Markelle Fultz: 'I want to be the MVP'

NEW YORK  —  It wasn't said in a boastful manner, but make no mistake about it: Markelle Fultz is expected to be selected as the first overall choice in Thursday's NBA draft by the 76ers, and he will enter the league with plenty of confidence and awfully high goals.

During a session with the media at a midtown Manhattan hotel on Wednesday, Fultz was not shying away from the expectations normally afforded the top overall pick.

"My goal, first of all, is to be the best young man and basketball player I can possibly be, Fultz said. "Coming in, I want to win rookie of the year and I've got a pretty high goal for myself: Coming in, I want to be the MVP. I set my goals high because I want to put in a lot of work to achieve them."

He expects a team that won 28 games to be significantly better next season. When asked when the team would start winning on a regular basis, he didn't hesitate.

"Winning, as soon I get there, that is the goal," he said.

The 6-foot-4 point guard averaged 23.2 points and 5.9 assists in his lone season at the University of Washington and is generally acclaimed as the top player in the draft.

Fultz insists that he doesn't have any animosity toward the Boston Celtics, who traded the top pick to the Sixers for the No. 3 selection and either the Lakers' first-round pick in 2018 or Sacramento's first-round selection in 2019, with some provisions.

"If you look at what the Celtics do, they trade a lot and that is what they are known for and at the end of the day they did what is best for the Celtics and their organization," he said. "I feel like they still have a lot of respect for me and I do for them."

That said, he was asked if the Celtics' dealing the first pick put the proverbial chip on his shoulder.

"Yes, I always have a chip on my shoulder no matter what," he said. "You can put it that way. The way I look at it is it is God's plan, so that is the way I look at it."

Fultz will likely get used to hearing questions about a former No. 1 overall choice who had a Hall of Fame career for the Sixers, Allen Iverson, the top choice in 1996.

"He is a legend, everybody knows that, great point guard. Of course, his crossover is what he is known for," Fultz said. "What he did in Philly, he just did a lot for the city."

And Fultz plans to enter the NBA in style. Just as he is a competitor on the court, he will be competing against his fellow draft choices in the wardrobe department.

"I will have a nice suit, a customized suit," he said. "I think you will pay attention to my footwear. I got some custom-made shoes I don't think nobody ever had before."

He has heard from countless Sixers fans already on social media. "The fans here are blowing up Instragram and Twitter and showing the support they have," he said.

Fultz looks forward to bonding with his new teammates and has gotten a kick out of the always affable Joel Embiid.

"He is a jokester," Fultz said. "Being with him, he is a good dude and at the end of the day he wants the best for you and that is all it is, really, him cracking jokes and telling me, giving me advice for this whole weekend."

Fultz admits the last few days have been a whirlwind. Since he woke up Saturday and was told the Sixers wanted him in for a workout, he has been going nonstop. He says he will be happy when Thursday night comes and he will officially become an NBA player.

And Fultz realizes it will be an emotional evening.

"I expect to see a lot of moms crying and dads crying," he said. "It's going to be crazy. I can't imagine what it will be like tomorrow."

A hot ticket
The Sixers have sold 14,000 season tickets, the most in the NBA, for the 2017-18 season, setting a franchise record.
The team is anticipating sellouts for all 41 home games next season. To accommodate the demand for Sixers tickets, the team will unveil a waiting list in the coming days, according to a team source.
— Keith Pompey