Just Checking In

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What’s going on everybody? I know it’s been a while since I checked in with you guys, but as you can see me and my Thunder teammates have been pretty busy lately.

We got a big win last night against the Grizzlies. I’m proud of us for not breaking down. Last year I think we would have backed down and fell into a corner after they took the lead and went up five, but we pushed back at them. It was a tough third quarter for us. I think we scored maybe eight or 10 points and that’s tough. Some teams don’t bounce back from that. But the first half, we played a good first half and we played a good fourth quarter. There’s going to be times when we have tough stretches like that and there’s going to be times when we bounce back from it and continue to stick with our plan and be poised.

And we don’t have much time to enjoy this one because we’ve got the Cavs coming to town tomorrow. Man, every day I look forward to every single game. Every game is a big game for us and I look forward to it. And trust me, the Cavs are much more than just Shaq and LeBron. Don’t get me wrong, those players are great Hall of Fame players but they’re more than just Shaq and LeBron. It’s going to be a tough test for us but we’re looking forward to it.

I talk to LeBron every now and then. I know he’s busy with his season and I really don’t want to bother him too much but I talk to him. As much advice as I can get from him I try to so he’s been a great friend to me. I’ve also got my friend from Texas on the Cavs, Daniel Gibson. We’re going to chill for a little bit, see what’s going on. He’s cool.

So are you guys going to watch us tomorrow night against the Cavs? If you’re in Oklahoma City you can watch it on local TV and if you’re out of state, you can see it on the League Pass. Let me know in my comments section.

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I Love Making Beats

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What’s up everybody? We had a day off yesterday, but I made sure to get up and hit the weights. Everyday I wake up, I want to make sure I’m doing something to help me get better.

In the afternoon I went Christmas shopping with some local kids in Oklahoma city. It was a lot of fun. I love giving back to those less fortunate than myself. Speaking of Christmas and giving back, make sure to come to my giving tree event next week. It will be another opportunity to spread the Christmas spirit and give back to our OKC community.

By now I’m sure all of you know that I’m really into all kinds of music. But not all of you may know that I like to make music, too.

Really, I’m not even sure how it came about. I basically woke up one day and decided I wanted to make beats. I was such a big fan of music and I was always curious on how they made it, the steps they went through to make it and I started researching it on YouTube and seeing how guys make beats. A lot of guys back at home, they do their music as well so I was really curious. So I bought myself a little beat machine and I tried to figure that out. I figured it out and then it became a passion of mine. Of course I’m not as good at it as other people are, but it’s something I like to do for fun. And last year when Joe Smith came out here he was a big music guy. He makes his own CDs and raps a lot — Joe Beast is his name — and he got me going more into it and I was having fun doing it and just kept it going from there.

mpc2000xl-se1-bigI bought my first beat machine, a MPC-2000, two summers ago. I know how to make it sound at least decent together and I was just hitting buttons and it was sounding okay. It was something that kind of grew on me and I’ve had fun ever since. It’s fun to work. I have a keyboard, it’s called a Motif keyboard. I got at least 20, 30 beats on there that I made myself. Hopefully I get a chance to let people hear them, see what they think. Like I said, I’m just starting out, just having fun. It’s nothing I’m trying to get into real seriously but it’s something I like to do and I have fun doing it. Like I said I’ve got 20 to 30 beats on that keyboard and it’s something that when I want to clear my mind from things I go in there, put my headphones on and just play the keys.

I’d rather be on the production side of things and making beats and giving input on songs than rapping. That’s fun as well, too, just to play around. Me and my buddies do that, just play around in the studio, just get on beats, rap on beats, but I’d rather be on the production side and make a track from the beginning. I’d like to do that.

I’ve got a studio spot in my house but it’s small, nothing serious. I have a mic, a keyboard, a MPC. I just record there, make beats there. It’s fun.

