Latest / Born To The Game Podcast / Summer League, NBA Legends & the HIV Stat We Can't Ignore: A Solo Reflection | Born To The Game Podcast

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Summer League, NBA Legends & the HIV Stat We Can't Ignore: A Solo Reflection | Born To The Game Podcast · Born To The Game Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, Welcome back to Born to the game. Summer
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: League is officially a rap, and I just wanted to
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: hop on and share a few reflections while everything is
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: still pretty fresh. This trip was really special. Summer League
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: always holds a special place in my heart. I had
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: time to relax, see familiar faces, hang out with my family,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: and of course watch the basketball. Tamara, you were missed,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: my girl. You were definitely missed. We have to try
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: to find a way to get back to Vegas in
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty seven, but you were definitely missed.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: I missed you guys so much, and I was like
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: looking at social media. I was like glued to your
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: social media trying to just keep up what was going on.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: We had such a great time last year, so I
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: was super bummed that I couldn't make it this year.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: But I hear you had a great time, and I
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: can't wait to hear about all the fun stuff and
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: people you met, and also how the podcast was received
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: when you were out there.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: My goodness, we will dive into that because that part
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: of it really put everything into perspective for me. I
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: don't think people realize what their words meant to me
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: mean to me when they come up and they say
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: that they've watched it and they enjoy it. But we'll
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: dive into it. I do first want to quickly dive
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: into some of the things that I got to do
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: during my time at Summer Lea. So one thing I
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: did was I went to the National Basketball Wives Association summit.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: This year, they collaborated with the National Football Wives Association.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: I came a little late to the event, but when
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: I arrived, they were talking about HIV and AIDS awareness.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: I don't want to dive into this topic completely, but
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: I do want to leave every listener with this fact.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: So if you're listening, please make sure you what I'm
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: about to say with a loved one, a friend, a colleague,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: and or your social media platforms. Black women experience a
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: disproportionately high rate of HIV diagnoses in the United States,
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: accounting for over half of all new diagnoses among women,
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: despite making up only thirteen percent of the female population,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: according to data from the CDC. So please practice safe sex,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Please get tested every six months to a year, and
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: let's all do our part to en the stigma around
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: the HIV AIDS topic and have open, honest and transparent dialogue.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: About this because it is still very prevalent in affecting
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: our communities to day, and I will in this portion
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: of the conversation with if you have not heard of
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: or done your research on PREP and PEP PEP, please
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: do and talk to your doctor, no matter your sexual orientation,
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Please stay proactive and aware. It was a phenomenal presentation
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: that the wives had and I learned so much, so
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: I want to use this time just to say be proactive,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: do your research and talk to your doctor.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: Really really alarming and shocking, but very very good information.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, So that was again amazing. It was a
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: beautiful presentation, beautiful event. Another takeaway moment that I had
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: I went to the Gezy concert with my husband. It
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: was absolutely spectaculars down a banger. If you are part
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: of my close friends list, you were able to see
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: a turn and tipsy Mariah. My husband at the very
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: last minute said he wanted to go, and I'm so
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: happy we found the time to attend. First and foremost,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: there was a dress code, which I loved. I've seen
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: some mixed reviews on Jez having this dress code, but
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: I was a fan. Good for Jez and his team
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: for requiring attendees to dress up. I think it elevated
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: the overall experience. Everyone looked absolutely stunning before the concert started.
