WEBVTT - #thisleague UNCUT: Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis 0:00:02.600 --> 0:00:07.000 The NBA's annual Summer League in Las Vegas is upon us, 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:11.280 and so on this edition of this League Uncut, we 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:16.000 have a special guest joining Chris and me. It's Bulls 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:20.680 rookie Modest Basilis that's next here on this League uncut. 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:24.880 Welcome to this League uncut. 0:00:25.880 --> 0:00:27.880 In the rule of twenty four hour NBA News. 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:29.040 This you lo. 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:33.760 Chris Hanes. It's co tull Work's time. 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:42.200 It's so nice. This League uncut is underway and on fire. 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:47.080 This should be a good one. 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:49.360 Let's bring him in now. 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:55.240 Bulls rookie Modest bozellis joining us here about to begin 0:00:56.040 --> 0:01:00.480 his NBA career, the Summer League portion of his NBA career, 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:07.080 as a member of your hometown Chicago Bulls. It has 0:01:07.160 --> 0:01:10.360 to be surreal. I know you've already been practicing, but 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:16.520 too has it sunk in yet that you are a Bull? 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:17.920 Yes, it has sunk in. 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:21.200 It really sunk in, like after the draft, Like as 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:23.720 soon as the draft happened. You know, I think everybody 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:27.240 saw it was emotional, but you know, just being at 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:30.600 the training facilities like surrounded by you know, the championships 0:01:30.640 --> 0:01:33.880 and all that, it's just it really, it really got 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:34.200 to me. 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:37.480 Were you a Bulls fan growing up? 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:40.720 Because I know in your generation it's not automatic that 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:43.520 you just fall in love with the local team, But. 0:01:44.280 --> 0:01:46.200 Is it safe to say you you grew up a 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:46.720 Bulls fan. 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:51.800 I wasn't really a fan of any team, but I 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:54.000 was like a fan of players. So de Rose was 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:56.800 like that guy, like he was like the savior of Chicago. 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:57.880 Everybody thought that. 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:01.960 So, you know, watching him and that team, you know, joking, Nola, 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:04.640 Taj Gibson, all those guys, it was. 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:08.360 That was like the most memorable thing for me. 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:11.680 But I was never really a fan of any teams. 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:13.560 That's how I am. 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:18.760 You know, I'm forty one now, and people that's usually 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:22.440 my age they grew up fans of teams and me, 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:26.320 I was one of the lone guys that I like players, 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:31.000 and I would follow players wherever they wherever they went. Uh, 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:33.480 this is not this is not particularly on your career 0:02:33.600 --> 0:02:36.960 right now, but this question, but do you find that 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:40.079 people in your age group, do you find some more 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:44.520 so that they like players more so than teams. 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:49.959 Yes, I could safely say that I think it's it's 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:52.880 more of a like when a when a player gets 0:02:52.919 --> 0:02:56.000 traded or goes to a different team, they think they're 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:57.800 not they're not really rooting for that team. 0:02:57.800 --> 0:03:00.240 They're rooting for the player to win. They want him 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:00.480 to win. 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:03.160 So I think that's the same that's the same case 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:05.800 with me. I was, you know, rooting for Kevin Durant 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:08.200 in ok See and then he went to the Warriors. 0:03:08.400 --> 0:03:11.079 I'm rooting for Kevin Durant again. You know. It's it's 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:13.399 kind of like that now nowadays. 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:16.080 Okay, So, so Kevin Durant, he took a lot of 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:18.680 heat when he went to Golden State. So as a fan, 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:22.000 as a fan of Kevin Durant, how did you process 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:25.280 him going to go to State? Were you accepted? Did 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:27.440 you accept that move to go to State? How was 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:28.400 it for you as a fan? 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:31.240 Yeah? 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:34.440 You know, players can make whatever the moves they want, 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:38.200 doesn't It doesn't matter to me. He goes out and 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:39.760 earns it at the end of the day. You know, 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:41.960 he's he's working hard every day and that's what you 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:43.240 have to respect about players. 