Q & A. Part II

You play soccer well?

HAHAHA.... I like soccer but i'm not that good but better than what people think. We had a training camp in Croatia at the beginning of April and we played soccer some days and it was fun. I mostly just play defense because i can't dribble that good so when they saw me with the ball everyone try to came and steal it from me. So I rather stay on defense and protect the goal.

What do you think about AND1?

When AND1 first came out and it was very good because we have never seen anything like that before and it was entertainment. They were doing unbelievable moves and different kind of dunks. But now i don't like it so much because it seems like they are repeating the same moves over and over. But it is great for entertainment.

There's a great hype about the Russian nationality of the american ballers. Have you ever thought about it?

Of course i thought about it. I think thats great for the Russian league because its getting more and more competition and its building the reputation.. But for the teams who don't have someone with the passport, i think its a little disadvantage.

Do you like Russian vodka?

No sirrrrrrrrr..... haha

What is your motivation? Is it Russian girls that keep you here?

My motivation is my family and friends. My first motivation is my wife Erica and son DC. Erica and DC are my #1 fans. She keeps me humble and motivated to do what i have to do so the family can be alright. And DC being able to see me play while he is young is important to me because i want him to see how his Bubba (that's what he call me) is working hard. And my friends at home always encouraging me and making sure everything is ok for me. HAHA......... Is it Russian girls that keep me here... No sirrrrrrrr, its the basketball that keeps me here.

What's the most funny or ridiculous thing happened with you outside of basketball ground?

I have many of those but i will tell about one that happened not to long ago when the streets had ice on it. I was walking to this store thats near my house and i was on the phone. Well i took one step in the street and didn't see the ice and i slipped right on my back. The first thing i did was got up and looked around to see if anybody seen me because it was so funny..... HAHA.

How do you like in Russia? How long are you going to stay here? Do you have offer from European teams? In what club would you like to play?

Russia is ok. Its very cold but it has some very nice cities in Russia. Its different here but its very interesting. I'm not sure how long i will stay here, i have to see what happens this summer. Yes I do have offers from teams but right now i'm just focused on doing my best for Triumph in the playoffs to try to accomplish some goals. Right now i don't have a particular club that i would like to play at.

I know you got some barbershops in the US right? Don't you wanna open them in Moscow too? Who is your favorite music artist? What american players do you communicate with?

I don't have the any barber shops yet. Now just trying to see what location to start one and what else i want to do with the shop. But the process will start very soon. I've never thought about tryin' to open some in Moscow, thats a good idea but i don't know if i'll have many customers to be able to keep the business alive.

My favorite music artist is 2pac. Even though 2pac is dead, i still listen to his music like it just came out. His lyrics and the way he raps is unique and he lived what a rapped about. I communicate with many american players. The only person i really hang out with or go to his house many times is my boy Holden. I hang out with my man Lyday too.

Could you tell us in details who was the NBA player made you love basketball? Maybe you collected cards or photos with players? Is there a quality or some activity on the court, that is very important but can't be measured with statistic?

The NBA player that made me love basketball was Magic Johnson. I like Magic because he was 6'9» tall and played point guard and passed the ball like no one did. He really had eyes behind his head. He could see his players anywhere and he played with heart. He was a player who played fast break ball and that's my style. That's my reason i wear #32 because of Magic Johnson. And of course when Michael Jordan came to the NBA it changed everything. I don't have to speak on what he did. We all know already. Yes I used to collect cards and i still have many cards put away in some special cases because they are worth a lot of money. When i was in high school I used to work for a card company that had all the sports cards so i used to get the best ones because i know in the future the value will go up.

The quality that can't be measured with statistic is for sure defense. You can play good defense and don't get any steals and no one will know if they didn't see the game. Defense is very important, everyone can score points but everyone can't play defense.

Do you like Holden's play? You have exclusive basketball technique! Is it nature or hard training?

Yes I like the way Holden play. He starts with good defense and he is very quick and fast. He is playing very good basketball right now and that's good for CSKA going into the Final Four. Good luck CSKA. My technique is from hard training when was younger. i had some very good coaches growing up and they taught me how to use my talents and abilities and put them together. I still train hard but now it's mostly about the team. But my individual style was taught to me and my Dad stayed on me about playing the game and I thank him for that all the time. And GOD blessed me with the natural abilities.

Please tell about your teammates. Who's the best dunker on the team (you?) And who's the best 3pt shooter?

My teammates are good people. We all have a good feel for each other. We work hard at practice and we look out for each other. The best dunker on the team is Fedor Likholitov. He does some stuff that is crazy and he makes it look easy. I played with him at Dynamo also, so i have seen him do alot of dunks. Egor Vyaltsev and Terrell Lyday are good dunkers also. I don't dunk too much anymore, I just surprise people sometimes, people forget I can dunk and when i do they are surprised because i don't dunk much anymore. The best 3pt shooter is............ ME. I'm sorry but I can't say another person is a better shooter than me. I always challenge some of my teammate to 3pt shooting contests just to let them know that i can shoot also. They think that since i play point guard that I can't shoot like them. They are crazy, they don't know that I was a shooting guard first. So I will say i'm the best 3pt shooter..... HAHAHA.

Who do you think will become the MVP this year in the NBA?

I think the MVP should be Kobe Bryant. He took his team and got first place in his conference. And right now he is the best player in the NBA. Sometimes when i watch him play, it seems like i'm watching Michael Jordan again. But also Chris Paul is having a MVP year. And I can't forget Lebron James either. Its going to be interesting to see who wins it.