Keyonte George talks about life as a BASKETBALL fanatic 🏀 | UTAH JAZZ

Keyonte George talks about life as a BASKETBALL fanatic 🏀 | UTAH JAZZ

Every single person that we talk to about you uses this word basketball Junkie he loves basketball I want to know why where and why did you fall in love with basketball um I mean it’s my dream to be honest I mean it’s kind of like with

Anything in life I mean if you kind of try to you know put yourself your mind to it I mean you try to go out and you know try to achieve that goal that that you set for yourself um but you know I always tell a lot of people um I really

Didn’t have a plan B so I mean you know I had to you know stick with it and you know make it happen almost so but I mean I just love basketball I mean you know getting to the NBA is kind of it was my main goal but now it kind of restarts

Almost you know now I’m a rookie and I got to you know find a way to get acclimated and find a way to you know be effective as fast as possible so I mean uh you know I just watch a lot of basketball I mean this is my life now so

I try to just you know put my all into it so um that’s really the main thing so take me back paint a picture you’re you’re this little boy in Texas why does this little boy start loving this game what age uh uh three years old um my dad my mom they both

Played my whole family played grandma grandpa uh so I mean I mean we’re a basketball family so it’s kind of just you know following you know in their footsteps um you know uh they were successful in what they want to do and I just wanted to continue the the Legacy

And you know being from you know Louisville um not a lot of people have have made it professionally professionally in you know sport so I kind of wanted to be you know one of the ones where you know people go back and look in you know say he he he persevered

He you know stayed locked in and you know understood that he was playing for you know not for himself but also something bigger uh than him I follow your mom on social media and she’ll occasionally post these pictures of you and you’re just like a baby like skinny

You know just in your basketball gear tell tell me what it’s like 10 years old 12 years old 11 like what is your life like on the basketball circuit uh on the basketball circuit I mean it’s traveling every weekend in the summer um Middle School um I’m on the middle school

Basketball team um just playing a game every other couple days um I’m I’m working out basically every day with my trainer Booker wolf fox um we had it in a u we’re at a church um it the back gym it was away from the church this his

Back gym and uh it’s not a really good area um but you know um I was okay with you know going there and trying to work on my game work on my craft you know that’s really how much I really wanted to you know be great I was willing to

You know go through whatever circumstances you know whatever uh to be in the gym and um you know perfect my craft I mean Co was really really difficult for me I mean just because that was kind of our private gym and you know we even had to shut that down so I

Mean it’s just like um through through the years and you know at and growing up um the work ethic only got you know more and more and I was more and more locked in as I contined to grew up and you know now I’m able to be here now what would

The typical day look like you’re like I’m working I’m working I’m working but like what did that look like yeah uh I mean so during the school year I mean of course you know we go to school um you know come back and you know I chill for

A little bit and then I mean uh actually I’m sorry we got we got practice after and then go to go home you know relax and then after practice I’m I’m going to the I’m going to my workout uh with Booker W Fox so it’s after that I’m

Coming home and then I’m eating and then you know and then it’s just just on repeat and then on the weekends is that’s when I real get my lifting in and you know um uh was working out at sandersfit at the time and uh just

Trying to get in there as many days as possible uh cuz you know with with school work and you know other obligations that you have I mean still got to clean the dishes still got to clean your room every Sunday got to be

Up at 9: uh if I’m not up at 9:00 I’m getting my phone toen for the whole day so it’s a mom strict yeah it’s it was a discipline thing and and and it definitely um helped me for sure now now in my everyday living so you know I I

Just imagine this young kid did you go to your parents or go to your mom and be like I’m really serious about this like I need this trainer what was the impetus for you to like get this extra trainer and start putting in all this work why

Did your folks believe in it uh I think um my whole family is we’re a a really loving family so it was it wasn’t a a conversation I was had it was more of like this is what you want to do so I’m you know I’m going to take you to the

Gym I don’t I don’t think uh I I think they knew I was serious but I don’t think they really understood how serious I was about um playing basketball so I mean um you know my mom and you know a couple other people they would take me

To the gym um you know if my mom could take me then they would come pick me up and take me so as a collective it was it was a um you know uh a great space between us uh as far as you know communication and getting me to

The gym and picking me up from the gym cuz I couldn’t drive at the time and then once I was able to drive I mean that didn’t has for nothing else I knew what time I need to be at the gym I knew what time I was leaving the house every

Day I knew what time I would get back to the house so I mean it was kind of like I mean now almost in the league you know what time you got to be at the gym you know what time you got to lift you know

What time you got to be at the arena so I mean you know now looking back on it I mean with that type of schedule it definitely um you know help me you know pave the way and um you know learn what it takes to you know um um be locked in

At at all levels so you’ve just been this super motivated kid your whole life you get to the NBA and this this year you’re rookie and it’s been kind of interesting you get an opportunity where you get to start kind of early in the year then you then you’re not starting

