Boardroom spoke with the LSU forward and 2022 SEC Sixth Man of the Year before he was selected No. 17 overall by the Houston Rockets.
Dripped out in a bright green Dolce & Gabbana suit, Tari Eason made his presence known on the NBA Draft red carpet right away. The LSU product was projected by several prognosticators to go 17th overall to the Houston Rockets, and that’s exactly what occurred on the night of June 23. Now, the defensive-minded wing gets to pair fellow rookie (and SEC West standout) Jabari Smith Jr., who came off the board 14 picks earlier.
Not long before Adam Silver called his name, Boardroom caught up with Eason to discuss, among other things, what he learned from legendary NBA point guard Brandon Roy, who coached him during his first two years at Seattle’s Garfield High.
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What he would be doing if not for basketball:
I don’t know. I might be a rapper, or a scientist. My favorite rapper is Meek Mill.
A song that would describe his feeling on the red carpet on Draft Day:
“Draft Day” by Drake, or “Expensive Pain” by Meek Mill.
His goal for his rookie season:
Grow as much as I can, learn as much as I can, and hopefully get the most out of myself.
When he first thought he could make the NBA:
I always believed it since I was a child, for real.
What he learned from NBA All-Star Brandon Roy, who coached him at Garfield High School in Seattle:
I learned a lot. Brandon, obviously, he’s a guy who was in a position that we all dream of, [that] I dreamed of as a child. So soaking up as much as I can from him, learning the ins and outs of the league, what to do and not to do, how to move… I think he taught me a lot of valuable lessons that I’m going to continue to take with me throughout my career.
On tonight, he said keep it cool. It’s a great day. Enjoy the moment.
If he could invest in only one company:
Myself. I bet on me every time.
