Michael Beasley was the second overall pick by the Miami Heat in the 2008 NBA draft and played in the league for 11 years. He shares the highs and lows of life in the NBA, his thoughts on Lebron vs Jordan, and why so many professional basketball players go broke.

His first NBA basket wasn’t exactly legendary:

“I think Al Harrington was guarding me for my first NBA bucket. And I’m, I’m mad it went in. I’m so upset it went in because now, forever, my first NBA bucket is me going to my left, I spun left to right, and the ball rolled down my arm and all I could do was just flick it up and it just went in. (laughs) I wish it would’ve gone over the basket. It was just such a ugly basket.”

One reason why he thinks LeBron is the GOAT:

“I just think LeBron James, for him to have the pressure he’s always had on him. I first heard about him when I was in the eighth grade, and I told my mom about him. That was the first conversation about basketball I had with my mom, back when I was 12. And now I’m 36.  And LeBron hasn’t dropped the ball, no pun intended. But he hasn’t dropped the ball as my personal hero, as the kids’ personal heroes.”

How to help NBA players keep their money:

“Whether it’s your first check or your first two or three checks, I think your first $5 million should go into a trust fund. … What we think (as players) is that because we’re getting more money, we’re saving more money. But we don’t understand taxes and we don’t understand inflation.  So, I think, it’s the knowledge about teaching us how to preserve our wealth.”

How hard is training to become a professional basketball player:

“In high school it’s, it’s hard. But I don’t think anyone has ever been in shape until you go to college. But then in the NBA, a lot of guys take their foot off the gas. You think playing basketball every day is enough. But that’s where injuries come from. You don’t lift and condition.”

Is Luka Doncic out of shape:

“I hate that narrative on Luka. Because everybody who is saying that he is out of shape are the same people who cheer him when he’s scoring 50 points or 60 points. In order to score 50, you have be in shape to shoot 30 shots at least.”

What’s something you’re grateful for:

“Air. Literally air.  God is so grand and so accepting that air touches everything. Good and evil. No judgment. A guy behind bars, a guy on top of the mountain, a billionaire and a guy with not a dollar in his pocket. They all have air. So, I’m grateful for air because nobody else acknowledges it. It’s the only thing they haven’t charged us for yet, but it’s the most valuable thing in the world. Like literally if God snaps it off right now, we’ve got five minutes tops.”