Pro basketball is a very mercenary endeavor.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Every little kid that steps on the court or the field has aspirations to go pro. I think being a pro basketball player is the best job. The thing I had to realize was that I can't do every dream that I have.
I played basketball, and I loved it. But I never thought of it seriously as being a professional.
In college I never realized the opportunities available to a pro athlete. I've been given the chance to meet all kinds of people, to travel and expand my financial capabilities, to get ideas and learn about life, to create a world apart from basketball.
The business always gets in the way of basketball.
Professional sports is a business.
Basketball is one of those rare opportunities where you can make a difference, not only for yourself, but for other people as well.
I don't feel like basketball is the only way to make a living.
Basketball is basketball.
Players aren't quite as mercenary as people make them out to be. Some of them are but some aren't.
As I've said, basketball has been, I think, a real cooperative venture. There have been a lot of people that have been involved in it: coaches, administrators - not recently - fans and nobody, nobody any more so than students over the years.