New York is a Knicks Town.

New York is a, is a Nick's town and everyone's about to figure that out. This is the Gary V. Audio experience. My guest is maybe the most jacked up and amped up Nick's fan. That is in my world. I see him in all the games, but I also see him online and he's someone special. We're going to bring in Gary V. Mr. Gary Vaynerchuk after this. All right. I would no further ado, the man that I mentioned in the monologue who I live in New York City and see at these nicks games for nearly a decade, always representing in January, in December, in November, when they're playing the Phoenix Suns or the Orlando Magic that I see around New York City always that month. And then online has one of the greatest Nick fan personas and lives it so vulnerably and so real. No further doom. Mr. Gary Vaynerchuk, Gary V. Welcome to the show. Humble to be on, man. And what a, what a great day to be on. Thanks for having me. The whole monologue I said my Tuesday morning walk from where we live in Dumbo, Brooklyn to where my son's school is was just the guy at the bodega, dapping you up the, the cop wearing a hat, the crossing guard, go next, Nick said, did you have a morning walk yet? It is unbelievable here right now. You know, I can't believe what this took me. Let me give the hat tip right away to the legend that is Mike Francesca on sports radio, 660 in 1991. I remember the year Mike, Mike in the mad dog, Francesca said something. I was only, you know, 15, 16 at the time. And Francesca said they were talking about the giants and the Yankees. And then the point he made he goes, look, let there be no confusion. New York is a nicks town. Yes. When the nicks are going, there's nothing like it. And I mean, here I am 35 years later bringing this up to you. That's because it's a shared team. I mean, I on the record, I think the Brooklyn nets should move. Should actually move. They could win seven championships. I don't think it would ever move. By the way, when we made the playoffs when they had a super team and the city went crazy about Randall and the nicks and we could care less about the rant and Kyrie and the nets. It was the first time I remembered the Francesca thing. I was like, oh, New York's a nicks town because obviously, you know, giants and Yankee, giants and jets and Yankees and Mets, you know, even the split. Yeah, they're split even though it's 70, 30. They're split. And, you know, us jet fans, we hate the giant fan, you know, and fans. And giant fans will just dismiss jet fans. So when you're the old, I grew up at Jets Yankee. So the Mets never bothered me because when you big brother, why are you worried about it? But as a jet spam, I worry about everything the giants do. New York's a nicks town. Yeah, I feel it. I was out for two seconds. Same thing like like the door man and I like have gone through it like every day for a decade, all that stuff. So and then, you know, having a 13 year old son, who's a die hard? Who to like bigger than me? Oh, my, my guy has watched every single. This is real has watched every game or has followed on phone when his mom took him out the dinner and forced him to miss something for eight years. Like can rattle off, you know, like we spoke of it for the A stats. Yeah, we talked about Bobby poor to set length the other night. You know, so for him to be that per I mean, your guy's a little younger, I would argue for 1340. I mean, he's, I mean, and he's nicks Jets. I'm Jets nicks. Yeah. And so. Yeah, it's, it's crazy because my brother's 11 years younger to me. The Yankees and Rangers won a championship before my brother got going. So my brother is only a never seen it. So 99 was him. We had that together. It was a quick series. That's per series. You know, I said in the monologue, there was a strike short and season. We were at eight seed. It was a weird run. And what was amazing, that hawk series was held on to forever. We just had it with the sixers and the calves blowing, like blowing someone out. We spent the Mookie Blaylock. We took care of that hawk series. Like can be like it was just like, we never trounced anyone like that in a seven game series. The old three games, five games, threes with the early nicks were a lot of threeos. But. I yeah, man, New York is a is a nicks town and everyone's about to figure that out. And I said, I tweeted it last night. And I also said it in the monologue. To me, I'm not a gatekeeper. Like if you want to just jump on right now to this nasty, like come on aboard. Honestly, I'm not even about the outside noise in general. That's my life. Like I don't get mad that everyone's a bandwagon fan. Like it doesn't even run through my mind. You don't need to show your Lewis Almondson bonafines. Like you're good. Yeah. I mean, I'm focused on me and my crew that have been texting about, you know, like our hopes and dreams for Kevin Knox and my OG friends reminiscing about Strickland and Johnny Newman and Kenny Skywalker and Gerald Wilkins. Like I'm not in it to debate who's allowed on or not. I'm in it to enjoy with my homies that have been bleeding for 25 plus years. Waiting for anything that looks anything like this. And it's incredibly special. And look, the two teams on the west are incredibly good. They're definitely beating each other up. You know, it's definitely, you know, it's obviously now in the time of this recording. It's definitely going to six. It surely smells like a seven gamer. And you know, when the play, I've started the Oklahoma City seemed like an unbeatable. Like there was like, I was like, if