My game is really played above time. I don't say that like I'm saying I'm ahead of my time. I'm saying, like, if I'm on the court and I throw a pass, the ball that I've thrown will lead my teammate right where he needs to go, before he even knows that that's the right place to go to.
Where I grew up - I grew up on the north side of Akron, lived in the projects. So those scared and lonely nights - that's every night. You hear a lot of police sirens, you hear a lot of gunfire. Things that you don't want your kids to hear growing up.
Volleyball, I could be pretty good. After a few practices I could be that striker, or whatever they call it.
Cleveland fans are awesome.
I played football for a team called the East Dragons on the east side of town. We only had six regular season games. And six games I played tail back and I had 18 touchdowns in six games. That's when I knew I had some athletic ability.
I went through a lot of battles in high school.
I treated it like every day was my last day with a basketball.
Akron, Ohio, is my home. I will always be here. I'm still working out at my old high school.
I always say, decisions I make, I live with them. There's always ways you can correct them or ways you can do them better. At the end of the day, I live with them.
I make impact plays. I make game-changing plays.
The first time I stepped on an NBA court I became a businessman.
When you work out or you're doing anything active, it's more fun as a group. You may lose track of the time, and the next thing you know, you're working out for two hours because you're having fun.
You can't be afraid to fail. It's the only way you succeed - you're not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that.
Once you get on the playing field it's not about whether you're liked or not liked. All that matters is to play at a high level and do whatever it takes to help your team win. That's what it's about.
No place is better than Akron.
As a professional athlete a lot is going to be said about you - but I just try to move forward and try to achieve my goals.
Being the only man in the household with my mom definitely helped me grow up fast.
I love watching track and field - the 4x100 relay, the 100-(meter) dash, the 200-(meter) dash. To see what they're able to do, I love watching that.
When I was 5, some financial things happened, and I moved seven times in a year. We moved from apartment to apartment, sometimes living with friends. My mom would always say, 'Don't get comfortable, because we may not be here long.'
I have short goals - to get better every day, to help my teammates every day - but my only ultimate goal is to win an NBA championship. It's all that matters. I dream about it. I dream about it all the time, how it would look, how it would feel. It would be so amazing.
Basketball is my passion, I love it. But my family and friends mean everything to me. That's what's important. I need my phone so I can keep in contact with them at all times.
When you have that respect from your teammates, it makes it a lot more comfortable.
I laugh and joke, but I don't get distracted very easily.
My father wasn't around when I was a kid, and I used to always say, 'Why me? Why don't I have a father? Why isn't he around? Why did he leave my mother?' But as I got older I looked deeper and thought, 'I don't know what my father was going through, but if he was around all the time, would I be who I am today?'
When did I know I had talent? I think it started when I first started playing sports, organized sports.
But now, being a parent, I go home and see my son and I forget about any mistake I ever made or the reason I'm upset. I get home and my son is smiling or he comes running to me. It has just made me grow as an individual and grow as a man.
In fourth grade, I missed 82 days of school. Out of 160.
You know, I'm just 6'9" and 260. And just so happen to be very good at playing the game of basketball.
I am just happy to be part of the Nike family.
I love showcasing my talents - not only to my hometown fans and my own team but to the world.