Bradley Beal recalls his game vs Wizards: 'I thought I was gonna cry' / News - Basketnews.com

Beal said he thought he was going to cry, but he didn't get emotional at all. Instead, he felt the love from the community and cherished the ability to see everybody he loved.

Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

After getting traded from the Washington Wizards to the Phoenix Suns, star guard Bradley Beal visited his former team for the first time in early February. Looking back at the game, the player admits - he didn't get emotional even though he thought he would.

Player of the Game EFF 45 Bradley Beal Points 43 Accuracy 16-21 Rebounds 2 Assists 6

"Going back to D.C. was fun. I wasn't nervous leading up. Everybody would ask me every single day, 'How are you feeling about going back? How are you feeling about playing there again?' And it didn't really bother me. I'm like, 'What are you guys talking about? It's another game.' But literally the day before we left to go there, it hit me," he told Marc J. Spears from Andscape.

"Everything just kind of hit me like an avalanche and just all the emotions. And just going back, seeing fans, friends and family and people from the organization and old teammates, old staff, people that literally have watched me grow up... But to land that plane and step foot onto D.C. soil, it was fun, man. It was very kind of like a sigh of relief. It was a breath of fresh air," the player admitted.

Beal scored 43 points, leading the Suns to an easy 140-112 win. Despite having one of the best games of the season against his former team, where he spent 11 seasons before joining the Suns, the 30-year-old said admitted that playing the game was not the most important thing during his return.

Instead, Beal cherished the ability to meet everyone he loved.

"I got to see my nephew, my brother's son, spend time with family friends who I've developed over the years. I haven't seen them since the trade. So, that was awesome to just be able to rekindle those relationships again and get out, eat dinner," Beal said. "My parents came, so it was fun. It was a very family-like atmosphere, man. I received a warm welcome from everybody, and it was a game I'll never forget, that's for sure."

"I didn't get emotional. I was very surprised by that. I thought I was going to cry. I didn't cry, but I did feel the love. I did feel the history just all replay in my head a little, and it was a fun moment to be a part of this trip. I was just so locked into the game, knowing I wanted to just get the game going. It was very cool to just see the video, see everybody there that I hadn't seen in a few months. Just to see them again, that was very cool."

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