People don't like when people are straight forward. They like things to be sugar coated. They like to beat around the bush. I'm not that type of person.
I just don't go out of my way to impress anybody. You either appreciate me for who I am or you don't. That's just the way it is. I'm comfortable in my own skin.
The competitive spirit of basketball is slowly leaking out. Taking pride in one-on-one defense is slowly leaking out. It's more about selling calls and flopping.
I'm a guy that a lot of people look up to. I haven't always handled situations the right way. That's why I have to continue to grow and be a better player, a better leader.
Some of my technicals, I don't even understand. I see some of those technicals other players get, and I compare them to mine and they're completely unfair.
When you have a cop approaching your car with his hand on his gun, I know it may be protocol, but us being the people we are, you automatically feel as if you're a criminal. So where's the respect then? You probably won't respond the correct way. So how do we find a common ground then?
One of my biggest fears is to be proven wrong by somebody that doesn't agree with me or doesn't have my best interest at heart. With that being said I'm always seeking to prove those types of people wrong.
Putting a smile on kids, putting a smile on families' faces, changing people's lives with your so-called status and celebrity with your so-called impact, that's reality.
You'd go back to school and your friends would say, 'What you get for Christmas?' You got to make up a lie. 'I got this, this and this.' It's all part of growing up and everyone has a different story. It made me who I am today.