Ep. 03: Dmitry "Smoove" Krivenko: Ukrainian Dunk Champion & Promoting Peace Back Home

[00:00:00] and suddenly I'm waking up at 5 am just I have like a big windows in my apartment

[00:00:05] and I see the explosions through my window, I'm like okay and my friend is calling

[00:00:11] like yeah, or where has started, where has started trying to start to shade shaking

[00:00:16] calling your calling my mom. Hey everybody welcome to this champion this podcast with

[00:00:32] Brianna Salvatore Doock and Chelsea Poppins. We're we share the incredible stories of athletes

[00:00:37] and entertainers who are using their platforms to create positive change in the world

[00:00:41] and their communities they live in. Oh so welcome. We're super excited and honored to have

[00:00:47] one of my favorite champions of change on the podcast today. Smooth, a great friend of Chelsea

[00:00:53] and I just want to hype him up really quick. Give you a little bit of his bio. Smooth is a two-time

[00:00:59] feeba three on three world dunk champion in both 2016 and 18. He's the first Harlem globe

[00:01:04] charter from Ukraine. He's a basketball creator and member of the International Dunk Elite Team

[00:01:11] and he's a sports diplomat, sports advocate doing a lot of work around peace building

[00:01:17] through sports among other things. Yeah, super happy to have you smooth these you're kind of humble

[00:01:24] I'm happy to be here. You're happy to have a conversation with you. Tell us a little bit about

[00:01:29] your background. Obviously you're Ukrainian but we'd love to hear how you found your passion

[00:01:34] with basketball and dunking. Yeah basketball I fell in love with basketball when I was

[00:01:42] I think six years old just because my father and my brother was playing together they played

[00:01:48] different sports so my father is professional chess player he's like international champion also

[00:01:54] he's the head of the national team of Ukraine. Yeah chess in one of the you know

[00:02:01] so chess has also there is a classic chess couple like different disciplines so

[00:02:07] he won all the main guys and one of the disciplines in Ukraine and my brother was always

[00:02:12] a volleyball player so he also played pro in Ukraine but both of them they went to play basketball

[00:02:20] together so basketball was their second love and the night fell in love with basketball just

[00:02:25] because of them and we didn't have a lot of it only TV when I was growing up I remember we have

[00:02:31] we had only maybe NBA Jam in 97 like once a week for like 10 minutes on one TV channel

[00:02:40] this was first time when I saw Kobe Bryant, Shaquille and you I like wow I never seen anything

[00:02:46] like that and thanks for the enough like my brother was dunking really good so I saw it on TV

[00:02:55] and then I saw it in real life so I fell in love with it really quickly yeah so at age of six

[00:03:02] I pick up the basketball and since then just playing playing playing all the time you know my life.

[00:03:07] So the ups are just in the genetics he guys all just have really great ups.

[00:03:12] I don't think so I asked my father and he told me he barely dunked maybe like one hand

[00:03:18] two hands on a great day. I was gonna say a chess player being a great like being super bouncy

[00:03:25] you don't necessarily put those two things in love with it. Oh I was talking I was talking about

[00:03:30] his brother. Yeah I imagine nowadays social media are like you chess player then you just stand up

[00:03:36] from the table just take a basketball and go dunk for me would be viral. So how old were you when

[00:03:42] you when you completed your first dunk? I think for start playing at six first dunk at eight.

[00:03:48] Almost almost yeah 14 14 was my first legit dunk on a regulation on a 10 feet

[00:03:57] before that I was jumping all the time on like nine nine nine eight. Just you know trying to

[00:04:04] feel how it feels just attached the rim touch the backboard how my first dunk on a low rim then

[00:04:09] slowly getting up there. Yeah so it age of 14 and in the age of 15 I already completed my first

[00:04:16] dunk contest so when I fell in love with it and next year at the age of 16 I won my first dunk

[00:04:22] contest. I'm like okay that's what I want to do probably basketball is fun but

[00:04:27] you're like I got this when you when you are the main guy on the court everybody's watching just

[00:04:33] you doing your thing and you win in it so it is just amazing feeling so yeah I just kept going

[00:04:38] oh that's great when you look back on the role basketball is played and you growing up what do you

[00:04:45] think what kind of experiences from all of all of your experiences as an athlete what do you

[00:04:51] think basketball is taught you? First of all basketball gave me all of my best friends in life so

[00:04:59] there's the most important part so all of my friends best friends of course they came from basketball

[00:05:05] we played together we grew up together with one of my best friends best friends for my childhood

[00:05:12] we didn't get along outside of the court so we were really different but when we came on a court

[00:05:18] we were like brothers so I'm really thankful for this sport to you know to give me those kind of

[00:05:25] people I'm still I'm still really close to everybody from my childhood with whom I played on a

[00:05:31] court so that's the most important and as the connection you know sometimes you can not really

[00:05:37] be on the same page with your parents with your older brother who was like eight years older than me it's

[00:05:44] like big gap eight years older he has his own interests I have my own but when we go on a court

[00:05:53] we we have something in common with the same team we shared like emotions together so there's

[00:06:00] the most important part that I think just so sports is just amazing and a basketball court in particular

[00:06:06] is like I think it's the best place you know in my life so whenever I go there I just feel feel like home

[00:06:12] I love that I mean that's how we all we all got connected right it was the love of the game

[00:06:17] NBA all star weekend with a hoop bus and just like living those incredible moments together

[00:06:24] and building that bond like you said around this love of the sport there's nothing like it

[00:06:29] so smooth you mentioned us you know you you won your first dumb contest at 16 let's fast

[00:06:36] forward a little bit so in 2016 and 2018 you were actually the fever three on three world cup

[00:06:44] dunk contest winner you're the champion as part of that dunk elite team can you talk to us about

[00:06:50] at competition a little bit and what it took to actually win those medals as well yeah so uh he

[00:06:56] but three extreme so there's a separate sport right now like basketball three and three

[00:07:00] to separate sport Olympic sport and when they just started having their like professional season

