NBA DRAFT

June 25, 2025

Derik Queen

Q. We had Jeremiah up on the podium when the news broke about this trade. He was excited to be playing with you. Could you talk about when did you learn that this trade was going to happen? Did you initially think you were going to one team or did you know the whole way through? Also, part two of the question, do you share the sentiment? Are you excited to play with Jeremiah, as well?

DERIK QUEEN: Yes, I'm definitely excited to play with Jeremiah. We've been chopping it up ever since and growing our relationship through this basketball thing.

I learned about this right before the 11th pick was called. Bill Duffy had came over and said it and then my mom, everybody started clapping. I was just like, keep cool, don't make it too hot. Then it was just excitement for me to be a Pelican.

Q. What does it mean to you now that you've gotten selected here in the draft, made the lottery and your Montverde teammates have all been in the first round this year?

DERIK QUEEN: That's great because you never really get to get this experience. It's really unlikely that basically a super team goes to the same school and all of us go in the first round.

I feel like Liam and Ace definitely should have went higher. But I think it all worked out for us. God has a plan for us. I think it's amazing. All four of us are not going to share the same court at the same time, but all four of us are going to have a chance to play against each other.

Q. When a team just aggressively pursues someone like the Pelicans moved up to get you, how does that make you feel that they want you that bad to come from 23 to where you were selected?

DERIK QUEEN: It shows how much faith they have in me, how they believe in me, how well I can fit with their program, the system. I'm not going to prove them wrong, so I'm just glad that they have a lot of faith in me and trust in me.

Q. You struck an NIL deal with Dairy Queen. You're about to play in Smoothie King Arena. I don't know if you have a nickname as of now, but there's got to be something there with that. What do you think about that?

DERIK QUEEN: Yeah, there's a lot of creative people out here. I don't know what they're going to do. They might call Queens of Kings or something like that, being creative. But whenever probably the season starts, it's probably going to work out.

Q. How would you explain a guy like Zion and what do you know about his game and how do you see yourself fitting with a dynamic player like that?

DERIK QUEEN: With Zion, when he's playing, he's very dominant. He's a killer. I can't wait to talk to him, and excited to be his teammate. Can't wait to talk to him, pick his brain, ask him questions about the game. He's probably going to have me doing rookie duty. But just excited to have him as a teammate. He's been an All-Star, so he's done it. We've got the same agent, so it's all going to work out.