DESMOND BANE & JAMAHL MOSLEY MEDIA AVAILABILITY | 6.17.25

DESMOND BANE & JAMAHL MOSLEY MEDIA AVAILABILITY | 6.17.25

yep yeah yeah i think that’s pretty good so yeah you’re good all right does take us through what the last 48 hours or so have been like since finding out you were going to be traded to Orlando yeah it’s been uh it’s been moving fast um I was on vacation in uh Dest Florida um so I was already in the state which uh made it a little easier to get here but uh it’s it’s been it’s been great man i mean obviously leaving everybody behind in Memphis will be tough um I made some really good relationships and friendships there that um won’t end there you know i mean we’ll we’ll continue to talk and um stay in touch but but I’m super excited to be here i mean all the the guys they’ve reached out and hit me up the front office um support staff everybody’s been real real supportive and um you can tell there’s an excitement in the air um as well as expectations you know and and expectations are healthy and um you know I feel like we have the roster to be able to do um some some really special things so so I’m excited and and looking forward to the to the new chapter what’s your impression of the talent that you’re joining you know the guys that are on the team super talented um you know it’s it’s different than Memphis but we were the young and upand cominging team um as well and it’s a it’s a great place to to be um you know obviously Paulo France Jaylen Wendell um Tristan Anthony Black you can keep going all the way down the list of of these guys and um you know I got got a chance to play against them not a ton coming from the Western Conference but it was always tough to put the ball in the basket against them i’ll tell you that they they guard and um you know I think I I’ll fit right into to what they’re trying to do on that end and and hopefully help out a little bit um you know on the spacing front on on offense you mentioned in a in a tweet you know years ago that this facility is what Memphis needed but now that you’re here you see the facility how special is this whole entire setup you guys got here it’s it’s different bro the one in Memphis we ain’t have not one window you know so it’s it’s a Yeah like we joked around and called it the dungeon um you know but but this is it’s a breath of fresh air i mean you literally you can step outside and get a breath of fresh air and eat on the patio i mean there’s indoor outdoor training facility um you know all the bells and whistles are are in here and it’s great but I feel like the people is really what’s going to make this place um special watching from afar what did you see about the Magic Whether playing against them over the years that you really like uh I mean I think it’s the the physicality um don’t back down from anybody um they’re they’re extremely versatile i mean having two 610 guys that can put the ball on the floor um a guy like Jaylen Suggs who um tenacious you know on both ends of the floor high motor Wendell can stretch the floor and shoot um I mean it’s it’s just versatility everywhere um so I I think that’s that’s what you need you know you see the teams in the playoffs that are still competing they have guys on the floor that can do multiple things at a at a very high level um play extremely hard and uh the Magic have both of those things we have both of those things how does how does that fit you as as as you begin to think about how you kind of fit in this group is does that describe how does how much does that describe how I think that’s that’s that’s my DNA you know I think that I’m a a gritty guy um you know that’s that’s how I’ve made it um to this point i mean you you look up and down the roster and we all have similar makeups their their arms might be a little bit longer than mine but apart apart from that man we’re uh I think we’re we’re very aligned what are your impressions of coach Jamal Mosley cool cat like that’s that’s I think that’s the best way to put it like seems like it’s a he’s a he’s really a player’s coach um puts the guys first puts himself in our shoes um and gives us freedom um that’s that’s the the thing that every player wants is is freedom um he’s going to empower us to be ourselves out there like I asked him like “Yo coach what you what you want from me?” He said “Be you off the court on the court be yourself.” Like and and that that just gave me you know the ultimate confidence that that this is going to be a great fit and great spot for me you’re famous for being strong and gritty i see it looks like something special on your wrist can you talk about that which which one the the letters there this love yours no your bracelet this one this one says Baneville on it oh that’s what’s up yeah this is that’s uh that’s the neighborhood that um that I was raised in i was raised by my great-grandparents um and uh they both passed my my rookie year um during co so um it’s just like a little remembrance this is my AU team um I got a a nonprofit um foundation we’re running a a AAU program out of Indiana where I’m from and that’s the name of the team and one of the team moms uh made them for for everybody so if she’s watching she’ll be happy that she’s getting a little shout out right now i know I know she worked hard on these when you see the front office gave up a lot of potential for you four first round picks do you kind of embrace that or how do you embrace the expectations they have for you it’s it’s time to win you know i mean that’s it’s it’s pretty much simple as that you know if we do what we’re supposed to do those not to say the picks weren’t invaluable but they would have fell in a place that um you know we have like I said we got a lot of young talent here already in the building and we have um a lot of talent at the top of the roster so um I I think it’s I think it was a perfect time um you know for the organization to do what they did and um I mean I was talking with my agent prior to everything going down after the season ended and you know if there was ever any chance I get traded like where’s some of the spots you want to go and I mean I promise you Orlando was was right