NBA Draft Wednesday, November 18, 2020 Bristol, Connecticut, USA Obi Toppin

OBI TOPPIN: I want to have a brotherhood. I want to Q. I know you didn't expect to fall to the Knicks at 8. build the relationship with everybody on the team, and not Can you take me through the whole emotions of what only the team, the organization, and have a lot of W's. happened just now and were the Knicks a team you New York has been down a couple years, and I feel like wanted to go to? with the guys they have now, and myself added to that, I feel like we're going to win a lot of games, and we're going OBI TOPPIN: To be honest with you, me hearing my to put New York back on the map, for sure. name called is a blessing. A lot of people dream of this moment. There's only 60 picks, and I was one of those Q. How do you feel that your work ethic got you to this picks. Whether I was 1, whether I was 60, I had the moment, not having a Division I offer coming out of God-given blessing to be No. 8, and go to my hometown, high school and not being highly touted and things of which was New York. Me being in this position is a that nature, and now here you are a couple years later blessing. in the NBA?

Q. What do you think about coach and OBI TOPPIN: Yeah, I feel like nothing has came easy for how do you think you fit on to this roster? me. I went through a lot of things growing up, and I feel like through those struggles and through those bad times OBI TOPPIN: I learned a lot about Coach through this that I've been through growing up, it's made me the person pandemic. Basically, I understand he's a defensive coach, and player that I am today. I learned from those and that's one of my biggest things I need to work on. I experiences on court and off court. I feel like going feel like having him as my head coach, he's going to make through those experiences helped me become who I am sure that I lock in and make sure that I become great one today, and I wouldn't change it for anything. day. Q. And how about coming back home to New York? I feel like if I get that defensive scheme down, I'm going to be a really good player one day, a really great player one OBI TOPPIN: Coming back home to New York is a day. I feel like everybody in this organization is going to blessing. Being able to play in front of all the family and push to help me be great, and I'm glad I'm here. fans out here and in front of my friends, it's a blessing. I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm glad I landed where I Q. When you think about some of the other young landed. guys on this roster and how you might fit with them, RJ Barrett to start, what do you think about your fit Q. You've gone through a lot and you mentioned how with RJ? that's shaped you into the man and player you are today. Can you elaborate a bit more on all the lessons OBI TOPPIN: Yes, sir, I feel like me and RJ are going to specifically that you learned throughout this period be a great duo. It's going to be like me and Jalen all over and how this journey really shaped you into being who again, me and , who I played at Dayton with. you are today? Me and RJ being on the court together, there's going to be a lot of situations where we're going to put people in tough OBI TOPPIN: Right, so through high school I changed situations like pick-and-roll coverages, knowing I can pick schools a lot. I was living in Florida, I was living in New and pop, knowing I can roll to the basket. And RJ having York and I went to prep school in Baltimore. So going the IQ and skills he has, I feel like we're going to be a very through all those challenges, meeting new people, having dynamic duo in the NBA, and we're going prove that this to adapt to a new city, create new friends, new teammates, year or this upcoming season. I had to go through that.

Q. What would you like to achieve for the city and And also me not being able to play my freshman year in team of New York? college, it was hard going through that. But at the same

103031-2-1015 2020-11-19 02:47:00 GMT Page 1 of 2 time, I had a good group of guys around me to push me to be great.

I feel like without those guys being around me, I wouldn't be in the position I am today. So I'm very grateful for them and can't wait to start my new journey with the Knicks.

Q. A lot of downtime. Who are some of the players you've studied and modeled your game after, and what NBA player is your game kind of similar to or reminds people of?

OBI TOPPIN: I feel like I studied a lot of people through this pandemic. A lot of , and that's who I'm trying to mimic my game after. I feel like Anthony Davis, he has a lot of different tools to his game on the offensive side and defensive side.

I understand I need to work a lot on the defensive side to be as efficient as Anthony Davis is. But I feel like offensively, studying the things he does on and off the court, he's a great player. I've been watching a lot of his film.

A lot of people have been saying that I play like Amar'e Stoudemire. So I've been seeing how dominant and the hard work he put in through every game and every practice. Watching those two guys has been helping me throughout this pandemic, and I feel like I got better off of that.

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