Athlete Identity Quotes

I'm not like the next Michael Jordan, but I'm also not what everyone saw me as before I started playing in the NBA, either.

I want to have a bank account that represents me being a pro athlete.

I like to be just an athlete, but if I go to competition and compete, I love to be a star, maybe.

First and foremost, I'm an athlete. And I'm an Olympian. I'm not a gay Olympian. I'm just an Olympian that's also gay. I don't mind reading that - like, 'gay Olympian Adam Rippon.' It's fine. I hope that, in a way, it makes it easier for other young kids who are gay. If they go to the Olympics, they can just be called Olympians.

I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon.

I don't want my Olympic experience to be about Mike Pence. You know, I want it to be about my amazing skating and being America's sweetheart.

Was it a risky move? Yes, but at that moment, the reason why I came out is I thought it wasn't going to be a big deal. Maybe I was naive. Maybe I thought it was 2014, and people will understand that there's gay NFL players. There's gay athletes everywhere. But I was clearly wrong. It was a huge deal.

My first name during my first match was 'Lena.' I was still Lena then, just because we hadn't gotten a name yet.

I'm kind of like a black unicorn out there. It's amazing to watch. You go out there and you see a big, black guy running down the field, it's usually me.

There are a lot of pretty girls. I am a tennis player first of all, that is why I am here, and if wasn't producing results no one would notice me.

Before being an athlete, I'm a person, a human being, like the ones Open Arms are saving every day.

If you have a body, you are an athlete!

LeBron knows exactly who he is.

It's 2018, and being an openly gay man and an athlete, that is part of the face of America now.

I'm an athlete, so I can dress down with the best of them. I can throw on t-shirts and sweats with the best of them.

A lot of people say Klay Thompson. I get that comparison a lot. I like that.

You don't have to look like an Under Armour mannequin to be an athlete. A lot of people probably think I'm not athletic or don't even try to work out or whatever, but I do. Just because you're big doesn't mean you can't be an athlete. And just because you work out doesn't mean you're going to have a 12-pack.

People don't need to necessarily see me in the jersey to understand who I am and what message I'm trying to get across with the things that I'm marketing.

I don't think we know who a lot of these athletes are. We think we do, but they're never allowed to be themselves. Because the minute they try, people are saying, What's wrong with him? Why is he drawing attention to himself?

I never claimed to be anything more than a nice guy and an athlete.

I'm not a UFC athlete. I'm a UFC fighter.

I hope people see us not just as a football player, but also as human beings, we are not machines!

I am a sportsman and not a politician. I am a sportsman and will always remain one. I am not going to enter politics giving up cricket, which is my life. I will continue to play cricket.

I definitely don't want to be one of those athletes who turns into a cheesy actress.

But they've [my children] made me better. They hold me more accountable for who I am and who I aspire to be, and they make me want to be better. And that's not just as a mommy, but as a woman and as an athlete.