L.A. Story

What was your favorite shoe growing up?

Back then, growing up, sneakers weren’t a big deal. I wasn’t a big sneakerhead, but as long as I could get a fresh pair of Nikes, Air Force 1s, white and black, I was OK. I had tons of them. They were my going out shoes. I had them in different colorways, white and black, white and blue, white and red, black and red, all different color combinations. They were easy to match your wardrobe. If you have special stuff, you could always wear white and black, and it goes great. It’s still pretty much my go-to shoe now.

What do you wear in games?
Last season, I wore the Nike Windmills and the Zooms. The Windmill is my favorite to play in. I’m not sure what I’m going to wear next season. But if I had to guess, I would say it would be the Windmills. I got the Hyperdunks, but I don’t really wear them. I’m collecting them.

Looking back on your rookie year, did it turn out the way you thought it would?
I thought my first year pro was going to be a lot tougher, really. Between trying to adjust to the travel, to a different lifestyle…actually, it was kind of easy. I guess being in college prepared me for this lifestyle. I don’t want to say it was easy, but it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.

What was the hardest part of last season for you?
The hardest thing was all of the prep for each and every game. The season was so long; I thought I wouldn’t break down. It’s playing basketball, something I love to do, but I was pretty tired at the end of the season. I was ready to take a break!

What are you up to these days?
I took about three weeks off after the last regular-season game and I’m back training, getting back into it. I work out every day, twice a day working out on the court and lifting weights and doing strength and conditioning with a trainer.

You grew up in a small town in Georgia. How do you find L.A. compared to the East Coast?
L.A. is a completely different lifestyle. There’s always something to do in L.A., always something going on. You can never get bored. I guess if you get bored in L.A., you’re lame! Tallahassee, where I went to college, is a small town, a football town. Everybody knows everybody, everyone says hello to everybody, everybody’s in everyone’s business! I like it out here. It’s a little more spaced out.

If you had free time, what’s the first thing you’d want to do with it?
Free time? I love movies! I’ll go out to the store, I think it’s every Tuesday and Friday, or Tuesday and Thursday, those are the days they have the new releases. And I don’t buy just one, I have to get like eight or so. And I watch them all!

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