Josh Childress: Create as Much Impact as You Can

Josh Childress:
... from an inner city. I mean, to be quite frank, I never envisioned myself as becoming a pro athlete. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and that was my path out, if you will.

Michael Redd:
Wow.

Josh Childress:
And then I just grew to be 6'6" and then all that changed. But my goal was to impact people through medicine, and so that was a no matter what mentality. No matter what, I was going to be a successful individual. I was going to go and be able to impact change in lives of people that need it.

Michael Redd:
Hey, everybody. This is Michael Redd and welcome to the Betting On Yourself podcast, where I interview successful entrepreneurs, athletes and other top performers who rose to the top, took success into their own hands and bet on themselves.

Michael Redd:
Today I'm talking with Josh Childress, former pro basketball player and now venture capitalist. Early in his career, Josh made a critical mindset shift. He wanted to be the one writing checks, not just receiving them. This led him down a path to become the money-savvy businessman he is today. In this conversation, he shares his story, transitioning from basketball to business, and the lessons he learned along the way. Here's my conversation with Josh.

Michael Redd:
Ladies and gentlemen, this man right here is one of my favorite people in the world, and we connected with the Phoenix Suns in 2012. Now before that, we had played against each other a number of times throughout his career and my career. But I realized quickly how smart and brilliant this guy is and that his career beyond the court was going to flourish even the more, probably more than his NBA career, that's how smart he is. And so, Josh, thank you for being on the podcast today, man.

Josh Childress:
No, thanks for having me. You know that any time I get a chance to talk to you, I get excited, and I'm looking forward to this and then hearing the rest of your podcasts as well. This is a really cool ... I love the title, Betting On Yourself, and would love to just hear your conversations and know that they're probably really, really fun, funny, educational. So congrats on this.

Michael Redd:
Thank you, brother. Thank you, brother. Me and you have been in this from the business side of things for the last, I don't know, eight years, seven years. But for all those listeners out there, Josh, not only was he the Pac-10 Player of the Year, but he was obviously a first-round draft pick with the Atlanta Hawks. And then he is not only an incredible hooper, but he also has transitioned into a businessman, and he became a venture capitalist and he's also the CEO and founder of LandSpire Group, which we'll get into all of that in a little bit.

Michael Redd:
But Josh, tell me, man, I mean, your journey's incredible and we'll get into your journey and your history and your background, because you've been a trailblazer. And you may not see yourself as that, but you have been for a lot of guys and people and girls. Talk to me on what does it mean to you to bet on yourself? What has that meant to you?

Josh Childress:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, from an early age, it's really been that. I mean, I'm a kid from Compton, California, who grew up in a fairly rough environment. I bet on the fact that I could come out of that environment and make it at a university like Stanford, which was a bit of a culture shock going in. And from there, going to Atlanta, going overseas, it's all about just feeling that you are who you're supposed to be. Obviously there's growth opportunities and you come into your own as a person. But it's about stepping up to the plate and stepping in to who you feel like you're destined to be and working as hard as you possibly can to make that happen.

Josh Childress:
But I'm 100% focused and confident on the position that I'm in, and I've been blessed to be in this position. I'm here for a reason. You and I know we've had a ton of faith conversations. And so, I have to step into that and step into that confidently, and that's what I'm trying to do every day.

Michael Redd:
Was there, or is there, a pivotal moment that stands out where you took a huge risk on yourself, even early as a kid, and how that trended throughout your teenage years to your adult stage?

Josh Childress:
Oh, man. Yeah, I mean, I think, for myself, in Southern California, I don't know how much you know about the basketball landscape. There's a bunch of powerhouses. At that time, there was Dominguez, there's Mater Dei, there's West Chester, and you can kind of run down the list. And I ended up going to a really small school. It had no basketball history whatsoever. But I said, "You know, I want to build something on my own." Well, not strictly on my own, but myself and one other friend of mine.

Josh Childress:
And so, we took this obscure little small public school out in the suburbs to CIF Championships, and really put that school on the basketball map. And in the process, I felt like I was able to develop as a player by having to do a lot more than I would at a school that had an All-American point guard or a couple of college-bound big men.

