TBM—November 2021 Issue : simplebooklet.com

Born and raised in Little Rock Arkansas Bobby Portis became immersed in the world of basketball at a very young age Although his first love was in football growing up Bobby remembers quickly discovering his passion for basketball after he started playing in third grade There was just something special about the game It fueled his competitive drive It inspired him to take on new challenges and step outside his comfort zone It pushed him to work on becoming the best version of himself he could be Committed to playing in the NBA one day Bobby embarked on his journey in the sport He was focused He was determined to turn his dreams into reality Throughout his time at Hall High School Bobby worked daily to elevate his game and perfect his skills on the court From winning four state championships to receiving a McDonald s All American selection and the Mr Basketball of Arkansas honor Bobby earned a variety of accolades during his time in high school that began to build his legacy in the game This was just the beginning As he continued to work towards his dreams of playing in the NBA Bobby started his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas where he set an array of school records was named the SEC Player of the Year and became one of Arkansas most elite players in program history After his sophomore season Bobby was ready to take the next step in his career and declared for the NBA Draft Before he knew it the opportunity he had been working towards since he was a kid was here With the 22nd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft the Chicago Bulls selected Bobby He had done it He had achieved his dreams of playing the game he loved on the world s biggest stage He hasn t looked back since Over the past seven seasons Bobby has continued to expand his game and basketball IQ while also adding to his legacy This past season he became an NBA Champion with the Milwaukee Bucks after winning the 2021 NBA Finals And it doesn t stop there Along with his achievements on the court Bobby has also pursued a series of incredible ventures beyond the game From his nonprofit organization The Bobby Portis Foundation to his annual basketball camps and back to school giveaways to his UNDERDOG clothing brand Bobby continues to pay it forward and give back to the Arkansas community Through it all Bobby remains driven by the opportunity to inspire the next generation to work hard stay locked in be relentless in the pursuit of their dreams and most importantly embrace the journey Photographs courtesy of University of Arkansas Athletics Photo credit Nick Monroe Milwaukee Bucks THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 5

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Photo credit Nick Monroe Milwaukee Bucks both images Diving into your journey early on let s talk about your time at Hall High School You had an incredible career there and earned an array of accolades including four state championships a McDonald s All American selection and the Mr Basketball of Arkansas honor What did achieving these honors mean to you It just taught me how to work hard Early on in my career my first two years in high school I didn t really play as much as a freshman and sophomore The early struggles the early highs and lows of what the game of basketball gives to a player can make or break a player It made me It made me hungrier It humbled me It just made me work as hard as I could to make my dreams become reality We won four times in a row and it was great winning but all the highs and lows that came with it really just built that hunger inside of me Having my mom there and having a great supporting cast to always support me through it all was the best part of it I tell this story all the time My sophomore year is really what made me come back and want to keep going It made me want to be an NBA player and be the best that I could be I started my first 16 17 games in my 10th grade year and then after that suddenly I didn t even play anymore The coach stopped playing me We had like seven or eight seniors on the team and the seniors started getting all the playing time I thought I was one of the best players on the team but I guess he just wanted to give some of the other seniors some scholarship looks offers and things like that We made it to the championship game that year and we won but I just felt like I didn t have an impact So on the way home I cried I cried that I didn t play My mom has always told me to work hard She told me I needed to start working harder getting in the gym more and dedicating myself more to my craft Every time some adversity hits or anything I just think about that because that one moment really changed my life THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 6

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From there you embarked on your collegiate career at the University of Arkansas Could you tell us a little bit more about your experiences there It was great Going to the University of Arkansas was always a big time passion goal and dream of mine I m from Arkansas and when you grow up in Arkansas that s all you see Razorbacks everywhere You go to the gas station you see Razorbacks You go outside to someone else s house their neighbors have a Razorback sticker on their car or on their windshield or license plate Or they might have a Razorback flag on their house So to be able to commit to Arkansas as a 10th grader in the summertime and to see how my hard work and dedication paid off for me to get to that point it was great It had always been a lifelong dream of mine like I said and my time there was awesome Having a coach like Mike Anderson pushing me consistently to be the best I could be was awesome He got the best out of me every day His big time saying is You are going to come here a boy and leave a man I definitely left a man when I left Arkansas You were there for two seasons before declaring for the NBA Draft How do you think your game elevated throughout your time there to prepare you for the next level My game elevated a lot You know going from high school to college is always different for different people With me I was a McDonald s All American I had high expectations for myself but I knew I had high expectations from the outside world as well I just stayed down stayed committed to my game spent late nights and early mornings in the gym and just dedicated myself to my craft I dedicated myself to this game of basketball I had great friends and a great support system that loved basketball too so it made it easy for me to go to the gym with them and be there all night So I think from a development standpoint that growth really came from me just dedicating myself to the game on a daily basis being the first one in Photo credit Nick Monroe Milwaukee Bucks the gym and the last one to leave the gym with my college team You know just setting the standard I think I m a big part of why Arkansas is what it is now Before I got there there weren t many people that looked at going to Arkansas as cool I kind of made it cool again to go there I kind of showed people that you can go to Arkansas and still make it to the NBA I m not looking for any credit for that or anything but I just like to keep it real and I like to state the facts I love Arkansas dearly I love what that Razorback stands for I love it and you know I rep it each and every day everywhere I go THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 7

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Now we have to talk about Draft Night You were selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 22nd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft What was that moment like of hearing your name being called and achieving your dreams of playing in the NBA It was great If you know how the draft process works then you know it s tough You leave college you tell the world that you re gonna enter your name into the draft you have to sign with an agent you go to your pre draft workouts with your agency you go to team workouts with different teams that call you in for a workout with them as well and then you go to Draft Night Draft Night was great for me Going to Draft Night my mom my three little brothers and all of my support system that still supports me to this day were there We had a great time I thought I was going to get picked earlier than when I did but still grateful that I got picked by the Chicago Bulls at 22 It was one of the best things and best lifelong dreams of mine For me to hear my name called and shake the commissioner s hand I mean those are feelings that you can t really even describe You get butterflies you get jitters It s a great experience and I m just so grateful to have experienced that The championship run was crazy To go down 0 2 in the Finals and to win four straight games For the crowd to be cheering my name you know those are things I can t make up Those are things that you live for and dream of each and every day I m just so happy and grateful that I was able to experience that I m so happy and grateful that my family was able to experience that with me Bobby on becoming an NBA Champion and what achieving this milestone meant to him Photo credit Nick Monroe Milwaukee Bucks As you took that next step and began your professional career how was that transition from college into the league like for you What were some challenges that you faced there Not being the man anymore When you go from high school to college like I did I was the man on my high school team and then I got to college and was the man on my college team as well I was the number one option When I got drafted by the Bulls now I have Derrick Rose on my team I have Jimmy Butler on my team I have Joakim Noah I have Pau Gasol I have all types of Hall of Famers on my team So now I have to suddenly figure out what I can do to impact winning what I can do to help the team win and what I can do to even try to get on the court I think my biggest challenge early on was just knowing if I could really fit trying to work hard every day to try to earn the coach s trust and things like that Obviously as a rookie there are always doubts Like I used to always say Maybe I should have stayed in college if I m not gonna play But everybody s journey is going to be different I embraced my journey and I m just so happy that I was able to go through those tough times because those tough times really helped me along the way Having great veterans always telling me Stay ready Things happen in this league You know players get hurt players get traded You never know when the coach is gonna throw you in there Always just stay ready so you don t have to get ready So having guys like Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson big credit to them they were a big part of my success THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 8

