Ray Allen

My mission my whole career was just to be somebody that you can look at and say, 'That's the guy I want to go into battle with.'

What I learned in my career is to know how to take care of my body and treat it with respect. I will never forget that and never let go of that.

The years in Boston were the best of my career, and they mean more to me than anything. Winning on that stage was incomparable to anything else. That's the way I choose to look at it.

What I don't like in my job is somebody who doesn't put forth the effort. Somebody who doesn't come to play every day.

Without my success in basketball, I'm nothing. My family, my daughter, my teammates, my foundation, my acting career - they all depend on that success.

I've always been about progress and accomplishment. When you set your mind toward a goal, you continue to have follow-through.

It's important for parents to put kids in positions where they can succeed and to teach competition because competition exists not only in sports.

As a team, we're all inside a bubble. Each of us only has so much room to operate. You have to carve out your space and recognize that because of someone else's needs, you might have to compromise a bit.

It doesn't necessarily have to be championship-or-bust for me to go back to the NBA. I want to be in a situation where I thought I could help, play a little bit, and help where they have good young talent.

I want kids to believe that I was just like they were, and to believe that they, too, can aspire to great things.

I have a taste for a lot of different kinds of music... everything, from hip-hop to jazz to R&B to top 40 to alternative. There's a lot of good music out there. Every now and then, I'll flip through VH1 and watch the videos... the only thing I really don't listen to is country.

There's always a thrill to see a guy's face when you sent 'em packing because you're gonna be the last person they thought about, the whole offseason.