Kobe Bryant
I'm just right down the middle, man, ... It doesn't matter to me. I'd love him (Phil Jackson) as a coach. It doesn't matter to me. If they want him here, he'll be here. If he wants to come, he'll come, he'll coach and we'll go from there.Collection: Basketball
It really doesn't matter to me. We're just talking about clothes. I can understand what the NBA is trying to do. I love my sneakers, but we're just talking about clothes.Collection: Basketball
I'm not jumping through the gym by any means. But I don't need to be able to do that in order to be a great player.Collection: Mean
If they want to win right now, I'm all for it. That's all I said the whole time. If you want to wait five years, let me know. My legs aren't as young as they used to be.Collection: Basketball
What does perfection look like to me? Championship ringsCollection: Perfection
There's a much bigger world out there.Collection: World
I was an idiot when I was a kid.Collection: Kids
The Black Mamba collection of watches is me: It is my alter ego, so to speak. As I mentioned before, it is sharp, cutting edge and sleek which are characteristics I try to apply when I’m out there on the basketball court.Collection: Inspirational
Michael Jackson? He was something more (than one of my favorite entertainers), a true friend. He wasn't just a genius. Above all, he was a good person, who gave so much. He gave people values, he encouraged them to better themselves all the time. He was far deeper and more authentic than people could see. He was misunderstood too many timesCollection: True Friend
I played T-Mac. I cooked him. Roasted him. Wasn't even close.Collection: Badass
Are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? … I'd rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that's just not reality. … I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success.Collection: Mean
There's a difference [between taking a charge and flopping]. We all know what flopping is when we see it. The stuff that you see is where guys aren't really getting hit at all and are just flailing around like a fish out of water. That's kind of like, where are your balls at?Collection: Badass
A lot of times things get blown out of proportion in a negative light, especially in the NBA, ... But there are a lot of players in the NBA who really care about the community and want to use their basketball-playing ability for a good cause.Collection: Basketball
It's just a matter of getting those legs back.Collection: Basketball
I have my own identity ... The whole Michael thing does drive me nuts sometimes because people won't leave it alone. He's bald, I have hair. He's almost 40, I'm 22. Seriously though, I wish people would let it be and let me just be Kobe.Collection: Basketball
Just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank.Collection: Basketball
That argument doesn’t make any sense to me. So we want to advance as a society and as a culture, but, say, if something happens to an African-American, we immediately come to his defense? Yet you want to talk about how far we’ve progressed as a society? Well, if we’ve progressed as a society, then you don’t jump to somebody’s defense just because they’re African-American. You sit and you listen to the facts just like you would in any other situation, right? So I won’t assert myself.Collection: African American
Because we're old as sh*t. What do you want?Collection: Badass
I know how to play my guard spot, ... He can worry about the low post.Collection: Basketball
It's wonderful for the players. It's a huge challenge and a huge responsibility for us to get our act together, get our butts in gear. Phil isn't going to bail us out because of our mental lapses.Collection: Responsibility
There's certain companies that line up with what the brand represents. There are other things that are more investment-focused.Collection: Lines
By eloquence I understand those appeals to our moral perceptions that produce emotion as soon as they are uttered. This is the very enthusiasm that is the parent of poetry. Let the same man go to his closet and clothe in numbers conceptions full of the same fire and spirit, and they will be poetry.Collection: Men
I don’t want to say I’ll be back at the top of my game because everybody’s gonna think I’m crazy and it’s the old player not letting go sort of thing, but that’s what it’s gonna be.Collection: Letting Go
He [Phil Jackson] is such a basketball genius in terms of the details of the game, the little nuances of the game and the rhythm of the game.Collection: Basketball
I didn't expect this award [the 2008 MVP] would come to me. I'm surprised. I've played pretty well in other seasons. Our team hasn't been as good. Things just fell into place.Collection: Basketball
Isn't the basis of a democracy to send somebody to Washington to bring something back for you? ... It isn't?Collection: Democracy
I love the weather, I love my '63 droptop Impala, I love the 405, and I love my guys.Collection: Basketball
Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.Collection: Basketball
I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.Collection: Hard Work
It’s not about the number of hours you practice, it’s about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice.Collection: Numbers
If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.Collection: Basketball
I’m chasing perfection.Collection: Perfection
There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own.Collection: Helping
My brain cannot process failure. It will not process failureCollection: Brain
Love me or hate me. It’s one or the other. Always has been. Hate my game, my swagger. Hate my fadeaway, my hunger. Hate that I’m a veteran, a champion. Hate that. Hate it with all your heart. And hate that I’m loved for the exact same reasons.Collection: Hate
These young guys are playing checkers. I’m out there playing chess.Collection: Basketball
The party’s just getting started. This is where the fun starts.Collection: Fun
Basketball is my refuge, my sanctuary. I go back to being a kid on the playground. When I get here, it’s all good.Collection: Kids