You have to be able to accept failure to get better.

You know, my family and friends have never been yes-men: 'Yes, you're doing the right thing, you're always right.' No, they tell me when I'm wrong, and that's why I've been able to stay who I am and stay humble.

When you have that respect from your teammates, it makes it a lot more comfortable.

I like criticism. It makes you strong.

You can't be afraid to fail. It's the only way you succeed - you're not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that.

My father wasn't around when I was a kid, and I used to always say, 'Why me? Why don't I have a father? Why isn't he around? Why did he leave my mother?' But as I got older I looked deeper and thought, 'I don't know what my father was going through, but if he was around all the time, would I be who I am today?'

I have short goals - to get better every day, to help my teammates every day - but my only ultimate goal is to win an NBA championship. It's all that matters. I dream about it. I dream about it all the time, how it would look, how it would feel. It would be so amazing.

My mom and I have always been there for each other. We had some tough times, but she was always there for me.

For me, already being part of a single parent household and knowing it was just me and my mom, you'd would wake up times and hope that the next day you'd be able to be alongside your mother because she was out trying to make sure that I was taken care of. But all I cared about was her being home.

Being the only man in the household with my mom definitely helped me grow up fast.

I hear my friends and my mom tell me I'm special, but honestly, I still don't get it.

When I was 5, some financial things happened, and I moved seven times in a year. We moved from apartment to apartment, sometimes living with friends. My mom would always say, 'Don't get comfortable, because we may not be here long.'

I'm a pretty funny guy, and I would love to do a comedy with a bunch of funny guys - movie-star guys, where they could help me through it.

But sports carried me away from being in a gang, or being associated with drugs. Sports was my way out.

When did I know I had talent? I think it started when I first started playing sports, organized sports.

But now, being a parent, I go home and see my son and I forget about any mistake I ever made or the reason I'm upset. I get home and my son is smiling or he comes running to me. It has just made me grow as an individual and grow as a man.

Akron, Ohio, is my home. It will always be remembered. Akron, Ohio, is my life.

Akron, Ohio, is my home. I will always be here. I'm still working out at my old high school.