Zach Lavine

chintan

Watch Zach LaVine make this RIDICULOUS full-court send to wrap up morning shootaround in Boston.

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Zach LaVine INSANE Full-Court trick shot

Sam Smith

Talk about dreaming the impossible dream.

Zach LaVine, you couldn’t have seen this one coming.

“I just think it’s a journey and you’ve got to take everything in stride,” Zach LaVine was saying Monday afternoon from Las Vegas over Zoom in his first media session since agreeing to a massive five-year contract extension with the Bulls.&nbsp;

It’s not only the largest financial commitment in Bulls franchise history, it’s the greatest ever made to a Chicago sports figure. It goes to a down-to-earth, 27-year-old who was the 44th best player in the nation coming out of high school, according to a primary scouting service, a sixth man during his one college year failing to average in double figures scoring, the 13th selection in the 2014 NBA Draft and three years later the victim of the dreaded anterior cruciate tear after winning consecutive All-Star slam dunk titles. He then was acquired by the Bulls in 2017 in the Jimmy Butler trade because his Timberwolves wanted to retain the players they believed were superior, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

Five often grueling and frustrating years later, LaVine is a two-time NBA All-Star, an Olympic gold medal winner and the most highly compensated athlete in the city of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Walter Payton, Frank Thomas, Gale Sayers, Ernie Banks and Bobby Hull.

So never give up your dreams and hopes. You never know if you will be the one to get there.

“Obviously you can’t control everything with injuries, being traded, whatever it is, but I could always control my demeanor, my work ethic, and what I brought to the game,” a relaxed LaVine was saying. “I always pictured myself as the player that I am and the player I’m going to be, continue to strive to be. And what comes with that is being compensated at that level. If you don’t put those things out there, believe that you can get there, it’s not going to happen. I’m very proud of myself and my family in getting to this point.’’

And now he’s also about to be a dad, his high school sweetheart and now wife, Hunter Mar, is pregnant with their first child as LaVine prepares for what he hopes will be the birth of a new Bulls era.

“I’m extremely excited,” LaVine said about the family prospects. “Obviously the (close) relationship I had with my father, looking forward to taking on that challenge and seeing what that part of my life is. That’s bigger than basketball, that’s bigger than everything. Nervous, anxious, excited.”

But hardly unaware of the goals ahead with his responsibility also as a team leader.

“Individually, wanting to keep pushing myself to reach higher and higher things,” said LaVine. “If it isn't All-NBAs, if it isn't MVPs, team-wise it's win a championship. There's nothing above that. You've heard me say individual things come with winning, and the better and better we get as a team and I keep (pushing) myself to get better as a player, I think those things can match up.

“I think I've had the same work ethic and the same goals before the contract, after the contract,” said LaVine. “I was striving for it when I was on my rookie deal. So there's no extra added pressure. It's just who I am and what goals and what things I want to reach and how much better can we get as a team. There's no added pressure. It's just a compliment of a lot of hard work and showing what kind of player I am.”

Just like the questions about him leaving high school, briefly in college and with one of the most serious injuries for a basketball player, especially for an exceptional athlete, the 6-5 LaVine had to plow through several Bulls rebuilding seasons, multiple coaching and system changes, a management restructuring and community doubts given the team’s frequent lack of competitive play.

But despite rumors about his alleged wandering career eye and his own comments to explore an open free agency with his contract expiring after last season, LaVine disclosed he never considered signing elsewhere, never met with another team and was always committed to the Bulls if they would have him.&nbsp;

“Chicago is my home,” LaVine explained. “I think we've built something over the last, well, at least for me... five years. And over the last two, three built something. Being able to come back as a cornerstone piece and allowing them to get some of my insights, some of my input in pretty much constructing the roster to help me and help us win was really big for me.

“I went into the offseason with an open mind,” LaVine added. “I laid out my goals, just like I always have. And once I was able to meet with (management’s) Marc (Eversley) and AK (Artūras Karnišovas) and they came to me with everything that I wanted, there was no other reason for me to go outside and look at any other teams. I think that would've been disrespectful on my end because they gave me everything that I asked for and everything on the table that I looked at had Chicago as all the pros. I sat down with Marc and AK after I signed and had a really, really, really good dinner. Billy (Donovan) as well. And obviously wanted to thank them for the work they put in with helping bring me back. It was really fun being able to sit down and go through everything, talk everything out and obviously celebrate and have a good dinner — and have them pay for some expensive wine.”

“I did my due diligence on my own time and looked at things and made a decision for me and my family,” said LaVine. “My heart was in Chicago.”

