Well, on Easter of sophomore year of high school, me and my brother found my dad dead on our living room floor.Collection: Easter
This is what you dream about when you're a kid: You dream about March Madness, you dream about the NBA playoffs.
You want to be able to play for a championship, play for your city, play when it matters.
I focus on myself and getting better every day.
Three games in four days, that's the NBA.
I feel like I've always been a pretty good ballhandler. It's kind of like second nature to me.
I've got a great support system with my family and my teammates.
Being in Ann Arbor, if I wanted to go from my apartment to the gym, I could get on the bus and it would be a two-minute ride, or a 20-minute walk.
Usually I get a feel for cities real quick, but Brooklyn is different. It's something new every day. But that's what makes it so special, that's why there's no place like it.
I went through the foot injuries, as well as other things, that have kept me grounded.
I feel like I'm a lot more mature than some people are.
U-M has provided me the chance to live my dream of playing college basketball and to earn a Michigan degree.
Kids are fun, so they ask all types of questions.
I just have a lot of fun playing the game.
That comes with playing basketball, just nicks and bumps and things like that.
I feel like I can adjust, and I can play pretty much any role that I'm put in.
For me, it's whatever happens, happens. I'm just excited to play basketball. It's a blessing.
I feel like it's just a mindset, a mentality. Whether you're starting or coming off the bench, I feel like my game is very versatile, so I can do both things.
I can get hurt walking down the street.
I think any time you put in a lot of work and you're trying to believe in a process, be dedicated to that one-percent-better mentality, you need to understand you may not see the fruit to your labor tomorrow or the next day or the next week.
There's just so much free time. In college, you've got study hall, classes, film - all that stuff. In the NBA, it's just practices, games and that's it.
Myself, my little brother and my cousins have all been victims of racist police or prejudice, getting pulled over in a car and having to search the car for no reason.
I play hard. That's how I play the game.
I gave up red meat and pork - I love burgers and steaks so it's been tough.
Obviously as a player, it's good to feel wanted, and it's good for other people to acknowledge what you've been doing on the court.
I love it here in Brooklyn, and I want to play here a long time.
I feel like every single year I've gotten better and I want to continue with that trend.
I try to look forward, not try to go back.
The work I've been putting in, I've kind of just been preparing myself for every situation. I've been doing a lot of off-the-ball shooting, catch-and-shoot shots. And preparing myself to play on the ball as well.
I've been through a lot, not only with basketball, but with life in general.
I'm from the Midwest, so I know what Indiana basketball is all about and I'm very blessed to be a part of it.
You just have to stay the course, you can't get too high or too low on yourself. There is always going to be those highs and those lows, but you have to stay even keel yourself.
I'm a worker, I'm someone who loves getting better and embraces the grind.
Basketball is a fun game.
In the second group, we all know we can play, we all know we can impose our will on the game just like the first group can.
I try to take on the challenge and lead the second unit. If we're up five, trying to push that lead to 10 or push it to 15, make our mark on the defensive end.
Things happen, you have bad shooting days, the defense kind of figures you out.
Getting into the paint is easy. Seeing if the help comes is easy - they either come or they don't. The hard part for me is seeing early where it's coming from and when - and if I can still finish, or if I should pass it off. Deciphering all that without overcomplicating it has been a challenge.
I had big dreams and I really knew I wanted to do big things, but I wasn't sure how I was going to go about doing it.
I think that my jump shot could be more consistent. That's something I'm working on.
College is a lot different than the pros.
My dad pushed me really hard as a kid because he understood that I could be great. He saw the drive that I possessed, and the talent, and he didn't want to see it go to waste. So he pushed me. When he passed away, I had to push myself. And I wasn't going to be denied.
I try to look at each situation and try to find a positive out of each one.
Michigan is a very special place and the college experience only comes once.
I know I can be great. I don't really worry about that word 'star' too much though, 'cause I feel like that's very subjective to the audience. But I know I can be great. I have the will, the want-to. I feel like God has blessed me with the physicals, I feel like for me it's all mental.
For me, the most important thing is to get my body healthy and make sure I live a long life.
One moment my dad and I were swapping stories about the basketball games; a few hours later he was gone. Forever. Just like that, with no goodbyes.
After everything I've been through, I'm well-equipped to overcome challenges, believe me.
After my dad died, all I wanted to do was work as hard as I possibly could to accomplish all the things that I knew would have made him proud.
The thing that wakes me up in the morning is tryna maximize my day, every single day.