I remember I came into the NBA in 1999; the game was a little bit more rough. The game now is more for kids. It's not really a man's game anymore.

I continue to learn about myself, about my past, understanding energy between people, understanding my own energy, being healthy.

It's weird, the evolution of a person. You understand yourself, you understand your surroundings. Then, when you understand who came before you, once you understand that about yourself and the energy that you came to this planet with, you understand more about yourself.

I believe in order to coach, you've got to start at the ground level. The same way I learned how to play basketball.

If it was up to me, I'd have everybody's jersey different. Each player would have their separate one. I think the game should be a joy, I think the game should be colorful.

I don't want to play for any team. I prefer playing for a lower team and playing against the best. I don't like playing with them: I want to play against them... and beat them.

People who have followed my career still call me Ron, and that's OK; most of the young kids call me Metta, and then everyone in China calls me Panda. In the Middle East, they call me World Peace.

As a kid, New York was in my blood, and that was it. I got a chance to play for the Knicks, so it was cool, but it was towards the end of my career.

I always wanted to play in Europe for a long time. They move the ball, and they move bodies, and that's what I like doing.

When you play angry, you can't focus.

I always had the street mentality, but when you're older, you get more mature.

I grew up playing basketball on the streets of New York City, and it was very, very rough, and I started playing in the NBA in the same way.

You can tell when somebody is chosen basketball-wise. You can tell.

If you can be the best from Queensbridge and actually make it out, then you must be pretty good.

I'm not a 'real rapper'; I just like to talk about what I've been through. When I was younger, I just said random, stupid lyrics and censored myself because I was worried about what people would think. But now I've become more mature with my words and uncensored.

I grew up in the 'hood, but it was like growing up in Beverly Hills because there were so many superstars around.

I didn't realize Oklahoma had so many fine women.

For me, I saw a psychologist because I wanted to connect more with people, with the earth, my environment. I want to connect more to my family.

I have a street mind. My whole mindset when I first got to the NBA was, 'I'm bringing that street to the game,' and, 'I'm going to be the hardest guy on the court; I'm going to be the hardest guy on the planet.'

I'm not afraid to improve myself spiritually, emotionally, economically. I'm not afraid to take on that challenge.

Everybody has different issues, good or bad, that they carry with them on the court. It affects you. And for me, it affected me to where sometimes I would be overly aggressive and, in other ways, it would affect people to where they can't perform on the court.

What happened was, when I got into the brawl in Detroit, I was transitioning into a different type of person, that person that I've become, but that game had so many emotions involved.

I coach a couple players. But it's not a thing where I'm going to hide and be that perfect mentor. I just give them the best advice I can and live my life accordingly.

I can play, it's not even a question, man. But, you know, sometimes you don't get in the game, man. What are you going to do? I'm not going to be upset; I'm going to support.