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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 30, 2019

Glenn Robinson III

Oakland, California

Q. Glenn, you've been a good three-point shooter earlier in your career, but for whatever reason last season kind of took a step back in that department. Was there anything that contributed to that last season, and what can you do to get back on track?
GLENN ROBINSON III: Yeah, I think last season was a rough season for me. Playing time was up in the air, this being my sixth year, I know how things can go, and you've got to be ready and stay ready at all times. But I think just the value of my opportunities was kind of low, and I think I got on the court towards the Playoffs, Blake got hurt, and had to step up and make some plays.

But I've been a great three-point shooter in my career, going back to since college, so I think that I'm very excited for this season, being on this team where the reps will be there, open shots will be there, and it will be on me to knock them down. So I'm very excited I think for the first time in my career that I've had a team telling me, we want you to take three, four a game plus, and I think that those are the shots that we want to definitely take and implement.

Q. Glenn, do you consider yourself a candidate for the starting small forward position, at least until Klay comes back, and do you consider yourself a small forward? Does that position label even matter?
GLENN ROBINSON III: I think that the versatility that I can provide to this team, the 2, 3, 4, that's what I'm excited about, because playing against the Warriors for five years now, tough to guard, and they're kind of positionless in a sense. But I do think that I'm definitely a candidate for that spot, and that's what I'm competing for every day. It's exciting. I hate to see guys go down, but with Klay's injury, it'll open up a huge opportunity for me, and I've talked to him about it, and he's excited for me, as well, as well as Zo, and a lot of other guys. So I think it'll be a great opportunity.

Q. Coming into this team that's had so much success and now you find yourself in the position to be able to earn playing time, what do you think specifically you're going to have to do to impress the coaching staff?
GLENN ROBINSON III: I think the way that I play the game, coming from Michigan, knowing how the league works and the way that the game is played now, to be able to play both sides of the court I think is important, especially with Klay being out. So I'm very excited to have that opportunity to step up and guard some elite-level guys. I've got Draymond behind me, and the way that he talks, knowing him for a couple years now, I'm excited to kind of strap up on the defensive end. But at the same time, proving that I move without the ball. I think that if you had to kind of describe a little bit of my game for a lot of people who don't know me, Andre Iguodala in a sense, that I'm able to kind of slash and knock down shots, and just play with that intensity and that excitement that he had, and I talked to Andre, as well, coming here, as well as watching a lot of video and film on him and what he was able to do here in his time here. Definitely excited to kind of show off that part of my game. I've always been a back cutter, slasher just naturally, and kind of having Draymond direct some of that off of pick-and-roll and obviously Steph, I'm excited to be able to play with those guys and play the right way. I think that the game is simple, it's easy when you play the right way, and it'll be on me to knock down open shots.

Q. You mentioned studying some video of Andre. Have you looked at video of this offense, and have you envisioned how your particular game would work with these guys that are still here?
GLENN ROBINSON III: Yeah, I have. You know, I've watched a lot -- tons of film. Making my decision in free agency to kind of come here, that's what I was doing, as well, and obviously playing against them for years, and knowing Coach Kerr, the way he likes to implement guys into their strengths. Like I said, I've always been a guy who can read and make other plays, who can cut, I don't need the ball in my hands necessarily all the time, and playing off of great shooters and great players in this system, I think that it'll be very impactful for me, and I'm excited because I think for the first time in my career, like I said earlier, it'll be the biggest opportunity that I've had, but as well as I really see myself fit here with this system, with the team, and the open runs that we've had so far playing with Steph and D'Angelo. I run the floor, just try to make the game a lot simpler than what it needs to be, and I'm excited for it.

Q. To this point in your career, the high point has probably been winning the dunk contest. How important is it for you to look back on your career and not just be known as a guy who won a dunk contest but to be known for a lot more than that?
GLENN ROBINSON III: Yeah, I think that's important to me. Winning the dunk contest, that was always a dream of mine since I was a kid, and going there and doing that two years ago was definitely fun, and it's been one of the highlights of my career, but I think that now I'm able to show a little bit more of my game, I'll be able to show more of my talents, and even include some of that athleticism in the system, it'll be important. Like I said, playing so far with Steph, we've had a couple lives, we've had a couple of his crazy full-court passes, all that stuff, so I'm definitely excited.

