RAY ALLEN

What I learned in my career is to know how to take care of my body and treat it with respect. I will never forget that and never let go of that.

Money can make people look at you in strange ways. You get phone calls from people you haven't spoken with in a long time, and they'll leave a message saying, 'Do me a favor, call me back. I have something I want to ask you.' I'm not going to answer those calls, because there's always something behind it, like a loan.

I have a taste for a lot of different kinds of music... everything, from hip-hop to jazz to R&B to top 40 to alternative. There's a lot of good music out there. Every now and then, I'll flip through VH1 and watch the videos... the only thing I really don't listen to is country.

As a human being, it's in your nature, when somebody says something about you negatively, to defend yourself and lash back. That's what we all have to learn not to do. You have to forgive a person. And when you forgive a person, you have to forgive yourself.

It's important for parents to put kids in positions where they can succeed and to teach competition because competition exists not only in sports.

Listen: God doesn't care whether or not you make your next jump shot. God will give you a lot of things in life, but he's not going to give you your jump shot. Only hard work will do that.

I want kids to believe that I was just like they were, and to believe that they, too, can aspire to great things.

My mission my whole career was just to be somebody that you can look at and say, 'That's the guy I want to go into battle with.'

What I don't like in my job is somebody who doesn't put forth the effort. Somebody who doesn't come to play every day.

I am a coach. I don't have to have a title. I have five children that need guidance.

Every camp I do, I'm always trying to figure out how I can help kids get better, so holding the actual title of coach, that doesn't matter to me. In life, I'm a coach. I think we all are.

It's a war of wills out there on the court. You have to have a stronger will than your opponent, and every guy on your team has to feel that same way against the guy he's guarding.

I give a lot of shoes away, but there are some shoes that sometimes I'm like, I don't think they ever even released these. Sometimes, I don't know what they've released. But sometimes, friends of mine that work for Nike will visit and say, 'They never made these, so you need to hold on to these.'

Sometimes, the best shots you can put up are the ones when you don't shoot the ball - you gotta give your legs a rest sometimes.

I know you want me to let you in on some big secret to success in the NBA. The secret is there is no secret. It's just boring old habits.

You don't need a corporation or a marketing company to brand you now: you can do it yourself. You can establish who you are with a social media following.

I've always been about progress and accomplishment. When you set your mind toward a goal, you continue to have follow-through.

I want to run a marathon in the immediate future. In the future future, I want to do ironmans. I cycle long distances. The only thing I have to work on is the swimming. I'm a good swimmer, but I've never done long distances like that.

I've always said I didn't want to coach. But I can't coach in college because I don't have my degree. So I want to give myself opportunities. A degree is something everyone should have.

When you get traded, the first thing you have to do is self-reflect and think about how you can get better. It has only helped me become a better player and think the game through.

A successful man is built of 1,000 failures.

It doesn't necessarily have to be championship-or-bust for me to go back to the NBA. I want to be in a situation where I thought I could help, play a little bit, and help where they have good young talent.

There's always a thrill to see a guy's face when you sent 'em packing because you're gonna be the last person they thought about, the whole offseason.

The minimum I run each day is 2 1/2 miles. I'll get to the weekend, and sometimes I'll run 10 miles. I've gotten up to 16 miles on the weekend. Running keeps me locked in.

As a team, we're all inside a bubble. Each of us only has so much room to operate. You have to carve out your space and recognize that because of someone else's needs, you might have to compromise a bit.