No. 1 Overall Pick AJ Dybantsa FULL Washington Wizards Introductory Press Conference

[0:00] Did you see the video and then if you did, what did you instantly think when you saw the reaction [0:04] of those youngsters? Yeah, I seen the video. It was just super crazy. Obviously, that's the first [0:09] school that I went to. Obviously, if y'all seen that first grade little book I had, I said I wanted [0:15] to be a basketball player. That's what that was written. But it was great. I mean, seeing their [0:20] reactions. I just want to be a role model for them. I'm not everybody's going to make it to the [0:23] NBA, but I want to be a role model. And the fact that they can see someone from Brockton do something [0:27] big, it just gives them a lot of light and hope. So I just wanted to be that role model for them. [0:30] Excellent. We want to open it up for the media to ask questions. We just remind you, if you just [0:34] please state your name and your affiliation when you ask your questions, Mr. Josh Robbins from The [0:41] Athletic. AJ, to your left, Josh Robbins from The Athletic. What has stuck out to you about the [0:49] reception you've received from fans from the organization over the last 24 hours? And what [0:55] are you looking forward to learning about the city and region of Washington? [1:00] It's been great. Yeah, I had a wild 48 hours. I mean, I got calls from teammates on draft [1:06] night. I got in yesterday. I got in yesterday. I met the whole staff. I went to the war room. [1:11] It was great. I went to Capital One. There was like, I don't know how many people, like 150 [1:15] people just saying my name. I met the mascot. It was ridiculous. But I mean, I'm just excited [1:20] to meet everybody. I'm excited to meet the fan base. So later today at the debut should be great. [1:24] Hi, AJ over here. Chase Hughes from Monumental Sports Network. Welcome to DC. You have a great [1:32] line, which is, I fill seats. And I'm curious, like, how long has that been the case? When did [1:37] you start noticing, like, the crowds were changing and people were kind of becoming drawn to you? [1:42] I kind of noticed in eighth grade. I reclassed and I did eighth grade twice and they let me play [1:48] varsity as an eighth grader, which is super rare. And for the first time in school history, [1:54] they, like, added, like, the yellow tape for more seats in our gym. And I was like, [1:58] okay, like, this is kind of crazy. Like, you're not supposed to be selling tickets at a regular [2:01] high school and they're over here selling tickets, like, for outside commission. And it was kind of [2:05] crazy then. You know, what I really realized it was last year when I played at TD Garden, [2:11] just coming back home, playing in Boston. And I looked up and all the suites were filled and [2:16] everything. And I was like, this is kind of crazy, like, to be able to fill out, you know, [2:19] your home arena. Christy Witter-Scott, Monumental Sports Network. AJ, you have said that you compare [2:27] a lot of your skill set to Len Bias. What specifically do you see in your game that [2:35] reminds you of Len Bias in that way? As a Maryland alum over here, I'm intrigued by that. [2:41] Yeah, nah, he got to his middie. And I take huge prize in getting to my middie. I think it's a great [2:46] shot for me. I've seen getting into the NBA. There's a lot of footers now. There's a lot of shot [2:50] blockers now. So to be able to get to that middie and just raise up at 6'9", I think is very helpful [2:54] for me. So I started watching this film, like, probably a couple months ago. Just pulled up [2:58] on TikTok, and I just seen him. I was like, I don't know who this is. They said he was going to be [3:02] better than Michael Jordan. I don't know. But, you know, I started watching this film, and I could [3:05] see him getting to his middie a lot. Good morning, AJ. Corita Parks, Double Take Sports. How are you? [3:12] I'm good. How about you? Good, good. Some of this came up in your introduction, but at the draft [3:17] combine, you wore a suit, and you talked about approaching the process. Like, it was your first job [3:22] interview. You're very active on LinkedIn, and you already have a foundation. Where did [3:26] that business and professional mindset come from for you, and why is that so important [3:30] at a young age? Yeah, it came from my parents. Definitely. I never worked a job. The closest [3:35] was probably McDonald's for two hours. After being a McDonald's All-American, I had to work [3:39] at McDonald's for two hours. But, you know, going to the combine, it was like a job. My dad [3:43] was like, this is your first job interview. So we decided to dress up. I went to a suit and tie [3:47] in every single interview. Media availability. I was in a suit and tie, so I just wanted to treat [3:51] you like a real job. Yeah, I think that combine, it was a pretty fun first introduction just [3:56] to learn the maturity that he brings. He came in, and we wanted just to be a get-to-know-you [4:02] type environment, and we want to make sure that you're comfortable in the