Post-Game Press Conference: Jaden Ivey | Pistons vs. Bucks | 11.22.2025

Post-Game Press Conference: Jaden Ivey | Pistons vs. Bucks | 11.22.2025

>> OBVIOUSLY IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD TO GET TO THIS POINT. YOU KNOW YOUR FIRST GAME BEHIND THE BENCH. WHAT ARE YOUR INITIAL EMOTIONS. WHAT WERE YOU ABLE TO DO OUT THERE TONIGHT? I THINK JUST GRATITUDE. I THINK, YOU KNOW, SITTING BACK OBVIOUSLY EXAMINING JUST THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, I THINK IT’S BEEN VERY HUMBLING FOR ME. IT’S BEEN GOOD FOR ME. THIS TRIAL HAS BEEN BEEN REALLY GOOD FOR ME. AND I THINK I THINK THE WORD FOR IT IS JUST GRATEFUL TO OBVIOUSLY BE BACK PLAYING. BUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST JUST CHERISH THE MOMENT TO BE BACK OUT THERE TONIGHT. GOING INTO IT, I WAS KIND OF JUST TRYING TO GET MY MIND WRAPPED AROUND IT JUST BECAUSE IT’S BEEN SO LONG. AND I THINK MY MIND KIND OF JUST IT TOOK A WHILE FOR ME TO GET USED TO IT, GET USED TO, YOU KNOW, WARMING UP AND JUST GOING THROUGH THE NORMAL ROUTINE AGAIN. BUT IT WAS, YOU KNOW, I JUST HAD SO MUCH GRATITUDE TO BE OUT THERE AGAIN. AND OBVIOUSLY WE WE GOT THE WIN. AND THIS TEAM IS OBVIOUSLY DOING SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL THAT, YOU KNOW, WE’VE JUST GOT TO KEEP IT ROLLING AND HOPEFULLY DO SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT’S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. YOU WERE ON TRACK FOR THE SEASON OPENER AND THEN THE ADOU KOBE KNEE SURGERY, I GUESS. WHAT WAS THE PROCESS THROUGH PRESEASON? YOU GET BACK AND WHEN WAS IT DECIDED THAT YOU NEEDED TO HAVE A PROCEDURE JUST TO GET THAT TAKEN CARE OF? YEAH, I THINK IT WAS AROUND THAT THE WEEK. I THINK IT WAS LIKE OUR SECOND PRESEASON GAME. MY BODY WAS JUST MY KNEE JUST FELT, YOU KNOW, NOT NORMAL, JUST THINGS THAT I KIND OF PROGRESSED OVER TIME. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY I TALKED TO, YOU KNOW, MY TEAM AND WE MADE THE DECISION TO DO SURGERY. BUT IT WAS IT WAS KIND OF JUST APPROPRIATE FOR WHAT THE TIME WAS. AND IT WAS A LOT SHORTER THAN MY MY FIRST SURGICAL PROCEDURE. SO DEFINITELY A TRIAL THAT I NEEDED TO GO THROUGH. AND IT’S GIVING ME THE PATIENCE, THE PERSEVERANCE TO OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE GOES THROUGH TRIALS IN LIFE. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS NEEDED FOR ME TO TO BOOST MY PATIENCE AND MY PERSEVERANCE. YOU KNOW, LORD WILLING, I DON’T GO THROUGH ANOTHER TRIAL LIKE THIS. BUT IF I DO, YOU KNOW, IT’S DEFINITELY GOING TO HELP ME. >> WAS IT IT WAS TOTALLY UNRELATED, CORRECT, TO THE FIRST. HOW’D THE KNEE ISSUE DEVELOP? I BELIEVE THAT WAS TOTALLY SEPARATE FROM THE FIRST THING. >> RIGHT? YEAH, IT COULD HAVE BEEN I MEAN, IT COULD HAVE BEEN FROM JUST LOAD, BUT YEAH, I THINK IT WAS. I THINK JUST THE WORK AND OBVIOUSLY I, YOU KNOW, DID SO MUCH TO JUST GET BACK OUT THERE. AND OBVIOUSLY ON TOP OF THAT YOU HAVE TRAINING CAMP WHICH IS STRENUOUS ON YOUR BODY. AND BUT BUT THE PROCESS WAS IT WAS WHAT IT WAS. AND YOU KNOW, I WAS ABLE TO TO GET THROUGH IT. AND TODAY I JUST HAD STRENGTH TO JUST GO OUT THERE AND AND PLAY WITH THE LIMITED MINUTES THAT I HAD AND, YOU KNOW, ABLE TO KNOCK DOWN SHOTS AND FIND MY TEAMMATES AND GET REBOUNDS AND, YOU KNOW, TRY TO BE MY BEST TO, YOU KNOW, DO WHAT YOU KNOW COACHES TEACH. AND YEAH. SO YOU KNOW JUST JUST OVERALL GRATEFUL TO TO OBVIOUSLY BE A PART OF THIS TEAM. AND IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I’VE BEEN ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, BE A PART OF THE, THE SUCCESS AND BE ABLE TO BE A PART AND BE ABLE TO SEE IT. YOU KNOW HOW WELL WE’RE GELLING TOGETHER AS A TEAM. >> CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO SEE THIS TEAM? I KNOW IT’S YOUR FIRST GAME, BUT TO SEE THIS TEAM BE ON NOW 12 GAME WINNING STREAK AND WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE I GUESS LIKE THE PINNACLE OF THIS TEAM AS YOU GUYS CONTINUE TO GEL. >> I THINK JUST THE TOGETHERNESS THAT THIS TEAM BRINGS. JUST EVERY POSSESSION. I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS TEAM CAN GO REALLY FAR TO COME DOWN THE LINE. AND I THINK I JUST SEE