NBA DRAFT

July 29, 2021

Corey Kispert

Q. What was kind of the lead-up to tonight like for you and how did you find out that you were going to be the pick?

COREY KISPERT: Yeah, well, I just came from DC to start with, like I flew in to New York from DC, I'm going to head right back. Just got a text or my agent got a text and kind of let me know about a pick ahead and spent all that time kind of thinking about what life will be like for me in a Wizards uniform.

Q. Apologies if this has been asked already, just what do you think about reuniting with Rui Hachimura? I understand he's pretty excited that you were just drafted?

COREY KISPERT: Rui's my guy. Spent a lot of really good time playing with Rui and developing a friendship with him. So, to be able to spend a little bit more time with him and play with him professionally is really, really cool.

Q. This has been quite a journey for you. How does it feel to be in this moment after four years of hard work at Gonzaga to get to this time?

COREY KISPERT: Yeah, you said it, it's just so much hard work and so much failure and trying again and failure and trying again, and sticking to it and kind of making games slowly and surely and it's been a long process. But every bit of it was worth it. So, I'm really ecstatic, I'm over the moon about the way it turned out.

Q. Last year you dabbled with this, went back to Gonzaga for one more year with this being your goal. Just, I guess, what's the last year been like for you to now see it be rewarded after all this work?

COREY KISPERT: Yeah, it makes it all worth it. So much hard work especially last year, a lot of resilience, trying to see the big picture when the immediate was so tough, and every single day and every single time I was in the gym is all worth it now, and I'm just so happy to be here.

Q. You said that you thought that the Wizards were a good fit for you, that the front office really kind of valued a player like you. What specifically about the Wizards did you like most?

COREY KISPERT: Yeah, especially just playing with Brad, to be honest. Having a guy like that who is so elite with the ball in his hands, I can create driving lanes for him. I can move pieces around and play off of him and make plays when he doesn't or can't.

So, I'm so excited to play with a player like that of his caliber and the front office clearly sees that, too and really believes in the kind of player that I can be.

Q. With the Summer League not too far away, just a couple weeks away, are you looking forward to going to the Summer League and what are some of your goals for your rookie year?

COREY KISPERT: Absolutely. I spent a few summers as a kid watching Summer League and Summer League games and they stick in my mind, they're a lot of fun and they're really cool from the fans' perspective, so I can imagine they're just that much better from a players' [perspective]. So, I'm looking forward to that and I expect really big things out of my rookie year. I expect to jump in and not skip a beat. I want to help Washington win and continue the push that they started at the end of last season.

Q. How does it feel -- I mean, I know you're coming from an already loaded Gonzaga team, how does it feel to be able to slide in with an All-Star like Bradley Beal?

COREY KISPERT: It's perfect. I can't wait to play with him and I can't wait to learn from him, too. I want to be a sponge and I want to be someone who just learns and grows and continues to be better and learning from a guy like that will help me do it.