I felt like calling attention to AIDS. I had the AIDS ribbon colored into my hair during the playoffs in '95.
I'm not chasing championships. Championship's chasing us. I'm not doing that. I want my players to be better people once they leave campus because this is a life lesson. This is more than basketball. This is life lessons that we're trying to teach.
Everybody keeps telling me how surprised they are with what I've done. But I'm telling you honestly that it doesn't surprise me. I knew I could do it.
Talk to the guys that ain't doing nothing, don't talk to me. I just want eight guys out there with me who want to play.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
You understand, you do not invent stuff on this team. Guys that invent stuff will not play for me. Make the easy play
Some players are more physical than others, some play with more finesse. Some are just really great all-around players. So you have to change your game.
But it's still a coach's game. Make no mistake. You start at the top. If you don't have a good one at the top, you don't have a cut dog's chance. If you do, the rest falls into place. You have to have good assistants, and a lot of things, but first you have to have the chairman of the board.
I know the strengths and weaknesses of my teammates. I make my passing decisions accordingly
My whole thing was, just being me. Now, you look around the NBA and all of them have tattoos, guys wearing cornrows. Now you see the police officers with the cornrows. I took a beating for those types of things.
I think someone should explain to the child that it's OK to make mistakes. That's how we learn. When we compete, we make mistakes.
It's discouraging to make a mistake, but it's humiliating when you find out you're so unimportant that nobody noticed it.
All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them.
That's a dream of mine, to be able to coach at the NBA level.
Guys who might not be superstars but because of their hustle, because of the little things they do, these are the guys who can really mean the difference between winning and losing.
Everyone needs a coach. It doesn't matter whether you're a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast or a bridge player.
Actually, Magic and the Lakers beat Philadelphia for Magic's first NBA Championship.
Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you're never wrong?
People ask me if I could fly, I said, 'yeah. . . . ' for a little while.
Happiness begins where selfishness ends.