Operations Sports had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the Memphis Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay at the recent NBA 2K8 media event at Rucker Park in New York.

Operation Sports: What are your favorite video games to play?

Rudy Gay: I am a big Call of Duty fan, but whenever I’m not playing that, I’m always playing either NBA 2K or Madden.

Operation Sports: Have you ever played as yourself in the basketball games?

Rudy Gay: (Laughs) All the time. My friends always get jealous because they can’t stop me.

Operation Sports: The big new feature for NBA 2K8 is the slam dunk contest. How do you compare your dunking ability to your peers? When was the first time you ever dunked?

Rudy Gay: I consider myself a good dunker, but there are a lot of guys out there who are really athletic and do some crazy things in the air. I can’t say I’m the best at anything like that. My first dunk was in 8th grade going into 9th grade, man that was a great time. It wasn’t that hard.

Operation Sports: Who is your favorite dunker to watch in the NBA?

Rudy Gay: I say Vince Carter, hands down.

Operation Sports: Who is the best player you had to guard against?

Rudy Gay: I got them all in my position. I’ve guarded against Melo, Kobe, T-Mac, all those guys. It’s hard to pinpoint one person.

Operation Sports: At UConn, you played with a great point guard in Marcus Williams and now you are playing with two great point guards at Memphis: Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley. What kind of impact do these players have on your game?

Rudy Gay: They help me out a lot. I’m the type of guy who likes to go up and down the court and they are two guards who like to push the ball. It’s fun playing with them.

Operation Sports: Which has a better atmosphere: pro or college?

Rudy Gay: I say college. I love Memphis, but in college everyone is hungry. The fans do their own things and it’s fun. I mean the league is fun too, but college is special.

Operation Sports: One last question, as a Villanova grad, I want to get a player’s perspective for this. Who looks better in a suit: Jay Wright or Jim Calhoun?

Rudy Gay: (Laughs) I saw the Nova hat. I say Jay Wright, hands down. Always, always, always has the best suit on. Coach has a lot of nice suits too, but Jay Wright takes it personally.

Operation Sports: Thank you for your time. Much appreciate it.

Rudy Gay: The pleasure’s all mine.

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Operation Sports would like to thank 2K Sports, Guest Contributor Sean Donovan, and, most importantly, Rudy Gay for taking the time with us.
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