Josh Childress:
It was incredible for me to not only build that from scratch, but also to grow in that process and see our program now, over the years, having churned out a bunch of college and pro athletes. So I'm very proud of that fact that we were able to build something at Mayfair years ago.

Michael Redd:
You've bet on yourself a number of times throughout your life. I had to bet on myself when I played against you.

Josh Childress:
[inaudible 00:06:47].

Michael Redd:
I really did, because when we played the Atlanta Hawks, I said, "This guy's going to guard me the whole game, and I've got to guard him, and it's not going to be easy." Because you were good, man. You were really, really good. You're still good, actually.

Josh Childress:
Oh, Mike.

Michael Redd:
This is my platform to give you your roses, my friend. It's the truth, though, man. And it's funny, but there's a quote that you quoted that I think is really, really powerful, that I think set the tone for the last 10 years of athletes being able to just see themselves more than just an endorser of a product, but to see themselves as a brand. And I think you caught onto that a little early. The quote that you say that you want to shift from receiving a check to actually writing checks, and that you saw yourself as your own business. Explain that?

Josh Childress:
Yeah. So I think, when you take a step back, right? I mean, obviously, as NBA players, we made a great living, 100%, and I would never say otherwise. We made a great living. We lived a great life. But it's those individuals that own those teams that are that next level. And I was fortunate enough to develop a relationship with one of the Atlanta Hawks team owners while I played there. And he talked me through his business, he talked me through his capital commitments and how he saw the world from a financial perspective.

Josh Childress:
It was during those conversations, it was during some conversations I had at college that I realized that's where I'd like to be, in a position where I can impact other individuals through my ability to provide. And I hope, over the course of my career or post-career, I'm able to do enough financially to where I can step into a role to be able to do that for other young athletes and individuals, and that's just to provide opportunities for them to provide for their families.

Josh Childress:
So that's my goal. I'm trying to do that with real estate as well, and implement programs and systems to help tenants and clients provide for their families through our properties. So that was my reasoning for saying that.

Michael Redd:
Yeah. When did you see that shift happening among athletes? I mean, me and you have talked about it for the last almost decade. Was it around that time when we recognized we've got to go beyond just receiving that check to actually knowing how much influence we have and owning our influence?

Josh Childress:
Yeah. It was around that time. And I think, obviously, we were in Phoenix and kind of around that timeframe. I mean, we had some great teammates, some of which were kind of heavily involved in business, Grant Hill being one of them. And then others who weren't but who were trying to learn.

Josh Childress:
And so, I think both of us saw this as an opportunity to really capture the true influence that we do have, and leverage that to impact a larger amount of people.

Michael Redd:
Take us back to Compton again, which I thought is fascinating. I want to ask you this question. How did growing up in that environment motivate you to pursue success, and how were you able to navigate the adversity that you saw and that you experienced to get to the level of achievement that you were able to accomplish?

Josh Childress:
Yeah. And 99.9% of that is my family. I had a strong family system. My mother, two older brothers, really kind of kept me in line, kept me focused, made sure that I stayed ... staying on top of my books. But it's tough. It's tough coming out of an area like that because there aren't a ton of examples of success, and those few examples usually are sports-based. But a large majority of the kids that I grew up with, just as talented, just as athletic, all those things, it just may have been a lack of support, a lack of direction that caused guys to go on a different path.

Josh Childress:
But you're a product of your environment, and if you see rundown, dilapidated areas, if you see people who don't have ambition, drive or are struggling to make it, if you see all those things on a consistent basis, that's your normal. I mean, like I said, I was fortunate to have a family that pushed me along, made sure I was exposed to different things, basketball. AAU Basketball was obviously a big help because I was able to travel outside of the city and see different areas. But it's tough.

Michael Redd:
It's almost like you have a no matter what attitude, right? Like failure's not an option.

Josh Childress:
Yeah.

Michael Redd:
And I think that has shaped your prism in name of some of the decisions that you've made in your career and post-career. Talk about how important that mindset is of a no matter what mentality?

Josh Childress:
Yeah. I mean, it's incredibly important. And I think we've all had challenges. We've had injuries. We've had seasons where things didn't go the way we would like, situations that weren't ideal. But at the end of the day, I'm still going to come out of that no matter what, and I'm going to come out of it stronger, better and better equipped for any challenges that I have moving forward.