at the top of the list so um it’s a it’s perfect fit desmond do you get insulted at all that you hear Stephen A smith say the ma the Magic gave up too much he he he uh No I’ll just say I’ll just say no no leave it at that my first day on the job yesterday Jeff Waltman you know said that you are highly regarded from the people that he talked to around the league just you know as a person compliment you as a person and as a player just what can fans expect from you as a person and a player i I want to get to know him um I want to get out in the community and um I I did felt like I did a decent job of that in Memphis and um it it changes your perspective on on it you know you got to turn this place in the home like I I want to be able to go out to the grocery store and see people that I know and um have genuine relationships with them so I I think that that they’re going to get loyalty honesty um from from me um from from the start this is this is still a fairly young roster you’ve had probably more playoff experience than than everyone even though this team’s been in the playoffs last two years what what can you impart you know having won a play having been part of a team that’s won a playoff series been part of a team that’s been a two seed in in the West or a top a top seed in the West what can you impart to to this young group as they prepare to grow and and really focus on winning as the main goal it’s hard you know it’s it’s extremely hard to to win in this league um especially when at a high level and uh it starts with your process you know your your day-to-day process the way you you approach you know your workouts the way you approach what you’re eating how you’re sleeping um all those things are extremely important um on the path to success and um I’m sure they already have a lot of that but um I’m going to come in here and and uh stick to my roots and and hopefully lead by example that number three is is fitting for a guy that’s been one of the best in the last five years at shooting three ball just how do you help to help this team that desperately needs help in that three-point department do what I’ve done my whole life you know I mean make make shots um you know and and I think that’ll that’ll be enough last year Mikuel when he got traded he’s was I think vacationing with you or at Yeah he was at that was crazy is there like a curse now on this house that you n this this one yeah this one wasn’t at that house but yeah it it might be like it uh two summers in a row you know there’s trades going down since I got the crib so um what have your colleagues said about just being traded and how that feels and what that means for you in your career every every situation’s different you know i mean I’m super thankful that I landed here my agent or not my agent my uh general manager like was telling me that I was getting traded and he before he told me where I was going my heart sank just cuz you know there’s 29 other teams outside the Grizzlies that I could have ended up and once he uh he said Orlando I mean I was smiling through the phone you know I I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful like I was moving on from Memphis that fast but I was genuinely excited about uh the the new opportunity obviously uh the number 22 is taken here in O is there any significance behind choosing number three uh n I was thinking about nine um that was the day my grandma passed but um I just decided to go with three um shoot a shoot a bunch of threes i mean I guess that’s that’s about as far as it gets how motivating is memories of your family and what are some of the other factors that motivate you yeah that that’s what that’s what drives me you know i mean they uh they were both retired um you know when they took me in so they uh they put a lot of time and effort into me that they didn’t necessarily have to um you know my grandpa’s one of them ones that was up cutting the grass trimming the hedges um my grandma she uh she did like alterations and um stuff like that so they stayed extremely active you know on top of all my sports stuff so I think like my work ethic um and just like my character um really really comes from them so carrying that on Have you had any conversations with Paulo and France and everybody yet is that one of those conversations uh I talked to uh to Paulo just just briefly um I want to get to uh connect with him whether he’s in Seattle or wherever he’s at link up with him for a weekend and um we can get in the gym but low-key put basketball to the side just get a chance to know him as a person um me and Fran have talked um asking him what he think about where he stays at and stuff like that just trying to get a feel for the city so I’m excited to connect with all the guys um I think it’s extremely important um the times that we were really good in Memphis our togetherness was was off the charts um so so I think that’s that’s got to be priority number one memphis has you know emphasized grit and grind culture orlando has a similar culture but it’s definitely defensive first what do you think about defense being a huge part of this identity and what you bring to that yeah I mean the both teams playing in the finals right now are are scrapping their butt off on defense um you know so I think that it’s no secret that you have to be a good defensive team to to get to where we’re trying to get to so um I’m going to fully embrace it um embody it and like I said whatever the team needs to win I’m I’m more than willing and capable what are your plans between now and training camp training wise uh I mean I have I’ve been uh like do working on my body a lot um early in the summer um I’ve been getting on the court um sporadically um after like Fourth of July is when I’ll kind of start picking it up and and ramping up a little bit but um like I said I would love to even whether it’s the we could go meets anywhere like and try to get the the guys together um just to just to hang out you know stay in touch or whatever and get get connected prior to to training camp hey when you look at the when you look at the finals the these young teams up and cominging teams in the