INSECURITY ruins NBA careers

[@Dante-sm4vs]

Bro is hungover, late, but still uploads. Nothing but respect, brother

[@АлексейТурута-п2и]

Fr

[@whatslaps]

9am PST on Monday. I ain't late.

[@gnm4]

Bro not only saved me but my entire family and our dog this morning and still manages to upload. Big respect and thank you

[@whatslaps]

it was my duty 🫡

[@bizbaby]

“Bringing up sum shit from THREE YEARS AGO” is textbook vocab of somebody who’s always in drama.

[@whatslaps]

yup. like it's not recent.

[@Bgrud624]

As the resident wizard fan, I will say that most of poole’s lowlights came last season when he was struggling with the change of scenery and wasn’t being used properly. This season he’s been a great leader for the young guys and has reverted to a positive nba player

[@Jonodo2468]

💯💯💯

[@whatslaps]

that's good. glad to hear it!

[@isaacross1652]

Under rated channel good content.

[@hanzat_molemaev]

Feels like we're early to a big channel, no?

[@pekhos_]

@@hanzat_molemaev real

[@whatslaps]

thanx brother

[@chrislewis5069]

Just pray for Jordan Poole because it isn't someone who is at peace with himself

[@whatslaps]

🙏

[@henryj5890]

on the topic of insecurity, i think a video on mental health in the nba and how the league and its players have explored mental health would be great. ik it isn’t a subject that’s talked about a lot (or maybe not enough), but players like demar derozan, kevin love, and john wall have started serious conversations about how a player’s mental health can affect their performance and love of the game.

[@whatslaps]

that's a great idea for a video. I've never done anything like that.

[@longlivetheblackmamba2-8-24]

Poole is likely just coping with the terrible situation he’s in. He was betrayed by golden state

[@whatslaps]

definitely could be.

[@BackItUpTerry901]

Btw, at 0:16, you showed a short clip of Chandler Parsons. That dude is the opposite of humble. Memphis gave him a massive contract, and he intentionally stopped trying because he didn't want to be in Memphis. To this day he trash talks the city in interviews. Imo he should be investigated for match fixing. Great video tho!

[@whatslaps]

I should do a video on the 2016 cap spike benefactors.

[@BackItUpTerry901]

@@whatslaps it’s an interesting topic for sure

[@Darksyd2]

Even when poole plays good people hate😔smh.

[@whatslaps]

despicable if you ask me.

[@howdee_]

I haven’t commented yet because I thought that, since you reply to every comment that I should write one that matters. I just wanna say thanks for all the work you put into these videos. I only got into the NBA a couple months ago and these videos have helped me learn so much more about the game outside of just statistics and drama

[@whatslaps]

Great to hear, man! Love to help people get some context on the league!

[@Mystic_Paths]

Insecurities can hold us back from reaching our potential. When we address them, we create space for confidence and self-improvement.

[@whatslaps]

got to analyze our shadows

[@ivanthaboi]

Wizards always catching strays this is a sorry ass organization

[@whatslaps]

kings caught some headshots this week too.

[@johnlarson505]

What you said at the end, about revealing a flaw about yourself to see how others react, is great advice.

[@whatslaps]

if they stunt on you after that, you know they need your approval

[@MultiJAny23]

One of the best advice I’ve ever heard❤

[@THEEJoeSmith]

Draymonds superman punch changed the nba

[@whatslaps]

the donkey kick makes it look lady like

[@sailorguy23]

*sucker punch

[@etkadu2715]

Poole actually playing decent this year, just had a buzzer beater over hornets and beat Denver, but honestly who isnt beating Denver this year 😭

[@whatslaps]

I know. I already had this video scheduled when he hit that. oof

[@Plupert]

This is the main reason why ratings are down. Players are completely unlikable divas.

