If you give the future all your attention, the present will pass you by.

The real value in everything you do is in the details.

Basketball is a sport that involves the subtle interweaving of players at full speed to the point where they are thinking and moving as one.

Kobe was hell-bent on surpassing Jordan as the greatest player in the game. His obsession with Michael was striking. When we played in Chicago that season, I orchestrated a meeting between the two of them, thinking that Michael might help shift Kobe’s attitude toward selfless teamwork. After they shook hands, the first words out of Kobe’s mouth were, ‘You know I can kick your ass one on one.’

I think the most important thing about coaching is that you have to have a sense of confidence about what you're doing. You have to be a salesman and you have to get your players, particularly your leaders, to believe in what you're trying to accomplish on the basketball floor.

Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball.

If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball.