He put up a crazy stat line, I don’t know, 25 or 26 points, 12 or 13 rebounds, six or seven assists against a guy like Tim Duncan. But there was a game in his rookie season at San Antonio. I think that was a sign for me that this kid is serious about this. Just to backtrack a little bit, to Nikola’s credit, once we got back from Las Vegas that first Summer League where he was a solid player, he realized at that point in time that I got to get in better shape and I have to lose weight. Malone: “Yeah, there was a game in his rookie season. Was there a moment when you realized, Oh, wow, this guy could become who he has become?” Reporter: “You recently said that when you guys first drafted Nikola, at Summer League, nobody thought he would turn into he obviously has become. At the time I didn’t look like that, even if I was making shots or whatever. Now you look back, my dad at the time, he didn’t want me to play either, just knowing what I can do, how I should look, especially to him. Just that mental factor of having something to strive for at the time. That meant a lot, knowing that I was in no rush and that I could just focus on my health at the time. To have the team say to you, It’s up to you, if you want to come back, if you’re ready. But, yeah, it was nice to not have - obviously the outside noise can be pressure, regardless if you’re healthy or not at the time. Murray: “Strengthen my knee, as well (smiling). How much did it strengthen that relationship?” Because they did that, it leads to something like this. I wonder how much pressure, if any, did you feel at that time to get back? It seems certainly like the organization stood behind you and let you have your space to make the choice. Reporter: “ Coach Malone a few minutes ago looked back at the end of last season, that little period of time when you were giving some thought to maybe coming back in the Playoffs.
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He taught me a lot of things, how to deal with different situations off the court, on the court. He didn’t get on the court too much with us because of his knee. He really helped me take my game to the next level. That was my high school coach my senior year, won a state championship with him. Porter Jr: “He definitely means the world to me. What was it like being around an All-Star like that?” Reporter: “You were talking about Brandon Roy, what he meant to you.
I’m a kid that has always been somebody - I don’t really kind of realize I’m in it until it’s over with, so now that we’re in it, we’ve just got to get four more, and I think I’ll kind of soak it all in.” I’m excited about it, but we’ve got four more to go.
To get to this time and this level, it feels really, really good. Like you said, it’s been a long run, 13 years, 13 teams. I can’t thank the Lord enough, to be honest with you.
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Reporter: “Throughout your NBA career, when you look back at your professional journey, what does it mean to get to this point?”
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