CAMDEN, N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers big man Andre Drummond is in his 14th year in the league and has been able to accomplish a lot in his career. He has been named an All-Star twice and he has established himself as one of the game’s dominant rebounders at this stage of his career.

With Drummond possessing so much knowledge, its natural for the younger players to lean on him a bit. Guys like Adem Bona, Johni Broome, VJ Edgecombe, and a number of other younger Sixers have been in his ear asking him questions in an effort to become better players in this league and to take steps forward in their respective careers.

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It’s a role that Drummond has begun to seriously embrace in his career.

“This group of guys keeps me young,” Drummond laughed. “It keeps me young. Just their slang and their lingo and how they hang out. It’s pretty dope to be in that circle with them, too. I’m their OG and I hate it. I hate hearing that word so much, but it’s an honor to have these guys ask me about my career and things that I see and come to me for advice, too, so it’s a full circle moment for me because I was one of those guys, too, who would ask a vet different questions about the game and how I can be better.”

Before Drummond was the grizzled veteran he is today, he was a young guy coming up in the league doing the same thing these youngsters are doing at the moment. For him, as a young player with the Detroit Pistons, he leaned on a franchise legend–and Philadelphia native–for his NBA eductaion.

“I think I leaned on Rasheed Wallace a lot in my career when I had him,” Drummond explained. “He’s kind of the reason why I play the way I play. He kinda put that dog mentality into my mind of, like, not backing down from anybody and protecting the guys that are around you because that’s the kind of guy that he was.”

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Wallace won a championship with the Pistons in 2004 and was named an All-Star four times. He established himself as a big man who could step outside and shoot the basketball while also taking on some serious defensive responsibility and on the glass. Drummond learned from him which then allows him to help the youngsters on the Sixers.

“He’s really the reason why I really started taking rebounding really seriously, too,” Drummond added. “I’ve always had a knack for it, but he’s like ‘Yo, you can be the best ever if you really focus on this’. So, big shoutout to Rasheed. That’s my guys. A lot of my success, I give to him.”

Drummond, after all the lessons he has learned in his career, now passes those on to the younger players on the roster.

“Now, being 14 years in, and having them come ask me is just, like, I’ve been doing this for a while,” he smiled and finished. “It’s pretty cool to shed some light to these guys, too. That’s pretty exciting for me.”

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Andre Drummond discusses becoming the OG for Sixers’ younger players