Description

The 25th edition of Whe're They At features Atlanta Hawks head coach and community activist, Lloyd Pierce. Lloyd starred at Santa Clara University as a guard alongside Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Steve Nash. After playing professionally overseas, he paid his dues in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in player development and assistant coaching for over a decade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers. He finally received the opportunity to become a head coach, with the Atlanta Hawks in 2018. In Atlanta, Coach Pierce is developing one of the most promising young teams in the NBA. He's become a powerful presence as an activist against systemic racism and police brutality. He also spearheaded the start of a committee by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) on Racial Injustice and Reform. Host Nabaté Isles had the honor to speak with Coach Pierce on a myriad of topics including:                  

01:51-How he and his family are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic?                     
 
03:02-On the committee he helped start within the National Basketball Coaches Association focusing on Racial Injustice and Reform.                      
 
05:40-His perspective on being a Black male and the action he is taking for others to understand the everlasting struggles.                      
 
10:37-On the overdue exposure of Juneteenth.                      
 
15:50-His ability to relate and interact with people of any race, gender, culture and background and how it has helped him as a leader.                      
 
19:12-On how he emphasizes building a bond beyond basketball with his young Atlanta Hawks team.                   
21:41-Clip from Episode IX of Whe're They At with Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo mentioning Atlanta Hawks star wunderkind, Trae Young's impactful community work.                
 
22:34-Coach Pierce discusses Trae's commitment towards being a selfless influencer off the court.                                     
24:51-On the great presence of recent retiree and future Hall of Famer Vince Carter on his young team.               
26:34-On being selected as an assistant coach for the USA Men's Basketball Team.                     
 
28:40-On the collective appreciation the USA Olympic team (which could include LeBron James) will have when they play in Tokyo for the Summer Games after a year postponement.                   
 
30:42-His take on the possible NBA age limit going back down to 18 years old.                   

 
33:27-Does Coach Pierce see a lot of surprise results taking place in the NBA Playoffs within the neutrality of the 'bubble' in Orlando?                   
 
36:11-Reminisces on his time at Santa Clara University in the West Coast Conference, playing against fellow NBA head Coach David Fizdale and 2-time Academy Award winning actor, Mahershala Ali.                   
 
39:33-FAST BREAK segment of random questions for Coach Pierce.                        
 
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Musical selections are from Nabaté Isles' album, 'Eclectic Excursions', available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon, Tidal, etc. Check out his website as well: www.nabateisles.com