0:03:43.800 --> 0:03:46.560 And so, Matts, I want to talk about your you know, 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:48.080 what's about to happen right now. 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:50.360 We're about to start Las Vegas. 0:03:50.080 --> 0:03:54.480 Summer League, and there's a documentary on Las Vegas Summer 0:03:54.520 --> 0:03:57.880 League and how it started and the careers that were 0:03:57.960 --> 0:04:02.160 catapulted from those summers, like from Lebron James. I mean, 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:05.040 there's too many stars you can name that who have 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:08.440 played in the Las Vegas Summer League. Some have some 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:11.520 good stints, others did it. You know, Summer League is 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:16.159 not always uh indicator if you're going to have success 0:04:16.240 --> 0:04:18.599 or not. But how are you going into summer league, 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:21.800 Approaching Vegas Summer League where you know all eyes are 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:24.400 going to be on the top rookies like yourself. 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:28.719 I'm approaching it as you know every other game that 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:29.320 I've played. 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:31.200 I don't see it differently. 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:34.120 It's just now I'm at a bigger stage, of course, 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:36.360 But you know I'm going in there trying to win. 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:38.520 That's that's what I That's what I want to be, 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:41.040 and a two way player. I want to impact both 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:43.400 sides of the floor defense, offense. 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:45.360 I want to be a good teammate. 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:47.520 When I'm you know, sitting on the bench cheering for 0:04:47.640 --> 0:04:50.839 my teammates, you know, stuff like that. It's it's like 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:54.039 a normal game to me, but you know the intensity 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:54.680 is going to be high. 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:55.960 Everyone's trying to earn a job. 0:04:57.880 --> 0:04:59.960 I know you've done a lot of interviews all d 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:04.400 even though you've only been in the NBA. 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:05.680 For a couple of weeks here. 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:08.039 So I want to ask this differently because I know 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:10.719 you are probably sick of the questions of how emotional 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:13.360 you and your family were, So I want to look 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:15.839 at it from a different light. In a lot of 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:19.159 pre draft projections, a lot of mock drafts had you 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:21.960 going as high as number five to Detroit. 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:24.960 So just walk us through what that was like. 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:30.680 Detroit ends up picking your G League IGNIT teammate Ron Holland, 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:34.960 but then at eleven you go to the team in 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:37.440 your city, this historic franchise. 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:37.960 The Chicago Bulls. 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:41.719 Just that whole roller coaster of emotions and how much 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:45.840 were you paying attention to the mock drafts going into 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:47.400 the whole process. 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:52.479 Wasn't really paying attention to the mock drafts? Of course, 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:54.800 you know, you see them when you scroll down and 0:05:54.839 --> 0:05:57.160 you're looking, you know, through Instagram and all that. 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:00.839 But I'm a basketball player. 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:03.680 I don't really look into media and stuff like that. 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:06.800 I know, like it's a business. As much as I 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:11.240 hate to say it, but you know, yeah, I saw 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.800 like all the projections going like five, I saw two, 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:17.760 like four all that. No people thought I was a 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:20.560 lot top five pick. But now at the end of 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:24.320 the day, when you're on your team and you're on 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:27.159 you're on your team and your about to compete against everybody, 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:29.880 the pick doesn't matter. You know, it's it's zero to 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:35.360 zero against everybody. You know, nobody has a unfair advantage. Uh, 0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:38.640 it's it's a fair advance. I mean, it's a fair advantage. 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:40.760 That's what it is for everybody. So it doesn't matter 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:46.800 if you're one, two, three, five, fifty eight, it's it's 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:48.400 zero to zero. 0:06:50.120 --> 0:06:52.480 I do wonder, though, now that you are a bull, 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:56.960 how much have you reflected on your interviews with them, 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:01.800 conversations working out for them When you look back, are 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:05.280 there things that tip might have tipped you off to 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:07.479 how interested they were in you that you can look 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:10.280 back now and say, oh, yeah, they actually something they 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:12.520 said in our sit down, let me know that these 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:13.400 guys really like me. 