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Photo credit Nick Monroe Milwaukee Bucks Reflecting back on your first year in the league how do you think you worked to overcome some of those challenges Just always staying ready that s the biggest thing in this league One thing that you can always control in this league is how hard you work You can always control how hard you work your attitude and your body language each and every day You can t control how much playing time you re gonna get You can t control if the coach is gonna play this guy or that guy But you can control the hard work you put in there That s advice I would give to any guy that s getting drafted wants to get drafted or is in the league now just stay ready You made a great point on the value of staying locked in regardless of the challenges one may face throughout this journey whether it s tough losses trades injuries etc Could you share more of your thoughts with us on the importance of having that mental focus to overcome adversity Mental focus is everything especially when playing team sports You have to lock in You have to find that balance where when you re on the court or are working out nothing else really matters at that time You have to do your job You know people go to work from 9 to 5 every day and they have to really lock in on their job So when we re here for our two three four hours this is our job as well You have to treat it like work You have to really take pride in it With me I am a prideful person I just try to get better each and every year but the highs and lows that come with this game are always gonna be there Adversity is always going to hit at some point but you always have to try to withstand the storm and you withstand the storm by staying true to yourself knowing your values working as hard as you can and staying down until it s your time THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 10

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This past season you also became an NBA Champion Congratulations on that What was that experience like for you What did achieving this milestone mean to you It was great Throughout my career I think that I as a person have been misconstrued a lot I ve been through the highs and lows I ve been suspended for the altercation with my teammate Once that happened it s like a lot changed in my career where people viewed me as someone I m really not Being able to get on a team that had championship aspirations where I had a chance to impact winning was the biggest thing for me I m just so happy that things played out that way The championship run was crazy To go down 0 2 in the Finals and to win four straight games For the crowd to be cheering my name you know those are things I can t make up Those are things that you live for and dream of each and every day I m just so happy and grateful that I was able to experience that I m so happy and grateful that my family was able to experience that with me It s just one of those things that I wouldn t trade for the world Guys play X amount of years in this league 10 15 16 17 however long they play and they never even get a chance to even experience that I was able to not only experience it but I was able to win a championship as well so it s a great feeling Photograph courtesy of Bobby Portis bportistime You re currently in your seventh season in the league Throughout this journey what are some things that continue to motivate you to grow and evolve My mom and my family You know I know where we came from I lived in 16 houses growing up as a kid I watched my mom never complain never worry never look like things were not good She was always the same each and every day I knew if my mom could get up at two three or four in the morning and go work all day then what s me going to workout three or four hours a day to get better each and every year As a basketball player that s your only job Your only job each and every year is to come back next year a better player and add something to your game to help the team win and to impact winning So if I can just come back each and every year add something new to my game get my body right and get in the best shape possible that s what gets me going each and every day I m a passionate player I m an emotional basketball player So it doesn t matter what dollar amount I m playing for or any of that I m going to go out there and give it my all THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 11

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Photograph courtesy of Bobby Portis bportistime Now transitioning a little bit off the court let s talk about some of your ventures beyond the game How have you started your personal brand in the space Just trying to establish myself as more than a basketball player You know we have X amount of time to play this game We obviously have to maximize everything that comes with this game and as much money that we can make with this game but with me I want to be known as more than a basketball player I want to be in different avenues get my hands on different projects and get knowledge on different things I love real estate I started a podcast I have my own clothing line I have equity in X amount of companies etc I m just trying to build up my portfolio so I can build up generational wealth I don t have kids now but one day I will and I m trying to change the pipeline for generations to come My family struggled our whole life It just takes one person to try to break that barrier and hopefully I can be that guy Definitely Let s start by diving into your podcast Could you share more with us about how it came about and the theme for the project We re gonna drop my podcast in a few weeks and it s called Keep It a Buck I have guys come on there and we talk we laugh and we chill Me and my two co hosts Anthony Black and Daouda Berete who are my two high school teammates and long time friends we just talk and chill with our guests Every time we ask you a question man we just want you to keep it a buck with us Keeping it a buck with us is just about keeping it real and giving us a real life statement It s going to be a fun podcast for the viewers and people that love podcasts I think we re doing a great job with it and I just can t wait for it to be released THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 12

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Going into your work with the Arkansas community you have a variety of philanthropic initiatives there you have a basketball camp do giveaways host galas etc Tell us a little bit more about the importance for you to give back to your community through these ventures I think it s always important to give back you know It s always good to share your blessings with others I m a guy who loves kids I love putting smiles on other people s faces I love seeing kids happy I love seeing parents see their kids happy With me it was a no brainer I m from Little Rock Arkansas If I can help inspire or change just one person s life each and every year then I feel like I did my job People from where I m from don t even get a chance to make it to the NBA let alone have their own podcast and be an NBA champion So I think it s important that I come back and show kids that it s possible You can do the same thing that I did we re from similar backgrounds There are a lot of people that look up to me where I m from and I just try to give my all to them I just want to give back to them so you know one day when I m 40 or 50 years old there might be a kid that came to my camp that I helped along the way and now is an NBA player or an aspiring nurse or whatever it is I just love motivating others This past August you received the key to the city and your own day in your hometown of Little Rock Arkansas What was that moment like for you Photographs courtesy of Bobby Portis bportistime So during the NBA championship we won and I didn t even cry that day I was just so in awe that we won But having a chance to get the key to my city let alone having a chance to get my own day in my city I cried I got word that I was going to get the key to the city but I didn t know I was getting my own day as well With that being said when the mayor came up said his speech and said that I was getting my own day that really brought tears to my eyes You know coming from where I m from we don t really get our own days We don t make it to the NBA We don t get a chance to be on the cover of a magazine or none of that It just seems so far off that it s a dream or a fairytale for real People from where I m from get caught up in their environment They get caught in being products of their environment So for me to have those things given to me and awarded to me it means the world to me I m a humble guy but I m always hungry for more That day was very very special for me and I ll never forget it I had tears of joy and it was great That s awesome Throughout our chat you ve touched on your love for your city Could you share more with us about the impact that your city has had on your journey THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 14 Every interview I do any press conference I do Little Rock Arkansas is getting brought up That city really made me It showed me how to work hard It showed me what being a bluecollar type guy can do for you It showed me that if I work as hard as I can I can make it out of any situation I m in It just gave me so much You know people go to school for 20 25 26 years But like me being from Arkansas just going through this journey of life it has taught me so much more than school has ever taught me Just being able to be where I m from and give back and inspire the next generation coming after me that s my biggest goal That s my biggest aspiration for real The highest human act is to always inspire someone else you know so that s the biggest passion that I have

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Let s talk about your clothing brand UNDERDOG What was that process like of creating your own apparel brand How did the messaging come about I ve been repping UNDERDOG since I was a kid I ve been calling myself an underdog because no matter what it was nobody ever believed I could do anything When I got ranked in high school as one of the top basketball players in the nation nobody believed I was one of the top players in the nation When I went to Arkansas nobody believed that I could play basketball at Arkansas When I won Player of the Year at Arkansas nobody believed that I would be Player of the Year When I got drafted by the Bulls in the first round nobody believed I could play in the NBA When I won an NBA championship nobody believed that I was ever going to win an NBA Championship No matter what I did no matter how good I played no matter what it was the only people that really believed were the people in my circle We were the only ones that really believed Fans and things come along the way because of how hard you work and how hard you play But my support system and my support group I love those guys dearly I love those guys so much So to me my UNDERDOG clothing line really just came It just formed I started this crazy eyes stuff when I was in Chicago tried that out a little bit but then I said Man I want to make my UNDERDOG brand a mantra I want to turn it into something special and something cool for the fans With me the mantra behind it is not just about basketball It s a way of life Being an underdog is not just about Ok cool we are playing this team tomorrow and they have this player or Oh someone is counting me out I m going to try and prove them wrong No it s not about that Being an underdog is a way of life When you come from where you come from you go through all the things that come the highs and lows that God is going to take you through to see if you really want it and see if you really deserve being in this role I rep that every day of my life because that s what it is I love the UNDERDOG mantra I love what it means I love what it does for your confidence and your swag When you have that underdog chip on your shoulder you re gonna go out there and give it your all each and every day Love that Throughout this journey both on and off the court what are some things that you have learned about yourself I have learned that adversity is gonna make or break you I have learned that the highs and lows that this game of basketball gives you you have to really just find your true self through all of that Adversity is always going to hit in life in basketball or whatever it is it s going to hit at some point However you react to it however you feel about it and whatever you do about it your true self is going to come out Life is always gonna test you but you can t fold You have to stay ten toes down You have to keep going You gotta stay locked in That s one of my biggest mantras and sayings right now always staying locked in You never know who s watching You never know what s gonna happen You never know the outcome but I know the work works When you work as hard as you can trust your craft and put your time into whatever it is you ll be good at the end of the day The dominoes are gonna fall in your favor Photograph courtesy of Bobby Portis bportistime Going into the advice side of things what are some pieces of advice that you would give to someone who wants to play basketball at the professional level I would say Work as hard as you can Dedicate yourself to the craft Stay late come early and do the extras get some extra shots up and do all the things that people don t want to do When people wanted to go out hang out with their friends or go to the movies I did none of that I was strictly all basketball This is what I would die for This is what I lived for Watching the playoffs watching all of my favorite players every day watching Kevin Garnett watching Kobe watching these guys give it their all was amazing These guys were basketball fanatics That s all I ve ever done my whole life live sleep eat basketball That s all it was So you really have to be passionate about this game to get here let alone stay here Staying here is the hardest part You have to really dedicate yourself to this craft You have to sacrifice Sacrifice is a big thing that I ll tell anybody not just in sports but in life in general If you want to get the best out of yourself or the best out of your situation you might have to sacrifice something that you re doing Sacrifice is the biggest thing in life THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 15

