Top 103 Quotes & Sayings by Tristan Thompson

At the end of the day, coaches, fans, everyone can live with the team playing hard and giving an effort. Fall short, you can live with those results. But if you're not giving yourself an effort or a fight, you've got no chance in this league.

Obviously I love playing the game of basketball. That's what God blessed me to do.

Guys are going to talk. We're going to respond... they aren't going to punk us. Not me. They're not going to punk Tristan Thompson.

I understand that at the end of the day it's about winning and if you win, we all look good - whether you come of the bench or you start.

In the postseason, every possession counts, so it's the little things.

I think that's my job to be a little nasty - to bring that energy, protect the paint and really just protect our guys. That's the role of a big man. It's not cute; it's not pretty being a big. You have to come in and do the little things, do the dirty work.

If you look back at Greek mythology and even back before World War 1, every time a team would go out to battle, they'd eat first.

You can talk all you want but I'm definitely going to bark back.

If I don't play, that's fine as long as we're winning I'm going to cheer my teammates on.

If I play two minutes, three minutes, 20 minutes, it don't matter to me. As long as we win.

I want to guard the best wings and big on every team. I want to make their night tough to gain that respect defensively around the league.

Being able to play a whole season, play every game and start every game means a lot.

Whatever happened in the past is in the past.

It was more my uncle - my mom's brother - and my aunt who turned me on to hoops. He was more into basketball and he'd take me to Raptors games. And then my dad started taking me with him. And I started falling in love with the game.

Whoever's in the game has got to be ready to play, take the scout serious and understand what we're doing. If you don't know what to do, ask questions.

Well, history always repeats itself, so there's probably a baby Shaq out there in a crib somewhere, sipping on a bottle, and when he gets old enough, he'll bring the post-up center back.

I don't care if X don't like X off the court... As long as you're on the court playing hard and playing for each other, that's all that matters to me.

I'm going to go for Sixth Man of the Year, put myself in position to do that.

I think playing the 5 is an advantage for me. I'm much quicker than a lot of the other centers in our league.

It's the playoffs. Teams are gonna go on runs.

Our goal is to play into late June and don't take the process for granted.

Yeah, I definitely like broadcasting. And I'm looking forward to getting into it when my career is done.

Don't put the fast food in your body. Yeah, there are a couple days where you want some Burger King. That's fine, but you can't rely on that stuff. You have to eat healthy, get your carbs, get your rest.

Obviously, everyone wants to play in the NBA but I think if you handle what's in front of you first you'll get your chance when your name is called.

The weight room prevents you from getting injuries, keeps your body durable and, working out even during the season, it helps a lot. It keeps your body loose, it keeps strengthening your body, especially the functional stuff.

We've all got different ways to deal with adversity as pros, but if you want it and you want to be great, you've got to make it happen and fight through it.

Of course, it's a huge luxury having LeBron on our team. At the same time, we have to be ready to play and we have to do our job.

The bruisers and the bump-and-grind guys, use your athleticism on the floor, try to wear them out - run them through a lot of pick-and-rolls, run the floor, do a lot more athletic stuff just to try to wear them down.

So with the skinnier guys, you definitely want to make sure you get a body on them; that's how you take away big guy's length, by getting into their bodies.

Coach Blatt's been great! He comes with a worldly dynamic and I think that's what our game has been lacking. He's coached and played all over the world, so his perspective on the game of basketball is kind of different from most traditional NBA coaches. But at the same time, it makes it interesting and exciting.

The big goal is playing in June, so I'd rather be in the best shape I can be in health-wise than be dragging with nagging injuries or not being 100 percent trying to get to the Finals.

If I came in and didn't rebound, that would look bad on my part. People would be wondering, what was he doing the whole time?

We don't got to talk to each other off the court. As long as we talk on the court, on the defensive end, that's all that matters to me.

When you look at not just for Sixth Man but also for any award in the NBA even when it comes to the MVP, you should look at their impact to their team.

Any award the NBA gives you, whether it's on the court or off the court, it's definitely an honor.

For bigs, we usually have three simple moves - and the hook-shot is one of those moves that's a forgotten art. But it's always been an effective move in our league.

If you don't fight you don't give yourself a chance.

Goal of mine is to make first team All-Defense. The way you do that is guarding the best players.

The bigger you become as a player and the more success you have as a player, the spotlight definitely becomes brighter.

At the end of the day, guys don't want to foul, especially guys in the starting unit.

My dad, he always played soccer.

My favorite movie is 'Coming to America.' It's a great movie! Eddie Murphy. Arsenio Hall. It kind of reflects my life - being from Canada and coming to America. I can kind of relate to it.

You have to get better every year. You have to add tools to the toolbox every year.

Me being blessed, you need to bless others.

I think it's important at the end of the day you know obviously playing in the NBA is a great thing, but representing your country at the highest level is something totally different.

Me, guarding the best post players in the league, it definitely takes a toll on your body. But that's why I get massages regularly, cold tub, foot baths, rest and the weight room.

Some guys have to score more off the bench because that's what their team needs. But some other teams need someone that's going to assist or rebound. It all depends on what he brings to that team and how much it helps their win-loss record and how much they change their team.

Whoever says basketball ain't a contact sport definitely lied.

In any household, whenever you are a family that's going through something tough - whether it's an illness or whatever the case may be, families tend to close their doors and become more private.

I think you have to be physical no matter who you're playing against, so that's just something that I have to do.

Even though I don't live at home and I'm four hours away from home, I talk to my mom every day - ask how the kids are doing, ask how she's doing, too.

We need everyone, every game. So I'm not going to put myself in the position to hurt my team or my teammates.

I'm a team-first guy.

Being considered for Sixth Man is definitely something that is pleasing.

I have to always go back to Tim Horton's, it's my favorite spot. I remember growing up as a kid - my mom, every Saturday morning she'd go the hairdresser and she'd give me two dollars to go buy donuts.

Being myself has worked out pretty well for me I think.

It's the playoffs; you have to pick up the intensity.

I think when I moved to the United States and saw how serious basketball was and how good I was compared to everyone else. You just came from Canada and you're top five in the country; you're young and everyone says you can be a pro. That's when I started thinking: if I work hard, the dream can come true.

Sometimes, it's the little plays that I make that can change the outcome of the game - whether it's blocking a shot or blitzing a guard or getting an offensive rebound.

The key is to keep playing hard and the rest will take care of itself.