Vlade Divac

“To build a friendship takes so much time and so many years. To ruin it, just seconds.”

“My dream, play in NBA. When I come here, very difficult for me. It's new country, new language. But is still basketball for me.”

“Whatever you see in games, Kobe demands more in practice.”

“I have to give a lot of credit to David Stern to open up the league, but also in my case, Jerry West and Dr. Buss that had the vision of international guys making it to the NBA.”

“I believe that love gives you the freedom and power to share your best self and to inspire others.”

“I loved the fans here in Charlotte. They were very basketball-educated, very supportive of the team.”

“Well, the league is changing every year. It changed when I came. It changed before me. First of all, we have to be thankful for all those guys in the '60s and '70s. They made this league one of the best sports leagues in the world.”

“If you try to win and you lose, you can say, 'OK I tried.'”

“Because I play in NBA, I am like ambassador of Yugoslavia. Los Angeles before, nobody hear of Yugoslavia. Now I think much people who look at basketball hear of Yugoslavia.”

“It's a team game. I feel happier when I pass the ball than when I score.”

“L.A. is very big and very nice city.”

“Basketball gave me everything.”

“Basketball is the opposite of selfishness, basketball is solely about giving and sharing and caring for one another.”

“It was a lovely story that I finished my career with Kobe, with somebody who I was traded for. I have a lot of respect for the guy. I think he's definitely, by far, the best talent that I ever, ever played with.”

“I can't be against my people.”

“I'm sure my life after basketball is, hopefully, going to be even better.”

“To me, the game of basketball has always been about love.”

“I thought, 'I'm going to play in Yugoslavia, then I'll go to play in Italy or Spain.' Then I'll be 28 or 29 and I'll try NBA. I never thought I can play in NBA because NBA was totally different world for us in Europe.”

“Shaq wasn't talented - he was just strong. I was talented, but I wasn't strong.”

“I had to earn the respect from everybody, from referees to opponents, but my teammates, they saw some European guy coming here and I had to prove myself. Luckily, I proved myself, but with big help from the entire Lakers organization.”