Ivan Rabb on his comfort level speaking with the media: “I’m just comfortable with myself. Like, I know who I am. I think I’m just really confident in myself, so I was raised to speak up for myself. It has a lot to do with the way I was raised.”
Jaylen Brown on his comfort level speaking with the media: “Same thing. It’s just who I am. It’s just expected. For me and my family we had to be able to advocate for ourselves. If we wanted something, we had to be able to explain why we wanted it and that’s just how I was raised, so it definitely is a blessing I would say to have parents like I did and grandparents like I did that teach us to understand and to be able to advocate for ourselves. So, I appreciate that so much and I hope they’re watching this interview.”
Jaylen Brown on a specific example when he advocated for himself: “Maybe when I wanted a Xbox 360. Like, back in maybe 6th grade of 7th grade and she made me write a paper or something about it. My grandma, she’s the one that was gonna buy it, she made us tell here why we wanted it and what would be the benefit of it and we came up with something lame excuse like hand-to-eye coordination. I don’t know, something like that, yeah.”
Ivan Rabb on whether or not there is a comfort level being close to his high school: “Yeah, I mean. I think I’m really comfortable. But, I didn’t realize how different Berkeley was from Oakland until I got here, so I mean, I feel like I’m at home, but at the same time, there’s a big difference between the two cities.”
Jaylen Brown on whether or not Ivan Rabb has helped him transition: “Oh absolutely, yeah. Yes, his mom has definitely been a big help, she comes by and drops off like meals and things like that, does laundry. His mom is sent from heaven! She comes and does it all. She’s helped with my transition as well as him, just knowing the local places in the areas where I can get little things I need done. So that’s been very helpful for me.”
Jaylen Brown on the best meal Ivan Rabb’s mom cooks: “I would say the, what was it, the jumbalaya pasta or whatever it was called or something? Seafood pasta? Something like that, it was pretty good. She brought it earlier this summer.”
Ivan Rabb on what he wants to study: “I’m still undecided because like I said earlier, I’m figuring out there’s so much for me to get into, so I’m not sure.”
Jaylen Brown on what he wants to study: “I’m undecided as well, but I’m thinking more towards interdisciplinary.”
Ivan Rabb on Friday’s scrimmage: “I’m looking forward to having a good time because we’ve been doing a lot of serious stuff and I know tomorrow Coach is going to want us to be serious, but at the same time he wants us to have a lot of fun, so I’m just looking to go out and have fun. We finally get to play another game because it’s been a lot of serious practice, so it’ll be fun just to get out there. I don’t normally get nervous before games and stuff, so we’ll see [If I get nervous].”
Jaylen Brown on Friday’s scrimmage: “Definitely it’ll be fun to just be in the light where fans and other people that you influence can just get a look at you. Because there’s a lot of times where we’ve been doing things and it’s always been closed and between closed practices and things like that it’ll just be good to be seen.”
Jaylen Brown on Tyrone Wallace: “For me, Tyrone, he’s a leader, he’s been here four years on the court. So, I’m really just trying to follow his lead. He knows how things work around the university as well as on the basketball floor, so I’m just trying to follow his lead so I can get a jump and not feel so behind just because I’m just a freshman. So if I follow his lead, maybe I can seem as if I’m a senior as well.”
Ivan Rabb on Tyrone Wallace: “For me, Tyrone, him being a point guard and me being one of the bigs, I mean, he’s just trying to break down the game for me. He’s trying to make the game easier for me, set the table for me as well as my teammates. He’s doing a great job, he’s been a leader, he’s getting on us when we’re not going hard enough, certain stuff like that, so I’m just trying to follow his lead. He’s pushing us every day and we’re pushing him.”
Ivan Rabb on Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks: “First off, they’ve helped me grow because they’re a lot taller and they’re a lot stronger or they weight a lot more than me, so it’s just been good. I’ve just become a lot more physical basketball player because playing against them on defense, you have to be more physical because they are so strong. I’m learning to use my skills as an advantage because they’re so much taller. I’m learning that there’s other things I can do to get around them like face up to the basket and make moves from there. They’ve improved a lot, they’re scoring around the basket, they’re communicating on defense, they seem like they’re always in the right spots and I think for us three as the three bigs, I think we just need to continue to play physical and rebound the ball at all times.”
