Kenny Smith Quotes

I remember when I was 6 years old and my brother used to go seek out guys that were 13 to come over and play football against me while he was the 'permanent quarterback.' I didn't know exactly what the age difference was, but I was already playing against older guys.

My first dunk was actually in sixth grade.

I played all kinds of sports when I was young: tennis, handball, basketball, some soccer. I focused on basketball when I was 16 or 17 and then came to the U.S. when I was 20.

I was about 11 or 12 when I started, playing against bigger players. I would use my speed to get out of trouble.

I played a lot at the school across the street from my house. That's how I started, really. Playing street basketball and challenging the guys out on the court who were older than me.

I've always played with kids that were five, six, seven years older than me.

In the summertime, I played Little League baseball; football in the fall; basketball in the winter.

I played basketball and soccer my freshman year in high school.

On our swim team, they had something called the 'developmental meet.' I didn't know it was a meet only for the worst kids so that they could get a ribbon, and I'd show up with my friend who was also a terrible swimmer, and we would be amazed that the best kids hadn't bothered to show up. I didn't get it until after college.

I grew six, seven inches in junior year of high school, so I played guard my whole life growing up. So I think there's where I got my skill set from.

A few of us who are around the sixty mark don't play that much these days and if you are taking on a couple of guys in their forties it is very difficult.

Well, I was fourteen in Texas. But I looked twenty-five.

My first dunk ever was in middle school. We were playing, me and my church friends, and I dunked it, and I swear I could not sleep that night.

I grew up on the tennis court with lots of other kids. There were like 40 kids all afternoon and I was one of the youngest ones, so I always had to chase everybody to keep up.

I was only 18 and I'd be 22 if I was competing at London. I'm stronger and more experienced and I know I would have won gold.

And we lost a lot because of that, and I think this is future gymnastics to separate ages. Because kids can do it more than adult. A woman and adult woman can show more than the small kids.

I was a total jock growing up. I went to super-dorky basketball clinics and was handpicked to play on a state team called the Texas Heat.

Everybody talks about that one when they first meet me. 'Man, I still remember the play you shook Jordan.' Everybody gonna always remember it because it was Jordan.

I've always loved being active, and I used to do sports - basketball, soccer, volleyball - growing up.

When I was about 21, everyone thought I was about 30.

My mom used to be a basketball player so I was really into it. Plus of course my height made it easier for me to decide what kind of sport I wanted to play, so at the age of nine I went to my first basketball practice.

Don't get me wrong - it's amazing playing basketball. But being 19 years old, playing and interacting with grown men with families wasn't fun all the time, especially during a grueling 82-game season. That, mixed with Toronto's freezing winter climate, made me miss my buddies back at Tech even more.

I get that every game. High school. At Duke. When I do the introductions, I get a little butterflies. Once I step on the floor, I'm fine.

I'm the youngest of eight kids in my family. All tall, we all played basketball, so at my earliest memory, I was bouncing a ball in the backyard.

I grew up playing defense all the time with my older brothers and the older players.