When you struggle, that's when you realize what you're made of, and that's when you realize what the people around you can do. You learn who you'd want to take with you to a war, and who you'd only want to take to lunch.

I don't care what anybody says, there's nothing like the cultural influence of hip-hop. For me, hip-hop culture is involved in everything - it's in me, in who I am, in how I dress, how I talk. It's in my son and my wife.

We play the whole summer. I do think guys should be compensated. Just like I think college players should be compensated as well. Unfortunately, it's not there. But I think it should be something, you know, there for it.

I've always been really nationalistic, and I had a brother killed in Korea. And I think the 'Star Spangled Banner,' even today - and I've heard it a heckuva lot of times, OK - has always been a significant feeling to me.

Some games you're going to be able to get rolling, you're going to get in a good rhythm, you're going to be able to get open looks. Other games, sometimes the rhythm's not there and you've got to get off it a little bit.

Teachers are sort of faced with a thankless task, because no matter how good they are, unless they find a way to personally rationalize the rewards of their effort, nobody else is really going to do it for them en masse.

Perry, Jeremy, Man, Just knowing that you guys look up to me, And I can help you out so much, I could pull you to the side when we're working out. And just as much as you think I'm making you better, You elevate my game.

I won at every level - all the way since I started playing the game of basketball at nine. I've won at every level, won championships at every level. And, you know, it won't be fulfilled until I win at the highest level.

I'd heard of the name 'Big Brother' before. I didn't realize that it was on TV for 20 years. My manager told me, ''Big Brother' wants you.' I said, 'I don't feel like watching it, and I don't know what I'm getting into.'

I'm holding out a little hope personally because I want to be back, but this injury could take a year to fully recover. The last thing I want to do is feel like I'm OK, come out early and be vulnerable to further injury.

I don't believe being a Hall of Famer is based on individual accolades. I think winning has a lot to do with it. But perhaps more than that, you simply have to show that you are the best or among the best at what you do.

Damon [Stoudamire] gave me advice of things I need to do to get through the whole season. The main thing is taking care of my body. I have to treat my body like a machine. What you put in it is what you'll get out of it.

I just never understood why someone else's love life and who they love and who they choose to be with affects so many other people's livesI never understood the whole point of opposing or hating someone else's happiness.

That's what I'm always searching for - finding the balance between not caring so much to where I put all this pressure on myself. But still caring enough to where it pushes me to work exactly how I've been working so far.

I was asked for years about being a Republican, probably because most black people are Democrats. My mother heard it once and called me and said 'Charles, Republicans are for the rich people.' And I said, 'Mom, I'm rich.'

I've been patient with everything - management, coaches, players - but I want to play. I think I took my time eating my soup, the soup is gone. Now it's time for the main course. The appetizers, throw them out the window.

I ask everybody, who's the best between Magic and LeBron? Everyone says Michael's greatest. But, OK, well, we'll give him his props. But LeBron is a better athlete, and he can do more than Michael on the basketball court.

Parenthood changes your outlook on life. Makes you realize what things are important. The responsibility is huge. Just to have that responsibility in your hands is a little frightening, but it's exciting at the same time.

I'm not worried about Gordon Hayward. I'm not worried about his future or how good a player he is. He's doing everything he can. If he doesn't become the player that he wants to be, then it won't be from a lack of trying.

First Team All-Defense, that was great, that was one of my goals coming into this league, and I've got that a couple times. But First Team All-NBA, that's bigger than a lot of things; that's bigger than being an All-Star.

The thing that I regret is not having better relationships with a lot of people. Being the hard-nosed guy that I was, I think I could've come off a little bit better in my relationships with a lot of people, and I didn't.

When I hear about people murdering, I wonder, 'What has to go through your brain to say, I don't want him breathing anymore? What makes you get that angry? How can you take someone's breath away? That just blows my mind.'

I could've signed with a team after Portland cut me and just sat on the bench and collected paychecks, but that's not my style. That just seems really unethical. Besides, money doesn't matter to me. I've got enough money.

If an athlete plays the guitar, they say, 'That's so cool, he can play the guitar.' But if a guy raps, they say, 'Please don't be another rapper,' only because the rappers are so bad. I promise I'm not anything like that.

You never fail if you know in your heart that you did the best of which you are capable. I did my best. That is all I could do. Are you going to make mistakes? Of course. But it is not failure if you make the full effort.

