You've got to learn the footwork, the positioning, how to box out, how to pass, how to shoot your free throws. All these things are necessary, not to be the No. 1 player in the world, but maybe you can play against him.
It's like all guys want to do is make a dunk, grab their shirt and yell out and scream - they could be down 30 points but that's what they do. Okay, so you made a dunk. Get back down the floor on defense!
When you play against different people from all walks of life you can't do the same thing against every player defensively or offensively. You have to change up the way you go at a player.
When I started playing, I wasn't fast, I was gangly, my jumpshot was terrible.
I played when I played, and played, I think, against the greatest players in the greatest time in the history of basketball.
They should have a rule: in order to be a sportswriter, you have to have played that sport, at some level; high school, college, junior college, somewhere. Or, you should have had to have been around the game for a long time.
Now, I guess, people want stars. People are trying to invent stars.
I think that everyone should be able to dribble. Everyone should be able to pass. Otherwise, why are you out there?
It's a sad commentary when I have to say that sometimes in our country we are real sensitive to race.
Some players are more physical than others, some play with more finesse. Some are just really great all-around players. So you have to change your game.
The triple-double is just a stat. It's a test of your strength and stamina and playing ability, really.
I played on an all-black high school team and we didn't want people saying that we were clowns.
When I came into the league, once a team drafted you, they owned you forever. If they didn't like the clothes you wore, or the car you drove, they could blackball you.
But after that you don't see a lot of real good fundamental play. You see a showboat-type basketball which is almost parallel to street basketball.
I don't think that players learn how to play any other aspect of the game in high school or college.
You don't cut anywhere, don't pick down anywhere, don't double screen, no weak side picking. All these things that should happen in a game of basketball don't happen anymore.
If you're a basketball player, you've got to shoot.
But when I did it (the triple-double), I didn't even know it until someone told me.
Who do I think was the greatest? This might shock you: Elgin Baylor. He did so many great things. Nobody could guard him, playing in the forward spot. I'd love to see some of today's greats playing against Elgin. They couldn't guard him. Nobody could.
When you play guard, you're not going to block a lot of shots. Inside, you're going to block shots.
But I think the image that's thrown out on television is a bad image. Because you see players who want to imitate hip-hop stars. And the NBA is taking advantage of the situation.
Actually, Magic and the Lakers beat Philadelphia for Magic's first NBA Championship.
This is where young players today want to land. They want to be NBA players because of the money.
I think that basketball players should get the job done no matter how it looks on the screen.
You see what happens in college and high school games today - a three-point shot or a dunk. I think that's the reason that you see a lot of that in the pros today.
