Indiana Pacers/Mad Ants center Oscar Tshiebwe speaks to media before 2024 NBA All-Star Rising Stars

Indiana Pacers/Mad Ants center Oscar Tshiebwe speaks to media before 2024 NBA All-Star Rising Stars

Lost a little bit what’s your weekend been like so far what have you really enjoyed doing in meeting um having so much fun get to meet the all the players yesterday U we had a lot of fun um I’m just excited what do you hope

To get out of this week um I want to meet all this big players I want to I want to I hope I get meet the bro I hope I get I know my boy Dar is there so I’ve been seeing him every day so I want to

I’m for to have fun and uh the rest place do you have any family friends here that you’re able to share it with yes I got my H families I got a friends and coming just been with me and can have fun Oscar when you came in here you

Just even to work out with the Pacers you had no idea what your future would hold now a couple months later you’re here did you ever expect something like this would happen uh yeah I believe in God I know God is always do something

Great um I know I was harder I know at the end I was pring to come to the paces anyway when I was traveling go walk out with teams I was the guy because I went to school in Kentucky and I don’t want to be far from Kentucky but I look what

Guy did so I’m here I’m so excited Oscar your rebounding style of play how do you think that will translate to a game like this this Rising Stars uh the rising star um um I just told him shoot the ball all the time so like I’ll be down there rebound

The ball um be good if I grab 30 Rebound in the rising St um I think it it would translate anyway uh we’re going to be having a lot of fun do you talk with Ben or anyone that’s played in this before got to get a feel for it yet yeah I

Spoke to Ben Ben he just tell me just this go fun just do what you can do and uh make sure you have fun what would it be like to potentially play against Ben today play against Ben that’s i d on you man I him watch out D you eat on me shut

Up can’t jump but n he will be good it would be good to see him just he going against him did you go grow up watching any or a lot of this I started watching the NBA in 2016 so uh I didn’t grow up watching

This I grew up playing soccer I did not know anything about basketball until 2015 that’s when I started why why why we Chang is that for you uh someone just one of my brother’s friends just grabbed me from nowhere uh you getting so tall you guys not playing basketball and um I

Said wow I don’t like basketball and um I did I did not like basketball so he tried me the first time I was going to scker practice with my sck shoes with the p he just say let’s go to basketball practice today so the first time I

Practiced with go to sck shoes with the p everybody was making fun of me I hit it I did not want to go back until um the thir days I decid to love it when I there was something good in basketball what didn’t you like about basketball well I did not like about

Basketball first time is when I first got to the practice my coach um he G me uh he give me the exercise to do he say I’m a teacher play basketball he said go with the dribble with the right hand come back with the left hand but you got

To close your eyes what kind of sport is this people play so that’s one thing I do not like about basketball and he told me no this is just exercise just you don’t you going to open your eyes while you playing that’s the one thing I did not

Like about basketball when I found out it was just exercise then I started loving basketball you’re more than halfway done with your rookie season what have you liked most about what’s going on for you um everything is going good I’m learning a lot especially when I’m with the faces

I don’t get to play much but I’m learning the game uh but when I’m with the m i just say like let me I got to kill mentality just K and I’m taking everything I’m learning with the PES when I’m in the m is like practice for me I’m practicing getting better and

Improve everything so I’m learning a lot everything is going really good experience foot um I would think I would say that I used to be a Goldie so that’s probably rebound so you got to be able to jump catch your boat uh mean I used

To play different uh run TR St people so I used to run a lot you helping me a lot Oscar what is the you mentioned just playing for the mad and playing for the Pacers what’s the back and forth been like of having to play the two different

It’s been it’s been it’s been a challenges because sometimes you going be like I was with the Mad in California Sacramento and the next day they tell you in the plan you going to be with us with in New York so for me just stay focused stay we all the time it’s been

Challenges up back and forth but it’s been great going really what’s what’s the most important thing they’ve tried to get you to develop they’ve tried to you know make you more valuable for the P try to give me understand the game more and be able to to understand the

Game be able to switch play more defense uh be able to communicate better passing the ball really good uh that’s the thing we working on in my jump shot too how do you think you’ve gotten better defensively what’s that challenge been like getting used to the switching part

Of it having to be able to guard they did pretty good job when we play with the mad is U um they allow me to switch with the guard so I can stay in front so I have been doing good I’ve been doing good a couple mistakes but I’m getting

Better how much have you talked to bismack since getting into the NBA I talked to Vis A lot of time um he’s one of my big brother who helped me a lot with this process so he just keep putting the motivation speech um keep trusting your time will come by keep

Getting better so I talk to him all the time and I’m happy that he s with the tunder so um I was praying that I can I get chance so we I can play against themo Oscar what impresses you most when you see the collective of this group and

The amount of talent here amongst all these young guys well that really motivated me you say U nothing is impossible nothing is impossible to be among all these people players you kind of tell me like it’s not easy to get here but you know I got a lot of work I