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MALCOLM GRIFFIN Professional Basketball Player Malcolm Griffin started playing basketball when he was just four years old For this East Side Chicago native the game quickly became a world he fell in love with after watching old Michael Jordan and 90s video tapes growing up He was all in Determined to be a sponge and play the game at the highest level Malcolm continued to strengthen his skills on the court and develop his basketball IQ It was only from there After graduating from Hyde Park Academy High School Malcolm embarked on his collegiate career at the University of Toledo before transferring to Fresno Pacific University Throughout his time there he elevated his game on the floor further learned about the importance of work ethic and discipline and solidified his commitment to pursuing a professional playing career upon graduation Sure enough he did just that From Greece to Morocco Photographs courtesy of Malcolm Griffin 8lackCaesar to Russia Malcolm has played in several countries thou throughout his eight year professional career As he continues his personal journey in the industry he is also excited to pursue an array of personal ventures beyond the game in the near future including the launch of a nonprofit organization and annual basketball camp for the youth in Chicago to pave the way for the next generation of athletes Let s start with your journey early on You played at the University of Toledo and then at Fresno Pacific University Could you share more with us about your experiences there At the University of Toledo I had a lot of growing pains With it being my first year out of high school and the first time being away from home there were growing pains in just learning and understanding the game I really didn t have the concept down of you know just being a hard worker I was basically all talent I got my first taste of bad medicine when I went to college and went up against competition where there were a lot of guys that weren t as talented as me but their work ethic was better I wasn t the best player that I could have been at the time I think that was the biggest takeaway from my first two years at the University of Toledo I was just trying to figure myself out trying to figure everything out and it really humbled me I was one of the top guys in my class in the state of Illinois and with me getting by like that I just figured that college would be the same thing I didn t really have anybody letting me know how real it was gonna get I had to see it for myself and I had to get through it After redshirting a year from transferring I went to Fresno Pacific where my former coach and mentor Dexter Young who is the newest Head Coach at Premier Academy in Houston and his brother Dominick Young who was a phenom at Fresno State with Chris Herren and Melvin Ely gave me a lot of game on my work ethic how to fight through adversity and just how to get through the experiences that I had with figuring out myself and the game They just gave me a lot of tips and I was just a sponge They helped me finish my college career at a great standard and those experiences are part of making me an eight year pro to this day I give those guys a lot of credit and that was probably one of the biggest pluses to my life after my days at Toledo THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 18

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Reflecting back on your time in college how do you think your game elevated throughout your four years My work ethic had increased tremendously and just different aspects of my game I actually really wanted to play defense I understood how to be a leader on and off the court with my teammates and I pretty much developed into being a point guard in those years In high school I could always handle the ball but we had other guards that were good and smaller than me So I always played the wing or the forward I think the biggest thing that I learned was just really the work ethic I was really locked in watched a lot of film worked on my body I lost about 30 pounds from my sophomore year to my junior year and got my endurance up Those were the biggest things that I took from those couple of hard years at Toledo When I got to Fresno it was a new journey one that I still carry with me today Once I understood the concept of work ethic it really helped me to get to this point During your time at Fresno Pacific you earned an array of accolades including becoming the conference leader in points assists and steals What did achieving these milestones mean to you After the fact I was really proud of myself Sometimes I tried to be very modest about it because it wasn t on the level that I had started on It was something that I knew in my mind I had to do because I felt like I was levels above the level that I was on But as I got through my career I really reflected back It really does mean a lot You know you can t get those years back Everything worked out how it should have I had to get through those growing pains and get over the fact that I had transferred to a Division II school which wasn t for the talent I had messed up my grades a lot when I was at the University of Toledo Being away from home for the first time life got real You know I went to high school with my mom and I went to elementary and middle school with my granddad I always had supervision around so those first two years at Toledo having that freedom I didn t know how to be responsible At that time I was 18 19 years old just trying to play basketball and have fun But when life got real I had to adjust and become a man away from home So having those accolades I reflected back on just getting over obstacles and getting through adversity I was proud of myself THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 19

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As you embarked on your professional career how was that transition from college into the world of professional basketball like for you My first couple of years overseas were in Morocco which was not the best league to start in especially coming from a Division II school But I was a rookie I didn t really know any better and my agents weren t really the best agents They just had me go to Morocco for some nice money which I didn t even get You know there were a lot of things that I went through in Morocco that I know a lot of people from my environment or even other people would have just quit on They probably would have gotten a job or tried to go back to school to do something else I was really determined to make basketball my job though It was something I loved to do It had been a true love of mine since I was a real small kid So I just had to get through that adversity Those first two years in Morocco really showed me a lot about my character It s really been a journey for me and I feel like it can t get any worse for me Every obstacle or situation that I have faced since then is something that doesn t really affect me at all because I feel like I went through the worst times in Morocco early on In addition to playing in Morocco you ve also played in Greece and Israel What are some key takeaways or lessons that you have learned during your time playing overseas that you would share with someone who wants to play abroad as well I would say Have goals when you get there When I went to my first team in Greece I had a goal to not play the whole year I wanted to get a buyout to a team with higher quality status and a higher quality budget I set that goal for myself and I achieved that goal after 13 games my first year going to Russia to play for Zenit a EuroLeague team I was there from January to June of 2018 You know just control what you can keep going no matter what and keep proving yourself right and everybody else wrong Everything will come to fruition THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 20

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You re from Chicago IL What role has the city played throughout your journey in the game Chicago s been a really tough city for years you know dating back to Isaiah Thomas Mark Aguirre and Ben Wilson Those were all good tough players because they came from tough environments Anything they faced they could conquer because they were from a hostile environment that prepares you for hostile environments When you go on the road and you have 10 000 crazy fans yelling at you it s no different from playing at a Pro Am or high school gym as an up and coming young individual in the city Even if you don t play basketball if you live in those environments especially where I m from which is South Side and East Side those moments just prepare you for life If you move the right way and figure it out young I think the rest of your life could be really easy if you adapt to your surroundings and environment I think that s the biggest thing that I picked up from Chicago You know growing up I was one of the kids that played with the older kids That alone just helped me get my toughness on and off the court I feel like if you can make it in Chicago you can make it anywhere Going into the advice side of things what are some pieces of advice that you would give to someone who wants to play basketball at the professional level I would say Yeah basketball is a job but don t worry about the money especially if you are just starting or are coming from a small school Just go in and enjoy the game If you are in it for the money then you might as well try to play on teams that play for money in the States or with your selected crowd Overseas it might take three or four years to really get your career off the ground especially coming from a situation like the one I did In a lot of cases no matter how talented you are there are a lot of people trying to get into the NBA Those that don t make it there they get the first dibs to be overseas You know there is only so much room for so many people on all of these teams Also I would say to not get complacent Always reach for higher goals never get too comfortable and be prompt All of the lessons that I ve learned in high school and college have prepared me to be one of the pros that s respected I m always on time I do everything the right way on and off the court and I stay out of trouble You can have fun but don t think it s a vacation It s still a job So you just gotta do you work hard and everything will work itself out It s joy To play this game at a high level and still enjoy it like I did when I was a young kid there s no better feeling than that I did have a moment where I had thoughts of just giving it all up because at a point I didn t have fun with it anymore But that was just another step of adversity and another wall that I had to break through It just feels good to have the love back for the game so joy would be the best word to describe the game for me Malcolm on what basketball means to him and why the game is so special THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 21