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:18.880 Not really, they they they came to watch a workout 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:22.680 in Vague and not in Vegas, La, and that's really it. 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.400 And then I sat down at Combine with them to 0:07:25.480 --> 0:07:28.640 talk for like twenty minutes. So there wasn't really any 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.160 indication you know that they that they well they said 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:34.400 to my agent that they liked me, but they didn't 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:37.120 They honestly didn't think I was gonna go like eleven. 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:39.080 Not low, I mean it's not low, but you know 0:07:39.160 --> 0:07:39.680 you know what I. 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:42.080 Mean, right, But they didn't think you'd be there. 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:46.680 Yeah, they didn't think I'd be there, and so as 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:48.960 soon as they saw that I was still there, they 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:50.120 decided to pick me. 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:50.760 But I didn't. 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:52.680 I really didn't think I was going to go to Chicago, 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:55.120 you know, sitting there at draft nights. So I mean 0:07:55.960 --> 0:07:58.680 they believed in me the most, and that's what matters now. 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:01.320 So when when even is about to be picked, were 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:02.600 you genuinely surprised? 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:04.800 Like what like? 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:05.120 For me? 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:06.160 Yeah? 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:10.040 Like I guess just explain to us the emotions when 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:12.880 Detroit picked at five, did you think they were taking you? 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:16.440 And then when when you heard your name called it eleven? 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:19.960 How expected was that or how surprising was it? 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:24.440 Yeah? 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:27.920 So I mean, walking into I thought I was gonna 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:32.520 be like top ten, but I mean it got to 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:36.640 pick eleven and they picked me. And as I said before, 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:40.920 it doesn't matter what pick you are. Yeah, it matters 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:44.040 about the situation that you're in. And Chicago picked me 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:46.280 and they they believe in me, and I'm gonna work. 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:50.679 As hard as I can. You know, so I was. 0:08:50.840 --> 0:08:53.959 I was a little surprised, but I'm happy. It doesn't matter. 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:55.199 You're in the NBA now. 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:55.240 So. 0:08:57.600 --> 0:08:59.240 Let me let me talk. I want to talk about 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:02.520 your path to get into the NBA. You took an 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:07.280 unconventional path, and it's a path that's no longer available anymore. 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.720 So obviously, coming out of high school, you want the 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:13.360 top players in high school, numerous colleges, you could have 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:16.040 picked any college you wanted to go to. You chose 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:18.200 to go to the G League path the G League 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:22.200 at night. Two part question please. The first part like, 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:26.000 how was that experience for you? Would you do it 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:26.760 all over again? 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:31.360 Definitely do it over again. 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:37.280 Uh, honestly, it was the best experience ever playing against 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:42.400 the best players. I had, NBA coaches, NBA trainers, you know, 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:46.400 just people who worked in the NBA. Also a therapists, 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:50.480 you know, everybody, strength conditioning coaches. It's just really the 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:54.320 NBA experience out there. And I couldn't thank them enough. 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.400 They did an amazing job. And people think it was 0:09:57.440 --> 0:09:59.600 because of our record that got shut down, but it's 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:00.480 not true at all. 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:06.080 It's it was a great experience. I would do it again. 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:09.320 Yeah, the record has For people that think that the 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:11.680 record had nothing to do with it, it's just the 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:14.720 fact that now the college landscape has changed, where the 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:18.280 NIL deals, where players can actually get paid. 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:19.760 Uh, it's not even. 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:20.600 That, it's not even that. 