Warriors introduce Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody of 2021 NBA Draft Class

Well, we'd like to welcome you today for our press conference. My name is Tim Roy and For the last 26 years I've had one of the great jobs in the world and that is to be the radio announcer for the Golden State Warriors. And glad you're out here tonight to meet our two newest warriors. And welcome to everyone watching online NBC Sports, Bay Area Warriors.com and listening on our radio flagship, our partner, 95.7 the Game. Let me introduce the people here on stage. Far to my left, Warrior sale manager Bob Myers. Next to him, Jonathan Kaminga, the seventh pick of the 2021 draft. And next to me is Moses Moody from Arkansas, the number 14 pick overall in last night's NBA draft. Like some family members to introduce. Down to my right, we have Moses, parents Kareem and Rona, brother Miles and his agent, reps from clutch sports Rich and Georgia. Welcome today to our press conference. I know that, Jonathan, you have some people here as well. I don't see them seated, but I know that your brother Joel is here, your assistant Gianni is here as well. So we welcome them to the proceeds. Well, last night, big night for the Golden State warriors. Two picks in the lottery and Bob Myers. I know that we're in an era of instant gratification and I know you really can't judge anything off of the first opinion, but I did read on ESPN.com that somebody was giving you an A last night.

So hopefully that doesn't turn into an F. Don't blame you guys right here. No, it's exciting and it's different now with These guys are 18 years old. You're both 18. I can't believe how young you both are. It's a testament to your hard work to your family getting to know both of you over the last couple weeks. Not like we know each other that well, but I'm impressed by both of you and thank you to the mom and dad and Joel, your brother. You all did a great job. I wish I could meet your mom and dad one day, but we're excited. And I talk about the character first because that's what's going to make that a grade stick or not. It's going to be what they do from here on out, not what they've done so far. So we're excited, excited to kind of hand them off to our coaches. I can't make them better now, but they certainly can. And it should be fun summer league starting like in 15 minutes. So we got to got to get ready.

And don't forget Free agency starts in a day or so, too. Man, what a condensed schedule. Jonathan, I wanted to ask you because you're at the start of a journey, but you just completed one. To get to this point, what's that journey been like for you, and has this moment sunk into you yet?

I would just say my journey been real good. You know, I've been through this process since I left home, and, you know, it's just a part of the journey, so I'm just working hard to get to where I want to go.

And, Moses, I guess the same kind of question for you. And, you know, obviously, it's a family thing. If you bring along the family with you on this journey, what's it been like for you to have their support through all this?

I mean, my family support has been everything. They've been with me since day one, and they've been with me through this process. And I do feel like oftentimes people are too focused on the goal when they kind of miss out on the journey. But this is a time that I really feel like we can take a step back and appreciate all that we've done and close this chapter because we're heading on to a new one.

Yeah. Now the work begins. By the way, for those of the assembled press here, we do have. We have some people who have microphones. We have Cole over here. Brett is in the back as well. Just raise your hand. They will come to you with a question. And, Bob, I wanted to ask you, and again, just kind of give a rundown, what attracted you to these two talents?

Yeah, I mean, a lot. They're different players. I don't know if you guys played against each other ever, but different. And that's good for us. We want players to complement each other. What attracted us most, Tim, was what they are now and what we hope they can be. The skill set, the physical makeup of both of them, the size, the length, the fact that we believe they're both going to work very hard. We think they fit our culture. And to be honest, wings are the hardest things to find in the NBA, whether in the draft or free agency. I mean, you watch the playoffs, it's become a position that has a high premium. And to get two guys like this that hopefully can play as long as kind of Steph and Clay did together would be a dream come true for us and them. So we'll see.

Tim.

I mean, I have been up here with guys, and it's been great. Sometimes it doesn't work, but I have high hopes. I don't want to have two lottery picks up here anymore. That means we didn't make the playoffs. That's not your guys fault, that's our fault. But you're coming to a good place and we're going to need you guys. Not right away. If you can play right away, great. But at some point you'll be the veteran. So we're excited to watch them grow, Tim, and, and if they can help us now, that's great. But I think they have practice tomorrow so we'll, we'll see how conditioned they are.

