Shawn Kemp Quotes

Rick Barry always amazed me - he was one of the best free-throw shooters of all time, and he used to throw it underhand.

I've looked up to Michael Jordan because not only was he an assassin on offense, he was an assassin on defense.

Pau is one of the best big men in the game. I mean, Pau Gasol is going to be in the Hall of Fame.

I was a professional athlete, the best baseball player in the world at one point.

Who do I think was the greatest? This might shock you: Elgin Baylor. He did so many great things. Nobody could guard him, playing in the forward spot. I'd love to see some of today's greats playing against Elgin. They couldn't guard him. Nobody could.

My rookie year was huge for me as far as the learning curve, especially those last three games.

I guarantee you, if you could give me 10 points in all those seventh games against the Boston Celtics, instead of Bill Russell having 11 rings, I could've at least had nine or eight.

I've got to give Larry Bird his due; he was a great player. He knew the game and he was smart.

A lot of black guys always ask me, 'Did Larry Bird really play that good?' I said, 'Larry Bird is so good it's frightening.'

People don't realize this, but throughout my career, I grew up patterning my game after Scottie Pippen's. I admire him for his versatility.

As a footballer, you want to keep testing yourself and you also want to be playing at the biggest clubs possible.

Kobe Bryant is a walking stat himself. He doesn't have to explain what he brings to the table.

I couldn't shoot. When I went to play in Europe, I learned to shoot better. I could jump, so people would just back off of me.

I still say, to this day, I could not guard Nigel Lloyd.

Ronnie Lott - he got a really good shot on me once and I learned that unless I wanted to shorten my career, I needed to steer clear of his path.

I thought the lanes opened up when Michael Jordan used to drive. I used to be like, 'Wow.'

I have a lot of respect for Shaq. He's one of the greatest NBA centers of all time.

Larry Bird was a talker. He'd tell you something and you'd be like, are you kidding me? You're really telling me that?

I'm no slouch, but when comparing LeBron's game, I'm usually left out.

Michael Jordan was the greatest practice player I've ever seen.

Do I want to be the best defender in Europe? Of course. Any defender will tell you that - who wouldn't want to be the best?

I'm just trying to pass Tim Duncan in championships if I can one day. That's my motivation; that's what I strive for. Tim is one of the greatest players who has ever played, so if I could get close or reach that plateau and have my name on that list.

Obviously, Kobe is one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

All I used to want to do was shoot fadeaways like Kobe because he was my favorite player.

Kobe Bryant has always been my favorite player, and he was drafted No. 13, too, in 1996.