[00:07:08] in 2012 they also tried to put an show for the for the crowd and they invited like best

[00:07:15] dunkers to every stop and there's like in 2012 I don't remember how many stops but let's say like

[00:07:21] seven just seven stops around the world and every stop has a great dunk contest with some

[00:07:28] of the best dunkers in the world and every season we just increased the number of dunk contest

[00:07:33] so more dunkers got invited all of the best guys from all over the world was competing

[00:07:38] and in 2016 Tiba decided because Tiba already had a world cups for players and they decided like

[00:07:47] why not you know put the dunk contest like a real competition for a dunkers to have them

[00:07:55] a chance to win those medals and they opened a dunk contest for like professional

[00:07:59] dunkers so you can even if you don't play for three extreme you can go and represent

[00:08:05] your country in a dunk contest so they opened in 2016 they invited everybody not everybody

[00:08:11] when they're just because if you win you don't have any money price so no money price just medals

[00:08:19] just medals and bragging rights so not so many people cared about this at that time so I just

[00:08:27] went I'm like okay whatever it's China why not to go to China all expenses are paid oh wow it was

[00:08:36] in China the first year it was a go on you so amazing city great crowd Chinese crowd is just amazing

[00:08:43] they love basketball they crazy about basketball so you're like why not and then I I went there

[00:08:49] no expectations at all but then when you put in the uniform which says you crane on on the chest

[00:08:57] and your name your your last name on the back is totally different feeling basically the same

[00:09:02] dunk contest but totally different feeling like I can compare like you playing regular season

[00:09:08] game and then be and then the finals basically is the same game but just the magnitude around it

[00:09:12] is just different yeah so 2016 I wanted in the finals I beat NBA player who was at the time

[00:09:22] I found some McKinney he played like few years in the NBA with the Warriors with the Raptors

[00:09:28] with Chicago Blues but 2018 we had a great competition it was Gidupi arguably the best

[00:09:36] dunker in a history of the dunk contest he's from France we have like Philippines, Paul and

[00:09:43] Lithuania a lot of representatives in this dunk contest yeah and I was I was happy to win my second medal

[00:09:50] which is which is huge for you know for me it was another dunk contest but when you come back home

[00:09:56] for people you come in with a gold medal of the World Cup they don't care what sport it is

[00:10:02] what discipline it is the gold medal of the World Cup so it's just amazing feeling you know to bring

[00:10:07] this to your people yeah so were you were you one of the only Ukrainian players athletes

[00:10:18] competing in the dunk contest two of us two of us actually second guy he also won a World Cup

[00:10:26] in 2019 so was 16 18 and he won next year in 19 yes so Ukrainian was well represented

[00:10:34] you guys kept it held it down I love it that's amazing so let's talk about your nickname smooth

[00:10:42] how how did this nickname come about yeah that's kind of funny story just because

[00:10:49] you know I'm a big fan of basketball but three ball and show basketball in particular

[00:10:55] so I was watching all this and one makes tapes rocker part videos where you have

[00:11:01] your guys with the nicknames everybody has a great nickname cool nickname and you're

[00:11:05] watching like come on why in my country if you if somebody gives you an nickname it will be a bad one

[00:11:11] it's 100% will be a bad nickname means something bad I'm like we just don't have a culture oh no

[00:11:19] okay Ukraine's not good at nicknames no no nicknames I mean a lot of nicknames but

[00:11:25] you cannot use them as your as your name you know you're not going to make it your Instagram

[00:11:30] profile now so yeah I was probably like 13 or 14 and I was playing just NVA live 2003 I think

[00:11:44] and in a section when you create your player in this edition of the game you could

[00:11:51] choose the nickname of the player and I just so I didn't know English too much I just saw

[00:11:56] this combination of the letters which says smooth I'm like it looks nice looks great

[00:12:02] I'll take it so I created the player and then I started to use this nickname in the internet

[00:12:09] and one website and then this website where I was like just a user out there they started to

[00:12:18] organize like a streetball tournament so all the users from this website just went to the tournament

[00:12:24] and of course nobody knows your name everybody knows your nickname on the internet

[00:12:29] and it's just combined that I came there immediately I was like free style in plain dunking

[00:12:35] even at age 15 16 so everybody was calling me smooth by the name they saw an internet

[00:12:41] and it just stuck to me because nobody cared how what my real name is they just know smooth

[00:12:46] so nobody gave it to me like in a rocker park or I just created it and just people liked it

[00:12:51] they're like okay you want to be smooth you'll be smooth whatever

[00:12:55] hey that's a great name to pick I could have been so much worse

[00:12:59] you know you picked a good one it is a great name and honestly it's like very fitting for your

[00:13:06] style of play because when you do stuff I'm like that is so freaking smooth with a V at the end

[00:13:13] but it's amazing it fits you really well thank you so after you got your championship in 2018

[00:13:22] you had a major knee surgery in 2019 and I mean Bri and I know too we've had super

[00:13:29] like serious injuries with our knees and we know how that feels so obviously we know that was

[00:13:32] a tough experience in your life but how are you able to stay motivated and keep a positive mindset

[00:13:39] in the face of that adversity yeah but you know it's a tough one always that we have process

[00:13:45] crazy but so I knew that I will need a surgery before the summer season so before summer season

[00:13:54] so I had my first surgery at age 19 and after that constantly like in 2010 I had my first

[00:14:01] surgery on my right knee and after that I constantly felt like something bad in my knee so

[00:14:07] I felt discomfort I was all the time like consulting with my doctor he told me oh good don't worry

[00:14:14] just play just workout everything will be good I'm like okay like if you say so

[00:14:20] so I'll just keep going and then at some point of time I think in the beginning of 2018

[00:14:28] I noticed that I just could not like extend my knee to the full like full range of motion or

[00:14:35] bend it to the full so I was like basically like a disabled person you know my knee was just like that

[00:14:41] I'm like no it's not right I just went to my doctor and told me oh my god it's totally destroyed

