Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you.

I discovered early on that the player who learned the fundamentals of basketball is going to have a much better chance of succeeding and rising through the levels of competition than the player who was content to do things his own way. A player should be interested in learning why things are done a certain way. The reasons behind the teaching often go a long way to helping develop the skill.

No one can really honestly be the very best, no one.

Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character.

Young people need models, not critics.

A strong leader accepts blame and gives the credit. A weak leader gives blame and accepts the credit.

Lead, don't drive. And give credit. Don't blame. If an officer on your team suggested something and it worked well, give them credit. If it doesn't work well, you take the blame because you made the decision.