And I like a lot of different beat makers. Not sure if you guys have heard of him, but I like a guy named Bangladesh, Scott Storch, The Runners, Cool & Dre, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Timbaland, Polo tha Don. There’s a lot of guys that I really like and listen to and look up to as far as music makers. There’s a guy, Kane Beats, me and him are cool. He’s from Orlando but he lives in Atlanta. He’s a guy that’s coming up and I listen to his music a lot. He’s been doing pretty well.

I’m a big fan of the Neptunes and the music they make and the craft they have, it’s unique. I’d love to get in the studio and watch them make beats. That’s one thing I’m going to try to do more of and hopefully get to know some of those guys and just kick it with them and see how they do their thing.

I know how hard it is to work on the basketball court. I want to see how hard they work in the studio.

But I just make beats more for myself. I’ve got to get more confidence to get them out to people. But once I feel that my sound is okay that’s when I’ll start giving them to people and let them rap over them. One of my buddies rapped over one of my beats and it sounded pretty good, so we’ll go from there.

I’ve also got some stuff on my Mac, too. I use the keys on the laptop to make beats as well. I do that on the plane a lot. I’ve made a few nice beats on there but it’s tougher to do it on a keyboard on a laptop than it is on a real keyboard. But like I said, it’s a lot of fun. It kind of clears my mind from things. If I’ve had a bad game or we lose, or if I’m going through anything I just let the music play and it mellow me out.

So what do y’all think? Would you rather be a producer or an MC? Who are your favorite beat makers? Let me know in my comments section.

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Hook ‘em Horns!

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What’s happening, everybody? We had a good win last night against the Warriors. Monta Ellis is the real deal! Shout out to Monta and the rest of the Warriors.

I’m sure you know by now, but Saturday was a big day for me. Even though we didn’t have practice after Friday’s loss to the Boston Celtics, I still went to the practice facility, lifted and shot. I was tired. I went home and fell asleep, but I saw the Texas and Nebraska game.

I was a little bit nervous about my Longhorns. When he made the field goal I was screaming and running around the house. I was happy, man. And I’m not playing — for real, I was happy. It was just me and some guys over the house watching. We all wanted Texas to win, and it was a nail biter.

But now they’re playing for a national championship, and I think that’s just a testament to how hard those guys work over there. I had the opportunity and privilege to see those guys all the time and walk through the weight room and see them in there or see them on the field practicing. They go hard every day and they never take days off. So the hard work is starting to pay off. We have another game left so hopefully we finish it off and comeback to Austin as national champions.

I know a few of the guys on that team, too. I know Colt McCoy pretty well. I know some of the guys who were freshman when I was there and are still playing, a couple DBs, so when I go back I get to see them and say what’s up.

So good luck to the ‘Horns against Alabama in the National Championship game.

Who are y’all rooting for? What are some other bowl games that you can’t wait to see? Let me know in my comments section.

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Come Support My Giving Tree

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Hey Everyone. In the spirit of the Holidays, I am hosting a giving tree on Tuesday December 15th at Penn Square Mall’s CityScape from 6-8 pm. The Giving Tree will benefit kids from Positive Tomorrows and Sunbeam Family Services. Here’s how it works:

1) Come to my giving tree and pick an ornament off the tree to reveal a child’s wish.
2) Shop in the mall for one or more of the child’s wishes
3) Come back to the tree with the gift and receive an autograph from me. People that spend $100 or more on gifts will also receive two tickets to a Thunder game.

Please come out and support this if you can. This is the time of year to help the less fortunate. No kid should have to go through a Christmas without gifts.

God Bless.

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I Love My Music!

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wale1What’s good everybody? We play the Celtics tonight. It’s going to be another tough game, so make sure you check us out!

Not sure if you knew, but I’m a huge music fan. I like listening to a lot of stuff. Right now, I’ve been listening to my boy Wale. He’s from D.C., too, and is a very good friend.

I got to know Wale after my one year of college. He reached out to me. He was a guy that was coming up, just like me. We’re both from the city and we were basically trying to help put D.C. on the map. A lot of people don’t know too much about D.C. as far as the music thing and the basketball thing. We’ve had a couple of players come through but it’s easy to forget us because we’re so small. We just try to do our best to let people know where we came from. We’ve got that instant bond there.

