A Quote by Toni Kukoc
I am a basketball player. For me to sit on the bench at 21, 22, not what I wanted.
Quote Topics
Quote Author
Related Quotes
If a player is 20 or 21 and sits on the bench for two or three years, I don't know if that's useful.
It's funny because I think everybody when they see me, the first thing they say is, 'Man, you could have been a heck of a basketball player.' My response is, 'I have a heck of a life.' Basketball is such a minute thing in the big picture. I almost passed away at 21 years old.
My own feelings of where I am in this world and the questions that I am asking myself, I started to explore them through the story 'Four Feathers' and through this actor called Heath Ledger. I knew that I had to find a 21-year-old who could play wisdom at the end. He's only 21 or 22, and I tested him.
When I have basketball camps and I tell kids my story, they're like, 'You played in Maine? In Israel? You did this and that?' I experienced a lot, and I feel like it made me not only the person I am today, but the basketball player I am.
My mom used to be a basketball player so I was really into it. Plus of course my height made it easier for me to decide what kind of sport I wanted to play, so at the age of nine I went to my first basketball practice.
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.
I came to New York when I was 21, 22. I couldn't speak English. I knew I wanted to go to fashion school.
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 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.
What am I doing, just playing basketball? It was eating at me. Because basketball, you play, you retire, you're done. I wanted to do something more.
Seven years ago, my father and I realized that our relationship was extremely unique, especially in the African-American community. He raised me to not only understand the fundamentals of basketball and to try to be a player with a high basketball IQ, but he wanted me to understand that my image and my name meant more than stats.
I am a basketball player, and I would like to focus my energy on basketball. The other things, I would rather not do. It is not something I am greatly interested in, but I know it is my responsibility.
I'm not the kind of player to see out my time and sit with my bum on the bench too much. I want to be involved. That's my character.
When I was young, everyone laughed at me when I said that I wanted to be a professional basketball player...now it's my turn to laugh.
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.
Staying low, not dipping the basketball, being efficient on my jabs and movements - paying attention to these things helped me grow and made me the player I wanted to be.
Related Authors
Allen Iverson Quotes
American
Athlete
Andy Murray Quotes
Scottish
Athlete
CM Punk Quotes
American
Athlete
Conor McGregor Quotes
Irish
Athlete
Georges St-Pierre Quotes
Canadian
Athlete
Jack LaLanne Quotes
American
Athlete
Jillian Michaels Quotes
American
Athlete
Jon Jones Quotes
American
Athlete
Kenny Smith Quotes
American
Athlete
Kevin Durant Quotes
American
Athlete
Rafael Nadal Quotes
Spanish
Athlete
Ronda Rousey Quotes
American
Athlete
Scottie Pippen Quotes
American
Athlete
Shaquille O'Neal Quotes
American
Athlete
Stephen Curry Quotes
American
Athlete
Usain Bolt Quotes
Jamaican
Athlete