The best players have the mental advantage throughout the league.
— Jason Kidd
The two things that are probably tied for first are winning a championship with the Mavericks and also being able to win a gold medal - two gold medals with Team USA.
Joe Prunty will take over, and he will run the team. But nobody gets out of their lane. Joe will still be offense, and Sweeney will still be defense.
I wanted to go to San Antonio. I told them I was coming. I had to tell them that I was changing my mind and staying with the Nets. It was a day later when I had to tell them, but when I got back to Jersey, when I started thinking about the process, I felt a little more comfortable staying home.
A lot of times late in your career, you don't have a chance to win a championship.
I thought I was going to be a Spur.
With the intention of signing Lin back, I saw that I can help.
I was just one piece of the puzzle, a very small piece at that. I really enjoyed my time with the Knicks, and we had a great run.
I think the big thing with O.J. - I've known him since he was in high school - and he's a great kid, loves the game of basketball.
The ball touched the paint a lot of times. When we talk about touching the paint, the ball touches the key for making a layup or making a play for a teammate. We've got to use our length and our speed. Defensively, getting deflections. Give up one shot and rebound.
When you look at myself, I'm a coach, and that's what it's all about. When you're a player, you get criticized, and when you're a coach, you get criticized even more because it's about wins and losses.
I think cryotherapy is excellent for anybody and not just athletes.
Someone gave me great advice. That when you're looked on as a pioneer, or you start a trend, you're not always going to benefit from it.
As a player, I can tell them they don't want to rush to become a coach, because there is a lot that goes on. This is all something new to me. You can talk to a lot of the coaches... and they can tell you. Until you go through it, then you can understand what it's all about.
This is a tremendous opportunity to be named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and it's a role I have been studying for over the course of my playing days.
I don't know if we have any action going on, so there shouldn't be anybody worried about the rumors if it entails the Milwaukee Bucks. This is our team.
I thought to myself, 'All right, let's take a look at your resume. You have no financial background. You have basketball, that's what you have, for your whole life.'
I just tried to play the game the right way. As you get older, Father Time is undefeated.
When you think about 19 years, it has been a heckuva ride. Physically, I want to be able to participate in activities with my kids, so it has taken a toll. It is time to move on and think about maybe coaching or doing some broadcasting.
I wanted to see if I could win a championship in San Antonio.
Kobe is Kobe. He is one of the best to ever play this game. Given the opportunity, he can embarrass you.
It's harder when you're supposed to win. When you're talking about the best players and the best teams in the world, when you talk about the Heat, you can ask them - it's not easy.
I think if you're consistent in this league, you'll win a lot of ball games.
The Knicks, they're a very talented team.
I just coach and get my guys ready.
More eyes on the court is better than just two eyes. There's always a time for one voice. But when the guys are working, I believe in those guys working and making the players better. Hands-on.
I wasn't a guy who looked to score first. It was to get your teammates involved, to understand time and clock management and having fun with your teammates.
I definitely will reach out to Cuban in the near future for advice going forward. Now that I'll be on the business side of things - and he's had a lot of success with that - that would be a guy to go to.
I've played in small markets; I've played in big markets. For me, basketball is inside the arena. It doesn't recognize what market you're in. It's about wins and losses, and that's the way I approach it.
As a player, I could have the ball in my hands; I could kind of dictate what happens. I'm still learning, a young coach with young players. Sometimes I'm going to see things. They're not going to see what I see. So it's being able to translate that and help them see what I'm seeing.
It was part of my recruiting to go to Cal because they knew I loved to play baseball. I don't know if I was good enough to make the team, but I worked out with the guys, and it was a lot of fun.
I think sometimes when trades are made the beginning of the season on paper, they look great. It just takes time. Sometimes the process by the media or outside influences or sources want it to be now. Sometimes it doesn't work that way.
As a professional athlete, the small print says there could be a trade at some point in your career. Sometimes expected, sometimes not. You have to be able to handle that.
I play on all the consoles, but Xbox, mostly. I'm versatile, though, so whatever's going on, I'll take care of it.
The biggest thing is winning. No matter what percentage, no matter what my numbers say in the sense of points, assists, rebounds and steals, it's always been about winning.
A lot of wear and tear on my body. I've been blessed not to have too many surgeries.
You talk about Shaq, I would put Tim Duncan in that same category. Mr. Fundamental, just kept things simple. He is a great teammate, a great player, and a great person. When you have those ingredients in a champion, you just want to be a part of that and have an opportunity to play with him.
When the Heat were put together, there was talk of going undefeated. They didn't get off to a great start, but they found a way to win back-to-back championships.
Being able to run an NBA team at 19 is not easy.
I just want to be in there at the end of the game to try to help the team win. The last six minutes of an NBA game is where you make your name, so hopefully I'm in there trying to help my guys win.
It's funny because everybody has injuries, and different teams handle them differently.
I've always respected Coach Frank. I kind of publicly recruited him because I really need him and want him. I'm kind of the college recruiter now because he brings a lot to the table. He's had success here and understands the good and the bad, so I'm recruiting him to join my staff.
A lot of things get misinterpreted with me, I guess.
I've played the game for a long time.
When you are on the floor, there's no better feeling than when your teammates are into the game on the bench and are cheering for you and vice versa. When you come out of the game, you are cheering for those guys that are on the floor.
I talked to Grant Hill, and I told him, 'I played against you a lot, and now, hopefully, I'm getting to coach a player like you. Jabari has the opportunity to be a special player in this league. But it's not handed to you. He's going to work, and our jobs are to make him better each day.'
That's why the fears of playing or coaching, you want to do everything possible to make it. A lot of teams make it look real easy, but it is hard.
Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable, and that's how I expect to coach this basketball team. I am truly excited about this next phase of my basketball career.
For us as coaches, we're in a different locker room. So we're coming in pregame, halftime. They spend a lot more time in that locker room than coaches.
After I left the Nets, I found out what it takes to not just make the Finals, but to win a championship. I think I have a sense now of how you build a championship structure and how you maintain that structure.