In basketball - as in life - true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.

I don't believe in curfews, because you can't treat men like they were boys without forfeiting a certain level of trust.

Approach the game with no preset agendas and you'll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts.

The road to freedom is a beautiful system

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.’

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

I care about systematically playing basketball. If the spacing isn't right, if guys are standing on top of each other, if there aren't lanes to be provided, or rebounders available to offensively rebound the ball, or we don't have defensive balance when a shot goes up, all of these things are fundamental basketball. I follow it.