Kris Dunn Gave An Emotional, Tear-Filled Interview After Getting Drafted

Kris Dunn, who was picked fifth overall by the Timberwolves this evening, had an incredibly hard life growing up. He and his brother lived in Alexandria, Virginia with their mother as children, and often had to fend for themselves while she was in prison. USA Today about his childhood and path to the NBA, and it’s an incredible piece. He and his brother lived alone and supported themselves for two-and-a-half months when Dunn was nine:

Scared they would be taken away and separated, the boys initially told nobody. They got the money necessary to survive in part by hustling: John by gambling with dice, Kris by challenging local kids to 1-on-1 games of basketball.

After his mother went back to prison on a longer bit, she contacted Dunn’s father and he moved back to Connecticut. He says the transition was difficult, but he managed to connect with his father through sports:

“It definitely took time. It wasn’t like he came in and we were laughing right away. We had to get to know one another, to know each others tendencies and how we go about our every day lives,” Dunn said. “It really almost took us years to finally get that rhythm, but I think what broke the ice is we both love sports, and we’re both high level competitors, and we’re very emotional when we play sports. I think that broke the ice.”

He went on Highly Questionable today, and you can watch that full interview below: