Make your life exciting. Do what you have to do as long as you don't hurt people.

People who understand basketball definitely appreciate what I bring to the table.

In basketball, I always had a first step. A separation step. That works now, too.

The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need.

At the end of the day, basketball is basketball. You've got a whole life to live.

It doesn't matter who scores the points, it's who can get the ball to the scorer.

Coaches who let a championship team back off from becoming a dynasty are cowards.

Emphasize small goals when you have a team that isn’t going to win a lot of games

Don't talk too much. Don't pop off. Don't talk after the game until you cool off.

Everyting negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise.

Basketball is a pretty simple game. What wins is consistency and competitiveness.

If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it.

Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique

Whatever a leader does now sets up what he does later. And there's always a later.

Basketball isn't just a sport. It is an art, one that must be mastered to succeed.

There is nothing more important than rebounding... don't just give it lip service.

I don't know about any others, but coaching basketball is the only thing I can do.

The tough player is the one who is difficult to play against and easy to play with

I told myself if I ever made it to the level I want to be at, I'm gonna give back.

I go out with white women. This makes a lot of people unhappy, mostly black women.

Discipline is the only sure way I know to convince people to believe in themselves

We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else.

You can't think about basketball or you ruin your game. It is an instinctive game.

When problems confront successful leaders, they get excited about the opportunity.

My players on defense must have a hand-up on every shot. If not, they run sprints.

I don't know how it is for you earthlings, but where I'm from, strength is mental.

Leaders will not experience long-term success unless a lot of people want them to.

As a kid, my favorite subject was recess. Why? Because I could go play basketball.

Maybe my life isn't great. We don't have all the answers. Look at it from my side.

People say that, but I think the NBA was bigger than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Sometimes you learn more from losing than winning. Losing forces you to reexamine.

I just try to focus on the basketball game and not get caught up in all the media.

On females officiating in the NBA -Incompetence should not be confined to one sex.

In jail I was just like everybody else, I was sitting there praying, feeling caged.

I don't see it happening unless every NBA player is given a stipend to buy clothes.

Honestly, with me, as long as I have a park to play basketball in, I'm pretty cool.

Great teamwork is the only way we create the breakthroughs that define our careers.

I'm just trying to be the best basketball player I can be, you know, move the ball.

It's a profession in which, the longer you stay, the closer you are to being fired.

But when I did it (the triple-double), I didn't even know it until someone told me.

Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you.

I'd probably have to leave home in order to become a basketball player of any note.

Chicago was big for me as far as developing as a person and as a basketball player.

You become a champion as a team. I understand that. I know the history of the game.

I love Oklahoma. The fans have been with me every night. What more can you ask for?

In life, winning and losing will both happen. What is never acceptable is quitting.

You're the only one who can make the difference. Whatever your dream is, go for it.

Basketball was always something I felt I could dominate, something I could control.

You can always tell the Catholic schools by the length of the cheerleaders' skirts.

Others are improving very fast, and I'm not improving as fast, and that bothers me.

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