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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:00):
Welcome to the podcast. Thank you.
Kareem Rush (00:00:02):
I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:02):
Appreciate it. I am so
Kareem Rush (00:00:03):
Excited to have you here. Thank you very much.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:04):
Shout out to our mutual friend, Brett, for - BB. Referring. BB.
Kareem Rush (00:00:07):
BB. That's
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:08):
What we call him. Yeah, yeah. Love it. Um, yeah, I love good referral and Brett and I had lunch the other day and he's like, "You've got to have Kareem on." So. I
Kareem Rush (00:00:15):
Appreciate it.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:15):
Kareem Rush, here you are. Thank you. Thank you. Um, okay. So I was doing my little, uh, homework on you. Okay. And we're gonna get into all kinds of things, but I wanted to kind of do a highlight reel - Yes. Of you. Okay. So, Kareem, you are a former NBA player.
Kareem Rush (00:00:30):
Check.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:31):
Mizzou Athletics Hall of Famer, creator of the Second Arena.
Kareem Rush (00:00:35):
Yes. And
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:36):
A founder and CEO of University Heritage Group. That
Kareem Rush (00:00:39):
Is correct.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:39):
Which we are gonna dive into here. Yes. Which is gonna be really fun. Okay. You grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, graduated from Pembroke Hill, played college basketball at the University of Missouri in Columbia, a.k.a. Mizzou. Mm-hmm. Played seven seasons in the NBA, 2002 to 2010.
Kareem Rush (00:00:55):
Yes.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:00:56):
Including with the LA Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaq, which I definitely wanna -
Kareem Rush (00:01:00):
Those are my guys.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:00):
Dive into that. Yeah, yeah. Um, you are an R&B recording artist who has produced two albums.
Kareem Rush (00:01:06):
Two albums.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:07):
Plus a single in LA.
Kareem Rush (00:01:08):
Yep.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:09):
Out now.
Kareem Rush (00:01:10):
Yep.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:10):
Um, you seem like a serial entrepreneur, entrepreneur. You have an amazing lineup of university themed business concepts, which we're gonna get into. And last but not least, you are a fellow lefty.
Kareem Rush (00:01:20):
I am a lefty. So
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:21):
Cheers to the left-handed people. Yes,
Kareem Rush (00:01:23):
Yes. They're very, we're very few, but -
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:25):
We are very few. But we are
Kareem Rush (00:01:26):
Very special,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:26):
Obviously.
Kareem Rush (00:01:27):
There's.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:27):
Yeah. And there's some weird like urban legends out there about people that are left-handed. It's like these weird stats and stuff about like becoming president and dying earlier and weird random stuff.
Kareem Rush (00:01:36):
I don't want that, but all the other special things, huh? Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:38):
Podcast for another day. So anyway, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I'm so excited to talk to you about - Thanks for having
Kareem Rush (00:01:43):
Me.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:44):
Your, um, your upbringing in Casey. So let's start there. Tell us about you, where you're from, and growing up here.
Kareem Rush (00:01:49):
Yeah. Uh, born and raised in Kansas City. Um, single mom, uh, raised by my mom and my grandmother.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:01:56):
Yeah. Um,
Kareem Rush (00:01:56):
In the inner cities of Kansas City. Um, at a very early age, uh, my older brother, Jaron, who was kinda like the patriarch of our, our basketball journey, uh, was a basketball phenom. Mm-hmm. Um, so by the time he was in seventh or eighth grade, he was the number one player in the country. What? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Jeron was like a LeBron James, Kobe Bryant type figure, um, growing up in high school. Uh, and, you know, Jaron was like one of the first kids that they would talk about he can go pro as a junior. Yeah. So with that being said, um, you know, as a younger brother, you know, you always wanna do better than your older brother. Sure. <laugh> You know, so I, I followed Jeron into the game. Uh, I remember vividly, uh, going to the Boys and Girls Club and learning how to play.
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(00:02:34):
Uh-huh. And then, like I said, things kinda caught fire and, you know, through that process end up getting not necessarily recruited, but Tom Grant just, you know, passed away, uh, ran an AAU program.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:02:46):
Mm-hmm.
Kareem Rush (00:02:46):
Um, and, you know, took care of inner city kids and, and put them in better situations. And, um, obviously Jaron brought a lot of notoriety to those teams. And, you know, this is seventh and eighth grade. We were ushered over to Pembroke Hill. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:02:59):
And,
Kareem Rush (00:03:00):
You know, spent, you know, the high school in Pembroke Hill had an amazing high school career with my brother. Aw. Um, two state championship with him. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:07):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:03:08):
And then I won a third, you know, my final year, uh, with my other close friends, Sean Dunson and all the great PembrokHill guys who are still my close friends. I have obviously the Brett who, who got us introduced. Uh - Yeah,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:18):
You guys must have, like, a tight little crew that has stayed in touch all these decades. It
Kareem Rush (00:03:21):
Wasn't very many, it wasn't very many of us. I think our graduating class was like 90, you know. Oh okay. Yeah, yeah. So we know everybody. Everybody's pretty much stayed in touch with each other. Yeah. Uh, we all go to our reunions every year. So it's, it's been a fun little group to, to stay a part of. Yeah. Uh, but yeah, Pembroke Hill was an amazing experience, opened my eye to a lot of different
things. Mm-hmm. And then on from there to Mizzou and, and, and the rest is, is history. So
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:41):
You're one of three brothers. One of
Kareem Rush (00:03:43):
Three brothers.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:43):
One of three. You all played basketball.
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Kareem Rush (00:03:45):
Yes.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:03:45):
So at what age for you did it become apparent that you really wanted to get into this and that you wanted that trajectory to kind of take off for you?
Kareem Rush (00:03:52):
Uh, like I started seeing all the things about my brother, Jaron. And I was, you know, you wanna say you jealous, but you're like, "I want that too. I want the notoriety too." <laugh> Uh, I got tired of being Jaron, Jaron's little brother. Yeah. Uh, you know, so that kind of forced me to kinda, you know, develop my own game. Uh-huh. We were, we were totally different players. Uh, you mentioned the left-hand deal. I was always creative and had all these other interests.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:11):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:04:12):
Uh, but in my household, I was like, "At some point I'm gonna beat my older brother." <laugh> And then if that happened, then I knew I would rank higher, you know, whoever class I was in, you know. So it was a lifelong thing to, you know, be better than my brother. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:23):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:04:24):
And that really kinda, you know, pushed me into the game. Did
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:26):
It drive him crazy? No, no,
Kareem Rush (00:04:27):
Because he, he was always better than me. <laugh> Yeah. Okay. It wasn't - He was like, "Good
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:30):
Luck
Kareem Rush (00:04:30):
Then." Yeah. It was like, it was, yeah, it was, it was no competition with Jaron. If, if, if, if people know, if people know that Jaron is probably the, the best, if not the first or second greatest high school player ever out of Kansas City.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:41):
Number one in the country. Yeah. I didnt come across that in my research. That is incredible. Yeah, yeah.
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Kareem Rush (00:04:45):
So he was amazing.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:46):
Then you had Brandon, your younger brother. So did he have the same mindset as you of like, "I've gotta be better than both of them"? No.
Kareem Rush (00:04:51):
No?
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:52):
It
Kareem Rush (00:04:52):
Was a surprise that he actually ended up taking up the game. Really? For,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:04:56):
Because for,
Kareem Rush (00:04:56):
For, for so long, um, he was just kinda messing up. He went to a bunch of different high schools, uh, here in Kansas City. Okay. And this is Dra - Brandon's five years younger than I am.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:04):
Okay.
Kareem Rush (00:05:05):
Um, so once he's coming up, I was already in the me - in the NBA, so I was giving him stuff and he would just kinda be in a mess up. <laugh> Uh, and then finally, you know, he kinda got together and went back east. He went to Mount Zion. Okay. Uh, which is just a huge prep basketball academy. Mm-hmm. And then all of a sudden, you know, Brandon's skillset started to pick up until, to a point where every summer I come back and he'd come down and play at Mizzou and stuff. He just start getting good and better and better. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:28):
And
Kareem Rush (00:05:28):
Then they said he end up, you know, going to KU and doing, and doing what he did. Yeah. So, you know, it was amazing to kinda see his transformation from a mess up to being a star. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:36):
Well, good for him. Yeah. That's amazing. And you, and we'll get into it later, but you guys are working together to this day. Yeah,
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Kareem Rush (00:05:40):
Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:41):
He's
Kareem Rush (00:05:41):
The KU version. I mean, just like Jeron's the version from, uh, for UCLA. Brandon's my -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:45):
Yeah. Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:05:46):
My conduit for, for KU.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:05:47):
Amazing. Yeah. Okay. So I told you before the podcast started, I almost wore my KU gear, but I decided not to because I know how passionate you are about Mizzou. <laugh> But then there's that like little rivalry that you guys have within the family anyway with Brandon going to KU. Yeah. So anyway, we'll, we'll talk about that. But how did you decide Mizzou? How did you get to the point of going there?
Kareem Rush (00:06:05):
I specifically chose Mizzou because I didn't wanna go to KU. <laugh> Um, and the - I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:06:09):
Knew it.
Kareem Rush (00:06:10):
Yeah. The backstory on that was, uh, it was all but, you know, a, a known deal that Jaron was gonna go to KU. Yeah. Um, just through our connections there and, and all our high school buddies were going there. Uh, Jaron used to go up there every summer and play with the, with the current kids and, and dominate them. Paul Pierce, all those guys, they knew about Jaron. So it was a foregone conclusion Jaron was going to KU. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:06:29):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:06:29):
Some stuff happened, um, during his junior year, uh, where, uh, I think it was Jason Whitlock who nobody likes. <laugh> And Harry Richmond, uh, posted, you know, something in the star of saying that Jaron called Coach Williams Roy. And back then, Coach Williams did a, you know, had a history of like seven guys out, five and, and they asked Daron about that as a 17-year-old kid - Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:06:48):
About
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Kareem Rush (00:06:48):
That and Daron said something like, "Oh yeah, Roy's not gonna do that with me." And then it got back up to Coach Williams and they came out and stopped recruiting Jaron from that point. And
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:06:55):
There you go.
Kareem Rush (00:06:56):
Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:06:56):
And so
Kareem Rush (00:06:57):
I went to the, my, my junior year, they was like, "Where are you looking about going?" I'm like, "I would never go to KU." <laugh> So Mizzou - Never, ever. Never, ever. So the fact that Brandon went, you know, years later was a little sore spot, but it, it was a different regime. And I really liked Coach Self, so - Yeah. I had no problem with it. Um, but it was really just, uh, you know, get back at KU for choosing, uh, what they did to my brother. I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:07:16):
Love it. Yeah. So Mizzou came along. What was your experience like there? What did you love about Mizzou?
Kareem Rush (00:07:20):
It was amazing. Um, you know, I, I was. Coach Stewart was just retiring.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:07:24):
Mm-hmm.
