Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I think there is so many elements of the culture of basketball that Jordan leads in and has been a leader over the years - from Michael's on court legacy to his work ethic, competitiveness, passion, and leadership.
I was kind of unproven. I didn't play in a high-profile school, and with that comes the notion that, 'He's not ready.' I felt I had questions to answer. Was I going to be ready to play against elite-level athletes?
When I arrived, I felt the spotlight shining brightly on me, and I knew the sharks were ready to strike if I did not pan out and prove myself to be the showman and the player the college ranks had labeled me to be.
Nobody wants to play the game more than Kawhi. Nobody wants to be great or go down as one of the greatest more than Kawhi. So his heart and his passion and if he wants to play basketball should never be questioned.
I think LeBron asked out of the game once or twice before that, so we knew he was getting tired but we were all getting tired out there. ... I don't think I've played in anything like this since I left the islands.
It's definitely different in the States. Americans are much different people compared to us. We're much more laid back. I itch to get back to Australia every summer because it's so fast paced there and so stressful.
For all that Michael Jordan could run, jump and entertain, he is best known for one thing: He won. If you want to be a great player in this league, you have to focus on one thing - the bottom line, which is winning.
I've always been open about who I am and my sexuality. So, it wasn't hard at all. If I can show that I'm out and I'm fine and everything's OK, then hopefully the younger generation will definitely feel the same way.
My guys look for me to step up in that magnitude and I take the challenge every time. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but you've got to have a guy that will take those shots and deal with the consequences.
I don't really know what depression is, I don't think I've felt it. I probably have. Things aren't the same when you're losing. You're not happy. That can happen. But I try to keep them separate as much as possible.
Largely in the beginning, I did a lot of extra work because I was lighter than all the other guys. I was at a massive disadvantage, so I had to put on weight. I started with eating. I had to really focus on my diet.
Michael was a rare breed. There's no question about that. He did things that a lot of players could never do, and still to this day players can't do those things, so the honors that he's had are definitely deserved.
You don't contest shots without expending energy. You don't get deflections - unless you walk into one every now and then - without expending energy. These are the things in basketball you have to really want to do.
Leadership used to be about ideas, setting an example and doing the right thing. Today, if you make enough money for the firm (and are not currently an ax murderer) you will be promoted into a position of influence.
I can score the basketball, but I think I can pass pretty well or I can make the correct pass. I'm not the type of guy who's just going to throw the ball inbounds to a guy who's wide open. I can make the right pass.
Playing with Michael Jordan would be a great opportunity for me. I would have someone around I could learn a lot from. I look up to him as a player and as a person, and that would make me a better player and person.
In this millennium that we live in, the 'Hack-a-Shaq'has proven not to work. It might work a couple games every now and then, but when it comes to the playoffs or a championship series, it doesn't work - not at all.
With the NBA's dress code, I had to revamp my wardrobe a little bit. They call it 'business casual.' You have to wear dress jeans or dress slacks, with a collared shirt or sweater. And you can't wear athletic shoes.
If that many people recognize how hard I go every night and what I put into my game, to make myself and my team better, it means a lot to mean. I'm fortunate; I'm blessed to be in the situation that I'm in right now.
As a player, you should look at the teams you might want to play for. The city you may want to live in. The system you may want to play in. The economy. The cost of living. Everything. It's about what's best for you.
To point the finger at one guy, at each other or at the coaches, won't do any good. It's not supposed to be the coach. It's our team. The coaches can do a phenomenal job preparing you, but it has to come from within.
People tend to grow fearful, when they taste failure, face a daunting challenge or fall ill. Yet, that is precisely the time to become even bolder. Those who are victors at heart are the greatest of all champions!!!!
These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it.
I'm really disturbed about the gay marriage thing. Because I think gay people should get married, cause it's their own business ... Because as a Black man, I think you've got to be against any form of discrimination.
If you're a poor white person and your life sucks, it's easy for you to blame Hispanics cos you don't want to look in the mirror and say, 'I'm the reason my life sucks.' The Republicans do a good job exploiting that.
