Dex G. and Kurt Lee are the cohosts of “D&K in the lab,” a podcast that delves into the lives and training of Division 1 basketball players and into the lessons Dex has learned through his own experiences with playing basketball in high school and college. “We wanted to make a podcast that would transcend basketball and reach a lot of people who aren’t necessarily into sports,” Dex says. “Our podcast succeeds because the stories and lessons we explore are really universal. You don’t have to be an NBA fan to understand what we’re talking about or to get a lot out of it. We’ll even make you laugh along the way.”

Dex started his own basketball career at Suffern High School in New York. After he graduated from Marist College, he continued his education at Montclair State. “I joined their basketball club and helped them go undefeated at 7-0 during that first semester,” he remembers. “What made this so awesome was that MSU competed in the NCBBA. This gave me so much confidence that I kept playing even while I was taking classes at different schools to become a medical records professional.”

Dex went on to play for the team at SUNY Ulster Community College, a division 2 NJCAA. “I felt proud to be one of the four players who made it to the next level. I actually committed to playing at County College of Morris after Montclair, but after a month, I transferred to SUNY Ulster and walked on the team later on in the season. I also played semi-pro for the East Carolina Cardinals. I am still trying to play at a high level, and I will be working out with the Ghanaian team, Braves of Customs. It is one of the top basketball clubs in Ghana that competes in FIBA competition, and they have competed in the NBA-BAL qualifiers.” Dex has shown great enthusiasm for helping the team reach its ultimate goal: winning a FIBA qualifier once the pandemic slows down.

Dex decided to take his love for basketball in a new direction by starting his podcast with Kurt. “It was actually his idea,” Dex says. “During the pandemic, we couldn’t play basketball and were looking for something to do, so he suggested talking about my life and other players’ to try to inspire the next generation of players and anyone else who faces a tough road to achieving their dreams.” Kurt, while not a player, is an avid watcher of the game and knows the stats of every player, so he was the perfect partner for Dex.

“To understand our podcast, you have to understand how difficult it is for high school players to make it onto a Division 1 team in college,” Dex says. “It’s not easy to do. At that level, it’s all about winning – losing isn’t acceptable. Yet, so many high schoolers are aiming for that dream. That’s one reason they’ll like this podcast, as will anyone interested in inspirational stories. I interview Division 1 players like Ahmad Clark, who plays for Albany University, and Chris Galbreath, who plays for Sam Houston State. They get real about how hard you must work to make it to that level, how you have to eat, and how brutal the training really is.”

Dex also brings his own life story into the podcast to encourage others to go after what they want. “I have played on teams, but no one ever thought that I would. I had a lot of people doubting what I could do, so I would like to use my story to help people who are also having to overcome the naysayers. Sometimes you really do just have to ignore other people and believe in yourself.”

Throughout the podcast, Dex and Kurt discuss lessons learned from the interviews of the Division 1 players and from Dex’s life. “The biggest one is this: it is so important to fight for what you want,” Dex says, reflecting. “That dream you have may be so far off that you can barely see it, but if you grind every day and never stop, you will get there.”