What was life like growing up for you? I mean can you describe where you lived, and then what were some of the sights, and sounds, and smells of growing up?$$Well, it was wonderful, you know. My--I lived in a six--well, let me start from scratch. Moving from Harlem [New York, New York] to Brooklyn [New York]--remember, we lived on Jerome Street in Brooklyn--East New York section of Brooklyn. We lived on Jerome Street for about a, a year, and then my mother [Lucretia Simmons Green] found a bigger apartment--bigger home for us--for nine of us that was living--well, it was ten of us that was living in a apartment; she found a six room apartment right around the corner on Pitkin Avenue, and I remember the story she told me. She, she was walking and the then landlord was doing some work outside the apartment, and he had a sign, you know, "Apartment for Rent," and she inquired about it and he asked her how many kids she had, and she said this is the only time she ever had to tell a different story--I don't wanna use the other word but, but she said she had to because she needed a bigger place, so he asked her how many kids that she had, and she said four (laughter), and he said, "Okay." And a few weeks after that, when we moved in, he noticed all the kids (laughter). It was four plus six more, and he was like--saying something in Spanish; he said she did not wanna hear what he was asking her in Spanish 'cause he didn't speak English. But his--the landlord wife told her, you know, that, you know, "I thought she said she only had four, and she bringing all these kids." (Laughter) But he accepted her, but one thing my mother always did is she always paid her rent on time, and she always kept a clean apartment and kept us in a respectful way. And after he saw my mother's characteristics on how she was raising us, he accepted her, and we wound up living there for seventeen years--eighteen years in that, in that apartment.$$Now this is--this is quite a job, you know, when you really think of--you know, when you reflect back on something like that. There is someone who's working as a domestic--$$Um-hm.$$--and she's gotta feed what--nine children? I mean she's got (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) It was ten of us.$$Ten, yeah.$$Yeah, it was ten (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) And--$$And my sister, my oldest sister [Essie Mae Walton], was living in the Bronx [New York]; she was married--she got married at that time (simultaneous).$$(Simultaneous) Okay, so she wasn't there to help.$$She wasn't there, no, so it was ten of us.$$So, this is, this is really a, a--she did a--you know--a job!$$I think she did a phenomenal job, the best that--she always said she did the best she could and, as I've told my family, you know, to this day, it was up to us to take it to another level for her, to make it better. Unfortunately, some didn't--some decided to go a different route but, you know, she did a phenomenal job under the circumstances.$$Right. And this is New York City [New York, New York] where you don't necessarily have like the, the village kind of, you know, situation you might have in South Carolina or someplace where there are other relatives always around, and people you know (unclear) (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) No, she, she did it--she did it on herself with her character, integrity, and she was able to win a lotta people over in regards on how she tried to raise us, and keep us all together. And our, our closest friends was our landlord--the ones who--and also the one--the, the residents who lived on the sec- we lived on the third floor. And also the surrounding neighborhood was, you know, a lotta Puerto Ricans, you know; they were our friends. They really brought us in and, and accepted us and made us feel like, you know, we were part of their family as well.$$Okay, okay. So, it was a lotta Puerto Ricans in the neighborhood where you grew up?$$That is correct.$$Okay, all right. Did you learn how to speak Spanish?$$Oh, yeah. I have a brother, I think, who--I wanna make sure (laughter)--Wilbert [Wilbert Green] is a--totally converted, and my brother Wilbert, he worked in a grocery store right downstairs and they, they brought him in like, like he was their family 'cause they liked him, and he wind up working in a grocery store, and learned how to speak Spanish better than how everyone else was speaking Spanish in the neighborhood, and to this day, we still, you know, say--kid him that he's a fully converted Puerto Rican, yeah so.$$(Laughter).$$It's in, it's in his blood wholeheartedly.$So, who is your--when you were playing, who was your toughest opponent that you faced, do you think?