A native of Indianapolis, Trevon Bluiett first drew the attention of New Orleans Pelicans fans during Las Vegas summer league, breaking out with two stellar games to open competition. The Xavier (Ohio) product totaled 50 points in those contests, sinking 12 of his 18 three-point attempts. As a result, the rookie was signed by New Orleans to a two-way G-League contract, even before the summer circuit had concluded. Bluiett – who went undrafted in June despite being projected a second-round choice by many analysts – sat down with Pelicans.com to discuss his background and some of his interests away from basketball:
Best moment as an athlete: “Going to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in college. Xavier hadn’t done it in a while, and we were only the third team in school history to do it. So that was a great moment.”
How he chose his current uniform number of 5: “My favorite number is 15, but when I went to college, one of the other players already had it. So I picked 5, because it was 15 without the ‘1’. From that point, I just stuck with 5. Frank (Jackson) already has 15 here, otherwise I would’ve taken that.”
One thing fans might be surprised to know about him: “I’m a big, big SpongeBob fan. I’m 23, but I still watch it to this day like I’m a little kid.” [smiles]
Favorite thing about New Orleans: “I like the different culture. Being from the Midwest, it’s a lot different in the South. It seems like a very close-knit city.”
First job: “Being a basketball referee for a youth league when I was in high school. It definitely gave me a different respect for referees after I did that. My dad’s best friend is a ref and needed help, so he asked if I could come out and work games. It was rough. The age group of the players varied, from about fifth grade all the way up to high school freshmen and sophomores.”
Favorite athlete as a kid: “Michael Jordan. My dad is a native of Gary, Ind., which is kind of close to Chicago, so he’s a big fan. Michael Jordan was the first guy I watched growing up. Also, Carmelo Anthony has been my favorite player since I was in about fourth grade, all the way up to this point.”
What he’d be doing if he weren’t an NBA player: “Coaching or staying involved in the game by owning my own gym.”
Closest friends currently playing on other NBA teams or in other pro sports: “I have a lot from growing up in Indianapolis and Indiana. (Denver forward) Trey Lyles is one. I grew up with him and we played on the same AAU team from eighth grade up until college. (Sacramento guard) Yogi Ferrell, I’ve known him since I was 5 years old and we went to the same high school. I also went to the same high school as (Memphis rookie big) Jaren Jackson. (Denver guard) Gary Harris I know from Indiana, and I grew up with (Minnesota guard) Jeff Teague. In the NFL, Oakland defensive tackle Darius Latham is one of my friends.”
Favorite type of music: “I mainly listen to hip-hop. I will try other genres, too. I like Migos, Drake, Jay Critch, a lot of artists.”
Favorite TV show: “SpongeBob SquarePants. Among today’s shows, my favorite is Rick and Morty – I’m a big animated guy.”
Favorite movie of all time: “Space Jam.”
Favorite phone apps: “I actually don’t try to stay on my phone. In this new world, we’re becoming addicted to our phones, so I’m trying to stay away from being in my phone all the time.”