I've DONE this a COUPLE times, been to a couple different CAMPS and a couple different AAU practices to talk to KIDS. I TELL them you have to be dedicated, have to decide if you want to be a serious basketball player or not. They always ask, 'What if you get discouraged?' You have to remember what your goal was in the first place.

Let's face it: if you're an elite BASKETBALL PLAYER and you CHOOSE to be socially and politically active, it could harm your BRAND.

Every basketball PLAYER wants to WEAR their team's THROWBACK jerseys.

I was a basketball PLAYER. And my mother even WANTED me to QUIT because I hurt my leg. But I didn't know anything about football - from Pee-Wee on up, my FRIENDS would play, and I would NEVER go with them.

I'm JaVale McGee, the BASKETBALL PLAYER, funny guy, whatever, whatever. But I'm just really passionate about music and I don't want PEOPLE to LOOK at it like 'Oh he's just doing it to get famous.' I'm already pretty famous as is, so I'm not really trying to do it for the money.

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.

Who's to SAY because you're just a BASKETBALL PLAYER, or you are a basketball player, who's to say you can't chime in on other subjects or other IMPORTANT TOPICS?

I grew up dreaming about being an Olympic basketball player: Doug Collins GETTING SMASHED into the stanchion, making two free THROWS. Phil Ford and Mike O'Koren in 1976.

You have to be wired a certain way to be a professional basketball player, and the way my body GREW, something HAPPENED genetically that allowed me to BECOME a lot more EXPLOSIVE.

Not only is Rip Hamilton an OUTSTANDING basketball PLAYER, he is ALSO KNOWN for giving back to his community.