“My role is to make sure we're moving in the right direction, getting points, rebounds, steals, assists and providing leadership.”

“I'm focused on the task that lies ahead for us.”

"I grew up in front of these people, and now they are seeing me as an ‘older’ young man."

"I don't just try to score. The challenge is elevating my teammates to be able to win a championship.”

"Everyting negative—pressure, challenges—is all an opportunity for me to rise.”

“I’m playing against great players, playing against the best in the world. The competition—that’s what I’ve always wanted.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.”

“Sometimes I do wonder what college would have been like. But I made my decision.”

“My parents are my backbone. Still are. They’re the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.”

“What I’m doing right now, I’m chasing perfection.”

"As far as carrying the torch for the years to come, I don't know. I just want to be the best basketball player I can be."

"I dont want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant."

"I didn't expect this award [the 2008 MVP] would come to me. I'm surprised. I've played pretty well in other seasons. Our team hasn't been as good. Things just fell into place.”

“I love the weather, I love my '63 droptop Impala, I love the 405, and I love my guys.”

“This is an award I couldn't have won on my own. I can't thank these guys enough. These are my guys, these are my brothers.”

“If they want to win right now, I'm all for it. That's all I said the whole time. If you want to wait five years, let me know. My legs aren't as young as they used to be.”

"You have to be able to separate business from the love of the game. There were a lot of decisions made business-wise that I wasn't happy with, and I took a lot of blame over the years. But you have to be able to separate that from the love you have for the game."

"I'm just so excited. We all are. We've been waiting for this [the gold medal] for years now and it's finally here. This meant so much. It just felt so good."

"Everybody wants to talk about NBA players being selfish and arrogant and individuals. But what you saw today was a team bonding and facing adversity and coming out with a big win."