I like Allen‘s nickname, ‘the Answer‘. When he first came into the league they asked him what he was called. He said ‘Some call me Bubba Chuck. Some of my friends call me the Answer because when I‘m on the court I will answer every bell that rings.‘ And ever since then, for thirteen years he has been up there. So I like that name very much.

You mentioned the other day that you played with Joe “Jelly Bean“ Bryant and that Kobe used to join the team at practice sessions. Can you tell us a little bit about young Kobe?

At that time Kobe was a freshman in high school and he was playing against our guys as we had a pick up game going. I knew Kobe before because I watched him play at Lower Merion High School. So I knew that he had game. But what I didn‘t know was how good he had become from playing in Italy where he played against a lot of guys who were older than he was. And he also played with his father every day. And his father used to beat him up on the basketball court. Kobe would drive past him and Joe just kept hacking his son and fouling him. And I was like ‘Man, that‘s a foul!‘ But Kobe just kept playing. I knew that Kobe was going to become something really special because he didn‘t whine or cry about nothing. And the guys on our team knew as well. He’d wear them out. I think Vernon Maxwell was the only guy Kobe didn’t light up.

Tell me why style is important in basketball. What do style and basketball have to do with each other?

See it‘s just like a great one-on-one basketball player. You‘re talking about the Michael Jordans, the Magic Johnsons, the Larry Birds, the World B Frees of this world. What we do is we come out on the court and we play with a special style. And when you play like that you’re likely to celebrate your style off court too. And that‘s why it‘s important what you wear. So when you come out on the court or out on the street, people will see that‘s what separates us from the others.

Would you say that Allen Iverson is like the World B Free of this era because he brought a whole new, kind of style to the game and made it his own?

I would say that Allen Iverson would be a good second World B Free for what he has done in basketball – other than the thug life. He is an icon for young people. His clothes and the way he wears them, and also him coming into the league wearing braids. He has his own type of style.

How many shoes do you have at home?

(thinks) I would say over a thousand pairs of shoes.

Man, how much space does that take?

Well it does take up a lot of space. I have one of these clean houses and a closet where you just push a button and it goes round and round until you get to the style you like. A good friend of mine made this one for me and he did a really good job.

You played in the NBA from the 60ies all the way to the beginning of the 80ies and you were always leading the league with your style. What kind of reactions did you receive for your whole World B Free style?

I was always a trendsetter. When I saw someone wearing stuff that I liked I always tried to do it a little bit different. If someone wore his socks either high or low I would wear mine in between. I never wanted to be the same as the next person. I wanted to be World B Free. So I wanted the people to say ‘Wow, when World B Free wears something then it has to be something different.‘. That‘s what I wanted the people to know about World B Free.

You guys were wearing your gold chains during the games and everything. Tell me your honest to God opinion about the NBA dress code.

My opinion on that doesn‘t really mean anything. But I believe right now that the players should wear suits and ties. When you are a professional and you go out to the public you dress accordingly. When you get home from the game and you wanna get comfortable you can relax. But when you are doing your profession you should pay attention to the fact that there‘s kids looking up to you.

What was your reaction when you were approached by k1x several years ago to create whole line based around the “World B Free”? What were you thinking?

When they first came to me I was elated by it. I’ve had companies come at me before, big guns too. But I never really felt it. Then my son told me one day ‘Dad it would cool to have your own line. You should go ahead and do something like that.’ And a year later K1X approached me about the possibility a second time after first bringing up the ideas at the All Star Game in Philly back in 2002. You know, God is good in all kinds of ways. I think it’s a great thing because, like I said, I’m a stylish guy, a trendsetter. And I only try to wear the best. And this is what K1X has put out for me, the best.

Pics: Steve Boyle

Interview: Niels Jäger & Christian Trojan

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George “Iceman“ Gervin. He was one of the best players I ever played against. When this man was rolling, and this was like every game, he could get 50 on you in a half – and not even break a sweat. And that‘s why they call him “The Iceman“. I asked him about that and he just said ‘World, I just scored 60 on you, and I’m not even sweating.‘ (laughs)

What about your own quote “passes don‘t get paid“.