Kareem Rush (00:07:25):
So I was Quinn Snyder's first recruit. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:07:27):
Um,
Kareem Rush (00:07:27):
So I remember Coach, Coach, Coach Q, we called him Q, and, um, Tony Harvey came into Kansas City. Mm-hmm. Came to my grandma's house. And, you know, Q had the wavy hair, good looking guy. Uh, kind of found out we, we shared the same birthday. Okay. So, so we connected on so many different levels, the Scorpios, so we, we can read each other. We kind of had that, you know, Kendrick spirit together. <laugh> Uh, and he told me like, "Yo, we're, you know, you'd be an integral part of rebuilding this program." And, you know, one of my close friends at the time, Josh Kroenke, uh, we were saying we're gonna go someplace together. Josh was pretty much the mayor of Columbia. Yeah. And
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:07:59):
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So we
Kareem Rush (00:07:59):
Thought it'd be fun to, you know, go down to Columbia together and kind of start a new regime. And
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:02):
You were there for three years, is that right? I was there three years. Yeah, yeah. Before you were then, um. How does it work that you are then rec - like, are you recruited to get into. I don't know how all the NBA stuff works. Yeah. So like how does. Walk me through how that works and what that experience
was like for you. Were you like, "This is a must. I have to play in the NBA. I'm dying to play in the NBA." Or like what was that whole feeling like back then? I
Kareem Rush (00:08:21):
Mean, you, you have dreams and goals that you, you wanna get there. Yeah. Uh, didn't think about it, you know, coming into my freshman year, you just wanna make your mark on, on a collegiate level. Yeah. You know high school is one thing, but it's obviously a step up. Mm-hmm. Uh, you know, as you, as you go up, you know, higher in level. Um, so my first year came out and, and played extremely well. Um, you know, got Big 12 co-freshman of the year. Um, so things growing up and up. Still wasn't thinking about the draft or anything like that. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:43):
Um,
Kareem Rush (00:08:43):
My sophomore year is kind of when it really kinda started kicking for me.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:08:46):
Okay.
Kareem Rush (00:08:46):
Um, led the confidence score in my, you know, my sophomore year. Uh, was a projected top five pick at that time. And so even then, I was like, "I'm coming back my junior year. I'm gonna, I wanna win player of the year next year." Uh, but I was already on, in, in the NBA radar. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:09:00):
So I
Kareem Rush (00:09:00):
Knew it was probably gonna be my last year, junior year. And, you know, the process is, uh, based on, you know, how you play, you enter your name in the draft and then team selects you.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:09:07):
Okay.
Kareem Rush (00:09:08):
Yeah.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:09:08):
Yeah. And then where was your older brother at that point?
Kareem Rush (00:09:11):
Jaron was at UCLA with. Jaron's 18 months older than me, but only a year, you know, ahead of me - Yeah. Um, in class. Uh, we went through some stuff, uh, my freshman year and his, uh, his sophomore year - uh-huh. Where we got suspended, um, supposedly, you know, taking money in high school. And, and now - Yeah. Which is crazy now because NIL, you know, we were getting, you know, free shoes and stuff and, and, you know, Jaron got suspended. We had, we got fed indicted. We had him testify in front of. So it was, it was a huge mess. <laugh> Uh, a lot of guys got, uh, affected by him but mainly Jaron. Um, he got suspended for over 20 something games. Oh, wow. Um, so he was kind of forced to, to, to take, put, uh, enter the draft, did get drafted. Um, so it was kind of the end of his basketball career and which is, you know, sucked because Daron was an amazing player for the play.
(00:09:54):
Yeah. If he would have stayed, you know, a few more years, he probably would have made the NBA. Mm-hmm. Which everyone thought he was going to be the first to do
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:09:59):
So. I know. It seems like everything that you've talked about that that would have been an assumption. It was,
Kareem Rush (00:10:02):
Yeah. Everybody though Deron. Even now, Jaron, as far as talent, was head and shoulders above me and Brandon. Yeah. Um, and it was just, he's one of those unfortunate, you know, probably top 10, top 20 guys ever high school players that never make the NBA. Wow. Um, he was that talented. Yeah. Uh, but going, even going through that stuff, uh, that we went through, um, you know, I bounced back and had, you know, a, a great career - Yeah. Uh, down in Mizzou and, you know, led me to, you know, get drafted in the first round.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:10:26):
Did it seem surreal to you that you would be going into the NBA, or were you like, "This is a no-brainer, this is exactly where I should be?" I mean,
Kareem Rush (00:10:32):
You always got. Yeah, as a kid, you know, you always think, yeah. A kid from KC. Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna make it to the NBA because that's what you, that's what you work for. Yeah. You know, so it takes tremendous amounts of work, uh, and confidence in yourself and sacrifice and all that stuff. But, you know, after my, my freshman year, um, I knew probably I, I, I'd get there. Yeah. Never, never know where. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, a first round, it, it, all that matters is you getting there. Right.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:10:52):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:10:53):
But to be a first round pick was certainly some, something special.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:10:55):
Did you have your eyes set on a particular team that would be the dream? Like, was it the Lakers
Kareem Rush (00:11:01):
Or was it - No, no, no. I mean, you, you put your name in the draft, so they, they pick you. Yeah. So it, it's not even your decision. Right. It's not you pick a college, you put your name in, in the draft, and, you know, whatever team likes you selects you. So - Yeah. Uh, I was originally, I was originally drafted by Toronto and got traded to the Lakers, um, the, uh, night of the draft. So that meant that the Lakers actually wanted me - Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:11:18):
And
Kareem Rush (00:11:19):
Looked for me. So, um, to move, to, to come into that situation, um, as, as the three-peat, getting a chance to play with Shaq and Kobe and Phil Jackson was, was amazing. I wish I'd. But looking back, it'd probably been better for my, my career if I went someplace else. Um - Really. Me and Kobe had the same position, so you walking in like, I'm not gonna play above Kobe. So - Yeah. A different situation may end up a little bit better for me, but it was still very memorable and, you know, Lakers are still, you know, very much impactful in my life now.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:11:44):
Yeah, no kidding. I mean, I have to ask, like, what was it like playing with Kobe and Shaq and - Um. Phil and everybody? Like, what was that like? It was
Kareem Rush (00:11:52):
A. I mean, it was. I, I played -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:11:54):
I played with both players. Like there's these huge personas, but - Yeah. You know, what were they like kind of behind the scenes and, um - I
Kareem Rush (00:12:02):
Mean, Kobe was young. Kobe was only three years older than me.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:06):
Mm-hmm.
Kareem Rush (00:12:06):
Um, but so, so accomplished. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:08):
Um,
Kareem Rush (00:12:09):
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Coming after 3P, and Shaq was just Shaq. Like, you, you don't see, you know, humans that big and that skilled. Yeah. Uh, regardless of how long I played in the game, you know, Shaq was a one of a kind. Mm hmm. Uh, but, you know, as far as Kobe, you know, like I said, we played the same position. Um, so I got a chance to learn a lot from him my first few years. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:24):
I
Kareem Rush (00:12:24):
Remember vividly, this is before the Mamba Mentality became a thing. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:27):
Um,
Kareem Rush (00:12:27):
You know, so I'm trying to be the hot shot rookie, come in and get ready a couple hours before the game, I mean, before practice, our first practice. And Kobe was already there, like, four hours before, like, sweating and, and working. We was like, "What is this?" He's like, "This is what he does." And then, you know, as we, as I progressed through my career, um, you saw that there were levels - Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:45):
Of
Kareem Rush (00:12:45):
Dedication and, and, and what it took to be, you know, that great at something.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:12:49):
I watched his documentary - uh-huh. And they talk about that, that he was, like, the first one in, the last one out. Um, and seemingly that worked very well for him. Yeah. You know, that passion is there, and you hear about that for other athletes too. Is that common in the NBA or is he really, is that kind of, like, an exception for certain stars for him? I mean,
Kareem Rush (00:13:06):
We all work hard - Yeah. Because you couldn't get to that level if you didnt work hard. Right. But there's another level to, to that level. Yeah. Um, you know, guys who are supremely talented naturally, but also have a, a will and a work ethic that's just otherworldly. Yeah. And that's what I kind of, you know, break
it down to. LA is full of distractions, you know, you know, Kobe is Kobe, you know, they won three, they won three people, but - uh-huh. You know, my, my rookie year, we'd go out and have fun, and Shaq is there having parties every, e- e- every city we stop in, and Kobe's never there. You know, he just -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:32):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:13:32):
He, he's completely focused, a one-track mind, "How can I be a better basketball player today?" Mm hmm.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:37):
And
Kareem Rush (00:13:37):
Going through that process of doing it every day, which, you know, led to him being, you know, an all time great. I still put Kobe, he's, he's my second favorite, you know, of all time. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:44):
Yeah. Um, you know,
Kareem Rush (00:13:44):
I got Jordan, then Kobe, and then everybody else.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:47):
Amazing. Yeah. By the way, have you ever been to Chapel's Restaurant?
Kareem Rush (00:13:50):
Uh-uh.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:51):
It's in North KC.
Kareem Rush (00:13:52):
Uh-uh.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:13:52):
And it's been around. I actually just went there. I'm doing a feature on them, but they are, um, they are a restaurant and bar, but they are a sports museum. Okay. You have to go there. When you go in there, it is. There's over 1200 football helmets that are hanging from the ceiling. Wow. They're all vintage collectors, items, artifacts, memorabilia, all this stuff. And then they have, like, penants for, um, collegiate, um, professional sports, baseball, football, you name it. But there is a Shaq shoe - Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's hanging in a display. Yeah. It's, you know, I can only imagine seeing him in person, and one of my favorite things a- about him is there's a clip with Jimmy Fallon when he was on the show. Mm-hmm. And Jimmy Fallon stands next to him and they trade suit jackets. Yeah, yeah. And it is hysterical to see Jimmy Fallon wearing Shaq's jacket.
(00:14:34):
It makes me laugh every time.
Kareem Rush (00:14:35):
Massive guy. Yeah. And so
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:36):
I,
Kareem Rush (00:14:36):
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I had one his shoes for a long time that I had
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:38):
Autograph.
Kareem Rush (00:14:39):
I lost it in, in all my, all my travels. But yeah, Shaq was a massive guy, but even bigger than Shaq was. I played in the same. Me and Yao Ming were in the same draft class. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:47):
And
Kareem Rush (00:14:48):
So you see somebody. I mean, Shaq was seven, seven feet, 7'1". Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:51):
And then you
Kareem Rush (00:14:51):
Got Yao who's 7'6". It's like otherworldly sized humans. Well, I mean, people probably, you know, liken it now to Victor Woman Yama. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:14:58):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:14:58):
But he's more of a, a thin guard type. Yao was just like big with huge tree trunk legs. It, it was, it was crazy. <laugh>
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:15:06):
Um, so being. So first of all, let's go back to you being inducted into the Hall of Fame for Mizzou. Mm hmm. Yep. How did that come to be? What does that mean to you? What did they do to celebrate you? 'Cause that just happened last year. It was
Kareem Rush (00:15:16):
Last year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Little, little - Let's celebrate you. Yeah, yeah. It was a little late from my <laugh> my opinion, but - Better late than ever? Yeah, yeah. A lot of people are saying that. But no, it was, you know, to be honored 20 some years later, uh, for what I've done, what I, what I did down there, you know, it was certainly memorable. M kids got a chance to see it and, and hear it and, and be, you know, present with it, you know, so that meant a lot. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:15:33):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:15:34):
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But they. I was doing a po - a post-game basketball show, uh, for Mizzou for the last two years. Okay. Just kinda re-enga, you know, re-engaged back with the, with, with the, uh, with the program. I've known Dennis, uh, since we were, you know, 17. We were actually camp counselors at Jordan's flight, flight school. Oh okay. Back in, back in college. So, uh, I was really, you know, connected, just kinda watching Dennis succeed and, and, and wanted. Because like I said with us, you know, since Quinn left, there have been four or five other coaches, uh, that's come through. So - Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:00):
Those
Kareem Rush (00:16:01):
Connections that, you know, which is the basis of UHG, uh - Yeah. Uh, is kinda what is missing. You know, you look at Duke, North Carolina, all those schools had the fraternities - Yeah. Brotherhood, you know, Kentucky. They all stay engaged with, you know, with the program. And we did a, we've done a terrible job of, of doing that with former, you know, Mizzou guys. So - Interesting. Um, I was, got a call from Dave Matters, and he was like, "Yeah, coach wants to talk to you about something." I was like, "Okay, well, I've known Dennis forever, so that's cool." So he, he called me on a Zoom, and then Dennis just broke the news said, "You're inducted." I was like, "Okay, that, that was amazing." So - I'm
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:30):
Like, "About time." Yeah <laugh>. "Let's go." I was gonna say
Kareem Rush (00:16:33):
That, but I was like, "Thank you, finally." <laugh> But no, it was amazing. It's, like I said, to relive all those times, um, uh, it, it was special. Yeah. Do
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:41):
You make it back there much?
