David Robinson

“The biggest challenge was becoming a leader and taking our team to the highest level. Feeling the personal responsibility to take the team to the next level. Overcoming fear of inadequacy and never getting down on yourself or doubting who you are.”

“Believe it or not, the Navy requires plebes to actually be able to swim.”

“You are overboard in deep open water without a PFD (personal floatation device), or at least that's what your instructor is yelling. Sink or swim, plebe.”

“I want you to think about your grandfather's integrity and grit when you're staring at the ceiling of your barracks room, but I also want you to think a little deeper.”

“Largely in the beginning, I did a lot of extra work because I was lighter than all the other guys. I was at a massive disadvantage, so I had to put on weight. I started with eating. I had to really focus on my diet.”

“I see these college kids taking these crazy shots, and it's like, taking that shot is going to leave you without a job. You're not Steph Curry.”

“My fouls used to be ticky-tacky, but I learned real fast to make them count.”

“I played for a long time, and there's not many guys I would say, 'O.K., take any shot you want.'”

“In the NBA, you're taking a bunch of different talents, and you're managing them. You have to give them a system; you have to give them a belief. That's why coaches like Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich are so great: because they gave the team confidence in the system and in their ability to execute night in and night out.”

“Michael, to me, he was an assassin. He was one of those guys that prepared himself extremely well and was relentless in his attacking. And there are a few guys who have that mentality. I think Kobe Bryant has that type of mentality, and LeBron has that type of mentality.”

“I was probably a naive youth, but I saw that I could make things happen.”

“What's great is what Coach Popovich and R.C. Buford and the whole family have done a great job in continuing to build the franchise and still be very, very competitive.”

“It takes time; you look at what happened with LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. It took them a year or two to get their legs underneath them and figure things out, and even then, that run was relatively short.”

“My dad was enlisted in the Navy; my mother was a nurse. It just was never a thought process. It was just go to the best school you can go to, do the best you possibly can do, and be the best person you can possibly be, and I think our faith had a lot to do with that.”

“All this stuff doesn't happen to you for your own sake. It doesn't happen to you so you can fill your shelves with trophies or line your pockets with cash; it happens so you can have a positive influence and encourage other people.”

“It's the playoffs. There's no room for okay.”

“You have to raise your game, you have to be ready to compete, and you've just got to give Hakeem credit. He was great. He really was great.”

“It was difficult to step away. I've always been an athlete. And to give that up was extremely daunting. The looming factor of brain damage, to me, was too strong.”

“If you're a better scorer than me, I'll put you down on the block; you score. I don't care. I can do other things.”

“When you get on the floor, you've got to think you're the best player. Everybody does that.”