Q&A with Baron Davis on the Rising Stars video series and his playing days
Mountain Dew Kickstart is celebrating the brand’s first year as the title partner of the annual NBA All-Star Rising Stars game. As part of the partnership, Mountain Dew Kickstart is expanding Rising Stars from a one-day event during NBA All-Star into a yearlong platform to spotlight the off-the-court lives of the next generation of elite NBA players throughout the regular season, the NBA Draft and Summer League.
Launching this month is the Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars content series, hosted by NBA legend Baron Davis, with episodes featuring Davis interviewing Rising Stars Kyle Kuzma, Joel Embiid and Dennis Smith Jr.
Davis spoke with The Step Back’s Paul Centopani about his involvement in the series and his impact on basketball and beyond.
PC: Baron, as the host of the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Series, can you give me a little background on what the show’s about?
BD: The show’s really about highlighting the rising stars, the stars of the future. Partnering up with Mtn Dew Kickstart, we thought it’d be a cool idea to show a different element and aspect to these young and upcoming players — Kyle Kuzma, Dennis Smith Jr., Joel Embiid. The next wave of stars and it’s an opportunity to showcase their personality and how it influenced their performance.
PC: How’d you get involved in the series?
BD: Mtn Dew Sports came to me and asked if I wanted to be a part of it and I thought about it and told them I had some ideas. I’d want to try to curate and interview the guys in a different fashion. They gave me the green light and they were incredibly committed to working with me. And it’s incredibly fun because they get basketball, they get culture and having them at Mtn Dew, a big part of pop culture in sports, it’s been nice working together with them coming up with ideas and guiding them to the players and their history.
PC: Kyle got picked late in the first round onto a team with a lot of young talent with the Lakers. And he immediately exploded onto the scene. What have you seen in him that tells you he’s for real?
BD: Basketball’s his life and he has the swagger. It doesn’t matter where he got drafted, you know? If you have it, you have that master feel and that master swagger for the game and that natural love. And that comes across when you talk to him about basketball.
PC: Kuzma’s getting called L.A.’s Godson. Does that make you L.A.’s Godfather?
BD: [laughing] Yeah, I like it. Is that a trick question? Getting called L.A.’s Godfather is also saying that there’s a basketball mafia in L.A. of people who love it and embrace it. It’s a family thing. I think calling him a Godson is a way of saying he’s somebody who came from another city and embraced the culture here but has his own culture and swag. So playing for the Lakers for one, but also just being able to make it here, giving it back to the kids, being out and about and really embodying that lifestyle. That’s what L.A.’s all about.
PC: One of the things players struggle with is what to do once they stop playing. But you’re a multi-faceted guy with numerous business ventures through Baron Davis Enterprises. Is being an entrepreneur something you always had your eye on?
BD: I think I’ve been that way since I was 15 years-old. It’s more survival than anything. Just having a creative mind, paying attention to a lot and having the right mentors and people like that. I guess you can say I’ve always had that entrepreneurial mind.
PC: I’m sure you get asked this all the time, but the We Believe Warriors was one of the most exciting teams ever. Was that your proudest NBA moment?
BD: That was just a great team to be a part of, we had a lot of good times both on and off the court. Basketball became magical with those guys.
PC: Who do you still keep in touch with from your playing days?
BD: I still talk to guys all the time, man. All of ‘em.
PC: Who’s the hardest guy you ever had to guard?
BD: I’d say Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson.
PC: And now that you joined the Big 3, you get to play with Allen. He’s on your team, right?
BD: I’m not sure Allen’s gonna be playing, but he’ll be there as the coach. It’ll just be good being back in the gym and working out with him.
PC: Yeah, that’s still pretty good. Not including teams you were on, if you could go to any era and be on any team, who would you play for?
BD: The Lakers. I would say the Lakers in the Kobe-Shaq era. But I gotta run. I appreciate you, man. Thanks for the interview.
PC: Alright Baron, thanks so much for your time. Good luck with everything.
Next: Q&A with Frank Ntilikina: Nicknames, NBA adjustments and New York pizza
Unfortunately, Baron had to run to another interview before I could ask (and most likely get laughed off) about his status with Laura Dern or get his prediction for the Finals.