For a while how have you navigated kind of the ups and downs because now you’re back starting yeah uh that’s honestly credit to you know Chris Chris dun KD we talk so much in the locker room on the road I mean that was kind of one of the

First things he kind of preached to me um you know don’t ride that wave don’t be too high don’t be too low um you know be the same person each and every day and since I mean since that conversation I mean uh I think I’ve I’ve had one day

And he and he looked at me and kind of gave me a look and I and it kind of brought me back okay yeah like no matter what’s going on this we got to you know you got to be the same person when you around you you’ve had some really cool

Learning moments about um moments in games uh one of the ones was setting a rookie record for nine threes in a game I see Donovan Mitchell tweeting about you I see guys in the league being impressed by you what do you think when you see this and you’re being appreciated by other basketball

Players who are fantastic I mean yeah those those players I mean we say it all time NBA with a you know with the best 450 players in the world um come together and one one league and you know get to compete um so I mean these are guys that

Um are established and you know have established that they they can play the way they can play their game in this league and you know when they going you know their social media take the time and you know tweet about me I mean um

You know I didn’t see it but I mean I’ve definitely heard about it I mean I got to talk to you know Don in summer league and kind of just he kind of told me you know um just go out and be you I mean uh

You know just just work on your game uh you know at some point your opportuni is going to come and I mean this year I mean my opportunity has came and I tried to take the most out of it uh and so just to see um they’re really watching

The game and you know seeing um that I can you know do some things in this league it kind of adds some extra motivation in the way they’re appreciating it I think it’s pretty cool what what has been a welcome to the league moment have you had any moment

When you were like oh or have you just been like I got this uh I would say the first one was uh when we played the suns in the End season uh tournament and I thought I had a good contest on KD but uh looking back on the film he

Definitely didn’t see me uh and I thought I had a good contest at the time and he kind of like man he’s so skilled didn’t really bother the shot I mean it’s just like okay this how it really is and then I’ll probably say our our

Road trip that we had we were six games in 12 days or something like that uh that was that was a tough one and I was just calling all I called my best friend I’m like yo I haven’t been home in so so long I’m like I just want to go home and

Be my dog and my cats and just want to be feel normal but I mean it was that’s that was definitely a an an experience for sure that now I know going into next season we got something like that I’m going be way more prepared how will you

Change it up how will you make sure because I’ve heard I’ve heard young players say like you get in this tunnel where you’re like bus gym Hotel bus gym hotel and you just feel like you can’t get like it’s not real yeah so what have you learned about how to kind of break

Up this stuff I mean what you said is I didn’t I’ve been in that mode too I forgot what city we were in a couple times I forgot my my my room number in the hotel but for me uh I think the first thing would being bring way more

Close I didn’t bring enough clothes for the road trip uh there we go and then I’ll probably just say uh definitely I mean as far as the eating aspect of of things you know fueling the body way more uh paying attention to the the fluids that I’m putting in my body and

Uh I mean just understanding that the B your body is going to hurt you’re going to be you know mentally physically tired it’s just you know how can you push through and you kind of you know figure out yourself you figure out your character almost in those moments so um

You know I figured out you know I can do this I feel like I can do this for a long time um as long as long as I continue to you know build habits build the right habits um so that’s really what I you know took out the road trip

All right before I let get out of here we just got to check back in on this um Rising Stars game and how cool that experience is I saw something you said on social media where you were like this is just the beginning I’m going to be

Back here as an Allstar I love your confidence you you just totally believe in yourself where does that come from uh it comes from how much work I put in to be honest I mean um I told you earlier I mean it’s since high school I’ve been on

A a strict schedule as far as you know when am I getting my work in and you know um you know actually um Drew gave me a sa uh a saying uh this season um we talk about you know Scott drew from Baylor no no no uh Andrew Warren he’s on

The STA from here yeah we talk about uh you know quality over you know quantity and as far as you know our reps and you know if it’s if it’s good reps and you know you may you may make five shots but you want to make 10 but those five shots

Are you know really good really hard your habits take place each and every rep um you know in the game is going to be like you know muscle memory almost so I mean it the confidence just comes from the work to be honest as long as you put

In the work and you know in the game it’s almost like you’ve seen you know all the reads all the shots you see everything so it’s just a matter of um you know making or missing a shot so we’re post Allstar grain just over 26

Games left what do you know now that you didn’t know before I’ve learned a lot as as far as off the court things when it comes to the league um I mean obviously um beginning of the season I didn’t know what was going to happen I mean how fast

Games come by I mean you play a game and you know you feel like you might get off but it really doesn’t feel like off just because you get home so late just because the game is um later at night but I’ll probably I mean I knew at the

Beginning of the Season that it was very important to take care of your body but now as far as you know after after Allstar I kind of really understood what it takes um to have the same energy each and every day um and what you have to do