Kareem Rush (00:16:42):
Yeah, my kids are, like I said, I have a senior on the volleyball team.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:45):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:16:45):
And then my incoming freshman. So, like I said, now I'm that with all the stuff that I'm doing - Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:50):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:16:50):
Finding ways to reengage the former players and like my, I, I'm tasking myself up to creating that brotherhood that, that we so don't have down in Mizzou with all the guys that I know. Yeah,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:16:59):
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I love it. Okay, so let's talk about University Heritage Group. Uh-huh. So obviously we kind of like, we talked about the NBA, which you had seven seasons, correct? Yeah. In the NBA. Were you thinking about this? Was it kind of bubbling up this idea or did it come. Tell us what the idea is and tell us like how it came to be the inspiration for it. Was it after you retired or stopped playing? How did it all come together?
Kareem Rush (00:17:22):
Yeah, it was, yes, post-retirement. So my, I, I, my career ended at 29. I tore my ACL microfracture, which ended my career, uh, prematurely. So I was done at 29 not knowing what to do next. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:17:32):
And
Kareem Rush (00:17:32):
So, uh, I tried everything. You know, initially it was, it was first to music, you know, so, uh, I knew a couple people. So
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:17:37):
That was the first thing. That
Kareem Rush (00:17:38):
Was the first thing. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:17:39):
Um,
Kareem Rush (00:17:39):
So I was going through rehab and I was looking at an 18 month rehab process. And I was like, okay, do I wanna go back to school and finish my degree or do I wanna sing? Uh-huh. 'Cause I knew. Everybody in the league knew I can sing. I used to - Okay. Me and Shaq used to have, you know, rap and singing battles in the back of the bus. So Shaq would bring his big keyboard on. And this is when next telephones were starting to have those chirps. Uh-huh. And so we would sing in the back and not sing in the shower. So everybody knew I can sing. <laugh> Uh, it was just like, I don't have time to do it. Yeah. Uh, I don't know how to do it. Uh, so I'm going through, I tear my knee up in 2009, uh, and I'm looking at about an 18 month rehab process.
(00:18:13):
So I'm like -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:18:13):
And mind you, was that devastating for you? Yeah, yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:18:15):
It was - I mean - I mean, this is what kinda get me, got me through it was being able to kinda re rechannel that focus into something else because - Creativity.
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Yeah,
Kareem Rush (00:18:23):
Yeah. Rehab is, it was terrible. I was on this machine that's cranking my knee for six hours a day and just being depressed that I, I can't be with the team. I was on a one year deal, so I was away from a team at that point. Mm-hmm. Uh, so it was just like I'm completely detached from what I've, I've always known - Yeah. Been a basketball player. So what else can I do that, you know, fuels me, that excites me? And it's always been music. So - Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:18:44):
Um,
Kareem Rush (00:18:44):
One of my friends knew, you know, somebody over at Interscope, uh, brought me in and I still had a name in LA. So I was like, oh yeah, this is crazy. Yeah, yeah, of course. You know, you got some money I'msure. Yeah, let's go get into a studio just to see what you can do. 'Cause everybody was rapping. There's very few guys singing. Yeah. And so, uh, they hired a bunch of producers for me and we got in the studio and, uh, they gave me like four tracks to learn. So the first track that I learned was Hold Yo Down, uh, the song that I ended up being a single. And we recorded it and I was in like a wheelchair with like my knee up and all this crazy stuff, you know, recording music. And they was like, wow, this is actually really good.
(00:19:17):
We should like make a, this, this should be a single. And so - You're like,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:19:20):
I know. I'm talented.
Kareem Rush (00:19:21):
Finally, finally you guys see. <laugh> Uh, so ended up hiring a team, uh, to help me kind of push the, the music career. Um, the, the single did re- really well. Yeah. It was a,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:19:30):
It was a
Kareem Rush (00:19:31):
Billboard top 40 on the AC charts. That's
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:19:33):
Incredible. I - Props to you.
Kareem Rush (00:19:34):
Yeah. I like did a bunch of summer jams. I sang at the ESPYs. Uh, I did- Did you
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:19:38):
Really? Yeah, like the pre-party. I'm gonna pull all this stuff. Yeah,
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Kareem Rush (00:19:41):
Yeah. So I did all this stuff, the pre-ESP parties and summer jams, and I was at 106 and Park and all, all these things around music, but
(00:19:49):
It cost a fortune back then to, to break an artist. Yeah. And so I was f- funding this all myself and I was like, well, I wanna get back into the league - Yeah. So I can be like the first NBAR and beat star. And so - Ooh. So it's 2013. I'm like, okay, I'm back. I'm trying to get back in shape. Let me get back into the league. At that point, I was out of the game for three or four years, which makes it pretty much impossible to get back if you not have a singular focus on getting back into the league. So -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:11):
Okay.
Kareem Rush (00:20:12):
Those dreams faded. Uh, I, I was in the D League for a while. Um, I though about coaching. I coached a little bit in 2013 and just didn't like it. I, I felt I was still able to play a little bit. Um - Were you in
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:23):
LA at that point? I was in LA.
Kareem Rush (00:20:25):
I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:25):
Was,
Kareem Rush (00:20:25):
Me and Luke Walden started coaching the same time, uh, to Defenders and I just didn't, I lasted probably about three or four months before I was like, "I gotta do something else." Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:33):
And
Kareem Rush (00:20:33):
Then boom, I just started being an entrepreneur and, and, and did pretty much everything under the sun. Clothing lines and this and that, pool floats and all these things.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:20:42):
I know. I have, I'm like, uh, tosk it ball. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All these things that I was finding, I'm like, "Can we still buy these things out there?" <laugh> So
Kareem Rush (00:20:48):
These are all just like how my mind works. I'm a creative guy now with the age of AI and, and tools, I can get, you know, ideas out so much quicker now. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so I always been like a, you know, entrepreneur at heart. Uh, been, that's kinda where, you know, UHG started. So how, how UHG came to
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be, it wasn't like a, a thing that I've been thinking about for, you know, for years. Um - Okay. I played in the first year of IQ's big three - uh-huh. Uh, back in 2018. And I saw how he was building that league around celebrities and guys' experience. So we had Iverson, we had a bunch of Hall of Fame coaches. And I saw how he was kinda marketing that, you know, how to build a brand new league and brand new IPs with this stuff. So, um, at the time there, I was, like I said, it was, I was one of, you know, 100 guys in this league.
(00:21:30):
There were probably 200 guys that wanted to play with my level experience. So I was like, man, these a lot, a lot of guys are still in shape, still wanna play. And at the same time, there was a tournament in Vegas called the TBT Tournament. Okay. It was the winner, one million winner take all tournament. I took a deeper dive into that tournament because summer basketball were either the TBT or Ice Cubes three, uh, three on three leagues. So I was like, wow. And TBT, they're like 27 of these alumni teams are like alumni teams. So they already coming into these markets, uh, trying to get prepared. Guys wanna come back in the summertime and play. And I though like, why not create a league specifically for alumni teams? And so - Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:22:02):
Um,
Kareem Rush (00:22:03):
I started the ABL back in 2018 here in Kansas City out of Silverstein. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:22:06):
Did
Kareem Rush (00:22:07):
KU versus MU. Uh, did really well. Um, you know, 2019, uh, I brought in, uh, KU, uh, K State in Arkansas. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:22:15):
And
Kareem Rush (00:22:16):
So just growing a concept and just having conversation with all the guys that I know in my, uh, throughout my travels and my basketball career. I was talking to like 26 of these alumni teams, you know, all the major universities, Duke, North Carolina, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Auburn, all these guys that, you know, wanted a, you know, a place to play. Um, even as a former guy, you still play just to stay in shape. Yeah. You know, it could be at a, at a Lifetime Fitness or something. Sure. So you're always trying to find competition somewhere. Yeah. Um, and, you know, I though what a great idea to have all these legends that are synonymous with these schools, come back and play in those, in those town, in those, those towns. They're empty during the summertime. You get to relive, you know, these rivalries. Yeah.
(00:22:53):
You get the fans talking about it. You get the fans who miss you. Some, some of these guys go overseas and you lose track of them. Yeah. You know, so now come back every summertime, you get a chance to
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play back for your, for your home school. Yeah. And so that's kind of where League was kind of birthed and kind of how I started kind of building all the framework around, you know, the UHG and stuff. So
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:23:09):
University Heritage Group.
Kareem Rush (00:23:11):
Mm-hmm.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:23:11):
Are you the single founder - I'm single founder.
Kareem Rush (00:23:13):
For
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:23:13):
Your partners or - I have partners.
Kareem Rush (00:23:15):
Okay. I'm the p - but I'm the brains. You are the brains. Yeah, I'm the brains behind it. So - We're the creative
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:23:19):
Visionary.
Kareem Rush (00:23:19):
We have, I, I probably got like 12 to 15 people working - Yeah. On it now, uh, that love the concept. You know, my partner and, uh, I've had two partners and it's actually making the juice. Um, you know, my first one was Bob Marino, who's a huge operator in Kentucky. Uh, been in the spirits games for 20 years, uh, when I first bought the concept. Um, they loved it. Uh, we did our first iteration. Uh, it took two years of building it, you know, so -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:23:44):
Was this like an initial idea to do a, like how did the bourbon idea - Yeah. Come to be? And by the way, these bottles are gorgeous. My designs.
Kareem Rush (00:23:51):
You
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:23:52):
Are the designer. I am. I was reading all about it. Again, you are the mastermind behind it. Um, I think we purposely put the KU one closest to me. Yeah, you can have that.
Kareem Rush (00:23:59):
That's the worst one. <laugh>
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:23:59):
That's the worst one. You can just give that to me. Um, no, but yeah. So how did the idea start with this? Did it just kind of pop into your head to be like, "I love bourbon. Um, let's create one and align it with the alumni kind of vibe?" Yeah. So
Kareem Rush (00:24:14):
My partner, uh, Ziggy Cormandel, shout out to my boy Ziggy, uh, got - Such a good name by the way,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:24:19):
Ziggy.