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TIM MARTIN Basketball Skills Trainer Player Development Coach Director of Marketing Way of Wade Li Ning For Tim Martin the world of coaching and player development was a space he was passionate about for as long as he can remember Known in high school as coach Tim was always eager to train fellow athletes growing up and help them improve their skills on the court After graduating high school Tim was set to play on scholarship at Pepperdine University Due to his ACT scores he had to pivot and begin his journey in junior college at New Mexico Junior College instead During his first practice there he injured his ankle and decided to move back to Dallas Texas Little did he know but this was just the beginning of a journey that would unleash an array of experiences in the industry and would take him all over the world in the years to come Upon returning to Dallas Tim immersed himself in every aspect of coaching and skills training at just 19 years old The rest is history From Photographs courtesy of Tim Martin timmartinbball hosting camps in China Africa South Korea France and all overto the Unitedside STtatby side with high school and all over the United States to organizing several coaching clinics working college and NBA athletes on their journeys to the league Tim has continued to leave his mark on the industry throughout his career Along with helping athletes and coaches reach their highest potential through his emphasis on the mental aspect of the game he has also fostered an incredible personal brand beyond the court From his docuseries The Beautiful Struggle to his work with Way of Wade Li Ning Dwyane Wade s sneaker company Tim has quickly become an all star in the sports entertainment and fashion industries As he continues his journey in the space Tim is looking forward to developing his legacy further while helping the next generation of basketball players and coaches Truly inspiring Take us through your journey into the world of professional training and coaching What were some challenges that you faced early on Initially I was working a lot of odd jobs and they weren t really in the basketball industry I think for me I just had to learn how to manage different personalities The basketball side was always easy for me but it was about learning how to deal with different people from different walks of life That took me some time to adjust to and that s when I really started learning more about the psychology side of things and how professional players operate You were only 19 years old when you started coaching and immersing yourself in the world of professional training How did you work to overcome some of the adversity that you faced early on Man a lot of trial and error I made a lot of mistakes I think what really sped up my progression in the industry was to surround myself with smarter people Having some mentors like Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown God Shammgod and numerous other coaches that took me under their wing and were able to guide me along that path was great They helped me understand You know this is not always about basketball You have to have some empathy with these players because they deal with a lot of stuff off the court So just humanizing those relationships and forming an actual personal relationship with the players definitely helped me advance a lot faster THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 24

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Tell us more about building your personal brand How did you get started with your company The Beautiful Struggle Yeah So my story is very similar to that Will Smith movie The Pursuit of Happyness With my son when he was about one and a half I was actually homeless for about two and a half three years I just remember during that hardship of just living in the back seat of my car or just on the street or in motels thinking It can t get any worse It was like rock bottom for me but that was a solid foundation to build off of The way I looked at it was just to be optimistic and live through my faith One of my favorite rappers was Talib Kweli and he had a song called The Beautiful Struggle I kind of took that phrase and used it as a mantra It was something that I lived by I had to really find some type of beauty and some good each day in all the hardship that I was experiencing With that mentality and in that mindset of just positivity I think that definitely uplifted me through those hard times It helped me overcome them I think we all have a story as people but that was the one phrase that I think a lot of people could relate to I just wanted to share my story and live through my testimony that s how the brand actually started Within your brand you also created a documentary series highlighting the journeys of different athletes How did those docuseries come about During that time there was a kid named Jawun Evans who moved to Dallas Texas and he was like 15 years old One of my favorite movies of all time was Hoop Dreams it was a very famous basketball documentary I was like Man it would be cool if we just started filming all of Jawun s journey If he makes it to the NBA that would be a really compelling story I ve always been passionate about film cinematography and just the artistry of creating movies and stuff like that So we did We documented everything from his sophomore year of high school all the way to him actually making the NBA Simultaneously that process happened seven other times with more players that I had on the come up like Trae Young and PJ Washington We filmed their progress and they all made it to the NBA also so it was a really really cool experience THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 25

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In addition to that you have also hosted an array of camps overseas in China South Korea Africa etc What has that experience of going overseas and helping with player development and coaching been like for you I had gotten a few opportunities to initially go to China and when I went out there that kind of opened my eyes to just so much You know I think we as Americans can tend to be a little bit naive on what we hear and see about other countries or different cultures So to be able to dive into their culture and experience that firsthand it opened my eyes to the opportunities of how I could reach the masses through the game of basketball That kind of elevated me to go to these different countries and really teach the game not just to the players but also other coaches from professional ranks all the way down to the grassroots level I held a lot of different coaching clinics where I taught them how to properly teach the game build workout plans for their players and things of that nature Let s talk about your work with the NBA G League You have also worked in basketball operations and player development How was that transition like for you of going from personal training and player development to working with the league in those areas as well Man they had me doing everything selling tickets selling corporate sponsorships a little bit of all that Again that kind of opened my eyes and revealed a lot to me in the operational side of things just with logistics I was always thinking it was just about the basketball component but operating with different departments taught me a lot of what goes into the entertainment portion of the business and having to sell tickets You know nobody is getting paid if the fans aren t investing to see their favorite players That also sparked the interest in being more versatile in my approach with handling players dealing with agents and bringing more value So now I m in a space where I can work on different brand partnerships I run marketing for Dwyane Wade s shoe company the Way of Wade brand and that has led me into other endeavors that I m simultaneously doing as I m coaching THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 26

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You ve touched on the impact that basketball has had in your life since a young age If you could put it into words what does basketball mean to you and why is this game so special I didn t have a lot of friends growing up and basketball was the one icebreaker that allowed me to tap in with people You could go to any park or basketball court in the local gym and you could definitely formulate relationships with people You could really use that ball as something that you all had in common naturally and let those relationships manifest into something special Being around the game has really opened up so many doors with people from different walks of life It s been fascinating going through the process with that ball This game has led me to form so many relationships ones that without that basketball I would never have had so I m extremely thankful for what the game has brought and done for me Going into the advice side of things what are some pieces of advice that you would give to someone who also wants to go into coaching and professional basketball training I would say You have to remember who you are You know I think there s so much information out there that we try to aspire to be certain people or have certain styles of coaching or whatever the case may be I think you have to be authentic and stay true to yourself I think that when you understand that people don t invest in your products they don t really invest in what you re doing per se but rather invest in you and when you re able to come across as sincere and genuine people will definitely gravitate towards you and help you in whatever way you may need at that particular moment Reflecting back on your own personal journey what is a piece of advice that you would give to your younger self and why Man I had actually just talked about this the other day I would say Stop stressing stop worrying It s funny how everything always works itself out no matter how bad it is in your life I don t care what the situation is what the traumatic experience was or whatever it is life has a funny way of just working itself out I know for me throughout my whole 20s I stressed out about a lot of things that I wish I would have just taken some more time with and lived through my faith THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 28

