the opposite of what we would think of the justin bieber who just got arrested in miami. so yeah, there's a conflict there, and i don't know. will the real justin please stand up? tonight, on "unguarded with rachel nichols," unexpected. you saw his loud side. >> that's the result you're going to get. >> tonight, you'll meet the other side of super bowl bound richard sherman. >> how almost oxy moronic that a kid from compton is going to stanford? >> unmarketed. after a record breaking 30 years, nba commissioner david stern has fined mark cuban for the last time. as he turns the job over to adam silver. >> mark cuban has been doing nothing but singing your praises. >> that's because he's sharpening his knives for adam.

welcome to "unguarded." we have a block custer show tonight with two rare interviews. we start with seahawks corner back richard sherman. sherman should be known for making the game-saving play to send seattle to next week's super bowl. but instead, his postgame outburst is what echoed well beyond the sports world. i was the first to sit down with sherman after that game. and in this cnn exclusive, what i found was a man whose life story adds up to so much more than the sum of those very loud words. ♪ >> richard sherman is about to play in the super bowl. how does that sound? >> it sounds mind blowing.

it really does. it sounds like something you only dream about as a small kid. you're out in your yard, throwing the ball with your brother saying three seconds left in the super bowl, for the game winner, three, two, one, catch the football. you never really think you're going to be in a situation where you get to do it. >> how do you expect to perform in the moment now that you have your chance? >> i expect to perform well. once you get on the football field, everything goes away. right after the kickoff, you hear the roar of the crowd, the ball is kicked and the nerves are gone. >> i want to go back to the beginning of the richard sherman story. you grew up in compton, and you grew up in one of the most gang riddled eras of compton. your dad was the victim of a drive-by. he still has a scar on his chest. you have a best friend growing up that is now dead. you were a voracious reader, you liked school and were a good student. >> i've always been a square, a nerd, kind of awkward.

still am to this day. people think i'm just cooler because i play football. >> i'm trying to put together the pieces that shaped your life. >> i am the greatest. >> how old were you when you discovered the films of muhammad ali? >> maybe 7 or 8. he was just so clever, so well spoken, so articulate, so off the cuff, so much different than everybody else in the world. it takes a different kind of person to turn that switch on and off and to be able to step in the ring or step on the field and be that intense and focused and i guess kind of angry human being you have to be, to be successful in those atmospheres. >> you're a prime example of that. how do you do it? >> you have to have that switch.

if you catch me on the field when i'm still in that zone, it's not going to come out as articulate, as smart. that's why sometimes it crashes and doesn't go so well. >> i'm the best corner in the game. don't you ever talk about me! >> who was talking about you? >> crabtree. don't you open your mouth about the best. >> i do want to ask you about what happened. there was the moment on the field when you made the play. there's the choke sign. there's the interview on the field postgame. then there's the press conference. >> i was making sure everybody knew that crabtree was a mediocre receiver. mediocre. >> what do you regret about all that, what do you not regret about all that? >> there isn't much about it i regret. mostly i regret the -- i guess the storm afterwards. the way it was covered and perceived and the attention it took away from the fantastic performances from my teammates.

that being the only part of it i regret, the way it's covered. it is what it is. what i said is what i said. i probably shouldn't have attacked another person. that was immature and i probably shouldn't have done that. i regret doing that. but i just felt like my teammates deserved better, and i have to apologize to them and i have. >> sherman's teammates have, in turn, been extremely supportive and so have other athletes from lebron james to hank aaron. we have a lot more coming up from richard sherman, including the background of the feud with michael crabtree. you don't want to miss it. >> it's picked off in the end zone! [ male announcer ] there is no substitute for experience.

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yeah, he's clean, boss. now listen to me, duck. i have an associate that met with, uh, an unfortunate accident. while he's been incapacitated, somebody's been paying him cash. now, is this your doing? aflac? now, if i met with some such accident, would aflac pay me? ♪ nice. this is your stop. [ male announcer ] find out what aflac can do for you and your family... aflac? [ male announcer ] ...at aflac.com. i'm rachel nichols and welcome back to "unguarded." in the past few days, seahawks cornerback richard sherman has stirred up the national discussion on sportsmanship, ego and racism. he has some fascinating insight into all those conversations. but first, i asked him why he was so angry at niners receiver michael crabtree. ♪ your brother has said that michael crabtree was rude to you at an event, a charity event, that he shunned you and wouldn't talk to you and you said all

right, i'm going to show him on the field. is that the background? >> that's the short version. we're going to keep it clean. you know -- >> did it get nastier than that? >> we're going to keep it clean and i said i'll keep it on the field. on the field, we're playing a barbaric sport and that's when i take all my frustration out on the field. >> we've seen dion -- dion sanders and terrell owe ens. but what happened to you was the reaction afterward, the way it mushroomed and the fact that race so quickly became involved here. >> yeah, you know, it was really mind boggling and sad, especially that close to martin luther king day. i'm not out there beating on people or committing crimes or

getting arrested or doing anything. i'm playing a football game at a high level. i got excited. i maybe said some things that offended some people, which is understandable. i didn't curse anybody. you know, i try not to be vulgar. i didn't want to be off-putting to people, and i apologize to pete that were off-put. but what i did was within the lines of a football field. what they did was in actual reality. they showed their true character. those were real comments, not in a moment. they had time to think about it. they were sitting at a computer and they expressed themselves in a true way. i thought society had move past that. >> we have a black president. we like to think that as a country things have changed. of course, to some degree they have. but what did you learn about the state of race in this country just from the few days after that game? >> i've learned we haven't come as far as i thought we had come. i did my job effectively, and afterwards they interviewed me and i had an interview.

