Former Kansas star Gradey Dick set the internet on fire when he wore his ridiculous sparkly red outfit to the 2023 NBA Draft. While his outfit certainly stole the headlines on draft night, the former Kansas star has got the game to back it up. He poured in 18 points in the first half of Wednesday’s NBA Summer League matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons. Earlier on Wednesday, the former Jayhawk star took some time to speak with Jorge Sedano about his flashy outfit on draft night, and several other topics, including his aspirations in the NBA.
Gradey Dick chats it up about several topics
What did the former Kansas star think of the reaction to his flashy outfit at the draft? “I mean it’s just me being my goofy self. I saw some options online of what they could kind of do and size me in. So I saw that, and it kind of caught my eye. I was like, might as well, it’s gonna worn one time in my entire life, so I might as well go all out. And then, I saw that it actually came in and realized how much of an effect the kind of Dorothy slippers from Kansas,” Dick said.
Did his old teammates give him any grief about the hilarious outfit? “No. They know who I am. That’s how I am in the locker room and just around town. But, stuff like that. I’m gonna be myself with everything I do. And just have a good time. Live my life. I love living it,” the former Jayhawk said.
What was it like to suit up for such a storied program like Kansas basketball? “It was a dream come true. I mean, that was my dream school growing up. Two hours away in Wichita….I’d been on campus a lot growing up but at the same time, it was a whole different kind of aspect of it all when I started getting recruited. Talked to some of the guys like Christian Braun and saw how well they did there. And I just kind of wanted to go into a system like that. Help me transfer over to this league.
How was the pre-draft process for him leading up to the big night? “The pre-draft was a blast I was in Santa Barbara, kind of a vacation spot. (Laughs),” Dick began. “Just working out and getting better at my game. It was definitely a lot quicker than I thought. You know, I’m getting drafted the next night. I’m in Toronto. So, I didn’t really expect it to be that fast but I’m glad I did. And just getting good advice from people of just live in the moment and take it all in and enjoy it.”
What are his career aspirations for the NBA? “I think out of how much I take pride in my shooting and just the work that I put in every single day,” Dick continued. “Away from all the cameras and stuff like that. I think through that preparation and stuff like that. My goal is to really just to be one of those guys people think of…the top shooters in the world. My name comes up in the conversation. That would be a personal goal for sure and then just overall goal, NBA Championship. It’s kind of hard not to say that. So that would definitely be a big bucket list to check off.”
It’ll be exciting to see how his career plays out in the NBA.
More must-reads: