Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings sits down with the former NBA star to talk about his journey from professional basketball player to Olympian in beach volleyball.
Video Transcript
I’m Kerri Walsh Jennings here with Yahoo Sports and I’m joined today with USA Olympians, Chase Beninger and Miles Evans.
How has your NBA past um prepared you for greatness in the volleyball world, I think.
Um you know, I just really try to take away my work ethic that I had in basketball and really just translate it over to beach volleyball and not kind of get involved in the normal beach volleyball life of just going to practice and then going home and chilling and doing whatever at night of, of really just being like, you know what this is my profession, this is my job.
So it’s, you got to do everything from watch film to making sure your body is right.
So that making sure the recovery, you know, spot on eating the right foods.
Um you know, just doing everything, all the little things that you need to do to just focus on this is your job.
And um I’ve really tried to make that a priority in my life and then also translated to my partners as well of like, hey, this is our job.
This is what we need to do.
So you’re on this Olympic journey pinnacle of your life so far after becoming a dad.
Um, how much do you miss basketball?
Uh, I miss basketball.
I mean, it was such a big part of my life for so long, you know, I kind of put that part of my life away and I’ve started this new chapter in my life, which is beach volleyball, but I still love watching it, you know, I love the NBA.
I love, you know, checking on the guys that I played with, which is not very many anymore.
Um But still love it, still a big fan of it, but like I said, I’m on to my next chapter.
I love it.
Best thing about playing in the NBA was the brotherhood that you kind of develop with your teammates.
Um You know, you’re all in it together, you have the best locker room banter and you’re, you know, you’re on the bus together, you’re on the planes, you’re going out to dinner.
So just, just some of those relationships that you kind of grow and kind of um become bonded through that brotherhood that you kind of get of being on the team.