Even though my mother had told me growing up that, 'If you win, nobody cares what color you are,' that wasn't necessarily true in the N.F.L.

That's the one regret I have in all the years that I've played professional sports, that I didn't win a championship in the N.F.L. And that's why you play on any level of team sports: you want to win a championship as part of a team.

Throughout my career, I was never able to relax; I always had to go on the field with another responsibility. I felt like I was playing, not just for my team, but for my race.

When I was coming up as a kid, there were programs that kept me out of trouble and on the straight and narrow in South Central Los Angeles, and I always felt that when I got to a stage where I could provide similar opportunities to kids then I would do that.

There's a lot of smoke being blown at you, but this is no new sport to me; I've been doing it a long time, I'm used to it and I see it coming immediately the minute it gets into our realm.

With a game, you're only one part of a team, and what emerges at launch is very much the culmination of the whole team's efforts. You can be proud of playing your part, but it doesn't ever belong to you.

Boxing is a dangerous, cruel sport. I love the sport, but I don't want to see my kids in the ring, potentially being hurt, with me not being able to do nothing to help them.

Christmas to me, obviously, basketball is very important to me, but there are some days of the year where it's got to take a back seat to something.