First the players explained to the campers what they felt it took for them to make it to the NBA.

Andrei Kirilenko:
When I came to Salt Lake City I’d just started the summer league and preparation camp and I just looked at the guys and it was Karl Malone and John Stockton, and it was kind of hard. But then you get used to that and when you want to play then you just listen to the coach and you start to play and I think that’s the most important thing. Just don’t be afraid and work as hard as you can.

Dirk Nowitzki:
I came over from Germany when I was young and I really missed my family at the beginning and I went through some times but all you can do is keep your eyes and ears open at the beginning and learn from the veterans on the team and obviously it’s a lot of hard work but if your talented enough and you put in the effort then it pays off.

Primoz Brezec:
For me it was a little bit different I mean I was drafted by Indiana and I was on the bench for three years. When I came to the States everybody said you’re going to play, we need a big guy but I didn’t play. I was lucky that I kept focused and I was signed in the expansion draft and I was given a chance. Never give up on yourself. You got to believe in your ability and always listen to the coach and the veterans and just work hard and everyone in the NBA will respect you from the coaches through to the players to the veterans.

Zaza Paculia:
Hard work is the key. You really have to work hard if you goal is to reach the NBA. Because without hard work then you just won’t do it.
Mike Bantom, Senior Vice President with Player Programs also gave the campers advice about the challenges they could face if they make it in the NBA:

Mike Bantom:
NBA players play what is probably a 100 game season if you count the pre-season, regular season and the off-season. So our programs and our Directors all teach you how to be focused on your job and how to be professional about your job and there are a lot of challenges. Some of these guys pointed them out. You might come in and your team might not need you to come in right away and you may play everyone of those 100 games. So whatever happens you have to remain professional and continue to work hard because that year can not be a year off. You have to continue to work hard and improve because at some point you’re going to get a chance to play and you’re going to have to prove yourselves to the people there.

The players then answered questions from Rich Sheubrook, Director of International Scouting for the Memphis Grizzlies and Nike Global Basketball Consultant.

When you were sitting out there as young as these guys, how much time did you give to basketball? How many hours did you practice?

Andrei Kirilenko:
Probably all day. I doesn’t mean you are practicing all day but you are probably thinking about basketball all day. I’m telling you, every summer I’ve been in a basketball camp outside Moscow, outside St Petersburg in Russia and in the morning 8am we have practice, 9am breakfast, 11am practice again. We have like three practices a day and at 8pm when we don’t have practice we still go in the gym and we practice against each other so I think it’s important for you guys to think about basketball and think about improving your skills. Right now you’re working on your name but after 25/27/28 years you’re name will work on you guys.

Dirk Nowitzki:
Basketball was a big part of my life from the beginning. I loved watching it. I was a big fan of the NBA and watched every All-Star game, every Finals series and once I finished school I was like 17/18, I really started to work like continuously on shooting, moves, agility, lifting weights so it’s not only what you do on the court but you have to keep progressing in your life too on and off the court and that’s what I keep trying to do.

Primoz Brezec:
At 17 I was still at school like a lot of you guys. So what happened to me was that I had to work out in the morning. So if school was at 7am I had to get up at 5 and go to the gym, practice for an hour and a half, take a quick shower and go to school for five six hours and after school have another practice. So that’s how I spend the next two years just working out every day. Two times a day. Probably you guys know that just the training camp is like two sessions a day. After that during the season there is not much time to practice and in the summer you’ve got to work on your body and your skills. It’s in the summer that you get better.

Zaza Pachulia:
At this age you have to be smart and feel like you’ve got something. It’s a lot of hard work but you’ve got to be smart and learn something from practice, every practice to get better.

Dirk, can you tell us about when you played in the Nike Hoop Summit?

Dirk Nowitzki:
Well obviously that really was my breakout in the US. It was a great experience for me I was ever really in the States before that was my first time. We met in Dallas for a week with all the players from all over the world. We had a little trouble talking to each other but just being there was a great deal. Then we went down to San Antonio and had that game and just to see where you stand and compete against the best high school players in America was really great for all over us. Because the US is the motherland of the sport.

