After spending more than 17 years playing for the NBA, in the summertime, I always came back to community service and different basketball clinics.

It's not easy to teach a child how to win.

There are people out there dying every day, so when you wake up, you just have to thank the Man Upstairs for another day on this planet. There's not much else we can ask for.

I know the president is quick. I have friends who played with him during the campaign; they say he's very good. I told the president that whenever the next pickup game is, I'll get on the plane to Washington - but sometimes they play so early in the morning.

I've always felt obligated to help those less fortunate than me. It's an obligation that anyone who has a chance to be in the NBA should feel and act upon.

I was not very strong growing up, and my uncle used to look at me, like, This kid is not growing up, he is growing tall but he can be broken like a banana.

When I travel around the globe, I try as hard as I can to represent the NBA and the game of basketball to the best of my abilities. I get to go around the world and not only share the game but also my philanthropic work. Building a hospital in the Congo is one of the proudest achievements of my life.