Josh Childress:
And so, from an inner city, I mean, to be quite frank, I never envisioned myself as becoming a pro athlete. I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and that was my path out, if you will.

Michael Redd:
Wow.

Josh Childress:
And then I grew to be 6'6" and then all that changed.

Michael Redd:
6'9". 6'9".

Josh Childress:
But my goal was to be a topnotch doctor and then impact people through medicine. And so that was a no matter what mentality. No matter what, I was going to be a successful individual. I was going to go and be able to impact change in lives of people that need it. And fortunately, like I said, I grew and I had a chance to play in the league and overseas. But no matter what, was always ingrained in my mind.

Michael Redd:
Wow. Man, how does a kid from Compton want to be a doctor? Wow.

Josh Childress:
At that time, I don't know if you recall a guy named Ben Carson. He had done a groundbreaking separation of Siamese twins that were joined at the head. And I had to do a book report on him. And from that point on, I was locked in on being like him. And I know since, he's had some controversial moments. I think he's a part of the Trump administration and all that stuff which, a whole different conversation. But by and large, he just inspired me to want to do what he did as a professional.

Michael Redd:
That was my next question, actually. Who was your biggest inspiration? You mentioned Ben Carson. Who else in your life was, I guess, the biggest advocate for betting on yourself?

Josh Childress:
My older brothers. Those are my two biggest inspirations. Both of those guys really poured into me at an early age. They were with me every step of the way. They saw in me what I didn't see in myself, and pushed me to be better every day. In addition to that, my mom, obviously, supporting four boys and doing it in a way that I look back, I don't know how she did it. You know what I mean. When you have kids on your own and you experience the life as a parent and then you just think back like, "Man, how did my parents do it?"

Josh Childress:
And we lived a good life. I mean, we ate well. I didn't necessarily want for a ton. But yeah, I mean, those three individuals are my role models and I always looked up to all of them.

Michael Redd:
You are a husband. You are a father, and we'll get into that a little later on, that dynamic. I want to take you back to your time in the NBA. You did something that was groundbreaking. You were able to, in the prime of your career, turn down some money. And we thought at the time, "Okay, what is Josh doing?" I know a lot of guys in the NBA were like, "What is Josh doing? This is unique." And we didn't see the business side of it. And you had some foresight from a business standpoint, and I think your business acumen in that moment was a foreshadow of what you're doing now.

Michael Redd:
Talk about that experience of actually turning down a five year, 33 million dollar deal with the Hawks to actually go over to Europe and Greece and play instead of taking that contract? Talk about that mindset? And that was a big bet on yourself, a big risk at the time.

Josh Childress:
Yeah. Yeah. There's a couple of parts to that story. So at that time, my market range was like that mid-level contracts. So it was like five years, 33, 34. And the Hawks ended up firing our GM, Billy Knight. And so they brought in a new guy, Rick Sund. And I didn't have a relationship with Rick Sund. There was no prior experience. Billy, he drafted me. We built a rapport over that four year period. And so, that was that.

Josh Childress:
So Rick came in and said, "Hey, I know you had conversations with Billy, but let's just see where the market is." We went out to the market. My agent came back with feedback, "Hey, Josh, we have two sign-and-trade options, one with Phoenix, one with San Antonio." So, in my mind, I always felt like I was a system kind of player, and was really excited for the opportunity to look at San Antonio, if it wasn't going to be the Hawks.

Josh Childress:
So I met with Popovich in Vegas at Summer League. We talked a little bit through what he saw in me, what the roles would be, what the contract would look like, just brief conversations. And so my agent went back to them and said, "Hey, what do you want to do?" And Rick said, "I don't want to do either." So we're like, "All right." I went to the market. I looked at these opportunities. I essentially am now held hostage. I'm waiting for you to make a decision. Who knows what you're going to say? The market might dry up and then I'm stuck here probably having to play for a qualifier, or maybe.

Josh Childress:
And then this offer comes up out of Greece. And so, I take a look at it. I meet with the guys. I'm a little bit skeptical because I hadn't really heard too much about European basketball. And they said, "Hey, we'll just fly you over and just take a look." And so they flew me over and it was great. It was incredible. I mean, Athens, Greece, in the summer is one of the nicest places to visit in the world. And from a contractual perspective, I ended up signing a deal where I would've made that same 33 million dollars over a three year term versus a five year term, because of the tax situation.