Q. Free agency is a whirlwind for fans and for media members alike, and teams, of course. Can you walk people through what it was like from your perspective to be a free agent and looking at various teams and being pursued?
GLENN ROBINSON III: Yeah, so I went through free agency two years in a row now. Two years ago, I had the whole league, a lot of interest expressed. But last year going to Detroit, the playing time, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. The situation didn't go exactly as planned, which is great. Everything happens for a reason, and I wouldn't be in this position now. But on the same sense, the Warriors was looking at me that year, too. So to be here and going through the process again this summer, it kind of came down to just a couple teams rather than it was like the whole league last year.

But last year I was one of the first -- kind of one of the first wings to go, and then this year coming into the summer, it was like, all right, I've got to wait for Kawhi to go, I've got to wait for a lot of other wings to go. This year was kind of a little bit more just pressure and it was a lot -- nerve-racking. I've got my mom calling me, you hear anything? So I think that it was two different ballgames for me in free agency, but I think that it's very stressful. But it's a unique experience, and I thought it was pretty cool to be able to go through both times.

Q. The Warriors and even people outside have talked about the culture over the last few years. I am wondering if you have a sense yet of what that might mean, and was that one of the things that attracted you to this situation?
GLENN ROBINSON III: It was. It was. You know, just little things like coming -- obviously we've got the brand new beautiful Chase Arena, but coming into practice every day, it's a different vibe from the coaching staff to the players. We've got music going all the time. It's a fun environment to come in, and you really want to come to work, and you want to get better and have fun while doing it. You don't see a lot of guys mad or upset. We get on each other, but it's not like we're here and disappointed or no one doesn't want to be here. I can definitely tell the environment is different. They're about positivity. You miss a shot, who cares, we're on to the next play, next shot. I definitely think that it's a great environment to be around, and it was part of my decision.

Q. The league continues to get more and more global, lots of international players. You had Giannis winning the MVP last year, Spain winning the World Cup. Curious on your thoughts on the league getting more global.
GLENN ROBINSON III: I think it's definitely exciting. I think with the amount of players that we have just from different countries, it's cool. I think that I've been in the locker room with a lot of different guys who speak a different language and I'm learning constantly, I'm learning I want to travel and go. But I think that it's also in a sense changing the game. When I came in, I feel like it wasn't as influential as it is now with those players. I think from a guy like Jokic with his passing, just all of them are able to play, and from what I know when you're younger over there, they kind of teach you the full game in other countries. Here we kind of put a limit, all right, you're tall, put your back to the basket. So they kind of teach them the whole game, and I think that's definitely implementing to our country, and even young kids, everybody wants to be able to shoot, dribble and be athletic, so I think it's definitely changing the sport for us.

Q. You spoke about getting the opportunity here, obviously, but then you also talked about going into free agency back to back years. How much of a priority was it to you in looking at your decisions to possibly find a long-term fit?
GLENN ROBINSON III: Yeah, it was definitely important. I think that here is a place that I know that I can be successful. I thought that I could really make an impact on a team right away. It being year 6, you don't want to have another disappointing year, which is not going to happen. But I think that you definitely go into it with a lot of thought. I can't be mad at anyone for last year but myself because I made that decision to go to Detroit. And we learned. You know, I think that's part of being my own CEO, being a businessman. You learn on those type of decisions.

I think that coming here, I definitely see myself more of a fit here and being able to play with everybody on the team and really have success here. That was important to me. So to lock in two years was definitely important.

Q. I just wanted your comments on Governor Newsom here in California signing a bill for student-athletes to be allowed to be paid for their image and likeness.
GLENN ROBINSON III: Yeah, I can't speak on it too much because I don't know too much about it, but we were just talking about it a little bit in the locker room before coming up here, and we just kind of joked about every kid is going to want to go to college out here in Cali, and it is a beautiful place, so I don't blame them. But I think we'll see a lot of that. I think that it's time. A lot of people are waking up and starting to see how much money these universities and colleges are making off of players, and I think that it's important to know -- it's important to know that they do matter. I think I've seen a lot of guys, even in my case where I went to school, a lot of players couldn't afford lunch and had to eat the food at the cafeteria, which isn't the best. So I think we'll start to see a lot of changes, so I'm happy that they're trying to kind of implement something to kind of help those kids out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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