309. DJ Wagner: Basketball Bloodlines
The Hog Pod with Bo Mattingly
Sport & Story
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 6 October 2025
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
DJ Wagner has lived his entire life in the shadow of a name that carries weight in basketball circles. His grandfather, Milt Wagner, was a Louisville legend. His father, Dajuan Wagner, was a star at Memphis under John Calipari. Now at Arkansas, DJ is writing his own story—one built on family, competition, and an unwavering drive to win.
In this conversation with Matt Zimmerman, DJ reflects on the lessons he's learned from his dad and granddad, and how their influence shaped his approach to the game. He shares how his mom might be the most competitive member of the family, what it was like growing up in the basketball hotbed of New Jersey, and how playing for Coach Cal connects him to his family's history while pushing him toward his own future.
From the pressures of being one of the nation's top recruits to the mindset shift of "killer be killed" when he steps on the court, DJ opens up about the balance between humility and confidence, and the responsibility of carrying a name that means so much in the sport. This is the story of how DJ Wagner is honoring his past while proving he's ready to create his own legacy in Razorback red.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We got a great team, you know, a lot of great players, you know, a lot of guys who are great in their own way. |
| 0:06.0 | You know, but everybody is skilled, you know, everybody's a great basketball player. So, you know, I feel like they are here for a reason. And when it comes to playing against them and practice and stuff like that, you know, that's an honor, That's an honor because they're helping me get better. |
| 0:18.0 | Just being the great players they is, |
| 0:20.0 | they all great players and they all can play. |
| 0:22.0 | So just being able to guard them |
| 0:24.0 | and go against them in practice |
| 0:25.2 | it makes the game a lot easier for me you know just playing against other guys when you go out there |
| 0:29.7 | because you know it's easier you know once you're going against somebody in practice that's good |
| 0:34.3 | all the time you know once you get out there it's fun and that's the fun part so I mean when it comes to practicing against each other and stuff that's good all the time. You know, once you get out there, it's fun. That's the fun part. So, I mean, when it comes to practice and against each other and stuff, that's where we can make each other better at. That's something coach big on, like, competing because in the game, you know, they're not going to go easy on us. They're not going to give us certain cause or let us do certain things, you know, so just making sure we treat, practice just like the games. |
| 0:55.8 | So then once we get out there, we can do it together against other people. |
| 1:09.9 | Welcome into the hog pot. |
| 1:11.5 | I'm Bo Mattingly, and this episode is made possible by our friends at South by Northwest Hospitality. |
| 1:25.6 | DJ down the lane gets to the rim with a right hand Wagner gets it to go. |
| 1:30.8 | DJ Wagner grew up in basketball royalty. |
| 1:34.3 | His grandfather, Milt, starred at Louisville. |
| 1:36.6 | His father, DeWan, played under John Caliperi at Memphis. |
| 1:40.0 | And now, DJ is carrying on that legacy. |
| 1:44.0 | I still go back and watch old videos from my neighbors in college. |
| 1:48.0 | And it's really just a blessing just to be able to share that last name with being in my eyes and two legends they are. |
| 1:53.0 | The family legacy led him to commit to Cal. |
| 1:57.0 | And then he followed him to Arkansas. |
| 1:59.0 | He's not going to sugarcoat nothing. You know, he's going to be up front and honest with me. That's why I wanted to play for him, because I know he's honest, and I know he's not going to sugar-cooked nothing. Telling the truth. Family has been his foundation on and off the court. Having him in my corner is always, you know, he's my grandpa. He called me, just say what he's seeing certain games and |
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