A lot of NBA owners sit at the midcourt. But we love being under the basket and seeing the players.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Homecourt is everything in the NBA.
I met wonderful people playing in the NBA. Whether it is the officials, the scorekeepers, all the people who work for the NBA, not just for the Lakers, but I'm talking about just for the league itself.
I am always amazed at how many guys in the NBA have never met an owner much less ever been to an owner's house. We bought the team so that we would be able to be a positive force, so that they in turn would be a positive force to young people everywhere.
The league is changing, and we don't have many back-to-the-basket players. We now have a game that requires skill and versatility. A lot of that is about being able to think. It makes all the difference in the world to have a player in there with a high basketball IQ who can make the right decision.
I've never found NBA owners to be deferential. I never considered them to be reliant. All that I do is knock myself out to represent their interests the best way I can and sometimes tell them, as part of my job, what they don't like to hear.
Sitting behind the bench at games is the hardest thing I've ever had to go through because basketball is really most of my happiness. So when I can't go out there and exert energy and have fun and things like that, it kind of puts everything else into perspective.
Kobe enjoys that situation. Stepping up and making the big basket or being involved in a key play.
Everybody in the NBA works on their game. I just tried to follow that lead when I was in high school, college - and now.
The thing with NBA teams, a lot of times they just want to get you back on the floor to play, so as a player you've got to be very, very smart.
The business always gets in the way of basketball.