Ivan Rabb on whether or not he has looked up to Kevin Garnett: “Yes.”
Ivan Rabb on whether or not he hopes to have a similar role on this Cal team as Kevin Garnett: “Yeah, that’s the type of role I’m looking for. He can score the basketball, he can defend, he’s the emotional leader of the team, and I think that the one thing I’ve said I need to grow into is to be one of the emotional leaders of the team because he always has the effort there and that’s something that I need to improve on, too.”
Ivan Rabb on how he became ambidextrous and how he chooses what hand he’ll use: “ It started a long time ago because I was actually a left handed player, I would shoot jumpers with my left hand and everything, but then I broke my right arm when I was young. So when I got it out of the cast I just did everything with my right hand. I wanted it to get better, so all of a sudden I would start shooting with my right hand and it just kinda changed the game for me, so I mean as far as that, I shoot with my right hand, but I can shoot with my left hand. In the end of the game situations, it just depends on how the defense is playing me because I feel so comfortable with both hands… I write with my left hand. I’m a true lefty.”
Ivan Rabb on how he broke his arm: “ I was about six or seven. I was just playing around as a kid. I just fell down and broke my arm.”
Ivan Rabb on how he’ll be used: “ I know within the system, I mean, Coach gives every player a lot of freedom, so as long as we prove that we can do certain things in practice, he’ll let me do it in the game, so I believe he trusts my judgment, so, like I said earlier, if I’m playing a bigger guy, he’ll allow me to face up and just play the game. If I’m playing a smaller guy, than I’ll just be going back to the basket, so it’s all read for me.”
Jaylen Brown on how many times Ivan Rabb gets asked to be in pictures with random people walking down the street: “We both have a pretty busy schedule because of classes and things, but when we are together, it’s probably maybe, I’ll put like, maybe twice, three times a week. I mean, it could happen multiple times in one day. Sometimes I’m fighting off a group of people.”
Ivan Rabb: “I think they’re asking both of us for pictures a lot. Very often. I don’t know whose side of the story you’re going to take.”
Jaylen Brown on his comfort level speaking with the media: “Same thing. It’s just who I am. It’s just expected. For me and my family we had to be able to advocate for ourselves. If we wanted something, we had to be able to explain why we wanted it and that’s just how I was raised, so it definitely is a blessing I would say to have parents like I did and grandparents like I did that teach us to understand and to be able to advocate for ourselves. So, I appreciate that so much and I hope they’re watching this interview.”
Jaylen Brown on a specific example when he advocated for himself: “Maybe when I wanted a Xbox 360. Like, back in maybe 6th grade of 7th grade and she made me write a paper or something about it. My grandma, she’s the one that was gonna buy it, she made us tell here why we wanted it and what would be the benefit of it and we came up with something lame excuse like hand-to-eye coordination. I don’t know, something like that, yeah.”
Ivan Rabb on whether or not there is a comfort level being close to his high school: “Yeah, I mean. I think I’m really comfortable. But, I didn’t realize how different Berkeley was from Oakland until I got here, so I mean, I feel like I’m at home, but at the same time, there’s a big difference between the two cities.”
Jaylen Brown on whether or not Ivan Rabb has helped him transition: “Oh absolutely, yeah. Yes, his mom has definitely been a big help, she comes by and drops off like meals and things like that, does laundry. His mom is sent from heaven! She comes and does it all. She’s helped with my transition as well as him, just knowing the local places in the areas where I can get little things I need done. So that’s been very helpful for me.”
Jaylen Brown on the best meal Ivan Rabb’s mom cooks: “I would say the, what was it, the jumbalaya pasta or whatever it was called or something? Seafood pasta? Something like that, it was pretty good. She brought it earlier this summer.”
Ivan Rabb on what he wants to study: “I’m still undecided because like I said earlier, I’m figuring out there’s so much for me to get into, so I’m not sure.”
Jaylen Brown on what he wants to study: “I’m undecided as well, but I’m thinking more towards interdisciplinary.”
