You worked out for a collection of teams, but not the Clippers. Were you shocked when they called your name at Madison Square Garden?
I was kind of shocked. I worked out for a number of teams, and I had a general idea where I was going, but you never know. The draft sometimes will throw you for a loop. Now I'm here; I think it's the best team for me. I'm playing a lot. I'm getting to learn and make mistakes on the court. In a rookie year, that's kind of rare. A lot of rookies don't see the court. It will benefit me in the long run.
How's life in Los Angeles? It must be quite different than what you experienced growing up.
Oh, man, it's a big difference. The traffic is crazy. I hate the traffic, but I'm getting adjusted to it. It's a big difference, but I'm starting to enjoy it.
Wearing a No. 12 jersey is important to you. Why is that?
It's very important to me. I have three older sisters that played basketball, and all of them wore the No. 12. We all went to the same high school. Basketball is kind of a tradition in my family. I look up to my sisters. I love them to death. They wore the No. 12, so I try to keep it going.
Here's a few questions from Bob Bellone (Tampa Bay Online) to Al Thornton. Click the link for the entire interview.
TBO