[@whatslaps]

hey now hey now

[@leevikohtala]

They been like this forever tho lol. Rodman literally fled to Vegas mid season

[@alexbrinkman1166]

Since you’re talking about egos I wanted to ask about player contracts. I’m new to watching basketball, but I thought it was cool how Jaylen Brunson tanked the amount of money he would make so he team has a better chance to be good. It almost seems like with the second apron, that move is more important than ever: a player who already has the money he needs not asking for more. What’s the history of players doing this? Is Brunson the first? And why don’t we see more players doing it? Out of principle? Ego? At least to me, LeBron does not need to be taking ~50 a year. And it seems like such an easy pr move, especially if a lot of players in the nba are humble like you argue. Especially in the context of an older star who knows his efficiency might drop off in a few years but wants a ring. What am I missing?

[@whatslaps]

I like that idea. NBA players who have taken paycuts. there are a few of them.

[@Rock_em.sock_em]

I’ll say LeBron took less in Miami. But that hurt his ego so much he’s basically refused to do so since leaving. Which is funny because he makes so much more than the average player outside of the league, he could afford to take a ton less and have better teams around him.

[@001lui]

@@Rock_em.sock_emlol lebron offered to take a pay cut from the lakers of up to 15 million dollars this year if they went out and signed a few impact players, they got no deals done so lebron just took what they originally offered and even on top of that he took a 2 million dollar pay cut so they could make moves during the season and not go over the 2nd apron

[@Rock_em.sock_em]

@@001lui mostly true. Part of the pay cut involved the lakers drafting his son, who probably shouldn’t even be in the league. LeBron is also not the same player as he was in his prime. Those pay cuts should’ve happened during the second Cleveland run/first year or two of the lakers run. When signing one more impact player might’ve been the difference between winning a title; not the difference between a 6 or 8 seed. IMHO

[@001lui]

@ have you seen bronny is his last 5 games!? He’s definitely proving he has the talent to be an NBA player and for a 55th pick which was basically expendable, also sure he could’ve and should’ve taken pay cuts in Cleveland but to be honest those years it was a given lebron/(kyrie for some time)would will them to the finals and all they had to do was beat the warriors also Cleveland’s front office in the up till recently was known to be historically incompetent

[@Spaceman_Smiff]

Your "vibe check" video are absolute corn dogs, underrated but great. Any video you make about intangible qualities is always well informed, without being drowned in stats or secondary sources. How about a video on small market v/ large market pressures, and how they've affected careers?

[@aleklagerstedt1744]

I second that video idea

[@whatslaps]

third.

[@fbiopenup6534]

I 100% agree with this, man seeing Jokic is such a breath of fresh air. He out of anyone has all the rights in the world to be insufferable, yet he decides to stay humble. I've seen players who aren't even a tenth of what he is being 100x more annoying.

[@whatslaps]

facts. I watch every nuggets game

[@T.H.E.O.R.Y.]

Pat Riley called it The Disease of More. Players often aren't or can't be content with winning and clamor for more when they win it all. Shame, really.

[@whatslaps]

the human condition really

[@concreteboyreco3477]

how are you still not a huge channel bro?

[@whatslaps]

kind of niche topics. not for everyone.

[@xitrum1902]

Great players don't need to tell everyone how great they are.

[@whatslaps]

facts

[@westcoastwally3928]

Another dope vid. Love hearing you talk about the game. Fits are always on point too. 🔥🔥🔥

[@whatslaps]

thank you 💁

[@BARFVADER420]

yo love the videos. would you think about doing another video on coaches? I know you did one before about the impact of coaching but I think it would be cool to revisit since Kenny Atkinson has really turned around the Cavs basketball program. Joe Mazzulla got a ton of criticism at first but now people consider him a top tier coach in the league. JJ took over in LA and it seems like the narrative on Lakers basketball hasn’t really changed much. Mike Brown just got fired. Idk seems like a relevant topic rn

[@whatslaps]

yeah, for sure. give me a few months to let the last one breathe.

[@pandorum67]

Huh a sports video but no ads for betting sites. Nice to see

[@whatslaps]

I would sell out but it's not enough money to do something so embarrassing

[@huntervalenzuela2570]

King not mentioned on his b-day💔

[@whatslaps]

I know. I didn't realize it was coming out today when I recorded. smh

[@warwolf88]

u dont get to be cocky when u haven't earned it😊

[@whatslaps]

that's true. not even a good idea if you have earned it.

