Who in their right mind wouldn't listen to what Larry Bird tells them? He knows what it takes to be a successful player, and he's letting us do the things to have the success.

The nature of competition is such that any number of people invariably have their eyes on the same prize you do. Recognize your assets and employ them to the best of your ability.

My goal was just to try and be the best player on my high school team, and look where I am now. And that was still my goal as a young kid, just to try and be a little better than my brother was.

If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the children always came first.

Basketball was always a game to me. One of the greatest things in life for me was to be able to play what I loved dearly and get paid for it. So it was always a game to me and that's how I perceived everything.

Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It's being able to take it as well as dish it out. That's the only way you're going to get respect from the players.

I think that the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice.

[Coaching] is a difficult job which everyone who owns a TV thinks they can do better at.

I need about three seats lengthwise to sleep on a plane. It's not easy for me to curl up.

The constant expansion has diluted the talent. Other than that, it's still the same game.

A team will always appreciate a great individual if he's willing to sacrifice for the group.

I can do something else besides stuff a ball through a hoop. My biggest resource is my mind.

I was getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis. That's not normal, even for my age.

Some stuff can be fixed, some stuff can’t be. Deciding which is which is part of maturing.

I'm not going to emphasize the sky-hook as much as work with the specific skills of the guys.

I am highly offended by the total lack of acknowledgement of my contribution to Laker success.

Kobe's an incredibly talented athlete, and there are many more like him among today's players.

When the line started to blur between the fans and the players, sometimes things can get ugly.

When we went up against teams that were better, I just hoped that we could steal the victories.

This is what I would have done if I had to have a real job: I would have been a history teacher.

As a parent, I have a job as a role model to my children, and by extension, to other young people.

I needed to go to class; I needed to go to practice; I needed to have a life away from basketball.

I tell kids to pursue their basketball dreams, but I tell them to not let that be their only dream.

If not for the success that medicine has made, I might be part of a much different story right now.