PRESS CONFERENCE: Zach LaVine Has “Nothing but Love” for the Chicago Bulls

PRESS CONFERENCE: Zach LaVine Has “Nothing but Love” for the Chicago Bulls

Uh how emotional was that video for you and obviously you gave the thump on the on the chest and you know acknowledging what was it eight years here? I mean just kind of emotional night for you. Yeah, but not as not as emotional as as you would think. I mean I’ve it this felt like I came home. Um I love Chicago. I love you guys, you know, through ups and downs. I mean I’ve had I’ve grown my family here. I’ve had major moments, low points. I, you know, I became a man here. So, it it was it was very appreciative. Um, but I think the love is reciprocal. So, it’s it’s something that isn’t going to be uh like, okay, this happened and now it’s, you know, it’s over. I’ll always love Chicago. I love the guys over there. I love Billy. Um, and I’m really excited for him. So, you and Billy had like a nice talk after the game and then Bobby came up to you. one of those conversations. Uh he was just as I’m I’m I’ve been dealing with a little illness um last couple days. So he’s like you look a little sick out there and I’m glad you you know I’m glad you were. And then uh told Modis how good of a game you had. Some you have a towel. It’s hot as hell. Um told M how good of a game he had. I mean Modis is looking so good. They’re playing so well. But then I asked him I was like why did you jump at the end? You know I didn’t want to. We’re trying to come back. I don’t know why you jumped, but um you know, just catching up on old time. Billy said you, you know, you looking good, playing well, miss you, all the good things. So, it was good to see everybody. Zack, when you you brought up Madison, obviously you guys last year, you even saw guy, you guys did nothing but throw praises in your training camp. I mean, you guys saw that the the makeup, the skill set was there. Yeah. So, you’re not surprised by where? No. No. Modest is is just the trajectory that he’s going to be on. um the athleticism and the mindset was already there. Every time I came back and worked at the at the uh at the AC at night time, he was asking me, “Can I come in with you?” Um thank you. He was asking me, “Can I come in and work with you?” Um you just don’t see his development get better and better, you know, and he can do it all the more the more he hones in his his shot and, you know, shot creation off the dribble, he’s a he’s a three-level scorer. And then that combo that with his defensive ability and his uh ability to get to the hoop, you know, I’m not surprised. I just want him to keep getting better. You mentioned the kind of ups and downs with your tenure here. What did it mean to you to kind of go out on a high note getting back to kind of that all-star caliber play and just kind of going out on sort of good terms? Yeah, I mean it you have to you have to ride you have to ride the roller coaster. You know, I’ve always put Chicago at the at the forefront. Try to do the best I could for them. you know, you’re going to have ups and downs in life and you just got to learn how to deal with them. Uh I think that last year I was telling the guys I was like, “Look, they they’re playing really fast and before I got traded, I was like, we were playing the same way, getting it up fast, playing free. Um there I mean they’re playing they’re playing so well right now. That’s the reason that they’re they’re 4 and0. Um but even for me, you know, like I I had I had a couple injuries. I had some high points. I had some low points. uh loved and hate you guys at certain points, you know, but that’s that’s part of it, you know. I never doubted my talents or the way I approached the game. I know I know what I I just needed to get needed to get healthy. So, I think I showed that last year. Zach, uh four 30-point games for you already, but but you know, one and four record. What’s it going to take for you guys to to kind of figure it out and you know, make the good outweigh the the bad? I mean, you we want the wins and I think that we’re playing at a level to where we could have them. It’s uh we’re just we’re just not putting a complete game together. I think it’s tail of two halves from the first game in Phoenix um to the Laker game. We’ve been leading in a lot of these games. We led today at halftime. Um we led an OKC, but you know, it’s it’s not just one half. And you know, we have a we have a new group of guys. We have a new coach that no one’s going to feel sorry for, especially not in the West. We have a game every single day. Um, so it’s uh it’s figuring out how to get them, you know, get it all together. You don’t uh you only get maybe what is it? Grenades and horseshoes. So it’s it’s not in basketball. Did you uh at any point after the train in February take some time to reflect on your legacy your tenure here and kind of how you wanted to leave that after training over the summer games tonight? Uh yeah, I know I know I know I did a lot of good Chicago, you know, in in the Bulls uniforms in the community. Um as a person, as a teammate, I know the good I did. I just wish I could have won more here. Um, but you know, sometimes you you do the best you can with it. None of us try to lose. I damn sure don’t. But you know, you played the cards that you’re dealt and you play to the best of your ability. I feel like I did that and you know, I appreciate each and every moment that I’ve had here. And you know, and I continue to be a fan of this team and this organization. Um, unless I’m playing against them, but you know, it’s it’s it’s nothing but love for me. So, you know, my tenure here, I I’ve enjoyed every piece of it. You know, I won’t forget that. Billy was asked about why you couldn’t win here and he brought up Lonzo’s injury. He kind of looked at that as like he meant healthy with all the he had I mean we we we saw a glimpse of how good we were. Um but you know I think I think there’s a lot of things that go into that as well and it takes it takes a winning mindset from top to bottom and you know we just did get it done. Um and sometimes you have to live with it. you have to look yourself in the mirror and everybody else does as well of figuring out why you know why it didn’t work but you know each and every day we were we were trying our best to um but you know in this league when it doesn’t happen then you you know you got to figure out you know you restart you rebuild you go younger and you know that’s what they did I respect their decision and you know I’m glad to see how good they’re doing right now you know to that point Zach uh you probably heard the Bulls West comments with Luther King with you and Lamar and even with Domox being having maybe some similarities with Booch. Like do you do you see that comparison and and you know does it is it in your mind does it do you kind of think like can it work the way you guys had it working here one one time? I think it’s two different teams just because you have a couple I mean you have two pieces that played together. I don’t think it’s it’s not the same organization. It’s not the same timing. Um it’s not the same supporting cast. It’s I think it’s totally different. You guys can think what you want, but uh it’s two different situations. You know, we got to do the best we can and and play to our identity and put ourselves in the best situation to win with this team. Um, and we still figuring that

Sacramento Kings Guard and former Bull Zach LaVine speaks at the United Center following the Chicago Bulls win over the Kings. LaVine recalls his time in Chicago fondly and shares his appreciation for the franchise.

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