Jahlil Okafor

“I think, yeah, Chicago is the best basketball city in America.”

“There's a lot of pride I have coming from Chicago because so many great players have done so many great things in the league. I definitely want to keep that tradition going. So yeah, I want to represent Chicago in the best light possible.”

“I just want to go to the right environment for me and the right team.”

“First time we played together was when I was in seventh grade, he was in eighth. There was a lot of buzz in the city about Jabari Parker, rightfully so. He's obviously a major player. I was just blessed to have him one year ahead of me, so everything I did, he already finished. I've been really blessed to have him by my side.”

“My goal is to be the best. That's my thing I want to achieve - the best that I can be - and hopefully, that's the best player in the NBA.”

“At the end of the day, I know what my bread and butter is and how I can be effective.”

“I'm definitely not the caliber player that LeBron is, but I find it funny how people can criticize him and the way he plays the game. So it's pretty easy to criticize me if they are still able to criticize LeBron.”

“The games are really long when you're not out there.”

“Around sixth or seventh grade, I fell in love with Tim Duncan and his all-around game. That's when I started watching him. Then my father introduced me to Hakeem Olajuwon. Those were the two guys I modeled my game after.”

“Of course, in college, you're traveling, especially when you're with Duke basketball, but in the NBA, it's on a whole entire level.”

“I'm a big fan of black uniforms.”

“My rookie season, I wore 8 because I had wanted 15, but it's retired in Philadelphia. I had worn 15 in college.”

“I've always been a basketball player. My earliest memories are of playing basketball. I was born playing it. It's why I'm so comfortable on the floor.”

“I don't worry about individual matchups.”

“Speeding obviously is illegal. I know that's not what you're supposed to do.”

“I want good players around me because it's all about winning.”

“My aunt, who plays the role of my mother now, she got her Ph.D.”

“One time, I palmed some medicine balls, just because people wanted to see if I could do it.”

“Every game is going to be different.”

“I've always won. I've won the state championship, national championship, all that stuff.”