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BUSINESS ALL STARS MICHAEL RAYMOND NBA Agent FIBA Agent Founder Raymond Representation Michael Raymond knew he wanted to pursue a career in sports from a young age It wasn t until his time in high school though that he discovered his interest in the business side of the industry This was just the beginning As he transitioned from playing the game of basketball to learning the ins and outs of the business Michael quickly became intrigued by the sports agent business He didn t know much about all the moving pieces surrounding the agency space but he was eager to learn more After graduating from high school Michael began his collegiate career at the University of Central Florida UCF where he majored in Economics and Sports Business Management Throughout his undergraduate career there he pursued an array of opportunities to grow his network and expand his knowledge of the industry From his active participation in UCF s Sports Business Club to internships with the university s athletic program to his work with two other agents Michael continued to strengthen his passion for sports management and interest in owning his own agency Before he knew it he did just that In June of 2020 Photographs courtesy of Michael Raymond raymond_representation mm agency specializing in business marketing and lifestyle Michael launched Raymond Representation a sports and talent management He hasn t looked back since Driven by his passion for helping others Michael has continued to expand the talent roster of Raymond Representation which includes professional basketball players golfers influencers Esports teams and student athletes for NIL over the past year As he works to finish up his J D degree in Sports and Entertainment at the University of Miami School of Law Michael is excited to grow his agency further in the years to come and help even more clients go From Athletes to Entrepreneurs How was that transition from college into the world of athlete and talent management like for you It was definitely different because I didn t expect at all to start Raymond Representation while I was in law school It was obviously something that I had always thought of It was always like a dream of mine to have my own agency but I was always thinking of the traditional route like going to work for a bigger agency or just keep connecting with people or maybe even work at a law firm and try to get some of that experience there That summer right before COVID which I think was 2019 I had had a decent amount of law firm experience I did an internship at a law firm for three months during the summer and I quickly realized that I definitely didn t want to work in a law firm and definitely didn t want to have that traditional eight to six or nine to five job It just wasn t for me I m very entrepreneurial specific on my time management and just kind of having freedom You know that s how I ve always been so I knew it wasn t for me and I just didn t have a passion for it I always had a passion for helping people working with athletes and just mentoring other guys as much as I could After that I had also worked at an agency part time I was helping another agent up in Orlando who was signing a couple guys that I had known from UCF I was helping him with some work and projects here and there and I quickly realized that I wanted to open my own shop I was like I want to start doing this now I didn t have any plans to get certified as quickly as I did you know I thought the way that I would break in was by helping guys from the G League and overseas with their off the court ventures So what I did was I reached out to players that I had known like Aubrey Dawkins for example He s a very close friend of mine Or like Justin Gray he was one of my first clients out of Texas Tech What I was doing was helping these guys with branding and their off the court projects setting up camps in the summertime to get kids to come in setting up community engagement setting up social media sponsorships and just creating things like graphics and video for them I was just trying to connect the dots with different people Another thing that I was doing as well was I was trying to help them either pick their agents find new agents or help them get some exposure with teams That helped me branch out a little bit while I was starting to get my agency license THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 30

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BUSINESS ALL STARS MICHAEL RAYMOND As you started your own agency what were some challenges that you faced early on and how did you work to overcome them There s definitely a lot of challenges A lot of challenges laughs The biggest one was other agents that they might be working with for their basketball contracts Seeing somebody like me that wanted to be an agent and that was helping their guys almost more than they were I was more personable I was more relatable with these guys I was talking to them every single day that was definitely a big struggle Another struggle was just trying to juggle both law school and building the agency For example I had to study for the NBPA exam while also studying for law school finals It was tough The last thing I would say is honestly just being taken seriously You know trying to transition that friendship role to more of a business role Like I said I was always very friendly with a lot of the guys I worked with the team I was always in the basketball gym getting shots up with them I was a big hooper and I was always playing basketball with the guys I wanted them to kind of take me seriously I think law school bringing them deals and creating successful camps and stuff like that definitely helped with that Diving more into Raymond Representation could you share a little bit more with us about your company s mission and goals Yeah My main mission and the biggest thing for me is From athlete to entrepreneur I m really trying to be different from a traditional sports agency I m really trying to 1 take social media and the marketing side of the business and really explode it and 2 educate my clients as much as possible With social media that s something that I ve been utilizing more than I think a lot of other agencies especially some of the older ones that have been in the business for a while I think social media is massive and it s not going anywhere anytime soon so that s definitely something that was big for me and one of the things that I wanted to have in the foundation for us Then with educating our clients whether that s me coordinating with them to meet with a financial advisor or helping them learn how they re making money I really want them to learn just about life so they can understand this for the next 30 to 40 years as they re building their families and their foundations The last thing is the basketball portion We re trying to definitely be a top level basketball agency You know I ve been growing my network and trying to build as many good relationships as possible for the past six or seven years Thankfully we re getting to that level where I definitely feel comfortable and responsible enough to be able to handle any level of athlete whether that s me partnering with another agent or another mentor that I might have or just embarking on those partnerships on my own THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 31

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BUSINESS ALL STARS MICHAEL RAYMOND That s awesome You mentioned your slogan From athlete to entrepreneur Why was it important for you and your company to focus on helping athletes build their brands off the court as well It was super important just because that s kind of how me and my business partner are We re both very entrepreneurial You know we just like learning every single day as much as possible Something that I saw as a big big hole in the industry was athletes being entrepreneurial and doing more than just playing basketball Of course when you see the guys that are in the NBA or these superstar athletes those are the guys that are doing stuff off the court they re doing camps they re doing this they re doing that But what about the other 90 that are not making it to the NBA What about the overseas guys that are still making good money are still providing for their families and are still trying to be involved in the community What about the G League guys that are trying to make it to the NBA That s something I noticed wasn t really getting done I thought it was definitely a unique approach to the industry and it s honestly worked so far so we are going to just keep pushing on that Let s talk branding How have you started to build your personal brand in the industry That was another big thing for me and something that I tried to do differently as well Just from knowing a lot of agents growing up and working in the industry a little bit I realized that a lot of agents like to be behind the scenes That s not a bad thing you know but that s just not how I am For me it was really just building my brand through social media trying to connect with my community at Miami Law trying to help as many people as possible and trying to inspire anybody that I could Mental health was a huge thing for me and definitely something I learned through COVID so I try to preach that as well You know not getting overwhelmed and making time for yourself That s definitely part of my brand and that s something that I really think is important for me You need to 1 find a way to differentiate yourself and that s the hardest thing because there are so many people that want to work in sports and 2 find a way to add value Whether that s offering to volunteer at something that they re putting on or helping them with a project or even connecting them with somebody that you know they might need to know really try to find ways to add value Michael on tips he would give to someone looking to build his or her network in the industry THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 33

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BUSINESS ALL STARS MICHAEL RAYMOND Going into the advice side of things what are some pieces of advice that you would give to someone who wants to pursue a similar career path and become an NBA agent The number one thing is and this is kind of funny but it is just me being as real as possible saving up some money It costs a lot of money for the certifications and the time that you put into it so you might need some money to put aside for the state registrations NBA certifications FIBA certifications and all of that There s a lot that goes into it that people don t really realize Then the other thing and most important is obviously the relationships Just continue to be real genuine and authentic I think building relationships in a strategic but very meaningful way is so important The relationships aspect is everything in this game On the business side of things what are some pieces of advice that you would give to someone who wants to start their own sports and talent agency On the business side I would definitely recommend sitting down and talking to somebody whether that s a lawyer or another agent that started their own business Also definitely doing a lot of research We put a lot of time and effort into building up just the brand aspect of it not even signing guys just the brand aspect of the agency That comes down to you know building the website doing business cards posting on Instagram three or four times a week trying to showcase what kind of things we offer and really having a modern approach to branding Everything is very clean and new Everything we post we try to make it very unique and cool Other than that I think another thing that s super important is telling your story I think that helped me a lot Before I was posting Raymond Rep stuff I was just showing my progression to whoever was following us I was just showing my progression and telling our story Then once we dropped Raymond Rep and said that we were starting an agency people wanted to be a part of it What are some tips or major keys that you would give to someone who wants to create that network or build their tribe in the industry The best thing that I could tell them and this is straight from my mentor Scott Bukstein is add value Try to add value to any of these people and that s how you could start building really meaningful relationships You need to 1 find a way to differentiate yourself and that s the hardest thing because there are so many people that want to work in sports and 2 find a way to add value Whether that s offering to volunteer at something that they re putting on or helping them with a project or even connecting them with somebody that you know they might need to know really try to find ways to add value That s how I connected with Orin Mayers Just to give you a quick little story when I first connected with him he came to speak in my class I was actually one of the only students that reached out to him via email I told him that I would drive to Lake Nona which was 35 minutes away and would meet him for lunch When I was there we got along so well that I was like Listen if you ever need me to drive down to Miami I ll help you with any of your charity foundations that you re opening He runs Ray Allen s charity foundation and they do computer lab facilities for Boys Girls Clubs down here in Miami It s cool it s very awesome I ve been doing that for four years now Now I m in Miami and have a little bit of a bigger role where he trusts me to go check on the projects and see how they re doing You kind of have to just take that leap THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 34