Josh Childress:
So that was also kind of the business side of it was creating a way to make more money in a shorter period of time, and essentially kind of sidestep the restricted free agent process.

Michael Redd:
Wow. That was a huge risk, huh?

Josh Childress:
For sure.

Michael Redd:
You bet on yourself, though.

Josh Childress:
I did. I did. I bet on myself. I bet on my ability to perform. My first year over there was a struggle, culture difference, the game is completely different. I had an okay year as a player. Second year, I came back a lot better. I felt a lot more comfortable and I kind of stepped into a different role.

Josh Childress:
It was a huge risk. But with that, I was then able to come back after that second year and essentially sign the same deal I would've signed during that restricted free agent process with the Hawks. I signed it with Phoenix, obviously. So I got two years of a boost in earnings and then came back and signed the same deal.

Michael Redd:
Yeah. I think it set the tone for how guys see contracts and see their leverage. We've seen it with Brandon Jennings. We've seen it with LeBron, obviously, and what he's done. We've seen it with a number of players now going to the G League rather than going to college. I think what's missing, though, is your story. You kind of preceded all of that, and it's pretty powerful, man.

Josh Childress:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, thank you. And I'd add, you're seeing it now ... You know I'm involved with the NBL over in Australia. I've seen it over there, too, that since the inception of the program now, every kid has gotten drafted, now this year we might have two kids in the lottery in LaMelo Ball and R. J. Hampton, and that's betting on yourself. That's stepping outside of the quote, unquote "norm" of what is NSAA basketball. It's going on over there.

Josh Childress:
And not only being able to provide for yourself financially, but also being able to capitalize on your name, your likeness and your brand a lot earlier. So R. J. goes over, he signs his contract with the team, he signs a long-term sneaker deal, and he's doing that when he would've been a freshman at Kentucky or Duke or somewhere that all his coaches are making 7 to 10 million dollars a year. And the kids live a good life, no question about it, but he's able to start his earnings window a year sooner.

Michael Redd:
You could see this coming a decade ago, and let me get your thoughts on the NCAA's decision with likeness and branding and all of that. Is it overdue?

Josh Childress:
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. It's well overdue. And I think just giving the players the same opportunities that other kids get, right? We couldn't work during the season. I mean, granted, there was no time to. You're locked into your schoolwork and the season. But I don't know about you at Ohio State, but at Stanford, there were times where I just wanted to go to a movie, or go have a nice meal, and I couldn't afford that.

Josh Childress:
And so, allowing guys to be able to just earn something, whether it be through autographs or through whatever they want to do, to just be able to do something out of going to the food hall and going straight from there to training or to class.

Michael Redd:
Yeah. You've got your hand in a number of things. You've mentioned the NBL. You played all around the world. I want to take you back a little bit, maybe eight years ago, when you made the decision in the middle of your career to become a venture capitalist. What's the biggest lesson that you learned from the venture world?

Josh Childress:
Biggest lesson that I learn really revolves around education. It's a dog eat dog world out there. And really taking the time to educate yourself, utilize and leverage your network, to do due diligence and just understanding the space a lot more. I think that one of the things that, as an athlete, and I'd say a beginner in the investment space at that time, is you can get excited on ideas, but are those ideas actionable, track record, when you run down the checklist of what makes a good investment versus not?

Josh Childress:
Now fortunately, through my process, I was able to bring ... you bring in some individuals who had institutional grade investment strategy and knowledge, and we've effectively, I'd say, done a good job of mitigating more risk. But it's a learning process and you come in and you are a target as an athlete because you have finances and you have to make sure that you make people wait it out, make people really, really, really do the work to get you to invest your hard-earned dollars.

Michael Redd:
Talk about the shift from being senior level in the NBA pro sports to now the downgrade to a junior executive level? I think athletes sometimes, or people in general, feel entitled to be senior in a new space that they've never been a part of. Talk about that transition for you and the level of humility that comes into transitioning from being an expert in one space to now being a novice in the next space, and learning your way through that?

