NBA DRAFT

June 23, 2022

Jaden Ivey

Q. What are your emotions right now? What are you feeling, and what's your advice to young players who one day want to get to the NBA?

JADEN IVEY: It's just a dream come true for me. You know, I can remember sitting, a young boy, watching some of the great players get drafted. I didn't want to stop until I was walking across that stage, shaking the commissioner's hand.

It's just a dream come true. For all the kids that have dreams and aspirations, if they put their mind to it and they work hard, they can accomplish it.

Q. What is it like knowing that your mom has been through this process? How much of an impact does she have on your life now?

JADEN IVEY: It's actually an amazing story, to have a mother who has been in the league. You don't see too many stories like that, and the bond that we have is special. I thank her for all the things that she's done for me. I know I wouldn't be on this stage, I wouldn't be here, without her.

Q. You mentioned that you were a fan of Carsen Edwards growing up and now you're reunited with him, both Purdue guys, What does it mean to you?

JADEN IVEY: It means a lot. I look up to Carsen. He's one of the reasons why I came to Purdue, just to see how much he worked. He's just a special talent. I'm excited to join him.

Q. Obviously you can't control any of this process but I was curious if you heard the same things we did, oh, the Knicks want to trade, every team wants to trade up for you. Curious if that's the kind of thing you hear, your agents hear? Are you able to zone that out? Curious what goes through your mind in those 48 hours as we get close to this moment?

JADEN IVEY: My agents controlled all that.

Q. Were you surprised, though?

JADEN IVEY: Yeah, they called me and just told me what was going on in the loop. I didn't dictate anything. So I'm just so blessed to be a Piston. That's the way it played out and I'm looking forward to getting down there.

Q. What was your mom's biggest advice?

JADEN IVEY: I think the biggest thing is if you want something in life, you have to work hard for it. I've seen her work late nights, watching film, working hard to make herself better.

I just learned that from her, and it's what got me here today.

Q. What's the first thing you're going to buy with your NBA paycheck and who are you looking forward to playing against?

JADEN IVEY: Definitely a vehicle. One of my favorite vehicles. What was your other question?

Q. Who are you looking forward to playing against?

JADEN IVEY: Playing against, definitely LeBron, someone that I looked up to and idolized. Playing against him would be really great.

Q. I know we talked to you about the Knicks, leading up to the draft, and even after you drafted, like Twitter was like, oh, the Knicks are still trying to get him. Have you talked to the Pistons, like, hey, we're keeping you, don't worry about any of this other stuff?

JADEN IVEY: I mean, after the workout, it was a great workout and I really liked the organization. I really had no clue where I was going to end up at. When I heard my name called, it was crazy.

Q. So at what age were you able to beat your mother one-on-one?

JADEN IVEY: That question comes up a lot. I actually never really played my mom one-on-one. She was a coach. Her being a coach, I was trying to get all the help I can get, trying to learn new moves. Anything I can get from her, I would ask her for.

Q. Where does your game come to in the NBA? Some have compared to you Westbrook. Where do you think your game compares to an NBA player?

JADEN IVEY: Definitely Ja Morant, Russell Westbrook, guys that have the speed and athleticism. I feel like I've been working on my mid-range a lot more this summer and I feel like I can showcase that as well. Players like Michael Jordan and D-Wade.