we can just get to the finals, I think we all said that. And my son, I ended my monologue with the same point that like to start the, it was just to get to the finals. Now it's house money. Wait a second. We could win this whole thing. But can I like the way we match up with the spurs? Like I think there's a little bit of like the pedal coming off the rose with the, okay, see, I mean, I mean, SGA's brand isn't a very weird spot right now. It's a brand guy. I was going to ask you that it's, I mean, we're on first take and get up. And all it is is just piling on the guys, two time MVP and yet no one respects the way it is. There's multiple things. He's the most lovely. He's super talented. He's worked super hard. I think sometimes, and I think you'll appreciate this, Peter. Like this was something when I was first starting to get notoriety. I thought about a lot, which is not talked about a lot, which is, you have to be careful to not become a character to yourself. Hmm. I think in your line of business, it's a very, very thin line, right? We fall in love with so many of you that are personalities that do what we all wish we could be doing for a living. And then you get a tagline, you know, regold, the funds, or goal. You get something that works, a stick, a style, and then you become, it's not authentic anymore. And I think SGA, as a basketball nerd, I think he's so similar to JB, the footwork for this, that angles, the speed. And so I think he did have a higher propensity to get fouled more often, but there is no confusion left for anyone. He, and I don't even think he wants to do this. I think this is a subconscious human behavior. I think he's become a character to serve himself and he has to break out of that rhythm. The problem is breaking out of that rhythm kind of hurts what you're trying to accomplish. Because he's so good playing that way. It's just not an aesthetically pleasing or respectable way to play. And now, like, as if it wasn't building enough, now if he's lucky enough to get through San Antonio, which is definitely not a given, he's got the biggest media market in the world. Not any of this. He's self-ungrit, and toughness, and Oakley, and Mason, like, and what he does with the flopping and all the falling down. He's actually in a direct no-win situation, which is going to be fascinating. And the question becomes how much is he aware of that? How much is that bleed into his head? How much is that effect? It's fascinating to think about. But that's them. I can't worry about that right now. What I need to worry about is I cannot believe this happened. You mentioned, I mean, you mentioned, I've never seen that. My first memory as a Nick Fan was Kenny Walker winning the Dunk contest and staying up late to watch it. And of course, Johnny Newman, and you mentioned Gerald Wilkins and all the guys. And then it was the '91, '92, '93 teams, '94. And we've been on it throughout our X-Men. How many days did we meet? Our friends in front of Jerry Cosby and our dads. And we just like, this is where we're going to meet. And then the game, you know, like, that was something. That was super cool. For me, you know, I grew up uncomfortably humble. And so like, I'd even get to go to games until I went to high school. But that was like, just-- and I was a Jersey boy. So like, it compounded even more when you're part of this city fabric. It's maybe you take it for granted. When you come from the burbs, you take it. It's just like, yeah, I think about Models. And nobody beats the whizz and frasers and the steak. It just crazed. Crazy Eddie. And then, you know, I said, like, you know, we all love Mike Green. And we love what we had. But like, I grew up on Al Trotwig. And John Andres. For me, it's really Marv. You know, like, you know, I'm a little older. And like, Marv is like, I've been thinking a lot about Marv. Still with us? No, I know, I know, I know he's not got, but you know, like, I've just been thinking about Like that was the he's the voice to my soundtrack in a way that bream is for a lot of these kids and Yeah, and Walt, you know, you see he didn't mean it got me emotional You see he had tears in his eyes last night and Pat's my number one dude. How cool does he look in that? I mean how could he look at these games? So Pat's number one for me personally and so you know You know, it's super weird like watching Brunson ascend up the Nick's lore. It's crazy How the generational thing like the OG's ahead of me. It's always like Clyde and Reed and For me it's you and God how can't you love JB? I mean all of these guys are etched in for the fact that you know the way I think about you know Deja Cour down the sideline for the Jets or like against Buffalo Like like to me those nerdy players that you have to be a psycho die hard And the fact that I know at 89 years old I'll be explaining to somebody at the retirement pool what Landry Shamit did last night. Yeah, I will literally like that's insanity I still talk about Anthony Bonner like yes, like that's in like yes, Shamit's threes or Alvarado and and like all that stuff that's gonna be forever all the guys are forever for all the kids that are watching Just so you know how many times the two of us and a million other Nick fans talked about Why Rolando black man should have been put in the game for starcks? 