Josh Childress:
Yeah. Man, that's a great point. Fortunately for myself, I recognized that I was a novice and didn't come in expecting to know it all. And so I was very upfront with people and I think that that helped people realize where I was, where I want to go, but also want to help me even more. When you get to a certain level as a pro, you have a level of expectation on your ability to pick things up, your ability to perform, to execute, and you step outside of that and, like you've mentioned, I'm junior level.

Josh Childress:
But part of the journey is that I started my own company so that I could learn as I go. And I went straight to the top in terms of who I partnered with, and I partnered with groups that have 30 years of experience, that are multi-billion dollar companies, in order to enhance my learning ability and enhance my on the job training. Because real estate can be a tricky business. And so, learning from individuals who do it at a high level is something that I set out to do from the jump, and it's been great. I'm learning a lot. I'm partnering in deals with individuals who are very well-experienced, which has been awesome. And I've been able to, through this process, educate myself in ways and on things that I never even knew existed.

Josh Childress:
In addition to that, we talk about continuing to bet on yourself, and I went and I enrolled in a master's program in real estate at Georgetown. So I'm involved in that as well to continue to build my foundation base. So by and large, I'm just trying to get it. I'm trying to educate myself while also partner with great groups and just kind of doing it all in conjunction with each other and trying to build a company.

Michael Redd:
You mentioned mentors. Me and you share a mentor in that regard. How important is that to have mentors? Because there's entrepreneurs that listen to this podcast as well, how important is that to have in your life?

Josh Childress:
Of the upmost importance. And without mentors, honestly, I don't know where I would be right now. I'd probably be still scrambling, trying to play a few more years, because I didn't have anything going. So, I mean, mentors are incredibly important. As you mentioned, we do share a few of the same people. And those people have spent years and years and years perfecting their craft, just as we did in basketball.

Josh Childress:
And so, leaning on them to provide feedback, assistance, guidance, has been crucial to my life, even from a personal perspective and a business perspective. So I 100% suggest that you find a good quality mentor, not only that can help you but that also you can provide value for in whatever capacity you can.

Michael Redd:
Well, one of them, our mentor that we share is Tony Jansz.

Josh Childress:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Michael Redd:
All the way from Australia, who you befriended and became great friends with, and then you introduced him to me and then we became partners in the Fund in California. Tony Jansz has a ton of experience as a venture capitalist. And yeah, he's been a dear, dear, dear friend of both of us, and a great mentor.

Josh Childress:
Great friend, great family friend. I mean, lifelong friend. His willingness to just help was incredible. There was never an ask from him. And from that relationship, we've learned a lot. We've been in a few projects together. We've had some successful investments. And so, that wasn't the point of the relationship, but that's been a by-product, and I think that for both of us, it's been a blessing for sure.

Michael Redd:
I want to get to LandSpire in a moment, but you are the jack of all trades, man. You went out and wrote a children's book. All the listeners out there who don't know this, Josh wrote a children's book. Talk about that? Again, that was another bet on yourself moment.

Josh Childress:
Yeah, it was. So at the time, my daughter was a one year old, and you have your daily daddy duties, and mine was reading at night. And I was reading a book and I was like, "This book isn't very good." And she'd gotten it from somebody for her birthday or something, I don't know. But I just wasn't really vibeing with the book. So I just said, "I think I can do this better." Or, "I can do it, at least."

Josh Childress:
And so, I just got my notebook and started writing. And then over the course of, I'd say, a couple weeks, I finished the book. And then I was on the hunt for an illustrator, and then went through that process. But it was all predicated on me wanting to provide something for her that I felt good reading to her. And that prompted me writing that book, and the feedback has been, by and large, pretty positive. It's called I Am Magnificent, and it's a self-affirmation, speaking those things into existence. You are magnificent. And it talks through careers and helping the community and listening to your parents, and things that I think we want to convey to our kids that they can now see on a page in a book and point to the characters and see them helping.

Josh Childress:
So I'm really excited about the release of the book. Like I said, it's been positive. I've gotten positive feedback. It just started as a project to just say, "I can do this just like this person did."

Michael Redd:
As the theme of the show, you've continued to make bets on yourself. So you wrote a children's book. Let's talk about LandSpire. You made a bet on yourself when you decided to co-found this company. You're the CEO of it. Tell us about the mindset as you were starting it?