finals where do the magic now with you fit in i mean is it wide open are you guys in that conversation i don’t see why not i’ I haven’t been in the East so I I can’t speak to it as much as y’all probably can but um I I think that I mean if you just look at our roster and our team that um we’re we stack up right there with with anybody they they Shaq and Penny days they call the heyday around here they just went back to different logo with the pinstripes back to those days did you grow up watching some of that and is it motivating to you that you’re the first one to come in here to push that forward 10,000% um you know I was I was I’ll never say I was a big Magic fan because that’s not the truth but um I definitely you know followed and um you know was a fan of their success and and stuff like that but um it’s it’s super exciting um it’s a it’s a new era um make make some new memories and um help push this thing forward back to to the success they they had in the in the past what team were you a fan of growing up i can’t say can’t I can’t say I’m I’m embarrassed to say is everybody good good thank you appreciate it appreciate it appreciate it hey um Jamal’s on his way down hey how we doing so coach what have what have the the last 48 hours been like for you since here and the team acquired Desmond Bane and your your initial thoughts on on the acquisition you know I think it’s been it’s been busy it’s been a little bit of a whirlwind but um you know just welcome welcoming him in uh being able to get acclimated a little bit but it’s just been exciting exciting to know you know caliber of player we’re getting but more the caliber of human being that he is uh you get calls and texts from guys and understanding who he is and what he represents and what he’s meant to that community there but also to that team when you envision him alongside Pablo Lef France and Jaylen and the rest of the guys what do you see space uh you see a lot of space his ability to shoot the basketball create his own shot handle the basketball in different areas uh but just being able to make quick plays quick decisions uh spacing on the floor for those guys to be able to allow us to get to the basket that you know he’s used to playing fast uh and that’s what we’ve talked about being able to speed our game up and so his ability to do that he’ll fit right in when it comes to that jeff talked about not having to give up Jaylen or Paulo or Bronze to get a guy of this caliber for you to have that continuity and just add a piece how how big of a game changer is that instead of swapping a key i think it’s it’s huge for us uh we’ve talked about our core guys and what they’re capable of doing and what they’ve done when they’re on the court together i think not being not having to give those pieces up and the continuity that these guys have created with one another uh is huge and like I said Desmond is another young man that’s going to walk in and fit right in because of how he represents himself both on and off the court when you don’t have to give up any of those main northstar pieces you lose KCP you go out in as a veteran to help his team and Cole who you coached since you first started how how’s it going to be not having those guys and how to fix all of that well you guys have always understood how we feel about our group uh the continuity that has been created the chemistry that has developed you know over the time that we’ve been here uh so I speak first to the human being of KCP and Cole and what they’ve meant to this community what they’ve meant to this organization what they’ve meant to me as a coach um they’ve always been professional they’ve always been a spirit and and hardworking individuals that have cared about this community and so that part of it is what you know you feel but you also understand that you’re going to see him on the other side when you play him again uh but but for having Desmond step in and and what he’s capable of doing he’s going to fit right in with that with this group with the continuity and the chemistry right away coach how do you feel about the ramped up expectations the pressure i mean everybody’s going to be expecting you guys to advance yeah and and that’s great and we’ve said that from the beginning you know and my kids said it to me last night we were actually talking watching one of the tennis uh series on uh Netflix and they talk about the saying pressure is a privilege and and I think that’s a great thing for this group to understand how we need to grow how we have to develop how we have to keep challenging each other to get better you know both on and off the court uh how we hold each other accountable in what we’re trying to do and you know it’s going to come as a process of what we’re trying to accomplish uh wins and losses we’ll talk about that you know as the year as next year comes but I think more importantly that we’re sticking with a process to make ourselves become one of the best teams that we can be as you started kind of diving into to Desmond Desmond as a player and and studying his his tape what what stands out about him that that maybe we wouldn’t see beyond just like the shooting and kind of like the skills that we can kind of counter and see well his ball handling i think people have not you know given him that much credit for it i mean he’s he’s had the ball in his hands more than than people have realized uh and I think that’s a big key he played off it that he knows how to play without the basketball so that’s a big piece and then when those guys went down you know for that group over there he had the ball in his hand a ton and people also because he can shoot you you don’t register how well he can get to the basket and so I think those are small pieces that you may get overlooked at at times but he’s a a dedicated hard worker that’s going to put those those reps in to get to do whatever’s asked of the team to win ball games consistent consistent three-point shooting has been kind of a missing piece to to the Magic’s puzzle how does he fill that role he’s very consistent and I and I know his catch and shoot threes are huge and he can also create his own