GUYS THAT ARE JUST CONNECTED RIGHT NOW AND PLAYING TOGETHER, MAKING THE RIGHT READS DEFENSIVELY WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE’RE JUST EXECUTING. AND YOU KNOW OBVIOUSLY YOU KNOW OUR STARTING FIVE MAN THERE. THEY’RE TOUGH TO BEAT BRO. YOU KNOW EVERY SINGLE NIGHT YOU KNOW THEY PLAY TOGETHER. AND REGARDLESS OF WHO’S OUT THERE I THINK WE ALL. I THINK WE ALL COME TOGETHER AND BRING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE EVERY SINGLE DAY YOU KNOW. SO I THINK IT’S IT’S REALLY COOL TO SEE EVERYBODY GELLING AND CONNECTING. AND IT’S OBVIOUSLY LEADING TO OUR, A LOT OF OUR SUCCESS RIGHT NOW. >> LAST TIME WE SPOKE, YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT HOW KIND OF THE TEAM WAS LIFTING YOU UP FROM TRAJAN TO JV TO ALL YOUR TEAMMATES, OBVIOUSLY, I GUESS, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE THAT SUPPORT STILL, AND HOW ARE YOU JUST EMBRACING THIS, THIS OPPORTUNITY? >> YEAH, MAN, I’VE HAD A LOT OF ENCOURAGEMENT ALONG THE WAY. YOU KNOW, FROM MY FAMILY, MY WIFE AND. YOU KNOW, MY MY EXTENDED FAMILY AND OBVIOUSLY THE COACHING STAFF, YOU KNOW, THE GUYS IN THE LOCKER ROOM, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION HAS ENCOURAGED ME ALONG THE WAY. AND IT’S DEFINITELY HELPED ME TO KEEP PUSHING AND. YEAH, I, I DON’T KNOW WHAT ANYBODY WOULD WOULD BE WITHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT GOING THROUGH, YOU KNOW, A TRIAL. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY NEEDS THAT ENCOURAGEMENT WHEN YOU GO THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND WHETHER WHATEVER IT MAY BE, YOU KNOW. SO I’M DEFINITELY THANKFUL FOR THAT ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SURE. >> YOU TALKED ABOUT THE EMOTIONS YOU HAVE BEEN FEELING KIND OF LEADING INTO A GAME WHEN YOU CHECKED IN, WERE YOU WERE YOU NERVOUS? WAS THERE NERVES COMING IN OR JUST KIND OF WHAT WERE YOU FEELING AT THAT MOMENT? >> YEAH, I THINK IT WAS I THINK, I DON’T THINK I HAD NERVES GOING INTO IT, YOU KNOW, I KNEW, I KNEW I’VE BEEN PLAYING BASKETBALL SINCE A KID, AND I THINK IT WAS JUST KIND OF JUST UNDERSTANDING THAT I’M, YOU KNOW, I’M STEPPING OUT THERE AGAIN. YEAH. AND JUST GOING OUT THERE. OBVIOUSLY IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME. JUST WHEN I LAST PLAYED, IT WAS SO DIFFERENT. AND YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE WE WE FOUND IT, YOU KNOW AS, AS A TEAM AT THE NICHE WITH THE TEAM. AND JUST TO CONNECTING WITH THE GUYS, I THINK WE FOUND IT. AND JUST GOING BACK OUT THERE AGAIN, I THINK IT WAS JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND AND AND FEEL MY WAY BACK INTO IT, JUST TO SEE THIS TURNAROUND, WHICH STARTED BEFORE YOU GOT HURT. YOU HAD THAT CRAZY GAME WHEN YOU WERE IN SACRAMENTO. AND JUST TO SEE WHERE IT’S GOING SINCE THEN, HAS THERE BEEN MAYBE A SURREALNESS TO IT? AND I GUESS, WHAT’S THAT ASPECT BEEN LIKE TO YOU? YOU KNOW, JUST TO SEE. >> THE GROWTH THAT THIS TEAM HAS MADE, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST CALENDAR YEAR? >> YEAH, I THINK IT ALL PLANNED AND PANNED OUT THE WAY IT SHOULD. YOU KNOW, I DON’T THINK MY INJURY, YOU KNOW, THE WAY IT WENT. I DON’T THINK IT CHANGED ANYTHING. I THINK YOU KNOW, THIS TEAM, YOU KNOW, THE CALIBER OF IT AND HOW OUR SUCCESS IS DRIVEN RIGHT NOW. I THINK IT WAS PANNED OUT. AND, YOU KNOW, I’M JUST GRATEFUL RIGHT NOW TO OBVIOUSLY BE A PART OF IT AGAIN. AND. OBVIOUSLY STAYING HEALTHY IS, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL OF BEING AN NBA PLAYER, BEING ABLE TO PLAY IN THESE GAMES AND COMPETE AND COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. BUT I DON’T I DON’T THINK, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT MY INJURY, SEEING THE SUCCESS THAT THE TEAM HAD, IT AFFECTED ME AT ALL. AND DEFINITELY JUST OBVIOUSLY GRATEFUL TO TO BE BACK HERE AND SEE THE SUCCESS THAT THAT WE’VE HAD JUST COMING OFF OF BEING A PART OF A TEAM WHERE, YOU KNOW, SUCCESS WASN’T, WASN’T THE FOREFRONT OF ANYBODY’S MIND, YOU KNOW? SO IT’S DEFINITELY A GOOD FEELING. AND IT’S COOL TO SEE RIGHT NOW. AND I KNOW EVERYBODY’S ENJOYING IT. >> THANKS

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