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NBA ALL-STAR 2019February 15, 2019Jaren Jackson Jr.Charlotte, North Carolina Q. Do you remember your first dunk? JAREN JACKSON JR.: My first dunk? In the league? Q. No, ever. JAREN JACKSON JR.: Oh, ever. Yeah, it was in high school. My coach was telling me to dunk it. I think it was my freshman year. I never thought I could because I would try at the YMCA or something, and I could never do it. But Coach told me to dunk it, and everybody was watching. So I guess it helped, and I just did it. Q. In practice? Why did your Coach want you to dunk? JAREN JACKSON JR.: He just wanted me to do it. It was in practice. Yeah, it was like three-man weave, and I just dunked it. Q. Was it simple? Did you put any flair on it? JAREN JACKSON JR.: No, there wasn't any flair. I just had to get in there, left, basic. Q. Who do you think should be Rookie of the Year? JAREN JACKSON JR.: Do I think it's me? Q. No. Who do you think -- JAREN JACKSON JR.: Oh, it's me. I got to say it's me because then I got no confidence. Q. On Marc Gasol: JAREN JACKSON JR.: He led by example. He's a patient dude. He knows his spots on the court. He just does everything with ease. He's a veteran. Q. Were you disappointed that he was traded? JAREN JACKSON JR.: For sure. I definitely hate to see him go just because we had a relationship and he had a relationship with the community and everybody on the team. You got to continue to keep moving forward. That's what he wants anyway. Q. How were they the past few weeks with all the rumors about Mike Conley and Marc leaving? JAREN JACKSON JR.: You've probably got to ask them. It didn't really have anything to do with me as much. Q. How about the atmosphere in the locker room? JAREN JACKSON JR.: The locker room is cool. We're still normal guys. Really, honestly, we're just talking about whatever. We know it's in the air, but it's not like we can change it. We don't worry about it. Q. And now what's next for the Grizzlies? JAREN JACKSON JR.: What's next? We try to win these last 23. We haven't got many games left. Obviously, you don't know how the playoffs are going to work out. You try to win as many as you can to get there, but if you can't, just try to be the best you can in the last 23. Q. How did being Michigan State help you to be there with Coach Izzo, training? JAREN JACKSON JR.: Being at State helped me get a work ethic that was just crazy. It instilled me to work like that in the league. Q. What's it mean on a personal level to be here this weekend to be part of the All-Stars? JAREN JACKSON JR.: It's a blessing because it doesn't happen to everybody. It's not given. You work at it a lot. I'm just happy to be a part of it. Q. Looking forward to repeating in the next years? JAREN JACKSON JR.: Yeah, definitely. I want to continue to do this type of thing. It's just a great thing. Q. What's a hidden talent you have off the court? JAREN JACKSON JR.: I don't know, man. I kind of just hoop now. Hoop and I'm good at watching TV. Q. What's the most surreal player you've played against so far? JAREN JACKSON JR.: Surreal? Probably LeBron. It's LeBron. That's pretty much it, you know. Q. What's your favorite on-court moment so far this year? JAREN JACKSON JR.: On court? Shoot, there's a lot. We beat L.A. We beat Brooklyn. Any big win we had. I like them. Q. What's it been like 60 games into a basketball season, experiencing that for the first time? Has it been more physically demanding or mentally demanding? JAREN JACKSON JR.: Both, but mentally is big just because you don't know. Like you said, you don't know it until you go through it. So your mind's not trying to think like that. With the staff you got around you, you got the best of the best working with you. You get treatment, you get your body right. You got people to talk to all the time for advice. I got my family. I'm good. Q. Have you hit a wall during the season? JAREN JACKSON JR.: Hit a wall? No. You've just got to take care of your body. If you're eating bad, you probably hit the wall. That's what I would say. A couple times I think I've been tired, I'll say that -- back-to-backs and all that. In a sense, yeah, because your body's not ready for it. It doesn't know what to do with it. If you just stay on top of it, it should be okay. Q. For the Rising Stars, that means you're the cream of the crop of this class. What's it mean to you to be a part of this? JAREN JACKSON JR.: It's an honor. You take it for what it is. You understand you've got to keep working because someone is always going to come for your spot, but you're just blessed to be in this position. Q. Do you have your eyes set on being an All Star? JAREN JACKSON JR.: For sure, I want to play on Sunday. That's the goal, but that comes with the hard work. It's not given at all. You see all those people on Sunday, what they do every day, KD, all of them, LeBron, they just work at it every day. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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