“I really don’t like talking about money. All I can say is that the Good Lord must have wanted me to have it.”

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.

Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.

When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.

The finest souls are those that have the most variety and suppleness.

We create a standard for how we want to do things, and everybody’s got to buy into that standard or you really can’t have any team chemistry.

We have so many athletes do so many wonderful things for other people, and you never read about it.

I’ll assure you this: I will have nothing to do with politics.

I just have an enthusiasm for life.

But I have bad taste with a deep fount of intellectuality.

The problem with having a sense of humor is often that people you use it on aren’t in a very good mood.

Football coaches don’t have real problems.