NBA DRAFT

June 22, 2023

Cason Wallace

Q. What will you bring to OKC?

CASON WALLACE: What I'll bring to OKC is a lot of energy, great spirit and somebody who wants to put in work every day and have a fun season.

Q. What does it mean to you to get to play with another Kentucky guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

CASON WALLACE: It means a lot knowing that I can learn a lot from him, seeing how his past experience was at Kentucky, seeing how he liked Oklahoma. I feel like I can learn a lot from him.

Q. Just being involved in a trade, when did that exchange just happen?

CASON WALLACE: I was at the interview, and it was like, yeah, you're going to Oklahoma now. I'm like, okay. Fine with me. I'm just happy to be in the NBA now. My name was called, and I'm coming to a great organization.

Q. I assume you knew that when the pick was made? How did you find out that the Thunder were trading up to select you?

CASON WALLACE: I knew when the pick was made. I wanted to be surprised with my name being called, so I didn't know when I was going to be called. But I knew about the trade.

Q. What was the experience you had when your name was called?

CASON WALLACE: A lot of emotions with my family, my parents. They were excited. My dad, my mom, my brother, my cousin. We all went through it from day one. Just finishing it off with them was great.

Q. At the Combine you said that it would be a lot of fun to play next to Shai, and you just talked about playing next to Shai. But what about the other guys, playing next to Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort?

CASON WALLACE: They definitely have more players than just Shai. But playing with all those guys, it'll be fun. There are a lot of young players, so we all can grow together and see what happens.

Q. Have you been to Oklahoma City? How familiar are you with it?

CASON WALLACE: I definitely will be fine in Oklahoma. There's not much to do, but it lets you stay focused. That's the main goal. I feel like I was out there for a workout, and I have been to a game before. So I'm perfectly fine with being in Oklahoma.

Q. Is there anything you want to work on before the season starts?

CASON WALLACE: Definitely work on my shot, get a better shot. Being able to create my own shot and create for others.

Q. How are you going to celebrate this milestone? What's next for you?

CASON WALLACE: After this, me and my family are going to go eat together, my agents. We're just going to take it all in and head to Oklahoma.

Q. I know you spent some time with the Jr. NBA back in 2018. What would your 2018 self think about where you are now in this moment?

CASON WALLACE: He would definitely be surprised by the suit (laughter). But he'll have somebody to look up to. He would be proud.

Q. You've talked a lot about Shai specifically in the past couple days. Do you know him at all, and what can you say about watching his game and wanting to look at the way he does things?

CASON WALLACE: I don't know him personally like that, but I watch his game. I like his pace. I like how he can create his own shot. I like how he's just a good person in general. He's somebody good to look up to.

Q. Did you ever follow OKC growing up when Russell Westbrook was there, Kevin Durant?

CASON WALLACE: Definitely was one of my favorite teams, a team that I played with on 2K back when I played. But that team right there, it was fun to watch.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your suit? What's HPT stand for?

CASON WALLACE: Hamilton Park, Texas. It's my neighborhood I grew up in. I just wanted to send a message to everybody out there that thinks that they can't make it as far as they want to because of where they come from. I'm just living proof that it doesn't matter where you come from, just stay true to yourself and whatever you set your mind to, you can accomplish.

Q. Are you looking forward to being in Oklahoma City, being not too far from home?

CASON WALLACE: Definitely. It's a nice drive for my family, if they want to come. But it's just a great spot. It's right there, but it's not too close to home to where they're there every day. I've got a little distance but not too much.