Kareem Rush (00:24:19):
Ziggy. I've known Ziggy for 20 years in LA. So we did all kind of fun creative projects, you know, with, together, but never really something that kind of hit. Yeah. So this is 20, 2021. Uh, him and his partners came to me and was like, "Well, we are white labeling spirits. So we can do bourbon, we can do tequila,
we can do vodka. Do you know any big athletes that wanna have their own bourbon line or, or spirit line?" And this is when, you know, Ryan Reynolds, uh, Aviation Gen, Connor McGregor - uh-huh.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:24:48):
Casa
Kareem Rush (00:24:49):
Mios, Terramea, all those things that, you know, celebrity-driven brands are sup - making a lot of money - Yeah. Uh,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:24:54):
Were,
Kareem Rush (00:24:54):
You know, kinda on the forefront. So I was like, you know, I don't know one guy, uh, but I do have a collection of all these alumni guys that are, are tight with these schools. They're doing stuff every, you know, through youth camps, our appearances already in these markets. Why not create a brand specifically, you know, it's just targeting alumni associations? So we have these legendary players who are, you know, are, you know, like, especially now, you think about the boosters who donate the millions of dollars to these schools. Yeah. They don't have any tangible connection with the younger kids. Mm hmm. They just support the school. They love their school. Yeah. But a 20-year guy like me or Doug Smith or Anthony Peeler, when we, when we sign a bottle, it becomes like a collector's gift.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:25:32):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:25:32):
You know, so we spent two years developing the first brand centered around that. Uh, we launched with KU and MU, uh, back in February and we sold out in like the first four months. And it was - Yeah, just naturally,
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:25:42):
Organically,
Kareem Rush (00:25:43):
Right? It was like no marketing, no sales strategy. I did a post-game basketball show, uh, you know, for Mizzou that sold, you know, that sold really well there. But my candidate distributor partner was like, "I love the concept. Let me have everything you got." And so - And
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:25:55):
I, I'm assuming nobody's done anything like this before, right? No. I'm the first. You came up with the idea, which is incredible. Thank you. I mean, it makes complete sense. Thank you. Um, so you've been doing this for, so you have five - Yep. Right today. So let me, let me, uh, let me get my notes here. Okay. So you have. I have so many notes on you. Okay. So first of all, you can currently reserve a bottle. You can.
Kareem Rush (00:26:17):
Or
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:26:17):
You can join the Heritage Membership Club. Yes.
Kareem Rush (00:26:19):
Let's
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:26:20):
Be clear about what the options are because it's really cool. You currently have five bottles. Mm-hmm. They're all, they all start with club. So for example, Mizzou is Club 1839. Mm-hmm. So walk us through how that came to be and the meaning behind that. Yeah,
Kareem Rush (00:26:31):
Yeah. So, you know, logos change, uh, cultures change, players change, but what doesn't change is the year those schools was founded. Everything else happens after that date. Yeah. You know, so I didn't want to work with the schools because I, they don't want to promote bourbon, uh, you know, to, to college kids. So I was like, what can be identifiable with those schools? And, you know, so I came up with the concept for, you know, you know, starting with founding years. Yeah. Um, and so part of the club's, you know, kind of exclusivity thing that I'm doing is every year, only 1839 people can join the club. And that gives you access to all the other products and services that I do. So the private dinners, um, the one-off bottles that are signed, you know, a sign up memorabilia. Yeah. Only that's available through the clubs.
(00:27:11):
Um, and then like I said, we do, you know, we're working currently with, you know, having part of those membership fees funneled back into the NIL funds. Mm-hmm. Um, to mainly support underserved, you know, student athletes. Yeah. Like I said, my daughter's on the volleyball team and they don't make any of that money. So I'd rather have, you know, have them be supportive than the other guys. So that's kind
of where it started. Yeah. Um, and I wanted to go a little step further, because initially my first iteration had the same juice. I just changed the label. Mm-hmm. Um, and so I wanted to be more, you know, distinct, you know, especially with the location. So for Missouri, uh, we're known for sorghum and, and
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molasses. Yeah. So that's the molasses and sorghum base. Uh, KU is the sunflower state, so I just - Yeah, I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:27:46):
Wanna add sunflower honey - Sunflower
Kareem Rush (00:27:48):
Honey. Is
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:27:49):
Within that, which is really cool. Yeah. So all of them have like a unique ingredient. Yeah. Is that right? Yeah. I mean, that's very thoughtful. Thank you. I mean, it's sweet. But it's very thoughtful, brilliant that you incorporate that in there to like have that kind of through line. Yeah,
Kareem Rush (00:28:02):
Because
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:02):
I mean,
Kareem Rush (00:28:03):
They're synonymous with the, with, with the schools and, and, and with the state, you know, uh, Maryland and Georgetown, rye whiskey was pretty much birthed, you know, on the East Coast. So we did Rye Whiskey. I did 99 proof, uh, for Maryland and 92 proof for Georgetown. And then, you know, LA is all about sunshine and, and fun. Yeah. And so I did a, I did a citrus blend for, for, uh, for the UCLA bird. I mean,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:22):
That's perfect. Okay. So like UCLA Club 1919. Uh-huh. So 1919 is the number of people - Yep. That will be able to purchase that. Every. No,
Kareem Rush (00:28:29):
No. That's the only people. You purchase -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:32):
I hope I
Kareem Rush (00:28:32):
Sell 10,000 bottles. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:33):
I was like, wait, we can't cut that. Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:28:35):
Okay.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:35):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:28:35):
But only people allowed in that club per year is 1919. In the
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:38):
Club per year. Yeah, yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:28:39):
Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:39):
And then
Kareem Rush (00:28:40):
The next year, hopefully, um, it doubles to 38, 38, and then those people can add one. So it compounds - Ah, okay. To a point where you may have - Perfect. Over five years, it could be-That's
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:50):
Amazing. Tons
Kareem Rush (00:28:51):
Of people. Yeah, yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:52):
Okay. So people can buy it online today. Uh-huh.
Kareem Rush (00:28:54):
Can
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:28:54):
They buy it in store anywhere? No. Or will there ever be a pla. Is it really all very kind of exclusive where you go through online and - That's part
Kareem Rush (00:29:01):
Of it. We will, we will have some stores in distbution. We're work now currently with our distribution partner to get it in stores. I know guys at Mikes and, and Gomers and Macadoodles and all that. So that's gonna be tied to our, our cool activation events - Yeah. Where we
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:29:12):
Bring in
Kareem Rush (00:29:12):
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Four or five legends. They come and do store signings and all that fun stuff. So they'll certainly be a available in stores. Um, but to get access to all the other fun stuff, the coffee and the merchandise and the pool floats and all the, the custom glassware - Yeah. That's only
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:29:25):
Available
Kareem Rush (00:29:25):
Through the club. Yes,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:29:26):
Which we need to get to all that. Okay. Um, because if you go to your website and do all the homework on all the different things, like everything. I was sending my friends pictures of merch, like the KU, like varsity jacket that I saw. I mean, I, like, we'll get to your podcast. You have so many things going on - Yep. Which clearly shows, like, your entrepreneurship and this is gonna blow up. Thank you. I mean, there's no doubt in my mind because it's such a cool concept. So you have five clubs today - Uh-huh. But you can nominate, people can nominate the next edition. Yeah, yeah. So what does that look like? What are you guys looking for from people to nominate what the next
Kareem Rush (00:30:00):
That's just going online. We'll start doing our, our marketing and sales strategies. Like said, my team, we put, we putting together all those strategies. Uh, I've already done designs for every major university around the country <laugh> and already done. Yeah, yeah. And done all the, uh, the product, I mean, all the, the flavor profiles already done. We're just waiting to see - You get there. Yeah. They'll eventually
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:18):
All be available. Yeah, they'll be available. How many, how many would that be? Right
Kareem Rush (00:30:20):
Now I've done 120 schools and I've done HBCUs, I've done all the major fraternities and sororities.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:27):
Okay.
Kareem Rush (00:30:28):
I think it's a cool, you know, given. And I actually can do, you know, other celebrity driven or, you know, theme brands. One of my buddies, Michael Sullivan, uh, who runs MMG. Um, I just did a custom bottle for him. So we, we, we have complete fr- freedom to do a lot of cool things with, you know, our bottles, especially if we put below order quantity. So we're not stuck on doing, you know, one thing like Jim Beam or we can do so much, we can have so much fun with it.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:30:48):
So then all the other ones that will come out, will they continue to be a unique creation that will have something that represents that, um, geography school? So what's
Kareem Rush (00:30:58):
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Known?What is, so what is, what is Illinois known for? I don't know.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:02):
Um, that's a great question. Or Alabama. We'll do, we'll do corn in, is Nebraska corn? Could
Kareem Rush (00:31:08):
Be corn. Yeah. So it may be, yeah, we
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:10):
Have corn whiskey. Or is that Wisconsin? No, cheese is Wisconsin.
Kareem Rush (00:31:13):
Cheese
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:13):
Is Wisconsin.
Kareem Rush (00:31:13):
Cheese. Yeah. Uh, but yeah, they'd be all synonymous with the school and like to have that, you know, connection with the state as well.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:31:19):
Okay. I love that. Very cool. Um, okay. So let's talk also about the membership clubs. Uh-huh. So if I have this right, there's three different tiers - Yep. Today that you can join. We talked about, um, part of the proceeds going back, um, for supporting student athletes. Yes. Which by the way isn't just basketball. No. It's any kind of athletic program.
Kareem Rush (00:31:38):
Mostly not. I'm, I mean, I'm, I'm following this because you, you can be, um, distinct with how you give your donations. Sure. So I'm like, no football, no basketball. This is all for everyone else. Okay. Okay. So currently we, we have a free tier, which we won mass adoption. Yeah. Uh, which you get to absorb our content, our podcasts, our, you know, our video stuff, all that stuff you get to, you know, communicate with the players. It's gonna be basically like a LinkedIn, uh, but for these specific clubs. Oh, cool. There are over 20 million active alumni in the country that spend billions of dollars on merchandise, you know, services and all that stuff. So, but none of them have a home. You know, Learfield does what they do. Fanatics sells merchandise, but no one, they don't have a place where they all can go and congregate and communicate.
(00:32:14):
They're message boards, they're Reddits boards, but we want something - Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:17):
Spread out.
Kareem Rush (00:32:18):
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Yeah. It's, it's all over the place. So this is basically, I'm building a LinkedIn. Okay. House. Uh, basically, so you get the chance to come in and we do cust - we do cool events. I got a great partnership with Rail Line here in, uh, in Kansas City. They have six clubs. Okay. Like private membership clubs. So if you join our club, you get access to those.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:35):
Uh-huh.
Kareem Rush (00:32:35):
And then at some point maybe we'll build our own, but I'd rather just kind of partner with -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:38):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:32:39):
Other people who already got it, got it done. Um, and then just kind of go from there.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:42):
Okay. So you have the free club.
Kareem Rush (00:32:44):
Uh-huh.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:44):
Then the next tier is - This is
Kareem Rush (00:32:46):
Young alumnus.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:32:47):
Young alumnus. So
Kareem Rush (00:32:48):
This is kids are probably two or four years outside of, of school. Okay. They, they want to support and somehow, but they don't have the 2.99 per quarter to give. Yeah. And so I though, okay, you, you can afford 75 bucks per quarter. Mm-hmm. It gets you, you know, a free bottle, get you some merchandise. And again, if you can give back to your school in some way, you know, 10% of that goes back to the NIL fund.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:07):
10%. Amazing. Yeah. Okay. And then the third?
Kareem Rush (00:33:10):
The third is our first 299 tier -
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:12):
Yep. Per
Kareem Rush (00:33:13):
Quarter. That gets you a bundle, which comes with one of our partners. It could be a Sigador, it could be engraved glassware, the canter, a bottle of booze. Yeah. Um, and then, you know, you can choose some coffee. So you get access to our full list of services
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:25):
And,
Kareem Rush (00:33:25):
And products. Yeah. And then they say you get the RSVP for our private dinners and our private events. And so it, it tiers up our, our, our top tier would be 4.99. I'd probably launch, um, probably next year. It's called the Legacy Circle. Okay. And so that gives you, you know, additional access to the things we do.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:39):
And again, when you go online and check this stuff out, you can see images of like the boxes or, you know, what it would look like, I guess - Yep. With the, um, all the, all the things you just mentioned. Yeah,
Kareem Rush (00:33:47):
Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:33:48):
Yeah. Okay, cool. All right. So you've kind of referenced, um, dinners and events and things like that. Uh-huh. Can you kind of talk about, like, for, let's just say the highest level person who's so invested in, you know, KU or Mizzou, what does that mean that they get access to dinners and events and merch and things like that? So say - What all
Kareem Rush (00:34:07):
Does that look like? So let's say our private dinners. Um, they, one of my partners, uh, Food First Travel, they have a collection of Michelin star chefs and Michelin Star restaurants around the country. And so all these, you know, we play everywhere, you know, either the SEC tournament, um, you know, we go play
to Maui. We do all these off, you know, out of towns, you know, tournaments, not necessarily just in Columbia. Yeah. And so we'll build, you know, custom experiences tied to these different locations to make it, like I said, premium and things that don't normally get. Um, I'm building out at some point probably in, in, in, in the fall or, or winter, like a, uh, a 40 foot shipping container, which we can convert into like a mile lounge. Yeah, I wanna hear more about that. Yeah, it's like a mobile lounge.
