Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I think anything's possible for me with my attitude and my desire to want to get better every single day as a person and as a basketball player, I think anything's possible for me.
It's the best feeling in the world. I'm pretty sure if you don't have kids, you hear everybody say that. It's the most amazing feeling in the world seeing somebody that's just like you.
I think the thing that helps you get to the next level is being able to affect the game in different ways. And that's me getting my teammates shots instead of me just coming off pin-downs.
If you ask somebody who played basketball against me in the first grade and you watch a tape, it's been with me since I was a kid. I've always had this mentality to go out there and defend.
There's a lot of guys that I obviously admire. The Gary Paytons, me growing up in Seattle being able to watch him play. Even my peers now, the Patrick Beverleys and the Kawhi Leonards, I admire those guys.
Of course I feel like any player that plays this game should want to reach the highest level and the highest accolades, which includes the All-Star Game. So, yeah, I would be dumb not to want to be an All-Star.
We all know what it means to be a Miami Heat player, the passion and the dedication it takes to be a part of this culture. And I always felt like if I ever got an opportunity to play here, then I would fit in perfect.
When I have basketball camps and I tell kids my story, they're like, 'You played in Maine? In Israel? You did this and that?' I experienced a lot, and I feel like it made me not only the person I am today, but the basketball player I am.
My best friend used to make fun of me about the camps I wasn't invited to, and I used to get mad. He was just always better, always the favorite. I was always the one in the shadow that everybody was like, 'He's not good enough. Might not even make it to college.'
It's different, but I prefer my people on the East Coast. Some people might be offended by that, but I mean, especially knowing I'm from the West Coast. I don't know if it's because it's home for me or what, but I just feel like people are real good friends. That's all it is.
The actual act of sitting out doesn't directly fight systemic racism. But it does highlight the reality that without black athletes, the NBA wouldn't be what it is today. The league has a responsibility to our communities in helping to empower us - just as we have made the NBA brand strong.
Are we that self-centered to believe no one in the world is aware of racism right now? That, as athletes, we solve the real issues by using our platforms to speak? We don't need to say more. We need to find a way to achieve more. Protesting during an anthem, wearing T-shirts is great, but we need to see real actions being put in to the works.