You're my backbone. You're a blessing. You're a piece of my heart. You're the air I breathe. And you're the strongest person I know, and I'm so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this.

He shouldn't have been in the NBA, but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard.

There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own

I was probably born a scorer, but I was made a winner. Whatever works, whatever wins championships, wins games, that's what I do.

The thing that's most enjoyable to me is not actually beating someone [in the game]. It's the process of coming up with the blueprint of beating that I enjoy. That's a huge flip, so for me I enjoy building. I enjoy coming up.

I have my own identity ... The whole Michael thing does drive me nuts sometimes because people won't leave it alone. He's bald, I have hair. He's almost 40, I'm 22. Seriously though, I wish people would let it be and let me just be Kobe.

I was an idiot when I was a kid.