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BUSINESS ALL STARS BRIAN SANDIFER Executive Director Grassroots Sizzle Basketball Brian Sandifer started his journey in the world of sports at the age of just four years old For this Saint Paul Minnesota native basketball and football were the two sports he quickly became immersed in growing up It was during his time in high school though that Brian realized his best route would be to pursue football at the highest level Upon graduating from high school Brian began his collegiate career playing football at Normandale Community College prior to receiving a scholarship to the University of Northern Iowa It was only up from there Over the following six years after graduating college Brian embarked on his professional career and played arena football Throughout that time he also began thinking about opportunities to create a stage and an outlet for his son and his friends to showcase their Photographs courtesy of Brian Sandifer train_mania_ abilities in the game of basketball After stepping away from the game Brian founded his own basketball awayprogram Grassroots Basketball From hosting tournaments to fundraise the team to traveling around the country for different showcases to give his athletes exposure Brian continued to explore new avenues year after year to grow his program In 2013 Brian joined forces with his longtime friend Larry Suggs and his Sizzle program The rest is history Since then Grassroots Sizzle has grown into an AAU powerhouse putting over 400 kids on scholarships throughout the last 20 years having a Top 5 NBA pick in Jalen Suggs and a projected No 1 pick for the 2022 NBA Draft in Chet Holmgren and over 15 kids playing professionally in Europe As Grassroots Sizzle continues to expand Brian is looking forward to creating more opportunities for young athletes to earn college scholarships and achieve their dreams of playing the game at the highest level How was that transition from being a professional athlete to now creating your own organization in the industry like It was big for me One of the hardest things to do when you lose that competitive edge and are not competing anymore is finding somewhere to channel that aggression and those competitive juices I just found it in doing what I was doing with the game of basketball I coached football coached my kid in football and basketball and then ended up being around a lot of other former athletes like Tai Streets who played for the University of Michigan played in the NFL and was Derrick Rose s and Eric Gordon s AAU coach We played against those guys There s only a handful of NFL guys who are ex pros and even do this Tai Streets and myself are two of the main football guys to ever host shoe sponsored programs I think he s with Nike and I went with Under Armour We re two of the only football guys really to have top tier AAU programs as well THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 36

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BUSINESS ALL STARS BRIAN SANDIFER Could you share more with us about Grassroots Sizzle s mission and programming We re a youth mentoring program At Grassroots mentoring starts daily with us Basketball and sports in general have been an outlet for so many inner city kids to stay out of trouble Obviously we can t save the world since I ve been doing this I have probably had 12 15 players of mine murdered due to gang violence but it s just all about mentoring and having a big brotherhood For example I had an alumni game and we probably had 60 of my former players come back and play You know they come back sign autographs and do things to give back to the community Ninety percent of the kids that I ve had in the past have some affiliation with gangs violence or something like that But when they come in the gym with us they let bygones be bygones We don t have any cops or no security there Everybody plays participates and then we go to live our lives So the grassroots part has been more of a mentoring opportunity Then I use basketball to take the kids to these college showcases to get seen earn scholarships move on and try to further their education through athletics One of the program s focus is on educating the whole person emphasizing leadership both on and off the court How important was it to create a program that embodied these pillars It was very important because that s what my dad did with me and my buddies all the way growing up My house was the house where all my buddies spent the night on Friday nights and my dad was a big brother to a lot of them who were being raised by single moms You know we had a ton of kids in our program who were raised by single moms as well So we just inherited the stepdad type of figure for all these kids I got several ex players that played professional basketball and football We just engulfed the community and now we ve really ventured out We got a lot of kids from the suburbs coming in and participating in our program and it s just evolved to one of the top tier programs in the country We had 26 teams this year we ll probably have anywhere from 30 35 teams next year and we re starting to really dig our way into suburbia We have elevated it to be one of the premier programs in the country THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 37

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BUSINESS ALL STARS BRIAN SANDIFER Going into the advice side of things you highlighted the importance of finding the right fit for a college program earlier in our chat What are some tips that you would give to young athletes on that decision making process You gotta go where you are wanted For example when I was coming out of high school I wanted to go to USC Well USC wasn t recruiting me So you want to go where you re gonna get treated the best and you want to go where the opportunity to play is because you can go to the biggest school in the country but if you re not playing you re not gonna be happy if you re competitive You got some kids that just want to be on a program but the kids that we got our kids want to go play That s why I m an advocate for going where the best fit is for you to play You know my daughter was gonna go to Norfolk State simply because they were Division I and she had the grades But she didn t want to go 1 300 miles from home so she ended up going to a junior college in Fort Dodge Iowa which is 3 hours away Now they are the number one team in the country she s playing and she s having a great time It s all about fit From a coaching standpoint what are some pieces of advice that you would give to fellow coaches who are interested in starting their own program in the industry I would say You gotta start slow It took us over 20 years to get to where we are now to get draft picks and kids going to the highest level It s a marathon Anything that you rush the success rate is not going to be high I started with one team and ended up with 26 teams 20 years later And now with the way social media is you can market and post different things on social media as well We do a lot of postings on Instagram Twitter and Facebook about our program and it has materialized into free marketing whereas in the past you d have to pay to get ads in the newspaper THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 38

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UP NXT SERIES NALYSSA SMITH NaLyssa Smith started playing basketball when she was just four years old After watching her father play the sport NaLyssa quickly became determined to start a journey of her own Learning from her father s experience playing basketball in college as well as professionally NaLyssa remembers strengthening her commitment to playing the sport at the highest level as she worked to develop her game on the court growing up The rest is history Upon graduating from East Central High School as one of the nation s top athlBALLERS MAGAZINE 42 THE Photographs courtesy of NaLyssa Smith nalyssasmith athletes NaLyssa officially embarked on the next chapter in her basketball career at Baylor University It has been a movie ever since From becoming an NCAA Champion in 2019 to being the recipient of the 2021 Wade Trophy and Katrina McClain Award to being named the Big 12 Player of the Year NaLyssa has continued to set records and break barriers throughout her collegiate career She doesn t stop there Off the court she has continued to build her personal brand and foster her legacy recently launching her clothing brand Slept On As she plays her senior season at Baylor NaLyssa is looking forward to elevating her game further working towards her goal of playing in the WNBA and inspiring the next generation of young athletes to be fearless in the pursuit of their dreams Incredible

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UP NXT SERIES NALYSSA SMITH Diving into your journey early on take us through that transition from high school to college What was that transition into this new chapter like for you For me it wasn t too crazy I feel like a lot of people tried to scare me into the big transition from high school to college but my trainer who I have been training with since I was in high school kind of prepared me for what it was like in college The biggest difference for me was probably just getting stronger and having to battle against bigger people That was probably my biggest transition What were some areas of your game that you saw the biggest shift on as you made that jump from high school to college Probably in the post I just had to get stronger and more in shape In high school it s like it doesn t matter who you play against everybody is either shorter than you or half of the people don t even want to play basketball Then you get to college and it s like we are all Division I athletes So I just had to get bigger start eating right take vitamins and really just change my body As you made that decision to attend Baylor University what were some aspects of the school or the program that attracted you to play there for your collegiate career The main thing was that it s only two hours from home I ve been playing in front of my family my whole life so that was one of my biggest things staying in Texas Baylor was always one of the best programs in Texas as well Around that time Baylor was a Top 5 program and they already had two national championships I just wanted to add along to that legacy So coming in my freshman year and winning a national championship it all worked out THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 43