Prior to that to have that energy I mean we had a back toback and me and walk had to go to Indiana and play the RIS of stars game right after so it’s like you know how you going to push through you know how you going to you know you got

To be there so it’s a matter of you know you know just kind of you you got to show up that’s the same thing you know I try to you know PR myself in is is showing up you know being available um so I feel like that’s the best thing if

You’re available then you know opportuni is going to come at some point okay I want to get to your mom because I just think she’s dope I I just I just love how she loves on you supports you um what impact have the women in your life

Had on you a Major Impact um you know uh you know growing up uh it’s kind of just me and my mom and uh you know you kind of really understand you kind I tell people all the time you kind of understand how a woman thinks um cuz you

Know I don’t I don’t think the same as her and and so it kind of helps you um you know throughout life you know how to you know treat people with respect and all the basic things you kind of um but the main thing I really um learn is uh

You know organization be organized with yourself uh you know it kind of carries over to you know what I do um as far as the basketball mean being organized being respectful um show eye contact I mean um little stuff goes a long way so I mean women have played a a major part

Just as far as my character um so I mean if I can uh build character and get better my character every day I mean I can’t complain at all so um you know my mom and all my grandma and they’ve they’ve done an amazing job as far as

You know teaching me um the morals and you know um and it’s telling me the the right habits uh a lot you know going through you know everyday life I got to meet some of your grandparents here they came to one of the games and we’re we’re

Just chatting about you and they are so proud of you like it’s so cute they’re so proud of you how does it make you feel U it makes me feel like I’m doing something right I mean my me and my grandma I feel like we’re we’re really

Close I mean she has this thing called the um you know the fit kids um you know Co cooperation so uh I mean she she let me run that at a young age so I mean she’s had confidence in me before I had confidence in myself

So I mean when when I see her um she actually uh posted a uh um a picture of me at Allstar break when I was a kid um in in Dallas and she kind of she sent it to me she kind of just um text me kind

Of just say you know just something simple look how far you come and like you know when I look at that it’s kind of like I’m doing something right I’m you know made it to my dream I’m able to take care of my family um you know she’s

Made a lot of sacrifices for me I mean as far as you know getting me into school and you know you know getting me to places that maybe my mom ain’t never be able to you know going out her way um she may miss work or you know maybe she

Might not eat that night when I’m over there so it’s just like when you look at those type of sacrifices is real easy to you know give back and and and work even harder to you know let her understand that um you know everything that you did

Didn’t didn’t go un unnoticed so I know you left home when you were young you went to IMG so you’ve lived on your own before you’re still just 20 years old if we go to your house right now is it super organized like would your mom be

Proud of you for sure every Sunday we cleaning cleaning we up cleaning I got a dog and two cats so I got to clean uh I mean the morning is the same all the time get up you know do what I got to do feed the animals now I’m off the way to

The facility but like I mean I wash we wash clothes every Sunday so like even little some simple as a door stopper that I used to have growing up you know put the door stopper on the front door at night uh so I mean it’s I’ve taken

All types of things when leave the kitchen turn the lights off uh even if I’m about to go right back I’m still turning the light off so it’s just like you know the little things that I did around the house growing up is I could tell like now having my own home and

Want to take care of my own home uh those things are happening in my home it’s so cute I’m sitting here as a mom thinking oh should be so proud of you I’m so proud of you what’s your dog’s name Duke Duke and then cat’s names Migo

And Mist are they Migos after the Migos we yeah we did Migo after the Migos and then miss he’s gray so we kind of like ah gray got Miss okay cool and Last Thing Before I Let You Go what’s been the best part of your life in Utah so

Far this season part of my life best part of my time in Utah I probably say going to Trader Joe’s and people are showing love uh kind of I uh went to Trader Joe’s one day it was early like in the summer I think we didn’t play a

Summer league game yet I go there I’m just trying to shop I’m just trying to get some fruit stay out the way and you know a mom comes up to me she’s like oh we’re so glad you’re in Utah we’re so glad you’re on the Jazz uh face I’m her

Son show show me her son and told him uh now you now you see why I want you go to the store but it’s just like when you can have that type of impact and like make people’s day just by them seeing you and it’s just like I mean like I

Said before it’s kind of like you doing something right so I just try to keep a smile on my face every time I see a fan I’m interacting in the arena um y’all see I always try to show love make high five somebody you know get the crowd up

So I mean um you know we talk about showing love on our team all the time and I you know tell myself what time it’s it’s not hard to show love it’s not hard to you know daap somebody up one time cuz I know when I was younger and

Watching the league I mean if somebody would did that to me then I probably would have freaked out so it’s just about making some how can I impact somebody’s life in a in a positive way each and every day so um I mean that’s that’s what I’m really trying to do all

Right well thanks for joining us k

Keyonte George gets interviewed by Holly Rowe about his background as a “basketball junkie” and life in the NBA.

Listen to Front Rowe on the Utah Jazz Podcast Network.

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