(00:34:43):
Yeah. And then we have a basketball hoop on top of it. So imagine pull up to a tailgate and seeing this cool, you know, branded, you know, mobile trailer. Yeah. And then any Mizzou or KU booster or corporation, why wouldn't you wanna, you know, hire this thing to show up at, at your company retreat and then you
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:34:58):
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Pull out - Everybody loves a pop-up. Yeah. The shipping containers, container is genius - Yeah. As well to make that into that. And then for it to be interactive - Yeah. Is perfect. I, I'
Kareem Rush (00:35:06):
Show you the photo.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:06):
Yeah, I wanna see it because I heard you talk about it. I told you I, I listened to you on the Austin Moss podcast kind of referencing some of the stuff, which was really cool. Um, so you said that will be coming when?
Kareem Rush (00:35:16):
Probably in the fall.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:17):
Okay. Um,
Kareem Rush (00:35:17):
So soon. We, uh, we got the schematics done for it.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:20):
And is it something that people will rent or you guys
Kareem Rush (00:35:24):
Kind
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:25):
Of tour around and
Kareem Rush (00:35:25):
Start getting the way out? It's our, it's our activation thing and, you know, I think, you know, local businesses, there's so many KUMU guys up here that, you know, probably rent that for their, their company parties or whatever.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:35):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:35:36):
And it's just a way for me to, uh, again, take care of our players.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:39):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:35:40):
I'll pay those guys to show up and, and be a part of something like that.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:42):
Mm-hmm.
Kareem Rush (00:35:43):
And so it looks like this.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:46):
I mean, that's incredible. Yeah. I think I saw those, I don't know if it's on your social media maybe. Yeah. But I'll definitely share it with people so they can see it because - And
Kareem Rush (00:35:53):
That's what I did for
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:35:54):
Michael. All of this is like so rich and sophisticated and elevated and just like eye capturing, so. That's the plan. Yeah. So - I see a little bit of black and gold in there. I see what you're doing with like the mizzou kind of pulling that through. That's
Kareem Rush (00:36:04):
Always gonna be the, that's always gonna lead. <laugh>
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:36:06):
That'll be the base, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Um, okay. So back to, um, what they get with it. So you talked about the Michelin star shops and everything. Yep. And then, um, what about merch? What's going on in the world of merch that people can get? So - Like I was seeing some stuff online, like I mentioned, the KU letterman jacket. Those cool Mizzou jackets that you and your daughters are wearing - Yeah. Are amazing.
Kareem Rush (00:36:26):
So a guy I got introduced to, um, um, QAmbition, ShopQ, uh, our, his company's called Gold Bar. Okay. And they're trying to really corner the market for, uh, Letterman jackets. And so through the connection - I love that. I sent him the idea. He's like, "I love them. We can make these for every school." So that's where those first Mizzou ones were, uh, you know, were designed. Uh, but something like that, like I said, it's all exclusive. So imagine you go to a game and you can go to the team store and get all the traditional stuff in Fanatics. But you don't have like stuff that makes it seem like, oh, where'd you get that from? Yeah. And then it's like, okay, that jacket's cool. Or that sweater, where you get the 1839 sweater from? Mm-hmm. You only get it to, you can only get it on, on, on our, on our platform.
(00:37:02):
So it
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:02):
Will only be available through -
Kareem Rush (00:37:04):
Yeah.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:05):
It makes it exclusive
Kareem Rush (00:37:06):
And, you know, you feel like you're part of something and you get something cool that no one else has.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:09):
And is that available for all of these today? These five?
Kareem Rush (00:37:12):
No, no. Right now we only have the KU and, and the MU jackets done. Okay. Um, but I got designs for all the others, just not having, you know, developed yet. Okay, cool. So if I first kind of test ground, you know, prove the concept with all of the dinners and all that stuff, starts with KUMU because I have - Yeah. All the connections there first. Yep. And then we just kind of activate and rinse and repeat with the other ones.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:30):
Amazing. Um, coffee. Coffee. Start by coffee.
Kareem Rush (00:37:33):
Yeah. Partnership with, uh, PT's Coffee here locally.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:36):
Shout out to PTs.
Kareem Rush (00:37:37):
Yeah, PT shouts. Yeah. So, uh, coffee was one of my initial, uh, pairings with the, with the bourbon. Um, I wanted to do a kind of a day and night campaign with that. Mm-hmm. So drink our coffee in the morning, you know, drink our bourbon at night. Uh, the coffee is, is more for the current student athletes. Yeah. Uh, they can get behind that. Uh, I don't feel so bad, you know, having to promote coffee that I would do bourbon. Right
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:56):
<laugh>. Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:37:57):
So, so coffee
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:58):
Was - Again,
Kareem Rush (00:37:59):
Very though. Intentional.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:37:59):
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Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:38:00):
So coffee was the first thing that I thought, you know, uh, one of my buddies, Michael, um, he owns like eight Scooters Coffee Shops up here. Okay. And so he was telling me about the, you know, the margins there and like this is a great business. And, you know, especially with the NIL kids, I though, you know, a lot of these kids may be only there for one or two years. Uh, how can we create, you know, business opportunities for them where, where they wanna come back and be a part of these communities long term? Mm-hmm. And so coffee is kinda gonna be that play. So imagine at some point in 2027, 2028, our own personal university heritage coffee shops that look like Scooters, but has like social media spots in front of it. We hire some, you know, sorority girls. Perfect. And then we, we have the, the current NIL kids be our initial inve- investors.
(00:38:41):
Yeah. And so they actually own something in East College Town for them to come back to. And then while they're there, they lend their celebrity and star power to the locations and they do well.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:50):
Was your buddy like, "Why didn't you partner with Scooters?" I don't even know. Is that their own coffee?
Kareem Rush (00:38:53):
Yeah, it's their own coffee. Yeah, yeah. So I was like, I'm doing my own thing. I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:56):
Like doing my
Kareem Rush (00:38:56):
Own,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:56):
I like
Kareem Rush (00:38:56):
Doing my own thing, so.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:38:58):
How did you choose PT's?
Kareem Rush (00:38:59):
Uh, I was reaching out to a couple, you know, local people here. Um, and, you know, PT's reached out and I told them kind of the business model that I wanted to do. Yeah. Um, I can just send them, uh, send them bags and they fulfill and drop ship for me. So I was like -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:11):
Done it done. Sign
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Kareem Rush (00:39:12):
Me up.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:12):
Easy peasy. Yeah, yeah. Um, one of the questions I had too was how did you decide to come back and to have everything kind of based out of Kansas City?
Kareem Rush (00:39:21):
Kansas City's home. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:22):
Is
Kareem Rush (00:39:22):
Where my name is most, most, most known. And, you know, it's close to Mizzou. You know, my brother's here. You know, so it's, and why not start at home where, you know, people know you the best and that's kind of where I started.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:33):
Yeah. Did you think you would always come back here or was there any part of you that was like, "Maybe I'll stay in LA or move overseas." <laugh> I
Kareem Rush (00:39:39):
Thought about, I never thought that I would come back to Kansas City as long as I have. Um -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:43):
Yeah. We
Kareem Rush (00:39:43):
Can get into, I met a, a, a beautiful woman and that kept me here. Yeah. Uh, for - That always
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:39:49):
Helps.
Kareem Rush (00:39:49):
Yeah, for the last five years. So I came back, uh, mainly during COVID. I wanted to be close to my girls, you know, going through all that. Yeah. And then I started kind of developing all these things and, uh, it just made sense for me to launch it here
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:00):
Because
Kareem Rush (00:40:00):
Like I said, I have a lot of access to a lot of different things that can help me.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:03):
Yeah. Yeah. Um, I also wanted to ask, so when you go to your site, it says that you're also in collaboration with, is it the gentleman's
Kareem Rush (00:40:10):
Club? Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:40:10):
Do you want to talk about that?
Kareem Rush (00:40:11):
Gentleman Brand is my, my first, uh, that was one of my, like my second or third thing I'd done, uh - Okay. After, uh, I got hurt. And, you know, I like to dress well. Um, and so I sold, you know, custom men's suits for a long time. Uh - You sold them? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where? Uh, in LA. So I was - Okay. Yeah, I partnered with designers, uh, up till probably three years ago. I was working with Jay Hilburn. Okay. You know, so I was doing custom men's wear. Um, so suits and, and dressing up is always, you know, part of my life and - Yeah. I, I, I developed the gentleman brand has been a part of that. So I've done athleisure wear, uh, for men and women, the custom suits. I, I designed, um, my own custom, you know, tennis shoe off the gentleman brand.
(00:40:50):
So that, those are still available somewhere. I love that so much. Yeah, so the men's, the men's wear, um, um, the women's, uh, line was called Muse. Mm-hmm. So Gentleman Brand and Muse. Uh, but yeah, any custom stuff that I do, um, currently I work with, um, Charles and Richards - Okay. Who does most of my custom work. Yeah. Um, but that'd be, you know, custom blazers for our, our club members that have Club 1839 linings. So it's always ways to kind of tie in, uh, all the things together.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:16):
So that's part of the membership.
Kareem Rush (00:41:17):
Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:18):
Um, what, the top tier today? Top tier. Yeah. Okay.
Kareem Rush (00:41:21):
Say you get 4.99, we'll give you a custom blazer.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:24):
Okay. Yeah. Awesome. So yeah, so what I was looking at, just to kind of build on that, because again, so sophisticated. Obviously, first of all, was like style or fashion always something that you were really into? Yeah, yeah. Yeah,
Kareem Rush (00:41:35):
Yeah. Um -
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:36):
I love it.
Kareem Rush (00:41:37):
I've had all, yeah. Everything
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:41:38):
I've - Like you can even tell today. You are very, um, like on point. Like very great. Thank you. Love it. Thank you. And again, when you look online, you see these amazing photos of like these suits that you're wearing and different things that you just wear to different events and stuff. So you can tell like you've got a really good eye for it. Thank you. So when I was looking at it, so it says the capsule built for members, um, private fittings, custom pieces in your school's colors, and member only jackets designed for the men of heritage clubs. Yep. Right? Yep. Um, custom stu - suits start at two grand. Yep. I don't know if it's still accurate. Sports coats at 1500 and member jackets at 1800. Um, so yeah, kind of, again, the detail that you pull through for each, um, club goes where? Like it's, it's got
Kareem Rush (00:42:19):
A - Yeah, it'd be a lot. It, it'd be your, your custom design, you know? Yeah. So Charles and Richard, they source from Italy, Lurpiani, all the, all the most expensive, the best fabrics that you can get. Uh, and we, we meet with you. We have a glass of bourbon. Um, you know, we'll talk about your designs and, and we create custom pizzas for you.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:42:34):
Very experiential.
