TyTy Washington talks about close bond with his mom, emotional moment after NBA Draft

Former Kentucky Wildcats guard Ty Ty Washington made a family dream into a reality when he was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. Washington is the son of Felicia Caldwell, who once laced up and played for the Arizona Wildcats. During the Houston Rockets rookie introduction press conference, the former Wildcat spoke about his close bond with his mom and their emotional moment after the draft.

“Yeah, we talked about it a little bit,” said Washington. “Like you said, she hooped back in the day. So I mean, she pretty much taught me a lot of stuff; how to play basketball right away. At my little party, she gave a speech, and she broke down. But she just pretty much gave the whole rundown to how I got here. It wasn’t easy. So she just laid that all out there. We pretty much talked about it, and she just told me you close one chapter in your book, it’s time to open up a new one and you know get right back to work.”

In his single season at Kentucky, TyTy averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. Despite his injury, he scored in double figures 20 times, including five games of 20 or more points. On Thursday night, TyTy vowed to make the teams that skipped on him regret it. But for now, it looks like Washington is happy that he got to share that moment with his family and his biggest supporter, his mother.

Washington reveals what he brings to Rockets after NBA Draft selection

The Houston Rockets had one of the better drafts of the 2022 NBA Draft. Houston made good on its three first-round selections taking three of the top players out of the SEC in the first round. And one of those three picks is former Kentucky Wildcats point guard Ty Ty Washington. During their rookie introductory press conference, Washington revealed the skills and mindset he plans to bring to the Rockets night in and out.

“Me personally, I feel like one thing that I bring to the table is, no matter where I’m at, is my winning spirit. I always want,” said Washington. “Whether that’s me scoring 30 points or zero points, as long as I’m out there on the court, helping our team win, that’s all I really care about.”

Washington has the skills and capability to be a consistent scoring threat on the court. However, due to an injury he suffered late in the year, his play began to slip, hurting his draft stock. But Washington appears unfazed by that, as his main goal is to win whenever he’s on the court.

“I say that, and my ability to play point guard, get the team organized, being able to space the floor, shoot, pass, and defend multiple positions; it’s just going out there pretty much and doing whatever it takes to win. I feel like winning takes care of everything. That’s why I just go out there and play with a chip on my shoulder, going out there trying to get a win.”