regardless of how that interview goes, it doesn't give you the right to say the things they were saying. that's the sad part. >> sociologists have the theory when people revert to racial insults, they're just trying to put you in your place. >> now they're using "thug" instead of the n word. >> what about your reputation as a thug? >> i don't have that reputation. >> it's still sad, because what was thug about what i did? i didn't go talk about i'm going to fight him after the game. i'm not doing anything outrageous. this doesn't change my educational background or the community service. it's remarkable how quickly people went there, how quickly people were passing judgment. >> you've made a point in your life to move away, you had the opportunity to go either direction.

>> exactly. people like with muhammad ali and the backlash that he got, people were uncomfortable with not being able to expect things, not being able to control things, not being able to put people in boxes and them stay in those boxes. you know, maybe i'm a kid from the inner city that they wish wouldn't have gotten out of the inner city. maybe that makes people uncomfortable. maybe people don't like a success story like that. maybe that's what it is. i really couldn't tell. >> i'm guessing there are not a lot of people who would call richard sherman a thug after hearing that. we'll have much more from sherman after this break, including what part of becoming an nfl player he says took a chisel to his heart. and later in the show, a rare conversation with david stern. he's preparing to step down from his three-decade run as nba commissioner. >> you do what you have to do. almost certain that there will be some crisis.

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welcome back to "unguarded," where we've been talking to richard sherman. after the nfc championship game, sherman managed in just 20 seconds to shake up our collective ideas of sportsmanship and stereotypes. but in this exclusive interview with cnn, sherman reveals the long and unconventional path that got him to that postgame interview. a path with him saying no to the

gangs that crowded his compton los angeles neighborhood. ♪ you had the choice to go either way early on. did you consciously think when you were a kid, i can join a gang, did you mull it over? >> there was always that temptation there. well, this guy has a nice car, he has everything you want. he gets a lot of the girls, you know, he has everything that you think you want to attain. and he's doing this, so why wouldn't i do it? but i also started to see the bigger picture, and i started to understand that well, if i find a way to get myself into a college, then i have a chance to make some money, to accomplish all my dreams. >> you were second in your class in high school. you were recruited by usc at the time, it was the biggest thing going in college, but you were also recruited by stanford and you picked stanford. was that more than just football? >> it was definitely more than

just football. how almost oxy moronic does it sound that a kid from compton is going to stanford? i was just trying to show them anything is possible. >> you graduated and started working on your masters. >> exactly. >> welcome to the 2011 nfl draft. >> so draft day, 24th corner picked, fifth round. and you're famous for being able to list all 23 corners picked before you. what did it feel like that day to you? >> it was like your heart's breaking with every pick. the first round was fine. but the second day, you're watching them draft and you're like, it was like a chisel and a hammer to your heart. pick after pick, my name isn't called, no news the, nobody has called me. >> do you still carry that experience with you?

>> i carry it every day. then your name gets called and everybody is excited, hugging you and happy. but in the back of my mind, i'm frustrated. i'm disrespected. >> do you have to be a little bit brash if you are a fifth rounder, if you are a defensive pick to get in the position to get the attention for your charity work? >> i haven't seen it done any other way. truthfully, there have been a lot of quiet players, a lot of quiet players who have given total right answers, who have done everything, who played at an incredibly high level that you couldn't name, that you couldn't name, that you've never seen on tv, that are having a hard time getting into the hall of fame because they weren't that brash, because they weren't that vocal. but that's just how the world is. >> your teammate cam chancellor said, i used to tell him to quiet down, but then i saw the results.

>> you have to be able to do whatever it takes to beat the man across from you, and if you lose confidence, then that's when you have a really bad game and you can't do anything. if i give up a touchdown, that almost arrogance allows me to forget that play. ♪ >> if you win the super bowl, and somebody sticks a microphone in your face right afterward and it's crazy, and by the way, they will, what you going to say? >> i'm going to disney land and i hope it doesn't offend anybody. >> are you going to be more careful? >> no, no, i'm not going to be more careful. i am who i am. i can't be anybody else. i don't know how to be anybody else. i wasn't raised to be anybody else. i don't think i'm a bad person, and never have cruel intentions. off the field. but you've got to be who you are. that's what has gotten us here, and if it's worked this long,

see if it will work again. >> for those still unsure that richard sherman knows exactly what he's doing, consider this -- his agent tells cnn that since sunday, his endorsement offers have only increased and he expects sherman to earn $5 million from sponsors this off-season. stay with us, because after the break, we'll change gears. nba commissioner david stern offers a rare glimpse into his thinking as he steps down from one of the most powerful jobs in sports. really are unique. in fact, they depend on a unique set of nutrients. [ male announcer ] that's why there's ocuvite to help protect your eye health. as you age, your eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is a vitamin made just for your eyes from the eye care experts as bausch + lomb. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just not found in any leading multivitamin. your eyes are unique, so help protect your eye health with ocuvite.