Kareem Rush (00:42:35):
Yeah, yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:42:36):
And do you just do that here? We do it here now. Or do you do it. Okay. Got it. Kind
Kareem Rush (00:42:39):
Of here, but we, we, we scale that.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:42:40):
Eventually. Yeah. At some
Kareem Rush (00:42:41):
Point. Yeah, yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:42:42):
Okay, cool. And then, I mean, your, like, collaborations just keep going. Let's talk about cigars. Yeah,
Kareem Rush (00:42:48):
Yeah.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:42:49):
Another one? Yeah, yeah. So what's going on with
Kareem Rush (00:42:50):
That? So luckily I have a guy, uh, Spencer, over at Compadres - Uh-huh. That does all our cigars. We have great, um, again, club 1839, um, you know, stickers on those. Yeah. Um, and then, uh, one of my partners, Brandon, um, he, he owns a company called Cigador. So it's a premium single humidor -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:08):
Uh-huh.
Kareem Rush (00:43:08):
Um, that comes in like a cool, you know, carbon fiber design. You can change the colors of them and you can also personalize them down to size. You can up, you can add like 12 letters on the side of this custom, you know, cigador. My
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:19):
Husband's really into cigars.
Kareem Rush (00:43:20):
Oh, he love the
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:21):
Cigador. But
Kareem Rush (00:43:22):
Most people like to carry
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:23):
Multi
Kareem Rush (00:43:23):
Multiple cigars, but for that special cigar, if you wanna hold one, uh, the cigador is the way to go. So that'd be part of our bundle.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:30):
Part of the bundle. Yeah,
Kareem Rush (00:43:30):
Yeah part of the bundles.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:31):
Okay, got it. Um, now let's talk about, speaking of carrying on, um, drinking the bourbon, let's talk the podcast that you have coming up. Yeah. Yeah. So you're gonna be doing that with your brother?
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Kareem Rush (00:43:40):
Yes.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:41):
Okay. So share more about that.
Kareem Rush (00:43:42):
So we are launching the podcast here in town with, uh, A10 over Chad and Chad and them, them guys, uh, called Spirit of the Game.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:43:48):
Okay.
Kareem Rush (00:43:49):
Uh, I believe storytelling, uh, and content is gonna be huge to what we do. Yeah. I think there's endless amounts of content to be told around, you know, colleges, rivalries, the fans, the pleasure experiences, all that stuff can be told. Yeah. And you can kind of weave in products along those, along those lines. So I though the podcast would be great where we sit down with, you know, former legends, me and my brother, and whatever school they went to, we have the, you know, uh, the bourbon there and we make a cocktail and we do fun, interactive stuff, talk about, you know, their, their time in school, what they're doing now, and just kinda having like a, you know, just like a barbershop type of conversation that, that a lot of guys currently do. Um, I think a lot of fans will enjoy that. And then we tied into cool different events where, you know, we have a simulcast where, say, if we still do the Board of War game, it'd be me and Brandon watching the board game.
(00:44:30):
We can do a simulcast and have all the fans there.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:44:32):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:44:32):
And, and then, you know, stream in live and talk and have fun stuff. So I think the podcast is gonna be a lot of fun.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:44:36):
Yeah, that's perfect. Um, are you a podcast fan yourself?
Kareem Rush (00:44:39):
I am. Yeah, yeah. I enjoy, I enjoy the space. Um, athletes are really kinda, uh, made a name for themselves doing podcasts. Yeah. So I think this is a good chance for us to, you know, get what we're doing out there. You know, not that we're, you know, unique in what we're doing, but I think it's kind of, you know, part of, you know, the storytelling that, you know, athletes are doing now.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:44:55):
I love it. Um, the second arena. Second arena. Let's talk about that.
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Kareem Rush (00:45:00):
That is just kind of detailing in a live, you know, format what I'm currently building. Yeah. And what it means. Um, I should have done it a long time ago. I've done so many things along, you know, since post career, since 2010. So it was about 16 years. I've done so many things that I wish I would've, you know,
chronicled and shown people in, the highs and the lows of it all. Uh, but now I'm at a point where I think, um, you know, what I'm building here, uh, can resonate with a lot of guys. Um - Yeah. Going through transitions. Um, not just athletes, but, you know -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:45:27):
When they're done playing. When
Kareem Rush (00:45:27):
They're done playing. Yeah. Even, even when you're going through it. Um, you know, you always gotta prep for it because regardless of how successful you are, the game ends at some point.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:45:35):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:45:35):
Um, a career may end at some point. You may have to transition to something else. So it just kind of detailing kind of, you know, my perspective of, you know, shedding that first layer, uh, but taking some of the skills and traits that I learned, being a good basketball player and applying it to what I'm doing now.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:45:48):
Yeah. Yeah. What, why do you think, um, going back to UH- UHG, um, why do you think there hasn't been more of a focus on keepl - pe - keeping people sort of like connected to their school, their brand, their everything, which is why you decided to do this? Why do you think that hasn't been a thing?
Kareem Rush (00:46:08):
I mean, it takes work. Uh, it's harder - Yeah. Yeah. It's hard to ring on these guys in. Yeah. 'Cause once you're done, you get spread out, uh, through your careers. And it's never been, like I said, especially for the athletes, uh, if you're not Duke in North Carolina, they don't call you to make sure that the tradition's not built in where, you know, every summer I'm gonna go back and play with the guys -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:46:26):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:46:26):
And kinda, you know, usher in and mentor the up and coming. So it, it's never been that. And, you know, as, you know, my career, I play for, you know, five different franchises. Yeah. So you don't, you, you're never there for that long. Yeah. You know, so the friends that you, you made for a year, you may not, they got families, they got things to do. So, you know, the connection is hard to do once you get older. Yeah. You know, so it, it takes a lot of work. So I'm happy that I'm one of the first to do it. Um, there have been some, you know, brands that, some vodka that tried to, you know, do the school colors, but, you know, I'm building some, something much more than just the, the, the juice or the clothes or whatever. It's more about - Yeah.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:46:59):
Bringing
Kareem Rush (00:46:59):
Everyone, bringing everybody together.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:47:00):
I love that. When you think back about your time, um, in the NBA, what were some of the things that you feel like you learned that really stood out, that stand out as to how you got to now being the entrepreneur that you are? Like, what is the NBA, what are some experiences of yours that really brought you to be the businessman that you are?
Kareem Rush (00:47:20):
I mean, I watched Kobe, you know, post-career, you know, what he did once he was done, you know, with the, with the, with the Academy Award and, you know, building a children's book. You know, so I try to mirror a lot of, you know, what I do just kind of based on, you know, what he was doing. My mentality is something that I certainly live with. Um, you know, obviously Michael Jordan, you know, showed the blueprint of what it is to brand, uh, yourself as an athlete and, you know, Jordan Brand makes him $250 million a year now <laugh> you know? Yeah, yeah. But I think now in today's age of, of, of, of athletes can see, uh, guys like LeBron, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant doing multiple things, doing different things, uh, and really kind of preaching equity, uh, not just give me a check, let me be an endorser.
(00:47:58):
They wanna have, they wanna be businessmen and own things and build stuff. Yeah. So a lot of the, like I said, the skills and traits that we, that we had to, you know, do growing up as kids and, and become, you know, high level basketball players, they all translate to, you know, what, what I'm currently doing. So -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:48:10):
Yeah. Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:48:11):
It just about the whole entire experience of, of, of, from 13, well, I put the game up at nine, all the way up till I was done at 28, 29, all those skills, you know, helped me to where I am right now.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:48:22):
Yeah. Yeah.
(00:48:23):
You know, I think it's, um, really interesting. I was also hearing somebody on a different podcast talk about David Beckham and how he's done a similar thing where, you know, after he stopped playing or retired or whatever, he, um, he has taken it to a whole different level - Yeah. In terms, in terms of owning a team now and the different brands that he's partnered with and everything. And then you mentioned Ryan, Ryan Reynolds as well. Like he's another, I think, brilliant example of how he's like dabbled in all these different businesses from obviously owning a soccer team to having a gin, to having a cell phone company and everything. And I do feel like that's exactly like what, like this is representative of
Kareem Rush (00:48:58):
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Which - Don't be a spoke, don't just, don't be, don't just be a spokesman. Yeah. Don't just take a check and like let them make billions of dollars off your name. Yeah. Own a piece of it and, and learn and learn. Yeah. I think a lot of guys are so scared of like starting fresh and being a rookie again or something they don't - uh-huh. They've, you spent your entire career becoming an expert or something, that's all you think you, you can know. But it's okay to be a novice again.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:19):
Yeah. And
Kareem Rush (00:49:19):
Take those same lessons and, and build your knowledge base. And the thing about being athletes, you know, most of these business owners and, you know, super successful guys are, they're fans of something. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:29):
And
Kareem Rush (00:49:29):
They, they generally are fans of you, you know, so you, you get like a, a open door that most people don't have, that don't have. And so I try to use, utilize my name and, and, and what those doors can open, but also coming in prepared, uh, you know, with ideas and, you know, and showing that I, I'm willing to work, you know -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:46):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:49:46):
Work for it.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:49:47):
Yep. Yeah. So you mentioned like when people hear your name or they know your name here. What do people associate with your name?
Kareem Rush (00:49:55):
Mizzou and the Lakers now. But I think now it's transi - it's transitioning into all these things that I do.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:50:01):
Yeah. And
Kareem Rush (00:50:01):
Which is great to see. Um, because it's a younger kid, they probably never saw me play. Yeah. Um, you know, but they hear, you know, what I'm doing business-wise and maybe their parents, you know, watch me play or whatever. Yeah. So it's been fun to kind of see, um, you know, my transition from people's eyes. But I mean, most of the, you know, older guys that, you know, do come and talk to me, um, they know me for basketball, which is fine. Um - Yeah. You know, I, I love the game still. Yeah. <laugh> I
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don't wanna erase that part of who I am. Yeah. It's, it's, it's a, a very important part of, of, of my identity and, um, I try to use it to my advantage.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:50:31):
When you look back now, because I like to kind of play the game of like, obviously as we get older, we can look back and connect the dots. Were there things in your childhood that, let's just say before the age of 10, um, that you look back now and you're like, "Man, I was going around the house singing all the time or I was doing a lemonade stand or I was creating concoctions of something." Like do you look back and think like, "Okay, it kind of makes sense that this idea came to me or that I'm doing this now."
Kareem Rush (00:50:54):
Yeah. All my friends tell - Or fashion. All my friends would tell you, like I was always doing all kind of stuff. So it was never just one singular focus of me. I used to sing all the time. I used to doodle. I used to have all these different ideas. And, and as a young kid, um, I probably didn't say it out loud, out loud because I was like, "Man, why am I thinking do all this stuff?" I'm the basketball guy. Yeah. Um, you know, but I think, like I said, once I started getting out of, uh, my playing career, you know, I, I was forced to kind of be- become something else. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, if you had known me prior to, you know, 2008, you probably would have though I was a shy in- introvert.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:27):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:51:27):
Uh, you know, once you're done, you know, you're done playing and, you know, you don't, you don't have that pro basketball player, you know, behind your name anymore.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:34):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:51:34):
A lot of doors close. You know, so you gotta find a way to open those doors and, and then open them, you gotta come in with something.You can't just be, oh yeah, I'm, I'm the NBA guy, so -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:41):
Right.
Kareem Rush (00:51:41):
Give me deals. No, you gotta like create opportunities for yourself. So I've, I've had the transition and become, you know, a whole new person, which, you know, I think was always in there. Do you
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:49):
Feel like you're just a lot more extroverted now then?
Kareem Rush (00:51:51):
I am. <laugh> But I'm still very quiet.
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Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:53):
I'm the same way, by the way. Yeah, I'm still - I was very introverted, I think, as a kid. And like now I'm hosting a podcast, right? Yeah. And you are too, so.
