Levi Randolph: "I know that Russia has great basketball traditions and fans"

Blue-White-Sky Blues newcomer Levi Randolph, gave his first interview as a Zenit player. The guard spoke about what he knows about Russia, explained how to correctly pronounce his name, and addressed the fans. More details — in our conversation.

— Well, we are glad you're finally here, Mr. Randolph. First of all, could you tell us — is it okay to call you Levi ['liːvaɪ] or Levi ['liːvi]? Because many fans already call you Levi ['liːvi], like a lion, as it sounds in Russian.

— I like Levi ['liːvi]. Since I’ve been playing abroad, in a lot of places people call me Levi ['liːvi] instead of Levi ['liːvaɪ]. It's kind of trickle back home, and now a lot of my friends also call me Levi ['liːvi].

— We've heard that it's also your father's name. What does this name mean for your family?

— For my family… I don’t know, it’s my dad’s name too, but I think our last name represents us more. Our last name means a lot. We take pride in the name Randolph. In our community, where we’re from, they respect the last name. That’s what we take the most pride in — the name on the back, which is Randolph.

— We know you played a lot in Alabama. What does this state mean for basketball in the U.S.? We know it’s in the very South, so what are the Southern basketball traditions?

— It’s underrated. I think Alabama is very underrated in basketball, but we have a lot of great talent and a lot of great history in basketball. We’re more known for American football, but basketball is also something that a lot of people take pride in as well. We argue with a lot of people that we have some of the best basketball in the United States. I went to the University of Alabama, and in the last three or four years they’ve been among the top teams in the country in the NCAA. That just shows what kind of basketball Alabama has to bring.

— Are you ready for the fact that it won’t be as hot here as it is near the Pacific Ocean, or especially in Israel?

— I’ve played in some cold places before. I was in Israel for a while, so I got used to the hot weather and the beaches. But you know, it’s always sunny in the gym. It's always sunny in the gym. It doesn’t matter if it’s cold outside — I feel like being with the team, working out, practicing, we create our own weather. I don’t mind the cold though. Snow will actually be a nice change for me.

— So for now, what do you know about Russia and St. Petersburg especially?

— I know great tradition, a lot of great people. I know the basketball has great tradition as well, great fans. I hear there's really good food, so I'm excited to be able to experience it, to see the city and get to know it better.

— You’ve already met Alex and Trent. What kind of guys are they?

— I’ve actually known Alex since I was 15. We played AAU basketball together when we were very young. I've known him throughout the years. I played against him in college when he was at Kentucky. Before I came here, I asked him a lot of questions — he really helped me. As for Trent, I just met him on the plane. Great personality. Seems like he brings great energy to everyone. He smiles a lot. I’m looking forward to getting to know them better, along with the rest of the team, staff, and coaches.

— What would you like to say to the fans?

— I just want to say that I’m here to play hard and bring whatever I can to help the team. I like to win — that’s my goal. I don’t really care about stats and stuff like that. Whatever I can do to get the job done on the court — that’s what I want to do. I want to bring energy, effort, and just play aggressive. I got a big personality, a lot of emotion, and a lot of passion. I just want to bring that to St. Petersburg.