Uhh, I got that from Fred Carter. When I was a rookie he came to me ‘Rook, let me tell you something. In this league, passes don‘t get paid. Passes do not get paid.‘ And that stuck with me as soon as I stepped on the basketball court. It wasn‘t my own theory though. I got it from a veteran. There could be five guys open and he would still not pass it to you. (laughs)

How confident were you as a player?

As a player? Very confident. I knew that I could get my shot over anybody on the basketball court because of my jumping ability and I had ball handling skills. I could go either left hand or right hand. I was very confident in my offensive game.

When you look back at your NBA career you were an All Star and you were one of the big stars of the NBA. Do you have any regrets? Do you think you have been conceived by the fans and the media in the way that you should have been?

I don‘t have any regrets. If I had to do it all over again, believe me, I would do it just the same way because I know that what I did helped guys like Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson or Magic Johnson to become who they are. Even though they would never say it. But the reason why I say that is when I shot the ball 20 times a game I was called a gunner. Today players like the three guys I mentioned can shoot the ball 30 or even 40 times per game and will be called a great player because you average 25 points. It allowed them to step out of that shadow of being called a gunner for taking that many shots. I helped that and I feel good about that.

You say you don‘t have any regrets about your basketball career. Do you know what I would regret? The fact that I didn‘t play 20 years later and made 20 million dollars a year.

(laughs) But you know what? You can say all that and it‘s all good. But to put your mind there would be just wrong when you are a real basketball player. I would have to be really selfish. When George Mikan and Bob Cousy played the game they made like 25 dollars. So who am I to demand that more money than they made?

How do you feel about your place in basketball history? I read that you were a little disappointed that the Cavaliers have not retired your number.

Yeah, because the franchise was family and when I got to Cleveland there were like 16, literally 16, people in the stands. And by the time I left my teammates and me helped turn that into a basketball place once again. And for being a big part of that success you might think about retiring my number. It was a good place for me though.

Tell us what you‘re doing these days.

I‘m the Players Development Coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. That includes teaching these young guys, who suddenly make a lot of money, how to react in certain situations. They have people coming into their lives now, women coming into their lives. And I help them deal with all those things. So if the players don‘t want to talk to the regular coaches they can come talk to me.

I‘m also very involved in the community. I‘m working on several projects right now as the Community Relations Leader for the Sixers. That includes going to high schools as well as colleges and talking to kids there about drug awareness and also the different ways to success in life.

You look like you are still in shape. Do you still play ball or maybe hit the streetball scene?

What I do is I shoot with the team. I broke my foot last year but I‘m getting back there. And sometimes when the guys play half court and they want to go full court then we will go full court. I‘ve been playing with the guys before and I was beating them up. (laughs) They said ‘Come on World, you keep playing that old men‘s game!‘ And I said ‘No, that‘s the game! You will have to just learn it. So when you get fouled out there you won‘t even recognize you got fouled.‘

And who is your favorite player in the game today?

I do like Allen Iverson and I also like Andre Iguodala a lot. He is starting to get there now.

I see you got the Sixers flavor in there.

(laughs) Yeah. It‘s great to be around these guys every day, and having gotten to witness AI up close. The real special thing to me with the player today is the kind of respect that they show me. Nobody turns their nose up to me, not even the biggest star in the league. And that means more than money to me.

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The NBA and streetball are two totally different games. The players on the streetball courts have their own unique set of talents. But the level of attention they receive now helps some of them to get into the league. And that‘s a good thing.

You were playing professionally in a time where it was hard not to get in trouble sometimes. Teammates smoking and drinking in the locker room. But today you are teaching the kids not to do those things. Did you, back then, sometimes feel that you were on the wrong side of the track?

Let me put it this way. Temptation was there. But with me coming from Brownsville and playing only my first and second season in the league I was a nobody basically. So when I looked at all the guys I was strong enough to know that it wasn‘t for me. I said to myself ‘I‘m going to make it‘ and I went 13 years in the NBA.

