NBA DRAFT

June 23, 2026

Hannes Steinbach

Q. If you want to talk about your night tonight and your emotions that are going through your mind?

HANNES STEINBACH: It's very exciting to be part of the Charlotte Hornets. Very cool to share with my family and my friends. Just very excited for the future.

Q. We talked yesterday about how much it means to you to come from internationally to here and now you're in the NBA. Can you talk a little bit more about that transition and how you feel like you're going to flourish here?

HANNES STEINBACH: I think playing in Europe definitely helped me just like with the play style, as well as playing the American college game last year. That experience, that combination will definitely help me flourish in the NBA.

Q. You're the fourth highest-German player ever picked in the draft. Only Detlef Schrempf, Franz Wagner and [Dirk Nowitzki]. How much does that mean to be together with these German greats?

HANNES STEINBACH: Yeah, it means a lot. Just hearing those names, I think it shows again how much basketball has grown, how much it will grow in the future. So very excited about that.

Q. Your name has been consistently linked to Charlotte. What have those conversations been like with the Hornets so far and how much do you know about your hole with the team?

HANNES STEINBACH: It's been very good conversations with the front office and coaching staff, just knowing that they definitely want me as a piece in their team. So, yeah, very excited about joining the team now.

Q. There's been 135 players last year that was a record of international players across 43 different countries. What does it mean to you to add your name to that list as the game continues to grow globally?

HANNES STEINBACH: Yeah, that means a lot. Just showing that Europe definitely belongs on the American stage and that we can compete with all the American players is great, and definitely being a part of that is definitely very exciting.