Kareem Rush (00:51:58):
I know how to turn it on.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:51:59):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:51:59):
I know how to become, come different personas and, and, and, and do what, what I need to get done.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:52:04):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:52:04):
Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:52:04):
What do you love most about the fact that you're working with, because you're working with Brandon - Yeah. Right? And are you working with Jayron as well?
Kareem Rush (00:52:10):
Yeah. They're all involved with, you know, I'm a family guy first. Yeah. So any way I can kind of weave my family into, you know, things that I'm doing, then I will. Uh, me and Jaron coached, uh, seventh grade. Sorry, I said Jayron. Jaron. Yeah. Yeah. Coach, uh, a basketball team together. You know, so always trying to find ways to connect with my brothers, um, on different levels. Brandon now is at the age where he's not taking advantage of who he is at the KU. I'm like, man, come on. Like I just need you to, I, I will create something for you that you can get back into tho marketplaces because those people love you. You a legend. Why do you think he isn't? He just, he's always been a basketballer. It's not his nature. Yeah, yeah. It's not his nature. Like he's, he's, like I said, most, and most guys struggle with it.
(00:52:44):
Uh, if you, if you go down a line, uh, and I've talked to all these guys, they, they have a hard time kind of transitioning, you know? So it's been, it's been great organizations. Like I'm part of one called PAC, uh, Pro Athletes Community. Okay. Um, it's like 1200 former, you know, athletes that we, we, they, they bring the guys together and they bring in prominent business people across all industries. Mm-hmm. And they like mentor guys. Mm-hmm. 'Cause even mentor 40-year-old guys are still, you know, all you've ever known is one thing, but, uh, not understanding the power of who they were, transitioning those skill sets to, you know, something else. So -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:53:15):
Yeah. A
Kareem Rush (00:53:15):
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Lot of guys struggle with it. So, um, I struggled with it for a few years, but I've, I've always had, you know, different interests. So I was able to kind of throw my interest there. But even then, uh, I, it's, it's been up and down. It's not all been success. So -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:53:27):
Sure.
Kareem Rush (00:53:28):
I think a lot of guys are, are scared of failing, um, and trying something new. Yeah. And so I think through, you know, what I'm doing, um, it gives them, you know, some familiarity with these markets. Mm-hmm. Uh, they, they walk into these places and then people know them. And now they feel a little bit more comfortable kind of selling n- new things. And there, there's power in, in community and groups where guys are doing the same thing and been through the same thing with you. So -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:53:49):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:53:49):
They, they feel a lot more comfortable, you know, launching this stuff with me as they would some other random person because I've been through it. I understand.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:53:55):
Yeah. Yeah. When you had this idea, did you have like a blueprint or kind of an old school business plan that you put together? Or did you just go, I have an idea, boom, let's go. I have an
Kareem Rush (00:54:04):
I- I have an idea. I'm attack it.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:54:05):
Which I like it. Yeah. I like, I, I mean, I haven't created a product like you have, but I'm like, are we kind of past this like put it in a PowerPoint situation? Just go.
Kareem Rush (00:54:13):
I, I doodle. I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:54:14):
Got,
Kareem Rush (00:54:14):
I got, I got books and books of, of writing stuff down of, of my ideas. So, and I research, uh, I study. Um, I got great, you know, friends, uh, family that, that have done amazing things in business, um, that I can ask and, you know, question. But a lot of it just been, I just believe in, you know, some of my ideas and, and, and I -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:54:31):
Uh-huh.
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Kareem Rush (00:54:32):
Do whatever I need to get done to, to make them happen.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:54:34):
So you mentioned, um, more schools, of course, you've already worked on 120 - Yep. Of the other major universities. Um, what is kind of the, what's the dream you think about with this beyond, um, what we talked about today? How much more do you wanna grow it? Where do you want it to go? Any other ideas that we haven't talked about with this that you eventually wanna manifest it to be? It's
Kareem Rush (00:54:53):
Gonna be a billion dollar enterprise. There we go. <laugh> And, you know, some of the guys can, uh, the main goal is, at some point, is to bring back the ABL, uh, in my own professional league. Mm-hmm. Um, I see the success of what Ice Cube's doing, you know, his company just went public. Um, I think giving guys an extension of their years in college would be, it'd be so much fun just to keep playing. Like I can imagine that every summer I got a chance to play on the, on the Mizzou Club 1839 basketball team with the different eras and -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:21):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:55:21):
We get to play 10 games, we could take it to KU and all our rivals and just to stay in shape and have that camaraderie still there. And then, you know, provide business around it. Um, and giving guys access to, you know, ways to, to continuously make money on who they were - Yeah. In, in, in their history, uh, in their legacy. Uh, because I believe like a lot of these three or four year players are gonna become extinct, you know, NIL guys are there for a year two. You know, so three or four year guys who are synonymous with one school are gonna become free and far between. So -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:49):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:55:49):
This gives us a chance to come in as businessmen, um, you know, help, have equity, earn, you know, ha have ownership in something. Mm-hmm.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:55:55):
Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:55:56):
Because we've built billion dollar, you know, NCA wouldn't exist without the players. Yeah. NBA wouldn't exist without the players, but who owns those teams? Mm-hmm. Very few are former players.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:06):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:56:06):
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So everything, you know, with iBuild is gonna be, you know, owned and operated by players.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:11):
Yeah. So you've talked about Kobe and you've talked, you just mentioned Ice Cube. Do you have other, um, like mentors or other role models from your world of sports or otherwise that have really kind of been at the forefront of, like, inspiration for you?
Kareem Rush (00:56:26):
Yeah. I mean, Kobe was, was a big one. Yeah. Uh, he's probably been the biggest. Uh, but, you know, like I said, my, one of my closest friends, Josh Kroenke, um, you know, they own every sports team, you know, so he's a, he's, he's a good sounding board -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:56:37):
Yeah. Um,
Kareem Rush (00:56:37):
And, and, and a good blueprint to do s - you know, do something right. Uh, but it's really just about, you know, in self-belief and, uh, really want, knowing that I wanna provide an opportunity for guys. Mm hmm. Uh, and, you know, so far just, like, having those conversations and the track record of starting ABL and seeing, you know, building that and then going on something else, all those skills are kinda leading me up to, you know, what UHG, you know, what UAGC is. So - Yeah, yeah. It's been like a process of just trial and error.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:02):
How'd you come up with the name, by the way?
Kareem Rush (00:57:04):
Uh, it started off as Educated Spirits, and then it went to University Spirits. And I was like, "This is really about tradition and heritage." Uh-huh. Um, so I, I, I kinda sell in on University Heritage Group. I
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:14):
Like it. And
Kareem Rush (00:57:15):
Then all the other ones kinda fall in there.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:16):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:57:17):
Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:17):
Okay. Um, all right. Before we get to some fun little rapid fire questions. Yeah. Do you have any other fun kinda, like, behind the scenes stories about Shaq?
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Kareem Rush (00:57:27):
I think a lot of people
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:28):
Like - Can
Kareem Rush (00:57:28):
You tell us? Just the, uh, just the, the,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:30):
The rap bottles. Do see him DJs here? Yeah, yeah. C live? Okay. Yeah,
Kareem Rush (00:57:33):
Yeah. I was, uh, it was supposed to be a, a fight in Frisco this past weekend that he was, uh, he was gonna be there, but they canceled it. But yeah, I mean, the Lakers do a good job of, of bringing guys back. Yeah. They brought us back for, you know, Kobe's, uh, statue stuff. And so I got a chance to see those guys, um, you know, once or twice a year when I go to games. Yeah. Um, but it's crazy to see what he done, doing
now, you know, DJ-wise, but people forget that Shaq was a platinum-selling, you know,
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:57:56):
Artist. That's true. That's true.
Kareem Rush (00:57:58):
And like he said, he would just, as much as I love music, he loves it just as much as I do. He just really get on the bus with his hues like keyboard and be back there and just making beats. And so for me to see what he's doing is no surprise. And he's another example of, you know, taking, you know, your brand and your star power and like being a spokesman for everything. <laugh> Yeah. And so.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:15):
What is he like to just hang around with? He's
Kareem Rush (00:58:17):
Cool. He's like a, he's like a big fun brother. Yeah. Uh, but this was back when he was probably 28, 29 at time when I played. So, you
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:23):
Know - Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:58:24):
We, we've, we've gotten older, but to see him DJing and still, you know, staying young at heart with all that stuff is, you know, that's what I wanna do. If, if I could do any of this, if I could be done with all this to- tomorrow and I would think about what I wanna do, it'd be singing.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:35):
Yeah.
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Kareem Rush (00:58:35):
Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:36):
And going back to Kobe, obviously he's so beloved by so many people. Yeah. Um, what were some of your favorite moments with him?
Kareem Rush (00:58:44):
Um, just being in his presence and learning and, and watching. Um - He
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:58:47):
Seemed so positive and
Kareem Rush (00:58:49):
Charismatic. No, he was not positive. <laugh> He was not positive. Okay. He was, he could be an asshole, actually. <laugh> Uh, but in a, like, just, just to understand, like, you know, what, what it takes to be great at something. Mm-hmm. Uh, and sometimes it's not nice. Sometimes, like, Jordan wasn't nice either. Uh, he pushed his teammates in the right way because if he saw you not put in the work that he's doing, like, why would I trust you more than the work that I'm doing? So if you look at someone like that, that, you know, took that, you know, that same skillset mindset and transitioned to all these other things, that was, you know, that's what I hope most. That's why, like I said, I really believe and, and live the mentality in my own way.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:24):
Yeah. Uh,
Kareem Rush (00:59:24):
But just basically just like keep working, work hard and -
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:27):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (00:59:27):
And go hard at something.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:28):
What are you most proud of, of yourself with your time playing professional ball?
Kareem Rush (00:59:33):
Just, just getting there and, and, and achieving my first dream. Uh, you know, as, as a kid, like, man, I wanna, I wanna get there and, you know, the numbers are, are, are, are still wild. I think it's like over, been over, a little over 5,000 players ever in the NBA. And we have two in my family. That's crazy. We, we should should have been, it should've been 30. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (00:59:49):
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Yeah. I know. It should've been. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, is, is your third brother gonna be, uh, the first episode on the podcast or? <laugh> He should be. Yeah, yeah. The first guest. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I love it. Okay. Um, so Kansas City.
Kareem Rush (01:00:03):
Kansas City.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:04):
You wanted to come back. It's home.
Kareem Rush (01:00:05):
It's home.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:06):
What is it that you love the most about Kansas City? Why are you here? Why do you stay here? Uh -
Kareem Rush (01:00:11):
Besides
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:12):
Family.
Kareem Rush (01:00:12):
Yeah. That, that would be the number one. Family and I, yeah, it's, it's, it's part of my identity. Mm-hmm. Uh, is where I feel comfortable. Um, it's where all my close friends that I've known for 30 plus years are here.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:21):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:00:21):
And so, you know, you always want that as you get older. Uh, guys that got stories about you when you were 13 that your kids can come and talk about, "Oh, how, how was my dad back then?"
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:29):
Yeah. Uh,
Kareem Rush (01:00:30):
So that's fun. Uh, but I would never be always here. You know, I got plans to do, do a lot of things I wouldn't mind having places all around the world. I like that. I'm more, I'm more a global traveler. Yeah. Um, but like I said, it's been fun, you know, kind of building this out and, um, getting opportunity to kind of go in these different places. 'Cause, you know, as, as an athlete, I was traveling, you know, year round by the time I was 12 years old, you know, so this is like being on the road and it's kind of my natural deal.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:00:54):
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Yeah. Yeah. Um, what's kind of an ideal day for you in Kansas City when you're not focused on work? Where do you like to go? Where do you like to be? Where do you go to charge? The
Kareem Rush (01:01:02):
Gym? I go to the gym quite a bit. I'm still active in the gym. Uh, if I'm not doing anything, I'm probably in the gym, you know, three or four hours
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:08):
A
Kareem Rush (01:01:09):
Day. Yeah. I train like I'm still trying to get to the NBA. Yeah. Uh, so it's kind of part of my natural, you know, being.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:14):
Right.