He’s been great. He’s very smart, very intellectual. He knows a lot about life and things he’s been through. He’s been more like a mentor to me, a big brother to me. We help each other out and support each other. That’s what we need as people coming from the same area. It’s been a good relationship so far. He’s been doing very well in his field and I’ve been trying to work hard and get better as well. Like I said, we support each other and he’s going to come out here the next time we have a home stand.

Wale has done a lot. He’s on a Roots song. His own album came out. That’s when I first saw him, in the Roots video. I was like, ‘that’s Wale!’ Then I saw him on the video music awards. He was on tour with Jay Z, he signed with Interscope and Rock Nation. He’s been doing a lot of big things and I’m happy for him and support him. My birthday weekend we had a party together, we kind of celebrated our birthdays together. We became very close. He’s a good friend of mine.

And I actually met him through social networking on Facebook. He was just like, ‘what’s up man? I’m a big fan.’ When we were in D.C. we met up with each other, he gave me some of his CDs. We kind of talked and kicked it from there. Then it went from, ‘let me borrow something from you’ or ‘let’s go to the club.’ We just kind of became friends like that. Like I said, he’s been very supportive of me and I’ve been the same with him. It’s been a relationship that’s going to stick for a while.

Right now, I’m listening to a lot of slow jams, man, of course Lil’ Wayne. I’m trying to get into Gucci Mayne. But the usuals are Beyonce, Kerri Hilson, Ashanti and Usher. I listen to a lot of slow jams before games to get me pumped up. That’s kind of weird, huh?

And I’ve got my guys out here that make music called Rugged Individuals. They make music at my house sometimes and they’re very good, I think. I listen to them before games as well. I’m kind of versatile with my music. I listen to just about everything.

I hooked up with Rugged Individuals when I was at a Guitar Center buying some equipment for my little home studio, just trying to figure out this music thing, something I was intrigued by, and they helped me out. They were like, ‘man you should listen to my CD.’ When people say that I’m like, ‘alright.’ But I threw it in my car and I really, really liked it. I was like, man I could really vibe with that. Then I went back and we exchanged numbers and then they helped me put together my little studio, and ever since then we’ve been cool.

So what kind of music are you all listening to now? Anyone I should check out? Let me know in the comments section.

Alright, I’m out for now. Much Love…

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Reaction to the ESPN the Mag NEXT Cover

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091214_A_HalfSize_300dpiWhat’s good everyone? We had another good win last night. Russell had a career high 15 dimes!!! Hope you all had a chance to check us out. We have another tough one coming up on Friday against the Celtics.

Not sure if you heard, but I was recently put on the cover of the new ESPN Magazine as their “NEXT” athlete for 2010. I’m in some pretty elite company, too. Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Alex Rodriguez, LeBron James and Derek Jeter have also been NEXT athletes.

It’s an honor to be a part of that company. It’s just a blessing, but to really be up there I’ve just got to continue to work hard and be the person I am. I haven’t read the story yet but I’ll read that one. It’s pretty big time to be on the cover of any magazine. I was just honored. My family is real excited for me. They’re more excited than I am. They just congratulated me and it’s something that no one can take away from me.

Make sure you get a copy of the magazine. Also make sure you read this interview I did with Adena Andrews of NBA.com.

Russell also interviewed me about being NEXT. Check it out:

I’ll be back with another post later this week.

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My New NBA on ESPN Commercial

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What’s good fans? Check out my new NBA on ESPN Commercial. Leave a comment and tell me what you think of it.

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Shout Out to the Barry Farms Goodman League

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What’s going on everybody? We play Andre Iguodala and the Sixers tonight. Should be another tough game, so make sure you tune in and support us.

So have any of you guys heard of the Barry Farms Goodman League in D.C.? That place means a lot to me. It’s one of the best spots for street ball in the summer, but it’s not your typical street ball.

