This is Ex-NBA Vet Rodney Stuckey's Antidote to Hopelessness

Former Detroit Piston and Indiana Pacer Rodney Stuckey is one of those role players you truly knew about if you had what the kids call "elite ball knowledge."

Personally, he was one of those matchups in NBA 2K's MyCareer mode that always seemed to give me problems due to how crafty he was in the game.

Esquire Philippines got to sit down with the combo guard to pick his brain about the most difficult guy in the league to lock up, why he's a creature of habit, and the importance of who you're around during those incredibly tough and disorienting times.

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To give a backdrop of where I met the certified OG, I got to try out the brand-spanking-new membership-based SHOOT 360 facility at Robinsons Galleria Mall, a grand opening that was held on September 18.

This joint is equipped with a FIBA-size basketball court and other state-of-the-art technology-enabled training stations meant to level up shooting, passing, and ball handling abilities.

If this sounds like your type of lab you can hone your real-life 2K badges with, you can get started with a coach-led introductory session for P2,200, with a special rate of P 1,999 for the first 100 registrants. Yearly membership is priced at P2,500, with training packages starting at P1,000 per session (in packs of 12) and unlimited monthly access starting at P8,000. One-on-one coaching may also be added for P1,200 per session.

Stuckey is the brand's ambassador and is an investor/operator of his own facility in the US.

I asked him who was the toughest guy to D-up during his decade-long career, and he immediately said Derrick Rose, stopping at a dime to answer a lot like how the Bulls superstar would change speeds to bewilder defenders.

This isn't really a surprise to anyone who has been following the game for decades now, but a prime Rose circa 2009-2011 was a near-unstoppable force in the league that led to him being the youngest MVP in history.

"He was so quick, fast, and strong, and his first step was just so explosive," Stuckey recalled.

"I mean, they're all hard to guard (Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, and Derrick Rose): you have to play Steph at 94 feet because he'll shoot anywhere on the court. Kyrie can get to anywhere on the court with his handles and stuff like that. They all kind of bring different types of difficult situations."

Former NBA Veteran Rodney Stuckey Meets Business tycoon Robina Gokongwei-Pe

The combo guard addresses media, local professional players, and other partners at the SHOOT 360 launch

A lot of old heads have long criticized the current state of the game for being too analytics-based or too "soft" for being too measured and science-based. Stuckey is here to embrace this state-of-the-art approach to observing how much you're getting better with how well you can let it fly, throw dimes, and even how far you see down the floor.

"But the most important thing is not really looking at that, but knowing that it's still there. But the most important thing is just coming into the gym and getting your shot reps in. I'm a true believer of repetition. Repetition is the key," the Kent Washington-native told me.

"As long as you're putting in the work, and you're committed to your game, you're going to see progress."

Of course, getting to travel the world as an ambassador of training in a more efficient way was an eye-opening experience for Stuckey to see how global this game has become.

Especially with how basketball-obssessed Filipinos are evident in hoops on Jeepneys and every street corner, you can see how jarring it might be for local players to prioritize a more controlled environment like SHOOT 360.

"I think with SHOOT 360, we just bring a whole other element as far as just the technology stuff," Stuckey reflected.

"This is like a futuristic game facility: you can come in and have fun with this, and then you can also take it seriously too."

SHOOT 360 Founder and President Craig Moody and Philippine Basketball Legend and former Sacramento Kings developmental coach Jimmy Alapag

It all boils down to how good you want to be and how lethal you want your game to be.

For Stuckey, the fire to pursue a path of greatness never needed an external force to motivate him to do things he needed to do.

"I had that self-motivation, and I wanted it for myself, so it was never a problem," he elucidated work ethic.

"If you can find that (drive) within, I think that is going to be beneficial for you."

Spending an entire decade in the league definitely takes a toll on someone operating at a world-class level against generational talents and once-in-a-lifetime athletes.

For Stuckey, being a creature of habit and the comforts of sticking to a routine was the biggest thing imparted to him after he hung up the Air Jordans.

"I wake up every day and take my kids to school. Then I go and work out at the gym, and then after that I do what I have to do. If that's going to the Super 60s back home, I do some training. I'm doing that if that's taking my kids to practice. I'm a routine type of guy, and I think that's really helped me out," he said, breaking down his day-to-day.

For a lot of folks and young men out there, the dream of making it to the NBA, or whichever mountain top, is an anxiety-ridden journey that tests your relentlessness to keep going.

This often leads to the feeling of hopelessness, the looming fear of losing your way, and the unfortunate reality of giving up.

Stuckey's rule of thumb, and I suppose an antidote to this crippling dread, is to simply surround yourself with all things positive and the time-tested goal of finding ways to accept and love the entire package.

"You know, you've got to love yourself. Before you can give anyone else love, you've got to be happy with yourself and love yourself. I think if you're able to do that, you'll be able to spread love everywhere else. Always surround yourself with positive energy. The more you're around positive people and people that are trying to grow, the more it will definitely help you and benefit you."

Rodney Stuckey at The SHOOT 360 Facility in Robinsons Galleria.

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