Hornets vs Kings: KJ Simpson Postgame Media Availability | 7/20/2025

Jake, quite simply, what has this experience meant to you to be able to win summer league? You’ve already got the ring on, so how are you feeling? I’m feeling great. I’m feeling great. Um, I’m just happy, man. This was a whole team win. You know, it was a great group of guys. We got here a little bit earlier than the rest of the teams and we were at it and we were going at it and we were tired of playing against each other. We couldn’t wait to go against another team and I’m just happy we got the win. How were you able to get the win over the course of this time? We just fought. We just found a way. I mean from guys going down to guys stepping up. We had some key guys step up tonight and uh I mean it started obviously with everyone Khan set the tone and uh everybody just trickled down after that. It was a trickle down effect and we just found a way to win. It wasn’t going to be easy. I mean the the Kings they got here for a reason and uh we just knew that if we stay together though we’ll come out on top. This your second year in the league winning summer league, playing in summer league for the second time. Uh what has this meant for your development and your growth just to come out here and win this and and keep it moving? Everything honestly. Uh I just wanted to come out here individually and just try and pro prove my value, you know, prove, you know, I got drafted for a reason. Uh even though it’s my second summer league, I didn’t get a chance to play last year cuz I was hurt. And uh there was a lot of I hear I see what people talk about me. You know what I’m saying? I just use it as fuel and motivation. Just come out here and I’m excited that we got the win. And then as a team, I just wanted to come out here being a secondyear guy, be a good leader. Uh I know head coach, you know, Chris, you know, CJ, he wanted us to to come out here and kind of set the tone and I knew I could do that vocally and by my play and I just wanted to go out there and do that and I’m just happy I was able to be a part of it. Overall, just your thoughts on playing in Vegas. I love it. I love it. You know, we’re here. We were here almost for like a month. It was crazy. But I mean, it’s great. You know, the atmosphere is great, especially almost at the kind of very beginning of it. You got your your actual team, you know, here uh supporting you. You know, all the Hornets players was here supporting us. And you walking in the lobby, you see people you playing against, you see, you know, rivals, you see people you didn’t grew up with. Like, it’s like AAOU almost and it’s kind of fun. So, uh it was good and I’m just happy we won. How do you guys plan on celebrating your NBA league championship tonight? I don’t know, man. It’s already 9:39. has prime time, man. So, yeah, I didn’t I didn’t expect it, you know. I forgot we played at seven. So, uh I forgot it was a late game, but uh no, I’m just honestly I’m just happy my whole family’s here. And I’m just I’m I’m happy that we was able to get the win in front of them for me. And, you know, hopefully I can enjoy it with the rest of the team. You know, I don’t know what everyone else’s plans are, but I know we all going to find a way to kind of celebrate together. Like, what’s the next step? How do you just carry this momentum honestly carry this momentum not just you know for myself individually but onto the Hornets. You know we bringing this winning culture that we we just established you know in summer league and obviously myself and other guys Ton and rookies like we all were able to build a chemistry by coming out here and competing. So now we just can’t wait to add that to you know the big the big group with the Hornets. So I’m just happy man. Just happy and I think it’s going to carry over really well. you think about the uh pads down the stretch overall like especially the last two minutes. Exactly. Yeah. I mean uh that’s been their motto. I mean that’s been their motto. You watch how they play. Uh we watched the film. We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. Even when we got up big, we knew they were going to find a way to get back in it and uh that’s just their DNA. I know a couple I know a lot of those guys actually on that on their squad. So I knew for myself that wasn’t going to be easy. But I mean we’re in the championship for a reason. Both of us were undefeated for a reason. And uh it was just about who was going to stick together. Who’s going to make the right plays and you know we made big plays down the stretch especially Khan hit big shots. Ryan hit big free throws. Jaylen hit big free throws. We got key re rebounds when we needed to. Key deflections, key stops and we just we find a way to win. How excited you this team? You guys are obviously head coach last year. How excited are you next? I’m very excited. I’m very excited. I mean, starting with everybody, you know, from the Hornets staff to the players that we have, like Coach Lee is, he’s setting a winning culture here. He’s trying to bring Hornets DNA. That’s what we established and that’s what we came out here and showed and we brought to summer league. And you know, it wasn’t something that was going to be easy, you know, especially during that first year, but this is something that’s going to be a building building step and building tool. And that’s something that we showed today and it’s going to help us as we transfer into the NBA

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