Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.
It's absolutely wrong that I don't want guys to challenge me. And the people who say that aren't in the room.
It's hard to say if the NBA is hurt by the influx of younger players, but it's definitely impacted the league.
Playing sick. That is so hard to do. It has to be a total mental challenge, as well as the physical challenge.
I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.
I'd like to be settled into somewhat of a normal life. Somewhat. I know it's never going to be completely normal.
There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, and I don't believe there is only one greatest player either.
Each time I step on the basketball court, I never know what will happen. I live for the moment. I play for the moment.
I just feel that my competitive drive is far greater than anyone else that I've met, and I think that I thrive on that.
I won't have any competitive instincts in any sports, other than golf. I can't see being competitive in sports any more.
A leader can't make excuses. There has to be quality in everything you do. Off the court, on the court, in the classroom.
I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me . . . Failure always made me try harder next time.
Purchasing the Bobcats is the culmination of my post-playing career goal of becoming the majority owner of an NBA franchise.
I can never stop working hard. Each day I feel that I have to improve. Hardwork...Determination...I gotta keep pushing myself.
I took cooking classes when I was younger; girls weren't interested in me, and I thought I may be alone for the rest of my life.
Great players never look in the mirror and think I'm a great basketball player. You ask yourself, Am I the best player I can be?
I want to wake up every day and do whatever comes in my mind, and not feel pressure or obligations to do anything else in my life.
I make shoes for white suburban kids, not the poor black kids. That would be like opening a restaurant for people without stomachs.
I smoked my first cigar in 1991, when we won the championship. Up to that point, I had never smoked a cigar, never smoked anything.
You're an idiot. You've screwed up every play we ever ran. You're too stupid to even remember the plays. We ought to get rid of you.
You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that.
The greatest people that ever lived were also the greatest failures. They just didn’t let those failures affect them like they do most.
I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot... when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.
When I 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.
The reason I became such a successful athlete was my mind was saying that no matter who you put up against me, I am better, I am the best.
My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.
I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.
If it turns out that my best wasn't good enough, at least I won't look back and say that I was afraid to try; failure makes me work even harder.
I know what I would do if I were coach. I'd determine our strengths and weaknesses and utilize them. And it's pretty clear what our strength is.
I do not have a problem, I enjoy gambling, but I think people are trying to make it seem like I have a problem, because people really don't know.
You believe an eye for an eye until you are put in that situation. If they kill those guys, it really doesn't mean much to me. My father is gone.
As athletes, we're used to reacting quickly. Here, it's 'come, stop, come, stop.' There's a lot of downtime. That's the toughest part of the day.
You don't show up on game day and expect to be great. Greatness happens in practice. You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.
I hope the millions of people I've touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and persevere with a positive attitude.
The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can't let yourself be beat because of lack of effort.
I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I approached everything step by step.
I want people to understand, gambling is not a bad thing if you do it within the framework of what it's meant to be, which is fun and entertaining.
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 viewed it as a business, but I always viewed it as a game. An opportunity to show my skills, my basketball skills, amongst the best in the world.
One day, you might look up and see me playing the game at 50. Don't laugh. Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.
My father used to say that it's never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said, 'You never know what you can accomplish until you try.'
If I have something and move forward, it is only my weakness, which I hate and turn into my strength. You are not lost as long as you do not give up!
I know what's within me even if you can't see it yet...I have something more important than courage, I have patience. I will become what I know I am.
Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
The players today reflect how much the game has evolved and changed both in style and culture. [...] The game now has a wider appeal to a larger market.
When I step onto the court, I'm ready to play. If you're going up against me, you'd better be ready. If you're not going to compete, I will dominate you.
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.
Drugs have been in the game for a long time. They were there when I was in college, and even in high school. It's in life. It's in business. It's everywhere.
If you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.
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.