[00:14:47] so I'm like man I'm consulting with you like every like once a month why you didn't tell me like

[00:14:54] one thing or whatever he told me it's 100% you only surgery but if you want you can go for

[00:15:01] summer season if you can you can jump for like three months and then let's do it and maybe in the

[00:15:06] November when the season has over so I was like kind of mentally prepared going into the season

[00:15:13] I knew that I will jump I will play the summer maybe couple months like September or October and then

[00:15:20] I just go having surgery and we have after the winter so I was mentally ready by adding an

[00:15:28] expect that like rehab will be so long and so tough yeah because like problems with the cartilage they

[00:15:37] they didn't cut my meniscus they sued back to the back so it requires like nine to 12 months so we have

[00:15:46] damn I'm just missing one year but just the fact that I love the game so much so I thought okay I'm 28

[00:15:57] maybe it's time you know I had an ally I want to change in ships I won second world cup on a bed

[00:16:03] knee so maybe I had like a great career maybe it's enough but then when you sideline for a year you

[00:16:10] miss me so you miss the game you're like no I need to go back I want to play I want to jump I want

[00:16:15] to run so I just now get going get going can go and I'm so happy that I came back to the certain

[00:16:22] level that I could compete and I could still get some wins after this surgery so yeah it's

[00:16:31] tough but if you really love what you're doing I think you'll overcome anything any obstacle in your life

[00:16:38] yeah that's a good word that's a good word also it's kind of crazy because in 2020 the year right after

[00:16:46] your surgery is the year that you were asked to come and try out for the Harlem Globe Chatters and as

[00:16:51] we mentioned in the bio you were the first Ukrainian to actually compete on the Harlem Globe

[00:16:55] Chatters so I think it's just an testament to maintaining that positive mindset and really

[00:17:01] being locked in and knowing okay no I can't overcome this adversity which really prepared you for

[00:17:07] this incredible opportunity with the Globe Chatters can you tell us a little bit about how you were

[00:17:11] scouted for the Globe Chatters and how you actually made that team yeah Globtarious is like

[00:17:16] crazy story also because it's basically one of my favorites favorite organization and teams in

[00:17:24] in the world just because I love how they work I love the so they entertain with the basketball

[00:17:31] so you can do tricks, dunks, you play, you interact with fans. I always thought it's like a best

[00:17:37] place for me to be and I tried to get on a Globe Trotters since 2014 by myself I was

[00:17:45] when I just signed with my agent in 2013 I told him like you know my goal is to make the team and we

[00:17:54] were trying to do it since like 2014 like I said I contacted them I spoke to them many times but

[00:18:00] never you know opportunity never was presented to me. I was trying every year, text and email

[00:18:09] nothing happened I'm like okay whatever maybe this team is not for me okay I'll all stay just the fan

[00:18:16] I'll never play in the team I accepted. Right after I saved those words to myself

[00:18:25] I just stay in home and Chris Staples calling me on my phone which he never does like never at all

[00:18:31] he just texted me he just called me I'm like okay hey Chris and he just do you still want to be on a

[00:18:36] Globe Trotters I'm like yeah they haven't tried out in a month so if you want they can buy you

[00:18:42] ticket and you can fly out to that last time like here you go let's go yeah so just like that

[00:18:49] in the end of the 2019 yeah I was still like not 100% back after this surgery but I'm like

[00:18:58] maybe he's just you know once in a lifetime opportunity so I just go yeah I went to try out

[00:19:04] it was easy try out for me because I showed my tricks everything they just say yeah welcome to the team

[00:19:10] and I joined them in 2020 for their tour just like that just like that it's always you know

[00:19:17] you think something you think some about your goal it it looks like it's unreachable it's

[00:19:24] so far away from you but then it happens like this do you want to come yeah I'll coming I'm coming

[00:19:31] you just came there try out one day sign the contract and that's it you expect it to be like a movie

[00:19:37] or something you make yeah but it just happens so quick you make it sound so easy

[00:19:45] it sounds like they already had their mind kind of made up as long as you showed up for the

[00:19:49] the interview to try out I just yeah I just had to you know to to prove myself that I'm really

[00:19:56] I really can do something so yeah basically it was try out was easy yeah let's say like that

[00:20:01] but season was hard season was hard so I have like a I have a crazy respect for

[00:20:07] globe trouter guys for like there is a team harlan wizards and any other show team

[00:20:15] in the basketball world because they have like crazy long season like globe trouter start

[00:20:20] and at the Christmas day and they go until they end up April sometimes may so it's four to

[00:20:30] five months in a row in a row and they play like ten days in a row then they have one

[00:20:36] of day then again they they're zero so it's crazy hard maybe you're not playing like

[00:20:43] defense forty forty eight minutes but you still need to entertain the guys you need to find

[00:20:48] inner inner energy and their positive energy to give it back to to the people so it's hard

[00:20:54] it's hard job so I have like a crazy amount of respect for that yeah one hundred and you were

[00:20:59] on the team in 2020 which we all know was a really crazy year because that's when COVID hit

[00:21:05] so you've been competing on the team for about three months and then in our prep call you were kind

[00:21:09] of mentioning the world shut down wall on tour in Texas what was that moment like any

[00:21:16] that phone call kind of what was going through your head yeah what did you end up with? I think

[00:21:22] you remember how was it so nobody knew what to expect nobody knew what to do so it just

[00:21:28] just happened so we were in a bus driving to like the next city and the promoter called us

[00:21:36] so the next game is cancelled so we haven't all day today so maybe we'll play tomorrow

[00:21:42] then another phone call the next game is cancelled too so we're like okay and then another phone call

[00:21:48] whole week cancelled so we just went to the hotel meeting and they told us yeah we don't know

[00:21:56] what to expect so let's have a week off or two weeks off and then maybe we'll resume the tour or

[00:22:03] or we don't know so guys if you want to go to Atlanta to stay somewhere with us

[00:22:10] or you can just go back home for me means go back home and stuff like to back to Ukraine which is

[00:22:16] far away so I decided to stay in the US in Houston with my friends but then I turned on the TV