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:23.120 Explain it to us from your seat. 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:24.680 Yeah, explain for us. 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:30.679 So ours got shut down because of the boosters didn't 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:33.400 give us any more money like that, And it was 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:36.080 it was tough. It's tough to drag you know, people 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:39.160 out of Vegas to go watch teenage kids play, you know, 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:44.120 outside of Vegas twenty twenty minutes away. So it was 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:47.720 just tough, you know, getting fans there. And but you know, 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:49.840 it was it was mainly that. It wasn't because the 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:53.400 NIL or a record. It was just we we didn't 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:56.000 you know, it wasn't a positive investment. 0:10:56.640 --> 0:10:57.679 Okay, I understand. 0:10:57.720 --> 0:10:59.800 I'm glad you said the record straight you and know 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:04.160 more than any of us. I did want to ask 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:08.120 if you did if the Gen League at Knight wasn't 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:12.120 if that wasn't a scenario where do you think you 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:13.640 might have played college ball. 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:18.880 At probably Florida State or Wake Forest? 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:21.720 Why those two in particular. 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:26.760 Florida State because the way you know, the power forwards 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:30.200 played there. So after watching like Scottie Barnes, you know, 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:35.840 even Patrick Williams, the way they developed and they played 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:39.679 the right way, and the Wake Forest it was just, honestly, 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.000 it just felt different than any other college. It was 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:46.240 a Lithuanian connection with one of the coaches, Coach Forbes too, 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:49.240 just really cool, really cool dude. And the way they 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.480 said I would play for them, it fit perfectly. 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:56.200 I don't know, c ch I heard cal State Fullerton 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:59.079 was in his top three. That was what my sources 0:11:59.080 --> 0:11:59.680 were telling me. 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:02.520 I don't know if he's even heard of cal State. 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:06.200 They were in his top they were in they were 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:11.200 they were in his top three, really top ten. You 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:13.440 know you mentioned the record though, and I don't just 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:16.080 want I mean obviously, what was that like to go through? 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:19.200 I mean, you guys really took a lot of lumps 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.760 this season with the Ignite. What do you think that 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:25.320 experience is going to do for your career going forward? 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:27.840 Because you guys, I mean, you were playing against men 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:30.679 who are These guys are all desperate. 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:31.400 To get back into the NBA. 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:35.000 And I mean, I'm sure that was an experience you're 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:35.760 not gonna forget. 0:12:38.080 --> 0:12:41.160 You know, it's tough losing. Of course, everybody knows. Nobody 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:43.720 likes to lose, no one wants to be a losing person. 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:48.240 I mean it really shaped us into the people that 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:51.840 we are today. Like everybody that came to Ignite is 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:55.440 from winning programs. So like Ron, I think I saw 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:59.480 a stat on Ron. Ron, I think lost six games 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:04.720 totally high school career, something like that. Cherry Baba, all 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:08.000 them guys they were killing in the bl You know, me, 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:11.239 I came from Sunrise. I was competing for a national championship, 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:15.360 high school national championship. So we all came from winning programs. 0:13:15.360 --> 0:13:17.760 But it was just super tough to lose. And we 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:20.079 had we had so many I didn't I don't want 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:22.679 to make excuses, but we had veterans that were hurt, 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:27.960 a lot of veterans that mattered, you know, And it 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.480 really just made us into the people that we are today. 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:32.920 And people always thought the G League is weak, you know, 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:36.480 looking at you know, you sometimes see the comments and 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:38.600 people think the G league is in a good league, 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:41.920 and those guys are they see we play on NBA 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:45.800 TV every night at home, so they're coming in. They're 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:48.800 trying to kill you. They're they're not taking it lightly. 