Basketball Career Quotes

I was 5'3' when I was 15, but suddenly shot up to over 6 feet by the time I turned 18 and it was clear that an NBA career was up for grabs.

To be honest with you, I always thought I was going to be in the NBA.

I think LeBron is the best player in the world, as far as overall in his career and what he's doing for this league on and off the court.

To have Kobe retire as a Laker, that to me is really important.

For me, when I was in high school, that was my ultimate dream, was to make it to the NBA.

If I make it in the NBA or wind up playing overseas, I will be at peace.

I've always wanted to make it to the NBA and be on a team, so whatever team drafts me I'm going to be happy with.

The NBA is kind of where I've grown up, coming out of high school at 18.

I feel like I've had 20 years of experience at a very high level, if you throw in college, playing overseas, I've played in hundreds and hundreds of games.

When I was with the Bulls, I was very dysfunctional.

This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it's a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days.

I made a lot of big threes throughout my career, but it was the 3-point shot that allowed me to maneuver inside the paint, post-up, mid-range game and so forth.

I'm JaVale McGee, the basketball player, funny guy, whatever, whatever. But I'm just really passionate about music and I don't want people to look at it like 'Oh he's just doing it to get famous.' I'm already pretty famous as is, so I'm not really trying to do it for the money.

If someone were to ask me before I made the NBA, you going to have to go through all this, you're going to have to sign your soul away to play in the league, I still would have done it.

I'm playing basketball. It's my dream job. So I'm a pretty happy camper.

I have the most amazing job. I play basketball and keep working at it and trying to get better.

I grew up watching LeBron and asking him to follow me back on Twitter, going to his camps. So just to be able to compete against a player like him and be a few shots away from beating him and his team to go to a championship is something I will always remember.

If you know people around me, even in college, I was confident, but the possible thought of making it to the NBA was crazy.

The ultimate would be to compete in a couple more Olympics, hopefully break some world records and wind up my sports career with a couple of years in the WNBA.

I was never the big leaper, the dunker, the long and athletic kid who looked the part of a traditional basketball star. Truth be told, I wasn't even considered a top guard coming out of my recruiting class.

I always said in my mind I wanted to be an All-Star and show four-year guys in the NBA can be good players as opposed to just one-and-done guys. If I left after my freshman year, I wouldn't have gotten drafted, I probably couldn't deal with D-League and travel on the bus.

At first, I was thinking about just getting to the NBA, just watching the NBA, being one of the All-Stars in the NBA.

The first time I stepped on an NBA court I became a businessman.

To be named as one of the finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2010 on Friday was a special moment for me. As a player, it's something that you dream about. It's an honor that you have to earn based on your career and the respect from your peers around you.

What kid doesn't want to play in MSG? I've been fortunate enough to play there many, many times during my basketball career. Every chance I get to play there, I try to embrace it. I just love playing there.