Josh Childress:
The mindset was this. It was like: how can I get into communities that are under-resourced, primarily communities of color, and create change? How can I do that in a way that also still keeps the cultural fabric of the community together? I think too often, you look at areas where you grew up and there's a wave of development, there's gentrification that occurs, and the community stakeholders never really see any of that upside, either individuals from the area or individuals that live there now.

Josh Childress:
The usual process is there's a take, take, take. They take the land. They take over and people are being moved out. And so, you've seen that heavily right now in Inglewood, with the now imminent building of the new Clippers arena, the building of the Rams stadium. The Rams or Chargers, I get them mixed up. But those community stakeholders are being moved out in lieu of more development.

Josh Childress:
So for me and for my partner Justin, it's like, "How can we do this in our community but keep the community the community?" And that was the genesis of LandSpire. And I'll give you a backdrop of the name, when I talked to you about kids from inner cities really just not being exposed to other things, I used to go back and do free camps and clinics in Compton. Every single kid, when you asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" "I want to be a pro basketball player, a pro football player. I want to be a rapper." It's like whatever they're exposed to on TV.

Josh Childress:
And so now it's like, all right, how can we inspire these kids to want to be involved in real estate? And so we want to inspire them through land developments. So that was the tagline for the company was LandSpire. And that's our goal, is bring more kids of color into the real estate space and help them understand the power of real estate and the generational wealth that can be created through it.

Michael Redd:
That's so powerful, man. That's so powerful. It's so important to diversify young minorities' thought patterns, and you're doing that, man, in a really incredible way. Educating them properly on opportunity zones, taking [inaudible 00:35:38]. I'm sure that's a teaching point as well, for a lot of your students, people that you mentor, man. How important is that, for you to give back, man? I hear it all the time from individuals, but I want to get your perspective on giving back?

Josh Childress:
Yeah. I mean, I look at it as it's selfish if I don't. I've been blessed to be in a position to do so. I've been blessed to make a great living over my career. And now I'm blessed to be in the position I'm in in this real estate space. And it would be selfish of me not to, 100%. And so, I need to make sure that I'm actively finding ways to give back to those individuals through education and through mentorship and create that next generation of real estate professionals.

Josh Childress:
And so, I mean, obviously I'm still new to it all, but the stuff that I learn, I just pass on directly to other individuals. I just want to make sure that we continue to develop this cycle where we can have more and more kids understanding the power of it and understanding really the power in owning buildings in your community. I think that's transformational from a community perspective, when individuals who actually care about the area own it.

Josh Childress:
So that's the biggest thing I'm trying to impart on some of these kids is look outside of what you see on TV and Instagram and understand that there's value in the areas that you live and there's no better person to take advantage of that value than you.

Michael Redd:
Brother, you're a revolutionist. That's what you are. You're changing the mindsets of people, man, and the paradigm of how they think. Ownership is empowerment, man. That is so powerful.

Josh Childress:
100%. But you're doing that, too, so let's not-

Michael Redd:
This is not about me. This is about you today. When you have a podcast and a platform for me to speak on, I will be more than gladly to talk about what we're doing, but today's about you, and I want to shine light on you. And you deserve it, man. I watched you over the years and you're very humble, which derives that point you just made. You're very humble. But I think you need the light shined on you because you're doing so much good.

Michael Redd:
I mean, you're giving back now with the pandemic situation. I've seen some things you're doing on LinkedIn, online. It's very powerful, man. So you love people, man, love your community.

Josh Childress:
Yeah, I do. And I feel like I have a responsibility to help. I mean, I think you and I both share in that regard, we realize that we're blessed and we realize that we are responsible to pass that blessing along to other people.

Michael Redd:
Yeah. Josh is a man of faith and so am I, and we've talked a lot about our faith over the years and how that really is the core value that drives us. I'm going to get to that question in a moment on what drives you. But I got to talk about, before we get there, have you seen parallels between what you did in team sports and in business? Talk about that dynamic?

Josh Childress:
Oh yeah. The parallels are endless. I mean, my co-founder was my college teammate and roommate. So we have a great working relationship. He was the four, I was the three, so he used to get me open all the time. He was the enforcer on the team. Funnily enough, he's taken on that role now. I mean, he's the enforcer. He kind of lays down the law. He lets people know. He has the hard word with people, if you will. I'm more of the face of things, let's say, but he's been incredible to work with and to grow this thing with, and we've done a lot in a short period of time.

