- Who in the NBA have you played a game of 2K with and they've beaten you?
- Nobody. What? ♪♪♪
- Zion, what is up? So much to discuss today, but how you feeling?
- I'm feeling great. How about yourself?
- I'm feeling good. You know, I'm always happy when I get to
play some games. So that is what we are gonna do right now.
Gonna play a game called Heads Up!
It's my favorite.
A word is gonna pop up on the screen.
And you are gonna get me to guess it or I'm gonna get you
to guess it. You're gonna go first.
So close your eyes. [Laughing]
Cuz you can't see the word on the screen.
All right. And the category for this one is basketball.
OK? Ready.
OK, this is the team in Texas
that's not San Antonio. NBA team.
- Uh, Houston?
- Houston what? Yeah, Houston.
[Ding] - The Rockets.
- OK, this is Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum's team.
- Um, the Boston Celtics? [Ding]
- Yep.
OK, so this is when you—the person who's breaking
down exactly what's happening on the court, they're giving
you a...
- Commentator?
- Yeah, but what is that called?
- [Sighing]
[Buzzer] - We'll skip that one, we'll skip that one.
OK, this is the Olympic squad
that was great.
Michael Jordan was on it.
Laettner was on it.
- The Dream Team?
[Ding] - Yep.
When you have to go in the huddle during the game,
your coach calls a...
- Timeout?
[Ding]- Yep.
Uh, this is right before the Elite Eight.
- Sweet 16?
- Yay! You got it at the buzzer!
Listen, I have played this game with a lot of athletes,
and they have not done as well as you.
That was, that was impressive.
- OK. You don't have to hype me up. - [Laughing]
So speaking of games, you, of course,
are part of the new 2K22.
Have you gotten a chance to play it yet?
And if so, what were your first impressions?
- I haven't played NBA 2K22 yet,
but a part of the game I'm looking forward to playing
is the Mountain Dew 3-Point Shootout.
I think I'mma put my player in that a lot.
You know, just so he can win a few of those, just cuz.
But I'd say that's my favorite part I'm looking forward to.
- So right now you have a rating of 89.
Do you agree or disagree with that number?
What's your take?
- All right. I have two takes on it.
My first take: They blessed me with the cover last year.
I am forever grateful.
Second take: When I stopped playing, I was a 90.
Nothing happened since then.
What, what, what did I do for it to go drop down a rating?
- Mmm. - But hey, that's just me. It is what it is.
- [Laughing] No, listen! State your case.
Why should your number be higher? I wanna hear it.
- Why should my number be higher?
Because I'm me. Like...yeah. - [Laughing]
No guy is ever satisfied with what their number is.
Whenever the ratings come out, it's what
everybody's tweeting about and Instagramming about
is that they didn't get this number right.
So tell me that process of going to find your rating
and the thing that first comes to your mind when you see it.
- Well, when I first hear about my rating,
it's usually from Twitter,
and I thought it was a typo at first. I was like "Oh, typo."
You know, took a double, double-take.
I said, "Oh, 89. OK." Like, whatever. It is what it is.
- So what do you want your number to be by the end of the season?
What's, what's the goal here for the rating?
- Ahhh, 94, 95. That's my goal.
- OK.
We made a special deck that is all catered to you.
So now I'm gonna close my eyes
and you get me to guess these words, OK?
- All right.
- OK. All right. Eyes are closed.
- Uh, can we skip that one? [Buzzer]
I was on the cover of this video game last year.
- NBA 2K.
[Ding] - OK.
Uh, I played—he coached me in college.
- Oh. Uh, um, Krzyzewski.
[Ding] - OK.
Uh, the team I play for in the NBA.
- New Orleans Pelicans. [Ding]
- OK. Uh. [Buzzer]
Yeah, it— [Laughing]
- You have to admit, Heads Up!, it's a little harder than you
think when it's described, but it's always a fun game. [Laughing]
- It was fun, it was fun.
I'm gonna name some players. You tell me what you think their rating is. OK?
- OK. - All right.
KD.
- Knowing 2K and knowing that they're
not gonna give him a 99 or 98,
I'd say a 96.
- OK, what do you think LeBron's number is?
- 96.
- Giannis.
- Uh, 96.
- Steph.
- 96.
- So it seems like you kinda know where I'm going with that.
So all—those are the four guys that are all 96.
But the talk online was KD saying he felt he should be a 99.
LeBron also chimed in and said that he feels that Kevin should be a 99.
You said you agree it should be 99, but you know he's 96.
What makes KD a 99 player?
- I think we all witnessed it last year in the playoffs.
He just put on a basketball clinic, and I feel like anybody
who respects the game of basketball, you just know how to
appreciate greatness in what we saw.
- So even though all of those guys are 96s
and they all agree KD's 99, including you, you have KD here.
If you had to rank those other guys, what would you rank them?
- Off, off respect and what he's done for the game,
I'll give, I'll give LeBron 99.
I mean, he's—what he's done for the game,
nobody else has done, so I give respect when it's due.
Giannis, I'll give him a 97, 98, you know.
Championship, won it in Milwaukee, got a lot of respect for that.
Curry, same thing. 97, 98.
Nobody does what he does.
- What was the first 2K version that you played?
- I think the first 2K I played might have been
like 2K6.
I think either Shaq or D-Wade was on the cover.
- When you play 2K, do you play with the Pelicans?
Do you use another team? What's your go-to?
- I mix it up. I'll play with the Pelicans and then I'll play
with some of my other friends in the league,
just to try to learn their game,
to see what 2K thinks about 'em.
Like, strategic stuff like that.
- So would you consider yourself a gamer
or at least a 2K gamer?
- I consider myself a 2K gamer.
- Mmm-hmm. How good would you say you are?
- OK. On a normal scale? I'm a 10.
- Yes, on a normal scale.
- I'm a 10. If you're talking about real-life gaming,
like, professionals? I'm a 4.
Right? I'mma just be honest. - [Laughing]
Who in the NBA have you played a game of 2K with and they've beaten you?
- Nobody. What? - So no one in the NBA has ever beaten you at NBA 2K?
- I haven't played a lot of people, but no, no one has beat me.
- Well, Zion, thank you for your time.
I'm excited to see what the game looks like.
And I will also be keeping track if you actually hit
that 95 this season.
- Thank you for having me. And, you know,
hopefully I'll get there. Hopefully.
- You will.
- If 2K rates me correctly,
hopefully I'll get there. - [Laughing]
All right, bye! ♪♪♪