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STATE FARM ALL-STAR SATURDAY NIGHT

February 16, 2019

Joe Harris

Charlotte, North Carolina - 3-Point Contest

Q. Joe, we were talking the other day, just about what this would be like to come in here to Charlotte with Steph being the favorite and all that. What are some of the thoughts that are going through your mind now that you've got that trophy sitting there?
JOE HARRIS: To be honest, everything happened so quickly. Obviously, I'm coming in just trying to knock down shots, very similar to my mental approach when I'm in the game, and everything kind of happens in a blur. I think I was lucky to be the first guy to shoot because I was able to get kind of warm beforehand, and you don't really have a ton of anxiety because you can't have time to think about it. You're going right into it, right into shooting.

I guess on that last championship round, Steph got hot and missed a few there, and then I thought we were still going to go to the tiebreaker, and I kind of got a stroke of luck on my side that he missed one of the corner ball shots.

Q. How often do you reflect on where you've come from in 2016, from getting traded and then released, to now being one of the unsung stars on a Brooklyn team that's good, and now you're the three-point champ?
JOE HARRIS: I've said it a lot this weekend that a lot of guys in this league have got a unique path. It sometimes takes guys longer than others. Some guys come in right away and are able to contribute. But I think you look at the makeup of our Brooklyn Nets team, and it's a lot of guys that were sort of cast off and had a second opportunity. I personally was one of those guys, and I got lucky going into a situation, going to a Nets organization that had such a strong value and emphasis on culture, skill development, and I'm sort of a byproduct of that system.

Q. Joe, just to outduel Steph Curry, how amazing is that? And how much are you going to remember this?
JOE HARRIS: Obviously, it's incredible. Steph is the greatest shooter of all time. But, again, shooting off of the rack for a minute is not indicative of being a better shooter than Steph Curry. I don't want anybody to get it twisted at all. He is coming in, and he's won this thing. He's participated a number of times. For me to come in my first time and to win, it's a surreal experience.

Like I said earlier, too, it's been an honor for me to be here, for me to participate in this weekend, and it's certainly something that I'll remember for a long time.

Q. You made that campaign video for this. How much of that was just fun, and how much of that was you needed to get some popularity?
JOE HARRIS: My guy Wes right here, he's the mastermind behind it. The Nets were pushing hard because obviously they want guys to be in All-Star Weekend and be represented out here. We would have had five players here if Spencer would have been healthy. He would have been able to defend his Skills Challenge championship.

But, yeah, a lot of it was just the Nets and people from your agency pushing to have you come and participate. Obviously, I was all for it. I think to experience All-Star is quite unique, and we were in a position this first half of the season where percentage-wise they thought that I might have a chance to shoot in the Three-Point Contest.

Q. What was the exchange between you and DLo (D'Angelo Russell) before that final round?
JOE HARRIS: DLo, he was saying that he had my back. I actually didn't realize he was there right away. Second time around, I saw him. He just dabbed me up, said he had my back and I was going to win this thing. Obviously, he's a little biased. He was probably the only one over there that thought I was going to win, maybe even so.

He's the point guard leader of our team, and I rely on him with a lot to get shots in game. It was probably nice for him to be able to see me stand still and shoot off a rack.

Q. How much were you feeling the stroke before you started? Did you feel like you're going to have a good shooting night?
JOE HARRIS: Yeah, in the practice upstairs, we actually all did a run-through and just shot for a minute just to get a feel for shooting off the rack. Some guys actually came into it without really practicing a lot. I had practice a little bit. I actually practiced at the University of Charlotte with my former college assistant (Ron Sanchez), who is now head coach at University of Charlotte. He let me come in and practice a little bit.

So I had some familiarity just shooting off of the rack, but a lot of it is just getting your timing right. It's important, obviously, to get a rhythm early, and then obviously making the money balls. It's pretty vital. It's ten points that you can either have on the board or leave.

Q. Did making that blindfolded three help you at all?
JOE HARRIS: Actually, I am honestly appalled I didn't thank you for some preparation here. You got me ready to go. Shooting blindfolded is obviously quite a bit more difficult than what I did, so thanks, Rob.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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