Josh Childress:
But we've taken that hard work ethic, the dedication, the resourcefulness, the creative mentality, and really just grinding through stuff. We've just been grinding through problems, through issues. We've pivoted when we had some other individuals drop off the team. So it's been a collective of just us working as hard as we possibly can to get to where we are.

Josh Childress:
It's been amazing. There's no other way I can describe it. A first time company to walk in and get a partnership with, like I said, a company that's multiple billions in assets under management, is not an easy task. And it's a question we get asked a lot, like, "Why you guys? Why did they partner with you?"

Josh Childress:
And so, that's just a testament to our work ethic and the way we present ourselves. I mean, we're the underdog, but we came through and have done well in a short period of time.

Michael Redd:
No surprise there. Fun topic to talk about, The Last Dance. Everyone's talking about it. You're one of the rare people that actually knows Michael Jordan on a personal level. Real quickly, man, I know we've got some basketball fans out there too. Talk about some of the lessons we can learn from MJ in the documentary?

Josh Childress:
Yeah. MJ was just a beast. And as an athlete, I look back. I was a kid during this time, obviously, and I had an admiration for what they did, what they were able to accomplish, but I had no idea the work that it took to do what they're doing.

Josh Childress:
And so, to see his mentality, to see his work ethic, to see what drives him, I am utterly amazed at it. And quite frankly, I'm even more of a fan of his now. I know that people are talking about how brash he was and how difficult he was to be around, and that's personality stuff. They're like ... Fine. I mean, I understand that. But just the pure drive, determination and willing yourself to perform, unparalleled. I never seen anything like it and I'm so happy that I can see this now, and it's been motivating for me in the business space.

Josh Childress:
And as a side-note, I always a Scottie Pippen fan. Big Scottie Pippen fan. That was my favorite player growing up. And so, to see him in a different light has been interesting as well. I don't have any less respect for him. I mean, I've heard he's come out and he's been a little angry about how he's been portrayed during this whole thing, but both were still ... are in the Hall of Fame and are some of the greatest to ever do it.

Josh Childress:
But I've been so ... I haven't been excited to watch a show in years, but I've been so excited to watch these episodes and see the background of this whole thing.

Michael Redd:
Oh, for sure. It took us back to when we were in high school and college years, watching that documentary. It was our saving grace for missing live sports, man. I miss basketball. I know you do too.

Josh Childress:
Yeah.

Michael Redd:
We both still are involved and follow it. Talk about-

Josh Childress:
There was another big betting on yourself moment in this thing, and that's the shoe contract. I know you and Michael are both sneaker guys. And for those that don't know, Mike has an incredible sneaker collection. But anyway.

Michael Redd:
You really want to go there? You really want to go there?

Josh Childress:
[crosstalk 00:43:35] this unknown sneaker company, by and large, in the basketball space that wanted to make three million dollars over a four year period, and they made 125 million in the first year. And so, talk about betting on yourself. That is one of the best examples of it right there. So I was inspired by that, too.

Michael Redd:
Yeah, and you have every last one of those shoes. Your collection is unreal.

Josh Childress:
[crosstalk 00:44:03].

Michael Redd:
Unreal. But I'm going to be nice on the podcast. I'm being very nice, actually, on the podcast, ladies and gentlemen.

Josh Childress:
You are. You are.

Michael Redd:
But talk about how the game has changed since me and you played in the NBA? The emergence of technology.

Josh Childress:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Michael Redd:
I'll ask you this. Has data analytics ruined the game or has it enhanced the game? What's your thoughts on how analytics has affected the game?

Josh Childress:
I think it's enhanced the game from the perspective of giving guys more feedback, more immediate feedback on where they're effective. So helping guys get to their spots, helping guys understand, "Hey, if you can get to this spot on the floor, you shoot 12% higher here, so let's make a concerted effort to do that."

