Image via Stephen Gosling/Getty
Not many people would have expected to see the Chicago Bulls tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break before the season began. But that’s the beauty of sports, you can predict and speculate all you want, but nothing truly matters until the games are played and the season is actually underway.
For Zach LaVine and the rest of the Bulls, that criticism helped fuel the fire for their best first half in recent history, and will only continue to do so after the All-Star break. Sunday night, LaVine will play in his second All-Star Game, while his teammate DeMar DeRozan was voted as a first-time starter, making his fifth overall appearance in the game.
On top of that, LaVine is an All-Star Saturday Night veteran, as he’ll be competing in his second consecutive 3-point Contest and is considered one of the greatest Dunk Contest participants ever, winning back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.
“I know which of the two I’m better at,” LaVine tells Complex. “I have two trophies in my case for the Dunk Contest and I don’t have any for the three-point contest yet, but hopefully that can change tonight.”
Just a few days after Zach LaVine starred in a new Mountain Dew ad alongside It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Charlie Day, we caught up with LaVine at The Block in Cleveland just a few hours before All-Star Saturday Night to talk about the Bulls’ first half success, All-Star Weekend, and more.
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
Let’s first start with Mountain Dew. What is it like working with them, and specifically how has it been working on this new campaign with Charlie Day?
I’m extremely excited to be partnered with them, they allow me to be myself and stay loose. It’s a fun and cool campaign. Working with Charlie was great, I think I got to show off some of my acting skills, so I’m looking forward to doing more. I started to learn a little bit more about his content after we started working together, but I’m going to start looking at more of his stuff for sure. Hopefully he’s a fan of mine.
I’m sure it’s not a surprise to you guys, but not a lot of people expected you to be this good this far into the season. Can you speak to your team’s success?
We expected us to be here. The media might not have, but that’s the fun of competition and sports sometimes, going out there and making people eat their words. We got hot together early on and we’re really rolling right now. Hopefully we can all get healthy and keep competing and getting better for the playoffs.
What would you say to the critics that still think the Bulls aren’t good enough to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals?
Everybody has their own opinion. The only thing that matters is what we do on the court moving forward, so I guess it’s TBD on that.
Do you think this team has a chance to be the best Bulls team since Michael Jordan?
I don’t really get into all that, man—it’s tough to compare anyone or anything to MJ so we’re just going to keep his name out of it. But we’re a good team, we haven’t proven anything yet. We’re at the halfway point and we’re tied for first in the East right now, and for half the season that’s really good but we have to play the whole 82 and we’ll see where we’re at.
How has it been playing with DeMar DeRozan this season?
It’s been great, that’s my guy man. We talked about it before the season, coming in together and playing and trying to get this franchise back to where it belongs.
And now you’ve made an All-Star game alongside DeMar, how does it feel to get to play in the game with a teammate and how much of an honor is it for you to be named an All-Star again?
It’s cool, especially to have a teammate, this is my second All-Star Game and I think this is his fourth or fifth so to have a teammate in there is really fun for me. We’re on opposite sides, so it’s going to be fun to go out there and compete against my guy. But it’s great, it’s the cream of the crop. Anytime you’re selected and have a chance to play in it, it’s an honor and I don’t take that lightly.
What are your thoughts on the new All-Star Game format?
I think it’s cool, it gives us a totally new incentive to have and we all understand how we feel about Kobe Bryant and to have that be the MVP award is incredible. To go out there and play in his honor as well and have a target score has been super fun.
If you could add one thing to All-Star Weekend to change things up a bit, maybe it’s a 1-on-1 tournament or to have the NBA bring H.O.R.S.E. back, what would it be?
I would add a longer break for players.
Do you have a strategy for Saturday, where you’re starting or where the money rack is going to be?
I have my money rack in the left hand corner, I just haven’t decided if I’m going to start there yet.
Who do you like in the Dunk Contest?
I think Cole Anthony might have something. I feel shorter guards have a bit of an advantage and more wiggle room in the Dunk Contest because it just looks cooler. I would say him or Obi Toppin since this is Obi’s second time doing the competition and he has a good chance of taking the title. The experience can only help him, because you can expect to see what’s happening and you understand the environment.
It seems like you’ve been lacing up New Balance on the court a lot more lately, and you’re wearing a pair of 550s right now. Can you shed a little bit of light on your current sneaker free agency?
There’s a lot of fun things on the way. I really enjoy New Balance, I think they’re super cool and they’re definitely changing the game right now. That’s another TBD to the future to see what I got going on.