[00:22:25] and I see my president saying like Ukrainian citizens who stays somewhere abroad in different

[00:22:34] countries you have three days to come back home after three days border will be closed I'm like

[00:22:40] all right so yeah I have a choice stay in the US and hope for better

[00:22:46] or just go back home and stay with my family in this crazy time so it was easy choice just to go

[00:22:52] back to the family yeah I went back and never came back to the weekend yeah for sure

[00:22:59] wild wild moment I know yeah I remember getting that hearing about the NCAA tournament being cancelled

[00:23:06] during COVID and that's when it really hit me of like oh wow okay you know got a phone call even

[00:23:12] from my company they said oh pack your stuff we don't know when you come in back and I never went

[00:23:16] back to that office because I didn't get another job but what a time praise the Lord we're done

[00:23:21] out of that season it's really crazy yeah I think I was coming back from a family vacation and

[00:23:27] they're like the borders are closing to the US and you need to be back by this day and so we had

[00:23:33] a cut at short so the same same scenario there where we had to hustle like do we want to stay on

[00:23:38] this island of recovery or do we want to go home maybe the island will keep might have been better off

[00:23:46] so smooth you pop you go back to Ukraine in 2020 and you're living in Ukraine for a while

[00:23:53] for a couple years and then unfortunately on February 24th Russia invaded Ukraine

[00:24:01] essentially declaring war on Ukraine and you were super super vocal from the onset you really

[00:24:08] denounced that war you used your social media profile platform spoke to different news outlets

[00:24:14] not only you yourself but alongside other fellow Ukrainian athletes I also if you don't mind

[00:24:20] me sharing I was going to share with listeners one of the statements that you even put out to

[00:24:24] Fiba really denouncing this war I'll try to make it quick quick but smooth went on record saying

[00:24:31] we are proud to be part of the international basketball community we have always treated all

[00:24:36] nations with respect but in the modern world there is no place for war today we ask for maximum

[00:24:42] support of the world basketball community and condemnation of the war started by Russia

[00:24:48] let this sport be a tool for peace therefore we ask you to help stop Russian troops from killing

[00:24:53] in Ukraine we ask you to create additional pressure on the aggressor country and ban all Russian

[00:25:00] and Belarusian professional and national teams from all international competitions that's a

[00:25:06] little bit long-winded but that's a really powerful statement that you were making in the midst of

[00:25:12] this very you know a very sad moment so yeah what what did it mean to you to speak up in that moment

[00:25:21] what kind of push you to make this statement I was just having goosebumps while you're reading

[00:25:25] because I remember the situation when I wrote this yeah so yeah when it's everything started you know

[00:25:35] I don't want to compare it to COVID but the same thing you just you just wake up from something

[00:25:42] you never expected to be so like in my apartment I have so just to be you know full story so

[00:25:51] we before and like not even like month before in the news there was like a lot of news that

[00:25:58] Russia plans to invade Ukraine where Russia plans to do this Russia plans to cross the border I'm like

[00:26:04] and nobody believed I mean maybe some of some of you crannies believe but not you know we didn't take it

[00:26:10] super serious but you you you felt that you felt that something in the air so everybody's nervous

[00:26:19] I remember like I was I was going to a gym like every day I see it last and last people in the

[00:26:25] gym just because you know they they minding like other stuff to do not not go into a gym play basketball

[00:26:34] couple days before tournaments can so the railway stations shut down I'm like what the hell is happening

[00:26:42] so I don't understand and yeah I'm just going to sleep on a 23rd I was super nervous but I'm like

[00:26:51] okay nothing will happen I mean nothing happened me week before nothing will happen tomorrow and suddenly

[00:26:58] I'm waking up at 5 a.m. just I have like big windows in my apartment and I see the explosions

[00:27:05] through my window I'm like okay and my friend is calling like yeah we're a started we're a star

[00:27:11] trying you started to shade shaking calling your calling my mom trying to you know make some decisions

[00:27:18] either to leave or where to leave where to drive you don't know what to do basically so yeah we decided

[00:27:24] me and my wife who was pregnant at the time so we decided to stay with our family with her parents

[00:27:33] so we we were living in Kiev and they were living right outside of the Kiev so we just went there just to

[00:27:39] stay together they had a good basement where we could like hide from all the rockets and everything so

[00:27:46] yeah we stayed there and immediately when you feel like kind of safe because I was living on like

[00:27:54] high floor with the big windows which is really you know dangerous while rockets are flying so

[00:28:01] while you in basement feeling kind of safe you try to you know think what you can do about it so

[00:28:07] what's you know I have a big following so I have to at least speak out so tell ten tell something

[00:28:14] so yeah that's how we came up with the with a statement to at least put some pressure from out

[00:28:20] from our side so yeah I'm really thankful to Fiba that they helped with this and yeah everybody who

[00:28:28] supported it but it was like crazy crazy time especially like first week where you don't know

[00:28:35] what to have I don't know when if you were following the news so one of the cities near Kiev

[00:28:42] were occupied by Russians and yeah we just didn't know which way they will be going so

[00:28:53] we were outside of Kiev so we just were here and they came from this side so it easily

[00:28:59] could be us where we came so we just were happy to be on that side yes I remember all of this

[00:29:06] so yeah still having a goose bumps like remembering all the stuff that would be that had to be

[00:29:13] terrifying especially with your pregnant wife and was what she close to going into labor during

[00:29:19] that time or was it pretty early? No she's was one month with it so it's like four months

[00:29:26] in so still like halfway halfway through but yeah you don't want to keep her in those circumstances

[00:29:32] but it's great she was super like clear minded so she was trying to make a right decisions

[00:29:41] well I was like panicking because I know that I'm the one who's responsible for everything

[00:29:46] I need to make decisions and I simply cannot I'm like yeah so she was great at that time and yeah

[00:29:53] we made the right decision I think I sent her to Poland to one of my friends to one of my

[00:29:58] Dunkleet teammates which again coming back to basketball conversation basketball gave me like

