“The key to success is failure.”

“I want to be the bridge to the next generation.”

“I own the guy guarding me.”

“How many times have your parents told you not to do things, and the next thing you know, you go do it? And you realized you shouldn’t have done it.”

“I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me. Failure always made me try harder the next time.”

“I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.”

“You can practice shooting 8 hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”

“My challenge when I came back was to face the young talent, to dissect their games, and show them maybe that they needed to learn more about the game than just the money aspect.”

“Failure is acceptable. but not trying is a whole different ball park.”

“Best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.”

“My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind.”

“The best come from the worst.”

“Champions do not become champions when they win an event, but in the hours, weeks, and months, and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely a demonstration of their championship character.”

“I mean we all fly. Once you leave the ground, you fly. Some people fly longer than others.”

“When I will lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player, it’s time for me to move away from the game.”

“Learning’s a gift, even when pain is your teacher.”

“People ask me if I could fly, I said, “yeah…. for a little while.”

“The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace.”

“Do I need my number retired throughout the course of the league to acknowledge what I’ve done? No.”

“If you quit once it becomes a habit. Never quit!”

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” -M

“I would tell players to relax and never think about what’s at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you’ve lost your focus.”

“My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn’t stand the sideline.”

“In college I never realized the opportunities available to a pro athlete. I’ve been given the chance to meet all kinds of people, to travel and expand my financial capabilities, to get ideas and learn about life, to create a world apart from basketball.”

“I hope the millions of people I’ve touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and perseverance with a positive attitude.”

“Even when I’m old and gray, I won’t be able to play it, but I’ll still love the game.”

“I’d like to be settled into somewhat of a normal life. Somewhat. I know it’s never going to be completely normal.”

“Every time I feel tired while I am exercising and training, I close my eyes to see that picture, to see that list with my name. This usually motivates me to work again.”

“When I was young, I had to learn the fundamentals of basketball. You can have all the physical ability in the world, but you still have to know the fundamentals.”

“For a competitive junkie like me, golf is a great solution because it smacks you in the face every time you think you’ve accomplished something. That to me has taken over a lot of the energy and competitiveness for basketball.”

“I will not quit this game because of what the media has done to me.”

“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.”

“I’ve never been afraid to fail.”

“Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”

“It is easy to choose a path of anonymity and lead an empty life. But to strive hard and lead an impactful life, one needs a burning desire to realize dreams. ”

”I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don’t do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results.”

“Winning isn’t always championships.”

“Live the moment for the moment.”

“To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail.”

“I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it.”

“My heroes are and were my parents. I can’t see having anyone else as my heroes.”

“Playing sick. That is so hard to do. It has to be a total mental challenge, as well as the physical challenge.”

“I like control.”

“I want to play for years.”

“Not every flying hero has a cape.”

“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”

“Heart is what separates the good from the great.”

“Enjoy every minute of life. Never second-guess life.”

“Everybody has talent, but ability takes hard work.”