at
to lead us.

And the problem with basketball

is there's such power that comes with
being the best player on the court,

and a lot of guys abuse it.

And so the question is,

are you going to take care
of your teammates

so they follow you because they want to,

or are you gonna ignore them
and they follow you 'cause they have to?

[doorbell rings]

Look at you with candy, bro.

[Joe chuckles]

-Some gummy bears on the table.
-All right, bro, don't mind me.

You good? You hungry?

You ate already?

-[Joe] I'm gonna eat.
-Oh, okay.

What you got? What you sipping on?

-Water.
-Oh.

Flavored water. Lemon water.

I'm sipping on Minute Maid.

[SGA] So as you guys know, I love fashion,
and I need some space in my closet.

It's a little cramped,
so I'm having a yard sale.

-These the Walmart joints.
-I did not get hangers from Walmart, bro.

-Definitely Walmart.
-The Container Store.

Yeah, I'm trying to look out for…

I got a lot of friends
that really, like, wear his size.

-[woman] Hi, Ares!
-[indistinct chatter]

[woman 2] Hey, baby.

-[Holmgren] He look just like you.
-[SGA] For real?

I don't know.

Why he mugging me like that, though?

-Hey.
-[Williams] What's up?

Oh, he's smiling now. What's up, my bro?

Mm-hmm.

[Holmgren] These were
officially worn by SGA himself.

Get at me, 20K.

-20K. I'll sign them too.
-[woman] How much?

-Signed too. 20K.
-[SGA] What were you asking?

[Joe] At one point,
all this stuff was yours? Every single…

I can't lie, bro, yeah.

-Ten bands.
-[Joe] Ooh.

[SGA] Nah, I'm joking. I'm joking.

-Ten dollars. Just put it… Make your pile.
-[Joe] This is so fire.

-Just make your pile, and then…
-Did you wear this?

Maybe four years ago.

Hey, don't eat that, bro.
Big game coming up. Don't eat that sh*t.

[Joe] Yo, man.

-[SGA chuckles] My bad, yo.
-[Joe] Come on, yo.

[laughing]

Yo, my bad. Yo.

[SGA] Our team bonding and relationships,
like, it just happened organically.

A lot of us are around the same age,
and we just click,

so, like, we go shopping on the road.
We obviously love playing together,

love the game.

Can't lie, if I was American,
this would be fire.

At the end of the day,
if we don't win, it's a failure.

I play the game to win.
My team is good enough to win.

Like, if we don't accomplish that,
then we failed.

[man] Oh yeah.

[Jade] Are you ready?

Are you ready, Ty?
Are you wearing those shoes?

[Haliburton] Um…

Yeah.

[Jade] You don't love to walk in slides.

[Haliburton] I do. I love it. Let's go.

-[Jade] No socks?
-[Haliburton] We'll be right back.

[Haliburton] Jade,
she's the love of my life,

going on being together for six years.

Um, just an unbelievable human being.

[Jade] And I've been waiting to post you
on my Instagram story,

but I… I want you to have your moment.

-[Haliburton] You're giving me my moment?
-Yeah, you're welcome.

Even though I really don't know much
about the game of basketball,

but I feel like
I'm a ride or die for Tyrese.

No, you know more… no, you know more now.
When we first started dating,

you knew nothing.

♪ It's close to midnight ♪

♪ And something evil's
Lurking from the dark ♪

Do you not remember me singing it
and not knowing the words?

[Jade] Tyrese and I met
in college at Iowa State.

I was a junior, and he was a freshman,

and I was on the cheerleading team,
and he was on the basketball team.

[Haliburton chuckles]

That picture's crazy.

Jade hates that picture

'cause she liked the tanning bed
a little too much in college.

We had been talking for a while,
but I was afraid to put a label on it.

I got her tickets to a game.

[Jade] It was a big tournament
in Des Moines, Iowa,

where all the Iowa schools
play each other.

The cheerleaders didn't cheer at that one,
so I wanted to go and support Tyrese.

And I remember in that time
thinking, like,

"I don't… I don't know
if she's really that interested in me."

I texted him,
and I was like "You're doing amazing."

"You look so good out there."

That was the first time that she had
really flirted with me that openly.

And he said that that's when he knew
that he sealed the deal,

so we went on our first date
to Chick-fil-A, and that was it.

