SHAUN LIVINGSTON

I never want to forget that I'm not anything special.

Oh, I never knew I was going to be a great player.

I lost a lot. It was almost like I was a retired player where I lost all of my athleticism. I lost everything. Being able to get it back, step by step, little bit at a time, it was like surprising myself.

I'm a believer in God, I'm a believer that he puts us where he wants us to be.

The better I feel about my body, the better I feel about my game.

Just the passion to play the game is what kept me going.

I like putting things together. The long game. Strategizing. Being able to mix and match personalities of guys.

The knee was all deformed, bloodied up and leaking with puss. I just couldn't move it. Stiff. It was like I had a spare leg. All of my quad was skinny. It was like a pole with a pineapple in the middle of it.

I think I can help push the tempo just a little bit... I feel I can get the ball after a rebound. Push the fastbreak. Push the tempo. Get guys some easy shots.

Dub Nation has been everything to me... Just the way that Warriors fans have embraced me - I want to send a thank you to all you out there for all the support, for real.

If I'm healthy and having fun, then I want to play.

I wasn't afraid of failing. A lot of people fear failure, and I think that holds a lot of people back. But a lot of times, it's possibly the best thing that could happen to you because you learn how to get back up, you learn how to do it better and you're stronger from that.

Peoria has been near and dear in my heart. It's been with me wherever I've been. I always have wanted to give back and touch the city in some way.

I'm only 27 but still I've had a lot of experience just playing with different teams, different coaches, different players.

I want people to use my story to stand up, be strong-willed and persevere.

At the end of the day, it's about winning. I want to be productive out there, of course. But I care about the score more than what I care about the stats.

Seeing the ball go in during the game, getting to your spots, getting spot-up shots. You have that rhythm and you have that confidence in yourself. And everybody else has that confidence in you too, more importantly.

The advice I would've given my younger self is, 'Be patient; just hold on.'

That's what I was trying to do: be a reliable guy, dependable guy you know wasn't going to make a lot of mistakes. Maybe not high-ceiling, high-reward, but low-risk.

The Bay Area for me has provided the most stability and it's definitely provided life-changing opportunities for myself, for my family, so I'm incredibly grateful for all that's gone on these past five years.

Being on the court you can really negate your athletic ability by just being in the right position.

As a youngster, I got so much attention because I was ahead of the other kids - even when I was eight, nine years old. But I never was really seeking attention, so I didn't care about scoring 30, 40 points.

I just always had a knack for handling and passing the rock and making things happen.

The NBA is kind of where I've grown up, coming out of high school at 18.

Everybody has their own path and I believe everything happens for a reason and you kind of just rock with it.