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NBA DRAFT 2019

June 20, 2019

De'Andre Hunter

Brooklyn, New York

Q. Summarize how this night has been, how you're feeling.
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: I can't really explain it right now. I'm just really happy. A lot of nerves, a lot of excitement going into tonight. I'm just happy that I got picked pretty early.

Q. You said on TV you only worked out for the Hawks. Did you have an inclination this was going to happen?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: I didn't know they were going to trade up to the fourth pick. I know they were trying to do something to get earlier in the draft. I mean, it was just a decision between me and my agents. Atlanta was the one place I did work out for.

Q. Is it weird to have that Lakers hat up there when you know you're going to the Hawks?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: Yeah, it's a little weird. I don't have any problem wearing the hat.

Q. What does it mean to you, the Hawks gave up all that capital to move up because they had their eye on you from the beginning?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: It shows that they believe in me, that they have trust in me. They have a plan for me as well. They think I'm a great player. I'm just hoping to help the franchise any way I can.

Q. Did you get any word before the draft this was happening? News broke about an hour before. Did you know much before?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: Yeah, actually Kyle Guy texted me. He said, "Yeah!"

I was like, "What are you talking about?"

He said, "The Hawks traded up to four."

I was pretty happy about that.

Q. What do you know about the Hawks? What do you think you can bring to them when you get to Atlanta?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: I think they have a great young nucleus. They have great coaching. Trae Young is a great player. Kevin Huerter. John Collins. Those are all great young players. I feel like I can come in, provide a defensive spark, score a little bit on the offensive end and do the things needed to win.

Q. I imagine this is something you've been envisioning for quite some time. What was going through your head when you finally heard your name called?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: I mean, my heart was beating in my chest. I was so nervous. Once I heard my name called, it's hard to explain. I just wanted to hug my family. I wanted to share the moment with them.

Q. What are you feeling now about your friends in Philly, how happy they are for you, your time in Philly, what that meant not only to you but to them?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: It's amazing. I'm straight out of Philly. I represent. I just want to be a motivation for the kids, the younger people that look up to me, want to try to do the same thing I'm doing. I'm just trying to be motivation for them.

Q. What is the significance of your necklace and who is on it?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: Yeah, it's a picture of me and my dad when I was a baby. I was about eight months maybe. My dad passed away when I was in first grade. I just want him to be here with me. I want him to get drafted with me. He's seeing everything I'm seeing right now. So he's right here with me.

Q. You've already had one teammate, Trae Young, tweet out he's ready to go to work with you. What is it like having that support already with your teammates?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: That's great. That's coming from the Rookie of the Year possibly. He's a great player. The fact he's excited to work with me just makes me excited to be there, to get the ability to be able to work with them.

Q. What was your dad's name? I understand he was drafted, as well. What was that situation?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: No, he wasn't drafted. Not to my knowledge, no.

His name was Aaron, though. Yeah (smiling).

Q. You talked a lot about the Hawks. You got a Lakers hat up there. Any special plans for it? Put it in the closet and save it as a memento from tonight?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: I don't necessarily know what I'm going to do with it. Probably give it to a Lakers fan. Have them wear it.

Q. Obviously, have you been communicating with Kyle and Ty [Jerome] throughout the day?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: Yeah, we texted right before the draft. Ran a group message. We were telling each other how excited we were for each other. We've been waiting for this moment for our entire lives. It was a goal we set out since our freshman year. I can't wait to see their names get called.

Q. How do you feel your experience over the last two years, going from the lows to the highs, will benefit you going into the NBA?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: I feel like I've been through it all kind of in a sense, from redshirting, to the next year not playing as much, not playing great, not getting a lot of minutes really, to getting hurt again in the tournament, losing like that in the tournament. It taught me a lot. I felt like it really matured me as a player. Off the court as well.

Q. What are some of the moves or skills that you are looking forward to adding to your arsenal over the summer before the league starts?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: Just being a great shooter. Working on my shooting. Working on creating off the dribble. Those are things I've really been focusing on. Trying to keep everything good as well -- my rebounding, my defensive ability, trying to be an all-around player.

Q. How does it feel to have Jaxson Hayes as a teammate?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: Yeah, it's great. I've been talking to him a little bit when he was here. He's a great dude. I saw him at Texas a few times. He's a great player. Can really protect the rim. Having a great young guy like that will be really good for us and the team.

Q. Do you feel the team can rebuild around you two young guys, get going right away?
DE'ANDRE HUNTER: I mean, possibly. That's not up to me. That's up to them. They already have great players there. I feel like all together we're going to be a pretty good team.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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