Bradley Beal gets right to the point when asked to describe Phoenix Suns' upcoming season
This is Part 2 of The Republic's Q&A with Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal, the three-time All-Star. In Part 1, he talked about teammates Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
As a rookie, Devin Booker kept track of who he viewed as one of the top players at his position in the NBA — Bradley Beal.
“Brad is someone I’ve had a great deal of respect for a very long time through competition,” Booker said. “Me first coming into the league in 2015 and him being one of the best, if not the best two guard. It was always competition. I always kept up with his games even though he was in the Eastern Conference. If I didn’t watch one of their games, I was checking his box score.”
Now, Booker and Beal are teammates after the Suns acquired the Washington Wizards’ second all-time leading scorer in an offseason trade that involved Chris Paul.
Beal last went to the playoffs in 2021 and hasn’t advanced past the first round since 2017, but he gets a fresh start with a new team — and superstars Kevin Durant and Booker.
So, it shouldn’t be a surprise how Beal answered the last question of a Q&A with The Republic in Part 2, which starts with a little comedic flavor. Seemed appropriate since the last time Beal played in Phoenix, he stirred up an argument between Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges by clapping his hands while standing between the two late in Washington’s 127-102 victory on Dec. 28, 2022, at Footprint Center.
Q: Things I’ve read and seen about you talk about your sense of humor. With that being said, who are your Top 5 comedians of all time?
"Oooh. Bernie Mac is my favorite. RIP Bernie Mac. Bernie Mac. Richard Pryor. I’m going Eddie Murphy."
Pause. Still pausing.
"Dave Chappelle. That last one is tough. I try to stay old school, but I always respect Kev (Kevin Hart). He was like the evolutionary guy in the comedic world and do what Dave did and everybody else did and ran with it. So, I’d put K-Hart at the bottom of my Top 5.”
Q: What are your pet peeves?
“Don’t tell me not to do something and turn around and do it. Oh that kills me. That pisses me off. I’m not going to lie to you.”
Part 1: Phoenix Suns' Bradley Beal on teaming with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and being healthy
Q: You talked about your kids. Whose personality do they have, yours or your wife’s?
“Both. They probably have a little bit more of mine than my wife’s, but it also like certain things. When it comes to sports, my oldest is like me because he wants to learn. I’m like that. I’m like a nerd. I need you to like show me what you want me to do, how this goes. Teach me how to play football, what’s the right pocket. I have to be a visual learner, that’s how my oldest is.”
Beal and his wife, Kamiah Adams-Beal, have three sons — Bradley Jr. (born July 2018), Braylon (born August 2019) and Braxton (born July 2022).
“My second is a natural and in some ways, I’m like that. You don’t have to show me. Just tell me, go do that, and OK, I’ll go do it. That’s how he is. I’m like mind-boggled by his advancement in life. And then the youngest is one (years old). He’ll probably be the biggest, hopefully.”
Q: This is your 12th season. How has the league changed the most from when you first got into the league to now? (Beal was the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft).
“When I first came into the league, it was a two big-men league. You had to throw in the post and play out of that. Now it’s, come screen for me, let’s shoot a lot of 3s. Not a lot of bigs are posting up. So it’s a totally different game. I’ve literally seen the evolution of this game just continue to move away further and further and further away from the basket.”
Q: Who is the one guy on the team that you didn’t know anything about before joining the Suns? Maybe you played against him. You’ve talked him and you’re like, 'You know what, he’s pretty cool.'
“J-O. Josh Okogie. He’s always guarding me when I’m playing against him. He never talked to me, he’s always trying to kill me, being aggressive, but talking to him, he’s a great dude. He’s an amazing dude. I’ve talked to Dev before. I know Book’s a good guy. I know K (Kevin Durant) is a good guy. They’re all just competitive, but J-O is usually quiet. I’ve grown to like him a lot and see like, OK, he’s got a lot of dog in him. I love it.”
Last thing. If you had to describe what this season should be in one word, what word would you use?
“Championship.”
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bradley Beal's one-word answer to how Phoenix Suns season should unfold
