Rodney Hood

“If I was going to start over, then I wanted to go somewhere I could get better and win and see if I was a really good player. That's why I came to Duke.”

“Life is not promised forever. That's the biggest thing that I learned and I enjoy and I will take with me past this pandemic, is just being able to appreciate every little thing that goes on.”

“It's always been my goal to make it to the NBA.”

“I'm a guy who can score the ball and shoot the ball.”

“I've just got a real thirst for knowledge now, especially seeing how the world is, seeing how the disparity is with African American men, and I want to do something special. And getting a degree from Duke is special, especially coming from where I come from.”

“I play better when guys depend on me.”

“There's nothing like going into somebody's building in Game 7 and winning.”

“Dennis Lindsey and Coach Snyder gave me an opportunity to really show what I can do, and progress into the player I am now, and the player I'll be in the future. I'm forever grateful.”

“I was real positive when I got out of surgery. I was going to attack rehab, do the little things and become a better person, a better player mentally. Once I come back, I know it's a long process, but I think I'll be better for it.”

“When I'm in the pick-and-roll, I'm looking to be a playmaker first and to score second. When I'm playing off the ball and I catch the ball, I'm looking to be a scorer first and a playmaker second.”

“You lose a game and you feel like the world is coming down. You win, it's like, you're supposed to win.”

“Going forward, what I can accomplish, I always have seen myself playing in the playoffs, playing deep, and winning. I want to be part of that and feel that.”

“Seven-thirty to five, every single day. Getting up, eating breakfast, lifting weights, going outside on the turf, doing movement and agilities and things like that. Then I take a little break to eat lunch and come back to work out again.”

“It's a unique atmosphere in Utah, that I don't think a lot of other teams have around the league.”

“I got tired of walking through Durham with people screaming 'Carolina' at me when I walk through Walmart and stuff like that.”

“For my family, for my loved ones, my priority is to have a job and perform.”

“I come to work every day - I'm a competitor.”

“I used to watch big guards and how they handled the ball and made plays. Guys like Joe Johnson.”

“Ever since I was little, I always played point guard. All throughout high school, junior high. I hit a couple growth spurts and the guard thing just always stayed with me. It just comes natural.”

“I know guys look at me for advice. I reach out to Kevin Durant or Wesley Matthews, DeMarcus Cousins... the guys who have been through it, and I just get confident more and more every day.”