“My opinion about basketball, the way I was taught, was when you step on the court, you play to win.”

In the closing seconds of every game, I want the ball in my hands for the last shot – not in anybody else’s, not in anybody else’s in the world.

I hate to lose more than I like to win.

My name’s been on this check for a week now.

As far as playing, I didn’t care who guarded me – red, yellow, black. I just didn’t want a white guy guarding me, because it’s disrespect to my game.

Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you’re not giving it all you’ve got.

I had control of the ball. As a coach you sort of put the ball in other player’s hands and let them make decisions for you. But I still get a kick out of winning basketball games and that’s what I’m in this for.

I learned what my weaknesses were and I went out the next day to turn those weaknesses intro strengths.

I knew I was as good as anybody. That’s not really bragging; it’s just that I’d put the time in.

You’re all playin’ for second place.

I can see why fans don’t like to watch pro basketball. I don’t, either. It’s not exciting.

It doesn’t matter who scores the points, it’s who can get the ball to the scorer.

My goal was just to try and be the best player on my high school team, and look where I am now. And that was still my goal as a young kid, just to try and be a little better than my brother was.

When I was a kid, like 14 or 15, I played with the waiters from the hotel, ’cause that was the best game. And these guys, they’d let me play. And they were black guys.

What’s better? Dogs or broomsticks? I mean will the world really ever know?

You know when I played, you had me and Kevin (McHale) and some others throughout the league.

The nature of competition is such that any number of people invariably have their eyes on the same prize you do. Recognize your assets and employ them to the best of your ability.

My father was a great example of a strong and good man and Christian man, and my mother taught all my six sisters how to be young ladies and mothers and how to take care of your family. And so I think they were – they still are – great examples for all of us to their kids and to the world, too.

My mom and dad always taught acting, so instead of getting me babysitters, they would just bring me to class.

I went out into the world when I was about 22. I wrote books and I illustrated books and did book covers, and I taught tap-dancing, and I was a model in the art school. I had no ability for any of those things, but what else could I do?

If I could pass along anything that my mother or my sisters taught me, I feel like my kids would be very well off.

Growing up in America is like being taught to be stupid.

There’s certain things that I was taught growing up about not quitting and seeing things through.

My mom is the No. 1 person who has taught me to be courteous towards women.

My mother was my biggest role model. She taught me to hate waste. We never wasted anything.