July 1, 2011
SAN DIEGO - Head Coach Steve Fisher
Opening Statement:
"We appreciate everybody being here. This is a celebratory time for us and for Kawhi, not only for what he has done for San Diego State, but where he is right now and the direction his life and professional life is going to take him. It's also nice to hearwhen Kawhi starts talking that San Diego State is in the forefront of what he says and he says it with conviction and meaning. He's always going to be one of ours, obviously. We'd like to have him bouncing a ball for us next year, but he will always be an Aztec, and it is well documented the great things that happened while he played here. He was the ringleader at the forefront of all of it. He's done things always the right way when he's approached. He's never been one to branch out on his own and tell you after the fact what he's done. He has always sought advice and consultation and we're extremely excited for him and proud of him and looking forward to having one of ours now move on to bring his traits to the NBA. He will do every bit what he did for us at the next level."
On how well Kawhi fits on the Spurs:
"I've had multiple conversations with their staff and everybody has said how excited they are and do believe that he will be a great fit for them, how they play and what they need. He is a young winner coming in with work ethic. They've all said to me that they are so excited and as you know, it's well-documented, they haven't done a whole lot of maneuvering up the draft board previously to get somebody and they did that just to get Kawhi."
On Kawhi's decision to leave for the NBA:
"When Kawhi was deciding whether he would come out early, he and I talked and I talked with his family and then I did due diligence with the NBA stuff. We talked long and hard about if there is an impending, potential NBA lockout, this is what it could mean. So he went in eyes wide open when that happened. This is not sprung on him now, he's not saying `what's this all about?' We talked, Kawhi knew and he factored all of that in, in my opinion, in his decision making.
On whether Kawhi will have a lasting impact on SDSU:
"There's no question that Kawhi's legacy will live long after today with his leaving San Diego State. It's already done that, the ripple effect when Kawhi's name is mentioned. Until now it's been Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State. Now it will be Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs, college: San Diego State. Kawhi has his Spurs' shirt on today, but we're going to have him back here. My plan is when he's got a few off days, if he's home and with a little bit of a break, we get him back and we want him on the bench. Although, we're hoping he'll be in the All-Star game every year."
San Antonio Spur Kawhi Leonard
On whether the NBA lockout affects his plans:
"I'm just going to be working out until it's over, but hopefully it's resolved soon so we can start the NBA season. I'm trying to see who I'm going to be working out with for the summer. It could be in various cities. I'm not sure yet."
On what he's learned about San Antonio in his time there:
"I got to know the staff, what their team concepts were and just learning the playbooks and getting a few good pointers on defense and rotations. It was just about the team chemistry."
On the meeting he had with the coaching staff:
"They told me why they picked me. They just saw what I did in college and how I helped San Diego State win games. So I just went in happy that they wanted me to be a part of their organization and to help them win games."
On getting traded to the Spurs:
"About five minutes after I walked down the steps, I knew I was traded. I wasn't warned. When everybody found out, that's when I found out."
On his Draft day experience:
"I just knew what type of range in the Draft that I was going to go in after I came out of school. I was just enjoying the moment, because only a few could be in the green room or even at the Draft. So I was just happy to be in that situation."
On whether he left school too early:
"No, I'm confident and happy about the choice. After this season, we talked about what the situation was and what was going to be in front me as time went on. I'm just going to be working out and hopefully the lockout gets resolved soon."
On what part of his game he wants to improve on before the season starts:
"Just working on my catch-and-shoot from the 3-point shot as well as ball-handling. I am just trying to work on every part of my game. I just want to become a better player from every aspect. I'm going to focus on certain points, but I'm going to be working on everything as far as being a basketball player."
On whether he's talked with any of his new teammates:
"I talked to some of the one, two or third-year players, but all of the veterans were gone at the time."
On his thoughts on the city of San Antonio:
"I love the city, they have a great fan base. I got around with my Mom a little bit and it was fun. I enjoyed the city, it's pretty calm and I'm a calm guy, so I like the area.
On joining a well-established franchise with skilled veterans:
"I'm happy with that. It's hard to be a winning team in the NBA and for me to come in and learn from veterans will improve my game even quicker. Just learning how to win and how tough it is to win games in the NBA will be important."
On whether he followed the mock drafts and other coverage of the draft:
"No, I just knew after the season once I talked to Coach Fisher and my Mom what area I was going to go in. I wasn't really looking on the Internet at all the media and where they had everyone going in the Draft, because you never know on Draft day."
On whether he knew what teams were interested in him before the Draft:
"I worked out for certain teams. You never know what they're looking for, for their teams to succeed next year. I had a meeting with San Antonio and they told me how much they liked my game, but I really didn't get a feel they were going to draft me or make a trade to get me on their team."
On what he gained most while playing at SDSU:
"A winning edge and more of a mental focus on basketball, it's not all physical. Just learning every part of my game and how a team works and just becoming a great team to go as far as we did in the tournament."
On what he will miss the most about San Diego:
"Probably just hanging out with my teammates and learning a lot from coach Fisher every day at practice."
On balancing getting less money, but being on a better team:
"I wasn't trying to be a high draft pick because of the money. My dream was just to play in the NBA. I love to play basketball, so the money had nothing to do with it. That's all I wanted to do and I just hoped for a good situation to help better my career. Since I landed on the Spurs, them being the first place team in the West during the regular season last year, it will better my chances."