The rest is history.

-Chick-fil-A! Classy man.
-[man] Yeah.

[Haliburton] Picked up Chick-fil-A,
went in the parking lot of our apartment,

and just sat in there.

How many points do I have?



a signature member.

Every one dollar is 13 points.
I'm gonna give you the… the benefits.

"Access to unique experiences,

access backstage tours
at the Chick-fil-A support center."

[Jade] Where is that?

Uh…

[Jade] Where is
the Chick-fil-A sports center?

Support center, not sports center.
Support center.

[woman] Do you guys have a song together?

Do we have a song? Yeah, we have a song.

We ate Chick-fil-A in the parking lot
and just talked.

I said, "Well, you wanna come over
and watch a movie? Let's do that."

We watched High School Musical.

Our second date was High School Musical 2,

and our third date
was High School Musical 3.

A song from High School Musical 3,

"Can I Have This Dance?"

That is… that's our song.

[woman] ♪ And with every step together ♪

♪ We just keep on getting better ♪

-♪ So can I have this dance? ♪
-[man] ♪ Can I have this dance? ♪

[both] ♪ Can I have this dance? ♪

I smell, like, tacos out here.

-[man] It's Taco Thursdays.
-[Haliburton] You smell that?

I smell fire out here.

[Haliburton] I'm not supposed to be here.

I'm unbelievably blessed
and unbelievably lucky

to be where I am today.

Any basketball player can tell you

what separates the majority of people
in our league is confidence,

and the best guys in our league
have an unwavering confidence.

Did I get an All-Defensive vote
two years ago?

[man] You did.

I did get an All-Defensive vote
and an All-NBA vote as a forward.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's my claim to fame,

honestly,
that I got an All-Defensive vote.

-[man 2] That's your claim to fame?
-Yeah, put that on my fun facts.

Where's the next big city?

-We're going to Milwaukee?
-[woman] Yeah.

[man 3] Are you going?

I'll be there.
I would never miss a Milwaukee trip.

Ever. Ever.
I'll play on one leg in Milwaukee.

[John] Tyrese grew up
in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. An excellent city.

Here is where he used to, uh,

come out and work.

So Tyrese would be out here sh**ting,

sprinkling water all on himself
to make himself all sweat,

look like he's really been working out,
and sometimes, yeah.

This is the home that Tyrese Haliburton
was raised and born in right here.

Come right in.

Everything on this wall,
on each wall is a story.

This is where it all began.

This is what I do.

I always sit down and watch his game
over and over and over again

because I like to see what he's doing
and what he's not doing

and what he could've been doing.

My dad, he's, uh… he's the energy.
He's why I have the energy I have.

He's… he's a little bit more of a yapper.
He be yapping though.

Uh, he be at the games yapping.
He be at my house yapping.

He'll call me. Yeah, he be yapping

and just radiates energy
everywhere he goes.

Proud, blessed dad?

Mmm…

Yeah, he is. Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I… I…
I just love these pictures. Uh…

This is my favorite one right here.

But if you come over here,
you'll see his entire high school life.

Over here would be his jersey

that he wore, his number for Iowa State.
We brought it home and put it on the wall.

And here

is his draft.

This is the beginning of the journey.

With the 12th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft,

the Sacramento Kings select

Tyrese Haliburton
from Iowa State University.

[John] You know, this kid told me that…
When he was little… [sighs]

…he told me that he was going to, um…

he was gonna do this.

When I was really young, my dad used to,
like, make me watch old basketball.

His favorite player was Magic Johnson.
So I'd always watch him and see, you know,

kind of, of course, the cool no-looks
and all this flash and the style,

but I think, most importantly,
just his smile,

like, his love for the game

and I always wanted to have that
be a part of my game.

[commentator] This man has a smile
that lights up a television screen

from here to Bangor, Maine.

When I got drafted,
Magic had tweeted at me.

That was crazy
because we had never… we had never spoke.

We still have never spoke.
Uh, but to get that co-sign,

for him to know who I am
and… and… give me that… that name at,

you know, what was I, 20 years old,

uh, was crazy
'cause I would not expect that at all,

so a really cool moment
for me and my pops.

Just beautiful.

Well, we're going here again today,
so here we go.

We'll find out what's going on.

And I hope
the people respect him enough to,

um, give him love
because he is original… Wisconsinite.

