After recently signing Kemba Walker to team with Brandon Jennings to hopefully create an all-league backcourt, Under Armour took another bold step today in building their basketball lineup. They announced they’ve signed Minnesota’s Derrick Williams to add another future star to their brand.
I caught up with Williams to talk about his new deal with Under Armour and what the future holds for that partnership, but also to get his opinion of his new Minnesota teammates – he thinks they’re ready to make a big jump – and also the five players he most wants to play against.
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Dime: What was your initial reaction to being signed by Under Armour?
Derrick Williams: It’s a great feeling. It’s an up-and-coming company. I felt like I was a good fit for them and it really felt like I could really help their whole company out in the long run. So I think that’s why I chose them.
Dime: What initially attracted you to them?
DW: Basically, I think with Kemba and Brandon – and recently Kemba just made the jump from Jordan and Nike, throughout his whole career all he did was wear retro Jordans and all kinds of Kobes and stuff like that. So I felt like if he could make the jump then I could too.
Dime: Are there any plans in the works moving forward with Under Armour as far as what you might be wearing?
DW: You know, not right now. We both will probably have a lot of Brandon’s stuff, what he designed. So hopefully we can put both of our minds together and design something that we like as well.
Dime: What do you want your role to be with them and what are you kinda expecting it to be?
DW: Just to be able to help this program make a bigger jump than what it is right now. I think two years ago, they went into the basketball side of it like they are right now. I think that we can make another big jump and have more people come in to make that jump, and sign with Under Armour like I did. I think that we’ll be three times better than what we are right now in the next couple of years.
Dime: Definitely. For someone to blow up as fast as you did in college, when did you first start to realize that hey, maybe one day I will get my own sneaker or my own apparel line?
DW: Growing up, that was one of my goals, to have a shoe deal and also to have my own shoe. I felt like I can make those dreams come true with this company and I felt like they showed me a lot of fashion while they were trying to get me to sign.
Dime: Are there any plans to work with any of the other NBA guys on there like Kemba Walker and Brandon Jennings?
DW: Yeah. I know Kemba. I don’t know Brandon too well, but we are all going to have to get to know each other a lot better since we are all under the same company. So I feel like Kemba is a great guy and I’ve heard Brandon is a great guy too so I feel like it’s going to be a good start to the whole Under Armour basketball side.
Dime: Do you know Walker well from the draft process?
DW: Yeah, I’ve known Kemba well for a while know, especially since after we declared for the draft. I’ve talked to countless numbers of times so he’s a great guy and we have a lot of similarities in off-the-court style and on-the-court style so I really think that we can come up with a lot of great ideas for this whole company.
Dime: Speaking of style, how would you describe yours? What type of stuff do you want to see in your sneakers?
DW: I look at Brandon and all of the stuff that he’s done throughout the whole process of him designing his shoe. He has multiple memories of a lot of shoes that he has. I just want to put all of his designs and all of his ideas behind it to come up with a shoe. Any little thing that he sees or whatever he’s doing, whether he’s shooting lights out, they really put that together and design stuff that way. For myself, me and Kemba, we can really come up with a lot of ideas and Under Armour is really open to a lot of ideas that we have. I think that’s the reason why I chose them.
Dime: What qualities about yourself will make you a good leader for this brand? Do you think your story will help the general public relate to you?
DW: I really think that Brandon and Kemba bring out that dynamic, the flashy point guard. They can put up a lot of points. But I think I bring to the table a lot of the same qualities like a dynamic player, can score, can put up points and explosive with my power. That’s what I think I bring to the table in just a different part of the game. You should have different types of the basketball world in your company like myself, a powerful, dynamic scorer. Then you have Kemba, a flashy, point guard. Then you have Brandon, who can put up A LOT of buckets. These different types of players in your whole company is really what shapes it.
Dime: With the lockout going on, what has your summer been like? Are you moving around a lot of trying to stay close to home?
DW: I’m definitely doing everything I would if there wasn’t a lockout. Been working out basically every day, just trying to get better, just trying not to take any days off. Because whenever this lockout does end, whoever is in the best shape possible, strong-minded, will be the most prepared when the season starts. I want to be ready to go whenever the season does start. At the end of this lockout, I want to be the most ready for training camp in like October I think. I’m really just training for the season to start right on time. So whenever that may be, I’ll be ready.
Dime: Have you had a chance to meet your new teammates in Minnesota?
DW: Yeah, I’ve met about 10 of them I’d say. They are all real cool, real young. I think that really helps when your team chemistry is really good, and it’ll build a lot confidence. I think we are the youngest team in the league now. When everybody on your team has the same set of worries and likes the same things, and enjoy doing the same things, I think it really just brings your whole team, your whole organization that much closer. You don’t have four odd people on your team or are much older than you or doing really like to do what you like to do. I think some teams have that problem. But I think we’re good.
The next couple of years we are going to be just like how the Thunder were in the early stages of their whole program, their whole organization to where as good as they are now. So it’s just gotta be making that jump. That would really help us.
Dime: Is there anyone in particular that you are really looking forward to going up against?
DW: Yeah there are a few actually: Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo, Dwyane Wade. Those are just four off the top. And Dirk. So five people who are at the top right there who I’m really looking forward to playing against just because three or even two years ago, or even last year (laughs), I had them posted on my walls, Kobe stuff. I really think that playing against some of the best players in the world will be one of the best things in the league. I’m really looking forward to playing some of my role models that really taught me about this game. I’m really looking forward to that.
Dime: As far as next year, what would be a successful year on the court with Minnesota and then with Under Armour?
DW: I think a successful year would be playing in all the games, playing all 82 games and then also making the playoffs with however many games are in the playoffs as well. But just staying healthy. I think that’s another successful thing about it…just staying healthy throughout the whole season and just making sure I take care of my body. Also, just winning. I think that really defines success.
If you’re on the TV screen, the Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks and the Charlotte Bobcats, if we all win, it’s really going to bring the whole Under Armour company that much better. I think that if you’re always constantly on TV, constantly winning, constantly seeing a winning player, and they have your product on, you’re gonna get big jumps in the whole company. That’s the biggest (thing) this year.
What do you think about him signing with Under Armour? How good will Williams be as a rookie?
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