John Collins

“I'm comfortable being around the NBA lifestyle, the travel, the hotels, the pregame, everything.”

“Water is the most powerful thing in the world. Just being in it, around it, it gives me some sort of peace. Watching it, looking at it, I love it.”

“I'm not saying I'll be the next Tim Duncan. But it was about time for Wake Forest to produce another super productive big man.”

“When I see myself - 'John Collins the Atlanta Hawks' - saying that and hearing that, hearing myself say that, looking in the mirror, and realizing 'man I made it' is crazy to think about.”

“I'm all in. I'm true to Atlanta.”

“Drogba. I used to grow up watching football and when I saw him that was it. I've got his jersey in my closet. That dude is a legend for what he achieved at Chelsea.”

“You always want to fantasize about the future, and all the work you're going to put in, all the accolades, but you always forget the roadblocks that are right in front of you until they hit you and you have to go over them.”

“I wasn't a very highly recruited guy out of high school... It's always a chip I've had on my shoulder.”

“I've seen some of those comments and they hurt me a little bit, saying 'This guy's a cheater.' And I feel like if you know me, you know my character, and just my person, you know that's not what I would do, not what I would ever do.”

“It's in the Hawks' DNA to win one, so I want to be a part of the Hawks' DNA and the Hawks' lineage of guys who have won a Slam Dunk Championship.”

“It's crazy when you go back and look at it: playing 26 minutes a game, averaging 19 points and nine rebounds. That was a result of a lot of hard work.”

“There are a lot of guidelines and regulations that come with being a military kid and being raised on a military base. It gives you a structure and discipline on what not to do and right and wrong. I've been used to it my whole life.”

“If I can be smart off the court, then I have to believe that will bleed onto the court.”

“A lot of tough stuff, tough breaks happen, but that's just the NBA. That's just the way it is.”

“I just feel like with my size, I wasn't blessed with extra long arms, so I feel like with me not being on the taller side and shorter side when it comes to arm length, I feel like I need to be as versatile as I can.”

“I've always taken pride in trying to catch the ball.”

“The perfect weight for me is probably 230 to 235, so I can bang with those big fellas.”

“I really haven't been trying to force or shoot outside of my comfort zone.”

“I'm always naturally a bit of a pessimist. And my mom is sorta the opposite.”

“Not being in the dunk contest isn't going to stop me from dunking.”