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly grey&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The glory that was Rome he’s ready to forsake&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Terribly alone and forgotten in Minneapolis&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; He’s going home to the city by the Lake

It really is a staggering time. I recall 1988 when the biggest story in the sports world was the then shocking and unheard of new contract for Michael Jordan, eight years for $25 million, a figure that just about all agreed at the time would take decades to surpass. How quaint.

Although the Bulls made the playoffs last season for the first time in LaVine’s Chicago tenure, it was a troublesome season for him even as he averaged 24.4 points. He missed 15 games with knee issues and was scheduled for a post-season procedure. LaVine said it was routine.

“I feel great,” LaVine said. “Just had a run-of-the-mill knee ‘scope. Go in there, clean some stuff out. I feel way better. I've been rehabbing, working out, playing, lifting, doing all the good stuff and boring stuff, too. You have to start slow, like always. It's been good and I feel really good, and over the next two months, getting back into the season I feel like I'm gonna be even better.”

The Bulls hope so as well after a wonderful start to the season and then a desperate, injury-weakened close to a first round playoff defeat.

“Obviously, it was tough because we started off so good and we could see the ceiling and the goal of the team in the first half of the season,” said LaVine of the Bulls leading the Eastern Conference into February. “But injuries happen and you obviously want to see a full roster and a full team all the way through. I think we had some key (off season) additions already adding guys like Goran (Dragic) and (Andre) Drummond. So I think it's gonna be good. As long as guys stay healthy, I think that's the biggest thing for any team. We get to go back at it again.

“We (made) some additions, but pretty much have the same core in guys intact and wanted to run it back,” said LaVine. “I think that’s what AK and Marc were going to go after, and really see what this team was like when whole and healthy. I’m fine with it. I understood how good we were in the first half of the year. But we’ve got to put two halves together and really go after it. I’m excited for the competition.“It’s always better when you get to know each other. The word ‘continuity,’ you (media) guys are saying, but familiarity is what I use,” said LaVine. “Getting chemistry on the court, that doesn’t just happen in one or two years. All the good teams and teams that make deep playoff runs each and every year know each other and have been together for a while. So I think that’s definitely something you can establish and grow from.’’

Now it’s time to fulfill some other dreams.

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Zach LaVine on re-signing with the Bulls: "Chicago is my home."

Shooting guard Zach LaVine, in his third season with the team, continued to blossom into one of the league’s best bucket getters. The electric Seattle native – long ago proving he was more than a dunker – was a consistent light in an inconsistent season for the Bulls. This season, Zach continued to establish himself as a premier talent around the league – though he did not make the All Star team, he had a real case. He’s got the individual accolades down – he was 12th in the league in scoring, and 10th in total three-pointers made – and Zach himself knows the next step is team success.

“For me personally, I’m just ready to become a winning team and a winning players,” he said at his post-season press conference, held over Zoom. “I’m ready to progress my career and get better and try to reach that next step.”

Though that remains Zach’s primary goal moving forward, Bulls fans have to be happy with the potential, talent and determination LaVine has showed in his three years with the Bulls. After missing much of the first season with the team recovering from an ACL tear, LaVine has shown that he hasn’t lost any of the athleticism he became known for as a young player, and has developed serious experience being a team leader on the floor for a young team. One has to be excited and intrigued with what the future holds for LaVine – whatever it is, it’s clear that he has developed into a true franchise cornerstone.

Zach LaVine hits a franchise record 13 threes against Charlotte

Let’s take a look at just a couple of Zach’s best individual performances this season:

NOVEMBER 23, 2019 AT CHARLOTTE (BULLS 116, HORNETS 115)

Zach LaVine Stat Line: 49 points (17-28 FG, 13-17 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 steals

This was not only hands down LaVine’s best individual performance this season, but perhaps one of the best single games any player in the NBA had this season. It was also a game with an absurd ending, an absolutely insane comeback finish that made national news and goes down as one of the biggest miracle wins in recent years, an instant classic. (Seriously, go watch the highlights.)

LaVine was not only on fire, hitting a blistering 13 of 17 threes – by the way, that remains the most threes a single player has hit in a game this NBA season, and ties for second-most in NBA history – but his shooting directly brought the Bulls back from a nearly hopeless situation late in the game when they needed it most. He scored 27 points in the fourth quarter alone, none bigger than the final three. With 10 seconds left, despite LaVine going supernova, the Bulls still trailed the Hornets by 5. They brought the ball up the floor, LaVine got doubled and the ball swung to Tomas Satoransky, who hit a three to cut the deficit to 2 with seven seconds left to he clock. The Hornets inbounded the ball, but instead of fouling, Coby White knocked the ball into LaVine’s hands. Zach took the ball, dribbled out to the three point line and launched the most confident and inevitable dagger you might ever see to win the game and cap off one of the best individual performances of the season. Without question, his magnum opus of the year and best performance of his six-year NBA career.

