I thought basketball was a game for women. My mother played basketball, and so did my sister.

I played all kinds of sports when I was young: tennis, handball, basketball, some soccer. I focused on basketball when I was 16 or 17 and then came to the U.S. when I was 20.

Of course parents want their children to confide in them.

As a newcomer, I was often expected to carry the bags of the older players, or get them burgers. That can make you feel pretty miserable.

Basketball gave me a lot, which is why I want to stay connected with this sport later on, maybe working with young people. But it would be more in the background. Being in the spotlight was never really my thing. I never wanted to be famous.

Obviously, (winning the division) is big. To be No. 1 is always important.

I take my sport damned seriously. Basketball is my life. There are other people who go into important games as if they were any other game. I'm a brooder and I spend a lot of time thinking about my opponent, about the things he can do and about what I have to do to win. I don't think I'll ever be able to change that.