Chatting With P.J. Washington, Who Went From Getting Traded During Brunch to Playing in the NBA Finals

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A few months ago, P.J. Washington was on a team that lost 11 straight games. But after a fateful deadline-day trade from the Charlotte Hornets to the Dallas Mavericks, Washington finds himself on the precipice of basketball immortality. After being dealt from a floundering Hornets’ squad, Washington helped energize a Mavs team that was hanging out around .500 for a large chunk of the season. And not only did Washington go from a lottery team to the playoffs, he also returned to his home state of Texas. The Frisco kid is now representing Dallas in the Finals, wearing the same uniform as his childhood idols.

Before locking in for the biggest games of his life, Washington gave GQ a call to discuss everything from the trade to the presidentially tatted Dallas cult hero DeShawn Stevenson. He’s also got an eye for fashion, and while basketball is the first, second, and third priority right now, expect him to come correct in the tunnel.

Any big fits planned for the Finals?

I’m not gonna go too hard. But it is the Finals. You gotta get right a little bit. I definitely got some fits coming.

All business.

I just feel like when you look good, you play good. I’m not trying to do too much. Just casual, a little bit beneath the suits. Nothing too flashy. I got some jewelry coming, but like I said, not trying to do too much. Come in, look good, be myself.

Does hearing “NBA Finals” still feel a little surreal?

Ever since we won the Western Conference Finals, I’ve just been hearing everybody congratulating me, but it hasn’t really hit me yet. I’m excited to go out there and actually get a taste of it.

The legendary play-by-play man shares his favorite Finals memories—and pitches a sitcom starring Jeff Van Gundy.

Have you found yourself doing a lot of reflecting? Thinking back to your high school basketball coaches, or the trainers you had at Kentucky?

Oh yeah, definitely! I’ve been reflecting on my whole journey as a basketball player, going back to when I was a kid. This is everybody’s dream, so being here, I feel super grateful. I can’t wait to seize the moment.

Are people coming out of the woodwork to hit you up now?

Everyone wants to know what they can do to get a ticket and all types of stuff. [laughing] I have people that handle that. I’m locked in.

Let’s go back to the day you got traded to Dallas. Did you expect to get traded?

I had seen some of my teammates get traded before the deadline. I didn’t think I would get traded, but I knew it was a possibility. On the day of [the deadline], Gordon Hayward got traded. Once I saw that, I felt like I was next. I was excited for the opportunity, and obviously coming back home to play for Dallas has been a dream come true for me.

But when it happened, I ran out of the restaurant in excitement. I was calling everybody. I couldn’t believe it.

You were at dinner when you found out?

I was at brunch with my wife.

When that happens, is it, “Yo, we gotta go right now?” What are the logistics of being traded?

Well…yeah. I had to fly to Dallas that night. So, I immediately had to go home, pack all my stuff up, and say my goodbyes. I think I had to play the next day, or maybe the day after that.

For me, it took like two or three weeks [to click]. Learning everybody’s games, getting my whole family moved, finding a place, it was a lot at first. It was also my first time being traded. So, a bunch of things went into it, but once I found my rhythm and got comfortable, I was okay.

When you were playing for Charlotte and you realize that the team is not going to make the playoffs, does that cause your focus to shift a little bit? What’s the mindset when you’re on a bad team?

I think the mindset is always still winning. Nobody likes to lose each and every night. But sometimes it doesn’t go your way. Obviously in Charlotte, it didn’t go our way a bunch of nights. But we were locked in, just trying our best to scrape out wins any way we could. Sometimes it just didn’t happen. No disrespect to any of them! I loved all my moments there and appreciate the city for everything. I had a bunch of fun.

When did you know that the Mavericks could make some noise? I’m sure you always felt like you were good, but when did it go from “We’re alright” to “Oh, we can win the whole thing?”

We started losing—I think we lost three in a row [in March]—so we tweaked the lineup a little bit. We added Derrick Jones and Daniel Gafford to the starting lineup, and ever since then, we’ve been clicking. Things just kind of took off. Our first and second groups are amazing on both ends of the floor. Everybody’s happy for each other, and the wins just started piling up. It led us here, and now we feel like we have the most confidence we’ve ever had.

You’re kind of linked to Gafford forever since you guys got traded on the same day. Lots of people would say that you saved the Mavs’ season. Have you and him talked about that at all?

I don’t think we’ve had a sit down and talked about it. There’s still work to be done, so we’re not satisfied. But we’re confident in our abilities, plus I’ve known Gaff since middle school. He’s from Arkansas and I’m from Dallas, which are right next to each other. We’ve been going at it ever since I can remember. Being on his team has been great. Obviously, he’s not blocking my shots anymore. I’m happy about that.

Was he always huge?

Always a big guy, dunking on people and blocking shots. Who he is now is who we was then.

I don’t think a lot of casual fans knew the name Daniel Gafford before the playoffs. Why do you think people have been sleeping on him for so long?

I have no idea. He’s always been a great player. He’s done it in college as well. I don’t think he gets enough recognition for being an unbelievable rim protector. He’s a floor general on the defensive end, and he dunks everything.

I gotta ask you about another teammate. Do you think Luka Doncic is the best player in the world right now?

The Dallas Mavericks have a true madman on their hands. Now we get to see what he can do in the NBA Finals.

Yeah, definitely. I’ve never seen anyone be able to do the things that he does. He literally picks the defense apart at any time of the game, any time he wants. He can get 12 straight, 15 straight, or he can throw out five assists in a row. He’s just magical with the ball. Anything—pick and rolls, score at every level, make any pass. He’s a great player to have on your team, for sure.

He’s deceptive, kind of herky-jerky type of player, but he’s strong. He gets to his spots, gets whatever he wants every time down, and makes shots at a very high level. I’ve never seen anything like it. He makes everyone’s job a lot easier.

What was the moment, it could even be in practice, where you realized he was different?

The craziest one to me was when we were in Houston. He had it going that game. He pump faked—I think it was Jabari Smith, and Jabari came to him a little bit—Luka shot an underhand [three-point] shot. I’ve never seen that in an actual game.

Was his shot over Rudy Gobert the coldest thing you’ve ever seen?

Yeah, once he got the switch on Gobert I knew he was going to his stepback. So I was in the corner just waiting for it to go in. Even after he hit it, I was talking for him. He’s a special player, and you expect him to hit shots like that each and every time.

Is this the most fun you’ve ever had playing basketball?

Most definitely. I mean, being able to do this on the biggest stages, in my hometown, it’s just great. I never thought it would happen.

These are also your first playoffs. What were your nerves like for the first game against the Clippers?

I was definitely a little nervous! But once we got our feet underneath us and hit a couple shots, everything started to settle in. We realized we had a job to do. At the end of the day, we’re here to win, not to lose. We’ve definitely found our groove and we’re not looking back at all.

Do you expect a similar feeling for Game 1 of the Finals?

Not really! I’m more excited to play. I’m not nervous about being on this stage; I’m excited to go out and show what we can do. We’re underdogs to a lot of people, but we’re not underdogs in our eyes. We’re capable of winning. We can’t wait to see how it goes.

Have you allowed yourself to think about PJ Washington: NBA champion?

Honestly, I’ve thought about it, but I try to not let myself think about it. I don’t want to get ahead of myself. The job is not done yet, we still have to play a great team in Boston. We’ll worry about that when it’s all said and done.

How big of a Mavericks fan were you growing up? What do you remember about the 2011 Finals?

I was a big Mavericks fan because of one of my brother’s teammates. His dad had season tickets, so he’d always invite us, and we were at a bunch of the games that year. I remember Coach Kidd vividly, Dirk vividly, Jason Terry—my mother used to coach his daughter. I was very in tune with that team and remember a lot of those games. I’m trying to do it again!

That was such a fun team. You look back at the roster and kind of forget about some of the guys they had, like Peja Stojakovic or DeShawn Stevenson.

Yup, with the Lincoln tattoo and everything! Growing up, I felt like I never saw Dirk miss a fadeaway. He’s one of the best players ever, in my eyes. He’s a mentor for all of us. You can pick his brain about anything, and he’s an icon in this game. He’s got an office in our facility so he’s been around. I don’t know if he’s employed or not. He’s just Dirk. I mean, he’s got a statue, so he’s got the keys.

Originally Appeared on GQ

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