Got to do so I just keep working and I’m going to leun for each one of them here I’m going to make sure I have some conversation with them so I would like to learn from each each play I see the smile here you seem to genuinely be

Enjoying being a part of this maybe even outside of the basketball just being around these guys I’m just I’m just having the joy the joy of the load so I’m just excited be here um to be here because I had so many people tell me I’ll never be here because I start

Basketball so late at the age of 15 so to be here I’m just thanking God ask who’s the one guy actually I just asked Mac I asked him who’s the one guy he’s trying to dunk on that he’s never dunked on before but he’s trying

To dunk on and he said Mr Oscar shway what do you got to say to that now you got I’m going send that basketball back to to Gate City uh block on of his dunks the former crating Dunk champ I did like uh Mike uh

Me and Mike we U we played together for a long time he tried to dunk on me A lot of times but he have G me he’s never dunked on you he never Dunked On Me no so you’re swatting his stuff back or or like he’s just missing dunks he uh he i’

No I’ve been sending that I’ve been sending that like he have never he tried D on me couple times but he had never G me um I know I hope you don’t jump against me when I go up he going to be I’m so happy for my boy he’s doing good

He’s coming A Long Way um I’m just so happy for him and one quick follow up who’s the one guy you’re trying to dunk on that you’ve never dunked on before anybody in the league G League NBA doesn’t matter no I’m not going to go far I’ll go with the Benedict mat

Because he was talking crazy is he talking he talking crazy what he give me what he say he say um he going to dunk on me he say when we going to play against them not going I’m not going to do anything against so that’s what he

Said and he say going to ask them so he can guard me for for tonight for tonight okay we’re going to see what happens apprciate Oscar with all the different routes to get to the NBA now gag night over time elag what’s the biggest thing that you feel like you got out of

College the college experience at the college experience um I feel like um we got more respons more responsibility here U more focused because you on your own now become my job in college um yeah I had to Mentor a lot of younger kids um there’s a

Freshman uh coach used to call him they n head Oscar you got to take care of them so I think um I being um professional just U more more you got to be more focused you got to be more locked in CU there’s no more kid there’s more no more

Anybody but I just in transition is so different NBA basketball and college basketball is Big Time different um now I feel like I’m in four grade again I’m learning everything new thank you did you have any athlete Idols growing up it might have been in soccer but who were

Kind of the the star athletes that you like watching I I grew up we most love European soccer we did uh my favorite was Ronald I still watch do you ever have an NBA star that you like like k so obviously talks about LeBron a lot I um

K KOB was he was the one who insire me go mentality that’s why got me to where I am today by working Harder They say hard work is always Prosperity you prosper you so I watch K he was not sleeping he was in the gym all the time and I say if

I can walk like that I think I can get some more one I wonder what your Day-Day R changing how much uh time uh warning you check your phone all the time you got to check your phone all the time I got to check your phone all the time

Sometimes you might wake up you miss 10 phone call in 2 seconds and some even at night you know sometimes your phone is in do not disturb no you got to leave your phone open so you don’t miss a car so like uh I am I’m enjoying I’m having

Good time because uh don’t don’t R the opportunity that’s every time they call you got be Wai to go I’m good you have one person that you kind of is always contacting you that you know okay something I yes I got a couple people the patient if I know if I see their

Test I know why something they need me so um I got a couple of them there some some tast I look I I’m good there’s some taste I see yeah I got help in this one like it might be something great uh it’s been good they help

Me what’s been like living in India what what’s it been like living in India been living in India I feel like I’m living in Paradise I’m good I’m having good time it’s not a crazy place um it is quiet um I don’t leave far from here I

Just coming in here get my work meet my people already we have good times like this we just laughing over here if you see the we just smiling all the time we just smiling and have a good time what’s it like for Indie to host Allstar for

You that’s the BFF that’s the bad when I he was in Indie so I was like wow I want to be for the whole star so I get to the point when I was booking vacation for the whole star break when I was praying

I said God um where should I go for the vacation he answered me said little way little don’t book vacation yet and uh they call me next day and say you are selected in the rising St I said wow that was a great um I thank God because

You see a first and um our fames get to see these people have a lot of good time where were you planning to go on vacation I was planning to go somewhere to the water water yes and the warm going be so nice just relax take a

Little bit break but I would rather be here meet all these people have good time then then go away like to we do one more Oscar kind of just you mentioned getting to play in this allstar game be a part of this All-Star Weekend the importance of the g- league

Having a footprint on this weekend what do you think that does for the entire it does it means a lot it means a lot for me to be here and I just thank God so much um to be able to play even in the G

League next up uh that means a lot uh I’m just looking forward to know tonight we’re going to have so much fun uh I would start meeting everybody we coming together I’m just excited like my heart is just jumping inside like I can’t wait I can’t wait so I’m excited 30 rebounds

30 rebounds we’re counting on 30 rebounds

Indiana Pacers and Indiana Mad Ants center Oscar Tshiebwe speaks to the media ahead of his participation in the Rising Stars event at 2024 NBA All-Star weekend.

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