It was #DenzelValentinesDay at Chicago Bulls headquarters on Monday. Denzel Valentine, the last pick in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery, by the Chicago Bulls at #14, was unveiled to the local media for some Q&A. Zel will wear #45 with the Bulls, the same number that both he and his Dad wore at Michigan State.
It’s also the same number that Michael Jordan briefly wore in 1994 during the first season of his historic comeback.
.@denzelvalentine to be unveiled as a member of the @chicagobulls to media @SpartanSports #GoGreen #MSU #Bulls pic.twitter.com/Sm50PoS28c
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) June 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/746384922357678080
If social media is any indication, these #45 Denzel Valentine Bulls jerseys are going to sell like Tickle Me Elmo dolls in the 1990s. We covered the jersey number topic/MJ etc. when Valentine sat down with The Sports Bank following the presser today. I also asked him why Tom Izzo keeps returning to Michigan State every time the NBA comes calling for his services.
We covered a whole host of topics in this exclusive conversation including:
his friendship with Draymond Green/the big news for the Golden State Warriors forward today, how he fits in with the Chicago Bulls, his immediate future with the Bulls Summer League squad and next year’s Michigan State basketball team.
Valentine said Tom Izzo is going to get that second national championship, “if not next year, then in the next couple years.”
Have a listen to the audio file of our Denzel Valentine exclusive below:
https://soundcloud.com/p-m-banks/exclusive-with-bulls-lottery-pick-michigan-state-legend-denzel-valentine
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram