Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I've been inspired by many great players in this league, and it's great to re-inspire younger generations and guys coming into this league.
If I have a choice whether to do the show or throw a straight pass, and we're going to get the basket either way, I'm going to do the show.
Everyone has to do their job. Everyone has to buy into it and believe in what we're trying to do regardless of who's playing and who's not.
If you're in big-time situations all the time - like for me, high school was big-time situations, college, big time situations - you adapt.
When you're out there thinking too much, that's when you can throw the ball away a lot of times. Just play. When I don't think, I have fun.
I don't believe that I personally have been changed by the money. The bad thing is people assume you've changed because now you have money.
I came here with the perfect chemist's perception. The formula they had was perfect and any added ingredient could make it go bad or worse.
Everybody asks if putting is like shooting free throws. It has a very similar kind of mindset. And it's just you, the ball, and the target.
I think Don King has always been an idiot in my mind. He's always been about money. I don't think he cares about anything else but himself.
I stick with all anti-inflammatory foods: tons of veggies, eggs, chicken, and fish. I will have some red meat, but only every now and then.
I'm surrounded by nothing but great people. I've been blessed with that, so really, I've got no choice but to be an all-around good person.
Everything feels like you're in slow motion and everything you do seems like it's about two or three plays of what everybody else is doing.
I don't know what is flopping. I think Derek Fisher does a better job of that than I do. It's taking a charge. It's for the refs to decide.
I try to let the people I do business with off the court know that I'm serious about my business off the court. So I try not to mix the two.
You can't really get into regular football after you watch Australian rules football because it's just two different ends of the totem pole.
I've never had a chance to go to the Finals, and I don't have a ring - and that would be the only thing that would get me to think about it.
From playing with the guys that I played with, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, I learned a lot about the game. I learned how to finish games.
If Shakespeare can compare all of life to a stage, maybe it's not odd to believe that part of the play can take place on a basketball court.
I've been at the funerals of a lot of people in my neighborhood. Sometimes when I sit back and relax, I think about that and just blank out.
I live in Arizona. I think the Hispanic people are amazing. I think when people talk about illegal immigration... it does them a disservice.
My favorite was always smothered pork chops. Smothered pork chops. That would be my request if I ever had one, and it was pretty consistent.
My uncle, my dad always made sure I had guard skills. But as far as defending everybody, that wasn't really my mindset until my rookie year.
I don't miss basketball because I've already got in my mind that I did what I had to do for 17 years. I think I'm satisfied with what I did.
I can't take a game-winner in practice. I can't shoot free throws in practice that simulates the game. There's no crowd; there's no nothing.
Parents, they're strict on you when you're little, and you don't understand why. But as you get older, you understand and you appreciate it.
If my team isn't motivated, it's my fault. I can't consider myself the best of the best until my team is able to get out of the first round.
Some rookies build bad habits and it's not until year three, four, five that they get to be part of a winning-type organization and culture.
Without organization and leadership toward a realistic goal, there is no chance of realizing more than a small percentage of your potential.
Being your best when your best is needed. The ability to enjoy challenges when things become difficult and to derive exhilaration from them.
You got guys now declaring they're ready to play pro ball in their second or third year of high school. It's crazy! They're missing so much.
I did a book in 1996, an overview of black history. In that process I became more aware of a lot of the black inventors of the 19th century.
How I grew up, everybody was telling me, "You can't do this, you can't get tattoos, you've got to look a certain way." Now, I'm like, "Why?"
This is a proud moment for our city. This is the first time we have won a Finals game in this city, and I'm happy to be part of the history.
I think Wade is more explosive than I am. He is very tough to cover with his explosiveness, but I started doing the Euro-Step before he did.
I know with Coach Messina I started to understand where my teammates were, how to use them and make them better for the benefit of the team.
Trying to fit my strengths with my teammates' strengths, utilizing everyone to the max, is really fun to watch and really a fun way to play.
I grew up playing basketball on the streets of New York City, and it was very, very rough, and I started playing in the NBA in the same way.
My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.
I don't really classify myself as a scorer. I'm a ballplayer; I'm a playmaker. I like to set people up and make the game easy for everybody.
I've been around this game for a long time - a lot of plane rides, a lot of bus rides, a lot of pregame speeches, a lot of national anthems.
Personally, I think I've got split personalities, and I may need a psychiatrist. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Seriously. I'm serious about this.
On a good team there are no superstars. There are great players who show they are great players by being able to play with others as a team.
I think free throws are harder because you have more time to think about it, and every eye is on you. When it's a trey, you catch and shoot.
Nobody's going to tell me how to be different, so stop asking me. Stop asking me what two-plus-two is. Everybody knows two-plus-two is five.
I got good grades but no particular comment stands out in my memory, I'm afraid. I was one of those annoying and rather boring model pupils.
I have a bet with my mom that involves a little money, and if I have too many turnovers, she gets in my pocket. I'm afraid of that for sure.
My heart is filled with love for my new extended family - the billion-plus people in China who have shown me nothing but unconditional love.
I learned at a young age to dribble with both hands, and that allows me to be more creative when I go against bigger and stronger opponents.
I believed in what I was. I didn't believe that would translate into any of the five championships. But I knew that I could affect the game.
Michael will always, to me, be the best player ever. He changed the game. He made it global. Every player today should tip their hat to him.