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:54.440 They don't want to know teenage teenage kids to beat them, 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:58.640 so they're really going one hundred percent effort when they play, and. 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:01.040 Man, makes us better. 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:03.880 So that's what I was gonna say. 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:06.200 On the flip side, it has to make you more 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:09.360 NBA ready, right than had you played even at a 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:14.160 top college. I mean, you have played a level closer 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:16.839 to NBA than most other rookies at this point. 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:18.120 Yeah. 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:23.000 I mean, with all due respect them, some guys are 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:25.240 not even gonna touch the G League that played in 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:26.880 college who they're competing against. 0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:28.960 No, that's just real. 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:32.440 And those guys that we play in the G League, 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:36.920 like Lance Stevenson, Kenneth forar Reid, they're like they're trying 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:40.000 to get back into the NBA, you know, and they 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:45.080 won't they won't lose the chance, uh and the opportunity 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:46.160 to try to get back in. 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:55.760 And that's why I said, like just when I was 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:59.440 talking about the record, not mattering, like you guys are 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:03.560 young kids. You're seventeen eighteen, nineteen years old. And one 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:06.440 thing about you guys is that you come into the 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:09.400 G League at night as a target. You guys are 0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:12.040 a target because everybody is looking at you guys. 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:14.120 Oh, you guys are the future. 0:15:14.200 --> 0:15:17.720 You guys are the anointed ones. Okay, you guys are 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:20.480 going to have a as you mentioned NBA TV, you 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:23.160 guys want to have a platform, right, so when we 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:25.960 play you guys, that is our time to show and 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:29.960 showcase what we And so that's a level of let 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:34.040 me see, that's a level of being targeted that you 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:37.800 wouldn't face in college. Because you're going into college, you're 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:39.560 going to be the guy, you know what I mean. 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:41.360 People still know you're the guy. Even though you're a 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:44.640 freshman coming in. People still know, Okay, this guy is 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:46.960 a one and done talent. 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:47.880 He's the one that you know. 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:50.720 And so I think that's going to help you when 0:15:50.800 --> 0:15:53.880 you're when you are playing your rookie season for the 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:56.800 Chicago Bulls. And that's what I wanted to ask, Like 0:15:56.840 --> 0:15:58.560 I wanted to ask because you know, a lot of 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:00.880 the money that's being paid to college A players now 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:04.080 and people may say, well, if you can, if you 0:16:04.080 --> 0:16:06.240 could do it over again, maybe you would go to 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:09.640 college and experience that. Did you feel any type of 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:13.160 way about just just the college experience nothing else. Did 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:15.920 you feel any any type of way about not having 0:16:15.960 --> 0:16:16.720 that experience? 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:20.920 Nah? I didn't. 0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:23.600 I mean, of course, you know, I'm watching March Madness, 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:28.280 all the fans going crazy, But I mean I'm playing 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:32.560 NBA rules and using an NBA ball, playing against NBA players, 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:34.320 and that's what you want to be at the end 0:16:34.320 --> 0:16:37.640 of the day, you know, And that's what I picked. Also, 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:42.400 getting back to the you know, the target thing. Like everybody, 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:46.280 once I made my decision, everyone's like, modest, You're gonna 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.040 have an X on your back. They're going you know, 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:51.760 they're they're going to try to kill you. And you know, 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:54.720 I said, I'm like, how am I going to get better? 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:57.760 They don't if I don't got a target a lot back. 0:16:57.800 --> 0:16:59.440 You know, I expect that. 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:03.040 So how if I don't have an X on my back, 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:06.439 I'm They're not going at me and I'm not. I'm not, 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:11.120 you know, getting better as a player. So that's that's 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:12.440 what I want to. I want to I want to 0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:14.280 compete and play against the best always. 