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UP NXT SERIES NALYSSA SMITH Like you mentioned you came in your freshman year and immediately made an impact on the team contributing a lot to that title win against Notre Dame What was that moment like of winning your first national championship at the Division I level It was crazy Honestly I knew I played a lot during the season but I really didn t think I was gonna play that much in the national championship game So when my name did get called I was a little nervous laughs It was a big moment and I didn t want to fold I just went out there did what I do best and it came out good Along with winning a title you also competed with Team USA and won a gold medal in the 2018 FIBA Championship Tell us a little bit more about that experience playing abroad playing with Team USA and winning a gold medal I love playing for Team USA because you get to play with all the best players in the country That s one of my favorite things I mean everybody takes pride in playing for the USA across your chest and also playing for Dawn Staley she s an amazing coach Every time I m at USA we just chat She s just a cool human being in general so it s always a good time going to USA You have continued to improve your game on the floor year after year Looking back from freshman year to now senior year how do you think your game has elevated I ll probably just say confidence I ve never been the type of player that didn t think I was good at basketball so always having confidence has helped me along the way You know since my freshman year just waiting to get that chance I played behind so many great players freshman year and just moving along the years the position got position got easier easier and easier Sooner or later it was my turn to be like the star on the team It has been a fun journey Now I m at the top and it just feels like I gotta maintain and keep doing what I do best Whether it s tough losses or injuries there are an array of challenges that one may face throughout this journey Could you share your thoughts with us on the importance of having that mental focus to overcome adversity Man I feel like that s the biggest thing with sports in general just having that mental toughness I feel like everybody at least one or two times is gonna hit a wall in their careers It s just about getting through it I feel like I ve hit so many walls throughout my college career where it s like a scoring drought or an injury or just being in my head You know everybody is gonna go through that It s just about consistently staying in the gym talking to people that you re close to and always praying I feel like those are the main things that have gotten me through those droughts THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 44

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UP NXT SERIES NALYSSA SMITH Transitioning a little bit off the court how have you started to build your personal brand beyond the game I started a clothing brand It s called Slept On and the reason for the name came about during my sophomore year in high school I got cut from Team USA and I just felt like a lot of people were sleeping on me I felt like I was supposed to be on that team That s where it all started Then I went to my parents and we dropped the slogan Slept On I started selling shirts in high school from there and we re finally getting to drop everything now so it s a good feeling That actually goes perfectly into our next question but first congratulations on dropping your line Could you share more with us about the messaging behind your brand and where you hope to see it go in the future Yeah I just feel like it s for everybody Whether you re at a job and you feel like you can have a better position in your work life or you just feel like people are sleeping on you the Slept On brand is universal You can use it in every aspect not just from a basketball standpoint and I hope to see it grow super big This is something I have been waiting on since high school Going into the advice side of things what are some pieces of advice that you would give to someone who also wants to play basketball at the collegiate level I would say You just gotta fall in love with the sport of basketball You can t expect anything out of it if you re not constantly in the gym or constantly manifesting what you want out of the game of basketball I hear so many people say that they want to go D1 but at the end of day you have to put the work in You can t just go to sleep wake up and everything s in front of you If you don t fall in love with your craft and just love everything you re doing there you re not gonna get the results you want THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 46 Reflecting back on your own personal journey what is a piece of advice that you would give to your younger self and why Always have confidence in yourself no matter what a coach or trainer says When I was younger there were a lot of rankings in AAU where I was ranking super low I think I finished like 13 or 14 I always used to look at that and be like Am I really not as good as these other people But then when I fell in love with my craft I was always just putting positive thoughts in my head I feel like that s what gave me the results of where I am now

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UP NXT SERIES Photographs courtesy of Kai Crutchfield kai_cierra KAI CRUTCHFIELD Born and raised in Raleigh North Carolina Kai Crutchfield became fascinated with the game of basketball at just six years old Although her first love in the world of sports was with track and field there was something unique about the game that quickly piqued her interest From its team oriented culture to the relationships it fostered Kai was captivated by the array of opportunities basketball provided both on and off the court This was only the beginning Over the next several years Kai continued to develop her skills on the court and solidify her commitment to playing the game at the highest level She was on a mission After graduating high school Kai embarked on her collegiate career at North Carolina State University where she has won back to back ACC tournnnnnn THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 48 Tournament Championships and earned an array of individual honors throughout her undergraduate career It doesn t stop there Along with her on the court efforts Kai has also cultivated her personal brand beyond the game Fueled by her passion for DIY projects art design and clothing she founded her own apparel company Scripted Apprl this past year and has been expanding the brand since As she begins her last year at NC State Kai is looking forward to elevating her game further this season exploring opportunities to play professionally growing her company and giving back to her community Amazing

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UP NXT SERIES KAI CRUTCHFIELD Diving into your journey early on how was that transition from high school to college like for you The transition from high school to college was a little difficult for me I definitely would say there were valleys and peaks You know it s not for everyone If it were easy everyone would do it Just the speed of college basketball especially playing in the ACC was different To me the ACC is the best conference there is in women s basketball So just being able to guard all different types of players going from being one of the bigger guards in high school to one of the shorter people on the floor in college and learning the style of play was an adjustment In high school sometimes you just go out and hoop kind of similar to playing pickup But basketball in college is more about fundamentals techniques and everything My high school coach did a good job of preparing me for what college had in store so I think the transition definitely had its valleys and peaks How did you work to overcome some of those challenges that you faced early on Just by talking to people that I looked up to who were in college before me and seeing what their perspective was on the game Also just making sure I trusted the process My parents always told me to trust the process regardless of the situation whether that s in corporate America academics or athletics so knowing that all the work that I had put in on the front end was going to come out in the back end helped me overcome some of those challenges Reflecting back on your undergrad career at NC State how do you think your game elevated throughout your first four years I think my game elevated just with my confidence You know when you shoot the ball and you see the ball go in a few times it kind of gets you going It also gets your team going With that my teammates my parents and my trainer Mike Jones had that confidence in me They continued to make sure that I knew what I wanted to do regardless of what was thrown at me You know they made sure that my shot stayed consistent Senior year in the postseason I think I shot 47 from the three point field which ended up being the best in school history So just really seeing the ball go in the net and getting up those extra reps really helped my game elevate over the years THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 49

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UP NXT SERIES KAI CRUTCHFIELD You earned an array of accolades throughout your undergrad career at NC State including back to back tournament championships in the ACC and several individual honors What did achieving these milestones mean to you It meant the world It was amazing being able to receive those individual accolades on top of winning the ACC Championship I mean getting recruited to big Power Five schools like this those are the type of goals that you set You know you put those on your mirror when you re a kid So seeing that actually take place seeing the work that I put in the front end coming out in the back end and just being able to learn from the mistakes or even the losses I may have had was great I don t consider losses necessarily a failure it just means we have to figure out which way we re going to get better I feel like my team and also me as an individual worked through those different adversities that we had and we came out on top which meant the world As you return to NC State for this upcoming 2021 22 season what are some personal goals that you have Some personal goals I have is for sure to make the All ACC First Team and then of course getting another ACC championship a three peat I need another ring on my finger for sure I need my hand to be weighing me down when I walk laughs Our program has kind of had a block at the Sweet Sixteen the past few years so working our way up to the Elite Eight Final Four and eventually the National Championship would be amazing It s not easy to be at the top so I know we have a lot of work that we need to put in and we just need to keep working from last year THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 50

