Spencer Dinwiddie Interview Quotes after winning 2018 Skills Challenge
InsideHoops.com
February 17, 2018
Saturday night at 2018 All-Star weekend, Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie stepped up and won the 2018 Skills Challenge competition. Here are Dinwiddie interview quotes after winning the event:
Q. Spencer, if you could make a brief comment
about winning this?
SPENCER DINWIDDIE: It's big for me to even be at
All-Star Weekend considering the road that's been in
my career, very up and down. Obviously being in the
G League both on assignment and as a G League
player, thank you to the Brooklyn Nets for giving me
this opportunity to play and be here.
Then it all really feels and seems full circle because I
got to come home and do it in front of my family.
Q. To win this, you have to be skilled in all different
facets of the game. Is that something that pleases
you, that you consider yourself an all-around player
in that regard?
SPENCER DINWIDDIE: Oh, well, definitely. The I
think that's one of the marks of my game is being able
to affect the game in multiple ways, whether it be
passing, defending or scoring. Good thing they didn't
have a rebounding challenge, I guess, in this or I
wouldn't have won it.
Q. You've had other opportunities in the NBA, but
why has it come together for you this year in
Brooklyn?
SPENCER DINWIDDIE: I think Detroit was a situation
where they were in very win-now mode, and I was a
young guy coming off injury. I don't think they felt I
could help them in that specific situation. But a lot of
credit goes to them for teaching me what it was to be a
young guy in this league and teach me how hard the
NBA can be. I think for Chicago it was just kind of another series of
unfortunate events. They were in win-now mode. I
was an unproven guard on a non-guaranteed contract,
and they felt Michael Carter-Williams gave them a
better shot to win, which was understandable, because
they had D-Wade who is on the edge of his career, and
(Rajon) Rondo who is in the prime of his career, Jimmy (Butler) as well. So they weren't thinking about five
years from now. They were thinking about trying to win
a championship that year.
In Brooklyn, once again, they gave me a chance to
learn and grow. They believed in my abilities. I played
last year a lot as a backup role, kind of going back and
forth. Then, you know, once again, this situation, this
opportunity doesn't come if Jeremy (Lin) and D-Lo
(D'Angelo Russell) don't get hurt. I completely
understand that.
I feel bad for my guys, but in that sense, I'm also
grateful for the opportunity. Because Brooklyn could
have -- not drafted, but signed somebody else or
brought somebody up from the G League instead, but
they chose to rock with me while our two main guys
were hurt. You know, it's just fortunate to be able to
capitalize on that opportunity.
Q. You being from Woodland Hills, California, and
the L.A. area, growing up here, obviously you're
here now for All-Star Weekend. What's it like being
with all these other talents from Los Angeles,
number one? And number two, why do you think
Los Angeles is such a great basketball city?
SPENCER DINWIDDIE: One second, I'm not actually
from the valley. I just went to school out there. I'm
actually from L.A. I just think it's a situation where
obviously we have a large amount of people in the
state and in the city. So that's one thing.
But just the competitive nature of basketball. You're
growing up and from a young age you're playing guys
that are McDonald's All-Americans and this, that, and
the third. And if you're playing up, I was in high school,
I was playing DeMarre who I believe was a senior or
junior. Jrue Holiday, those guys I've played them since
I was young. And granted, having that age gap at that
time, they were beating me, like soundly.
But it helps you grow being able to play against those
guys, and now seeing them at this level and them
being successful, and also having some of your own
success, it creates a brotherhood and a bond that's like
no other.
Q. To a casual NBA fan you're probably not the
most familiar face. Are you hoping that being on this national stage changes that, or do you like
being under the radar?
SPENCER DINWIDDIE: Oh, I don't really too much
care, man. Like I know that's probably not as you want,
but I try to win. Win every single basketball game that I
can. When I step on the floor, just because of my
injury that I had in college, I cherish every moment to
be able to step out here and play the game that I love
and, like I said, do it in front of my family. There was a
time when they didn't think this was going to happen,
so it's fun.
Q. Did your teammates help you to practice and
prepare for this?
SPENCER DINWIDDIE: Yeah, their votes of
confidence and their advice, they all helped. I've been
getting encouragement from them pretty much since
I've been selected and it was announced. So I
appreciate my teammates and their support.
Q. Who helped you the most?
SPENCER DINWIDDIE: I think Caris (LeVert) is one of
the dudes that helped me a lot, Jeremy Lin as well,
Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson). Even though we have a
love-hate relationship, but that's my guy too.