For me, I had a close family. There were others like me who were going through a lot of rough times, so we always came together. It was understood that we would overcome hate, as long as you surround yourself with love and what's real.
There are a lot of people you never hear about that helped me a lot with my career and helped me become who I am that I've known for a long time and I still stay in touch with.
I believe leaving school early was the right decision to make, but at first, I wasn't sure. But my coaches told me to follow my heart and there wouldn't be any regrets, and that's exactly what I did.
I really didn't want to play basketball for the longest time, but I just wouldn't stop growing. But I always wanted to be a professional soccer player.
At some point, when I was in Chicago for maybe eight years, I never thought I would leave Chicago. I wish it would have happened that way, but everything happens for a reason.
A lot of freshmen will come in and say they can do what Carmelo did, but not everybody is Carmelo Anthony. He was a special player. Syracuse was a great fit for him.
When we were in Egypt, we were refugees. My family and I were homeless. For five years, out of all of the countries in the world that my father was contacting, the only one that took us in was England.
I had this one teacher, and as I got older and translated things he used to say, it was racist and hatred stuff he was saying toward me and my brother.
Egypt was tough without our parents. My brothers and sisters had to work day by day, and every time they collected a pay cheque, they brought it into the house and put it on the table. That's how we lived.
My older brother played professionally in Europe. My other older brother went to UConn on scholarship, finished his education in political science, then he went on and played in Europe for years. My other brother played in Europe.
Whatever the issue is, whether it's Ebola or something else, I just want to get involved. Sometimes, even if it's just my time or my words, if my involvement changes people from donating $1 to $2, then I'll do it.
I don't think it changes who you are inside. But when you have a lot of money, it makes a lot of things easier. That's why everyone wants to be successful.
In basketball, the legs are the most important part of your body. A lot of people think it's the upper body because you shoot with your arms, but your legs are always carrying you, so if you don't lift leg weights, your muscles will be easily fatigued.