MICHAEL BEASLEY

I don't think there's a man on the earth that can stop me from scoring a basketball.

Money doesn't always define basketball.

I've come to realize I'm a professional, no matter if I'm 38, no matter if I'm 19 or 20. I'm a professional.

I've never wanted to be anybody else, and I never thought anybody else could be me more than me.

I feel like I was counted out, you know, my first two seasons in the NBA. They might not have been perfect, but I'm proud of them.

My favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities is McDonalds. I order two cheeseburgers, two snack wraps with no sauce, two fish fillets with cheese and light tartar sauce, two large fries, two apple pies, and one large milkshake.

I'm not a chocolate man. I'm Skittles, anything made by Wonka. You know, I like candy, not chocolate.

Honestly, I feel like pressure is only applied when you feel pressure.

A large part of my career is due to perception, what people think what I am or should be.

I can be a friend from a million miles away. I can play basketball in China. The only thing I can't do is be a father. I missed my kids' first basketball game. I missed birthdays. I can talk to you from a million miles away, but I was missing the dad part of life.

I know what people think I am. People think I'm dumb. People think I party all the time. People think I'm ignorant.

One weird thing about me: I come home from practice or a game or whatever, and somehow my left sock always seems to get off my foot, and I end up walking around with one sock on.

I don't watch TV. I don't watch anybody else's saga but my own.

I love the fact that tomorrow never comes. You can never wake up and say, 'It's tomorrow.' It's always today.

My name don't ever come up unless it's light, a joke, laughs behind it. I'm not saying it's all the way a bad thing, but it's not great.

I just want the respect I deserve. Not for what I can do in the future but what I've done in the past. And I just want a fair opportunity, a fair chance, a fair shot to play basketball.

At the end of the day, everything I've been through on and off the court, I'm the only common denominator.

I take care of my kids every day. I drop them off at school and pick them up whenever my wife is too tired.

I've always been the quiet, not-stand-up-for-myself kind of guy.

I feel like dads should come more into their feminine side.

If the team needs to score, I'm going to score. If the team needs me to rebound, I'm going to rebound. Play defense, I play defense.

I've always done well with pressure, always done well with awkward situations.

One time I had an awkward moment on purpose, you know, just to see what it feels like. I slipped getting out of my car at a big event. I got out of the car and fell face first into the street. A lot of cameras were on me. I was pretty embarrassed. I did it on purpose, though.

I'm your favorite player's favorite player.

I feel like an '8 Mile' Eminem compared to 'My Name is.' Whenever my name is brought up, it's in a 'Slim Shady' way, and it's funny, and I'm lighthearted, but at the same time, every once in a while, I like to take it seriously.