event we bring you [4:06] into D.C., so we allow opportunities to ask questions. And sometimes you get the standard [4:12] questions from guys. We didn't get that from A.J. He's just curious and mature and asked [4:17] some really deep questions, and it allowed us to get to know him on a different level. So he walks [4:21] in the door with that level of maturity. I'm Marshall Kramski, WUSA 9. This is both [4:26] for A.J. and Will. You talk about building and building together. Now that A.J.'s here, [4:31] I know it's been a crazy 48 hours. What's the next step towards building where you want [4:34] to be? I think getting him a jersey number, taking some time, getting him in the gym and [4:40] working out. But for us, we win a ball on this journey trying to find like-minded individuals [4:47] and people, and finding guys who care about basketball and who are passionate and are team [4:51] players. And he has that. And that's kind of how he's going to lead and put his imprint [4:55] on the organization. But I think he's starting to learn his group of guys. I think there's [4:58] a lot of characteristics in our 94 by 50 that we look for. And he brings that with size, [5:03] versatility, dual impact, being able to play on both ends. So we want to get the group together, [5:08] continue to learn each other, and really just get more and more of a competitive environment. [5:12] I think that's important for us right now. [5:14] Yeah, just exactly what you said. Just learning the guys, getting with the guys, and getting [5:17] to know a match group of people. And it's getting alive. I mean, once you get in the gym with [5:21] everybody, kind of know their strengths or weaknesses and where everybody want to be. [5:24] And, you know, some of these coming up and we can get it rolling. [5:29] AJ, David Aldridge with The Athletic. I wanted to know, when was the last time you were humbled [5:35] on a basketball court? And what did you learn from being humbled? [5:40] Last time I was humbled on the basketball court was my last game. I lost my last game, [5:43] played against Texas. We were the higher seed. We were a sixth seed. They were 11th. [5:46] You know, we came in a game. We wanted to win that game. And, you know, they pulled [5:50] up the upset. So I was kind of humbled. It's like, you know, you can't just take [5:53] everything for granted. You've got to play super hard. And what I learned from it, [5:56] just watching a lot of film, what I needed to do better, what leadership skills I [6:00] should have added in that game. So, you know, try to get my guards a priority. [6:07] Hey, AJ. Ben Strober with The Locked On Wizards podcast. You've been one to embrace [6:11] a challenge throughout your life. This Wizards organization for a long time has [6:16] failed to sustain success. You're being brought here to help be part of this puzzle [6:20] of this rebuild that's been ongoing for the last couple years. What about that [6:23] challenge intrigues you the most? A little bit of everything. I mean, like you said, [6:27] I've been trying to embrace the challenge my whole life. Nothing comes easy, but I [6:31] want to be a piece of the puzzle that, you know, is part of the rebuild. Obviously, [6:35] Wizards fans have been waiting for a long time. So, you know, we're trying to make [6:37] the playoffs, trying to make it far in the playoffs. Like, the first thing Will said, [6:40] he just said, you don't want to just make the playoffs. You want to go far in the [6:42] playoffs. And I really, I really felt that. So I just want to be a piece of the [6:46] puzzle. Obviously, probably need to come more pieces, come more practices, maybe a few more [6:50] years. But, you know, if they trust the process, we can get it far. [6:54] Yeah, and I think when you're evaluating someone like him, you could see him at [6:57] different places. Whether he was at Utah Prep, Prolific, playing with Team USA or part [7:03] of the Cougars, he plays different roles and isn't willing to embrace those roles. And [7:07] the versatility and the mindset and the team first approach on that, I think, allows [7:11] him to be a connector. And that's what we felt we really needed with or without the [7:15] ball. AJ, over here, Scott Abraham, ABC7. Welcome to Washington. Along those same [7:21] lines, you've been number one basically your entire life. You've said it multiple [7:25] times. And being the number one overall pick comes with some high expectations. [7:30] How do you process, how do you handle the expectations that are going to be on you [7:34] as you join the Wizards? Just be myself. When you be yourself, it kind of just comes [7:38] easy to you. You don't got to favor for nobody. Just, you know, play the right way. [7:42] Play to win. And everything should just come and fall in place. [7:49] Hey, AJ. Brian Albin, Wizards Radio Network. You talked about first grade. You had [7:54] that paper. You said you wanted to be a basketball player. Even before that. [7:58] Yeah. You want to see it? You can see it. It's a real story. [8:00] Yeah. You got the picture in your favorites? You got the picture in hers? [8:04] Yeah, Sean Matthew. We'll look at it after. [8:07] Even before you wrote that down, AJ, what are your earliest memories of just [8:11] falling in love with the game of basketball? What drew you to the game? [8:15] Was it watching players? Was it just dribbling a ball? What brought you to the game? [8:19] Yeah, I mean, my dad always said that he forced me to play basketball. [8:22] I was about five years old, so I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. [8:26] But he bought me a Spider-Man hoop that went on the back of my door. [8:30] He went to K-Mart and bought it. It was by accident. He bought it, which he [8:34] always tells me. But I loved Spider-Man growing up. So I just started shooting [8:38] for my bed. Started shooting for my bed as his miniature ball. Then, you know, [8:41] I started playing the YMCA League. He brought to community basketball. Then [8:43] ended up falling in love with the game. So Spider-Man is the reason why I love [8:46] basketball. [8:49] AJ, Chase Hughes over here again to your left. You said at the combine that the [8:54] Wizards played a compilation video of charity work during your interview. I [9:00] don't know how many interviews you did. How unique was that to your [9:02] experience? And how unique is that for you guys to do that? [9:06] It was super special. Obviously, I'm already tapped into the community. [9:09] Anywhere I go, that's my new home. I always try to tap in. So Brockton and [9:14] Boston, I always try to do charity givebacks. If that's a backpack giveaway, if [9:17] that's giving Nike shoes to different basketball teams. When I went to Provo, that was my [9:22] new home for a year still is. So I did a whole bunch of stuff there. And then for [9:26] them to come and, you know, just give a charity type of video, it's like, I mean, [9:29] why wouldn't I be here? Why wouldn't they take me? Because, you know, I just kind of [9:32] fit the culture. [9:34] Yeah, I think being in the community and being active isn't a chore. Like, it's an [9:40] opportunity. It's a blessing for us to be able to do that. And it's a core value of [9:43] ours for a reason. And it's really important to Michael and I, Ted and the entire [9:47] organization, to not just talk about it, to be about it. So for us, it's a core value. [9:51] It's what we're about. And they're the people that drive us and support us. And [9:55] we've all been very fortunate and blessed to be able to kind of live the lives we [9:59] live through basketball. But we also know it's bigger than that. And we've been [10:03] impacted by athletes growing up in Massachusetts and involves an area that [10:07] kind of you look up to and you shape and they spend a little time or they [10:10] offer a little something to help you feel good about it. And you remember that. [10:14] And we want to touch as many people in the city as we can because that's what [10:17] we're about. It's bigger than basketball here in D.C. [10:21] AJ, Corita Parks again. In a similar vein to the community question, could you [10:26] tell us more about your foundation? What's the mission and what inspired you to [10:30] start it? Yeah, so we're super big on education, me and my family. My mom wanted [10:36] me to stay in school and graduate. I am going to graduate. I did talk to my academic [10:41] advisor at BYU, so I'm going to finish my school online. But, you know, education is super [10:45] important. My family was more proud of me going to BYU just for them not to pay [10:50] for college, for me to get a full scholarship. That's super important to [10:52] them. And we just wanted to give back. So my mom's from Jamaica, my dad's from [10:56] Congo. We're going to start off just sending 20 kids from there to different [10:59] universities, if that's in universities in the continent of Africa, if that's [11:03] different universities in Jamaica, if that's universities in the States, we're [11:06] going to try that. But after those 20, we're just going to expand all around the [11:08] world. We just want to help kids all around the world. [11:11] Can I ask why you chose to announce at that school that you did back then? [11:15] Because I know your foundation was a part of that, too, in the background. [11:17] Yeah, so I know that. I mean, the day of school is where I wrote I wanted to be [11:21] an NBA player. So my first grade teacher was there. Everybody was there. That's [11:24] kind of just like the foundation where I started basketball, using that gym. So [11:28] I felt only right to go back and announce it. [11:31] AJ, back here. Brandon Stenard with PGC TV and Let's Talk Sports. We're talking [11:37] about the community. I'm blessed to be around a lot of young folks that have a lot of [11:43] positivity to them, but they're in environments that sometimes may not be as [11:47] positive. For those youngins to get to where you are right now, what are some [11:51] notes, some tips, some goals that you can share with them to stay on the right path [11:55] and not fall on the wayside? [11:57] Yeah, just goal setting is super important. So like I said, when I was in