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: Your girl was one Margareita in and if you know me, Tamara,
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: and you do know me, you know I'm the lightest
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: of lightweights when it comes to consuming alcohol. So I
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: was turned. I was slag surfing, I was booty bouncing.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: Shout out to the DJ for playing an absolute banger,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: well playing absolute bangers before GZ came out, because I
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: was already done before GZ walked out on stage. And
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: there was a brother sitting two seats over to me
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: on my left and he was knocked out, knocked clean
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: out before GZ came out on stage. That's how much
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: fun we had. But when the stage curtains lifted and
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: Gez walked out, I saw literally the most breath taking presentation.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: He had an orchestra on the left side of the stage,
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: a car in the middle, his band was on the
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: right side of the stage, and everything was sitting in snow.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: And if you're not a JEZ fan, or if you
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: are a youngster just listening in, we called gz Gz
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: the Snowman. If you're from Atlanta, you know GZ is
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: the Snowman. So that explains the snow but hands down
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: ten out of ten experience. If you have Vegas on
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: your calendar in the New York future, I do recommend going,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: and ticket prices are not that bad. So things I
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: wish I would have gone to but I just simply
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: couldn't attend was the She's Got Time Summit, founded by
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: former w NBA player Swim Cash. Oh my goodness when
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: I tell you, guys, I've seen recap videos, pictures and
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: it looks like a phenomenal time. She's Got Time is
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: a cultural force and professional ecosystem for women building careers
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: across sports, entertainment and adjacent industries. Their goal is to
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: create spaces for women to grow, scale and thrive while
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: connecting them to the opportunities and resources. And if you
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: know anything about me, if you know anything about Tamara,
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: we are all about uplifting, elevating and empowering women. So
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: I am definitely putting this on my calendar for next year.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: I will be in attendance to this She's Got Time Summit.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: And if you or if you know of anybody who
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: plans on being in Vegas July twenty twenty seven, definitely
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: tell your friends about it. Their Instagram is at I'm
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: on instam now. The biggest takeaway from this year's Summer
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: League was attending the NBA Legends annual event hosted by
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: the National Basketball Retired Players Association. It was incredible to
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: see so many legends gathered in one room, not just
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: celebrating the game, but celebrating each other. There was just
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: this strong sense of brotherhood and camaraderie, and witnessing my
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: dad just hug and just fellowship with people that he
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: wants shared the court with was just heartwarming. And it
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: just I never got to see my dad play, so
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: watching him just in this space just did something to
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: me internally, you know, watching these men who helped pave
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: the way for today's players. They fought for better opportunities,
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: greater respect, and helped build the NBA and so pretty
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: much what it is today. And so again being in
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: that room was a reminder that before the fame, before
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: the contracts, before the global spotlight, they were pioneers who
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: sacrificed so future generations could thrive. And all of that
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: to say that when it comes to born to the game,
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: those are the same people who are stopping me throughout
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: the week saying how proud they are of watching Born
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: to the Game evolve and grow. And I don't think
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: they understood what their words meant to me, and just
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: just how I don't know what word I'm looking for
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: is just motivating and inspiring. It is to hear from
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: these legends that they're proud of me and what we
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: are building with Born to the Game, and so it
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: just again it reiterates that what we're doing is being
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: seen and celebrated. And I got to see Olden Polonies,
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: who was a former guest on the show, at the
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: NBA Legends Annual meeting, and he was bragging on it.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: He was sharing with all of his colleagues different clips
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: and highlights from the event, and all of them kept
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: just reminding me again just to keep going, and they
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: want their kids to be involved and on the episodes
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: as well. I also had the opportunity to sit down
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: with my dad and Garius for a quick conversation about
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: just what they hope to gain from this year's Summer League,
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: what they were looking for and the team's young players
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: and what fans could expect heading into the season. Unfortunately,
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: the team may not have had the results they were
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: hoping for, but Summer League, again, is much more than
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: wins and losses. It's an opportunity to evaluate talent and
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: identity areas for growth and just gain clarity and what
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: needs to improve before training camp. So I know they
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: walked away with valuable insights and I'm just excited to
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: see how those lessons translate throughout the upcoming season. So
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: I'm super excited to see our rookies develop as well
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: and again see what next season brings to the Sacramento Kings.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: Before I wrap, I wanted to let you know that
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: I put together a short Summer League series that captures
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: some of the fun behind the scenes moments from the week,
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: from conversations with family and friends to life away from
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: the courts. I wanted to give you a glimpse into
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: what Summer League is really like beyond the games. I'll
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: be releasing the episodes on YouTube over the next few
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: weeks and I hope you enjoy them. As always, thank
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: you so so much for your support of Born to
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: the Game, and I'll see you and the next one