Zitat des Tages von Jerry West:
Some guys lay their fannies out there every night - they play the game at such a high level, and they give so much that, frankly, they don't get credit for it. And I think it's tragic sometimes.
I'd go fishing and always pretend I would catch the biggest fish. I'd stay out there for hours after everybody else left until I caught something. When I shot baskets, I was always the coach and star player and always made the winning shot.
I don't know anything else but the Lakers. This has certainly been more than a job for me as a player. It has certainly meant more to me than just an occupation.
Coaches who have been players in the league, they get so attuned to playing how they were successful and who their coaches were.
It's discouraging for me to come out there and watch the lack of fan support for a good team.
I'm still very much a West Virginia boy. I haven't forgotten my roots, because that's really who I am.
Kevin Garnett was a great player, but he wasn't Kobe Bryant.
To be candid with you, free agency hurts all sports. It's great for athletes making an enormous amount of money. But to say it helps the sports, I don't believe that.
The support this city and our fans have shown the Grizzlies made my decision to stay in Memphis an easy one. Memphis deserves a championship team, and I am committed to that.
There's been so many unbelievable players in Los Angeles, maybe the best of the best.
You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.
When it's time for me to walk away from something, I walk away from it. My mind, my body, my conscience tell me that enough is enough.
For some reason, I always wanted to work in an environment where things weren't so good. I'm no messiah, but I always wanted to try and make a difference where a team hadn't prospered.
I remember, years ago, if I had had an opportunity to leave the Lakers, I would have left for one reason: because I did not like an owner that was not telling me the truth. And it would have made no difference what they would have offered me; I would have left.
I have often wondered why I was never captain of the Lakers.
The league is changing, and we don't have many back-to-the-basket players. We now have a game that requires skill and versatility. A lot of that is about being able to think. It makes all the difference in the world to have a player in there with a high basketball IQ who can make the right decision.
I've seen a lot in my life. I've seen a lot of winning. I've seen a lot of testing times. I think when you're tested, you really find out what you're made of, OK?
I would never stay under circumstances where I felt I was a figurehead and might look good in your team media guide. I don't want to be that. I do want to contribute, and if I don't contribute, I'll walk away from it. If I don't feel welcomed, I'll walk away from it.
If you don't want to win, you don't want to be around me.
Anything you can do to help someone, I just think it's so important because there's a lot of kids that look up athletes of all size and shapes in a lot of different fields, not necessarily in the basketball field. They get involved emotionally with those people because there's something about certain athletes that people rally around.
You need lofty goals. Then cement it with a great work ethic.
I'm not one who likes to be honored, to be honest with you. That's never been who I am.
You need to possess more than a little nastiness to play basketball at the highest level.
Confidence is a lot of this game or any game. If you don't think you can, you won't.
I went a few times, but I felt there was no way that any therapist could understand my particular torment and also felt in some respects they were sicker than I was.
A couple teams will grind the shot clock down. Most of the time coaches do that, it's usually a talent deficit. They can't compete against the better teams.
