The Best of All The Smoke With Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson Season 1 Episode 1 Championship Journey

The Best of All The Smoke With Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson is a sports talk show that brings in some of the biggest names in the world of sports and entertainment for candid interviews, engaging discussions, and behind-the-scenes stories.

In Season 1 Episode 1, titled "Championship Journey," host Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson sit down with former NBA stars and now-retired champions, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, to talk about their journeys to the top of the league.

The episode begins with Barnes and Jackson setting the stage for the conversation ahead, highlighting the importance of hearing from athletes about the mental and physical challenges they faced during their championship runs. They emphasize that this is what sets their show apart from others in the genre, as they delve deeper into the personal stories behind the wins and losses.

The first half of the episode is dedicated to Richard Jefferson, who retired in 2018 after 17 seasons in the NBA and one championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. He talks about growing up in Arizona and how he fell in love with basketball at a young age, despite his mother's reservations about the sport. Jefferson shares what it was like to play for the University of Arizona and how it prepared him for the NBA, where he was drafted 13th overall by the Houston Rockets in 2001.

Barnes and Jackson ask Jefferson about his role on the New Jersey Nets teams that made it to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs, respectively. Jefferson shares some of the lessons he learned during those tough losses and how they motivated him to work even harder in the offseason.

The conversation then turns to Jefferson's championship run with the Cavaliers in 2016, where he was a key veteran presence on a team led by LeBron James. He talks about the pressure of playing in the NBA Finals and how they managed to come back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors in seven games.

In the second half of the episode, Barnes and Jackson switch gears to talk to Channing Frye, who also won a championship with the Cavaliers in 2016, but retired after the 2018-19 season. Frye talks about growing up in Arizona and how he came to love basketball through his family's ties to the sport. He shares how his time at the University of Arizona helped him prepare for the NBA, where he was drafted 8th overall by the New York Knicks in 2005.

Barnes and Jackson ask Frye about his experiences playing for different teams in the league, including the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Frye shares some of the challenges of being traded mid-season and how he had to adjust to different systems and play styles.

The conversation then turns to Frye's championship run with the Cavaliers in 2016, where he was a key contributor off the bench. He talks about what it was like to play with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, and how they managed to overcome the odds to win it all.

Throughout the episode, Barnes and Jackson interject with their own experiences as NBA veterans and offer their perspectives on the topics at hand. The conversation is lighthearted and funny at times, but always insightful and informative. By the end of the episode, viewers will have a better understanding of what it takes to make it to the top of the NBA, both physically and mentally, and the sacrifices that come with being a champion.