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welcome back. i'm rachel nichols. there are few people in sports as polarizing as nba commissioner david stern. depending on what city he's in, he's either loudly booed or cheered as a conquering hero. as he prepares to step down next week, he sat down with us. >> hakim olajuwon. >> so what does it feel like to leave a job you've had for 30 years? >> actually, it feels very good

because i am watching my colleagues who have sort of grown up on my watch. they're all ready to go on to bigger and better things under adams' leadership. >> i hear as you've been ready to leave, you've been going through your office giving away some things. >> yes, yes. the only thing i'm leaving for adam is a large life-like poster of me. >> i think that's wise. >> it's not a poster, it's a cutout. >> looking over his shoulder maybe? >> yes. i may make a few of them and place them around the office. >> what are you most proud of in your time as commissioner? >> i'm most proud that my colleagues and i understand there's a greater purpose that can be served by our sport. and we understand that sports has a way of crystallizing discussion about issues. the last time we interacted, it was about a visit to korea.

>> how do you think a number of former nba players ended up going over and didn't realize what they were getting into? >> they were blinded by the payday. i don't know what else to say or how to say it. but nevertheless, the dialogue around that probably brought more people to understand that this is a repressive regime that starves, tortures, incarcerates its own citizens all at the same time. it has the fourth largest standing army. >> it is pretty remarkable when you look back even over the last decade, it was nearly seven years ago that tim donaghy was arrested for gambling on games he was officiating. when you look back on that now? >> we have had enormous numbers of critical blows.

in 1991, when magic announced that he was hiv positive, that was a potentially critical blow because no one knew how to deal with that. >> because of the hiv virus that i have attained, i will have to retire from the lakers. >> when ron artest went into the stands, that was a critical blow. >> there goes artest after somebody in the stands. >> when gilbert arenas misbehaved in the locker room, when latrell sprewell did what he did. >> nba star latrell sprewell made a public apology yesterday for threatening to kill carlesimo. >> how have you managed it? there's been a bunch. >> you just get up in the morning and you do what you have to do and you get ready to keep

growing almost certain there will be some crisis, because the morning newspaper always brings something new and interesting. >> now, you guys haven't had to deal with a major steroid or ped scandal is. that because players in your leagues aren't using those drugs or the testing isn't stringent enough? >> our testing is the most stringent than all of sports. >> more stringent than baseball for the olympics. >> it's probably the same as. we take our lists from the olympics, i'm -- i like to think our players have determined this is not a substance or a group of substances that are going to enhance their play and it's not worth the risks. >> off the scoreboard, off the bank board, no rim. >> you're always going to be associated with so many big stars around the nba. magic johnson, larry, michael jordan.

you knew michael so well. of course, you're aware when he stepped away from basketball to play baseball, the pervasive rumor is you had asked him to do that because of his gambling, and you've denied that so many times. >> the media are a bunch of sheep, you know? some person on a sunday morning sports show said, i would like to have been in david stern's living room when x, when michael was there. and i was in my living room but michael wasn't, and somehow it's too much fun to just keep asking. >> it's not just players you've had colorful relationships with openers, as well. and i've got to say mark cuban has been doing nothing but singing your praises. >> well, that's because he's sharpening his knives for adam. we ended into a nonaggression pact. i said mark, why don't you just chill?

we'll set up adam together and you'll go after him. >> you've fined mark cuban more than most people's salaries, yet you've won him over. >> i haven't won him over, but he knows i'm doing my job and in fact i think he relishes the fining. >> 200 countries, 47 languages, yet we've never seen you shoot a basketball. i was trying to go through footage and find you at the free-throw line or something. >> i didn't want to embarrass our players, because hitting so many from the free-throw line in a row would have put too much pressure on them. >> are you a good player? >> i used to be. i have no cartilage now. >> now you'll have more time to work on your game. >> i don't think. so golf is going to be the new game. >> i'm not sure i want to see david swing a golf club any more than i want to see him shoot a basketball. but hey, we certainly wish him the best. that's it for us this week. but you can follow me on twitter, like us on facebook. and we'll see you next friday

night with a special super bowl edition of "unguarded." edition of "unguarded." good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com pity the salary man. tokyo's willing cog in an enormous machine requiring long hours, low pay, total dedication. and sometimes, what's called koroshi, death by overwork. here in a society of tight spaces and many expectations, the pressure is on to keep up appearances, to do what's expected, to not let the interior life become exterior.