In this episode of ‘Beyond The Buzzer,’ join PlaymakerNyrie as she unveils the unseen bits of NBA Champion, Thomas Bryants life! TB is fresh off his 1st NBA Championship with the Denver Nuggets. He then signed with the Heat in the off-season and we got to hang out with him in his first days in the 305. From a behind the scenes look at the INSANE Miami Heat facility to how this NBA Champion winds down after a long day of work, get ready to see it ALL! Hear unheard stories about Nikola Jokic, how Russell Westbrook is as a teammate, and the moment LeBron James broke the record most thought was impossible! We can’t wait to see TB ball out this year. Stay locked in to see who we spend the day with next.
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@nolimittb @playmakernyrie
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SportsTranscript
00:00 One thing that stood out from the heat was just like the championship mentality that they always have.
00:05 You already know, like, you gotta bring that same mentality.
00:09 What's up? I'm Playmaker Nyree and this is Beyond the Buzzer.
00:14 I'm here to show you what these athletes' lives look like when the clock hits zero.
00:18 Three, two, one.
00:21 Hey!
00:28 What's up, man? Come on in.
00:30 Thomas is fresh off his first NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets.
00:34 He then signed with the Heat in the offseason and we got to hang out with him in his first days in the 305.
00:41 You just got to Miami. How are you liking it?
00:44 I'm liking it.
00:46 Are you? What's your favorite part about Miami so far?
00:48 You know, people are going to say I'm crazy, but I'm going to say the weather.
00:51 The weather? It's been raining all summer?
00:54 But it's still hot, though. I love warm weather, so that's one thing about Miami that I love.
00:59 What's one thing that you haven't done in Miami yet that you're waiting to do?
01:03 I haven't gone sightseeing or been on the beach that much.
01:08 You haven't been to the beach?
01:10 No, I have been, but I haven't been as much as I've wanted to.
01:13 Do you cook, by the way?
01:14 Yes.
01:15 Are you a good cook? Are you like Gordon Ramsay?
01:16 I wouldn't say I'm bad. I could just survive.
01:18 What's your meal? Thomas Bryant's prime meal.
01:23 I would have to say a steak with sautéed spinach, maybe a little mashed potatoes on the side.
01:30 Other than that, that's my favorite. That's my favorite go-to meal if I'm actually cooking for myself.
01:35 Are you a big breakfast guy?
01:37 For sure. I love breakfast.
01:38 What's your favorite breakfast?
01:39 French toast.
01:40 You are an NBA champion, Thomas. How does it feel knowing that you accomplished your childhood dream?
01:50 It feels great to say I was a part of a team that became NBA champions.
01:56 That's something you always think about, always dream about, but it's something different when you're actually in that space.
02:06 You can actually say you could win a championship with a team. I never thought that that would happen.
02:12 Obviously, you played with one of the most mysterious players in the NBA.
02:18 Do you have a funny story or something you could share with Jokic that would express your relationship with him?
02:26 Me and Jokic have a great relationship. We have a mutual respect for each other just because of the competitiveness that we have.
02:33 But it's funny, Jokic would be the person that would be totally quiet, and then all of a sudden would crack a joke and just say something out of pocket.
02:43 "Yo, did you just say that, bro?" It would be funny because he has such a great sense of humor to where he jokes about literally anything.
02:50 He can talk to you about literally all that he knows. He loves horses. A guy loves his horses.
02:57 Does he talk about his horses often at practice? Like it's his children. It's Jokic and his horses, that's it.
03:05 Literally, like it's children.
03:08 Jokic is a seventh-year player in the NBA joining a Miami Heat franchise that has three championships and the most playoff wins and finals appearances of any team since 2006.
03:20 I would say the feel is different from the championship aspect that's all around us.
03:26 And no matter where you look, there's always an inspiration of just like players that have been here.
03:34 Championships that the Heat have won, certain players that have been here.
03:39 Legends of like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosch, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning who's up in our weight room of just like the inspiration that comes with it.
03:50 You just see different things from different facilities and one thing that stood out from the Heat was just like the championship mentality that they always have.
