Bilal Coulibaly introduced as Wizards' 1st round pick

WASHINGTON -- The last 36 hours since draft night have been very much about analyzing Bilal Coulibaly the player. Saturday's introductory press conference shed light on the person the Wizards selected seventh overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Sitting at a podium just inside the doors of the Anthem concert hall at the Wharf, Coulibaly, just 18, answered many questions about his background and what drives him as a basketball player. We even found out his favorite food is his mom's lasagna.

There were so much, it is probably easier to consume in bullet form. So, here are the highlights:

• Coulibaly will wear the No. 0, as that's what he wore in France for the Metropolitan 92s. He will be the first player to wear that number in Washington since Gilbert Arenas, who left an iconic legacy as 'Agent Zero' during his career in D.C. from 2004 to 2010. Coulibaly, however, is so young he only knows Arenas' game through playing NBA 2K.

• Coulibaly served some reminders of his age throughout the day. His first NBA memory was LeBron James winning a title with the Heat. He got into the NBA because his father's favorite player was Carmelo Anthony.

• Coulibaly did not start playing basketball until he was 10 years old... so, around 2015. He started playing organized basketball a year or two later. By 13, he was one of the best players in the Paris area and that's how he got connected with 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, who not surprisingly was also standing out at that age. "I can't wait to play Victor," Coulibaly said of the Wizards' Summer League matchup with the Spurs. They were not only longtime teammates, including last year with the Metro 92s, they are really good friends.

• Coulibaly knows three languages fluently: French, English and Spanish. He also knows a little bit of Soninke, a language from Mali where his parents are from.

• Coulibaly says his off-court interests include playing video games with his friends, going shopping and spending time with his family. He had more than an entire row of family members in attendance at the press conference. Coulibaly invoked his family when asked about what motivates him as a basketball player as he enters the NBA: "My mother's family did not grow up in the rich cities and everything. So, I just want to help them to live a better life, the best life as possible."

• Coulibaly said he models his game in part after Nets wing Mikal Bridges: "That's somebody I've been watching this year because I know there are some similarities between us and our games... I just want to see how he defends, how he attacks pick-and-rolls and everything."

• Coulibaly is listed around 6-foot-7 and about 195 pounds. He said he plans to gain weight as he grows into his frame at just 18 years old in order to prepare himself for the physical side of NBA basketball: "I have to. I know there are some big bodies out there, so I have to be in the gym and work on that."

• Though he watches Bridges and is the size of a wing, Coulibaly considers himself to be a guard. General manager Will Dawkins also referred to him similarly. Coulibaly says he envisions himself as a combo guard who can play both the point and at the two.