I love Oklahoma. The fans have been with me every night. What more can you ask for?

Every memory I have from when I was a kid involves basketball.

I'm going to be me at the end of the day. And I think my family appreciates that. They're happy for me that I'm finding out who I am, and I'm content with that.

With everything I do, I just try to be myself.

This was an extremely difficult decision as I take great pride in representing our country. I know that I owe it to my USA Basketball teammates to be totally invested in the experience. After going through training camp with USAB, I realized I could not fulfill my responsibilities to the team from both a time and energy standpoint. I need to take a step back and take some time away, both mentally and physically in order to prepare for the upcoming NBA season. I will be rooting for USAB and look forward to future opportunities with them.

I know that the hard work got me here. And the day I stop working hard, this can all go away.

I told Grant Hill back there – I just got done playing against him – as a second grader I had a Pistons Grant Hill jersey. That was the first time I walked into a gym. That’s when I fell in love with the game. My mom, I think she just wanted to get me and my brothers out of the house for a few hours. When I walked into the gym, I fell in love with the game.