$$Individually?$$Well, as a team and as individual players, you know. Who were the toughest (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) Celtics [Boston Celtics].$$The Celtics? Really?$$Kevin McHale was one of the toughest players I ever had to defend. He was so uncanny, he was so imposing; he had unbelievable post moves--up and under--just so, so good; he was just so good no matter, you know, our scout report was to be aggressive with him and deny him from his position on the box that he wanted, he always found a way to get there with his footwork, and long arms and--you know; it was like pick your poison playing against the Celtics 'cause you have--try to stop Kevin McHale from doing--and Parish [Robert Parish] doing their thing, and you have, of course, Bird [Larry Bird] out there, and you have a great point guard in Dennis Johnson, God bless him--his soul. It was tough, but they were one of my toughest teams that I've ever had to play against. I mean all--every team in the NBA [National Basketball Association] is tough, but in that year--those years with Bird and (unclear). And then, of course, the Lakers [Los Angeles Lakers], you know, with Magic [Magic Johnson], and Kareem [Kareem-Abdul Jabbar], and Worthy [James Worthy], and Jamaal Wilkes and, you know.$$Now here's Kareem; you--that, that must have been something to play against him--somebody that you've watched as a kid.$$Oh, yeah, oh, yeah (laughter). I remember my first year playing against Kareem was my rookie year; he--you know, I got in the game to defend Kareem and he, he knew I was in awe by him and, you know, first couple a possessions, you know--bang, bang, bang, and one time--next possession he--I went up for a rebound and he tried to go over me; went over my back and hit me on my head with his elbows and that woke me up quick, you know (laughter). That awe that I had of Kareem just evaporated after that hit, and I said, "Okay, I'm in a war now," (laughter) you know, so I always--when I see him, I always kid him about that experience I had with him on that, on that, on that game. But he was a remarkable player.$$Now, is he--do you think--I've often thought--now this is just me look--well, watching--I was at a game once with the Bulls [Chicago Bulls] and the, and the Lakers when they had Artis Gilmore, and if Artis Gilmore was 7'1", how tall was Kareem? Kareem seemed like he was taller--much taller than Artis Gilmore.$$I think they say he was 7'2"; he was about a inch taller than him.$$Yeah, but I don't know; seem like he was much taller, but I don't know if that's (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) Kareem, his physique was long and, you know--long, and Artis had a, you know, bigger body width wise.$$Okay.$$Yeah, width wise.$$Maybe just a optical thing--$$Correct.$$But, yeah, he looked a lot longer. He is made long, so he has longer arms and everything else--$$Um-hm.$$--so, yeah. So he just looked gigantic. I said, "Now, how in the world," (laughter). They're not even close to the same--they looked like they were close to the same size, you know, walking around, you know.$$Both great players.$$Yes, right.$$Both great players.$$And Gilmore was gone from the--he, he was--he was not playing with the Bulls anymore; he had just left, I guess, right (simultaneous)?$$(Simultaneous) No, he was with--he was with the Spurs [San Antonio Spurs].$$Right, right.$$With the Spurs, yeah, I think it was--yeah.$$Okay. Now, now, do you get a chance--when you're, when you're playing an opposing team, do you get a chance to know the players on the other teams in the NBA? Do y'all ever eat together after the game, or do they--or do, do the (simultaneous)--$$(Simultaneous) The game is so--you know--well, certain players on certain teams you probably know from, you know, the summer, or going on your NBA trips during the summer, you know, but--yeah. Yeah, but it's--you know, it's part of the professional sports. As far as embracing and hugging and figuratively kissing each players before games, you know, I never unders- you know, my objective was to, to beat you.$$Okay. Now, I always wondered--we, we see certain teams play, and the guys come out and they act like they're, they're greatest friends in the world, you know. I just wonder if they hang out after the game, or what, you know--how, how well the--your team knows the opposition, you know; that's what--$$Yeah, I, I (unclear) now--I didn't wanna warm our hearts up to my opponents too much. If I knew somebody on the opposing team I just--I say, "Hi," but just leave me alone, 'cause I gotta focus on what I gotta do for my team.
