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Issue 6
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Title

John Fraser


The Michelin-starred chef has a story to tell you through his cooking

Pundy’s Picks for Conscious Travel


Six tips for considered and conscious travel

Genmaicha Martini Recipe


The classic martini plus the health benefits of green tea

The Spread Love Project by Nicholas Konert


How Nicholas Konert’s rainbow heart design became an international icon

Wade Davis


Anthropology is the antidote to today’s nativism says the scholar and author

Carla Sozzani


The future of retail according to the founder of legendary concept store 10 Corso Como

The Art of Migration


The power of art to inspire empathy and social action

John Pawson


Zen Buddhism and minimalist purity drive the celebrated architect

Amy Duncan


As the CBD line Mowellens expands into skincare, its founder shares the personal story behind her company

Sila Sveta


Moscow’s favorite media studio finds the perfect balance between art and commerce

David de Rothschild


In his calls for environmental awareness, the modern explorer finds harmony between man and nature

Can Fashion Be Sustainable?


Shaping a better world through what you buy – or don’t

Brendon Babenzian


Supreme’s former creative director wants to end the cycle of consumption with his new brand Noah

Lily Kwong


Nature invades the urban jungle in the landscape designer’s expansive projects

House of Yes


Behind the scenes with the Bushwick nightlife collective promoting inclusivity and consent culture

Vivie-Ann Bakos


DJ Extraordinaire

Chez Dede


A medium in which two world-traveling, adventurous spirits absorb the globe’s vast curiosities and share them freely

Jesse Israel


A meditation guide for extraordinarily large groups

Liya Kebede


The Ethopian model, activist, and entrepreneur uses her label Lemlem as a force for change
Miami Soundtrack
Miami Soundtrack
Miami Soundtrack

Sweat Records has been supplying auditory fixes for Miami’s music addicts since 2005, when the storefront, vegan cafe, and event space opened. Co-founder Lauren (Lolo) Reskin knows everything about music and South Florida’s scene, so who better to compile the definitive soundtrack to the city with both local bands and local favorites. sweatrecordsmiami.com .

  • 1
    KETCHY SHUBY
    Frontin'
  • 2
    DEAF POETS
    Pale Skin
  • 3
    MAC DEMARCO
    Let Her Go
  • 4
    MILLIONYOUNG
    Feeder Band
  • 5
    GREAT GOOD FINE OK
    Not Going Home
  • 6
    FLYING LOTUS
    Never Catch Me (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
  • 7
    AFROBETA
    Love Is Magic (Casa Onda Remix)
  • 8
    HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR
    I Try To Talk To You (feat. John Grant)
  • 9
    KRISP
    Captain Hook
  • 10
    OTTO VON SCHIRACH
    When Dinosaurs Rule Earth
  • 11
    DIM PAST
    Spectre In Wire
  • 12
    CARIBOU
    Our Love
  • 13
    JUNGLE
    Platoon
  • 14
    EONS
    Stay
  • 15
    FKA TWIGS
    Two Weeks
  • 16
    XXX 88
  • 17
    NICKY BLITZ
    Alex

You decided to make Miami your home even though you’re not playing for the Heat anymore. What is it about the city that you love so much?

If you haven’t spent much time in South Florida, you think Miami is just one big extension of South Beach, that it’s a huge party town, and it’s just crazy. My family moved here about three years ago and we came in with an open mind. What we found is yes, South Beach does exist. But Miami has so much more to offer. We have enjoyed the energy of the city, the diversity. There’s this spirit to the city that’s so different. There is no place like it in America.

 

Do you have a career highlight?

I think hitting an NBA Record, Game 7, six 3- pointers against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 would be pretty hard to top. To have a record- setting performance in the biggest game of my professional career is something I’ll never forget. It was an amazing night, no one really expected it, and I was proud that I was there for my teammates and able to produce when the pressure was the highest.


Is there anything that you wish you’ d done differently in your career?

Maybe shot the ball a little bit more [laughs]. I was a really good teammate—I think almost too good of a teammate—but I probably would have had a little more fun if I’d shot the ball a little bit more. But in terms of my career path, I wouldn’t have changed anything. I was tremendously blessed

 

Kids can be tough, was it difficult for you standing out physically?