Ivan Rabb on Friday’s scrimmage: “I’m looking forward to having a good time because we’ve been doing a lot of serious stuff and I know tomorrow Coach is going to want us to be serious, but at the same time he wants us to have a lot of fun, so I’m just looking to go out and have fun. We finally get to play another game because it’s been a lot of serious practice, so it’ll be fun just to get out there. I don’t normally get nervous before games and stuff, so we’ll see [If I get nervous].”
Jaylen Brown on Friday’s scrimmage: “Definitely it’ll be fun to just be in the light where fans and other people that you influence can just get a look at you. Because there’s a lot of times where we’ve been doing things and it’s always been closed and between closed practices and things like that it’ll just be good to be seen.”
Jaylen Brown on Tyrone Wallace: “For me, Tyrone, he’s a leader, he’s been here four years on the court. So, I’m really just trying to follow his lead. He knows how things work around the university as well as on the basketball floor, so I’m just trying to follow his lead so I can get a jump and not feel so behind just because I’m just a freshman. So if I follow his lead, maybe I can seem as if I’m a senior as well.”
Ivan Rabb on Tyrone Wallace: “For me, Tyrone, him being a point guard and me being one of the bigs, I mean, he’s just trying to break down the game for me. He’s trying to make the game easier for me, set the table for me as well as my teammates. He’s doing a great job, he’s been a leader, he’s getting on us when we’re not going hard enough, certain stuff like that, so I’m just trying to follow his lead. He’s pushing us every day and we’re pushing him.”
Ivan Rabb on Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks: “First off, they’ve helped me grow because they’re a lot taller and they’re a lot stronger or they weight a lot more than me, so it’s just been good. I’ve just become a lot more physical basketball player because playing against them on defense, you have to be more physical because they are so strong. I’m learning to use my skills as an advantage because they’re so much taller. I’m learning that there’s other things I can do to get around them like face up to the basket and make moves from there. They’ve improved a lot, they’re scoring around the basket, they’re communicating on defense, they seem like they’re always in the right spots and I think for us three as the three bigs, I think we just need to continue to play physical and rebound the ball at all times.”
Ivan Rabb on whether or not he has looked up to Kevin Garnett: “Yes.”
Ivan Rabb on whether or not he hopes to have a similar role on this Cal team as Kevin Garnett: “Yeah, that’s the type of role I’m looking for. He can score the basketball, he can defend, he’s the emotional leader of the team, and I think that the one thing I’ve said I need to grow into is to be one of the emotional leaders of the team because he always has the effort there and that’s something that I need to improve on, too.”
Ivan Rabb on how he became ambidextrous and how he chooses what hand he’ll use: “ It started a long time ago because I was actually a left handed player, I would shoot jumpers with my left hand and everything, but then I broke my right arm when I was young. So when I got it out of the cast I just did everything with my right hand. I wanted it to get better, so all of a sudden I would start shooting with my right hand and it just kinda changed the game for me, so I mean as far as that, I shoot with my right hand, but I can shoot with my left hand. In the end of the game situations, it just depends on how the defense is playing me because I feel so comfortable with both hands… I write with my left hand. I’m a true lefty.”
Ivan Rabb on how he broke his arm: “ I was about six or seven. I was just playing around as a kid. I just fell down and broke my arm.”
Ivan Rabb on how he’ll be used: “ I know within the system, I mean, Coach gives every player a lot of freedom, so as long as we prove that we can do certain things in practice, he’ll let me do it in the game, so I believe he trusts my judgment, so, like I said earlier, if I’m playing a bigger guy, he’ll allow me to face up and just play the game. If I’m playing a smaller guy, than I’ll just be going back to the basket, so it’s all read for me.”
Jaylen Brown on how many times Ivan Rabb gets asked to be in pictures with random people walking down the street: “We both have a pretty busy schedule because of classes and things, but when we are together, it’s probably maybe, I’ll put like, maybe twice, three times a week. I mean, it could happen multiple times in one day. Sometimes I’m fighting off a group of people.”
Ivan Rabb: “I think they’re asking both of us for pictures a lot. Very often. I don’t know whose side of the story you’re going to take.”