The first time I played at Barry Farms was when I was 16 years old. It was the finals, a three-game series and I played in that. It was the first time I stepped on the court and I was nervous because it’s right in the middle of the projects, a part of town I never really go to. I just used to go there to watch games and hurry up and leave before it got dark, but it was fun. I knew it was going to be a rough game. The refs don’t call fouls. I knew they were going to test me because I was tall and skinny. I never played there before but I stayed strong and held my own and ever since then I’ve been going back.

I went there with Ty Lawson. Me and him have been real close friends since ninth grade and he asked me to come play with his team. My mom was a little scared. She never let me play there before but now she let me go out there and play and it kind of let me show what I can do.

I have a lot of great memories from there. I had 62 points in a game down there and I had 55 this past summer down there in the playoffs. It was one of my memorable games because it was so packed. People were sitting on the gates and they were so close to the playing floor that if you go out of bounds you were stepping on somebody. That’s how close they were, that’s how intense it was. I remember going down, knocking three after three, going to the basket. I took one step across half court, I shot a jumper and I made it. I felt like I was on. The crowd kept hyping me up and telling me to shoot and they were giving me the ball. It made me feel good, gave me that confidence that I needed.

The best thing about it is it’s not regular street ball where you’re crossing them up and throwing it off people’s heads and just playing around. You really want to win. It’s for bragging rights for the whole city. Wherever I go, whether it’s Philly or Baltimore or L.A., people say, ‘are you playing down at the Farms this summer?’ It’s starting to become nationwide. A lot of people know about it. In D.C. we’re all about talking and bragging rights, so everywhere I go in the city people ask me when I’m playing again.

It’s fun because whenever I play it’s always crowded. It’s like the same fans every game. One time it was me, Michael Beasley, local legend Kurt Smith — many people don’t know who he is but he’s a local legend. It was all of us on one court. Then we had people on the sidelines…Shaq has been there, Nate Robinson has been there. We have a lot of music artists come down there and watch us play.

In the game with Mike and Kurt the Washington Mystics in the stands. They watched us play for the first time. It was just real intense. Energy was there from the beginning. It was a packed house. We put a show on for everybody to watch. I think I had 38, 39 that game. Just fun times.

I keep in touch with the people at Barry Farms all the time. I try to do my best to give back to them, since they’ve helped me become the player I am today as far as always supporting me, giving me confidence and letting me come down and play whenever I want. That’s just a blessing because not too many people can call them up and say, ‘I want to play today.’ They put me on any team. They let just let me play. They made a DVD for me, they made shirts. It just feels good to go down there and get that support from them. Any time I get a chance to talk to them or invite them to the games, I try to do that. You can find out more about the Goodman League on their facebook.

Also, here’s some video highlights of me playing at Barry Farms:

Well, that’s it for now. I hope you learned a little something about where I grew up playing ball. Have any of you guys been to the Goodman League? You guys know of any good places for street ball? Let me know in my comments section.

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Who’s Looking Good

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What’s good everybody? Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I hit the weights in the morning and then grubbed all day long.

I’m sure most of you already figured out that I’m a HUGE basketball junkie. I love to play and watch, and just because I’m always busy hoopin’ with the Thunder doesn’t mean I don’t follow what’s going on throughout the League. I keep up on things through NBA.com and box scores.

So who do I think is playing well so far? Of course my teammates have impressed me. We’re getting better as a team. But there’s a lot of other players who have looked good, too.

Of course superstars like LeBron, Kobe, D-Wade and Carmelo are having a good year. A lot of the rookies, Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn…they’re all having a good year so far. Oh yeah, I can’t forget Brandon Jennings. He has definitely impressed me so far. 55 points in a game as a Rookie is just crazy.

We’re actually playing Brandon and the Bucks tonight on ESPN. It’s gonna be another tough game, but should be a lot of fun. The game starts at 8:30 pm OKC time. Make sure to check us out.

Alright, I’m out. But leave comments and tell me who you think is playing well this season.

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NBA TV Fan Night Interview

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Hey everyone. I was on NBA TV’s Fan Night before our game against the Jazz last night. Here’s a video of the interview:

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