- You know, in high school, college on coming up.
The thing about your game is, “Oh, he's a dunker.
He's a dunker. That’s all he do.
He dunk.” And I know you heard it as well.
But when did you feel like
was there year where you showed everybody that you ain’t a dunker?
“My mid-range game is one of the best in the league.”
I can do this.
I can do that and I can hit big shots.
- Probably.
I want to say my fourth or fifth year.
Where I really kind of like put it all together. My rookie year
was tough cause I was the only rookie. I played with Chris Bosh, Türkoğlu,
Jose Calderon, Antoine Wr-, you know.
- Yeah, - Like I played with a bunch of older dudes
so that next year we was terrible.
So I'm trying to figure out my third year you know, just trying to-
it was a lockout year, so it was tough.
So going into like my fourth, fifth year, that's
when I really just felt comfortable and
felt like myself. I could do more
and I can show more than just being an athlete and dunking the ball.
- Yeah. Did that lockout help that out?
- Yeah. It helped-
it helped the confidence because, you know, it's only so much working out
you could do.
Then everybody know, we all played all, that whole lockout.
- Yeah. - Every week it was playing.
During the weekends, even stuff that wasn’t on camera.
All we did was play, you know what I mean, so to gain so much confidence
in playing against pros consistently built confidence
to a whole ‘nother level to where
coming out that lockout, it was, you know, I was ready to go.
- Now you're journey is to Chicago. I know it was a lot of teams
that you could have decided that you you wanted to go to but why Chicago?
What you see in Chicago that you was like, “Man I'm intrigued to play with them guys.”
- Besides the
you know it being one of the best cities ever in the world.
- That’s definitely a fact - besides it being one of the best cities.
What they was building.
You know obviously it was a big you know, you- I paid attention to-
we all know how to work when certain moves are made during the season.
So when they made that move for Vucevic
early, earlier- midway
through the season last year I'm like, “All right, let me see what this is.”
And a crazy thing.
A lot of people don't know me and Vuc been like trying to figure out
how to play with each other for years.
- I totally overlooked that y’all played together. I forgot that.
I missed that whole part.
- So, you know, we always, when he was in Orlando,
we always would be like “Let’s figure it out.” You know what I mean, “Let’s figure it out.
Let's figure it out.”
So when that happened, it was like, “All right.”
I remember playing against each other.
This past season, he was like, “You're a free agent this summer.”
I was like, “Yeah.” He was like, “I’mma call you.”
You know what I mean?
So when I seen that happen, obviously I've always been a fan of Zach
hell of a player, a hell of a talent, and deserve everything
that's coming his way, you know what I mean?
And wanting to be a part of that.
That was the dynamic that I looked at and obviously
you bring in Lonzo Ball, another player
that has so much potential
that haven't been sought out.
It just felt right.
You know what I mean?
It just felt right and it’s something that I want to be a part of to where it was like,
“All right. Well, let's do it.”
It took me back to that whole underdog
mentality that I had my whole career to where it's like,
you know, imagine go there and winning in Chicago.
- Oh, yeah. It’s going to be crazy.
You about to get some of the best fans in the world,
on the planet, period.
Loyal, down for you, going to be with you and going to cheer and support.
What I want to know is
now you come as an OG, you know what I’m saying? We talked about it earlier.
You walked in the door,
19 year old young boy, you know, rookie, young.
Now you come into a team and you you know, you've been with the Raptors
as long as you've been there.
You've gone to, you know, San Antonio and I feel like,
you know you had to learn some great stuff from Pop and that whole organization.
What do you feel
that you bringing to this Bulls- cause like you say they're relatively young.
You got Vuc who's a vet kind of like you are, Lonzo
and Zach aren't young, young guys, but they’re still young in this league.
They still need, you know, got some learning to do.
So what do you think you guys will bring to that team?
- Especially for me.
I mean, everything other than, you know, in my career I’ve
did everything other than make the finals yet.
You know what I mean? So with the experience that I've had
throughout my years, playing with great coaches, great players,
understanding the game, understanding
what it looks like when, when the ups and downs come, understanding the mentality
and maturity, you got to have to stay even-keeled through it all.
You know, a lot of that becomes contagious when you have that in the building.
I think that's the importance of just always having great vets around
that understand the game overall, you know what I mean?
Once you get that element and aura around other talents that haven't
experienced it, it becomes contagious and it could carry on to the court.
And, you know, that's that's my goal.
Obviously to work that thing and everything being there, but also that veteran
understanding and leadership that I could kind
of put everything together that I'm just excited to have
with all these players, that one, I'm fans of and two, that deserve,
you know, to experience what it feels like to win.