ditional broadcaster, who says “Here is the day in sports”, my boss liked that I had an outgoing energy, it was very low rent for them (laughs) and I guess it worked. I didn’t look like anyone in sports and I was doing stuff that no one else in sports was doing at that time. Headline Sports was differentiating itself from stations like TSN, and Sportsnet was also just launching – it was good timing for me. So you essentially started as a working class Toronto kid growing up with a dream. How did you get from there to the point now where you can essentially call up any athlete in the world and get access? Was there a moment for you that you felt you’d made it? The first athlete that I interviewed was Wade Belak, God rest his soul. He used to watch Headline Sports – and on that same team was Darcy Tucker and Bryan McCabe. Then I used to bug Mats Sundin a little bit also. On the Raptors side, it was Morris Peterson and Vince Carter. After having great experiences with these athletes, my confidence grew and I said to myself “Okay, you can do this.” What was the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome in your career to date? Just getting access – getting access was the hardest thing. Most athletes in basketball are American so they don’t know who I am. With the hockey dudes, it was about getting access to the locker rooms. I didn’t dress like any other reporter – I wore t-shirts and sneakers and jeans. I dressed and I spoke like the athletes themselves – I was of their culture, especially with basketball – but even with hockey players, we all consume the same pop culture, music, movies, etc. My experience interviewing athletes at Headline Sports was only a few months because I left to do Sportsnet in November of 2002 to 2005, and I worked on a Jays Show called J-Zone and a basketball show called NBA XL. On those shows I only talked to athletes, so I gained a lot of experience and developed some cool relationships there as well.
to stay at his guest house (laughs). The next time I saw him I asked him for his address. The next time I saw him I asked him for his phone number. In the span of 3 months I saw him 4 times. He didn’t know who I was, but I think he started to recognize my face and the bit and knew that, “with this guy, it’s a little bit different and I can let my guard down”. Gaining the trust of an athlete or an interview subject is the most important thing to me, and developing a relationship is the second most important thing. I’m not Steven A. Smith or Dan Patrick; I don’t have super close relationships with the biggest athletes. I have some pretty close relationships, particularly with some of the hockey dudes and Kobe and I have a pretty unique relationship too. Kobe has given me access that he hasn’t given anybody else before. I am not going to say he texts me every Sunday and says “hey man did you see that Giants game?” But when we see each other, it’s always very cordial – he asks about my family and stuff and then we get into the bit and I will be pitching him ideas. People might think we’re friends and I sleep at his house, but I don’t (laughs). What are you proudest of that you’ve accomplished to date? Do you ever give yourself time to sit back and feel good? No, I am definitely not a stop and smell the roses kinda guy – only because it doesn’t feel very Canadian if you start resting on your laurels. We are kinda self-deprecating, and we work hard because we are humble people, and besides, the audience just wants to see the next thing. The news cycle used to be a few days, but now it is like 11 minutes. There will always be some new video on YouTube or some meme with some friggin’ cat wearing an eye patch that people are going to share 30,000 times – you have to stay fresh.
I never go after athletes, I do not try to break news, I am 100% in the entertainment business. I entertain first and I inform second.
In terms of what I am proudest of, I would have to say, there aren’t a lot of people that look like me that cover hockey. It’s a stark contrast from the way that I look to the way that everyone else looks, including the players. To show an audience that someone of the hip hop generation can have these really fun moments with a wide swath of hockey players from Crosby and Ovechkin to Paul Bisonnette is different. I drank from the Stanley Cup, which I had no business doing (laughs). Just seeing a black guy talk hockey to hockey players now I would hope it’s no big deal at all. Whereas before, in 2008, when I drank from the Cup, I don’t think anyone has seen that before. I mean Grant Fuhr with the Oilers did in the 1980’s, but not a reporter. I’m not going to say I’m a trailblazer or a trend setter, but I don’t think people have seen that before. Not to say it didn’t exist, but I haven’t seen it.
When I first met Kobe, there was nobody else there. The first bit was about bandwagon fans and I asked him to draw a bandwagon. He didn’t want to draw it, but we had some fun with it and as a throw away I just asked him
Have you had any experiences with any of the players on the Ottawa Senators over the years? I had a great time covering the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals because I was more fearless back
You are well known for your interviews and relationship with Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. How did this all come about? The Lakers came to town in 2005. I got lucky with timing when he came in 2005 because it was a year removed from his trial in Colorado – McDonald’s had dumped him, Coca-Cola had dumped him, Nutella had dumped him – only Nike stayed with him.
then than I am now. I remember segments where I was riding the bike with Mike Comrie, I think. Once I gave Jason Spezza a pair of bright lucky boxers and I told him, “you guys are superstitious; here is something new, try this out.” I remember going out once with Ray Emery during the Finals – it was super low key – we drove around in his Hummer and it was gawdy and loud, but it was awesome. Ray was very true to himself. We mostly talked about hip hop. I find that when I’m talking to athletes we talk about anything other than their sport. To me, there are just dudes who are excellent at a sport, but at the end of the day, they are just guys who like the same things as me – food and girls (laughs). The hockey culture wants to suppress. Basketball builds stars because it is a star driven league. Baseball, not so much. Football, sort of – the quarterbacks are stars. Hockey is a sport where the team is the star, the game is the star. Ray, he bucked that – his sensibilities were a lot bigger than traditional hockey culture. I enjoyed interacting with Ray, Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson was kind but didn’t know how to take me (laughs). I really like Brian McGrattan, too. I actually haven’t been to Ottawa in a while, but I’ve had some great nights in Ottawa. Ottawa is a fun town. Do you have a favourite interview you’ve ever done? I don’t know if I have only one because I’ve had great experiences with many different people. My first interview that gave me a great feeling was when I first interviewed Pedro Martinez in Boston in 2003. Pedro was the ace of the Red Sox staff and we did a pitching contest where we pitched with our left hands. He threw 60mph on the radar gun with his left hand, and I hit 30mph. Pedro was such a big star. The next year, he taught me his special handshake, which was a really cool experience for me. In hockey, I went to the after party with the Kings in 2012, which was pretty special because I actually got to eat Cap’n Crunch out of the Stanley Cup. I’m pretty sure I desecrated the trophy, but WAY worse has happened to that Cup. In basketball, I got to fly in Kobe Bryant’s helicopter, which was awesome. Recently, I got to race Adrian Peterson on a mini bike... I lost (laughs). What role did your family play in your success? What have they taught you along the way that has helped you get to where you are now? Good question. My dad is a natural storyteller so I get that from him. My mom is really loud, so I get that from her (laughs). My parents gave me a strong sense of work ethic. My first job was when I was 10 – I helped deliver the Toronto Sun in my neighbourhood. Then, when I was 13, I worked at Wendy’s and I just at the French fries.
15 | April 2014