Georges Niang, Jordan Clarkson, and the Good Vibe Tribe Podcast
Mar 31, 2020, 3:31 PM
Utah Jazz forward Georges Niang passes during a Summer League game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 3, 2018. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Sidelined by the coronavirus outbreak that has shut down all major sports across the country, the Utah Jazz players have found a new way to keep themselves busy. Just two weeks after the “Ingles Insight” podcast debuted, hosted by Joe Ingles and his wife Renae, Georges Niang became the latest Jazz player to try his hand at podcasting.
“Drive & Dish” is the latest podcast detailing the everyday lives of players on the Jazz roster, hosted by Niang, as he video chats with fellow teammates during the NBA’s hiatus.
Niang’s first guess was Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson who after joining the team in late December, may be one of the more unknown players on the roster by fans of the team, despite his high profile lifestyle as a former member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Clarkson, the self-proclaimed leader of the ‘Good Vibe Trible’ tends to live in the moment with supreme confidence, whether it’s on the basketball floor, or in his private life.
#GOODVIBETRIBE https://t.co/ZURTYFKXr5
— Jordan Clarkson (@JordanClarksons) March 31, 2020
Self Isolation
The podcast begins with Niang and Clarkson discussing their life during the coronavirus hiatus that has restricted most NBA players from leaving their homes. Despite the isolation, Clarkson has found an opportunity to continue tow work on his game.
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“I’m in [Los Angeles], kind of slow, I ain’t really got no schedule,” Clarkson says of his day to day routine, “I’ve got my guy that works me out here, so I kind of go through stuff in the house, we’ve got a private little gym, there’s nobody there, it’s just us two getting up shots.”
Fashion
Clarkson, known as one of the league’s more flamboyant dressers was asked about where his taste for fashion came from.
“I’ve always been a little different with how I dress,” Clarkson said, “I was always going to hot topic or Spencers, just finding anything to where whenever I was growing up. Then you get a little money and the swag upgrades a little.”
Clarkson attributes his affinity for fashion to two sources. The first being his own creativity — Clarkson grew up as both a skateboarder and an artist to fill his time. The second source being producer and fashionista Pharrell Williams.
“I feel like he started it all,” Clarkson said of Pharrell, “Everything he wore was just fire, he’s even wearing women’s clothes now, it just kind of went off the scale for him.”
The Outdoors
Despite Clarkson’s sometimes flashy demeanor, the newest Jazz guard also shares a love for the outdoors. As a result, Clarkson has made good use of Utah’s many hiking trails.
“I would go on a bunch of hikes out here in LA,” Clarkson said of his home in Los Angeles.
It didn’t take long for Clarkson to find some of Utah’s more popular trails, including posting photos on his Instagram page of the Living Room Hike off the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.
“When I got to Utah, that hike I found I was just randomly driving around, I was like oh wow, I can just go up this thing,” Clarkson said, but despite being new to the state, Clarkson doesn’t need help being shown around the state, “I’m trying to find my way through Utah without people telling me.”
Drink and Ink
As has become a popular trend around the NBA, Clarkson has developed a taste for wine. LeBron James is not only the league’s most recognizable face, but he’s also quickly become the face of the wine movement in the NBA. Stars like James, Carmelo Anthony, and Chri Paul have all bonded over wine, a taste that Clarkson acquired during his time with James in Cleveland.
“When I get to Cleveland, I am like, what is this?” Clarkson said of his introduction to wine, “I’m starting to scrape up bottles at the end [of the night], and I’m looking at the names and the prices, and I am like what? This is what you need to be spending your money on right here.”
But wine wasn’t the only passion that formed for Clarkson in Cleveland. It may surprise Jazz fans to know that Clarkson didn’t get his first tattoo until he was traded to the Cavaliers in 2018.
Clarkson’s first tattoo consisted of his family’s initials on his wrist, a tattoo that he still has. After his first tattoo, he was hooked.
“I just started going in in the summer,” Clarkson said of his new passion, “I would work out, get tatted all day, work out, get tatted all day. It was a routine, so I was just going back home and getting a tattoo and next thing you know, I am all filled up.”
Clarkson’s newest tattoo is of country music legend Willie Nelson just above the large peace sign inked across his left knee, a nod to his Texas roots.
As one of the league’s most unique personalities, Clarkson has advice for his young fans.
“Just trying anything, try until you feel like you like something or love it,” Clarkson suggests, “If that’s art, building houses, cleaning houses, vacuuming, taking out trash, whatever it is. If you find joy in it, that’s what you should go through, live life, and be happy about what you are and what you’re doing.”
Niang expects to release new episodes of the Drive & Dish Podcast with fellow Jazz teammates weekly.
