Valuetainment - September 07, 2025


“No Rings Since Jordan Left” - Ray Lewis Opens Up About His Relationship With Michael Jordan


Episode Stats

Length

5 minutes

Words per Minute

148.32126

Word Count

751

Sentence Count

88


Summary

In this episode, I sit down with my good friend and former NFL player, Sugar Ray Lewis. We talk about growing up in Miami, how he got into the NFL, and how he ended up playing for the 49ers.


Transcript

00:00:00.400 And nobody don't know this, but that was crazy because that was one of the things that we discussed.
00:00:07.300 Don't ever leave home, no matter what.
00:00:10.780 So I remember telling him two of the stories that broke my heart, which was Joe Montana leaving...
00:00:18.220 KC.
00:00:18.960 Yeah, going from the 49ers to KC.
00:00:21.560 Broke my heart.
00:00:24.420 Serious?
00:00:24.980 No.
00:00:27.440 You got to think now.
00:00:30.000 This is before I had made it anything.
00:00:32.000 Joe Montana was my favorite player on the football field.
00:00:36.720 A defensive guy has the offensive guy's favorite player?
00:00:40.180 You got to remember, my defensive probably started fully in college.
00:00:46.160 I played offense 90% of the time in high school.
00:00:51.120 Yeah.
00:00:51.680 Come on, Pete.
00:00:52.340 What position?
00:00:52.840 Running back, kickoff return, punt return.
00:00:55.620 If I touch it, I'm scoring.
00:01:00.000 Pete, I was a bad boy.
00:01:02.140 Yeah.
00:01:02.680 But that's how me offensively.
00:01:07.260 And then by the time we got on, like from the defensive side, it was just like, what the
00:01:14.220 break?
00:01:14.780 Because I play safety.
00:01:16.480 I never played linebacker.
00:01:18.300 In Miami?
00:01:18.840 I play, so my sophomore year, my senior year in high school, my sophomore, junior year,
00:01:25.660 I play safety, right?
00:01:27.320 Strong safety.
00:01:29.100 We get in the jamboree, guy get hurt, and my coach comes to me and says, I need you to
00:01:35.840 go play linebacker.
00:01:36.900 And I says, I don't know how to play linebacker.
00:01:39.600 He said, just find the football.
00:01:42.160 See, I don't know this story.
00:01:43.260 Yeah.
00:01:43.960 Yeah.
00:01:44.620 This is senior.
00:01:45.240 Yes, this is my senior year.
00:01:47.700 I'm coming off my junior season, safety.
00:01:52.820 I was a little slim, so I wasn't the linebacker prototype, because I was 180, right?
00:01:57.560 Because I wrestled 189.
00:01:58.980 You're 180 in college?
00:02:00.320 180 in high school.
00:02:01.540 Oh, yeah, 180.
00:02:02.360 But what are you in college, senior year?
00:02:04.420 My junior year?
00:02:05.500 I left my junior year.
00:02:07.320 Two, 220?
00:02:09.020 Okay, so you're a big boy now.
00:02:10.840 220, yeah.
00:02:11.940 I was still too skinny for that league.
00:02:14.020 Yeah, I remember that league was running the ball 45 times.
00:02:18.520 You needed to be 250 or better.
00:02:21.880 Seriously, you could not.
00:02:23.500 Who's the coach that said, go play linebacker?
00:02:27.000 Coach Ernest Joe, because we lost the linebacker.
00:02:31.560 Jason Bamberger went down, and he says, go play linebacker.
00:02:37.600 And I went to the jamboree, which was one we only played in one half,
00:02:40.640 and I think I had, like, 17 tackles.
00:02:44.120 So I came back.
00:02:45.940 Yep, that's my guy.
00:02:48.020 That guy right there.
00:02:49.280 Lakeland.
00:02:49.700 When I tell you that guy right there changed my life, he, oh, man,
00:02:53.800 he was the toughest coach ever, ever, Coach Ernest Joe.
00:02:58.720 And then after that, man, I said, I came to the sideline,
00:03:02.840 and I said, I'm never going back to safety ever again.
00:03:06.440 You fell in love with the position?
00:03:07.400 Because I was like, I am closer to the freaking football.
00:03:11.260 Like, that's where I'm born to, that's where I'm made to be.
00:03:15.360 And he was like, okay, stay there.
00:03:19.860 So I stayed there.
00:03:21.940 So two things you said.
00:03:23.100 One, Montana, switching teams.
00:03:24.940 Who's the other guy that switched teams?
00:03:26.980 Oh, Michael Jordan.
00:03:29.520 Oh, really?
00:03:30.360 Oh, Washington.
00:03:32.180 See, I was diehard.
00:03:36.500 Like, because I didn't have nothing else but to go watch somebody do what they do.
00:03:42.580 Like, you don't have nothing to eat at night, right?
00:03:45.440 You're starving.
00:03:46.340 I'm starving.
00:03:47.480 I don't have that.
00:03:48.580 I don't have none of that.
00:03:50.180 So there are certain people on that other team at Joe Montana,
00:03:53.260 my favorite was Roger Craig, right?
00:03:56.180 But Michael Jordan, in what he had done, and I'm watching what he's done,
00:04:02.060 I said to myself, like, wow.
00:04:04.520 And then the news come.
00:04:06.320 They say, man, Jordan just got released and traded on the book.
00:04:09.720 I said, what the fuck?
00:04:11.060 Who does that?
00:04:13.020 Yeah.
00:04:13.360 And, craziest stat, crazy enough stat, since Michael Jordan departure,
00:04:21.000 since Joe Montana departure, neither franchise has ever won a Super Bowl
00:04:26.660 or a championship since.
00:04:30.880 San Francisco.
00:04:32.080 You ain't got to think of it.
00:04:33.140 No.
00:04:33.260 Yo, Steve Young was the only one.
00:04:36.360 Yeah.
00:04:37.340 Yeah.
00:04:38.260 What's going on, everyone?
00:04:39.520 It's your man, Sugar Ray Lewis.
00:04:41.000 Listen, I'm on my neck.
00:04:42.820 I'm trying to connect.
00:04:44.320 I don't care what it is.
00:04:45.700 Let's say sports.
00:04:46.720 Let's say life.
00:04:47.720 Let's say leadership.
00:04:48.980 Let's say hope, faith, worry, fear, whatever it is.
00:04:53.220 Let's chat.
00:04:54.420 Let's do it.
00:04:55.020 I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.
00:04:58.440 If you enjoyed this video, you want to watch more videos like this, click here.
00:05:01.020 And if you want to watch the entire podcast, click here.