How Kispert's mom was the MVP of his move to D.C. originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
It's an experience every NBA rookie goes through. They join a new team and move to a new city. Those first paychecks hit the account and they have to both find somewhere to live and figure out how to furnish their new home.
It went a little bit differently than most for Wizards rookie Corey Kispert. That's because his mom, Deri, had a particular set of skills that came in handy.
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"My mom was out here for a few days, just kind of helping me move in when I first got here. Thank the Lord because she’s, a while ago she spent probably 5-to-7 years as an interior designer, professionally," Kispert explained.
"So, literally, she had my style pinned down and she was like ‘Corey, I’m going to get this couch for you, this bed, this bedframe, this wall stuff for you.’ She laid out this beautiful apartment for me. All I had to do was say ‘yes.’ I felt like I was a real-life character on HGTV because she just made my apartment so good."
Fortunately, Kispert said there were no bitter disagreements about design choices. That's in part because his mom is good at what she does, he says.
Kispert didn't say yes to every suggestion she made, but her knowing him as well as she does seemed to help the process.
"I did veto some design decisions. Yeah, I did. But part of why she was such a good interior designer is she has a read on people. She has this gift where if you spend five minutes with her, she can [say] ‘I think you’ll like this in your living room and this accent color, whatever whatever, this is kind of like your style.’ And she’s been around me for 18 years and so she’s got it nailed down pretty good. But ultimately I’m the one swiping the credit card, so I have final veto power," he said.
Kispert, 22, is in his first NBA training camp after joining the Wizards as a first round pick in July. In his spare time living in Washington so far, he says he's played a lot of golf, trying to "stay sharp" on the course.
Kispert is also continuing his education by studying for a master of business administration at Gonzaga, his alma mater. Hopefully Deri set up a good place for him to do his homework.
