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" I wasn't really a student of the game. I just played it because I loved it. I didn't really look into the greats as much. They just put a ball in my hand, and I did what the coach told me to. "

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" I still have my back to the basket because there's going to be times where I'm going to really have to score down low, but I'm really working on my face-up game because in the league, there's more space, and there's not double-teams and triple-teams coming at you like how it was in college. "

Deandre Ayton

You

Space

Game

" When you're from the islands, that's that pride. "

" Having my name called to be the first pick for the Phoenix Suns was mind-blowing. Having all that confidence and leading up to that point when I saw Adam Silver come out, I was just waiting for my name, and when he called it, my mind went blank. "

" When you think you're showing effort, and your body language is showing that, then you're really playing your best, and then nobody will be able to talk bad about your game. "

" Dudes are coming at me every day; I'm playing different positions on the defensive end. I'm really working on that, because that's the next level. In the league, everybody can dribble. "

" To me, I don't even think I had a childhood. From when I was a baby to 12 years old, yes. But as soon as I left the Bahamas, that stuff was over. It was just straight business. I'm on a mission. That's how it's always been. "

Deandre Ayton

Childhood

Think

" I was the kid in basketball camps wanting to see the new gear that comes out or the gear that the camps give. "

" I wouldn't say I'm the best player. On the competitive level, I am the best competitor. I don't think there's anybody like me. I play my heart out on both ends of the floor, and I give my all. "

Deandre Ayton

Best

Play

" I didn't want to go out there and prove to everyone or try to prove people wrong or what I can do. I just wanted to play my best, and, if I'm gassing at the end of the game, then that means I did a good job. "

" Demarcus Cousins, he can move. With his size, he can really use his size on the perimeter against anybody. That's what I want to do when I get to the league. "

Deandre Ayton

Cousins

Against

" Nike is Nike. Adidas is Adidas. I've played in their circuits and stuff like that, but now it's a business. You don't want just product. You're not a kid anymore. You're really trying to get bank. That's about it. "

" I used to get butterflies when I'd see big dudes. I don't get butterflies no more. "

Deandre Ayton

Used

Big

" My head was - I wasn't screwed up, but I feel like I was shifted away from my family a lot with this basketball stuff. You have people coming around you saying they are family or whatever. They try to keep you away from your real family. That kind of got me. "

" No one's built like me. I play 110% on both ends of the floor. "

Deandre Ayton

Floor

Both

" I'm an entertainer. Puma knows entertainers and the way we move. "

" When I was younger, I watched Spiderman, and they had the Green Goblin, and before the Green Goblin died, he told Spiderman that it wasn't him, it was the Green Goblin that was killing all those people. I thought, 'Hmm, I should try to change my personality sometimes when it comes to interviews.' "

" I'm representing the Bahamas; I'm representing a lot of islands - it's a whole nation behind me, on my back. "

Deandre Ayton

Behind

Lot

" I will dive on the floor for a loose ball. That's how I'm trained. I can guard a guard if I want to. That's just that price. I'm not gonna sit here and let you score on me. That's in my blood. "

" I've been double-teamed my whole life. I know when a double team's coming. I know what side the guy's coming from. I know how to dribble out of it. "

" Puma was the best deal. To me, anybody can make your shoe. Anybody can make the best shoe for you and put the right fit in the shoe. "

Deandre Ayton

Best

Your

" When I was in high school, I was thinking about getting ideas and making my first shoe, how it would be, and what brand it would be. "

" I grew up wearing PUMA, and our national team is sponsored by PUMA, so those were always in the store. We couldn't afford Nike or Jordan, so PUMA was our brand. If you were wearing PUMA, that's dope. "

Deandre Ayton

Brand

Always

" Everybody was pressuring me to play basketball, so I was like, 'OK, I'll do it.' "

Deandre Ayton

Play

" I've been saying it before the lottery, before the Phoenix Suns even had the No. 1 pick. I've just been talking it into the existence. I'm not saying I'm the best player in the draft and trying to be cocky like that, but I was just saying I'm going to be the No. 1 pick, regardless. "

" When I started playing basketball, they always would have me at the block, and I'm like, 'Yo, I don't want to play down here. I want to do something else.' This is not entertaining to me, and whatever the guards do, I wanted to do. "

Deandre Ayton

Down

Want