"Competitor."
That was the first word to leave Shabazz Napier's mouth when he was asked by reporters at the NBA combine to describe himself. Anyone who followed the point guard's college career -- one that was bookended by national championships -- nods knowingly at the self-assessment.
"I'm a guy that's gonna give everything he's got each and every day, whether it be practice or whether it be a game," Napier said in a video posted to NBA.com. "I don't feel as though you can describe me any other way. ...
"When you compete for so long and want something so bad, you're gonna do whatever it takes to grab it." As for the idea of playing for the Celtics, Napier was unequivocal in his response -- with a caveat.
"I'm from Boston," he said. "When you're from Boston you gotta go with the Celtics. But whatever team picks me I'm gonna change that. That's just how it goes. But I'm a Boston kid, home of the champion Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins and Patriots. When you grow up in Boston that's the team you root for."
Napier hopes to be a first-round pick in next month's draft. You can watch the entire interview on NBA.com.
