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How did playing overseas help prepare you for the NBA?

Prigioni: “My case was a little weird. I played so many years there. With the jump to the NBA, I never thought about that. I thought I was going to finish my career over there. But the chance came in 2012 with the Knicks, and I said, ‘Why not? Why not try?’ Now, after three years, I’m really happy to make that decision to come. It’s a great experience for me. Now, I’m trying to enjoy the time that I have left in my legs. I’m 38, so I see this opportunity as probably one of the last in my career, and I’m taking this seriously.”

What were the leading factors in you choosing to come to the Clippers?

Prigioni: “I knew the trade to Denver, I knew I would not be there. I hoped to have the option to be a free agent, because I have to wait that 48 hours. So I was saying, ‘Please, nobody pick me up.’ I knew the interest of the Clippers and I had no other option. Well, I had other teams asking, but I didn’t even consider to choose another team or to come back to Europe. I said, ‘I want to go there. This is a perfect team’… Whatever they need me to do, I will do to help the team win.”

How familiar are you with some of the players and coaches on the team?

Prigioni: “I know Mike Woodson, he was my coach in New York, he’s one of the assistant coaches (with the Clippers). It’s going to make things easier for me to adjust to the team, to the system, to everything. I knew Josh Smith, he was my teammate in Houston. Cole Aldrich just signed, and we were teammates in New York. So many things pushed me to sign with the Clippers.”

Rowan Kavner, Clippers.com