SLAM: You’re at the moment the frontrunner to win MVP this season—in keeping with Vegas odds, in keeping with the media, and so on. How a lot do you take note of stuff like that, and the way massive of a aim is it for you?
SGA: It’s one other blessing. So many issues [happened] from then to now for me to get right here. A few of it’s luck, a few of it’s serving to arms, a few of it’s arduous work. Quite a lot of stars must align and issues have for me, and I’m tremendous blessed for that. The sensation is superb. Clearly, nothing is received in January, clearly. However to be enjoying on the stage that I’m, to be acknowledged, to my workforce successful—issues are clearly getting in the correct course. I haven’t reached any of my objectives but, so I’m not happy. I’ve much more to perform. The work received’t cease. However yeah, headed down the correct path, for positive.
SLAM: Anthony Edwards made a remark lately that you simply had been the clear-cut MVP this season and will’ve been the MVP final season. What’s it like having different star gamers offer you that kind of reward?
SGA: Your friends do it at a excessive stage. They perceive the grind it takes, perceive the everyday. No one understands greater than them. To me, their opinion holds probably the most weight as a result of they do the very same factor that I do on the similar stage and perceive what it takes. So it’s a great feeling.
SLAM: Do you agree along with his assertion that it is best to’ve received final yr?
SGA: Umm, I don’t actually care about [not winning it last year] a lot. It’s one thing I can’t management. I can’t management votes. I attempted to present final yr my all, tried to be one of the best model of myself. And I assume that wasn’t sufficient. So, my mindset within the summertime was to attempt to make it possible for this yr it was sufficient.
SLAM: There are folks on-line who evaluate you to Allen Iverson. Have you ever seen these comparisons?
SGA: I haven’t heard these, however I strive to not get into social media and scouring by social media whereas I’m going by the season. However that’s a tremendous feeling as nicely. Allen Iverson was, like, my favourite basketball participant rising up—the rationale why I had braids as a child, wore a headscarf, the rationale why I began enjoying basketball. So, it’s a cool feeling. The issues he’s performed for the sport, for the tradition—on and off the courtroom—are second to none. In order that’s fairly cool.
SLAM: Did you examine his sport if you had been rising up?
SGA: I by no means actually studied a lot of his sport, simply ’trigger I used to be youthful and I simply wasn’t learning [yet]. I used to be simply watching as a fan. However one thing that stood out about him was his supreme confidence. On the courtroom, he performed the identical means. His confidence by no means wavered. Good shot, dangerous shot. He made 4 in a row, 5 in a row. He all the time performed the identical means. Performed arduous. And off the courtroom, he clearly had the utmost confidence in his trend. His swag. A narrative that all the time caught with me was him taking fines to put on suits. That’s all the time one thing that stood out to me. He all the time made positive he did it his means, and he went out swinging.
SLAM: You talked about there’s nonetheless much more to perform. What does that record of objectives seem like?
SGA: My greatest factor is, I simply need to win a championship. That’s why you play the sport. After I was in ninth grade and tried out for the workforce, I wished to win a metropolis championship. I all the time simply need to win—on the largest and highest stage of basketball on the earth. That’s my most important and solely focus. All I actually care about. If I get that at some point, I’ll be all proper.
SLAM: You had been lower out of your JV workforce in ninth grade; how a lot did that influence the best way you went about pursuing basketball?
SGA: I used it as motivation. I by no means sulked or was down dangerous about it or was in my emotions about it. I simply took it as, I wasn’t adequate. I assumed I used to be adequate; clearly I wasn’t. I wished to make it possible for I by no means had that feeling once more. And I believe I did a fairly good job at that.
