"I am pleasantly surprised that many people in Russia speak English"
Marcos Knight was named the best player of the 2024/25 VTB United League regular season in a Basketball Players’ poll. Choice Award), which was held by Sport-Express for the second year in a row. Marcos scored 140 points and beat all the main stars of the tournament, including Dwayne Bacon, Melo Trimble, Alexey Shved, Alexa Avramovich and Jalen Reynolds. The 35-year-old defender is really having an outstanding season, becoming the leader of Kazan after Nenad Dimitrievich's departure to Italy. Knight became the second sharpshooter of the championship (16.8 points per game on average), made 42% of three-pointers and entered the top 10 in efficiency (18.9). In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, Marcos told little-known facts about himself, and also named the best advice from his parents and the profession he would choose, if not basketball.
"I always listen to gospel music before games"
— What does the Players’ Prize mean to you? Choice Awards?
— I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be named the best player in the VTB League by the United League basketball players' poll. I'm just trying to set an example for my son to follow everything I do, so I try to set a good example for him.
— Which basketball players were your childhood idols?
— I would say that my brother was one of them, my middle brother (Trent L. Trantell). We played together all my youth. LeBron James is one of my idols. Michael Jordan is the person who probably influenced our game the most. And I would also mention Julius Jenkins — I don't know if you remember such a basketball player. He played for Alba for many years and, of course, was my mentor when I played in Germany. Julius took me under his wing and showed me my way.
— Who is the greatest basketball player of all time?
— Michael Jordan.
— Is there a match that you are ready to review over and over again?
— I'd like to mention the sixth game of the 1997/98 NBA Finals series, when Jordan scored the game-winning shot against Bryon Russell (considered one of the greatest hits in NBA history. — Ed.). Not many people remember the context of that series, but then Utah was considered the clear favorite, but Michael pulled his team with incredible skill.
— Do you have a special ritual before matches?
- yes. Before games, I always listen to gospel (a genre of spiritual Christian music that appeared in the late 19th century and developed in the first third of the 20th century in the United States. — Ed.). I've been doing this since the beginning of my professional career.
— What are your favorite basketball souvenirs?
— Maybe the first sneakers and the cut-off basketball net that I had left after winning my first college championship.
— Why do you like basketball? What is the most difficult thing about it?
— Thank God that he gave me the opportunity to play at a high level. Plus, the love of basketball has been embedded in me since childhood. It was the number one sport in our family because my mom played too. And what is the most difficult part? I don't think there's anything difficult about basketball. It's just a game that you have to love with all your heart.
— The most nervous match of your career?
— I'm never nervous, but I think as follows. If I give my best to 100%, then there's no reason that can stop me. An official match is just an opportunity to show the work you've done in training.
— Is it more comfortable for you to play with a full house or with a minimum number of spectators?
— I played at the playgrounds where residents of four nearby houses gathered. I managed to win the French championship during the coronavirus pandemic, when the audience was not allowed in the stands at all. We won the championship with UNICS in crowded halls in different cities, so it doesn't matter to me.
— If you could replay one match in your career, what kind of game would it be?
— Any match I've played in? Winning the regular season of the Sun Belt Conference when my brother and I played together at Middle Tennessee.
— When did you realize that basketball would become your job?
— From the moment my mom gave me a basketball for the first time. I was very, very young. I must have been three years old.
"At the start of my career, people didn't believe in me and didn't give me the opportunity to prove myself"
— Which element of basketball do you consider your signature?
— I think I'm a versatile player. I'm doing everything I need to help my team win.
— Do you prefer to watch basketball or some other sport on TV?
— I like to watch basketball, but I also like to watch football in my free time. Spending 90 minutes on the pitch at a furious pace is madness. I also really like watching swimming.
— What skill and from whom would you like to learn?
— I watch a lot of basketball and constantly try to learn something. For example, I tried to learn a lot of elements from Michael Jordan. I'm reviewing the games of Julius Jenkins in "Alba". I also learn from the way my brother played defense. He had incredible speed.
— How many hours a day do you train?
— It's always different. It depends on my recovery and what my personal trainer, my brother, tells me to do.
— What difficulties of an athlete's life weighed on you at the beginning of your career?
— People didn't believe in me and didn't give me the opportunity to show my best qualities. When I was graduating from college, there were many who doubted that I would be able to become a professional. And so I played as if I had a grudge against these people.
— Who would you become if you didn't succeed in basketball?
— I guess I'm some kind of doctor, because I like to help people.
— An amazing fact about you that few people know about?
— I speak three languages (English, German, a little worse in Spanish), and I also play the piano and organ.
— Do you have any favorite expressions in German or Spanish?
— Sag mir bitte ("Please tell me in German." — Ed.).
"In the NBA, they shoot too many three-pointers and don't play defense"
— Is there a TV series/movie that you are ready to watch?
— I'll call the movie "Friday" with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. Also "His Game" with Denzel Washington. Spike Lee's movie is probably the most inspiring sports movie I've seen. Washington plays his son's mentor very coolly. And the third one would be "Coach Carter" with Samuel L. Jackson.
— The movie that made you cry?
"The Titanic."
— Who is the style icon for you?
— I like the way Pharrell Williams dresses. I also like LeBron James' style.
— What kind of clothes do you wear when you are in a good mood?
— I like to wear both business suits and something very casual but stylish.
— Who is your wittiest friend?
— Oh, I'll name Jalen Reynolds (Marcos' partner at UNICS. — Ed.)
— You can have dinner with anyone in history. Who would it be?
— I would like to attend the Last Supper with Jesus.
— The best advice your parents gave you?
— You should always be humble and respectful to everyone.
— You played in different places. The craziest thing you've ever seen?
— I don't even know what to say. I've played in many countries, including Serbia, where people literally live by basketball. But I can't remember anything out of the ordinary, everything was fine.
— The most amazing fact that you have learned about Russia?
— I am pleasantly surprised that many people here speak English. I didn't expect this when I moved.
— Why do you like the NBA?
— I like watching the NBA only during the playoffs. It's only in relegation games that you see very intense basketball with really good players who are fun to watch and from whom you can learn a lot.
— Why don't you like the NBA?
— They're shooting too many three-pointers and not playing defense in the regular season.
— Can you remember the moment when you received the most support from your personal fans?
— A personal fan? Yes, this is my son. When he told me that he watches me every game and learns from me.
— What advice would you give to the young players?
— Always put God first, always work hard, and always strive to prove everyone who doubted you wrong.
— Would you like to be remembered? What kind of person?
— I want to be remembered as a man who was respectful to everyone he knew and loved all his loved ones. Also as a person who had a positive impact on the people he encountered in his life.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