Josh Childress:
But I think that it's also taken a little bit of the joys of the game away. I mean, MJ was a mid-range assassin, and now they say that the mid-range is dead. It's either layup or three, right? There's an art to what he did. There's an art to getting to that elbow. There's an art to getting to those spots. And so, utilizing data, or over-utilizing data, let's say, has, I feel like, taken some of the pureness of the game away.

Josh Childress:
But the game has evolved and it will continue to evolve. When I first came into the League, the Suns were the fastest team in the League. That offense was unlike anything we'd ever seen. And I don't know if it's the same stats, but I remember seeing some stats a couple of years back, they would be like the 29th fastest team in the League now. So that seven seconds or less offense that they had was incredibly tough to guard. I can't imagine what that's like having to run up and down and do the things that the guys are doing now and the pace of the game.

Josh Childress:
I mean, but games evolve. The game's evolved and I'm still a fan. I still enjoy watching it. So I don't know how you feel about it.

Michael Redd:
Yeah. I'll save that for another day. I think it's been hard for me to watch intuition be taken out of the game. Data analytics has always been a part of the game. I think it's how you tell the story of the data that's important to the coaches. But I think intuition is part of the game. And I may be two steps in the three-point line, doesn't mean that it's a bad shot. [inaudible 00:46:49] the shot that's available in the moment, but that's frowned upon rather than taking back two steps to shoot the three. So we've got to figure that point out. But I have mixed feelings.

Josh Childress:
I recall a coach in the latter part of my career. He was a coach that essentially said, "Hey, we want to take 14 mid-range jumpers or less this game." It was just interesting to hear that as a player, where there's a set number of mid-range Js they want the team to take. So, to your point, just intuition and just the natural instinct to take what's available is being taken away from that.

Michael Redd:
What continues to drive Josh Childress?

Josh Childress:
It is the notion that I still have a lot left to give. I still have aspirations of building a business that I can pass down to my kids. Building a business that I can bring my niece, who's about to be a senior in college, into, and my nephews. And really just creating a family company that we own, we operate, and we can grow together.

Josh Childress:
Outside of that, I mentioned, I've been incredibly blessed. I've been blessed with a great skillset and a great talent and a great mind, and I don't want to let that go to waste. And so, that's another big part of my driving or my motivation is do not waste the talents that you've been blessed with, and utilize those to create as much impact as you possibly can.

Josh Childress:
So those are, I'd say, my biggest drivers. And I'm going to continue to focus on those things until I can't anymore.

Michael Redd:
If you had to go back 20 years, what would you tell your 16 year old self? What advice?

Josh Childress:
I would say invest in your mental. I think one of the things that we're not always prepared for as athletes, and it's become magnified even more now, is the difficulty of being a professional athlete. So you step into it. You go from being the man in high school, the man in college, to being whatever you are in the League. And the League is majority made up of role players. But it's having the mental fortitude to essentially deal with the pressures and deal with the stresses and deal with the injuries and deal with all of that stuff that comes with being on a pedestal.

Josh Childress:
And I would love to have been much more equipped to deal with all of that and deal with the stresses of life and deal with losing a family member, or just how all of that comes into play. So yeah, investing in the mental side of myself.

Michael Redd:
I love it, man. I love it. I love spending time with you. I love you. The one and only Josh Childress, man. Thank you for being on the podcast today, my brother.

Josh Childress:
No, thank you. Thanks of having me. I really, really appreciate it. I know you've had some incredible guests to date, and I am just thankful that you thought of me on this. You know I love you like a brother and I appreciate any time we get to connect. And I don't have a podcast yet, but when I do, you're going to be the first person, that [inaudible 00:50:56] guarantee you. I'm going to give you a lot of roses, let's just put it that way.

Michael Redd:
My brother, my brother. It's been an honor, man. Thank you, brother, for being on, man. I appreciate you.

Michael Redd:
Hearing how Josh has recreated himself over and over again throughout his career blows me away. When he sets a goal, nothing stops him, and it comes down to his ability to keep betting on himself. To stay up to date with Josh, follow him on Twitter @JChillin, or visit his investment group website, landspiregroup.com.

Michael Redd:
Thanks again for listening to today's episode. To read the show's notes, learn more about my work or connect with me, visit michaelredd.com. New episodes released every week on Monday, so make sure to subscribe if you want to stay up-to-date. Until next time, I'm Michael Redd, and remember you are the secret to your success.