Ready to go? Well, when we're done here, I'm going to go outside to Thrive City and we'll meet some of the fans and have them talk to our draft picks as well. And last night we were outside Thrive City at the draft, met some great people from Oracle, including Christina. Also want to thank Toby, Ariel, Lisa, Robert who are here today. Thank you for your support and thank you for being a longtime partner with the Golden State Warriors. We appreciate having you here and it's great to see you guys out there last night and having some fun at the draft party. So let's talk a little bit. Moses, I have to ask this question because I was here when he was coaching here. There is a passion about Eric Musselman coaching at Arkansas and he had that same passion here. What was that like for you?

I mean, it's a lot of fun playing with a coach that's that invested in the game. You can feel that passion and the team kind of feeds off of it. And you know, with energy like that, it gets contagious and we all have that same drive throughout the game.

Did he ever tell you specifically some things to work on that to take your game to the next level?

Yeah, before the season. Some things that he really wanted me to focus on is making the open shots. We'll worry about the contested shots and all those later, but he wanted to just focus on making the open shots and also rebounding. That's something I put a lot of effort and attention on earlier in the season. That's because that's what he said he really wanted me to focus on to elevate my game.

We have a question down here. Please name an affiliation, if you would, and then fire away.

Hi, guys.

Janie McCauley from the Associated Press. Thanks for doing this and congratulations. Jonathan. How much was the time with the ignite? How much was the development process something that you thrived on, not only on the court to prepare but off the court? Some of the things that you got out of that and Moses. To follow up on Tim's question for you, just how did Eric Musselman prepare you or since you've been drafted, Even talking to him about what it's like with Golden State?

Basically just going to the G League, you know, it's something I wanted to do since I was in high school, being a professional at the young age. So when I got to the G League I feel like they prepared me through pretty much everything on and off the court, especially having Visac, Jerry, Jack, Amir, Johnson and coaches that have been in the league before like Brian, Sean. So I felt like that was a good decision that I made in my life. To go out there, prepared me to be more mature of the court, on the court and just know how to take care of myself. Surround everybody.

Mainly the things that coach have done since the season to help me and be ready for the Golden State environment. He's talked a lot about the people. That's not necessarily just saying the coaching staff, even though that is something he has talked highly about, but just the environment, all the people around, the whole atmosphere. That's something I'm excited for and that I got a good feel for all the way up into this process.

Next question.

Logan Murdoch of the Ringer. This is for both rookies. You guys are coming into a situation where this, this team wants to contend for titles. How do you guys mentally prepare for that? And you guys have never been a part of the NBA before. How do you mentally prepare for something that you haven't been a part of yet?

I mean we've still been playing the game for a while. You know, we like to win. So I don't see a better situation than going into a team that also does a good job at that. I mean we're young guys so I'm definitely going to try to develop and see how I can fit and help the team do what they want to do.

But.

But early on in my career that's what it's about, finding my spot. Basically.

Like you say, there's going to be a lot of expectations for both of us as a rookie, as a team that go on to the final, right? But we here, we just going to work hard and do whatever the coaches want us to do to help the team to win.

Again. If you have a question, raise your hand. The guys will get to you as soon as possible. We have one here on the aisle for Jonathan.

Again, congratulations. Thanks for doing this. What does it mean to you to be one of just a handful of Congo born players to make it to the NBA.

That means a lot. You know, basically hometown. Where I came from. If you see back in the history of the NBA, there is not that many people that got to the NBA from there. So I feel like I'm the first person then, you know, I got that chip in my bag. That's why I always work hard to make everybody proud from where I come from.

You know, Bob, I wanted to ask you. You know, obviously Joe Lickett was down front and I see Larry Harris in the back. Talk about the collaborative effort that you guys have had to do, and especially over the last couple of years because of the pandemic and how it's made it more difficult to kind of do your job.

Well there. I would argue, Tim, we've spent too much time together lately. Can't spend that much time with people. Collaboration is a kind word. There's also debate, there's disagreement. But I love our process. It's not just those two guys. It's Kirk Lake, Kent Lap, Mike Dunleavy. We got a great group of scouts. We involved Kenny Atkinson in this process.

