I think it's important that people stand up for what they believe in. It's important that people discuss things.
Leadership is possible in all different ways, and in all different areas of life. Whether it is with friends or family, I expect them to set a great example for me, and hopefully I will do the same for them. And that is all part of being a leader.
When I think of my career, I can't help but think of the kid with his ball, falling in love.
I lick my fingers because I don't like when my hands get slick. Licking my fingers helps me keep a good grip on the ball.
You make your own luck in life, so I'm not criticizing anyone - and I'm not even talking about myself for that - but I mean, every year, look at the team that wins. You can't control everything in a team sport. So I'm not going to cry about it, but yeah, there are moments where I'm like, "F - k." But I say it almost in an appreciative way, in a way where I realize it's great not everyone can do it. I wasn't fortunate enough to do it, but that's what makes winning a title so special.
Professional athletes die twice.
You have good games, you have bad games. You have good years, you have bad years. I have always been kind of philosophical about that.
The crowd gives us so much energy and we are able to really feed off of it. Hitting those shots and having the crowd go crazy helps boost our confidence. We love our fans.
We were excited to win, staying undefeated is just the icing.
That's the key to our team. We have so many weapons. You can just pick your poison.
I used to collect hockey cards. It was like Vegas at my school. You'd go to school with your box of cards, and at recess and lunchtime there were all these games we'd play.
It feels great to have my hard work pay off, especially when the fans made it hard for me.
I love basketball and I'm committed to it, but if I have to lock up my spirit because of basketball, it ain't worth it.
I try to only worry about things I have control over.
My goal is to eliminate positions where I can't function.
I'm not going to retire because I want the money. We want honest athletes, but at the same time, you're going to have people saying, 'He's so greedy. He's made X amount of money, and he has to take that last little bit.' Yes, I do have to take that last little bit. I'm sorry if that is frustrating to some, but if they were in my shoes, they would do exactly the same thing.
I love being part of a team, any team. Not just playing, but the camaraderie, the whole thing. It's just what I get off on.
I have a tendency, especially when I'm playing with great players, to try and get them the ball.
The toughest opponents to defend are Iverson, Marbury and Payton. They are all very talented and can shoot at anytime from anywhere.
I use a lot of balance training and functional training. Basically it's where you add an element of instability to a regular exercise. So whether it's on the physioball or the Bosu ball or just balancing on one leg, I try to incorporate an instable plane and/or movement to the exercise, so the body's doing two or more movements.
What happened in the past is just that, the past. Champion or not.
I am not too accusatorial or defensive by nature. I have always been kind of philosophical about it, remembering that it is just a game. People take these things too seriously.
You have the management team, coaching staff, film staff, analytics team, training staff and playing team, and you're trying to manage all that and it's overwhelming. And then you have the media responsibilities. I don't know that I help at all, but I would think my value would be to help provide more of a clear-headed view from the outside. It's not like I have huge opinions, but I do have my point of view and perspective.
I think it was wishful thinking of me to dream of being an NBA player. And once I made the NBA I dreamed of being an All-Star, but I never dreamed of being an MVP.
I'd love to go somewhere warm, somewhere near the beach and somewhere with a cool culture. It could be Hawaii, Cuba, South America - anywhere that has a cool culture and a beautiful climate.