03:59 As a 6'10" center, Thomas is more than just an anchor in the paint. His best game last year was a 31-point, 14-rebound takeover in which he knocked down four threes.
04:10 You see Thomas working on his shot in practice here as teams are now shooting more threes than ever before.
04:17 Even though he's in a brand new city with a brand new team, Thomas is happy to not be starting from square one.
04:25 When I was a rookie, I got the worst of it.
04:28 I gotta know what they did.
04:29 I was a two-year rookie. So that's the worst part about it.
04:32 You had two years of it?
04:34 Yes. So when you get a rookie in the next year, you automatically be another rookie for another year.
04:39 So I had to go like two way. Say we land somewhere at two in the morning.
04:44 Hey Rook, for the first part, they don't call you by your name in the first year.
04:48 It's just Rook.
04:50 You were not Thomas. You were not TB, not Thomas Bryant. You were Rook.
04:53 Rook, hey come here.
04:57 What do you want, bro? It's three in the morning. We just landed.
05:01 I need you to go to the store and get something for me, bro.
05:03 What you mean?
05:05 I just want to sleep.
05:07 I need some water real quick. I need you to get a pack of water for me.
05:10 What you mean go to the store? It's three in the morning. It's 7-Eleven. I'm going to go there.
05:15 So I had to go to a 7-Eleven at three in the morning in West Bumba.
05:20 Wild.
05:22 And I'm just looking for water.
05:24 Like you're in the middle of Detroit. Like you're like where's 7-Eleven?
05:26 Exactly. I'm like I'm in the middle of nowhere. I'm just trying to find some water.
05:29 Oh yeah, we don't have that. You have to go to another store.
05:31 And what are you like Ubering or walking?
05:33 Ubering.
05:35 That's crazy.
05:36 You better get it too.
05:37 That was like you were just like their little butler.
05:39 Yeah. You waking up at the crack of dawn conditioning just for...
05:42 That's also like they text you at like ungodly hours.
05:47 You know what's funny?
05:49 Like 3am, 4am.
05:51 If they call you and you don't answer, they'll send security to come knock on your door.
05:53 That's, no like that's why.
05:55 Like I tried to ignore it one time. Security.
05:57 Just knocking until I get up.
06:03 And then next day at practice when you're having the off day, it's your fault.
06:09 And they're the one keeping you up all night.
06:11 It's your fault.
06:13 What you stay up all the time before?
06:15 You was out in them clubs fucking with them girls before boy.
06:18 You can't be up now? What the fuck?
06:20 I'm like and I'm over here drenched in sweat like.
06:24 Like I was just here about an hour and a half before you bruh.
06:26 That's wild. At least you're past that stage.
06:30 Thank God.
06:32 You can look back at that and be like I did it. I made it through that.
06:34 Made it through it. Ain't none of y'all kids built like me.
06:37 Literally. You're just different. You're just different.
06:41 Alright, what do you say? You hungry?
06:43 Yeah, I am a little bit.
06:45 Let's get something to eat. Let's do it.
06:47 I need to bring up that play that made you the meme of the year.
06:52 Which one?
06:53 You know exactly what I'm talking about.
06:55 On the Lakers, LeBron's about to break the scoring record.
06:59 And you're down there calling for the ball.
07:01 Yo, yo what's playing?
07:03 Yeah, I gotta know like what was going through your head while that play was happening.
07:07 Like he's about to break that record and you're wanting that ball.
07:10 You're wanting to make that bucket.
07:12 The whole time I'm looking up trying to time like so he's like 12 points.
07:16 He has 12 points left. So I'm like I'm looking up like trying to like see like alright.
07:21 12 points, 10, 8. Alright, but I'm still trying to like you know still be in the game and everything.
07:29 Like even if it was the better shot like.
07:31 I didn't even notice that was a shot though.
07:34 At that time I like literally when Bron says like I see you on that wing you got a smaller defender.
07:40 Get your ass in that post like dive.
07:43 Call for the ball. So I'm down. I'm doing what he told me to do.
07:48 I'm looking around like right before he shot the ball. I'm like why is everybody camera?
07:52 I'm like bro he ain't there yet. I'm like oh shit.