100% these things last forever and like like like like cats Like that dunk on the follow like little plays that I'll never forget up Shamit I'm so happy for Landry because I'm a huge fan him and I like DM for years when he came into the league So I would nick I went to the preseason game Where he heard himself here was and so like he's always had a very soft spot in my heart My brother has one of the best Landry Shamit rookie card collections. That right last night was like any time right Last night I went online and I go to this NBA shop and on an impulse I'm buying myself a shamit jersey and you can customize it to 149 bucks. I'm like I don't wear basketball here as these but I feel like it's the right thing to do And then it said it arrives June 15th. Yeah, like that's too bad I didn't cancel the order if it comes at June 15th I wear it all summer I'm in you know like The fact that he gets completely cemented in Nick's lore because of that game really is very very very exciting and This team is so uncomfortably lovable and it goes so deep and we're deep man we're deep like even like last night I was like talking to my son like Jordan Clarkson has been such a great player You know like it just like it goes so deep everybody. I hope you're enjoying the podcast right now make sure you follow the podcast That's why I'm interrupting let's keep going on this show, but follow the podcast. They'll make my mom super happy and They're lovable like everything about them and you've got the the Villanova guys But then everyone's story like here's cat who has just been beat up his entire career for not fulfilling expectations And he has been the ultimate nick of aker He has been everything you could want and It's so good so good and bridges who everyone says five first-round picks It's been worth all of it like they erase it already. I don't care what happens in the finals They both are cemented right now and you can feel like the fact that they got us to a place Which is gonna mean the tears are gonna come out if it doesn't happen like it was house money It was all the finals are bust. It was all like you're not beating O.K.C And now the fact that we're you know, you just can't watch these last 11 games and not You just know you can win you know you can win which Just feels like impah. I don't I it's crazy to say those words. You had the best reaction on Instagram last night Yeah, I don't do I don't know to do with my hands. I don't know to do with my face I don't know who to call like I just because the way they're doing it these 30 point blowout victories against Hall of Famers James Harden and Donovan Mitch like it doesn't even make sense Do you know what's funny? I just realized the last time I cried in life I'm not in life because I care about real things but last time I cried in sports Where can I guess yeah Doug Brian misses the field goal and Pittsburgh I didn't cry, but I was a bad I mean the Jets were giving me a lot of death. Yeah I cried very heavily when the nicks lost in 94 I was a see I was 18 years old and When they lost that game seven I Cryed very heavily I cried I cried that for like hours hours and And then and then weirdly I cried week one when Garrison Hurst ran a 98 yard touchdown against Jetson over Nine years, I remember And then that was it that was it the Lions Jets playoff game. Yeah, okay. Well as a player I think when it in very small windows and I just cried out but 98 I want to say yeah, I'm curious Yeah, 97 Because 98 they went to the ABC championship. Yeah, they lost in Denver. I went to that 10 nothing did not cry How's money that games house money? Thought we could win that game 10 nothing at the half keep fires. Yeah Blake spends with the block the block That's what I mean about Lee Landry's shaman right now Many jet bands are like oh Gary's real because if you're pulling out Blake's fence. Yeah, you know that play No, and and I'm just so happy Yeah, I'm just so happy. I mean, I'm definitely going to game one. I just blew out my entire like business You know, I'm very busy. I got a lot going on the schedule Blue it out for game I went actually I don't think game one or game two is gonna happen unless someone invites me That's just what the truth of it is for me and then game three is a weeknight. I don't know whatever game five I looked at flights you can fly to Tulsa and It's like an 80 minute ride and there's direct flights on American and then there's also a direct flight to San Antonio I might just bite the bullet. It's a Saturday game game five Game five right I'm gonna be there for game one game two I have to be in Poland for a wedding of a very close friend So my brother luckily are going and that's two thirty and I love that it's Poland But like I know there's a party that's like how Yeah, like half the half every is in New York like the groom is gonna be watching with us to the AM Game three believe it or not, which is wild For the first time in my life. I'm going to San Antonio to give a speech I would I never I never canceled things that I'm obligated to so even though the nicks will be home for game Yes, in New York in their city San Antonio, which is bizarre Game four. I'll be in the garden Game five six and seven. I'll be there Game one you'll go you said or no, it's a road game one. I'm going you'll find a way Tulsa I'm like I've got my whole Machine is working right now my son's gonna be there my brother Wednesday night. I love it There's a good chance. I'll be there too. I'll find a way. I want to play two clips for you, please and I want your reactions Tucker our producer is gonna roll the first one We're not gonna give you any intro and you're just gonna respond and make whatever reaction you have Tucker click it Oh I Just a corner and you can't be and the head coach on the