NBA ALL-STAR RISING STARS

February 17, 2023

Josh Giddey

Team Joakim

Press Conference

Q. How much fun was that for you?

JOSH GIDDEY: A lot of fun. A lot of fun getting to play with a bunch of guys from different teams around the league, sophomores and rookies. It's always a fun time coming to All-Star Weekend and getting to play in those type of games. It would have been great to cap it off with a win, but overall had a great time.

Q. You have the kind of game that fits these games pretty well, right? You like to share the ball and get up and down.

JOSH GIDDEY: Exactly. That's how most teams want to play in these type of situations, get up and down, move the ball, I think. Unselfish teams are going to win these type of games.

Just trying to get guys involved, get guys looks. Quentin got hot in the second game, but as I said, it would have been great to win the game, but a lot of fun out there.

Q. Six assists in that first game. You seemed to be just zipping the ball around everywhere. How much fun was it to kind of play your brand of basketball?

JOSH GIDDEY: Yeah, it is fun, and the thing about it is, it's easier than it looks trying to fit in your game to different play styles with guys you've never played with before. You play against and watch them on TV every night, so you understand how they play. I was trying to get guys loose, get guys involved.

Fun night, but, yeah, I mean, that first game I was just kind of moving the ball around. Everyone was getting on the rim. Quentin was hitting threes. The guys were working well.

Q. I asked Jalen Williams if he was going to get a dunk tonight, and I think it was his first touch basically that he dunked it. What were your thoughts?

JOSH GIDDEY: I knew he was going to get a dunk. That's what he does. He leads the NBA in dunks for guards. So, we knew he was going to get one. He tried a couple of others, but he was good out there tonight.

Q. You guys all season long have been playing teams that are much older than you. What was it like to be with your peers, guys that are in your same age range?

JOSH GIDDEY: It's awesome. That's why it's so fun, getting to play with guys that are the same age as you. You kind of get to be a vet when you are a sophomore.

So, it's a lot of fun out there. Guys you see all around the league, you don't have anything to do with them, and then you come together on All-Star Weekend and get to form relationships that maybe you never would have got to form if it wasn't for this event.

So, a lot of fun. And I formed life-long friendships from last year, and I will from this year.

Q. Tell us about the coat.

JOSH GIDDEY: The coat, yes. That was probably my most bold choice I've ever -- I think I've ever worn. I mean, I just wanted to -- it's All-Star Weekend, so you have to dress up. And I just decided -- I saw a photo of Justin Bieber wearing a pretty similar coat, and I told my agent I want to wear it. And he got it customized, and we got it made just in time for All-Star Weekend.

Yeah, I wanted to do something. I think it went well tonight.

Q. What did you think of Shai sitting courtside too?

JOSH GIDDEY: He was looking good courtside. I knew he was coming out tonight. It was awesome to see guys supporting us. Especially when you have an All-Star on the team to make the time to come out and watch me and Dub [Jalen Williams] play in these type of games. It means a lot more than what he would probably know. You know, there's a lot of NBA guys watching their younger guys play tonight, so it's awesome to play in front of them.

Q. How does it feel to be part of a young team that is sort of growing together, and what do you see for you guys over the last few months?

JOSH GIDDEY: It's exciting. It's a perfect spot for where I wanted to be able to grow with guys. We're all in very similar parts of our careers, and we're all kind of headed in the trajectory together.

Especially, we started from pretty low, and we're slowing building that back up. It's exciting. I love the team we've got. The organization is awesome, and I'm really excited for the future.