Get to Know Chris Whitney

Whitney

Today, get to know….
Nuggets point guard Chris Whitney
Acquired in a trade with Washington on Oct. 24, Chris Whitney is both the newest and the oldest Nugget. On a team with seven players 22 years or younger, the 31-year-old nine-year NBA veteran has already established himself as a leader. The 6-0, 175-pound point guard averaged 10.2 points and 3.8 assists last year with the Wizards and has immediately stepped in as a starter for the Nuggets. Drafted in the second round of the 1993 NBA Draft by the Spurs out of Clemson, Whitney played two years in San Antonio before spending the last seven in D.C.

JG: “You are from Kentucky, correct?
WHITNEY: “Yes sir. (Hopkinsville, Ky.)”
JG: “So did you have a favorite NBA team as a kid?”
WHITNEY: “The Lakers.”
JG: “So who was your favorite player, Magic?”
WHITNEY: “Earvin (‘Magic’ Johnson), yeah. Point guard.”
JG: “A little size difference there. (Johnson was 6-9, Whitney is 6-0).
WHITNEY: “My idol was Isiah (Thomas) though. My favorite player was Magic, but my idol I liked to compare to myself was Isiah. You see, that’s where the size comes in. (Thomas is 6-1)

JG: “You’ve been in this league for a while, is there any particular player or team that gets you a little more fired up to play against?”
WHITNEY: “I get up for the Spurs, now I’m will get up for the Wizards, but I will get up for everybody.”
JG: “The Spurs because they released you (2/23/95)?
WHITNEY: “Well, just because I used to play there. Everybody gets up for the team they used to play for.”
JG: “What about guys, is there any player you get up to play?”
WHITNEY: “No, I just go out there and play everybody the same.”

JG: “What’s your most memorable game you’ve been a part of?”
WHITNEY: “When Junior Harrington was under the basket and I windmill dunked on him (Whitney jokes as Harrington enters the locker room). Yeah. No, I don’t know. No, I’m a simple kind of guy. I’m a simple guy. No game in particular, I get up for everybody.”

JG: “So you and Greg Buckner grew up together?”
WHITNEY: “Yeah, next-door neighbors (in Hopkinsville, Ky.). Raised him, I raised him. That’s my man.”
JG: “And you both ended up at Clemson. How did that work?”
WHITNEY: “I was there before. Obviously he knew I went there. And the coach that went there had recruited Greg at Providence, and when he took the job at Clemson, that made it even easier for him to follow me.”
“His little brother’s at Duke, Andre Buckner.”

JG: “Obviously you knew you might be going somewhere, what were your thoughts when you were informed of the trade to Denver?”
WHITNEY: “Well actually, I was very happy. I was the one that initiated it. I called my agent and told him that I had to make a move. So when he told me (about the trade to Denver) I was happy, I was ready to go right then. I was elated.”

JG: “You are definitely going to get a lot more playing time here, but is it tough coming into a situation like this?”
WHITNEY: “Well, I went through a 19-win season in Washington so it’s not like I’m coming from the Lakers or something. I’ve had a lot of losing years there too so…”

JG: “What about playing with MJ last year? Getting to practice with him and play with him, is there anything that surprised you or that you noticed that you don’t get from watching him on TV?”
WHITNEY: “Just his passing game. That really stood out. You know everybody sits at home and they see the scoring, the 50 points and what have you, but he’s really a very good passer. He sees the floor really well. His intelligence about the game is probably unmatched.”

JG:“Who has the best arena in the league you’ve been to?”
WHITNEY: “That’s tough. I like playing in New York. I don’t know why everybody says that. But I always seem to have a good game in New York. I like playing there, but it’s not the best arena. The best? The STAPLES Center is nice. I like the STAPLES Center, it’s nice.”

JG: “Who has the worst arena or visiting locker room?”
WHITNEY: “Terrible locker room?”
(to Mark Blount) “Who has the worst locker room?”
BLOUNT: “Sacramento.”
WHITNEY: “Sac yeah. Sac.”

JG: “Alright, who’s got the best jerseys in the league?”
WHITNEY: “Best looking jerseys? That’s tough.”
JG: “What about the worst?”
WHITNEY: “The worst? The worst is New Orleans.”
JG: “The Hornets?”
WHITNEY: “Yeah the worst is New Orleans. They’re bad.”

JG: “What’s your favorite movie?”
WHITNEY: “Tombstone.”
JG: “If they were to make a movie about your life, who would you play you?”
WHITNEY: “Probably uhh…Martin Lawrence or Chris Rock. One of those guys.”

JG: “What about favorite CD or artist?”
WHITNEY: “Jay-Z.”

JG: “You have any pets?”
WHITNEY: “Just sharks and stuff, eels and all that in my aquarium.”
JG: “Where do you live in the offseason?”
WHITNEY: “Atlanta, Georgia.”

JG: “Do you have any nicknames.”
WHITNEY: “C-Whit or Whit.”
JG: “What about as a kid? What did your mom call you?”
WHITNEY: “I can’t tell you that. If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.”
(shouts across the room) “Do you hear that James Posey?”
“If I told you all these guys would be clownin’ on me.”
POSEY: “That’s alright. You’ve just given us the ambition to make something up now.”

JG: “You a big fan of any other sports?”
WHITNEY: “Yeah, football.”
JG: “Who’s your team?”
WHITNEY: “Cowboys.”
JG: “Their struggling right now.”
WHITNEY: “We’re alright. Quincy (Carter, Cowboys QB)’s gotta get his confidence back and they’ll be alright.”
JG: “You have any Super Bowl predictions?”
WHITNEY: “Nah.”
JG: “Well, if you said the Cowboys I wouldn’t be able to take it seriously.”
WHITNEY: “Exactly. See, that’s why I don’t have one.”

JG: “Kentucky or Louisville fan?”
WHITNEY: “Neither.”
JG: “Neither? Even growing up?”
WHITNEY: “Neither. Carolina.”

JG: “Who’s the one person throughout history that you’d most like to meet?”
WHITNEY: “Martin Luther the King.”

JG: “Alright and finally what are your goals or your mindset for this season?”
WHITNEY: “Just come in and play the game the right way. Practice the right way, play the game the right way. I’m just hoping to build the starting foundation for the organization. They took a chance on me so I just want to come out here and do my job.”

You can e-mail your questions and comments to Jonathan Goldstein at NuggetsPR@hotmail.com.