next Come on that's game three right? Yes, I was in the building for that game I was in the building for that game way up top and It was one of the greatest days of my life We we lost that game. Yeah, we lost game three one game four. That's right Sam Kasehl. Hojie chase. Yeah, Sam Kasehl does the whatever The funniest part about that is me and my friends play an L we have this joke that The we would drag out the Patrick Ewing's part so much our inside joke is that we would be at like tip off Like jump all go down like 11 3 and they'd be like at 7 foot From George that we always love that they drag the shit out of that announcement. Yeah, I mean those are incredible days like I'm just so grateful that we get the taste it again If you honestly I'm still not fully in tune with my feelings, you know 12 hours 13 14 hours later. It just still feels surreal I'm gonna play clip two because it's a different slice of the same thing. It's from 99 But you're gonna appreciate all the faces and all of it As usual, plenty of familiar faces at the garden for a big playoff game Evander Holyfield who must not be in training earlier I saw him wolf down two hot dogs Ben Stiller James Conn they have paid junior and upstairs Tiger Woods to Saturday night live Alums who've gone on to movie start him Adam Sandler and Billy Crystal and Woody Allen. Mike says fourth quarter we're coming back. Come on. You got to be happy for Ben and Spike like you know it's crazy. Yeah man like you know it's just no like very few fan bases deserve it more I'm incredibly proud you know my brother and my son more than me my my professional career really the meat of it the prime of it happened really from 2000 on so unlike the jets a lot of nickgames are during the weeknights and I I worked so feverishly through my 20s and 30s many times ending my work day at 10 or 11 p.m. so I've missed a lot of nickgames in a way like that my brother did and I mean I called my brother school the day the next trade for step on Marbury and told him I had a family emergency to pull him out of class pre cell phones to tell him that Marbury got traded and I was hyped and he was disappointed because he was a huge Marbury guy but he felt like Marbury wasn't the big hit us he nailed it and then my son is literally like I said watched every single game for the last eight years it's crazy I see you you're you're at the games is it surreal that you're in that mix now like that you're not necessarily JFK junior but like you're the mix to JFK junior yeah it is yes it's not lost on me that I'm sitting like at the ceiling looking at those people and now there's kids that think my content or what I do is cool so it's it but honestly what's cool about being a die hard is yes I'm aware of that but I'm it's I'm so first of all in you know me a little bit I'm pretty patched from I know to write it begin with as a Jets or Nick's fan I could care like to me I'm like I'm really just like you for real I'm kind of like that in life I'm glad that my mom passed on and taught humility in Jets and Nick's world I'm just there to nerd out and talk about the stuff we all want to talk about the game and everything I'm not even thinking about that but I am aware of it and it is it is special in some ways yeah um all right that's Nick's I've got a few more minutes with you I want to ask a couple things and just get your thoughts because we've got a great fan base who watches this show listens to this show and sees it on ESPN I'm gonna start with this because yesterday before the Nick game I texted you I'm flipping around on FS1 I'm watching in Dallas new Jersey vs St. Louis in the major pickleball league and the fives are in this match with St. Louis and my son and I are and I'm like this is the first time I've actually paid attention we have a mutual friend Jason Stein who's also very pro on pickleball and he's telling me you got to watch this you've got to see this you are bullish on pickleball take make the case for pickleball in America as a sport moving forward I like a couple things I'm very big on distribution I don't think people understand there's a reason a lot of alternate sports are happening not only am I very deep and own the New Jersey fives and very deep on pickleball but I also have an investment in slam ball I'm also an owner of the team the New York Green apples in the New Whiffleball League I I involved in the sailing league I wrote it I own a team I'm own a team in big three through a little bit of a structure I wrote me and AJ wrote the first checks into unrivaled the three on three basketball league I'm incredibly bullish alternative sports because I think people can watch that the way the screaming and the internet works now the NFL needed television to be invented to take the next step people to understand how nascent professional football was I was baseball on the radio that's what it was that's right I'm boxing and horse racing things that did well on radio you need exposure you need TV time the NHL exploded when ESPN picked it up in the 90s I believe in marketing I believe in storytelling and I believe in awareness and distribution pickleballs clips on social are consumed much more than people realize a lot of people are participating in it it's an unusual sport where athleticism gets a little bit subsidized by the nature your grandma can beat you pickleball and I think what you saw on FS1 is like it's a it's a much better TV product than people realize sponsorship is really interested in it because the demos range and you know I'm not interested in