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NBA DRAFT

June 23, 2011

Darius Morris

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

DARIUS MORRIS (No. 41)
Los Angeles Lakers

Q. Your thoughts on going to the Lakers?
DARIUS MORRIS: It's a dream come true, and I have to thank God for blessing me and bringing me a long way. And also Michigan and Coach and everyone else that has helped me to get here. When I heard my name finally called, it was a relief, but also at the same time, definitely put a chip on my shoulder, getting picked 41st, but that's just the story of my life. Never been a favorite, but always been one of the best. So I'm excited about the future.

Q. You come from a system with hard-nosed defense with Coach Beilein; how will you fit into this system?
DARIUS MORRIS: Very well. Defensively, the point guard has to set the tone on defense, and I'm excited about that. And also, our system, we do a lot of pick-and-roll, and Mike Brown is also familiar with that. So really excited. Definitely it's a great fit for me. I know people might frown because it's the second round, but ti's a great opportunity for me.

Q. Being a southern California kid, what does it mean to be drafted by the Lakers specifically?
DARIUS MORRIS: To be drafted by an L.A. powerhouse, I witnessed them do some great things and never in a million years did I think I was going to be playing for them or get drafted by them. Definitely a dream come true, to stay close to my family, something I didn't get to do for college.

Q. What they lacked in the post-season was a young point guard, and seems you could bring that to the table.
DARIUS MORRIS: Yeah, Derrick Fisher is a great player, has always produced in his career. A great player but I'm a little bit aller than him, and just provide a different look for them.

Q. Talk about the journey for you, how one door closed and another opened.
DARIUS MORRIS: It's very exciting. I put a lot of faith in God because the journey might lead you to a lot of different places that you don't even expect, like the Lakers, to return all the way back home, where it all started for my professional career. It's crazy. It's mind blowing. There's been a lot of ups and downs and they get me here and all my hard work paid off.

Q. Talk about crossing paths with Tobias.
DARIUS MORRIS: It was a little crazy because I ended his career and he's about to start a new one. Saw Bruce Pearl, it was a little ironic, but we are there together today, just both starting a new door.

Q. You grew up in Los Angeles, and now you're back there, but what did you learn going away to college across the country?
DARIUS MORRIS: Going away I learned a lot. I learned how to be a man, how to adapt on my own, and really overcome adversity when it was thrown at me. Now I'm ready. I'm able to come back home and be focused and be on a mission.

Q. Can you talk about being on the same team with Kobe and Derek Fisher, I think you were four or five when they were drafted. So tell me what that's going to be like.
DARIUS MORRIS: It's going to be wild. But I'm ready and it is crazy, watching those guys on TV, especially in L.A. Watching them win championships now to be with them, it really is a dream come true. So like I said, I can't wait to learn from those guys, they provide a lot of wisdom and I'm just ready to soak it in.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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