I think I started learning lessons about being a good person long before I ever knew what basketball was. And that starts in the home, it starts with the parental influence.
My role models in the business were the older guys on my team when I first got there: Gray Scott, Adrian Smith, Roland Taylor. These were the guys who took me under their wing, and really schooled me in terms of what the business was about.
In a lot of areas of my life, particularly in my teenage years, I began to think about the world, and to think about the universe as being a part of my conscious everyday life.
When handling the ball, I always would look for daylight, wherever there was daylight.
Right up until the time I retired at age 37, I felt like there were still things that I could do better.
One of the commitments that I personally have now is to a diverse approach to buying businesses, and the operation of those businesses.
Every team that I’ve played on, I’ve either been the captain or co-captain.
Because of the makeup of the NBA, it cannot afford for the public to turn on them.
And I continued to grow until I was 25 years old.
One of the things in the back of my mind is that, after my sports experience, I never want to be, totally consumed by any one endeavor, other than my family life.
When I went to Philadelphia I was 26 years old and really sitting on top of the world. Family life, a professional career, plenty of friends and associates, and a good reputation, a wish list that could be the envy of many.
The first professional game that I ever played remains, to me, the most exciting moment of my professional career.
I think I was chosen by basketball, although I never really physically got drafted to any team that I played for.
I liked the game, I enjoyed the game, and the game fed me enough, and gave me enough rewards to reinforce that this is something that I should spend time doing, and that I could possibly make a priority in my life, versus other sports.
I grabbed 19 rebounds in my first professional game, and somehow found a way to score 20 points. I felt real good about it. I felt that this was the beginning of something good.
It’s better to stay too long than to leave too soon.
I am very proud to be featured, especially when you consider the outstanding champions who have had this honor. It is great company to be in.
Attitude is altitude.
I wanted to undertake the challenge of daring to be great.
And from the first time I picked up a basketball at age eight – I had a lot of difficulty when I first picked up a basketball, because I was a scrub – there were things that I liked about it.
That was just my own personal program: I didn’t want to get too high over the good moments because I didn’t want to be saddened and depressed when things didn’t go as I had planned.