So I hope they don't boo they boy,
you know, tonight,

so that's up to them.

[commentator] Downtown Milwaukee,
one of the ultimate tests of the season.

Rivalry renewed.
Pacers and Bucks on a Friday night.

Hunting season.

-[woman] Tomorrow…
-[woman 2] Tomorrow…

[woman] Kya's sitting with Mom.
Ruby's sitting with Dad.

We're catching a deer?

[woman] We don't catch deer.
You sh**t. You sh**t deer.

[laughing]

If you guys… if you guys sh**t a deer,

I want some meat.

Deal.

[Haliburton] I love being home,
love playing at home.

You know,
usually when I'm at home, I get cheered,

but we'll see
what tonight looks like, bro.

[crowd booing]

Boo! Boo! Boo!

[chuckles]

[Haliburton] Milwaukee is
our biggest rival because it feels like…

like they're older, and they've won
a championship already,

so we're chasing them.

-Hey!
-[both] Boo!

Come on, baby.

[Haliburton] Last year, it started off
just from an In-Season Tournament game.

They were getting cheered the whole game.
With the games in Vegas on a neutral site,

it's usually the best players
that get the most love,

so Giannis and Dame and…

Uh, yeah, I think I just became
the bad guy all of a sudden.

[cheering]

[whistle toots]

[Haliburton] The winning hoop?

I know what time it is.

And we just kind of built off that,

and there obviously is a… a heated battle
between us every time we see each other.

[crowd booing]

Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo!

There's people in the stands
who I grew up with who are booing me.

Like, I know them.

I know their first and last name.
I know their parents' names.

People on the Bucks
could care less about them, you know,

and I'm still getting booed,
but again that's literally all part of it

and, uh, part of fandom.

[crowd booing]

-[Haliburton] Mom and Dad are right there.
-[man] That's cool.

[Haliburton] Netflix came with them.

[John] This is a hometown young man.

Now, if you wanna boo
the, uh, Indiana Pacers, go ahead.

But to boo Tyrese Haliburton,

that hurt.

That hurt because he is

part of Wisconsin.

[Haliburton] Here we go.

-[ref] Everything good?
-[Haliburton] Yes.

-What's up, baby? You good?
-Good, bro.

-I think all these ba*ls suck, so…
-[ref] What?

[Haliburton] One, two, three.

-Okay. Appreciate you.
-Okay. Appreciate y'all.

[whistle toots]

[grunts]

Myles, come here.

Left! Left!

[commentator] Giannis looking for Bobby.

Got one on the left. Bobby's got 1.8.

Yes!

Yes! The big fellas.

[Haliburton] No. No, he ran at me.
He was wide open.

I know.

[commentator 2] The Oshkosh, Wisconsin
native Tyrese Haliburton,

perhaps more than any Pacers player,
trying to get himself going.

[commentator] Tyrese Haliburton…

No.

No success from three-point territory yet
for Haliburton.

[whistle blows]

[Haliburton] The Bucks game,

I don't know if there's, like,
a specific moment to point to.

Man, oh man, oh man.

[commentator 2] Pressure on Haliburton.
Now he's gonna launch for three.

It is high up off the rim.

No good.

I got you.

I'm not perfect. I'm a guy who is
very shitty at hiding his own emotions.

And so, you know,
when I'm having a bad day, uh,

I can't hide it. My face cannot hide it.

-[Haliburton] g*dd*mn!
-[man] Yo, that one moved! That moved.

[Haliburton] f*ck, man,
get the f*cking hoop!

[commentator] Pacers lose in Milwaukee,
a winless road trip.

[pundit] Tyrese Haliburton
is one of those players

that has been a bit perplexing
the first games of the year.

[pundit 2] Bro, Hali just looks
really bad. Like, really, really bad.

[pundit 3] A lot of it is the jump shot.

It doesn't matter what it looks like.
It's just not going in.

[Haliburton] I think for me,
after a game like that,

I gotta look in the mirror and reflect
and, you know, put it on me.

[man] How are you feeling mentally?
You not being able to know

or just get through it?

It's part of it.
It's part of basketball, um…

You know, I just gotta keep
trusting myself, working hard,

uh, trusting my teammates,

and, uh, you know, I'll figure it out.

[man] Anyone you've tried to rely on
or turn to in this?

