My whole thing is if you want to do it, then do it. Kobe told me this, but he said, 'You don't wanna lay all your eggs in one basket, but you wanna lay all your eggs in one basket.' If you wanna do something and be great at it, that's what you're going to have to specialize in. Just take it and run.

Mohamed Bamba

The relationships that I've built there, and the people that I've come across, I met some of my best friends in life at the University of Texas.

Mohamed Bamba

You gotta deal with a lot of people, the naysayers... but I've always been the guy who kinda just smiles and laughs at it. I use it as constructive criticism to be honest. Whether they're intentionally trying to be kind of spiteful or not, it's constructive criticism because you can't say there's always truth to it but there's definitely something.

Mohamed Bamba

I watched the Knicks when they were at their worst, and I would always root for them because it's always been in my heart.

Mohamed Bamba

There's a rumor that my great-grandmother was 6'7''. I don't know if it's necessarily true, but that's a big woman.

Mohamed Bamba

Tony Bradley is pretty good.

Mohamed Bamba

At first, Coach Smart was big on not overwhelming me. But I told him, 'My mental capacity is a lot more than you think it is. I can take it.'

Mohamed Bamba

With that corner 3, it's the highest percentage shot in the game.

Mohamed Bamba

My whole thing is if you want to do it, then do it. Kobe told me this, but he said, 'You don't wanna lay all your eggs in one basket, but you wanna lay all your eggs in one basket.' If you wanna do something and be great at it, that's what you're going to have to specialize in. Just take it and run.

Mohamed Bamba

I truly believe motivation is internal, but there are so many things that happen externally, and it's hard to not pick that up as motivation.

Mohamed Bamba

I'm not a guy who is out there looking to get his game going or put up shots; I'm out there to win, and I don't care if I'm playing three or 30 minutes.

Mohamed Bamba

I need to improve on a lot of different areas. I need to improve on my timing on my shot-blocking, when to go, and when not to go. And there's definitely always room for improvement on my shooting.

Mohamed Bamba

I don't really want to be cocky when I say this, but I really feel I can be one of the best rim protectors in the league, you know, as a rookie.

Mohamed Bamba

I have the natural ability to pick things up a lot faster than I think most people would.

Mohamed Bamba

If you look at all the great shot-blockers of all time, they had length, and they had instincts. Even when you look at guards, like Dwyane Wade. He's one of the best shot-blocking guards ever, and he has great instincts. He's kind of cat-like.

Mohamed Bamba

Coach Smart did a great job of just letting me come to terms with myself as a basketball player and a person.

Mohamed Bamba

A unicorn is a mythical creature that you've never seen before. And a unicorn player, he makes plays and does stuff you've never seen before.

Mohamed Bamba

That's something I embrace, just doing stuff not many people can do.

Mohamed Bamba

A 7-footer who hits a step-back jumper - that's a pretty unicorn-like thing. Or someone who blocks a shot off the top of the backboard, pushes it in transition, and finds a shooter in the corner - that's pretty unicorn-like.

Mohamed Bamba

One of my goals is to be Defensive Player of the Year. One of my goals is to be Rookie of the Year. And one of my long-term goals is to be walking across that stage with a jacket on and a nice little patch on it that says 'Hall of Fame.'

Mohamed Bamba

Chicago is a great city.

Mohamed Bamba