“Basketball is a game that has blessed me. It’s a game that’s consumed me, that’s given me so much. Basketball doesn’t care what color your skin is. It doesn’t care what language you speak or what religion you practice. It doesn’t care if you’re big or small, fast or slow. It simply asks you to play, to compete, to lose with dignity, to win with humility, to make your teammates look good, and to respect your opponent.

“The game asks that you work to improve, that you put something into it, and that you also give something back to it. The game is universal. It is a language that unites all of us.”