WTLC Interviews Royal Ivey: On The Thunder's Free Throw Struggles, Derek Fisher, Finishing His Degree, and His Future As A Movie Star

As those who frequent Welcome To Loud City should know by now, we are fully credentialed for the NBA Finals and we're making the best of it. After Game 2, I went into the locker room and asked Thunder guard Royal Ivey a few questions, including his thoughts on the Thunder's recent trouble shooting free throws, his thoughts on the leadership or Kendrick Perkins and Derek Fisher, finishing his degree in education, and the Thunderstruck trailer.

Welcome To Loud City: The team's been missing their free throws a little in this series compared to the regular season when you guys were so good. Would you chalk that up to nerves or is it just coincidence?

Royal Ivey: Well, you know, some days you hit your free throws. We're consistently hitting over 80 percent but in the first two games we've missed a total of 15 free throws. I mean, we kind of count that as a strength of our game so we gotta walk in and be more mentally tough when we go to the line.

WTLC: Right. Obviously you guys have Perkins and Fisher and they both have a lot of good Finals experience. Have you noticed them become more vocal as you've progressed through the playoffs or is it about the same as always?

RI: Nah, they're our vocal leaders, definitely. You know, Derek, he's been to I think six or eight Finals. Yeah, we lean on them, because they've been there. They've been to the pinnacle and they've won. We just got to keep on pushing and do the things we do well and get back to playing the way we play.

WTLC: And also, during the offseason you finished your college degree, is that correct?

RI: Yeah.

WTLC: And what was your degree in?

RI: Elementary education – youth and community studies with a minor in social work.

WTLC: What drove you to go and finish that degree, because that's something not a lot of guys in the NBA do.

RI: I don't like leaving stuff incomplete. I knew I had some work to do and I had the time. It was a lockout – we got locked out, so I had the time to make up the work and went to class in the summer and was fortunate enough to finish up in December.

WTLC: So do you have any plans after basketball that are along those lines or will we just see what happens, I don't know.

RI: We'll see what happens when that day comes and I'll be able to make that decision. You know, maybe I'll coach, who knows. Maybe I'll become a teacher.

WTLC: Yeah?

RI: Yeah, maybe I'll start my own charter school, there's a whole bunch of options. I mean, it's up in the air.

WTLC: And one last question, has everyone on the team seen the Thunderstruck trailer?

RI: Uh, excuse me? Ah no, with KD? Yeah, we've seen it, a couple of days ago. Pretty cool.

WTLC: Yeah. You weren't in the movie, but if there was a Royal Ivey movie, who do you think would play you?

RI: Myself. Yeah.