I don't want to be another Jordan, Magic, or Isiah. When my career is over, I want to be able to look in the mirror and say 'I did it my way'.
We're sitting in here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice. I mean, listen, we're talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, we talking about practice. Not a game. Not, not... Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last. Not the game, but we're talking about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that?.. And we talking about practice. I know I supposed to be there. I know I'm supposed to lead by example... I know that... And I'm not... I'm not shoving it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know it's important, I do. I honestly do... But we're talking about practice man. What are we talking about? Practice? We're talking about practice, man.
When you are not practicing, someone else is getting better.
I play every game like it's my last game. All that matters is that you go out there and play every game as if it was your last.
I made a lot of mistakes, a lot of things I'm not proud of. But it's only for other people to learn from.
If you're struggling with your shooting, then do other things on the basketball court. Get steals, get assists, get rebounds-do anything on the court to help the team win.
When I was young, everyone laughed at me when I said that I wanted to be a professional basketball player...now it's my turn to laugh.
My whole thing was, just being me. Now, you look around the NBA and all of them have tattoos, guys wearing cornrows. Now you see the police officers with the cornrows. I took a beating for those types of things.
My whole thing is, if you love me, then love me. If you don't, then believe what you hear and run with that.
Only the strong survive.
People think that I'm some tough renegade, black-hearted being, evil, but that ain't me.
I see kids today trying to do the things I did, and it makes me feel like I've come a long way.
It's unfair because the people booing, I believe, wouldn't want to have their child booed. Fans don't understand our lives and what we go through. They don't look at us as humans. We love the fans because they support and love the game, but at the same time it hurts when they turn their back on us.
Being an All-Star is everything.
If I don't believe it, then they don't need me on the court. I've just got to believe that in my heart.
I wasn't a bad guy. I just wanted God to give me a second chance.
I owe all of this to the guys I've played with and all the coaches that have helped me get to where I'm at right now. I'm honored to be here.
I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.
Believe me, I am not even that brave enough to miss that many practices.
When I was a little kid I used to go on the playground and say: today I will shoot like Bird, pass like Magic, jump like Mike, be quick like Zeke. I am thankful to them, since without seeing them do things they did, I wouldn't be in the NBA.
When you get to that level, it's not a matter of talent anymore - because all the players are so talented - it's about preparation, about playing smart and making good decisions. If I don't believe it, then they don't need me on the court. I've just got to believe that in my heart.
In 2001 we didn't have all the talent in the world, we just had me on offense and just a bunch of tough ass dudes, and a great coach in Larry Brown.
I just wanted to set a good example. I wanted to do things that I hadn't done before. My whole thing was to just try to be professional. I think when you work hard, good things happen, so obviously, because we're going to the Finals.
I was the bridge between the Michael Jordan era and LeBron James era.
If that many people recognize how hard I go every night and what I put into my game, to make myself and my team better, it means a lot to mean. I'm fortunate; I'm blessed to be in the situation that I'm in right now.
