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I loved my time at BYU. It was an unbelievable experience with the fans, and the people that I have met, I have lifelong relationships still.
You've just got to stay grounded, keep your head down, keep pushing and, when someone does call and wants you, be ready for your opportunity.
I never thought that I would ever go over to China for any reason - then to be able to go over there and play basketball, embracing the culture.
There are so many things that you have no control over: whether you play or not, whether you get traded or not, or whether you get waived or not.
It's hard to speculate, but it was tough when coach Paul Westphal drafted me and wanted me there and then got fired two weeks into my rookie year.
Obviously, I've had some tough times in my career. I've had some ups and downs just like anybody's life, but you just keep continuing to work hard.
My senior year was crazy, and that summer was definitely life-changing and a lot different than what I was used to, and with that comes a lot of critique.
It's a game that I love and I want to continue to play. I know that I'll have a job somewhere. You've just got to go out there and put your best foot forward.
I appreciate everything that happened in Sacramento. It was character building for me, continuing to go out and play hard. I feel like I progressed as a player.
That's what it's all about, going out and being able to help in the community and help people around you. That's going to carry far longer than basketball ever will.
People see the scoring, and oftentimes, that's all they think about with me, but I try to get better at all aspects my the game and become a better basketball player.
I can play off the ball some, and that's fine with me as long as I can be out on the floor. But I am definitely more natural as a point guard than I am as a two guard.
Shanghai is an amazing city. The fans were so nice to my family and to myself and just treated us as their own. I'm extremely grateful to the Sharks for that opportunity.
I like to get the ball in transition and go and everything, but I'm also not as dependent on having the ball all the time as I was maybe in college and when I first got to the NBA.
A lot of people say they're competitive, and they think that means they scream and yell when they lose. I'm not like that. I don't scream and yell. I just win. At anything I do, I win.
Basketball is great and so much fun, and it has taken me to so many places. I've been in the public eye a lot, and it has given me so many great experiences but hasn't changed the person I am.
I've had some difficulties, but I've also done some good things on defense. So it's just all about effort... You've got to take it personal and work as hard as you can on that end of the floor.
I've always been pretty confident in my abilities to play the game and that if I get an opportunity to play consistently and be a part of team, then I feel like I've always been able to produce.
There's a lot of guys in the NBA; it's about finding the right fit, a coach that has some trust in you that will play you night in and night out, consistently. Trying to find a right fit is the tough part.
Even though sometimes you don't get the minutes you want to, you've just got to continue to work hard and know that if you keep playing hard and doing the right things, then eventually things will turn your way.
A lot of NBA guys translate well when going to China because they're expected to score the basketball, while sometimes in Europe, you've got to fit into a system and not get as many opportunities to be ball dominant.
As I've grown older, my testimony has grown a lot, and a lot of it really has to do with my dad. He's been a good example to me. That's really where my testimony started, in just seeing how spiritual and what a good guy he is.
Some people see ESPN. They see the long shots. They see me scoring the basketball, but they don't show often too many assists - and I've been doing that my whole career, being able to get the ball to the guy at the right time.
Sometimes you don't have great days. You're going to have ups, and you're going to have downs. And when you have the downs, it's awesome to be able to come home to a wife that's extremely supportive and a dog that loves you no matter what.
Once you get out there and start playing basketball, whether the NBA or college or whatever arena you are playing in or who you are playing in front of, the juices start going, and you want to just go out there and play to the best of your abilities.
The biggest thing for me when I travel is finding the best food in every city. I always try to find the best restaurant and take advantage of it because it's cool to go to a lot of different cities and experience a lot of different cultures. So I'm big on the food.
I think it's the hardest part for about 80 percent of the guys in the NBA. That's just the way it is in the NBA, unless you're a mega superstar. You're just going to play wherever you go. You try to find the right fit and the right team with the right system and the right coach at the right time.
As a competitor, you want to be out there. It's always tough to watch others play and know you've put in the time, you've put in work. But at the same time, you have to support them. You're a teammate, and you have to be the best teammate you can be and go out and continue to better, and hopefully you get an opportunity.