DECEMBER 11, 2019, AT ATLANTA (BULLS 136, HAWKS 102)

LaVine Stat Line: 35 points (12-16 FG, 7-7 3PT), 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Did we mention that when Zach was on fire he was a hard man to stop? Zach was absolutely ridiculous in this December road matchup in Atlanta – those shooting numbers don’t lie, the man went 7-7 from downtown – and he put up these numbers in just TWENTY FIVE minutes, sitting out the entirety of the fourth quarter. The Hawks had absolutely no answer for Zach on this night, as he might as well have been shooting in an empty gym. The man was perfect from three, perfect from the free throw line, and missed just 4 shots overall on the night. These were 25 of the most efficient minutes you’ll see, and this game truly showcases why LaVine is already one of the league’s best scorers and could remain so for a long, long time.

JANUARY 25, AT CLEVELAND (BULLS 118, CAVS 106)

LaVine Stat Line: 44 points (16-30 FG, 5-12 3PT), 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal

When Zach is feeling it, it's hard to stop him. In this road game against the Cavs, Zach – making an All Star push – had everything clicking, registering a near triple double (with 40+ points) in a game in which his dominance allowed the Bulls to build up a huge lead and get an inter-divisional road win. He plus/minus for the night was +20 in a game the Bulls won by 12, showcasing that Cleveland was run out of the building every time Zach was on the court.

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Bulls 2019-2020 Season Recap: Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine addresses the Bulls not moving forward with the season, the nation's fight for change in social equality, and more during his end-of-season conference call held Friday afternoon.

Zach LaVine's NBA career has been exciting, if not ultimately rewarding. Other than financially. Zach's won multiple All-Star showcase slam dunk contests and has been one of the NBA's most improved players, more than doubling his scoring average since his rookie season to become among the elite points producers in the NBA at more than 25 points per game.

But sometimes an action is stronger than words like booooo. Especially when it comes from your ultimate employer, the NBA.

"I mean it sucks," LaVine Friday admitted about the NBA's decision to end the Bulls season as 22 teams move on to close the regular season and participate in playoffs. "It's a weird time, especially with everything that's going on right now. But it's upsetting, too. We weren't even good enough to get into the play-in game. So it's upsetting and it just shows that we have to do a lot of things differently to get ourselves that recognition to get to that spot.''

It is a humiliating development for the franchise and the Bulls players, particularly someone like LaVine who has played well enough to be an All Star while now suffering the indignity of the NBA's message of irrelevance to Bulls players.

"I can't speak for other people," LaVine said on the conference call arranged by the Bulls. "I'm just ready to become a winning team and a winning player. It's my sixth year and I still haven't gotten to the playoffs. If you want to put it in real terms, I haven't played a really meaningful basketball game. Every game in the NBA is meaningful. But once the playoffs come that's when you compete for championships. So we haven't had an opportunity to do that; I haven't. So I'm just continuing, ready to progress my career and get better and try to reach that next step."

The Bulls hope to do that with a new management team headed by former Denver Nuggets executive Arturas Karnisovas. The new executive team has communicated with players by video only because of the COVID-19 virus and national safeguard restrictions. Which has only made the NBA's arbitrary decision about admitting 22 teams to its play-in tournament and post season even more potentially damaging to the Bulls. LaVine has a full scale workout complex at his home near Seattle. But he also knows with the Bulls players potentially idled for nine to 10 months until the next NBA season supposedly will resume in late December, it will be difficult for Bulls players to then compete on a so called level playing field against teams who have had a summer of intense competition.

"That 10 months is going to be a long, long period of time," LaVine admitted. "So you gotta stay in shape. I think I do a really good job of that. Even with what happened in the decision of us not going to the little play-in tournament in Orlando. I was working out every day. I was waking up at 9 o'clock, getting my lifts in, making sure my cardio's right. Obviously, you won't be in basketball shape. But I was going to get my workout in to be able to shoot 200, 300 shots a night. I was ready to hit the ground running, pick right back up where I was. Obviously, you have to have an offseason to let your body and your mind rest. Just for injury prevention and just your own general wellness. And then pick it back up again. I'm glad they gave us a start date at least to where we can figure out when to start going again and get back into shape or somewhat in shape."