Yeah, a lot of people. Uh…

But, you know, put my head down,
keep working, I'll figure it out.

Where am I going after this?
We go home for, like, a week.

[sighs] Trying to get off this skid, man.
I just suck right now, but…

One basket, man. g*dd*mn, one basket.

[Brenda] It's sliced, so I think
we can just grab it with the tongs.

[Jade] So should we say grace first
and then get our plates

or get our plates and then say grace?

-[Brenda] Say grace first.
-Okay.

-I think everyone's down here.
-No, not Tyrese.

-Where is he?
-He's back there, isn't he?

[Jade] When Tyrese doesn't have
such a great game

or if he's, like, down
or in a struggling point in his career,

he honestly hates when I try to baby him.

Like, I'll be like,
"Okay, how can I make Tyrese feel better?"

"I'm gonna, like, cuddle him, you know,
and, like, make him feel better."

He wants the opposite of that.
He hates that.

You can say that you made the salad.

-That's good.
-I don't have to say it.

They got it on film.

[Jade] He's been like that since college.

Like, I always would think, like,
"What can I do to make this better?"

"What can I say to make him feel better?"

But honestly, the answer is
just to not talk about it.

Deals with it himself, and we don't need
to make it a big deal. [chuckles]

How's it looking?

It's looking great.

[Haliburton] Honestly, in a moment like
right now, what I've been going through,

I think I was probably shitty
to be around.

Am I supposed to put jeans on
and look nice?

-You look nice.
-[Brenda] It's fine.

After that Milwaukee game,
some self-reflection,

and, uh, that kind of being like
a… a come-to-Jesus moment

in a literal sense.

All right, so we finna say grace.

Father, we thank you for this day.

We ask you that you bless us,

you bless the food,
and let it be nourishment for our bodies.

-Amen.
-[all] Amen.

-[man] Happy Thanksgiving.
-Yes, sir.

[John] Thank you. Thank you.
Now let's go eat.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[Haliburton] That's my rock.

The great part about Jade

is Jade is gonna tell me
that I'm the best player in the world,

and it doesn't matter
if I have a bad game,

she's gonna show me a lot of love
and always support me and be there for me.

[Jade] Babe,
when you do this during a game,

are you saying "call a time-out,"
or are you saying "T time"?

It's time-out for the other team.

"T time"?

No, because "T time" would be fire
if you do that for your new celebration.

-"T time" would be fire.
-[Haliburton] No.

No, because lately when you've been
hitting threes, you keep going…

[Jade] Tyrese and I have been together…
we will be six years this year,

and I honestly will say, like,

we've gotten
stronger and stronger every year.

This lifestyle is not for the weak.

I mean, there are ups and downs,
as are in any relationship,

but we go through things,
and we figure it out,

and we come back stronger.

[John] I don't know when Ty and Jade…
They ain't got to be in no hurry,

but nevertheless, if they got married
and had kids,

that would be great.

-Are you gonna play?
-[man] Play what?

[Haliburton] I've been running
from every question regarding marriage.

We have full-blown arguments about it

because she tells me, like,

"Why are you not
conversating with me about it?"

And I wish I could just say, like,

"It's gonna happen very soon,
but you keep asking,

and, like,
I… I kind of get nervous when you ask,

and I get awkward,
so I just… I just ignore you." [chuckles]

Hey, okay, you can play out of turn
if it's the same exact card.

[man 3] Do you have
a ring picked out already?

[Haliburton] Uh, a ring for Jade…

So I… I haven't got it yet, but I will.

I will soon.
Just trying to figure out the right size,

and, you know,
I want there to be significance

behind the… the amount of carats

and the diamond and… and all those things,
but… but we're working on it.

-What color?
-Oh.

Slide!

[laughing]

Yo! Yo!

-Slide 'em over.
-What color? What color?

-I won.
-What color?

Yellow.

She's gonna have no clue. I… I…

You know,
I don't think she has a clue in the world.

Her friends ask me. They get nothing.

Uh, I haven't told her mom,
haven't told her dad.

Only my close friends and family
and the great people at Netflix know.

Uh, that's all.

Uno!

[Haliburton] No! What are you doing?

-What color?
-[man] Green.

Tyrese, sh!

[upbeat instrumental music playing]

[dramatic string music playing]