40-minute game at Duke - they got soft rims - I'd probably score 84 or 85. I wouldn't pass the ball. I wouldn't even think about passing it. It would be like a 'NBA Live' or an 'NBA 2K7' game: you just shoot with one person.
I mean, if I could score 40 every game, then I would score 40 every game. But I think I cannot score 40 every game, so I'm gonna pass a little bit, too.
I remember when I came into the NBA, eighteen years ago, there were maybe nine to twelve international players playing in the NBA. Today we've got more than 85, so that tells you how our game has grown at that level.
I think I'm the first player in NBA history to average 20 points a game and shoot two free throws per game.
Actually when I was overseas I didn't watch any NBA. I was like, 'Forget the NBA,' and this and that. 'Cause I was hurt that I wasn't on an NBA team. I kind of was rebellious when it came to that because I was kind of jealous and envious that I wasn't on an NBA team, so I kind of just focused on my game and focused on overseas.
My game really complements what the NBA wants - a long guy who can really handle the ball and shoot the ball and make multiple decisions.
I think it's not just me. I think there is a lot of guys in the NBA that - just kind of big men in the NBA that can affect the game in so many ways.
I've always found myself watching the NBA game more, even when I was coaching college. So I'll probably gravitate toward doing something in the NBA.
When our positioning and ball game and passing is not that good, then my game is struggling as well. I can score from set pieces and so on, but I have to be involved in the combinations, make my runs without the ball, go deep.
Just to be able to play one minute in an NBA game, I'm grateful for that.
My good friend Yao Ming was the first big player in the NBA to come from China. He gave himself to the game and was successful. That inspired the NBA to invest more and do more for the game of basketball. We're building academies not just in China, but in India, Africa, Europe and South America as well.
I just try to play every game like it's Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
I always tried to be an all-around player. In college, I felt like I needed to add to my game to get to another level, to get to the NBA. The NBA has really turned to positionless basketball, so it was very important to me to have an all-around game so I could stand out in front of other guys.
You know how many people would give up their life to get in one NBA game or NFL game or get one fight? Just to do something that has been a dream and they've aspired to do for their whole life - can you imagine what that means for a person?
The UNLV championship game against Duke, I didn't shoot the last shot. Choked. It took 10 years for me to say that. I had to be in the NBA five, six years for me to say that aloud.
I frankly think the NBA All-Star game has run its course, the whole dunk contest... The game - if those guys actually played hard in that game, it'd be the best watch ever.
When I came in the NBA, it was more a U.S. game. Now you can watch the NBA anywhere in the world.