It's little consolation because it's just human nature — if not professional basketball reality — to rest and get out of shape when you have so much time off. Especially with players left on their own outside team facilities without team coordination. Most of the Bulls players have dispersed around the country. And while LaVine credited the new executives for maintaining excellent communication and seeking advise and consent about the team, LaVine acknowledged there's still virus concerns that have kept everyone apart. There have been suggestions the NBA might stage some events or practices for the Eliminated Eight. Though the health issues would seem to be a greater concern since it would be outside the safe area the NBA is attempting to set up in Orlando for the 22 teams. And even that worries some players.

"As basketball players, that's (playing) our job," LaVine acknowledged. "We want to play. I think the main concern – and I think it still is a concern with the players that are going down there – is it safe? People are in different situations. Some have families, some have wives, girlfriends, different things like that. I'm a big family person. I see my parents and my now-fiancee every day. It's just concerning on if we do go down there, do we have to be quarantined from our family? What happens if somebody gets it? Can you bring it back and make sure that your family feels safe? Does family come with you? I think those were more of the general questions. It wasn't anything about basketball. Because that's the thing that we understand how to do. With COVID, that's unknown."

So would the NBA provide even less security and heath care for the players from those eight teams? After all, it seems unlikely they'll all get protective bubbles like the Favored 22.

It certainly has to be frustrating for a player like LaVine who has done so much to improve and become an elite NBA talent with a commitment to team success.

"I think it starts with us as players," LaVine said in deferring questions about coach or management responsibility for the record. "We're the ones on the court. Obviously, they're going to go out there and do their job and do the best they can and work their butt off. But we have to continue to go out there and grow as well. We can't continue to make the same mistakes. We have to change our identity and how we're looked at as a team to become a winning culture. We had high expectations for this year coming into the year and it wasn't anything like that. I think we competed extremely well. I think we're one of the hardest playing teams in the NBA. But you need that W. We've got to get better.

LaVine in about 20 minutes with media addressed other issues:

Coach Jim Boylen's future: "I'm going to keep saying the same thing that I always have. It's not for me to judge somebody. I think he goes out there and does his best. I don't think anyone in this organization or the NBA goes out there and tries to fail. Sometimes it's out of your power, your win-loss record or what happens in games. I know for a fact he tries, he's does his best, and as a player that's all you can ask for sometimes. As a player I try to go out there, follow the lead, go out there and do my job, and decisions on things like that I leave that up to higher management. That's not my role in the organization. I think you knew I was going to answer that correctly.''

The national unrest in the wake of the murder in Minneapolis: "This has been going on for a long time. I think the video cameras shed light on a lot of things, what's been going on with the world and police and different things like that. But I think now that we're starting to get this platform for athletes and entertainers to use our platform for good. There's going to have to be some type of movement, and maybe it might not be this generation; it might be the next. But it can't continue to be this way. It's not right. So just being on that stance and just being aware. Educating myself. I spoke in Seattle at a rally (Thursday) with a lot of pros and I encouraged them to go vote. I can stick myself out there. I haven't voted before. And that's not doing my part in the community. So go out there and not just vote for presidency, but things in your own community because everything that you vote for can make a change and put those people who are in power to hear your voice and help make that change. I'm trying to educate myself now more on the politics and what goes on and how things are voted. Just taking action in my own community and trying to do my part is the reason why I'm moving forward with that. Educating yourself, making sure that we're all together. Because what's going on isn't right."

Being biracial: "I come from a household where my dad is black and my mom is white. I've seen it on both sides to where people obviously look at my dad differently. Even people of color look at my dad different in situations because he's with a white woman. White men and white women look at my mom differently because she's with a black man. I just don't want this to become a race thing. It's terrible to say that, but growing up you have to know what's right and wrong. I was taught that it's OK because it's how I grew up. I just wanted to let people know it's on both sides. You've got to go out there as parents and as people who teach this younger generation and teach them the right thing. Everything right now is being so magnified that you could have a stance on one side or another when really you need to just understand what's going on and not have a racial bias. We're all one. We're in this together. This affects everybody. I think there are a lot of things that need to be changed. But if we come together, I think we can all do that."

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Zach LaVine on team's future: "We have to change our identity... to have a winning culture."

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Zach LaVine shares his favorite Michael Jordan story

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Zach LaVine - STYLE IN :24 WITH TISSOT

Zach LaVine knocks down a game-winning three

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Zach LaVine hits 13 threes vs. the Hornets

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