It was a great experience for me - the ups and downs - because I became a man in Philadelphia.
All my tattoos are tattoos that I wanted to get, but I couldn't afford.
I owe all of this to the guys I've played with and all the coaches that have helped me get to where I'm at right now. I'm honored to be here.
Just understand that there's going to be some ups, there's going to be some downs.
If I could take back all the mistakes that I made throughout my career, I would have had a perfect career. I would have missed no shots. I would have made no turnovers. I would have went right instead of going left when I was supposed to, every game.
This is the thing you dream about when you're a kid, even before getting into the league.
I don't want to just go to the playoffs, I don't want to go to the playoffs and win the first round, second round, and not win the whole thing because it's bittersweet.
I can't take it back. I can't take anything back. So I don't regret it.
I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there, but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.
Sometimes it used to hurt so bad when people used to say stuff about me. It still does. But I'm at a level now that I'm like, 'I ain't surprised that they said this or that about me.'
If that many people recognize how hard I go every night and what I put into my game, to make myself and my team better, it means a lot to me. I'm fortunate; I'm blessed to be in the situation that I'm in right now.
If you're from Virginia, then you know some white people from Poquoson don't like black people.
My friend... used to tease me about a tattoo I had right here, but it was so big, and what he was teasing me about - he said it looked like a flying monkey. It's supposed to have been a grim reaper holding a ball. But it did look like a monkey.
I want to play basketball so bad.
I had to learn that some people are just not going to like you. I had to have thick skin when I would see what people would say or write about me.
As far as how I expressed 'practice, practice, practice' over and over again, I wouldn't take that back because, obviously, that sound bite is great for the media and for the fans, because they love it.
I may not know everything about physical talent or anything like that, but I have a sharp mind when it comes to that look: being able to look into somebody's eyes to tell if they are going to be in the foxhole with you tonight, or if they are not.
Don't nobody wanna talk about or hear about somebody donating money to a charity. You wanna hear about what Bin Laden is doing and what you think is on his mind.
We should because when coaches get fired, the players have a lot to do with it.
I gotta win games. Because if we lose games, and I score a lot, they going to say I'm scorin' too much.
