The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight.

I strongly believe the black culture spends too much time, energy and effort raising, praising, and teasing our black children about the dubious glories of professional sports.

Always have the situation under control, even if losing. Never betray an inward sense of defeat.

We must believe in the power of education. We must respect just laws. We must love ourselves, our old and or young, our women as well as our men.

If you're paid before you walk on the court, what's the point in playing as if your life depended on it?

You come to realize that life is short, and you have to step up. Don't feel sorry for me. Much is expected of those who are strong.

Having grown up in a segregated environment in the south I know what it's like to be stepped on, I know what it's like also to see some black hero do well in the face of adversity.