He.

I don't know if he's here, but he felt like he was part of the front office. So we really do value everybody's opinion, not just Joe or. Or myself. We give people room to speak without judgment. Ultimately have to make decisions, but that's my favorite part of the job. Hopefully we got this stuff right. But who you work with, who you get to be around, that's what makes any job fun. And I love this part. I love this part of the year. It's really hard. It's exhausting. There's stress. You know, half the people say you did a good job, half people say you didn't. But who you do it with gives you confidence in your decisions. And I'm fortunate to have such a great support staff and everybody that I get to work with. We're really team oriented. So it's not just me making the decisions.

Another question.

Marcus Thompson with the Athletic Moses. Bobby Portis just won a title. Joe Johnson still cooking. In Big three, you get drafted.

Number seven.

What's going on with the Little Rock hoop scene and what built you?

I think, you know, we can get a little bit of recognition for what's there. I mean, there's a lot of good players there, and it's. It's a hard journey just given. Like, I've been in LA training and doing some of the best training I've done in my life, but I'm in the gym with guys that's third or fourth grade, so that they're getting that work since that and but we are Arkansas side, so it's kind of a disadvantage and makes you have to work that much harder. But we got here the guys that have that have done great things, they give back to the city and show a lot of love. That's definitely something I admire about Joe Johnson because coming up, he was in the league but still playing in local leagues and putting on tournaments. So that's something I really do admire about him.

Next question.

Yeah, Anthony Slater with the Athletic.

Do either you have any connections with current players on the Warriors? Moses, I know you talked a little.

Bit with Draymond, but.

And have you had any conversation with.

Them the last like 24 hours or so?

Yeah, Draymond texted me yesterday right after just saying, you know, welcome to the family. Casual things. We. I talked to Steph and Clay. They were both at one of my workouts. So talk to them a little bit afterwards.

Jonathan, I wanted to ask you a question. Sorry, Moses. About playing the G League ignite. Because you had a chance to play with the former Warrior, Jarrett Jack, who was here right at the beginning of our. Our great run. And you played for Brian Shaw, who's from Oakland and also a former Warrior, albeit a short time. Was there anything in specific that you learned from them or they were talking to you about to try to make you a better player?

I'll go with Jerry Jack first. You know, it's been around Jerry Jack means a lot because, you know, he used to push me pretty much every day. Used to be there talking to me every time, especially in the game. You can't hear him on the bench screaming, yeah, jk. Like you're doing good. He was helping me with my pace of my game, you know, coming out of high school to the G League, different paces. So he was really like a mentor to me, especially Brian Sean in practice, always pushing me, helping me pretty much on every little thing that I needed to become more successful and the best I can be.

And did Jarrett Jack ever show you his shoe collection? His shoe collection?

Jarrett Jack, he FaceTimed me one day when he was back home and he had shoes all over, like, all over the house, not just in the closet.

Yeah, he's crazy. He's got the best, one of the best ever. Let's go down here to Nick, guys.

Nick Friedel, espn for each of you. What do you feel like your skill for the NBA? NBA ready. Is most right now?

You know, I'll say. We know I'm still 18 years old, but I'm just here. I'm a work hard and, you know, we're gonna see where the future hold for us. But I feel like we're both ready to go out there and compete as hard as we can.

Yeah, I'll probably say my most transferable skill is shooting, because that's what I do, and I feel like that's what I invest a lot of time in. So I feel like that's a skill that can really translate. Other than that, I do feel like I'm adaptable and I can make it work depending on the situation and really figure it out. So those are two skills that I think will help me and carry me along into this journey.

Next up.

Last night, Bob said that Draymond pushed to get both of y' all in the building. How does that feel to have that endorsement? And do y' all feel, like, kind of pressure that Draymond is like, y' all want them? Is there pressure to perform when he pushes for y'?

All?

Yeah, it's definitely a good feeling, especially with Draymond. We all know he's not gonna show hiding emotions. He's gonna keep it real at all times. And someone that genuinely feels that way about us, that knows so much about the game and a guy that's done as much as he's done to really believe in us, that's. That's definitely extra pride and motivation to succeed.