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UP NXT SERIES KAI CRUTCHFIELD You touched on the adversities that one may face throughout this journey tough losses injuries etc Could you share with us your thoughts on the importance of having that mental focus to overcome the adversity that one may face along the way For me I think mental toughness is the biggest battle You know physically you re gonna have your scratches bumps and bruises and aches and pains But the mental side of that I would say is what really gets you going You can wake up one morning and say Man I m super sore from yesterday or Man I m super sore from our last practice Once you get into that drive and motivation mode though I think that really can turn a good practice into a great practice or a great practice into an amazing practice especially if everyone has that same mentality You know one person can be contagious on a team and I try to be a leader in that myself For instance if I see that the team is getting down I ll try to make a funny joke encourage somebody or something like that to get the flow going a little bit better I would definitely say that with any sport though it s a mental game honestly Transitioning a little bit off the court what are some things that you re passionate about beyond the game I really love arts and crafts DIY projects and all of that stuff I design graphics create them and put them onto a T shirt I have my own apparel company it s called Scripted Apprl and it has just been fun being able to see other people walk around with stuff that I ve made and thought of myself It came about during COVID I guess I had too much time just sitting around but it s also something I ve always wanted to do COVID helped me be able to put the pieces together and work on how I wanted to go about the company All of my stuff is usually just made to order I do everything myself for the most part and when the season starts up and gets heavy my parents they re such a blessing they help me out to fulfill some of the orders That s awesome As you ve embarked on this entrepreneurial journey what are some challenges that you ve faced there and how have you worked to overcome them It was a blessing and a curse with COVID almost like a double edged sword Some obstacles I had were with the fulfillment times going through a third party distributor in the beginning stages of Scripted Apprl Some people weren t working as much or some companies didn t have as many workers working for them so the amount of time it took for the order to get to the customer themselves was a little delayed I basically took it into my own hands and said Ok I m gonna heat press these myself and try to turn the turnaround time to three to five business days I feel like similar to basketball and sports accuracy and efficiency is a huge thing on our part and it was definitely something I wanted Scripted Apprl to be on point with THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 51

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UP NXT SERIES KAI CRUTCHFIELD Going into the advice side of things what are some pieces of advice that you would give to someone who is interested in pursuing a similar career path and playing basketball at the college level Yeah I actually have a few things I would say Trust the process for sure I wasn t necessarily you know a Top 10 prospect coming out of high school or anything like that I really had to work for the position that I have on the team because I didn t necessarily play as a freshman So just being able to see my minutes go up and see my productivity within the team go up reminded me to trust the process Also I would say Be true to yourself Just because you see a whole bunch of other people doing this or that it doesn t necessarily mean that it fits your motivation style or it fits how you want to be as a player Everyone has their own nature and their own goals in basketball itself Then the last thing and what I think is the most important thing is that it s OK to say no Like for me I had a lot of friends growing up and they d be birthday parties sleepovers and all that stuff that I couldn t go to because I had workouts early in the morning So I would say If you say no and the people that you think are your friends are getting upset with you because you re saying no but you re trying to grind on the back end I feel like those aren t necessarily the people that you want in your corner because they re not helping you get and reach the goal that you want When it comes to athletics academics or whatever the case may be just make sure you have positive people in your inner circle Those people reflect who you are even when you re not with them Reflecting back on your own personal journey what is a piece of advice that you would give to your younger self and why I would say Stay grounded stay anchored Don t give up or let off in any type of way There are some days when you re like Dang I don t wanna do this again I won t do that But pushing through can definitely set you apart So just staying faithful and staying grounded are definitely some pieces of advice that I would give to my younger self THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 52 On the court I definitely want to continue expanding and elevating my game I want to pick up where I left off in the postseason with shooting the ball great and just being a great facilitator for my team Hopefully that will open doors for me to play professionally Off the court I definitely want to expand on my business create more unique designs for people and do more stuff in the community Kai on personal goals that she has for the near future both on and off the court

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UP NXT SERIES RHYNE HOWARD For Rhyne Howard the game of basketball is a world she has been surrounded by for as long as she can remember Growing up in Cleveland Tennessee Rhyne recalls starting her athletic journey in the sport when she was just in third grade and feeling ecstatic about the opportunity to play the game she and her family loved Determined to leave her mark on the game Rhyne challenged herself year after year to strengthen her skills on the court She was all in As she began her high school career at Bradley Central High School Rhyne immersed herself further in perfecting her craft Training early morning and late nights she was commmmm THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 54 Photographs courtesy of Rhyne Howard rhyne howard committed to elevating her game on the floor and expanding her basketball IQ After a stellar high school basketball career where she earned a series of honors including being named the 2018 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year and Tennessee Miss Basketball Rhyne embarked on her collegiate journey at the University of Kentucky She hasn t looked back since Over the past three years Rhyne has continued her outstanding performance on the court and quickly become a force to be reckoned with in all of college basketball From becoming a three time USA Gold Medalist to winning the SEC Freshman of the Year Award after a record breaking rookie year to being named the SEC Player of the Year in back to back seasons Rhyne has raised the bar year after year Currently in her senior season Rhyne is looking forward to fostering her legacy further working towards both a SEC and National Championship and being a great leader both on and off the floor

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UP NXT SERIES RHYNE HOWARD Let s dive into your journey early on You went to Bradley Central High School in Cleveland TN where you earned an array of accolades including the Gatorade Player of the Year Award and the Tennessee Miss Basketball Award What did earning these accolades mean to you Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss Tennessee were just great as a whole because that is like a whole state type of deal Out of everyone in Tennessee they thought that I had played the best and had the best career It was good It was just a great confidence boost to have going into college You know one of Maybe I am kind of good at basketball and other people are noticing it too As you embarked on that next chapter and began your career at the University of Kentucky how was that transition from high school to college like for you At first it was very tough You know trying to get the pace of the game working on different speeds and the physicality of the game But overall I think that it wasn t terrible and I had a pretty good transition going from high school to college I feel like my talent and knowledge carried over as well which helped me end up having a pretty good season my freshman year You touched on the speed of the game being one of those early challenges What were some additional ones that you faced and how did you work to overcome them I would definitely say being in shape and time management were hard Those were the two biggest things for me With time management we always have a lot of resources here to help us make sure we re where we need to be at all times We have our schedule planned out way ahead of time to make sure that everyone knows what you re supposed to be doing at what time Everyone can see that as well so other people can help you stay accountable Then for conditioning it was just doing a lot of running with our strength and conditioning coach He always made sure that we were in the best position to be in shape by the time the games came THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 55

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UP NXT SERIES RHYNE HOWARD In addition to this you have also won three gold medals and an MVP honor with Team USA Tell us a little bit more about what those experiences were like for you It was always fun All three times I had a great time No team was the same It was just great to be with people who you don t see everyday making new friendships with them and building new bonds The experience overall was great because I learned from other coaches and got to see their take on the game and what they look for in their own teams Having that experience playing overseas where it s a lot more physical than it is in college competing against grown women and people who were older than me and then bringing it back to college was great from a leadership standpoint I could then use my experiences to help my teammates and know what to expect myself Reflecting back on your time at Kentucky thus far how do you think your game has elevated I think I ve matured a lot over the years I still get frustrated but it s not as much as I used to my freshman year I m more vocal with my teammates You know I tell them what I need from them or ask them what they need from me I just make sure that I m going hard everyday whether it is in practice or at games On the court and off the court I just want to set a good example for them and let them know that I m doing the best that I can for the team and I expect the same from them As you begin your senior season at Kentucky what are some personal goals that you have going into this year THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 56 Personal goals are Player of the Year SEC and National leading my team to a Final Four and hopefully a National Championship and a SEC Championship as well I just really want to be a great leader and the awards will come with that

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UP NXT SERIES RHYNE HOWARD My motivation really just comes from my close family and my teammates If they want me to be the best and they re like Come on You can do this or I believe in you I m like Yeah you re right I gotta stop playing around and take care of business They motivate me Rhyne on her sources of motivation throughout this journey Throughout this journey both on the court as well as in your ventures off the court what are some things that you have learned about yourself I have learned that I m very resilient and can adjust well to change that s probably the biggest thing You know we had a coaching change COVID and stuff like that Also I ve learned that I m actually a pretty good leader Through all the adversity that we have faced I ve always been there for my teammates when they needed me you know just making sure everyone is good and everyone knows what they re supposed to be doing Going into the advice side of things what are some pieces of advice that you would give to someone who wants to play basketball at the collegiate level I would say Always work on your craft whether it s what you re not as good at or what you re already good at Just work stay in the gym and never let anyone tell you that you can t make it somewhere or that you re not going to be good or that you can t achieve your goals As long as you believe it regardless of what anybody says you can achieve anything especially if you re working for it and are giving it your all THE BALLERS MAGAZINE 58

TBM—November 2021 Issue

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