ZAZA PACHULIA

The best part of my career has been the relationships with the fans and the kids.

I don't care about All-Star or the fame that comes with it, the recognition.

When I tell people I played with Giannis they don't remember it as much because I played with him in the first two years of his career, so he was not as flashy.

Having limited minutes is hard and it's not right to think about numbers. But in those minutes, you have to have a positive impact. That's the beauty of this game.

My dad never took me to see judo.

My mom used to be a basketball player so I was really into it. Plus of course my height made it easier for me to decide what kind of sport I wanted to play, so at the age of nine I went to my first basketball practice.

Since childhood, my mind was wired like that. My mindset was I want to be a businessman.

A little pain is no problem.

Threaten me, but don't threaten my wife or say something about my kids. It's just wrong.

I love this game so much and enjoy being with the guys so much on the court.

I'm not trying to be dirty. I'm out there to play basketball and not fight. But if it comes to the situation, one thing, know this, I'm never going to back down from anybody.

I am not the type of player who makes problems for the team.

Words can't describe how happy I'm feeling with the love I'm feeling from the fans, from the Mavs fans and my people in Georgia. They appreciate what I do.

One of the best highlights of my Harvard business program I attended was I had 60 students in my class. I was the tallest, of course, but looking at the students, 30 of them were American and 30 of them were from all over the world.

It's tough when you don't know if you're going to play or when you're going to play. But keeping the consistency and keeping in shape is important.

Losing my dad made me more mature. Being an only child, I didn't have the right to act childish. I had to step up. I was earning money already in Turkey. I felt like I needed to protect the family and protect my mom and be a man.

Especially when it comes to the Finals and playoffs, your team needs you mentally and physically.

I don't think there is one player who is liked by everybody. Every single person has their own flavor.

It's not easy to be an All-Star, but it's even more difficult to be loved by so many people and have so many people have your back, especially a guy coming from a small country like Georgia.

Everybody knows that Steph Curry changed the game. He's such a great athlete, but that's all we see on the TV, on the highlights on social media. I wish we could see what type of people they are more, because that's the leadership to me, that's the inspiration to me.

Basketball is going to stop someday. But friendships are going to last forever. That's something you can't buy with money.

If you want to know who Zaza Pachulia is and you don't know, talk to any of my teammates. Teammates, coaches, I played over 1,000 games.

I can't worry about things that I can't control. That's the best approach, so I've been doing that.

If you love this game, you always want to be out there, not in the sideline dressed in the street clothes. Especially when you know you can help the team.

I can't play without being aggressive.