You had a really good game, like 33 points and 14 rebounds, so when you came back home what went through your mind as a player?

Nowitzki:
I was kind of in a tough situation because at that time we were still in a championship round to move up in my home town so when I left for that week I actually missed the game and so my whole home town was pissed at me that I left. But looking back it was the greatest move that I made in my life. I don’t know if I would be sitting here right now if I hadn’t have been in that game. But when I came home everything worked out well. We ended up moving up that year so obviously that was perfect. But just coming back and knowing that I could play with these guys and compete on the highest level already at my age that helped me and motivated me for the upcoming seasons and upcoming workouts.

And then the players answered questions from the campers:

What do you think about getting rest and good nutrition and how does it affect your game?
Nowitzki:
When I first got to the NBA I didn’t really know about nutrition but you’re really playing a 100 games and you really have to take care of your body as well. You know you can’t be out all the time. Maybe here and there, but most of the time you’ve got to stay home and get the rest and learn how to eat. I eat a lot of pasta before the game. Nutrition and sleep are a big part of my plan and what I do in the US.

What do you do on game day?
Nowitzki:
I usually get up in the morning. Even if we don’t have practice I like to get up, so I’ll get up at like 9-9:30 am, go to the gym, shoot for like half and hour by myself and go home, eat for a little bit and then rest maybe like an hour. I don’t like to sleep too long before the game. Then I eat pasta like 4-5 hours before the game then get focused, think about the opponent and I go to the gym maybe about 2-3 hours before the game and shoot around again just to get my rhythm and then it’s game time.

How important is it to have an agent?
Kirilenko:
If you can manage your own business and go to the clubs and talk with them about your future then you’re good and you don’t need an agent. But I can’t do that so that’s why I hire and agent but the thing is you need to be able to reach him all the time. Call him. If he doesn’t answer you for a week then that’s not a good agent. He should take care of you and if you ask him that you have a preference to be in Italy or Spain or play in your home country or you want to play in the NBA then you should tell him and then you need to see the result. So if you want to play in the NBA, in Europe or in the summer league he should give you the chance. So in my opinion you should have an agent.

What do you think about the European level of basketball?
Kirilenko:
The International level of basketball is growing. You can see from the last World Championship and Olympic Games that America is not dominating anymore. But it was, and you can see that there are a lot of great players from all around the world not only from Europe and I think this kind of camp helps young guys just improve themselves. They can see a lot of examples in the league from their own country, from Germany you can see Dirk, from Georgia Zaza so I think it’s a great example for you guys and younger generations to be in the league and it’s easier for you right now. I think it was tougher for us because we didn’t have examples in the league.

Nowitzki:
I think that the level of basketball in Europe has gotten amazing in the last couple of years. I see it in the European Championship I mean you can’t take any country lightly anymore. You have to play 100%, you can’t take any country lightly anymore. Basketball is getting so good not only in Europe but I think everywhere. I didn’t even know a couple of years ago that they played basketball in Argentina and now they won the Olympic gold so I think that basketball is getting bigger and bigger and its getting global. So players are coming over from Europe and not only playing in the NBA but having a big impact on their team and having big roles, leadership roles. It’s so much fun to watch and I really enjoy every minute of it.

Dirk, how did it feel to get Punk'd?
Nowitzki:
It was weird. You know I never thought that I was big enough to be on that show. I mean I watch the show sometimes and all those movie stars are on there and so while I was eating that dinner I was like it that kid….that can’t be real what the hell is going on there. But of course I had no idea, you know all those cameras are hidden out there. I was just wondering why we were sitting outside because it was actually pretty cold! But they already had everything set up so we had to sit outside but it was the only thing that made me think that something was up. Other than that it was great.

Pachulia:
Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t sign anything anymore!

Kirilenko:
But he looked good, he looked patient, he signed for half an hour!