What I made clear to our front office is we're going to be judged by wins and losses. It isn't about having a marquee star player and coming in last place. That's not what Lakers basketball is. Lakers basketball is winning basketball.
I'm just trying to be the best basketball player, the best student, the best son, friend, etcetera. I'm just trying to get better in every facet.
Who knows, maybe I'll be a basketball player one day? No, I'm definitely never going to be a basketball player. I have no hand-eye coordination.
Basketball was always my sport. It just took me until my second year of college for me to realize that I was a better baseball player than a basketball player. But basketball was always my number one love. Finally found out I was better at baseball and chose to pursue that route.
A lot of people just think I'm a big man, but I'm a basketball player. I am able to do everything that a basketball player can do - from playmaking and scoring to just passing the ball and just being a leader and post presence.
I try to envision what life is after basketball, but I just see myself working out and just being a basketball player still.
You should sub a player out when you see a player not going full-speed or playing selfish basketball.
Even before I made my high school team, I'd say I want to be a NBA player, and people laughed at me with, 'Get out of here, you ain't going to be a NBA player. You don't even play basketball.'
Just to get out, put it out on the line each and every night is a great feeling for a basketball player.
But I am a basketball player going out there to compete, I am going to try to win no matter what. That is just in my blood.
At the end of the day I'm a basketball player. I'm going to try and shoot more threes than mid-range or long twos or whatever. But if someone gives you a shot, you're a basketball player, you got to make reads and play.
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.'
I'm just trying to be the best basketball player I can be, you know, move the ball.
I worked every day - Christmas Eve, birthdays - trying to become a great basketball player. Everywhere I went, I had a basketball.
I was a mediocre basketball player. But I was there, and I could remember the plays. And my basketball coach, after he retired from teaching, would come to my performances all the time. And I was very happy about that, because I was not memorable as a basketball player.
I'm JaVale McGee, the basketball player, funny guy, whatever, whatever. But I'm just really passionate about music and I don't want people to look at it like 'Oh he's just doing it to get famous.' I'm already pretty famous as is, so I'm not really trying to do it for the money.