Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don't feel like doing them.
If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.
If you get depressed about being the second-best team in the world, then you've got a problem.
I demand more from myself than anybody could ever expect.
I had to spend countless hours, above and beyond the basic time, to try and perfect the fundamentals.
In a lot of areas of my life, particularly in my teenage years, I began to think about the world, and to think about the universe as being a part of my conscious everyday life.
Many people think sports are totally physical, that you don't have to think, everything is done for you and you're catered to, I found that to be so far removed from the truth that it's almost a joke. The ones who become stars are the ones who have a head on their shoulders and know how to use it.
I didn't want to become a reserve player, or a bench player, and it was time to move on and take on another challenge.
At age 31, in 1981, I was voted the best player in basketball, and the most valuable player in the league.