USA - Interview with Rudy Gay

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It might be the offseason, but Rudy Gay has done anything but take that meaning literally. The star forward has had a very busy offseason up to now, and a break is nowhere on the horizon. This past weekend he spent time in Haiti with a group of other current and former NBA players who were there to check in on the progress that has been made since the catastrophic earthquake hit in January. He’s also gearing up for his much anticipated appearance with Team USA this summer with an unorthodox training method.

As part of our offseason Q&A series, Grizzlies.com spoke with Rudy when he returned from his trip to Haiti to catch up on a variety of topics.

What was your trip to Haiti like this past weekend?
Rudy Gay: It was a good trip. I’ve never been more eager to help than I am now after going over there this past weekend. I donated during the season through Project Medishare and our team got together and donated money. When you are giving money you want to know where it is going and make sure that it is being used to properly help people, so I wanted to go over there and check it out.

One of the former players you went to Haiti with was this year’s Civil Rights Sports Legacy Award winner Alonzo Mourning. Mourning was so deeply touched by what happened in Haiti that he left immediately following the award presentation at halftime of the MLK Celebration Game to go back to Haiti to aid in the effort. What did he tell you about his experiences there?
Rudy: The days after it happened he went down there and sat with kids and watched a lot of what was happening right after the earthquakes, so he really has inspired a lot of people that he knows to help over there. The thing that Zo stressed to me was that there are lot of bad things going on in the world, but Haiti is so populated that it made the tragedy that much worse. We also talked about the need to help because so many kids are now abandoned.

After being there this weekend, what do you think is the biggest concern?
Rudy: People are down there with no housing. There is a lot of dehydration. They still need help. They aren’t anywhere near being done with getting everything back there.

What was the highlight of your trip there?
Rudy: We opened a new hospital. The opening ceremony was on Saturday (June 5). We wanted to make sure that the money that we donated was going to something that was going to actually help and make a difference there.

How do you decide you wanted to help in Haiti?
Rudy: To give back has to be something you are passionate about. I really wanted to help the people there.

Is it true that you have taken to boxing to help you get ready for next season?
Rudy: I was watching 24/7 with Floyd Mayweather and the kind of stuff he was doing you have to be in really good shape, so I wanted to try it out.

So you were inspired by real boxers and not Rocky Balboa?
Rudy: Haha, no, definitely real boxers for this.

Who was your favorite boxer growing up?
Rudy: I would say it would Muhammed Ali. I remember watching old fights with my grandfather. He used to love to watch those fights and I really enjoyed watching them with him.

So have you done any sparring as part of the training?
Rudy: No, no sparring. It was just going through the training that each of these guys go through. I think that any athlete that knows that they aren’t the best person around they are going to want to come in and get better at it. So since I hadn’t really done any boxing before, I came in and trained with the pros and worked hard at it.

So you’ve done boxing this offseason, and last year you did baseball with the Redbirds, what is the next sport you are going to try out?
Rudy: The next sport I’m going to test out is soccer. We’ve got the World Cup coming up, so I want to challenge Ronaldo to one-on-one. Ronaldo is the best in the world, and I want to challenge the best in the world.

Although you likely won’t end up playing in the World Cup, based on last year’s experience at the Team USA camp, there is a good chance you’ll be part of a America’s team at the World Championships in Turkey this summer. What would it mean to you to make the team?
Rudy: This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was little. I remember watching (Michael) Jordan and (Scottie) Pippen play for Team USA and it is something that I’ve always wanted to do in my career.

With playing on Team USA being one of your life-long dreams, are you putting a lot of pressure on yourself to make the team?
Rudy: There is nothing guaranteed. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but I’m better under pressure. I’m more focused and play better when there is more pressure on me to succeed.

Do you think that the international rules help your style of game?
Rudy: The FIBA rules are a lot more lenient than the NBA rules at times. They allow you to go out there and use your talents.

During half-time of Game 1 of the NBA Finals there was a segment with Lakers guard Kobe Bryant where he described how he has taken elements from other player’s games throughout history and added them to his own. Have you taken any parts of other player’s games and incorporated them into your own.
Rudy: Even now, Kobe has been in the league a long time, and he’s a guy that I’ve watched and tried to pick stuff up from. T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) is a player that I always watched. Scottie Pippen has a similar build to what I have, so he’s another guy. When I was younger I wanted to be like KG (Kevin Garnett) because I was taller than everybody I played against, but then I stopped growing, so I started watching the guards.

Last summer you hit the weight room and bulked up. Is there anything in particular that you will be focusing on this offseason?
Rudy: I think that I’m going to be more disciplined this season. I’m going to try to do the same stuff, but be more disciplined. For instance, when I’ m ball-handling, I’m going to be more disciplined. When I’m in a position where I use the pivot to my advantage I’m going to be more disciplined.