“I wish I would have listened, when I was a kid, to my elders or people who had my best interests at heart, and then I wish I would have been more conscious at that age also.”
“Now I will bop my head to gangsta music – I’m not going to lie.”
“I got bullied so much at 11 and 12 that I became the bully. I didn’t want to get bullied no more. And that just carried on through my life.”
“It’s hard to understand how you’re feeling, or you don’t even know. That’s why sometimes people seek counseling.”
“I feel like I let people know I’m not a toy.”
“You can’t prepare for something that you can’t prepare for.”
“Nothing will distract me from my focus, my galactic mind.”
“I think, at the end of the game, guys gotta trust themselves more. I think sometimes – not myself, but sometimes, guys – they look to Kobe too much.”
“I’m one of the best all-around small forwards in the world.”
“I had this ego that was unstable. If you said anything about me good or bad, it really went to my head.”
“For me, I saw a psychologist because I wanted to connect more with people, with the earth, my environment. I want to connect more to my family.”
“With MJ and Kobe, what you get is you get people who is talking trash to you and backing it up.”
“I feel like I had a great career. Had some big games… I feel like I had a great time.”
“Big Brother makes a game where it’s competitive, not just a handicap match. Mentally, physically, strategically, emotionally, it’s an even match. When you compete 100%, it’s a real competition.”
“I think in the history of basketball, people get hired and people get fired, but the main thing is people enjoy their careers and enjoy that they have jobs, so you really have to stay positive about everything.”
“I’m always excited about life in general.”
“Kobe is amazing. He’s extremely competitive.”
“I think coaches really do matter because they see the game, and we just play the game from a different point of view, so they’re able to give us a lot of tips and a lot of pointers, and I think coaches are really, really important.”
“My focus is on winning championships. I don’t focus on anything else.”
“Gluten-free pasta is not a focus, which I would rather have gluten-free pasta. Hey, if I have to have regular pasta… It is what it is.”
“I’m not a player; I’m an alien.”
“I’m not afraid to address anything ever.”
“I’ve had so much great teaching, and I’m one of the best defensive players to ever play the game on the wing.”
“Now, you can bring up the past, but anybody can bring up the past. Even my daughter brings up the past sometimes. She makes a lot of jokes about the things that I’ve done.”
“I’m from Queensbridge. It’s the largest housing project in New York. And growing up in Queens, it was different because I wasn’t really experienced in traveling to the City. I never really got used to the City.”
“I’ve learned a lot from my own kids. Actually, my son was the reason why I got involved in other things outside of basketball.”
“I don’t want to get stuck practicing basketball all day, so that’s why I’m always moving: because I don’t like to be stuck in one mind-frame.”
“The Lakers, they did a lot for me, so I like it here.”
“I don’t really talk about myself. I always talk about what could make the team better.”
“Whatever is in the best interest of the Lakers, that’s what’s important to me.”
“I’m going to watch basketball regardless of whether I coach or watch it on TV.”
“I started to music when I was about 19 years old. Most people that do music, they get training, or they develop themselves before they let their music out. For myself, I was actually developing myself and putting my music out at the same time.”
“I’m too direct.”
“If someone is not playing defense or not giving effort, that’s my specialty. I don’t hold back on my words.”
“I don’t feel bad about telling somebody I see a psychologist. I don’t feel that you should feel bad about improving yourself.”
“I’m just happy that Jesus Christ, um, did not let me lose my teeth when I was 20 years old. ‘Cause I was wondering, like, what if you kept your baby teeth until the age of 18 or 20, and then you lose ’em? That would look pretty bad.”
“A live feeder is somebody who is trying to eat everybody in the room.”
“I don’t care who I align with. Things happen naturally.”
“I’d heard of the name ‘Big Brother’ before. I didn’t realize that it was on TV for 20 years. My manager told me, ”Big Brother’ wants you.’ I said, ‘I don’t feel like watching it, and I don’t know what I’m getting into.’”
“I didn’t know how to get along with others. I didn’t even know how to be in the same room with other people. Then, after a while, you learn.”
“Honestly, for me, when the Pacers win a championship, I’ll feel a little bit better.”
“When Kobe talks, I shut up and stay out of his way.”
“I’m a goofball. I’m always going to be that. I’m not going to change. If I got a head coaching job, I’m going to continue to laugh and have fun.”
“People can never question how hard I work. That’s all I care about.”
“I can play, it’s not even a question, man. But, you know, sometimes you don’t get in the game, man. What are you going to do? I’m not going to be upset; I’m going to support.”
“I coach a couple players. But it’s not a thing where I’m going to hide and be that perfect mentor. I just give them the best advice I can and live my life accordingly.”
“What happened was, when I got into the brawl in Detroit, I was transitioning into a different type of person, that person that I’ve become, but that game had so many emotions involved.”
“Everybody has different issues, good or bad, that they carry with them on the court. It affects you. And for me, it affected me to where sometimes I would be overly aggressive and, in other ways, it would affect people to where they can’t perform on the court.”
“I’m not afraid to improve myself spiritually, emotionally, economically. I’m not afraid to take on that challenge.”