[00:30:06] childhood friends but later on international friends Dunkleet team we are super super close to each

[00:30:13] other because we were from different countries but the time was spent together it was like

[00:30:20] it was amazing time and after that we go into everybody's weddings, birthdays we just flying

[00:30:26] into different countries just to stay together and in this time I just had quite a

[00:30:31] kind of my wife with her mom and sister just go and stay with you like couple months while we

[00:30:37] figure in something out here instead of course so she was living with my friend with his family

[00:30:43] in Poland for like a few months yeah so best both friends and I'm so thankful so thankful for them

[00:30:52] yeah of course and in addition to speaking out during that time you also launch

[00:30:58] drop buckets not bombs campaign with kicks can you tell us a little bit more about the initiative

[00:31:04] and the mission behind that and how you guys are continuing to build peace in your home country

[00:31:09] yeah so I was on my side I was always trying to find the way to help our people so I was like

[00:31:19] trying to find money to help a people who who was affected by the war I was trying to a lot of kids

[00:31:29] went out of the country and I know how stressed parents and kids are and those circumstances

[00:31:35] so I was trying to in every country I have connections basically in every country in Europe so I was

[00:31:41] trying to find coaches or basketball clubs who can take those Ukrainian kids and just train them just

[00:31:48] to be you know just to give them those good emotions to not them being in stress just because of the

[00:31:54] war so I was trying to do everything and of course all of our partners tried to do the same in kicks

[00:32:02] our longtime friends, longtime partners of Dunkleet and they like yeah we we came out with this

[00:32:08] creative idea we were launching those t-shirts with a drop bucket not bombs they were consulting

[00:32:16] with me and Miller who is the second Dunkleer from Ukraine also World Champion so they were consulting

[00:32:22] with us and they told us all the money we have from selling those t-shirts we just send into you

[00:32:28] guys and you can do whatever you want with those with those money you can you can spend it for military

[00:32:35] or you can which is better spend it for people who was affected who was like houses were destroyed

[00:32:42] so that's what I did that's what I did personally I took this money I reported for every dollar

[00:32:50] so I was I was just basically buying some foods some basic needs for people I have it on

[00:32:58] YouTube also so I was just driving it's just crazy when you see it in the news and then you go

[00:33:04] to see it in person like you go there like old house totally destroyed and there is some grand

[00:33:10] mother you know just just gonna still live in there somehow and they're just going to you

[00:33:15] just taking this bag and you feel you feel like you're definitely not doing enough but you do

[00:33:22] anything in your power to help those people yeah so drop bucket not bombs it's a great initiative

[00:33:29] I am thankful to kicks and I think yeah now it's all about Ukraine but it's just it's just a great

[00:33:37] great message for all the war for all the wars in general so this message is universal and the

[00:33:45] yeah worldwide drop bucket not bombs amazing yeah that is amazing and you know you've spoken about it

[00:33:52] on the podcast already but the power of sport as this incredible connector and you know we all know

[00:34:00] as soon as you get on a basketball court any cultural backgrounds any different ideologies it just

[00:34:07] immediately goes away and there's this mutual respect you talked about your dunk elite team you talked

[00:34:11] about connecting kids and Ukraine to coaches around the world that you've met there's something

[00:34:16] so beautiful about that and that message of drop bombs not drop well excuse me drop buckets not

[00:34:23] I think big miss oh goodness we can edit that out but I think that's massive it's really

[00:34:33] really powerful and important did you receive a lot of pushback when you came out with that message

[00:34:39] and speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine or were majority of your followers and people

[00:34:45] supportive of you and your your message both because a lot of my friends Russians also so

[00:34:53] just imagine yeah you from Russia you was following me for a number of years and then suddenly

[00:34:59] not suddenly of course but for them I'm speaking against them so they were like there was a lot

[00:35:07] of threats in the messages a lot of bad words in my way but I understand that so I just you know

[00:35:15] I know I'm right in this situation so I just just yeah I just stayed in my lane and that's it

[00:35:21] if you if you support the war you cannot be like my friend of course and not even my followers so

[00:35:29] I don't want people to like this to follow me to follow my journey because we're not on the same

[00:35:35] page at all so yeah I don't care about those people but a lot of my friends actually

[00:35:41] don't dunk friends friends who I played on the same team they were supporting the other side

[00:35:48] which was like crazy disappointing you know experience for me because we spent like 10 years together

[00:35:56] we were really close friends and then suddenly they they tell me some stuff which sounds like super crazy

[00:36:03] to me like they do in the right thing there are a lot of a lot of bad people in Ukraine

[00:36:09] like oh my god no I cannot I cannot take it seriously yeah but it's life it's life

[00:36:16] yeah it's a super serious question it's not like it's a war I mean you either here or there so

[00:36:23] there is no third option so yeah you just need to choose aside there's no black and white yeah

[00:36:29] exactly and it's kind of wild too because I know a lot of the information that was being

[00:36:34] disseminated in Russia was like very much propaganda but the power which was about the war and how

[00:36:40] was justifying the war and I think there's a power in your platform being able to it's not a

[00:36:46] news outlet you do have followers that come from all walks of life so being able to educate

[00:36:51] in addition to advocate for that piece I think is is huge and like you don't even know

[00:36:57] the lives that you might have touched or the hearts in the minds that you might have changed just by

[00:37:01] being bold and speaking out so I think that's really courageous and speaks a lot towards your character

[00:37:07] and you know you being able to use your platform in that way speaking of that when you think about

[00:37:15] the role of athletes more largely like what role do you think athletes play in speaking out

[00:37:20] against global injustices or really standing and advocating for peace so yeah in my eyes athletes

[00:37:28] real like influencers like we're talking about influencers now just people with numbers on

[00:37:33] social media but athletes or people who really did something significant in their life they are real

[00:37:42] influencers you watch them you can really trust them because of their actions not just because you know

[00:37:48] you posted the video you got like millions of like and your automatically became influencer