first [12:00] grade, I said a goal that I wanted to be in the NBA and it just kept me motivated. [12:04] So I have more goals to set when I'm in the NBA to keep me motivated. But goal setting, [12:08] just discipline. I mean, discipline was set early in my household with my parents. So [12:13] listening to my parents is super big for me. Just hard work is an easy one, but not [12:17] like everybody does it. But hard work truly does pay off. And that's probably like the [12:21] three points I'll say. [12:21] Okay. I was being good to you. I was passing it to Christy. No, that's okay. Heather [12:37] McDonough, NBC4. Welcome. Welcome to Washington. We talk a lot about your foundation and a [12:42] lot about your play on the court. I know there's a lot of things that are important [12:45] to you. How do you balance at such a young age, all of those responsibilities at the [12:50] end of the day, knowing that people want to see good results on the court. But again, [12:55] you do have all these other responsibilities as well. [12:57] First things first, just keep the main thing. The main thing, like even when I was in Paris, [13:02] in my draft suit and doing business over there, I was starting my day with a workout. [13:05] So just keeping the main thing, the main thing. So every day I just got to work out. If it's a lift, [13:09] if it's recovery, getting a massage, getting shots up, getting a real workout. And I mean, [13:13] I got to keep the main thing, the main thing. Obviously I have a business obligation, [13:15] got to do foundation. I got to do, but I just got to get my workouts in. [13:19] How easy or hard is that? [13:20] No, it's definitely hard. I mean, just being 19 and having to travel all across the world, [13:24] do all these things is definitely hard. But you know, basketball is kind of my piece. [13:27] And if I can work out, I'm all good. [13:30] Christy Winterscott, Monumental Sports Network. What advice have you learned most from John Wall [13:37] in his experience of being a number one draft pick here to the district, but also the other night [13:43] at the draft party, he said that the community piece was something that he really leaned into. [13:51] Outside of basketball, what things has he gotten into your ear about? [13:57] Yeah, so I was there just at the Mystics game and I spoke to him. And that's what he was talking [14:01] about, just a community aspect of it. Like really tapping into the community, which I was planning [14:04] on doing. They love you here. They already love you. Obviously, I've seen a video of them [14:08] at the anthem, just screaming and hollering. So he definitely told me to tap into the community, [14:13] which I was planning on doing. [14:19] Sorry. AJ, is there a particular player or particular team that you are most looking forward [14:26] to competing against? [14:28] Probably, well, player, my favorite player has always been Kevin Durant. So just me sharing a [14:32] core of him would just probably be like ridiculous. But going back home and playing at TD Garden, [14:38] just that would be crazy. Just watching all those games there, since Kevin Garnett was there, [14:42] to being a fan since Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown won a championship, I'll probably be [14:46] super true. [14:48] We appreciate everyone's questions. And now, you're going to like this. It's the jersey [14:53] presentation. Will is going to take a photo with AJ. And then afterwards, we're going to [14:58] ask... [14:58] There's a number. [15:00] There is a number. There is a number. [15:05] Do you want to tell them what number you chose and why? [15:07] Yeah, so I chose number four. Just new beginnings. Obviously, me coming to D.C., just wanted to [15:12] grab a new number. So previously, I won number three, but I was the number one pick. [15:16] Wanted to add those up, and we got four. [15:18] Good math. [15:21] And there you have it, gentlemen. AJ DeBonsa, officially a Washington Wizard, after introducing [15:41] himself, along with Wizards GM Will Dawkins, to the national media, and of course, ourselves [15:46] here at the Intercontinental. Guys, that was fun. [15:49] That was fun. [15:49] Just really open, honest, candid conversation between two guys who recognize this moment. [15:54] Tony and Jason, I come to you guys really just asking you what stood out to you the most [15:57] about this moment and what you guys heard from him. [15:59] Honestly, the last thing you just said stood out to me a little bit. [16:02] When you talk about new beginnings as a guy who's accomplished everything he's accomplished, [16:06] going from high school and then going to college, that's a new beginning, and then [16:10] playing at a high level and then being recognized in college as the number one pick, that's [16:15] a new beginning. Then being drafted and finally accomplishing that goal and being that number [16:21] one pick, and then changing your number and coming up with the logic to get to it. I love [16:26] it because I've done stuff like that as a player when I didn't get the number that I originally [16:30] thought.