convincing I mean the amount of people that are watching I'd be like shut up Gary pickleball stupid I get it I think many things are stupid in sports that I don't like that others do like I think the bigger thing that I'm hoping brings value to people in this interview is that there's an opportunity you know most of us are not going to buy the nicks or the jets like I hope to or the Yankees but some of the people with some means here and some savings that are looking to take a risk you know whether it's esports or other things hacky sack volleyball some of these things are running around TGL the golf league I am I didn't at the end but there there's some opportunity in creating or investing or supporting emerging sports leagues and I think there'll be more stories like UFC over the next 30 years that will surprise people and I think pickleball has got a chance next one collectibles you're super bullish on collectibles my son like I said nine years old years is 13 he lives at bleaker street trading and lives at the Tom Grady card vault is obsessed what's the future of collectibles and where do you really lean in there's nobody that's watching this that is confused that collectibles is on the verge of joining sports and music and travel and food as a lifestyle genre everyone's collecting something whether it's watches or handbags contemporary art trading cards coins comic books it's all happening nerd cultures exploding Pokemon one piece I couldn't be more bullish collectibles and I think it's nice I think the world is getting very digital and I think collectibles have an incredible analog thing it's tangible a lot of times and it brings community one of the best things about collectibles is you meet your friends to read community that's why so many people go to San Diego meet their fellow nerds that's why so many people will be in Chicago to meet their fellow trading cards why so many people will be up the NADX best at Javits Center in mid July to find their fellow sports fans I think I think it's a beautiful thing when it gets into gambling when it gets into some of that stuff it's not as beautiful but in its purity collectibles have always been here stamp your great-grandpappy collected stamps you know so I'm very bullish and I think the world is starting to realize it as a mechanism for marketing and and for community I think Gen Z and I actually spoke on a panel about this last week with some folks in the advertising world I think Gen Z really craves those experiences and media so it's why there was a whole theory about like going to a mall yeah it's not by the way I'll give you one of my best business ideas that I'm working on right now I'm thinking about starting some drive-in movie theaters too like I you can see it the world's about to go barbell as we go more AI more digital we're craving analog that's why sporting events music concerts running clubs hiking restaurants like there's so much obviousness to this I'm incredibly bullish analog I do fear and tell me if I'm on this that there will be just as there has been in every other industry in the last five to near we're gonna price out people from these experiences like I can't I can't in good faith get to a nick game right now unless someone's gonna invite me if that's me that's so I don't I want I want people to be able to do these things yeah and listen again this is why things emerge you know when you can't afford to go to a basketball game you might go to Central Park this audience and watch like the championship around a pickleball for 15 bucks this is how people discover new things there's always pendulum swings there's always like adjustments to the reality you never want things to be priced out at the same token you know merit and capitalism and free market are are principles a lot of people believe in and you know what's amazing is you know I'll be honest with you there was a part of me that desperately wanted to go to game four we thought about it but like just sitting in your living room and watching it with your loved ones is also like remarkable it is all right I'm gonna wrap it this because you got to run my last thing give me one finger hot on right now or in May 2026 summer is gonna be defined by what hmm hopefully a mixed parade you know I I we just touched on it I think people are gonna realize they want to be outside more and doing things I think it's you know from a business lens it's live shopping tick-tock shop whatnot I could not recommend people hear more just like social media was obvious to me in 2005 six and seven it was gonna change a lot of people's lives there's a lot of people here who want to become influencers and creators and never will be but they would be remarkable live shopping hosts so the QVCification of social media is very much on my radar and nostalgia I think nostalgia is incredibly underpriced and you got the he-man movie coming out the nature and like young creators. right? The biggest horror movie right now is made by a 26 year old kid for like five bucks. It's gonna be 100 million dollars in a box office. I'm actually incredibly optimistic in general. And I know the world right now isn't in that mindset, but I'm seeing the cracks to a little bit more joy and happiness. Hopefully that starts with a ring in New York. Let's go. Gary Vee, thank you for your time. Awesome. Yes. Appreciate you. Take care. Everybody, if you enjoyed this podcast, please go back and look at the prior episodes. They're loaded. I appreciate your attention. And thanks for being part of this journey. See you later.