[@DC-pb6xq]

“Great vibes in the team” *zooms into Tony Parker

[@whatslaps]

I knew someone would call that out. haha

[@KamoKnowsBall]

Humility speaks volumes, unfortunately players today don't exemplify that.

[@whatslaps]

some do.

[@Trafalgar-D-Water-Law23]

This talk is so annoying.

[@lucasbirlson8710]

I haven't actually seen a basketball game since the warriors beat the Celtics in the finals in 2022

[@whatslaps]

I actually didn't watch that finals.

[@fridayam7502]

Jeff Teague will always be one of my favorite

[@whatslaps]

mine too

[@MrJohnnyAOA]

Man dropping some solid wisdom at the end. Respect!

[@whatslaps]

gotta know who you can trust

[@Sydwitdasauce]

i feel like you did poole wrong, i might be biased cause i am a warriors fan, but listen to wizards interviews from players n coaches they all love poole. i think he is like steph where he feeds off fans and the energy from the crowd so he like showing off, majority of the things you mention was the year he got punched and the following year where he was unexpectedly traded and it probably affected him mentality.

[@whatslaps]

good point. you might be right about that.

[@bizbaby]

The timing of this is poetic with the Jeff Teague podcast controversy 😅

[@whatslaps]

haha, I didn't even know about that.

[@bizbaby]

@ oh for sure! It happened today. This always happens when someone openly praises someone. They immediately embarrass themselves 😂😂

[@AG_333]

Teague even said "I got an A on the group project without doing anything " or sm shit when he won with the bucks😭😭

[@whatslaps]

haha love that dude

[@teddercheddar5242]

Ahhhh love seeing the dodgers hat being rep’d , big respect 💙

[@whatslaps]

💙

[@unizo_]

I have a video idea: something along the lines of “how to spot tanking” or “how to tank”. Bc I know tanking is just losing to get a good draft pick but what does that look like in game🤷‍♂️

[@whatslaps]

I got a really old one about tanking, but it might be time for a refresh.

[@ThiccolasCage]

Why do KZbinrs edit out pauses in speech, non stop no breath information. Too much too fast, chill out. Let us catch our breath too.

[@whatslaps]

sorry

[@ThiccolasCage]

@@whatslaps no need to apologise man. Just makes it difficult for older (30) people like me to follow. On a short I get it, on a long format just feels like you’re berating me haha

[@starn9]

do a video on parity in the nba not being ideal for entertaining basketball

[@whatslaps]

I'll add it to the list.

[@starn9]

@ 🐐

[@IngeniusSoul]

The fact the video game Spurs were playing before Finals is Broodwar gave me special feelings

[@whatslaps]

I know. pretty cool vibe in that hotel

[@yonkodyoshiii2897]

Hes havin a career year which makes this vid even funnier

[@whatslaps]

he has all-star votes too

[@yonkodyoshiii2897]

I hope this comment isnt being taken as me thinking the video is bad

[@harleyme235]

Poole games the system to make all the money he can.

[@whatslaps]

wonder what his next contract is like

[@Matthewplayz131]

If i was on the wizards, I would legit tell Jordan Poole to pay attention, even if he snaps at me, I'm not going to let him be a flash in the pan of any team, he's a good player if he actually stays humble, but those moments are few and far between

[@whatslaps]

yeah, not sure what he's like day to day.

[@joelman1989]

I’ve always felt a responsibility to project competence and confidence because of my background. But when I was put into a leadership position I noticed everyone was on edge around me. I’m introverted and they might have mistook that for indifference. So when a girl made a mistake on our team and was afraid of the consequences I shared a time I made an embarrassing mistake. And I could feel the tension dissipate. I even called her later at night to let her know it was ok because I knew she’d be beating herself up about it. It works in leadership too. And really we are all leaders whether or not we have titles.

[@whatslaps]

exactly. People just follow people the natural leaders even if you try to tell them who to follow.