All I knew was being the tallest kid, and being the kid who stood out. I struggled with that for a long time. I grew up in a mixed household—my dad was black and my mom was white—and I grew up in a fairly white suburban setting. I was always different because I was a minority; I was always different because I was the tallest kid in my grade. When you’re really young you want to be like everybody else. You don’t understand why you’re different.

As I grew older, especially the middle school years, I grew to enjoy being different and not like everybody else. It shaped me and gave me a confidence that different is good, and that the most important thing is being a good person, and having a good work ethic. If people don’t like me because of those two things, then you know what? I’ll find someone who does. So, I wouldn’t trade being 6′8′′ for anything in the world. I haven’t been able to shop at a mall in about 25 years, but that’s okay.

 

Talk a little bit about the organization you started with your wife, the Take Charge Foundation.

The Battier Take Charge Foundation raises money for college scholarships for at-risk youths. It’s based in Miami, and in Houston and Detroit. We’ve graduated three kids and have 12 kids in our program now. My wife and I feel strongly about education and using the platform that we have to raise awareness and raise money and to help those who need help. The kids in our program are superstars. They are valedictorians, community activists, generally awesome people. These are kids who want to reach their goals through college education, and are just a little short in getting there. Hopefully we help bridge that gap.

I also played with LeBron James, and he’s proof that God exists.

Were there any players who you either played with or against who really had an impact on you?

Kobe [Bryant] is probably the player that I’ll miss playing against the most. We had so many tremendous battles in 13 years, and he kicked my butt for many, many years when I was a young buck trying to figure out the NBA. He was the one guy who really pushed me to understand how to get better, especially on the defensive end. By the end, I’d never say I stopped Kobe Bryant, but I think if you asked him, he’d respect me as a defender, as someone who got better and never backed down from him, and always gave him a good game.

 

Was basketball something that you always wanted to do?

It was. My first memory of—of anything, really —was playing basketball. It was always my dream and my goal to play at a major college and to one day play in the professional ranks. I had a lot of people tell me along the way that I wasn’t going to make it for various reasons. I was too slow, I was too unathletic. I was too nice, I spoke too well, I was too smart for my own good [laughs]—but I never wavered in my belief that I was going to reach my goals one day. And I did, with a stellar college career and a 13-year NBA career.

What’s up with the misconception that you can’t be smart and play basketball?

The popular narrative of any industry, or walk of life, has been about the eyeball test: “Do you look the part?” I learned a long time ago that the eyeball test doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is your ability to believe. Then you better have a work ethic to match your level of belief in yourself. I had fun bucking all the popular narratives and the stereotypes of someone who spoke well and was educated and enjoyed things that the “average typical basketball player” didn’t enjoy—and still being successful. Sure, it probably made lots of people uncomfortable, but I think I brought a lot more to it, and I wouldn’t change my past for anything.

 

You graduated college with a major in religion, have you done anything with that degree?

Nothing professionally. You’re on a bus so many hours with teammates, and you talk about everything under the sun. Religion was a topic often, and we’d have great debates. I also played with LeBron James, and he’s proof that God exists [laughs]. Only God could create someone that good at basketball.

 

Before you even got to high school you were 6’7” tall?

Yes. I was six feet in 6th grade, 6′4′′ in 7th grade, and 6′7′′ in 8th grade, so I really haven’t grown in many years.

 

Having gone through some of these struggles yourself, now that you have kids, whether it’s race, height, or whatever else, do you think about how their lives will be affected?

You never want your kid to go through pain, obviously. As parents, you do everything to protect them, and you hope that they have struggles that don’t permanently scar them, but that teach them a lesson, that teach them right from wrong, and teach them the power of friendship, and the power of humor, and the power of the community. I think that’s the hope of every parent, that their kids are able to learn those lessons in a way that doesn’t severely harm them. But there’s nothing wrong with having a few battle scars.

 

You’ve just retired—how does it feel?

I feel happy. I have been traveling all over the world, I’ve been having fantastic conversations with amazing people about what they’re doing to innovate the world, and now that I actually have time to be part of those conversations, it’s exciting. I miss the locker room, I miss the competition. There’s nothing in my life that will ever really replicate that. But I played golf yesterday, and it’s better than being sore and tired in training camp. I got a couple birdies, had a couple beers.