I started playing basketball so late, it just means that anything is possible.
When I sat down with Under Armour, one of the first things we talked about was how this can be bigger than just shoes, bigger than just basketball.
Basketball has given me everything, but it has to be bigger than basketball. That was the first thing that I said to Under Armour, and they were behind it 100 percent. This isn't about a shoe deal.
I think it would've been a little easier if I grew up in America; they've got better conditions for basketball players. At the same time, many people have said to me that having to start playing so late helped me not pick up bad habits.
Agents recruiting high-school players and talking to high-schoolers - I feel like those are the people who put bad ideas in kids.
A lot of people just think I'm a big man, but I'm a basketball player. I am able to do everything that a basketball player can do - from playmaking and scoring to just passing the ball and just being a leader and post presence.
When I look at myself, I'm not a big man - I'm a guard. I can do everything on the basketball court. You can name it - pass, post up, shoot the ball, bring the ball up, being a playmaker - so I'm excited to break that stereotype.
Having your teammates' backs - that's what I feel being a leader is.
I want to be that type of guy - I want to be Kobe Bryant. I want to be Tim Duncan. I want to be Dirk Nowitzki - stay with one team my whole career.
I love when people tell me that I was gonna be a bust. I enjoy when people tell me, 'You suck. You can't dribble. You can't shoot,' because it's like, gotta go to the gym.
I had this DVD that my coach in Cameroon had mailed to me when I first came to America. It was an hour-long tape of Hakeem Olajuwon and some other legendary big men. I probably watched that DVD every single day for three years.
When I was still back in Cameroon, because I didn't know English, I used to listen to French rap all the time and then a little bit of American hip-hop. And then, when I got to the States, that's when I really got into all those guys - Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, all those guys.
Every time I'm on the court, every time a fan cheers for me, I just want to go out and make a play for them to cheer even more.
I always thought that the U.S. was just amazing, and it was just a dream. I thought it was Heaven. Coming here a couple years ago, you know, the U.S. is still nice, but it's not like what I thought it was going to be.
You know how I learned to shoot? I watched white people. Just regular white people. They really put their elbow in and finish up top. You can find videos of them online.
The Process is never going to end. It's an ongoing thing. I don't think it's ever going to stop. As I have explained before, it's a process for making it to the playoffs, it's another one to make the conference finals, another one to actually go to The Finals and win the championship.
If they're going to foul me, I'm going to step to the line and make some free throws.
My very first scrimmage at Kansas, I got dunked on so hard by Tarik Black that I almost quit. Tarik dunked on me so hard that I was looking at plane tickets home. This guy was a senior. He was a grown man. I didn't know what was going on. He got his own rebound and dunked over me so hard that everything went in slow motion.
I like Meek Mill a lot. I listen to 'Dreams & Nightmares' introduction a lot. I always act crazy when the beat drops.
Every time I get on the court, I want to push my teammates to be better as a leader and lead by example.