The Black Mamba collection of watches is me: It is my alter ego, so to speak. As I mentioned before, it is sharp, cutting edge and sleek which are characteristics I try to apply when I’m out there on the basketball court.

The Black Mamba collection of watches is me: It is my alter ego, so to speak. As I mentioned before, it is sharp, cutting edge and sleek which are characteristics I try to apply when I'm out there on the basketball court.

I'm one of those players that I think I can do what's asked of me. Whether it's putting the ball in the basket, rebounding the ball, diving on the floor, making other people better, I'm willing to do anything just to win.

I think the first team I ever played for was a YMCA team, probably around when I was seven years old. And really I have vague memories of it. I think, at that age, you're just trying to make sure the ball stays in bounds.

I probably visualize myself, the shots I'm going to get in the game, how I'm going to play defense, what we have to do to stop the other team's best player, what it's going to take out of me, the whole aspect of the game.

If they're not talking about you, you're not doing something; you're not doing anything. So if they're talking about you, you may be doing something right. And when they talk bad about you, you just use it for motivation.

That's sort of a trick question, and I don't have a trick answer. Next question, please. You're not going to get me with that question today, buddy...I'm a veteran at this, buddy. Can't get that with me, buddy. Not today.

I think it's imperative to follow your heart and choose a profession you're passionate about, and if you haven't found that 'spark' yet, if you're not sure what you want to do with your lives - be persistent until you do.

Winning covers a multitude of sins. If you play bad and you still win, everyone says that's the sign of a good ballclub. But when you play bad and you lose, all of a sudden you have problems and everyone wants to know why.

Tim Duncan was a marvelous player. He played the game from the four, the five position. He was one of the unique players, like a Michael Jordan, who could get to spaces on the floor you that you couldn't do anything about.

I don't just hop in the car. I have destinations. I drive to relax. I'll be gone for two weeks, hit four or five major cities. I don't like being nowhere for more than two or three days. I just go. I don't have a schedule.

On Halloween, don't you know back when you were little, your mom tells you don't eat any candy until she checks it? I used to be so tempted to eat my candy on the way to other people's houses. That used to be such a tease.

My dad is easily one of my biggest inspirations to play this game. To hear people talk bad about me, it hurt me because I know it hurts him, and that's not who I am. I know he raised better, and I know I want to do better.

A lot of times, when you see someone do something, whether it's sports or multimedia or whatever their profession is, you think it just starts when you see them; you don't realize all of the sweat equity that goes into it.

When I was a little kid I used to play with guys twice my age, so, I was the last one picked, so if I picked I knew that I had to get the ball to the scorer if I wanted to stay on the court, so that was pretty much my job.

I love it. I love the challenge of it, working with kids every day, setting goals for myself and the program. I feel it was what I was meant to do. You remember your own experiences, and you want to do it for someone else.

Motivating through fear may work in the short term to get people to do something, but over the long run I believe personal pride is a much greater motivator. It produces far better results that last for a much longer time.

Since the most important responsibility of a coach in regard to the actual playing of the game is to teach his players properly and effectively to execute the various fundamentals of the game, he is first of all a teacher.

I realize that I'm black, but I like to be viewed as a person, and that's everybody's wish... I try to be a role model for black kids, white kids, yellow kids, green kids. This is what I felt was good about my personality.

Because I want every kid to be viewed as a person rather than as a member of a certain race does not mean that I'm not black enough. . . . Do they want me to be positive just for black kids and negative for everybody else?

I think the most important thing I work on is just my mental approach to every day, my mental approach to the game. How to come in each and every day focused, doing what I want to do, I think that's just the biggest issue.

When you think about what the odds are to have four boys to not only be able to follow in the footsteps in a basketball career but to also be good in the secondary career as far as the broadcasting, it's pretty remarkable.

The Laker brand and name itself is fantastic. When you have a guy like Kobe Bryant in that brand also, it takes it out of this world. I think the fact that everybody sees the work ethic this guy has makes them work harder.

If you can prove that you're in that elite class on a consistent basis, it speaks volumes about a player's longevity. It also says that as a player, you were steady, stable, and great and that you deserve to be recognized.

The things that have happened for me, to me, have helped me grow up. Especially the passing of my father. That was something that took me to another level of growing and maturing. That's whan I started to be more of a man.

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