In the back.

R.C. davis warriors radio Warriors sound this question is for both of you. Who would you guys say you grew up trying to emulate your game after? Just a couple of guys.

Just me growing up back home in Africa, you know, we didn't get a chance to watch so many people like that. So growing up, there was Kobe, still a legend. That's the only guy was real, like, legendary and well known, pretty much over. And I think that's the only guy I really used to watch and trying to give me my game.

To him, it was a lot of different guys that I like to take different bits and pieces from. I did like Kobe. I liked Kevin Durant, Steph Curry. Just different things from different guys. Devin Booker is a guy that I really like. CJ McCollum, Demar DeRozan in the mid.

Range, good guys to like. Jonathan, you had an encounter with Bismack, Biyombo, that kind of put you on a path. Could you talk a little bit about that?

I didn't really get a chance to talk to Bismarck like that, but I met him because I went to a school where I went. I used to go to school with his little brother and stuff. That's the only time I really, like, got to talk to him.

Any questions? Bob, when you consider the way a draft goes and in every draft situation, maybe there's a little wrinkle here and there. What was the experience like last night?

You know, we don't usually have two picks in the lottery. It's pretty uncommon. And you never quite know. You see, I see what the media sees. I see what the fans see. You're wondering who's going to go before you or who's going to maybe go after you. I no idea that either of these guys would be there when we picked. But we do our board, Tim. We have our rankings and we just follow that. It's still fun. I mean, it's the job. But we like watching the draft just like anybody else. Love watching the players in their suits. I can't pull some of these. Well, I could wear what you're wearing, Moses. I could do that, but I don't think I got this suit in my wardrobe here. But it was fun. I mean, I feel old, honestly, watching the draft, I sat at a lot of those green room tables 20 years ago with some players, and the outfits keep getting better and better. So it was a lot of fun. It made me feel old. But as far as our job, it's stressful, but it's fun, and we're just very happy with the result.

Yeah, I saw a turtleneck last night. I can go back to my closet now and dig some of those out.

Let's go to Monte Monte pool in the B.C. sports Bay Area for both of you. How often have you been to the Bay Area? If at all. And what do you know about this area?

When I went to G League, I used to stay in Walnut Creek. It's like 15 minutes. You just gotta cross the bridge and you're here. So I'm kind of familiar to the area. I mean, it's a cool area, but by the time I was here, there wasn't nobody. It was a pandemic time.

So, yeah, I haven't been here too many times. I've came through, you know, had some tournaments and all, but I do really do like the area area, the weather. I gotta go see the Golden Gate Bridge. That's the first thing I gotta do.

Anybody else down the pocket there? Yeah. Moses, you came into this draft, you know, you were thinking about what you wanted to do with your NBA career. Now that it's here, now that it's starting, you Know, what would you like to accomplish? What are the things you want to get better at, you know, right away?

Right away, I would definitely say honing my skills that I feel like got me in this chair, which is shooting defense, and just playing with my head and just small things like that. But then I also want to expand my game and work on creating my own side and just playing within the flow of the game.

And, Jonathan, at what point did you realize that the NBA was a possibility, that there was a career there for you?

My freshman year, when I learned English and came to America. When I saw that this is the process, you got to go through it. And I felt like I was working hard, and I knew at some point I was going to be an NBA player.

Can I ask a question, Tim? I saw you guys. You picked double zero, and you picked number four. Why did you guys pick those numbers? I'm just curious.

I usually rock with zero. And then I spoke to one of the guys. He told me I can't take zero because somebody else has it.

Is that true? To some of.

We can't.

Is zero not available? We don't have Raymond. We'll figure this out right now.

Gilbert, maybe get zero if you want zero.

I don't know. I don't know. He wants a zero.

I don't think anybody. Does anybody have that? I think you can have it. You want it?

Just gotta buy it from me.

No, no, but we can talk about it. But why four, Moses?

Four is a number that I really do like. There's four members of my media family. There's four of me and my closest friends. It's just a number that keeps popping up in my life, so I like to represent that.