[@mt2machi]

I don't blame a lot of recent NBA stars for their tendency's and attitude toward the game, I think it's mostly a product of the era they are playing in. These are competitive people who love the game they're playing and will get any chance to win, but there is a lot more they have to face given the larger media presence there is on the game now and the fact that it feels like they are vying for a spot in a contending team. Even beyond NBA stars and role players, bench players have to fight for a spot in the NBA with things being increasingly competitive and their flaws being under more scrutiny.

[@whatslaps]

That's a fair point. sometime it doesn't seem like there's a grand vision though.

[@Joshua-fz5zx]

Dinwiddie disrespecting Dallas just to come running back to the Mavs after they were in the finals should hopefully humble him. I dont hold it against him. If he helps us win then I'm happy to have him. He's easily in my least liked players of all time though. Something about him has always rubbed me the wrong way.

[@whatslaps]

yeah, might as well let bygones be bygones and get some dubz

[@leojamesquiambao1047]

good video to end the year. Happy new year and hopefully we get more good videos next year

[@whatslaps]

you can count on it!

[@MalumWakho]

Underrated nugget of wisdom at the end of the video

[@whatslaps]

choose your friends wisely

[@doogesiro]

4 hours until 2025 and this has made my day, thanks bruh

[@whatslaps]

happy new year babay!

[@PygmaApril]

Teague is a real one. I can't even fathom watching a Spencer Dinwiddie pod. Teague is peak entertainment.

[@whatslaps]

he rules. best player pod

[@justingallant648]

Happy New Year! I am curious about how the league implements new rules and regulations over the years, and also how these changes affected the game at the time (how it was played, how the product was perceived by fans). You already have an excellent video on rules, but I was curious if there’s some more content there to uncover. Great video as always, thank you for the hard work! Hope you see some big growth in 2025

[@whatslaps]

A few people have asked for this. I've talked about it tangentially but never in a full video. good tip!

[@chesscomsupport8689]

Insecurity is even more of an issue with a lot of fans of particular players than with the players themselves. Any comment that is perceived as not praising their favorite player hard enough (forget criticism) will receive a disproportionate reaction from a segment of the fan base.

[@whatslaps]

yup. I do it too.

[@popularculturearchives]

Watch your vids every Monday. Good stuff. I know that TV ratings talk is well-worn territory but I think your perspective on it would be valuable. I think there’s a lot there that hasn’t been fully articulated yet that goes deeper than “3s are boring” or “reg season games don’t matter” or “stars are injured,” so I’m curious to what you think.

[@whatslaps]

I think tv ratings don't matter revenue is at an all time high. Not sure who is losing. ya feel me?

[@viratshivam]

Nah don’t agree with the Jordan Poole part of this video. There have always been players like that before and it’s entertainment. He’ll be back good when there’s a chance. So if a team keeps losing he shouldn’t be himself? That’s not it..

[@whatslaps]

yeah, true they did beat chicago last night

[@Max-kw2hp]

New camera for Christmas? Looks crisp. Sound is a bit off on the other hand. Great video as usual though!

[@whatslaps]

sometimes youtube doesn't sync right on bluetooth

[@real1474]

I fw the selfish vids 💯

[@whatslaps]

gotta do one for me every now and then.

[@LosersRus_2]

Just had a corn dog

[@royalhawkins3629]

Respect

[@whatslaps]

keep on doggin

[@hanzat_molemaev]

Man, what would Kobe think of the state of the league today?

[@whatslaps]

he'd be a Jordan Poole stan for sure.

