I wanted to avoid service, because I was on the road to becoming a professional basketball player.

As a star you never know when people are really serious.

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.

When I think about my MVP season, I will also think about the loss to Golden State. But winning the award as Most Valuable Player of the NBA is just a huge honour. I didn't really realise how big it was until Mark Cuban had tears in his eyes at the award ceremony.

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.

I know, basketball is a dance. I didn't understand the significance of that type of training at first. I was supposed to read poems.