Being able to compete against the best, having success against the best, and to be included with the best - that's something I really relished whenever I got on the court.
The key about playing internationally is the confidence that you gain. Not only do you train with some of the best players in the NBA, but you compete against some of the best players in the world.
Like I said, when you have to play against a great player every night, that defines who you are if you can compete on that same level night in and night out.
As a footballer you're committed to play for the badge, train alongside fantastic players daily and compete against some of the game's best every weekend. What more can you ask for.
You want to play against the best - at least I do. I want to go out there and compete against the best players.
What really excited me at the end was the challenge of being the best I can be and prolonging my best level and playing against the best players in the world. But now that I don't have the opportunity to play against the best players in the world when it counts, in front of fans, it doesn't excite me as much.
It's not easy to go out and win and compete and play against the best teams, the best players in the league, and we take that very seriously.
We have to stay in shape to compete against so many great players. You want to give your franchise, your team's owner, the best chance to win every Sunday.
You don't get this opportunity many times in life to compete against the best in the world every night. I certainly didn't expect to have 10 or 11 years of chances at it, so I don't want to take that for granted.
It was a lot of fun playing against one of the best players to ever play this game in Michael Jordan. For me it was a dream to play against him night in and night out in the NBA with the New York Knicks.
I never played against my own age, and I was one of the best players. That's when I would get really nervous, maybe not sleep the night before a game.
It's not easy when you lose Flamini, Hleb, Senderos, Gilberto, and Lehmann. When you lose all these players - and Flamini, for me, was the best player last year - it's really difficult to compete against Chelsea, Man United, or Liverpool.
We compete, not so much against an opponent, but against ourselves. The real test is this: Did I make my best effort on every play?
Bad Bunny and I aren't brothers, but we have a good relationship. We compete. We'll compete until the day we die, because he says he's the best, and I say I'm the best. When he releases something big, I have to release something bigger.
I always enjoy playing against great players. You can learn from the best.
When I look back over my career, having an opportunity to compete against really good players like Lester Hayes are some of the highlights.