[@HappyAstronomicalModel-lr5we]

Your take on Poole is completely off. I'm going to challenge you here and ask you to consider this. This dude was punched by a teammate and the video got out and went viral. How embarrassing is that! However he never missed a game that season, he never got into trouble off the court and by all accounts kept his head down and kept working. In fact he never even spoke on it, yet the guy who punched him has continued to talk about it for the past 2 years as much as he can! Poole has shown the utmost maturity in a public a situation that most of us couldn't handle. Today, he's thriving in Washington. His teammates love him and he's playing some of the best basketball of his career and you can see the connection he has with everyone in that organization. Encouraging them, supporting them and according to them, he's a great teammate! I would caution you, and say that you cannot take one aspect of someone's life and make that the whole of who they are as a person! He celebrated at Golden State! Was he insecure then. He celebrated at Michigan. Was he insecure then! I'll leave you with this quote from someone who's actually known him since high-school. "Jordan never loses his confidence. In fact when he came to the league he was awful, but he had confidence when he shouldn't have had any and it was that belief in himself that helped him get better and become an elite scorer!" Kevon Looney

[@whatslaps]

u right u right. my bad

[@thetaleoftwotoes3865]

Cool video dude

[@whatslaps]

thank you brother

[@M4DV1LLA1N]

Goat video uploader🫵

[@whatslaps]

god bless 🫵

[@pekhos_]

yo im planning on growing a mullet too do you recommend?

[@whatslaps]

as long as you keep the mustache

[@Carlos-ms1yx]

I like every video. Keep up the great work.

[@whatslaps]

god bless you child

[@sanchocalleja2541]

I'm not saying Draymond punching Poole was right... I'm just saying I understand

[@whatslaps]

you run your mouth long enough...

[@zaacattack16]

kinda dumb to put jp on the thumbnail when his confidence has been the highest it’s been since that 2022 year, he’s been balling and a good leader for the wizards young core this year

[@whatslaps]

I was dropped as a baby

[@imnotyou4831]

Great video

[@whatslaps]

thanks mane

[@ronomgenuff]

Hilarious and insightful! Another banger!!

[@whatslaps]

wake up and bang em

[@heyrichardwakeup]

Great watch. Subbed

[@whatslaps]

thanks for the sub! glad you liked it.

[@ro-qw6nj]

shoutout jett

[@whatslaps]

shoutout jett howard

[@pjwesell]

Waiting for the Jordan Poole and Spencer Dinwiddie burners in the comments

[@whatslaps]

me too. haven't seen any yet.

[@imanya552]

This kinda content is so narrative driven it honestly sounds hella biased

[@whatslaps]

facts

[@ObaJu]

Breaking news: insecurity hinders performance 😱

[@whatslaps]

don't forget _is destructive_

[@abw1317]

I remember MPG going on and they asked him that bust your ass question and he basically said nobody really. Guess it doesnt count if you dont play defense.

[@whatslaps]

haha, I think Ron Artest said the same thing.

[@AdamWestTheDrunk]

Here we go. I swear yall just wants to shit on jordan poole cause it's the cool thing to do

[@whatslaps]

gotta stay fashionable

[@kevin54524]

But Dinwiddie is balling when he is the starting backcourt like now in Dallas

[@whatslaps]

yeah, he's doing well right now

[@JordanSmall-pj6vz]

Bro that's a year ago JP ain't like dat no more yeah he ain't great but he's playing alot better now

[@whatslaps]

true. my bad

[@idkpt2675]

Jeff Teague is the perfect guy to do a nba podcast, he achieved just about as much as you can without gaining a massive ego and was on a bunch of teams in the second half of his career Compare that to like Gilbert arenas who sounds legitimately unhinged at points and goes on rants about shit randomly

[@whatslaps]

exactly. you're never going to convince someone you're something you're not by talking on a podcast.

[@billycrystal6791]

Spurs playing Starcraft

[@whatslaps]

i thought it was age of empires lol

[@artwithmrssan]

Spencer Dinwiddie should just blame nominative determinism. The NBA isn’t passing any torches to a “Spencer or a “Dinwiddie” on planet Earth… But Dr. J, Bird, Magic, Shaq, Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, Steph. Real name or nickname, they all have a ring to it. Would you say the basketball gods know what they’re doing ??? I’d say so

[@whatslaps]

what is _nominative determinism_ ?

[@r1ckydaniel159]

Dude, where is that Jimmy Butler video???

