Deandre Ayton

I didn't want to go out there and prove to everyone or try to prove people wrong or what I can do. I just wanted to play my best, and, if I'm gassing at the end of the game, then that means I did a good job.

I still have my back to the basket because there's going to be times where I'm going to really have to score down low, but I'm really working on my face-up game because in the league, there's more space, and there's not double-teams and triple-teams coming at you like how it was in college.

I'm representing the Bahamas; I'm representing a lot of islands - it's a whole nation behind me, on my back.

I was the kid in basketball camps wanting to see the new gear that comes out or the gear that the camps give.

Dudes are coming at me every day; I'm playing different positions on the defensive end. I'm really working on that, because that's the next level. In the league, everybody can dribble.

I'm an entertainer. Puma knows entertainers and the way we move.

I wasn't really a student of the game. I just played it because I loved it. I didn't really look into the greats as much. They just put a ball in my hand, and I did what the coach told me to.

When you think you're showing effort, and your body language is showing that, then you're really playing your best, and then nobody will be able to talk bad about your game.

When you're from the islands, that's that pride.

I've been saying it before the lottery, before the Phoenix Suns even had the No. 1 pick. I've just been talking it into the existence. I'm not saying I'm the best player in the draft and trying to be cocky like that, but I was just saying I'm going to be the No. 1 pick, regardless.

Having my name called to be the first pick for the Phoenix Suns was mind-blowing. Having all that confidence and leading up to that point when I saw Adam Silver come out, I was just waiting for my name, and when he called it, my mind went blank.

Nike is Nike. Adidas is Adidas. I've played in their circuits and stuff like that, but now it's a business. You don't want just product. You're not a kid anymore. You're really trying to get bank. That's about it.