Kareem Rush (01:01:14):
Uh, and I, I enjoy it. Like I stay, love stay in shape. I feel good. It makes me feel good and it translates to all the things that I'm doing. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:20):
Um,
Kareem Rush (01:01:20):
So it'd be, you know, hanging out with, you know, my girl, uh, you know, seeing my kids if they're in town, uh, seeing my mom, uh, making sure my mom and grandma are getting up there in age. I make sure I go, go by and see them. I see my brother quite a bit. And then in the gym. And then other than that, I'm, I'm working at something.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:35):
Yeah. Yeah. Um, favorite thing about Mizzou?
Kareem Rush (01:01:38):
Favorite thing about Mizzou, um, just experience. Like it, it, it was growth. Uh, I was a young man in life a man and it was part of my, my journey of achieving my ultimate dream.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:52):
Mm-hmm. To become a journeyman?
Kareem Rush (01:01:55):
Yeah. Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:01:56):
Favorite thing about KU?
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Kareem Rush (01:01:58):
Nothing. Oh. But they did my brother right. So
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:01):
I
Kareem Rush (01:02:01):
Got a little bit of affinity.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:02):
He had a good experience.
Kareem Rush (01:02:03):
I got a little bit of affinity for KU. Um, just for, um, it did wonders for my brother.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:08):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:02:08):
Uh, and, you know, he's a legend there, so -
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:11):
Uh-huh.
Kareem Rush (01:02:11):
It feels good to have him there.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:13):
Okay. Uh, when somebody comes to town, where would you take them in KC to show them a good time?
Kareem Rush (01:02:18):
We either go to Joe's.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:20):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:02:21):
Maybe some Jack Stack.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:22):
Okay.
Kareem Rush (01:02:23):
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And then probably the plaza. Um, but I don't do much going out these, these days. Uh, we hang out mostly.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:29):
Yeah. Yeah. Um, okay, good. And then, um, do you have a favorite bourbon besides your
Kareem Rush (01:02:35):
Own? Favorite bourbon? Um, I would say I wouldn't like, before I got into bourbon, I wasn't a big bourbon drinker.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:02:41):
Okay.
Kareem Rush (01:02:43):
Um, like I said, it's kind of, I though it was a, a higher end product than selling tequila and, and vodka. So I, I sell it on bourbon, but, you know, I like Woodford. I like Buffalo Trace. Nice. Uh, my first iteration, we sourced some Buffalo Trace up in Wild Turkey, so I like those. Um, but obviously, you know, now I won't drink anything other than - Number one. Yeah. I won't drink any other than my stuff.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:02):
We have to go back to the song in LA.
Kareem Rush (01:03:04):
Uh-huh.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:05):
Tell us about that. How did that come to be? What is it being used for?
Kareem Rush (01:03:07):
So that was just kind of a random deal. One of my buddies, uh, Josh Porter, uh, reached out to me about a year ago. He's like, "Man, I got this guy, Howard, uh, 65-year-old Jewish guy that wrote this song." And he's like, they all. I'm sure everybody knows. I love LA, the popular song there. He's like, "This better than that. This could be a new timeout song, the perfect jingle for it." And so he was talking to him at some event. He was like, "You know Kareem can sing, right?" He's like, "Who? Kareem Rush?" He's like, "Yeah, he can sing." And so they sent me the song <laugh> and I recorded it. And so the plan is for it to eventually be the Lakers timeout jingle. Amazing. Uh, so I've been trying to talk to Linda Rambis and all them, but they went through ownership change.
(01:03:46):
So it's been hard to kind of get, you know, it played by the right people, but - Yeah. The song is fun. Uh, like I said, I enjoy making music.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:53):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:03:53):
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Uh, but it's just out there living right now.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:03:55):
Okay. Um, do you wanna continue making music? Yeah,
Kareem Rush (01:03:58):
Yeah yeah. Okay. Uh, I'm working on a new, uh, new project. It's called the Gentleman Brand Musical. Oh. So, so - Tell
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:04:04):
Us more.
Kareem Rush (01:04:05):
So think Quantum Leap. Uh-huh You've seen Quantum Leap. So the, the, I wanna do, like I said, more like a Hamilton type deal where I flex a little bit of acting chops as well.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:04:13):
My gosh, I can't believe this hasnt come up this whole conversation.
Kareem Rush (01:04:15):
Yeah, yeah This is new. This is a brand new thing. So I've, um, I've redone eight classic songs. So Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, uh, Rock With You, Some Bill Withers, all classic songs that people know and remade them into a whole new version. And so - And you said this
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:04:29):
All yourself,
Kareem Rush (01:04:30):
Right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Of course you did. So the premise of the video is like I'm a, I'm a mad scientist in the future and I have to go back in time for something. It could be a, you know, a love or something or fix some type of issue. Uh-huh. My machine starts to ma - uh, to malfunction. And then I, I'm phased into these different time periods. And so I start off in the 60s and I, uh, I'm also a singer. So I'm singing all these brand new versions of, of these songs in this quantum leap tile, you know, you know, background. And so every, when I'm done with the song, I phase into another time period and I sing the song. And so at some point I will reach my goal or whatever to save the person I am, but it could go on for couples.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:05:06):
So when is that gonna come out?
Kareem Rush (01:05:07):
I'm working on it now. Okay.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:05:08):
So
Kareem Rush (01:05:08):
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I've done four songs. I play
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:05:10):
You. I was gonna say, yeah, play it for us and I gotta know when this comes out so we can share it too. Yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:05:14):
I'll play it. I'll play one of the songs.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:05:16):
Is there any one artist that you would dream to collaborate with?
Kareem Rush (01:05:22):
I love Michael Jackson. I love Stevie Wonder. I'm an old school guy. Yeah. So I, I don't, I don't listen to anything current. Uh, Maxwell, one of my favorites.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:05:31):
Mm, yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:05:31):
JT. Mm-hmm. Uh, Female Adele. Uh, like I'm a singer singer, so I love like great voices. I wouldn't mind doing some country stuff. Um, but yeah, just, I enjoy like the whole process of making and writing music.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:05:44):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:05:45):
Yeah. It's been fun.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:05:46):
Do you wanna perform live?
Kareem Rush (01:05:47):
Yeah. I performed, I've done the record bar. Oh, you
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:05:50):
Have?
Kareem Rush (01:05:51):
Here in town. Yeah, yeah. Nice. At the record bar. Love the record bar. And I did, uh, I did, uh, Starlight. What? So before the Atlanta Moore set, uh, musical. Star. Are you serious? I did like the, the sound stage be- before the, the main show. So I did that, uh, last year.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:06:06):
Awesome.
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Kareem Rush (01:06:07):
Two years ago. Now they wanted me to come back last year, but it was like, when I did it two years ago, it was so hot. Yeah. I was just sweating. I was like, "I'm not doing that again outdoors." <laugh> But I did record bar. Uh - Awesome. So yeah, I would, yeah. I mean, I was close to, um, for three years ago, I tried it for the voice. So I was like one - Really? I was one step away from making the voice. Oh yeah. So I, I did all the virtual editions and did the interview with the, uh, the producers. They loved me.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:06:31):
Mm-hmm.
Kareem Rush (01:06:32):
'Cause I though, you know, who wouldn't wanna, you know, do it? They're always about storytelling stories - Yeah. And storylines. So they, they would love to talk about the Lakers in my time there. Yeah. Even just to put me on the show for one time, they, they sell the hell out of that. <laugh> Of course. And so went through the whole process and I though I was gonna make it. And then I watched that year and they had a, they had another basketball guy on.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:06:52):
Oh. That,
Kareem Rush (01:06:53):
That went really far. So I was like, they probably don't wanna repeat -
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:06:55):
Yeah. The same
Kareem Rush (01:06:55):
Storyline. So that was - Can
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:06:57):
You try out again?
Kareem Rush (01:06:58):
I will. I will at some point. I think the voice would be my idea. Either that or, um, the mass singer.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:04):
Ooh, that's a good one. Yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:07:06):
So -
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:06):
I love that. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Well, we'll put that out there for the universe to pick up. Kareem Rush (01:07:09):
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Yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:09):
Um, okay. And then last but not least, what's on your Kansas City bucket list? What is something that you wanna do that you haven't
Kareem Rush (01:07:15):
Done? I missed a, going to a World Cup game. It's, uh, just too hot. Yeah. <laugh>
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:19):
Um, I was
Kareem Rush (01:07:20):
Like, yeah, I'm like, I'm not doing that. Uh, I'm just watching on, at the house.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:24):
Yep. Did you do Fan
Kareem Rush (01:07:25):
Fest? I didn't. I didn't do anything. I was, it's been too hot.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:28):
Yeah, that's fair.
Kareem Rush (01:07:28):
Yeah. I sweat. <laugh>
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:30):
Yeah.
Kareem Rush (01:07:31):
Uh, things that I need to do in Kansas City. I've, I've done a lot. Uh, I've done pretty much everything. I haven't been to a, a current game. I, I do wanna do that. That's
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:39):
A must.
Kareem Rush (01:07:39):
Yeah. I wanna do that. Um - Get
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:41):
Your girls to go with you.
Kareem Rush (01:07:41):
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Yeah. Um, so other than that, just, I'm a Kansas City, so I, I done, yeah, I done most of, of things out here.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:07:47):
Check, check, check. Yeah. Okay, perfect. Well, remind us, where can people follow you? Where can people become a member? Where can people listen to you? All the things that we need to know to wrap up with a bow.
Kareem Rush (01:07:57):
Yeah. Uh, I don't do Instagram or Facebook much. I'm, I'm there. Uh, but I would say easy to find me is on LinkedIn. Yep. Uh, I'm pretty active there. Uh, but where you can find the juice and, and everything we're doing, uh, it's, uh, www.universityheritch.club. Mm-hmm. Uh, but that'll lead you to, to all the things in UHG.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:08:15):
And, uh, be sure to go on and, um, nominate.
Kareem Rush (01:08:18):
Yeah, yeah. Get your - Make the fun of it,
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:08:20):
Right? Yeah. Just
Kareem Rush (01:08:21):
Let's see who's next. I wanna see where the fans, you know, want, you know, the next bottle to be launched. So, I mean, the part of it, just like I said, bringing together all these 20 million, you know, alumni and fans that are out there actively, uh, and getting behind these things. But I think what drives that is legendary players that are tied to it. So get those guys, you know, on social, you know, you know, shouting out the brand and then, you know, it, it'll lead us there.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:08:43):
I love it. Awesome. Anything else we missed?
Kareem Rush (01:08:46):
Uh, no. I think, yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:08:48):
I'm
Kareem Rush (01:08:48):
Good to go. Yeah, yeah.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:08:49):
Appreciate it. Well, this
Kareem Rush (01:08:50):
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Was really fun. Thank
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:08:50):
You. Thank you for letting me dive into all the random questions about the NBA and Mizu and everything in between.
Kareem Rush (01:08:55):
Part of the story. Thank you, Patrick.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:08:56):
Yes. Awesome. Well, so good to chat with you.
Kareem Rush (01:08:58):
Thank you.
Mindy Hargesheimer (01:08:59):
Thank you so much for tuning in and finding inspiration in these incredible stories. If you love what you hear, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Leave a rating and share the show to help these Kansas City voices reach even more listeners.
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