shot i think that’s very important as well because as teams continue to load up and they sit in the paint and they’re waiting to you know to stop our attacks his ability to create his own shot but also create and for others is going to be huge has been said that you’re a cool cat of you guys up and know you guys met each other now that it’s on the team but to to be viewed in that sense of of a coach that lets players be themselves just how redeeming is that for you you know I started in this business with player development and it’s about the relationships that you have with these guys but it’s also making sure that you put them in the best position to be successful and I truly believe it i think the greatest teams are teams that are connected in that locker room uh and you know our job as coaches is to put them in the best position to be successful and then I think it’s their job once they hit the floor to be so connected that it just becomes an easy chemistry that they can help me become a better coach and our coaching staff become better coaches because they’re so connected was that like a top five dap of your NBA career that was that was pretty close for the front office to be to say they’re going to be aggressive but then to see them actually do it and transition to this win now move how does that change your mindset at all it it just you know affirms exactly what we’ve continued to talk about you know Jeff and I communicate at a high level when it comes to these things just being able to be on the same page and understand exactly what direction we’re moving into uh and I think that’s says a lot about the organization about ownership about our our management and that we’re willing to just continue to collaborate and get on the same page no matter what’s happening and and it’s going to look different at times but as long as we continue to communicate it that’s exactly the most important piece for this group and us moving forward he’s the first player the Magic brought in through a trades marked out since 2019 so how how big of a moment is this for the Magic to make this move into I don’t know if you call it all in but to go all in i it just says that you’re willing to understand what what the organization wants and needs what our community has been talking about what our fans have been talking about what our players have been talking about and what we need to do in order to take that next step that we weren’t just going to sit aside and hope something was going to happen and and think that we could change it just out of nowhere and I think the ability to go do this says a lot for where we’re going and how we’re going to adapt to whatever is necessary in order for us to take that next step uh with this organization and with this team on the other side of that it’s been roughly a month and a half since the since the season ended since the playoff series ended what as you’ve kind of gone back and look back at the season maybe look back at that playoff series obviously there’s maybe still some work to do with the team this season but what have you learned that you hope to carry forward into into this offseason and into training camp well you know I I really try to hit home with our guys um what if they’re watching what they’re watching these series right now and seeing what how they’re playing and what they’re doing but more importantly I I think it needs to always be addressed that we did go through a lot of things throughout the year um and so to have a whole team uh is going to be very important that our guys know we’re not changing the chemistry we’re not changing some of the things that we were a lot we were able to be successful in we just have to get better at it like so each if each guy comes back one or two% better than what we did last year along with the chemistry and adding new pieces then we’re giving ourselves a big- time chance to to be in a a very good position coach what what’s your thought on on successful teams making coaching changes i mean what does that say about your profession you know I really believe it’s you know we we know what we sign up for and and I’ve said this time and time again the best and the only thing a coach can do when he walks into his office or walks into the building every day is did he do his part to put these guys in the best position available to be successful and did he do it the way that he wanted or she wanted to do it and if you can look yourself in the mirror and say that you’ve done it that way let the chips fall where they may because we’ve seen that coaches have been extremely successful and got let go we’ve seen coaches that have not been that successful and keep the job we’ve seen coaches of the year be let go and that’s part of this profession so we understand it’s not personal it’s part of what we’ve signed up for but that’s why you have to look yourself in the mirror and can you say that you’ve done everything in your heart in your spirit that you’re doing right by the game of basketball and if you get let go in that regard then you just have to live with that um Jamal can you just take a second can you talk about Cole Anthony and the kind of player that Memphis is going to be getting you know I I think Cole he brings such a live energy a spirit a fearlessness to the game um and there’s some nights that you know he’s he can win you a game on on numerous occasions he’s done it for us and I think the energy that he brings to that locker room the joy and the spirit of the game is just what he continues to have and continues to bring and having him and being with him over the past four four and a half years uh I’ve seen so much growth with him both on and off the court and I think they’re going to get a unbelievable version of Cole uh because of his hunger his desire his work ethic his want to and then the other side of it is his ability to do things within the community to to bring that community together uh bring his teammates together that’s one thing he he really just wanted to do more than anything is just continue to give back thank you all appreciate it thank you

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