[00:37:54] so that's why I can trust athletes I can trust science people like producers whoever

[00:38:03] yeah so if they speak out I can follow but also not everybody you know

[00:38:12] it's a hard question because sometimes you see that the person is not really into the topic so

[00:38:20] you cannot just you know see the news and like okay I support this side because you need to be

[00:38:25] really inside of this topic for example I can speak out on Ukraine Russia situation obviously

[00:38:32] but I cannot speak out like let's take two different countries and all I know it's just the news

[00:38:40] presented to me on the internet so I try to stay away because I might be wrong on this side

[00:38:47] but yeah if you know what you're talking about you definitely need to speak out she definitely

[00:38:51] need to tell the truth that definitely need to show the real picture because people

[00:38:58] people listen to you people trust you when I just became influencer when I started to post on

[00:39:05] social media more often I didn't expect this kind of following so I wasn't one city I just like

[00:39:13] I just announced like I'll be in this park if you want to meet me just come I'm going to the park

[00:39:20] I'm seeing the whole park packed I'm like what is hell is going on maybe some tournament going on

[00:39:26] maybe I didn't know this court it was you know it was booked but no I came there and

[00:39:32] it came out all people came just to see me and I see these people like 500 people and I understand

[00:39:37] how much influence I have on them so yeah I can tell something and they will listen so you need to be

[00:39:44] very careful what you say and when you want you promote that's why you need to be you know really

[00:39:49] educated about the topic you talk but yeah athletes and all these people are great and

[00:39:56] influencers you just need to use your power rights I think yeah that's that's a great message

[00:40:02] I think a lot of people with their platforms sometimes don't know how to use them

[00:40:07] and so for instances like that we're talking about things that they're passionate about

[00:40:11] knowledgeable about knowledgeable about is super influential and it's funny that you didn't

[00:40:17] big of an impact that you had and where you're at and the people that you are in contact with

[00:40:24] on the daily so that's really cool to hear not just just a switch subjects a bit because you kind

[00:40:29] of already gave you gave advice for anybody who's looking to give use their platforms in the

[00:40:34] face of injustice and think your actions and just everything that you've been doing speaks to

[00:40:39] that itself but you've had the chance to travel all across the globe for basketball and I would

[00:40:46] love to hear what role you think sports plays and making in the world a better place.

[00:40:52] Yeah like I said sports is just a great tool you know to just have fun to connect people

[00:40:58] to like you said make world a better place because whenever you go to play sports you just haven't

[00:41:03] great time you just haven't a great energy around you you meet some new people you meet friends

[00:41:09] is just just a great time in general but yeah and me going for example to China

[00:41:20] I see every time I'm going there I'm different I'm like why do European

[00:41:26] guy who can do some crazy tricks and for them it's so unusual and influence like multiplies

[00:41:33] because they see something different and I can imagine how many how many people I can inspire just

[00:41:42] by doing normal stuff I do in Ukraine you know I'm just one of the one of the guys they see on

[00:41:49] the daily basis they can meet me on a court like every day so and whenever wherever you go somewhere

[00:41:55] outside they're like wow and I'm trying to use this every time if I see the kid on a crowd I

[00:42:02] tried at least to just go them not to give him advice like you know keep going now not not like

[00:42:08] those messages I just go there just to spin the ball in his finger for me it's nothing I

[00:42:14] understand for him it can create you know the whole spark the whole world around the in-wheel

[00:42:19] he goes he goes back like my spine I spend the ball on my finger I want to get the basketball

[00:42:24] I want to get it on a court so I know how it works now so yes yeah I'm just trying to

[00:42:30] use every moment to do something good because whenever I give positive energy I get twice

[00:42:39] twice more back from them when I see the kid or not even a kid it's not only about the kids

[00:42:46] adults too they just have any great time I use it as a fuel fuel to you know to keep going so

[00:42:55] sports is just amazing amazing amazing amazing tool to to make world a better prep better place

[00:43:03] so good so well said and it's it's wild because that moment just that one moment where you get that

[00:43:09] young kid excited about the game of basketball that could be the spark the catalyst that gets them

[00:43:15] to now say I want to join the basketball team mom and dad and it might seem simple to just show up

[00:43:20] and you know have a performance or a show but like there's so much power in those moments not to

[00:43:26] mention you know all the other powerful ways that sports can be used for yeah and it's like love that

[00:43:32] you never know like even it's everybody say ever I know I know that every performer says like

[00:43:41] yeah all I need is to see you know smile on the kids face I see that somebody says

[00:43:49] they don't mean it they just they just do do their job and they just say just to say

[00:43:55] but I know on my on my example why I started to tricks with the ball while I started freestyle

[00:44:02] just because I saw on a TV and Nike freestyle commercial and this is black court with the

[00:44:08] with the sound of sneaker that's so I saw this commercial in 2001 on TV and blew my mind I'm like

[00:44:16] what the hell is that I want to try it so I started to do some tricks and now so I made two

[00:44:23] guys from this commercial in a in a growth for the team I played on the same unit with one of the

[00:44:28] guys and immediately I told him you know you one of the reasons why I started to do this and

[00:44:34] yesterday I just played a game with another one from this commercial I told him the same and I understand

[00:44:41] they had no idea but so they just did their job do some tricks and they inspired some kid in

[00:44:50] Ukraine to do something you know something with the ball and it led me so me seeing this commercial

[00:44:58] it led me to like a big international career to meet a lot of people to have an opportunity

[00:45:04] to send my pregnant wife from a war to another country just just because I started this just I saw

[00:45:11] this commercial I started to tricks I met this guy this guy now it's all connected

[00:45:17] yeah so it's just you know it's amazing when you when you think about it so yeah so I really

[00:45:23] mean it when I when I say I want to put the ball in the finger just to give us spark because I

[00:45:32] know how it works yeah yeah does it have any different is your mindset different now that you're

[00:45:38] a dad because you have a daughter how old is she's a 20 20 months or 21 months I need to calculate

[00:45:46] because we're never safe oh you got the months this is a pair and things all I'm like your daughters