If you are born poor, whether white or black, you are going to be in a bad neighborhood and go to a bad school. If you are making three million dollars a year, a couple hundred thousand in taxes ain't gonna kill you.
I remember when I came into the NBA, eighteen years ago, there were maybe nine to twelve international players playing in the NBA. Today we've got more than 85, so that tells you how our game has grown at that level.
The one thing about basketball is that it continues to evolve and I love it so much. It does so much for me in my life. I've played on every level and I've been fortunate enough to be around greatness on every level.
It's horrible. We had an eight-game win streak going. We were all high and happy and everything is good. It's kind of a reality check. We have to get back and start working again. ... We just didn't bring it tonight.
Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that's how I expect to coach this basketball team. I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career.
I love my family, I love my relatives. One special request I have is for the media back in Taiwan to kind of give them their space because they can't even go to work without being bombarded and people following them.
I've always been someone who has been very driven. I think my circumstances, how I grew up, hard work and work ethic are absolutely vital to any success that people might have, regardless of what they might be doing.
Even though I felt, at times, 'My goodness, you're among the upper echelon,' there is still a huge void there. A huge void. It is about self-esteem. That's a thing that has always been a real complex part of my life.
We need to get past the point where being black and a male means that I am likely to mug you for your wallet, likely to have a minus 15 on my IQ, likely to not go to college and likely to wear my pants below my arse.
I play because I have fun. The vets of this team, I just wanted to say thanks to them. You guys mean so much to me. I can have a terrible day and walk in the gym and have Hasheem smile at me. That will change my day.
I think it's easy for people to say, 'Because you do this, you must be this kind of person, vain or uptight or mean to people.' People have a sense of who you may be because of the job you do. That's unfair judgment.
It makes me feel good to do some things for my people. I believe we really help. I know we are not changing the world, but we try to help different people in different situations and we think we are accomplishing it.
I've always considered myself a crunch-time player. I just love having the ball in my hands. Everyone in the arena knows the ball is supposed to be in your hands and you still make it. It's the odds. I love the odds.
Success in anything is about focus and concentration. When I coached, I'd say to the players, 'Yes, I know you played hard, but that's not good enough. You've got to stay focused on the task at hand the entire game.'
He looks like a woman coach sometimes. I guess he's just trying to get into certain people's heads, but it won't work with me. Like a woman who coaches and cries all the time. He can't get in my head. He's a crybaby.
David Stern should get with the mothers of the NBA and let the moms decide what the dress code should be. I asked my mother if I could wear a chain, and she told me yeah. So I do stuff that my parents allow me to do.
My father made me who I am. He gave me a basketball and told me to play with the ball, sleep with the ball, dream with the ball. Just don't take it to school. I used it as a pillow, and it never gave me a stiff neck.
The bruisers and the bump-and-grind guys, use your athleticism on the floor, try to wear them out - run them through a lot of pick-and-rolls, run the floor, do a lot more athletic stuff just to try to wear them down.
The same way you train yourself to be physically gifted player - whether you do weights, or running to get in shape or swimming - the mental side is the same way. You've got to train yourself to be ready for whatever.
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.
Playing 82 games is a haul, and with eight or nine exhibition games, it's a long process. You've got to take care of your body and make sure you're getting your work in and staying healthy throughout the whole season.
Coach Skiles is tough. He's been my only coach in the NBA, so I'm used to it. His rules are a little different at times. At the end of the day, he just wants you to play hard defense, and you can't fault him for that.
It's hard [arriving just before the game], but it's more mental than anything. I think I prepared myself as I was coming over mentally, to not think about being fatigued or anything, just to be ready to help the team.
For some reason, we're brainwashed to think if you're not a thug or an idiot, you're not black enough. If you go to school, make good grades, speak intelligent, and don't break the law, you're not a good black person.
I'm a lot more serious on the court. I'm probably a lot more intense than some of these guys thought I would be. Off the court, I'm a totally different dude. But my passion's to win, and I'm a perfectionist out there.