“I have a street mind. My whole mindset when I first got to the NBA was, ‘I’m bringing that street to the game,’ and, ‘I’m going to be the hardest guy on the court; I’m going to be the hardest guy on the planet.’”
“I didn’t realize Oklahoma had so many fine women.”
“I grew up in the ‘hood, but it was like growing up in Beverly Hills because there were so many superstars around.”
“I’m not a ‘real rapper’; I just like to talk about what I’ve been through. When I was younger, I just said random, stupid lyrics and censored myself because I was worried about what people would think. But now I’ve become more mature with my words and uncensored.”
“If you can be the best from Queensbridge and actually make it out, then you must be pretty good.”
“You can tell when somebody is chosen basketball-wise. You can tell.”
“I grew up playing basketball on the streets of New York City, and it was very, very rough, and I started playing in the NBA in the same way.”
“I always had the street mentality, but when you’re older, you get more mature.”
“When you play angry, you can’t focus.”
“I always wanted to play in Europe for a long time. They move the ball, and they move bodies, and that’s what I like doing.”
“As a kid, New York was in my blood, and that was it. I got a chance to play for the Knicks, so it was cool, but it was towards the end of my career.”
“Prodigy was definitely family… It definitely sucks not to have him here.”
“The panda is a funny, lovable animal, which defends its territory well. It’s strong but calm. It suits me perfectly.”
“People who have followed my career still call me Ron, and that’s OK; most of the young kids call me Metta, and then everyone in China calls me Panda. In the Middle East, they call me World Peace.”
“I don’t want to play for any team. I prefer playing for a lower team and playing against the best. I don’t like playing with them: I want to play against them… and beat them.”
“If it was up to me, I’d have everybody’s jersey different. Each player would have their separate one. I think the game should be a joy, I think the game should be colorful.”
“I believe in order to coach, you’ve got to start at the ground level. The same way I learned how to play basketball.”
“It’s weird, the evolution of a person. You understand yourself, you understand your surroundings. Then, when you understand who came before you, once you understand that about yourself and the energy that you came to this planet with, you understand more about yourself.”
“I continue to learn about myself, about my past, understanding energy between people, understanding my own energy, being healthy.”
“I remember I came into the NBA in 1999; the game was a little bit more rough. The game now is more for kids. It’s not really a man’s game anymore.”
“I want to go to China or coach or play arena football.”
“At 19 years old, when I came out of St. John’s, I was fresh out the ‘hood. I was fresh out of Queensbridge.”
“As far as the pros, people pay to come and see us, and I appreciate it because I’m able to take care of my family. So I don’t really judge fans about what they say, good or bad.”
“When I guard LeBron, I used to always want him to shoot, but he would just make the right play. He’s legendary for making the right play, and it’s really hard to guard when you’re a team player.”
“The thing about LeBron is he’s very unselfish, right? So he can pass the ball.”
“When I was with the Bulls, I was very dysfunctional.”
“I’m not going to sugarcoat myself. For what?”
“For me, basketball was always about survival because I was just trying to get out the hood, right? When I got to Chicago, I’m like, ‘I’m just trying to survive, and anybody I got to step on or break, so be it.’”
“To me, Omarosa, she’s just a nice lady, a big sister that I really love.”
“I shake everybody’s hand before the game, but Oklahoma City, they don’t shake hands. Only some of them, but I don’t think they really shake hands before the game.”
“I work hard. That’s what people should know about me. I work hard. I eat right. I’m in the gym.”
“I always like to make some jokes, sometimes.”
“I know we had a lot of wars on the court. The Pistons – those were the roughest games I ever played in.”
“I don’t care if I’m starting or sweeping the floors. You hear me? I want to win.”
“As I get older, I’m learning how to just play hard.”
“This media era is amazing. Twitter, Facebook, ESPN, news outlets everywhere.”
“Far Rockaway is like the New Orleans of New York.”
“I was top-10 once upon a time in this league, and I took a quick drop-off. Like, that’s just not normal.”
“I’ll just keep working hard and see where it takes me.”
“It’s not all about becoming an NBA player; sometimes it’s about becoming your best self and making the biggest impact you can make.”
“Patience is weapon. I learned that from my Laker days.”
“I just like to stay ready for whatever presents itself.”
“Sometimes it’s good to be ready for the unpredictable. I’m glad that I can go through unpredictable situations. It’s a good thing.”
“Metta World brings championship mentality. That’s it. One thing. That’s what I do.”
“Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world.”
“I’m accustomed to playing basketball really rough. When I came into the league, I was used to fighting on the court. That’s how I grew up playing basketball.”
“I’m still ghetto. That’s not going to change. I’m never going to change my culture.”
“Earlier in my career, I just wanted to be an entertainer.”
“Of course there have been times when I’ve done crazy things. But I don’t think I’m crazy. I just grew up in a crazy world.”
“I’ve totally sacrificed my ego. And what happens? God is giving me everything.”
“I spent a lot of my career fighting coaches. When coaches told me don’t shoot, I’d shoot anyway.”
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