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NBA ALL-STAR 2020February 14, 2020Rui HachimuraChicago, Illinois Q. How much do you look forward to competing in the Olympics? RUI HACHIMURA: As you can see, a lot of media is following me right now, like basketball in Japan is literally growing every year. I'm so excited, especially playing in the Olympics was like my dream, like to play in the NBA. I'm so excited about this year and the Olympics coming and to represent my country. Q. Rui, is there a time throughout your career, whether it was back home or in college, that you say all the work paid off to get you to this point today? RUI HACHIMURA: I mean, I'd never -- I couldn't even imagine, especially like playing at All-Star and stuff. I'm really so thankful to be here right now, and a lot of -- like you can see, a lot of people in Japan are watching, going to watch this game. I'm so excited to represent my country. Q. What kind of impact has Julio Lamas had on the Japanese National Team? RUI HACHIMURA: He's a great coach. He's a great guy. He's obviously one of the best coaches in the world for FIBA. This year, the Olympics coming, I'm so excited to play with the team, yeah. Q. You met him in the States, right? RUI HACHIMURA: Yeah, he came to watch my games, and we talked about the future and stuff. Q. Will he come to your games throughout this year? RUI HACHIMURA: He knows -- I'm young, so he's just trying to be -- like I got to be aggressive to be known defensively, offensively. I've got to be aggressive every time I play. Q. Who do you think is the MVP front-runner at this point? RUI HACHIMURA: MVP, like regular season, the whole thing? I want to say Brad [Bradley Beal], but I think Giannis is going to get the MVP again, back to back. Q. What did you do for dinner last night? RUI HACHIMURA: Went to some Italian place. I love Italian. Q. Who do you think is going to be the MVP of the Rising Stars? RUI HACHIMURA: I mean, it could be Zion and a couple other players. I think we're going to win, yeah, for sure. Q. How will you outplay them? RUI HACHIMURA: Just got to be aggressive and jump higher. Q. How do you feel about playing with your old Gonzaga teammate Brandon Clarke? RUI HACHIMURA: He's a great guy. He's very funny. I have a lot of stories, but I'm just excited to play with him today. Q. Did you grow up idolizing Michael Jordan at all? RUI HACHIMURA: Yeah. Q. I find it interesting a lot of guys who idolize him didn't see him play. What about him made him someone that you could look up to? RUI HACHIMURA: Right now like you can see his playing on YouTube and stuff, back in the day. Especially like I like how he -- like I like his moves and stuff, like the fadeaway and stuff, I watch a lot. Especially like I like his brand, like Jordan Brand, and I signed with them. I'm so happy about it. Q. What can you learn about competing from someone like that? RUI HACHIMURA: Just like I got to play every game, like practice, play hard. I've got to make an impact on the defensive and offensive side. I think that's what he did. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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