MILWAUKEE — He considers himself a man of culture, spends his summers back in Australia and currently drives a Pontiac.
Milwaukee Bucks rookie Andrew Bogut, the top pick in last year's NBA draft, isn't your typical 21-year-old professional basketball player. Bogut's parents are Croatian. Bogut, who averaged nine points and 10 rebounds during the regular season, spoke recently about his rookie season, his hobbies and his diet.
Question:How has the transition to the NBA been for you, on and off the court?
Answer: I think it's been consistent. That's the main thing. Off the court has been fine, not too bad. On the court has been very inconsistent. Getting used to the travel was really a pain. You don't realize how bad it is until you do it. You're on a plane at least twice a week, so it's kind of fatiguing and boring.
Question:What kind of car do you drive?
Answer: A GTO.
Question:No Bentley?
Answer: Whatever I like I get. I don't really care how much it's worth. Some guys give me crap about buying cars that's $100,000, but I don't see the point in buying one. I'm going to buy something I like. I'm not going to buy something just because it's a Mercedes or BMW. I'm thinking about buying a Mercedes one day. But a GTO is an Australian car. I drive one back home, and I love them.
Question:What type of music are you into?
Answer: A lot of stuff. Croatian stuff. Croatian pop, Croatian folk. It's like native Croatian music. A lot of harmonicas and stuff like that. I like dance and house, that's the only English stuff I listen to. I also like Croatian dance.
Question:So are you a big soccer fan?
Answer: Yeah, I was going to go to the World Cup, but it was going to be so tough. . . . Every team plays in a different city every game. I don't want to be spending my off-season driving around Germany.
Question:What do you watch on television?
Answer: I'm a 'Seinfeld' fan, and I watch an Australian comedy called 'The Ronnie Johns.' It's like a Greek sitcom in Australia. 'Fat Pizza,' something in Australia, too. I get some clips off the Internet.
Question:Are you into "The Sopranos?"
Answer: Yeah. I've watched every season, but I missed the last four or five episodes because we've been so busy. I'll just wait till the DVD comes out.
Question:Do the Sopranos have a certain appeal to you?
Answer: Yeah, well having a European background I can relate to that. Back home my dad worked in some of the Mafia-related areas on business, so he knows a lot of those guys.
Question:What's your favorite meal?
Answer: I make my Croatian soup from semolina. It's a type of flour. And chicken stock soup with noodles — I can eat that four, five times a day.
Question:Do you pride yourself on being cultured?
Answer: Definitely. I think a lot of Americans have lost their culture and their family background, which kind of shocked me. A lot of people don't know where their grandparents are from or where their great-grandparents are from. I think that's important to know where you come from and where you grew up and stuff like that.