But I think the image that's thrown out on television is a bad image. Because you see players who want to imitate hip-hop stars. And the NBA is taking advantage of the situation.

When I came into the league, once a team drafted you, they owned you forever. If they didn't like the clothes you wore, or the car you drove, they could blackball you.

The Olympics were great, because you had to make the team, and then go to the games. Now, I don't know, these guys today don't want to do anything like that.

I played when I played, and played, I think, against the greatest players in the greatest time in the history of basketball.

I played on an all-black high school team and we didn't want people saying that we were clowns.

Look, I think you should promote the game, but I think you should make it what it ought to be. Not some kind of a side-show.

I'd like to think that the nature of the two teams - Boston being a championship team over the years and the Lakers, same thing - was a lot bigger than Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.