Not one, not two. I sound like LeBron James, not three, actually three, three, though. Three Hall of Famers all of them part of the NBA's 75th anniversary team. They are bob Pettit, an 11 time all star and two time MVP and NBA champion in 1958 with the St. Louis hawks, followed by elvin Hayes, a 12 time all star and NBA champion in 1978 with the Washington bullets and lastly Rick berry 12 time all star and NBA champion in 1975 with the Golden State Warriors, Rick, in particular, as always had a lot to say, but a lot of fun stuff to with mister Hayes and mister Pettit. Had the honor and the pleasure of sitting down with all three of these gentlemen during all star weekend in Cleveland, many thanks to the national basketball retired Players Association, also known as the legends for setting us up, shout out to PRA Julio mantega, does a great job over there. Next week's Friday crossover, by the way, will also feature a legend and member of that 75th anniversary team, but that's a more extended conversation. I'm just gonna leave that as a teaser, won't tell you who yet, but you do not want to miss that one either. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the crossover wherever you get your podcasts and hit me with all your feedback on Twitter at Howard Beck. Okay, my chats with three of the greatest players in NBA history are coming up next. So stick around. This is the crossover and NBA show hosted by Sports Illustrated's Chris mannix and Howard back. It's a whole new level for you and me, Chris. This relationship. Like and subscribe for the best weekly NBA content these two are capable of. What does that mean? It could be the best duo ever. I don't see how you can beat that. Here they are. Chris mannix and Howard back. Now very pleased to be joined by an 11 time all star two time MVP member of the 75th anniversary team. Bob Pettit, bob, thank you for joining me. Pleasure to be here. Beautiful day in Cleveland. Beautiful day in Cleveland. I don't understand outside. We are inside we are safe from the ice and snow. When you come back to an event like this, when you get a chance to be immersed in today's NBA again, what strikes you? What about today's NBA strikes you the most? Well, number one, I think, you know, the difference that so many differences what strikes me is that number one is watching these players are so great today. I mean, we had great players and I think the players that we had back in the 50s and 60s, you know, they could play some guys like Oscar and Elgin Baylor and Jerry West and Bill Russell wilt. Those guys could play anytime anywhere and but they were only 8 teams in the league when I played today there. 30 something NBA teams and the talent is so incredible. The three point shot I think is added a lot to the game. The fans seem to love it and they get all excited about it. It's different and the main thing too, one of the main things is the media coverage. You know, when you look here, we played back in our first All-Star Game was 1955. I think in New York, bizarre recall, and you might have one interview and one sports writer there that wanted to talk to you, but basically it's so different today. And it's so important today to psyche if that's the right word of the American people. They love professional basketball. They love the NBA. They love these great players and they become they become like folk heroes to these young men and old men. Some of the ladies really enjoy them. So there's a whole different atmosphere today and now I enjoy coming back and occasionally a like this weekend. I'll have a chance to visit with some of the guys that I played with and against. And they're not many that are still living there. Most of them, I was one of the ambassadors selected for a particular era of time and I think the main thing was I'm still alive. There's a lot of them. The players that could play it in that era of unfortunately didn't make it, but you know, it's a great time to come a great time to see all these great players and to attend the different functions and I'm being cited and I'm excited to bring my wife has come to my son and grandson and we have a great time and I look forward to it and all excited about it. It was such a big man dominant league back in your day. And for most of the history of the game, it was really about the guys in the paint and the guys who could score from close range. And it is such a, it's a more diverse game because there's still bigs who are dominant, but there are, as you point out, the three point shot is so prominent. That change that is shifted that it has shifted toward the outside, did you ever worry that the big man was going to become less relevant in the game because of the three point prominent and more about anything. In those days, I was happy to be here. I was a kid, barely 21 years old when I joined the league. I was drafted by the Milwaukee hawks, never heard of them when I came out of college. I was not for me with all the teams in the NBA. So if it was a different world and I loved it, and I was enjoyed it. So I can't say enough great things about the NBA today. You were one of the all time great rebounders. I jotted down a couple things here. You averaged 16 rebounds a game for your career over 11 seasons. Your career per game averaged 16.2 per game is still the third all time. Including 20 rebounds per game in the 60s, 61 season. Those numbers sound mind boggling to me now. Is rebounding just not as much of an art. Today is just the game is just played differently. What made you such a dominant rebounder? Well, I think rebounding is nothing but hard work. And you know, you're watching a game today and many of the big players don't go to the basket to follow the shots. You know, in my case, it was 5 or 6 points a game hanging on the offensive board, so I went after him and I can honestly say that I went rebounding was the most important thing in my game, I thought. Did I score yes? You said 26 points a game for 11 years. 26 plus. But the thing I looked at and it was most conscious of was my rebounding. And I lived in the arrow with the two greatest rebounders in history and Wilton big Bill Russell. And they averaged 22 rebounds a game in here, my little 16.2 or three or four rebounds is pales in comparison, but I was proud of it, and as you say, I think I'm probably the third leading rebounder in history has always rebounds for gaming. So I don't think that it rebounding is simply warning it more than anything in the world. You get in there and you go every single time. You don't go once out of twice. Once out of three times to the board, I went every single time to get the offensive rebound and get the defensive rebound. So it's just hard work and you have to really, I think it's a state of mind. You really have to, you know, I'd look up and I played with players and I'd get the ball off the backbone and turn around in my other rebound. It was not at the other end waiting for me to throw it to him so he could get a layout. And I never did that. I went.