First and foremost, I want to thank God for always giving me the strength, courage, and faith to persevere through every challenge and moment of adversity. I also want to thank my family for standing by my side through thick and thin, especially throughout this process and this important decision. I usually don’t speak publicly about things like this, but I feel it’s important to address a few things. Ever since I was a kid, my dream has always been to play in the NBA, and that dream has never changed. At the same time, I’ve always believed in myself and have always been self-aware enough to understand what I need to do to put myself in the best position to succeed. I’ve seen and heard the rumors and speculation surrounding my decision. The truth is, none of that affects me. My entire life, I’ve been criticized, doubted, and questioned, and I’ve learned to stay focused on what matters. I want to make one thing very clear: my decision to attend St. John’s has nothing to do with money. My decision was based on basketball, development, and winning. I love what Coach Rick Pitino has built at St. John’s. His experience, leadership, and résumé speak for themselves, but what stood out most to me was the belief he has in his players, his relentless work ethic, and his ability to help good players become great players while also helping them grow as men. At every level I’ve played, my goal has always been to compete for championships. I made this decision based on where I believe I can best develop as a player, grow as a leader, and put myself in the strongest position to achieve my ultimate goals. This was a basketball decision. This was a development decision. This was a winning decision. That’s the truth. #redstorm