Troy Daniels is a product of the state of Virginia, along the east coast, where lately a considerable number of high-level players have been cultivated. He is from Roanoke, but went to college at Virginia Commonweath, not be confused with the 2019 NCAA Champions where Devon Hall, another native, used to play. But when he was playing at VCU, Troy Daniels witnessed first-hand what that program could be. They made the Final Four during his sophomore year, and that was a great accomplishment itself. He stayed two more seasons, became a knock-down shooter, who was able to build himself a reputation as a long-distance shooter, playing under Shaka Smart in the so-called “Havoc Defense”, some sort of pressure defense aiming at getting the opponent confused. Therefore, he refuses the label of being a shooter and not much else. He can be a good defender and prides himself about being a great locker room guy. But obviously, his reputation as a shooter is exactly what led him, undrafted, to the NBA where he stayed for seven seasons, tasting the playoffs atmosphere or what is like to play next to some all-time greats like LeBron James, James Harden, Anthony Davis or Nikola Jokic. Now, he is in Milan to further cultivate his legacy as one of the best shooters in the world.

• You became an NBA prospect at VCU. Talk about that experience.

“Staying four years at VCU has been great. I was playing for Shaka Smart, he is a great coach, but all the coaching staff, the assistants were all great coaches. The atmosphere that he built, the Havoc atmosphere that he built was great. The year 2011, my sophomore year, we went to the Final Four, for the first time in school history. We’re making history, it was a wild ride. But just spending four years in college and been able to do it at VCU was great.”

• You were already a big-time shooter at VCU?

“My whole career I’ve been known as a shooter. Being able to do that a VCU, break some records, was an honor. But really, I’ve been able to do that wherever I’ve been, including in the NBA in some organizations I’ve been able to break a couple of records. I think it is the hard work that I put in the gym, working on my craft, not letting people bring me down. I hope I will be able to break some records here too”.

• Being undrafted was a shock?

“I did expect to be drafted, coming out of college. That didn’t happen but didn’t stop me either. When you are kid, growing up, everybody wants to play in the NBA. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen for me as far as being drafted, but I went through the backdoor. It was a blessing in disguise, just so people can see that you don’t have to be drafted to play in the NBA. There are other avenues to play in the NBA. I was able to show that and have a great career in the NBA”.

• You made a lot of headlines as a rookie, when you hit the winning three and momentarily you saved the Houston Rockets season in the playoffs, against Portland.

“It was a really big moment. To be honest, Kevin McHale, a great player, a Hall of Famer, a great coach, looked down on the bench and called me to go in the game. And I said “Me? I’m a rookie”. So for him to have the confidence to put me in the game, it was great. To hit that shot, it was a great feeling. After the game, I picked up my phone, but my phone actually froze because it had so many notifications going on. It was a great opportunity, a great time for me, a great point in my career. I’m just fortunate to be able to talk to you guys about that shot”.

• Nobody failed to label you a top shooter but still you haven’t been able to find a permanent home in the NBA. Any guess?

“If I have to take a guess after seven years, eight years, I’d say that my contract was kind of easy to move. So being a great shooter, every team wants a great shooter, and the contract I was on was easy to move. Ok, you take this guy for this guy: I’m not sure what the reasons was, but for me jumping from team to team means every team wants a shooter on the bench. When it came to the trade deadline, stuff like that, if the coach doesn’t play you at that time, there’s another team that wants you. I got to understand that. I was traded four or five times during my career. It made me stronger as a player, just know you can go places and be ready whenever you got called and I’ve been able to travel all over the World”.

• You were part of the Lakers championship season: You didn’t finish the season, but got the ring anyway.

“For me, that was a great opportunity to play for a great organization like the Los Angeles Lakers. There’s so much history with that organization. I played maybe 40 or 50 games with them, then I got moved to the Nuggets during the year, and it was the Covid year. Giving me the ring shows how first-class they are. As kid growing up, like I said, I wanted to be in the NBA, everybody wants to be NBA Champion, and for them to give me that, and for me being on that team was an unbelievable experience for me, something I will never forget. And obviously I’ll never forget the ring, because it is so nice, but I’ll never forget that moment.”

• During that season, you managed to play alongside LeBron, Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray. Before, you played next to James Harden.

“They have all different intangibles, between James Harden and Jokic. He is one of my favorite players to watch, to play with. Jamal Murray, I was there when he had his run, a crazy run in the playoffs. But I think that the best player I’ve been around obviously is LeBron. He’s not just hype, he is that good. When I played for the Lakers, he was always the first one in the gym and the last to leave every single day. And that explains why he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. But also the other guys I played with, they are very very good”

• You are experiencing the EuroLeague. What’s the biggest difference with the NBA?

“I think the biggest difference between the NBA and the EuroLeague, in a good way, is the physical aspect. It might be not as fast, but it can get fast at times, but the physicality really changes the game. In the NBA you touch a guy, and it might be a foul, but over here you can push around and do, not whatever you want, but to a certain point you can be really physical. It can change the game. My first two or three weeks, I got to taste that. It’s tough. Once you got used to it, it makes the game more fun. It makes the game more meaningful, because every possession counts, every game counts. I’m coming in the gym every single day focused. I’m not saying it is not like it was in the NBA, but sometimes you have time to digress, but here cannot stop be focused on every possession, every single play. The biggest difference I think is physicality.”

• What about these first few months in Milan.

“It is a first-class organization; they do things the right way here. My teammates, everybody, have been great to help me out since I have been here. Coach Messina, and his coaching staff, are great, they understand this is very different coming from the NBA, so they have been working with me, they have been patient with me. I really appreciate that. I don’t know what I’d been done if they weren’t patient with me. The biggest difference, city-wise, comparing Milan to other cities, there’s a lot of history here, and everybody is friendly, everybody loves the team. Just walking around in Milan, it is really unbelievable. I really love the city since I have been here. I’ll bring the family here so they can see it. It is one of the cities I wanted to travel to before I came, so I’m happy to be living here.”

• People is amazed by your range.

“Shooting long-range shots is something that has been normal throughout my career. When I was at VCU, Coach Smart told me I had a gift, a gift that you can’t teach so he wanted me to work on my craft every single day. And one of the things he had me do every single summer was to have from 500 to 1000 shots every single day. From long range, short range. I think it paid off. And this is something I’m trying to continue to keep on my resume here. And also in the NBA the three-point line is kind of far away, so it is like a lay-up to me, to be honest.”

• Finally, there’s a reason why you wore the same number everywhere you have been so far?

“There’s a story, a story about my number, 30. In high school, when I was a freshman, and then from freshman to varsity, from to varsity to college I just kept it. I wanted to build a legacy behind that number, as well as for my name, but I wanted to keep that number and build a legacy. Hopefully, when I will have a son one day, my daughter should know that the dad used to wear number 30 so I’ll hold on to it.”