I love to play, and I love the sport, but I don't play it to gain popularity.
The only advice I would give young guys is to keep your ears and eyes open. Never see yourself as a finished product.
I may not be the most physically tough player, but I think mentally I'm right up there.
Growing up, my idols were Lucky Luke and Jolly Jumper. And Scottie Pippen.
I've never faked an injury or an illness before.
I don't think the Whataburger would dunk on the In-N-Out Burger, but I never really liked Whataburger or all the other burgers. McDonald's is decent, I guess, but no, the In-N-Out Burger kills them all.
Money isn't something I play for. I want to compete. I want to win.
My whole first season was surreal. My first game was against Detlef Schrempf. There was German media everywhere. It was probably my worst NBA game. It was all a blur.
Make mistakes and make bad decisions: you learn from them.
I never looked at basketball as work. I always enjoyed it as my hobby. I loved it. Once that love is gone, and I'm tired of working out every day and doing all the stuff to get me ready for games, and I'm tired of lifting and conditioning and doing all that other stuff around it, and I'd rather stay in bed, then it's time to go.
Everybody has different tastes. Some people love Italian food; some don't.
I always wanted to be a basketball player. Nothing more, nothing less.
I think I can always shoot 3s. I think I can shoot 3s when I'm 60.
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.
My dad never really played basketball, but now he's my biggest critic. I come home, and he says: 'Why didn't you shoot there? Why didn't you drive?'
I started to play the guitar for a couple of years, which was fun. I still bring it out once in a while, could bust out a couple of songs, but I'm not very good at it.
Off the floor, I'm really laid back: like, nothing really fazes me too much. But on the floor, I do get emotional and a little carried away. However, I started playing when I was 13 to have fun with my teammates, and that never stopped. I enjoy traveling and having fun in the locker room with the guys. Life is too short to be miserable.
I try to stay away, but In-N-Out, you just can't compare it. It's the best. It's the best. It's healthy fast food; they do their own meat and their own salad.
I'm not big on material things, but I like my cars. They are German-made and custom-made.
When I think about my MVP season, I will also think about the loss to Golden State. But winning the award as Most Valuable Player of the NBA is just a huge honor. I didn't really realize how big it was until Mark Cuban had tears in his eyes at the award ceremony.
