February 1, 2021 - Metta World Peace on XvsXsports, pickup hoops culture, mental health and his epic Game 7 press conference

The Late Night Happy Hour with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

He's an NBA champion, beloved in Los Angeles and just about everywhere else, and Monday he joined the Late Night Happy Hour with the Kamenetzky Brothers. Metta World Peace has launched a new basketball app, called X vs. X Sports (@xvsxsports), which is designed to bring basketball players together to find games at a common skill level, from rec players to pro prospects.

After a quick recap of the Lakers road trip and rotation changes before Metta joins (at about the 25 minute mark), we talk about what motivated him to develop the app, and what he hopes it becomes. It reflects something fundamental about pickup hoops culture, and why it matters so much to the sport. What's unique about growing up playing ball in the parks of New York vs. LA vs. Chicago? How does it form a player's game? How can XvsX help keep players in the game who might otherwise fall through the cracks?

In that way, his newest venture is an extension of the mental health and community work Metta has engaged in over his career, and after. What helped him speak out so openly about mental health at a time when the stigma, particularly for athletes and men more generally, was still very intense? How does it feel now to see players so much more comfortable talking about mental health?

It's just past the 10 year anniversary of his legendary post-Game 7 press conference, after the Lakers beat the Celtics. We cue it up, and watch it with him. Some of his commentary was surprising (including a desire to be traded early in his first Lakers season that was, at least to us, news). And the stories he told after about the night that followed? Fun, to say the least.

In between, Metta reveals where he'd like to coach, and why that school may not want to hire him, and a lot more. So much fun, with a fantastic human being.

Make sure to check out xvsxsports...