STEPHEN JACKSON

NBA or nothing, man. I don't need the money. I just want to give back to the game. Anything else is a step down, so I just want to give the NBA a shot.

I grew up on Geto Boys and of course UGK, who put my hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, on the map. I was about Goodie Mob and OutKast too.

I was raised that if I'm with you and we get in a fight, I'm going to help you. We're going down together. That's how it goes.

When things are not fair, I speak my mind.

I've been at the bottom. I've lost loved ones, I've lost best friends, but that's part of life. I don't hide that.

I am going to be happy regardless where I am at as long as I am playing basketball with some guys that have the same common goal that I have, and that is to win.

Responsibilities have weighed on me my whole life.

I'm an assassin on the court. And at home, I'm a nun.

It's hard for any man to take something thrown at his face and not to retaliate.

There's one thing that people will never know about Tim Duncan: Tim Duncan might know more UFC moves and more fighting moves than anybody in the UFC.

You can't expect a coach to win with guys that don't even care about the game.

I love playing basketball more than I love getting fined and getting suspended.

I'm not going to let Kobe throw elbows at me.

It's not too many people who play the game harder than me.

Mike Brown is a guy I definitely respect.

At the end of the day, if you're not against racism, you're racist.

I want it every game at the end. If you know anything about me, I want the ball at the end. I don't mind taking the shot.

That's the definition of a teammate, being together, being there for your teammate.

If you are walking through the hood and you notice the cracks in the sidewalk where all the weeds, pebbles, dirt and grit settle in, that's me.

You have to listen to the people who employ you.

If I were LeBron, I would have gone to Chicago or I would have stayed home and showed a little more loyalty to my city and my team. But I'm not LeBron.

I had a hell of a career - didn't miss no games.

I couldn't afford to go to the record store to buy new tapes, so I'd tape everything off the radio. Just hit record when my song came on. I used to take my mom's tapes and tape over them. I had a nice little collection. Had my own Stephen Jackson mixtapes off the radio!

I never thought I would be in a situation where I would have to go into the stands and actually help my teammate fight fans. But at that time, there's no way I could have lived with myself knowing that my teammate is in the stands fighting and I'm not helping him.

First, I don't talk to Derek Fisher. He's not my type of guy.