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NBA DRAFT 2016

June 23, 2016

Buddy Hield

Brooklyn, New York

THE MODERATOR: Talk about what you'll bring to New Orleans, please.

BUDDY HIELD: First of all, I want to say hi. I'm speechless right now and thank God I got the opportunity to play with New Orleans picking me. When I go there, I'll be a high-character guy, bring a lot of energy. I know most of you guys watched me during the year, I'm a scorer. I can shoot the ball a lot. Love to shoot. And I feel like when I go there I can open up the floor for Anthony Davis and other guys to be able to penetrate. And for a guy like Anthony Davis, they have a guy like me who can shoot the ball really well, can keep the floor spaced. Create more space.

And Coach Gentry, I got to talk to him when I was in Anaheim and he came to Newport and watched me play and he envisioned us playing fast, and that's how I usually play. So I want to go there, give it my all and work the best and learn from him.

Q. I was speaking to somebody who's from the Bahamas earlier this week, how proud are you to be the third NBA player selected from the Bahamas?
BUDDY HIELD: I'm so happy, man, not only for me but for all the kids back in the Bahamas. The norm is that we never make it out there. To be one of the few that make it out there, so being one of the few that makes it out there helps me give to the kids and inspire them, like okay, there will be more that will make it out there.

I'm just happy for the Bahamas, really. Put them back on the map, and for all my friends and family.

Q. Did you get a chance to visit New Orleans? What do you know about New Orleans?
BUDDY HIELD: I know they've got a lot of good food down there. A lot of good food, and to be honest with you, I played LSU down there with Ben Simmons. We played down there, and they have a lot of good food. Close to the Bahamas -- not too close, but right around the corner, but it's something like home. There's beaches down there. Not like the Bahamas beach, but it's warm, so I'm down with it.

Q. I think everyone was happy when you got your name called because everyone loves you. Does your nickname "Buddy" have anything to do with the movie "Elf" or Will Ferrell?
BUDDY HIELD: My mom, you can talk to my mom. She's by the table. But she gave me -- back in the day she used to watch "Married with Children" with Bud Bundy, and she named me Bud. She said, no, we can't name him Bud because there's somebody down the street named Buddy, and I didn't like the person. So they added the Buddy to it. So it was a cool story. She knows the whole story, though.

Q. The tournament was great for you until the very end. What have you learned since then that you need to work on and get better at?
BUDDY HIELD: Work on everything. You know, I haven't watched that game yet, and I probably won't watch it. What Villanova did to us, they came ready to play. College is so different from the NBA. You have three guys coming at you and trapping all over the place, and NBA is different. There's more space.

You can't really compare college to the NBA, but I know the reason why I played so bad because I was their main focus and I didn't get going and my teammates didn't get going, either.

You know, it's a game that I can learn from, but I won't watch it because it's a bad taste in my mouth.

Q. Yesterday we spoke at length about what it meant to you to come from the Bahamas and basically help to put the nation back on the map. You look at yourself and you look at Skal, you look at a lot of guys that play for the Canadian national team. About 20 years ago a lot of European players started getting drafted into the league. Is it safe to say now that the Caribbean is somewhere that should be looked at more closely by scouts as a potential hotbed for basketball talent?
BUDDY HIELD: For sure, no doubt. I think the Caribbean has been overlooked because guys don't really have the resources to get out and guys are less fortunate to make it to the U.S. and get scholarships and for people to come down and see them.

You think about the Bahamas, you think it's this island full of beaches and chilling on the beach, but there's a lot of freak athletes down there that can play, and a lot of guys better than me who I feel like didn't get an opportunity like me, but when I got my opportunity, I took full advantage of it.

Q. And can you talk a little bit about your relationship with Mychal Thompson? You mentioned him yesterday, as well.
BUDDY HIELD: Yes, Mychal Thompson, he's always been a good role model for us and kids back in the Bahamas, too. It's neat because he always comes down, him and Klay bring down, Klay brings some of his NBA friends down there, too. The relationship is cool. It's a great bond, and he wanted me to go to LA. He kept telling me, because he's down in LA, but I love Mychal a lot, and I learned a lot from him, and when I get to the Pelicans, I'm just going to keep learning from him to better my skills.

Q. How did you wind up in Oklahoma of all places?
BUDDY HIELD: Funny, cool story. I came, doing a showcase in the Bahamas. I got picked up by this guy named Coach Kyle (Lindsted). He asked me to come to his school and he gave me a scholarship to play for his prep team and I took it. It was a Christian school my mom really liked the school, and we liked it. So I started my journey down there when I was 17 years old. And the guy Chris Crutchfield, he came to the showcase when I was like 13 years old and I was trying to showcase, trying to get looked at, and he saw me down there, and when I got older, he saw me and Oklahoma had a job. So he told Coach Coop about me and said, "This guy can really play." I was under the radar. Nobody really knew about me. I had a great summer. I'm AAU. The coaches saw me. I really chose Oklahoma because I trusted the guy Coach Crutch because I saw him multiple times, so I ended up in the right place. It's a right fit for me.

Q. So they drafted you for your talent but the Pelicans, what are they getting from you as a Bahamian?
BUDDY HIELD: High-character kid who's going to -- that's known for his basketball but also known for helping around the community, for doing whatever it takes to win. I hate losing, and just a kid that's willing to put in all the effort he needs to to make the organization better.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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