I pitched and I played the outfield.

But people don’t know if I can teach the game. I know I can. My experience in Oklahoma was positive. It opened my eyes to how the game is played — the interaction among players,...

You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.

I have always thought that writers come with any variety of attributes. Some are capable and some aren’t.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the 761st was Patton’s best tank unit and nobody knew about it.

I need about three seats lengthwise to sleep on a plane. It’s not easy for me to curl up.

Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.

Your mind is what makes everything else work.

The ’80s made up for all the abuse I took during the ’70s. I outlived all my critics. By the time I retired, everybody saw me as a venerable institution. Things do change.

He ‘ s not a raw kind of talent. He ‘ s got some sophistication to his basketball game, and I think he will progress quickly.

I felt that a number of people might have questioned my loyalty, but I continue to be a patriotic American.

I feel that there has been progress made since I was a boy on matters of race, but we have a long way to go.

I was a baseball fan myself, I wanted to play baseball.

We want to show how hip-hop, which kind of fuels today’s basketball stars, is directly related to jazz.

A lot of young players don’t really know much about the history of the game and a lot of them are missing out on what the game is all about, especially the whole concept of...

I rooted for the Dodgers when they were in Brooklyn.

I’m not going to disappear.

I think a lot of people, if they get the opportunity to do some acting, they think, ‘I might be a star.’

You can’t win if you don’t play as a unit.

Sports and entertainment are the only places where inner-city kids see themselves being able to succeed. Their intellectual development is something they don’t relate to.

Cancer is a scary thing and you have to deal with it seriously.

I can see how he would have received a great education here.

Today’s youth are told to get rich or die trying and they really shouldn’t take that attitude forward with them.

Yoga is just good for you.

I’m still my parent’s child, I’m still me, but I made a choice. I evolved into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I think it has to do with evolution.

It’s been a long time and a whole lot has happened, and it’s really a pleasure and a great opportunity for me to be back with the Lakers and be given this opportunity to help...

Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals.

I think the NBA will certainly survive without Michael Jordan.

I’ve always tried to stay out of the fray and not be an object of controversy.

I think I did very well against everyone who tried to defend me.

I’m not comfortable being preachy, but more people need to start spending as much time in the library as they do on the basketball court.

The type of leukemia that I am dealing with is treatable. So if I do what my doctors tell me to do – get my blood checked regularly, take my meds and consult with my...

I just like seeing the world, and it doesn’t matter where.

Elgin’s game was an incredible performance, also. I don’t think there’s any comparison. Elgin did it without three-point lines. His game was attacking the hoop and hitting jumpers inside 20 feet. Kobe’s range is unreal,...

I did a book in 1996, an overview of black history. In that process I became more aware of a lot of the black inventors of the 19th century.

I always thought I could do a good job coaching, but the opportunities have not presented themselves.

My health is fine.

That’s when my hopes went up because I know that I can help him do that, … He’ll be a good student and I’m sure that the Lakers will be happy with the progress he...

The word ‘leukemia’ is a very frightening word. In many instances, it’s a killer and it’s something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you’re going to beat...

My most memorable moment came in 1985 as we beat the Boston Celtics.

I’ve never been a person to share my private life, but I can help save lives.

I think I really benefited from going to college.

A team will always appreciate a great individual if he’s willing to sacrifice for the group.

I think race has been a burden for black Americans. Being Muslim has also been a challenge because so many people do not understand Islam.

I totally alienated some reporters as I retreated.

The first time I shot the hook, I was in fourth grade, and I was about five feet eight inches tall. I put the ball up and felt totally at ease with the shot. I...

I am highly offended by the total lack of acknowledgement of my contribution to Laker success.

It’s hard for young players to see the big picture. They just see three or four years down the road.

Reporters used to ask me the same inane questions year-in and year-out, city-to-city, and it would drive me crazy.

Andrew got right on it – he used some techniques I showed him. Shaq bit on the fake. He’ll have that experience with him the rest of his career. He knows he can compete.