07:56 Bro, I was crying watching.
07:59 I didn't even realize he had two points left.
08:02 Yeah, no.
08:04 Because I'm trying to look at it throughout the whole time.
08:05 I'm like there's no way he knows that he's about to break this record.
08:08 No, and I see everybody's camera. I'm like.
08:11 Then he got like six like four or six more points to go.
08:15 I'm crying.
08:17 And next thing you know he shoots it and put his hands up.
08:19 I'm looking like and I hear everybody cheer. I'm like.
08:22 All right.
08:24 Okay.
08:29 Your first empanada in Miami.
08:31 Decide if you want ham and cheese or chicken.
08:33 What route are you going?
08:35 I'm going to try the chicken.
08:37 Okay, try the chicken. Drop it. Go crazy.
08:39 We need a one bite. Everyone knows the rules.
08:44 We need a taste test.
08:46 [Music]
08:52 Let it savor. I need to see the inside of it.
08:55 That's well seasoned.
08:57 It's all right. It's good.
09:01 Do you like it? You're an empanada guy or?
09:03 [Music]
09:08 Looking back at your time with the Washington Wizards.
09:11 You played with two superstars on that team.
09:15 How did that feel?
09:16 Russell Westbrook. I kind of want to like talk about your time there.
09:19 Russell Westbrook.
09:21 Probably I feel like a lot of people would agree is like one of the most highly criticized NBA players in today's game.
09:27 Can you talk a little bit about your experience playing with him and how he is as a teammate and a vet on the team?
09:32 Absolutely love Russ.
09:34 Russ is like literally a big brother to me.
09:37 Like he accepted me for who I was from the start of it.
09:41 He always accepted. He always accepts any of his teammates.
09:44 He's always riding for them, talking to them.
09:46 Like as a teammate, he's one of the best you'll ever have.
09:50 Because he knows the game so much and he makes it so much easier for you to play.
09:55 Like he wants you to score. He wants you to do good.
09:58 Like he wants that from you.
10:00 So like having him as a teammate, you already know like you got a dog with you.
10:04 So you got to bring that same mentality.
10:06 And it was funny when I was at Indiana.
10:10 I loved country music and I found out.
10:13 They used to always ask me, "Are you and Jimmy going to have a country music battle?"
10:16 And I'm like, "Yo, stop it, bro."
10:18 Not a country music battle.
10:20 Like really?
10:22 Oh my God, you guys could have coffee together.
10:25 Big Face Brand. Oh my God, this is perfect.
10:28 You like coffee. He literally is the coffee king of the NBA.
10:32 Like we need to set that up ASAP.
10:34 It's going to be a heatle.
10:36 And you know what? It did end up working out.
10:38 But what was your reaction when you saw he was going to the Bucs?
10:42 I was surprised. I'm not going to lie. I was very surprised.
10:44 But I mean, that's the business we live in.
10:48 That we have to be a part of.
10:50 It could happen at any moment.
10:52 You think something's a-shoeing and it might not be.
10:55 But you know, it was tough seeing that.
10:58 But you know, it was the best for him.
11:00 For him going on to his next journey with the Milwaukee Bucs or anything like that.
11:05 It sucks that we couldn't get him. We really wanted him.
11:07 But happy to see him do what he can.
11:11 Get out of the Portland situation.
11:12 Early on in the summer, going on into training camp, into the season.
11:16 Like, you have to think about it.
11:18 Last year, nobody thought that he would go to the finals. But they did.
11:22 3%. I always think of that graphic when we went against the Boston Celtics.
11:26 And everyone was like, 3% chance that the Heat were going to beat the Celtics.
11:30 And they went to the 7-game series in Boston in one day.
11:34 That's very impressive.
11:36 It was crazy.
11:38 I feel like Heat is always that team to get disrespected.
11:41 I know that Bam talks about it. Jimmy talks about it.
11:43 That they feel like the Miami Heat's always been disrespected.
11:46 Even though Miami is my home court, we can't wait to see TB ball out this year.
11:52 Stay locked in to see who we spend the day with next.
11:56 [MUSIC]
12:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]