[@whatslaps]

patience

[@justt1984]

Good vibes on that 00s spurs team? Lol me n Tony woudlve had issues iykyk

[@whatslaps]

haha ik

[@chrislewis5069]

D Richardson and the other guys you mentioned were never the face of humility. It's just guys are getting more ego with time and so it makes it look like those examples you have are humble. John Stockton was humble, Shane battier was humble, David Robinson was humble

[@whatslaps]

exactly. the basketball success doesn't matter unless you humble yourself before your god

[@julio_crack]

don’t think you were completely fair to dinwiddie. clearly he’s not much of a cancer in the locker room if dallas signed him after trading him away. him complaining about his role in brooklyn also doesn’t seem so bad because literally everyone else that’s played for the nets has complained too. i think its just a bad situation over there

[@whatslaps]

yeah you might be right. my b. he just rubs me the wrong way at times.

[@jairospeed2756]

CAM Thomas appreciation video when?

[@whatslaps]

be patient my child

[@RealJuiceWrld]

The pointing at Pritchard possession still ended in an open corner three.

[@whatslaps]

brutal

[@genocidehero9687]

Jordan Poole got negative aura

[@whatslaps]

he needs jesus

[@idkkkkkkkk_]

hi goat

[@whatslaps]

sup witit?

[@idkkkkkkkk_]

@whatslaps how's your day been!!

[@AlexMartin-yv1lb]

Commenting for engagement: pt III

[@whatslaps]

my favorite chapter

[@ObaJu]

Clickbait vid. Jordan Poole has improved 3pt%, fg%, steal, assists this year but its funny to show lowlights from last year.

[@whatslaps]

fair.

[@mart4919]

Hi

[@whatslaps]

🤙

[@peaceful344]

Jordan Poole is literally playing the best basketball of him career this year and because he celebrates doesn't mean he's insecure. He celebrated far more at Golden State. Was he insecure then? You sound ridiculous. Out here pulling up old clips to push a narrative that I am not buying. Oh and the video of him not paying attention was proved to be a fake! 2 reporters who cover the Wizards Josh Robbins and David Aldridge wrote about it in the Athletic last season. They went back and looked at the actual game footage and saw he did pay attention. He was upset because he had made a mistake that allowed Mikal Bridges to score so that is why he was fussung. Apparently whoever put out the video edited it to make it look like he wasn't paying attention. For clicks! Just like you're doing this! For clicks!

[@whatslaps]

like a deepfake?

[@michaelharder3055]

Amazing video and insight as usual. I saw the lazy pool boy in 2022 as a possible replacement for Steph. Boy was I wrong.

[@whatslaps]

I know. the wizards got fleeced.

[@GoldenNUGGETS55]

Goat

[@whatslaps]

🙇

[@thebeatleswin1]

What is with the annoying over edited sound effects constantly, Like bro we don’t need nonstop noise for an 8 minute video. This feels ai generated

[@whatslaps]

yeah, some people don't like it

[@deshaunwatson4462]

Players today are too soft they don’t even want to be perceived as weak at all that’s why when someone actually plays defense on them they get mad and say “you’re doing too much” cuz they know they can’t get passed them and they’ll turn the ball over…which would make them look like a bad player and they can’t have that

[@whatslaps]

💪

[@TheBigDer]

Anyone else annoyed by the sound effects ever 3 seconds?

[@whatslaps]

yeah other people don't like it and comment too

[@pimpslay3r]

dinshitty 2nd time around at brooklyn was the worst

[@whatslaps]

excellent diss by kuz

[@ThaddeusFord065]

im back goat did u miss me

[@whatslaps]

I never stopped thinking about you

[@Mrclip-br3vz]

And then there's lamelo

[@whatslaps]

haha, he's funny though

[@kedrprao]

This is your worst video tbh. Poole doesn’t need his team to win to have fun. Do you want Poole to be miserable just cuz Wiz lose games?? Lol And I can show you hundreds of videos where former players being arrogant clowns. You are just cherry-picking shiii to validate your opinion which imo is wrong

[@curtis4948]

Some serial killer looking dude is calling pro athletes insecure

[@whatslaps]

you're probably right my bad