[00:45:51] too but all my friends with like young children are like she's 38 and 12 days

[00:46:00] like make me do the math it's true she'll be doing all of us that's what I can tell yeah it's

[00:46:06] amazing feeling yeah but has your mindset changed definitely yeah definitely change because you

[00:46:12] you're responsible for your family now even um just being married is just you and your wife you

[00:46:20] and your partner you still haven't found you still can travel somewhere so my everything's just

[00:46:25] the status you know just to ring so doesn't really change anything but when you have a kid extra

[00:46:33] person in your life which you like love unconditionally and you feel so much connection so much love

[00:46:41] so much responsibility it's a totally different world then you you try to use your time correctly

[00:46:48] don't waste it anywhere not procrastinating just do the writing all time and be the best person

[00:46:57] you can be to just give a great example yeah so basically that's it but in a sports world

[00:47:05] a little bit harder because your schedule like that especially with a new born is just I just remember

[00:47:13] those days is just crazy zero sleep minimum sleep and you still need to go on a court before

[00:47:20] more train yeah it was hard because I'm not I was one of the dads that really want to be involved

[00:47:27] hundred percent I understand this moment can fly by like this or I want to be involved I want

[00:47:32] to help as much as I can so yeah I was I was together with my life all the time and we were in

[00:47:41] Ukraine and our city was bump and then we didn't have we had blackouts all the nice stuff we could

[00:47:48] have no water and no electricity so yeah we were trying to stay together as much and we

[00:47:57] I think it helped us as a couple a lot but as a athlete yeah now I found I found the

[00:48:07] the right schedule so I'm good now I'm good now and yeah I don't want to say the words that

[00:48:14] now everything I'm doing I'm doing for my daughter no I'm still doing it for myself

[00:48:20] for everybody for my family also but of course you haven't mind that you have a daughter and you

[00:48:26] want a better life for her and that's also the reason why you do it so I think it is just made

[00:48:33] me a better person honestly so I hope at least yeah that's beautiful it's powerful so you and your

[00:48:41] wife and your daughter actually recently moved to Texas and now you are also coaching so

[00:48:49] you're still very involved in giving back an addition to you know content creation,

[00:48:53] dunkle, leave all this great stuff that you're you're doing how how has that coaching experience

[00:48:59] been and kind of giving back to the other the next generation in a different way yeah coaching is a

[00:49:04] different thing you know one thing is entertaining and given them a great time and other thing

[00:49:13] is like educating teaching you know sometimes you need to be very strict sometimes even you need

[00:49:20] to yell on the kids which I never do or some like that just to have a discipline

[00:49:26] difference really different I try my best do you do know how to yell smooth I try my best

[00:49:35] I have I have my friend who we partners in this coaching thing and he yells really good so yeah

[00:49:43] that's his oh you got good cop bad cop go exactly yeah so we don't a great job I think yeah for me

[00:49:51] great experience I learn as much as the kids and yeah I'm doing my best but I think I'm way better

[00:50:00] entertainer and as a then I've been a coach but I try to be I try to be a good one

[00:50:09] yeah we have a couple teams we play tournaments we're trying to you know not only focus on

[00:50:18] just on a game but on a development because we understand that like American and the European

[00:50:24] ways of you know training is a little bit different so we're trying to put more European style

[00:50:30] and it more focusing on the details like from the early age because we see people we see a lot

[00:50:38] of kids talented like crazy talented physically at vertically but like not a great food work

[00:50:45] so we just at age of 10 which I just tried to put the right footwork so when you're reaching high

[00:50:52] school or college you're already like you already know how to move on a court or something like that

[00:50:58] right that's if we go specific by the part of that yeah I'm enjoying I'm enjoying yeah it's hard

[00:51:05] but I love that it's so funny when you're able to see the different styles of each like even

[00:51:11] different countries with like Australia for me they were very fent they had a very fennest style of play

[00:51:17] but for the kids that you're coaching to be able to experience that through you I think that's

[00:51:22] super special because they get a completely different perspective of the sport and they get a well-rounded

[00:51:27] perspective of the sport because obviously US style is a little bit different and it's also dependent

[00:51:32] on who the role models and athletes are of this time and who they're seeing on TV so I think it's

[00:51:38] I think that's tremendous that they're having you as a coach and I they say what do they say they say

[00:51:43] teaching basketball is learning at twice like obviously we learn it growing up but when you have to

[00:51:49] change your mindset around teaching it to somebody teaching the why that's a whole other

[00:51:54] reframing and re-dialing of your brain so smooth before we before we jump to our lightning ground

[00:52:02] we have one last question for listeners we've been asking this of all of our guests but would

[00:52:07] love to hear any advice you have for listeners regarding really achieving their full potential

[00:52:13] and then in the same respect how they can use their giftings to share that love and lie and make

[00:52:18] the world a better place. Wow I mean I don't think if I have like real good answer to it

[00:52:26] only only one answer just just love what you do I mean if you really love what you do you

[00:52:32] achieve everything so that's basically I see a lot of kids who play basketball just because

[00:52:38] you know their parents made them to go to play basketball maybe at the same time you just want to

[00:52:43] play play guitar that's your passion just just go play I'm so thankful to my parents that they

[00:52:52] they gave me opportunity to do what I want to do even though when you're creating my little city

[00:52:58] zero basketball zero basketball opportunities I told them I want to be a professional basketball player

[00:53:03] they told me okay yeah okay just go try and I saw in in their eyes like let kids have fun now

[00:53:13] and then they will then he will have a real job so he'll be introduced to a real world after

[00:53:19] but no they let me do my thing and I think they satisfied with the results so yeah only my advice

[00:53:27] just find what you love and give your hundred percent yeah just go full speed all the time because

[00:53:35] if you do what you love you don't work you just let's you know everybody know the same but it's true

[00:53:41] it's true if you do what you like what you love you don't feel like you're working I can

[00:53:46] I can play basketball whole day I'll not be tired maybe physically but not mentally I can do

