The NBA actually encourages balanced living. Realistically, basketball only takes up about six hours of your day before it becomes counterproductive.

I express myself through song when I can't let people in on my thoughts otherwise. I need the creative process.

To me, rapping is an art.

My high threshold for pain will allow me to battle through pretty much anything if I find a way to run and slide.

Truth is, none of us professional athletes are ever 100 percent healthy. We just decide what we're going to tape up and push through without making it worse.

I can't begin to try to articulate the competitive nature I possess.

I'd rather somebody expect a lot out of me than nothing at all.

Everybody in this league waits on an opportunity when you don't play the starter minutes, when you don't play the type of minutes you want. And with each given opportunity, you got to be ready to come out and perform.

A lot of people celebrate the '80s. I was a '90s guy. The best music, and basketball, was at its high in the '90s, with all of the best players, playing the best style of basketball in that era, and Michael Jordan winning six rings in the city I grew up in.

I'm not making music to get played in a club.

If an athlete plays the guitar, they say, 'That's so cool, he can play the guitar.' But if a guy raps, they say, 'Please don't be another rapper,' only because the rappers are so bad. I promise I'm not anything like that.

I like playing in Chicago.

I can't have people always having their opinions floating my way.

I was told I was going undrafted. That's what I was told by everybody. I guess I wasn't good enough in everybody else's eyes.

My worst day, I'm just going to try and smile.

If somebody scores on me, I'm going to be mad.

Off the court, I think people will like me.

Back home, if you get scored on, you're the weak link. When I started getting good, they were like, 'If you're going to play on our team when we go play pick-up, and you start getting scored on, we're not going to let you play anymore.' I started learning how to help other people out with my defense.

I love fashion.

Some people read. I like to put words together.

In high school, I had gym, and with me just being so competitive, I would go too hard in gym class.

Some guys play so straight, and that may be their thing; like, a lot of guys are good playing like that. I can't play like that. I have to flair out. I have to yell. I gotta scream. I gotta talk trash - that's how I get myself going.

Ever since I was little, I wanted to win the NBA championship.

I have respect for everybody in the league.