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INTERVIEW. Dylan Murphy PHOTOS. NBAE/Getty Images
Singled Out
On Tursday, June 23, Chris Singleton was the last man sitting in the NBA Draft's green room. With the 18th pick in the first round, the Washington Wizards selected the Florida State swingman and fulfilled his NBA dreams. But basketball isn't Singleton's only passion. Doughpe Clothing, his on-the-side t-shirt company, is quickly gaining steam. We were able to catch up with the NBA rookie to talk about hoops, Jan Vesely's draft antics and life during a lockout.
Dime: How did the draft turn out compared to what your agent was tell-
ing you would happen? Chris Singleton: I think it turned out well in the long run. There were a lot of teams that I could've went to. Going into the whole process, my agent (Bill Duffy) told me don't believe anybody 'cause they say they like you. Everybody knows this is a business. One person can mess things up 'cause of how high people thought he should go, or could go. You always want to go high, but that's life.
Dime: Were there any teams that you thought you were going to be drafted
by? CS: There were a lot of teams that showed a lot of interest. There was Charlotte, there was Golden State, Houston, Washington. They all showed interest. They just wanted to go in a different direction. I can't do anything about that (laughs).
Dime: What did you think of Jan Vesely making out with his girlfriend
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on national TV when he got picked? CS: (laughs) Oh man, I was front row center for that. I thought it was crazy. I thought he was gonna give a little peck, and then it just turned into something extremely…crazy. He definitely got some fans, though.
Dime: You're going to be playing with two guys who definitely have some swag – John Wall with the Dougie and Vesely with his girlfriend. You have any plans to show the fans what Chris
Singleton is all about? CS: I don't know. Maybe. Remember the old Rasheed Wallace, before the Detroit years, in the middle of the circle? Or maybe play- ing to the crowd, something like that.
Dime: Did you talk to Flip Saunders before the lockout started?
more than just a side business? CS: It's just a fun little thing I'm doing. But if it continues, if it gets bigger, if people really, really like it, then of course I'm going to try and make it bigger. But you gotta keep it simple right now until things start to work out. But my focus is always basketball, that's my goal right now, but it could get bigger.
CS: Yeah. I went up to Washington for two or three days. I just got to meet the coach- es; there was a couple drills they wanted me to focus on. But I also got to sit down with them, and we just broke everything down – what they expected of me and what they think I could do. It was very eye- opening for me. There's a very good chance for me to come in right away and help us succeed. We're trying to make the playoffs this year, that's definitely one of my goals. Hard work and just keep pushing.
Dime: Any hobbies you're pursuing with the
lockout now in full swing? CS: I've always had a passion to work with cars, but I've never had time to do it. Down the line somewhere, I could be doing that. I also have a clothing line called Doughpe
Dime: What about shoes? Are you a sneaker-
head as well? CS: Yeah, I'm a really big shoes guy. My cousin used to own a shoe store. I've al- ways had aspirations to have a shoe store, a clothing store, something like that. Down the line, when hopefully I'm worth like, seven or eight figures, I can start some- thing like that.
Dime: How many pairs of kicks do you have
in your closet? CS: Probably 100 basketball shoes, 200 total shoes.
Dime: What was the best part about being a
draft prospect? CS: Getting invited to the Green Room.
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(pronounced "dope"). It's just a t- shirt company, just trying to put some extra income in my pocket.
Dime: How'd the company get started? CS: I made t-shirts for the team
this past year, just wanted to do something special. Me and one of my teammates, A.J. Yawn, he was like, 'You wanna start something?' And I was like, 'Yeah.' (laughs) And it started off just like, 'What name do you think will work?' Then just started to design some things, put some money together. So I got a couple shirts, gave 'em out, saw if people liked them. And everybody liked it, so just going from there.
Dime: Do you plan on expanding it to