[00:53:51] YouTube which I really love 10 hours in a row I'll not be tired so yeah just just do what you love

[00:53:59] yeah I love it you turned out pretty good so you're perfect

[00:54:04] good your parents are more than satisfied well we're at our lightning round

[00:54:13] quick questions answer you have like 30 seconds to answer each and so first question what is your

[00:54:19] favorite dunk contest that you've competed in? couple um 2013 the finals of Ukrainian 3X3

[00:54:29] championship we had actually we had a great battle against Russia so we had team dunk

[00:54:36] in place Ukraine versus Russia suddenly and they even we won we won I wasn't the final say I did my

[00:54:44] best dunk we won in the same day I became a three three national champion also so it was

[00:54:51] the just a great day in the middle of here from the in a heart of Ukraine on the main street

[00:54:58] great court great crowd so yeah it was one of my favorites also I think 2016 China and go and

[00:55:05] drove my first world cup just because outcome was so unexpected when I got the championship I didn't

[00:55:13] I didn't expect the reaction I got from it so yeah I highlight to to dunk on this

[00:55:19] nice love it okay next question which country has the routiest fans what I have a question what

[00:55:27] does it mean routiest? routing like why are you a great player? yeah I have answer right

[00:55:35] yeah it's Latvia Latvia they uh they uh Latvia they love basketball and they had

[00:55:43] if you will have a chance just go to youtube and find the kings over air dunk contest so they

[00:55:50] came with the idea of organizing a three hour dunk contest as a separate event so

[00:55:58] usually you have a dunk contest inside of the basketball tournament so it's bestable tournament

[00:56:02] half an hour for a dunk contest before the final game or whatever but they created like

[00:56:07] the whole event just for the dunkers. Dunkers are the main stars in between you have singers

[00:56:15] you have dancers you have guys on the horses I don't know and in one one dunk contest they came

[00:56:23] on them so the guys with the mic the main guys came on the court for the introduction on top of

[00:56:31] the tank so the message of this dunk contest was at the war so so no war and they just came

[00:56:40] in the tank on the court. we have tanks we have horses and yeah next next year that's a lot

[00:56:46] next year the enter the enter the court on a helicopter so just just landed straight from the helicopter

[00:56:52] there was dressed as a pilot so just the dedication they put in a dunk contest and people when you

[00:56:59] there's zero safe deeper caution. they don't need it yeah and when you see okay so

[00:57:09] when they they open the gate for a dunk contest they just open the gate and people just run

[00:57:14] you know like they try to see Madonna or whoever so and they react they understand every dunk

[00:57:20] you do so that feel my favorite dunk contest Kings over air in Latvia and the crowd out there

[00:57:26] great amazing. well cool well the next question who is the toughest competition you've faced in a

[00:57:33] dunk contest. oh it could have some hot takes care. no it's easy easy answer so basically the

[00:57:40] toughest competition is yourself it's also not just the same just so usually you win if you give

[00:57:49] your best that's it. if you go and you make your dunks maybe like front trim from a

[00:57:56] background not so good not so powerful or you miss a dunk you lose. in my case I have like unique

[00:58:03] set of dunks which is which nobody except me does in a dunk contest so if I do my best I have like

[00:58:11] really high chances to win. same with other guys same with Gigi P from France same with my man

[00:58:16] Milder from Ukraine. Lepic from Poland Jordan Kjogannon for example if you if you just do your

[00:58:21] best dunk with a good power you feel great most likely you win so yeah but if you want to have names

[00:58:28] let's let's yeah let's have like five guys who are like great competitors. Lepic from Poland my great

[00:58:37] friend Milder from Ukraine my great friend Gigi P not of my best friends but really great athletes

[00:58:46] Jordan Kjogannon obviously and the Chris Staples later to beat up five I love competing with those guys.

[00:58:53] that's a solid list that's a great list some incredible dunkers on that list.

[00:59:00] Okay last question of the day what was your favorite moment of the NBA all star weekend 2020 for?

[00:59:06] we were all there live in our best lives give us give us your top moment. top moment.

[00:59:12] was it watching Chelsea and Hannah win the three on three three on three? obviously that's it.

[00:59:17] and you know it's easy and you you did win right? I want what didn't no I didn't win it three on three

[00:59:23] I want to like a dunk contest so I have this this little trophy you have Chelsea on a on a shelf

[00:59:29] this wooden wooden plate yeah I have it MVP I have a dunk contest one so yeah I mean

[00:59:37] let's go so many let's go so many moments actually like not even on a basketball court like

[00:59:45] you remember we wore this and where was going in the what 500 where on a yeah the race track yeah

[00:59:56] was snowing like crazy just to be there with with the whole crew just having fun taking pictures

[01:00:02] when the snow is like hitting your eyes so just just having those times is amazing like on the

[01:00:09] court obviously of course three on three dunks are great but those slight little small moments

[01:00:16] outside the court when you're just having a great time with your friends are like most precious ones

[01:00:20] so I think yeah all the all everyday on our kitchen in our airbnb we had like great

[01:00:29] conversations with the guys I had never met but just because it's basketball it's all we all

[01:00:34] connected just in one click so everything outside of the basketball and basketball obviously was great

[01:00:44] too yeah I can tell you the worst the worst thing on an older weekend it's an NBA old star game

[01:00:53] is the worst. that's true that's terrible it's pretty rough yeah well thanks move for joining us

[01:01:01] today and allowing us to be a platform and a resource for your message and your story

[01:01:07] thanks for allowing us to amplify that and if anybody thank you to our listeners for tuning in

[01:01:12] if you like this podcast like share follow all of smooth social media and some of the resources

[01:01:19] we spoke about will be in our show notes for you guys to follow his journey and to help in

[01:01:24] whatever way you can otherwise thanks for joining yeah thank you smooth so so honored to have you on

[01:01:30] it's been a pleasure. thank you Chelsea thank you Brianna for having me and thank you everyone

[01:01:34] good to see you all and watch the whole thing thank you very much