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:18.520 But I always ask incoming rookies this question. 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:23.960 And for the regular fan, they may not know the 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:28.040 difference or understand that there is a difference. Minus, tell 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:32.520 me the difference between the balls that are used high 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:35.520 school and college and then the balls that are used 0:17:35.600 --> 0:17:37.919 for the NBA. And tell me how much of an 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:41.119 adjustment period is that to use those balls. 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:49.520 Man, big adjustment. I mean there's like there's way more 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:50.760 grip on a college ball. 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:51.600 Yes, you can. 0:17:52.040 --> 0:17:54.600 It's easy to palm. You can control the ball, like. 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:58.480 And then the the NBA ball is like rough, the 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:00.600 new one, especially as soon as you get it like 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:02.720 out the package and you don't you don't have it 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:05.880 broken in. It will a little slip out your hand 0:18:06.000 --> 0:18:09.320 even when like and like look at like look at 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:13.000 my finger right now. This is from shooting NBA balls. 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:14.959 Like that's how rough. That's how rough it is. 0:18:15.000 --> 0:18:16.680 He's holding up a blister, America. 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:17.359 That's what it is. 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:22.199 No, And I tell people that all the time, Like, 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:24.879 you know, I play you know, I played college basketball. 0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:28.439 Never no, no pro, didn't sniff pro. But uh, you 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:31.439 know that's and I still play rec league. But I 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:35.840 know when I go to an NBA practice and sometimes 0:18:35.840 --> 0:18:38.600 the NBA team will let us shoot around before players. 0:18:38.680 --> 0:18:40.880 Are you ready to come in and speak to us? 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:43.639 And I hate the feel of that ball. It feels 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:45.679 like an outside ball. It feels like a ball that 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.440 should be used outside. And but for me, the struggle 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:51.520 with that. I know it's an adjustment period because rookies 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:53.800 always talk about it like how long did it take you? 0:18:53.840 --> 0:18:56.040 Do you feel comfortable with it right now? Are you comfortable? 0:18:56.520 --> 0:18:58.240 Yeah? I've been comfortable with it. 0:18:59.440 --> 0:19:02.520 And really the pens when you get it like right 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:05.320 out the box and it's not broken into, it's very 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:08.360 it's very tough to play with, like, but when it's 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:10.840 broken into, it's not bad. Your hands get used to 0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:14.800 it probably, And I mean if you're working out three 0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:18.680 four days to really to really adjust to the ball, But. 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:23.760 When it's right out the packaging, it's nasty. 0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:25.959 Yeah, And you can't go back even like when you 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:29.040 go back to college, like say you go play, say 0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:32.600 you want to play a pickup or something like that, 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:35.400 it's like you don't want to go back to another ball. 0:19:36.359 --> 0:19:39.400 Because then you gotta adjust again. And that's exactly that's 0:19:39.440 --> 0:19:42.240 why I'm I'm like very superstitious like with basketball. 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:46.560 So when i I'm never using another ball like ever, 0:19:46.920 --> 0:19:48.520 Like if. 0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:50.000 My homie Saint comes to the gym, I need to 0:19:50.040 --> 0:19:53.360 bring I need a break. I'm not going because I'm 0:19:53.359 --> 0:19:56.080 not using a different ball. It'll mess you up really fast. 0:19:57.480 --> 0:19:59.440 By the way, just to clarify, the media is really 0:19:59.520 --> 0:20:01.720 not support to shoot even if the court is open, 0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:04.240 but Chris loves to just rip the ball off the 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:07.280 rack and get a few shots to whether he's allowed 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:11.240 to or not. If I read right, I hope I 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:14.359 did because this this will be a question no other 0:20:14.440 --> 0:20:17.240 reporter will ever ask you. But I believe you chose 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:21.160 number fourteen to wear this season, and I would love 0:20:21.200 --> 0:20:22.920 to hear your reasons why, and then I'm gonna get 0:20:22.920 --> 0:20:25.760 and then I'm gonna tell you a story about the 0:20:25.800 --> 0:20:28.960 most famous Bulls number fourteen, even though it was not 0:20:29.040 --> 0:20:31.840 a real player. And even Chris Haynes, even he's too 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:35.199 young to understand this, but please tell us, please enlighten 0:20:35.280 --> 0:20:36.680 us on why you chose fourteen. 0:20:38.160 --> 0:20:43.160 So my so my numbers really thirteen, Like that's that's 0:20:43.200 --> 0:20:46.439 really my number. I was born October thirteen, two thousand 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:49.840 and four, so like that, that's why I picked that. 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:54.240