New York Basketball Observer Podcast: Interview with Khalil McDonald of Viceland’s “The Last Shot”

Khalil Mcdonald has led an interesting basketball life. As one of the stars and subjects of the Viceland series “The Last Shot,” Khalil and several other players traveled to Mexico in search of a professional contract, but the process of being discovered involves playing in for-cash tournaments in unfamiliar territory with seemingly fluid rules and unpredictable turns almost every game.

New York Basketball Observer sits down with Khalil to talk about being high school teammates with Kyle O’Quinn, whether or not Kyle has always been a funny guy, singing to Melo, being recruited in New York, playing in high-stakes tournaments, and so much more. Check out the podcast and the full breakdown of topics below!

00:00:00 - 00:09:25 - Intro / roundup
00:09:25 - 00:13:05 - Getting into basketball
00:13:05 - 00:18:10 - Getting involved with Mexican basketball tournaments
00:18:10 - 00:24:30 - The playing environments in Mexico
00:24:30 - 00:28:20 - Mexican culture
00:28:20 - 00:32:10 - Staying in shape
00:32:10 - 00:33:50 - Adjusting your game for a new style of play
00:33:50 - 00:38:02 - Which current / former NBA players would fare the best in tournament environments
00:38:02 - 00:40:00 - The yin and yang of Tim Duncan vs. Kevin Garnett
00:40:00 - 00:41:00 - Growing up a Knicks fan
00:41:00 - 00:48:32 - Allan Houston, Carmelo Anthony, and Kyle O’quinn anecdotes
00:48:32 - 00:53:04 - Other NBA player interactions
00:53:04 - 00:57:33 - The college process
00:57:33 - 01:02:25 - Becoming a shooter
01:02:25 - 01:04:10 - The OTHER Khalil McDonald
01:04:10 - 01:05:43 - How your height affects your game
01:05:43 - 01:11:50 - Train with Khalil
01:11:50 - 01:15:12 - Shoutouts and social media

The season finale of “The Last Shot” airs Monday, September 11th at 10PM!