While you played actively, the league was very different from today. People would go outside for a smoke break in between games. Tell us about that era.

Yes, you are right. When I was a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers they had beers in the locker room, they were actually smoking cigarettes in the locker room. It was a totally different time back then. But when I was a rookie I played with some of the greatest players who ever played this game, even though some of them were already in their thirties. And they did the things they did and I could never understand that. But they were no doubt dedicated to the game.

You played with some of the most interesting characters to ever play the game. Just let me know what goes through your mind when you hear the different names.

Oh, oh.

Let‘s start with Julius.

Julius Erving was a special basketball player. If you wanted your kid to look up to one person for what that person did on a basketball court that person would be Julius Erving.

Darryl Dawkins.

The Character. And also one of the best friends I‘ve had in the basketball world. Great guy, great individual. He was a man to himself because he was the first one I knew who could put somebody on “Lovetron“. You‘ve never heard of that before in basketball. That was until Darryl Dawkins came in right out of high school making up names. The choke-your-mother-jumpshot and stuff like that. A great guy.

How about Charles Barkley?

He was a different character. Charles Barkley was the beast of the east. If it wasn‘t his way it was no way.

And everybody was scared of him.

Yeah, he would bully you.

Talk about the layup lines back when you were with the 76ers.

Man, you are talking about something very special right there. I mean people got mad when they missed the Sixers warmup. They rather missed the game than miss the layup line. The World would go first. After that Darryl Dawkins with a Chocolate Thunder Dunk. Boom. And then Doc soaring in from the free throw line. Boom. Then I would throw it of the glass and finish with a tomahawk. That layup line was our trademark when we came to the building. We had some guys that could do unbelievable dunks. The layup line alone was a dunk show.

How do you think the best five players of your era would fare against the best five guys of today‘s era?

I believe that the best five players from my era would wear today‘s guys out. And I‘m not just saying that because I was part of that era. I believe that we were more physical, that we were more skilled in our profession and in what we did on the basketball court. Nowadays they hype the game a little bit different. I‘m not saying there is no talent out there. There is a lot of talent. I just think that the skill-factor is a little bit different.

You were one of the players who brought the slam dunk to the NBA. Who took that torch from you? And who do you enjoy watching today when it comes to aerial assaults?

In my active days it was Julius of course, and Michael Jordan. I also liked Connie Hawkins, but also the little guys like Spud Webb, coming out there and doing the incredible at five foot seven. I watched a lot of different players and everybody put something different into their dunks.

You even played in the league with Mike. So you brought several generations together. You were there for the generation of the Ervings and then you were there for the generation of the Jordans. How was MJ as a player?

As you can imagine he was one of the greatest players to ever play the game. In his first four years in the league Michael and I went head to head. In his book “Come Fly with Me“ he was asked who he respected the most in the league for doing to him what he had done to the other guy. And he said World B Free. That was an honor for me. Him speaking so highly about me. And it‘s in his book, you can read it up. (laughs) I just knew that he was something special once I saw him. The same was true with Magic Johnson. I was playing when Magic came into the league, broke him in his first game. And I knew right then that he was going to be something really special.

I was going to ask you about that. Magic was the most hyped Rookie coming into the league that year and in his first game you dropped 46 on him. Did you think that all the hype was for nothing?

No, no. I didn‘t think like that. I was still a young buck at that time. When people are looking somewhere they are not looking somewhere else. So I wanted to catch their attention. I was the underdog at that moment … and that‘s when I‘m dangerous.

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Can you take us back to Brownsville and tell us how you grew up there and how that made you the person that you are today?

Brownsville is a world of its own, as you know. You‘ve been out there, too. It‘s a place that either made you or broke you. So either you were going to be someone or you wasn‘t.

I always followed a couple of guys that were older than me. And they didn‘t let me play basketball until I was in 11th or 12th grade. A lot of the guys who got out there were a lot younger than I was. I didn‘t have that great of skills at that time but I had great elevation with my jumpshot. So the older guys would always teach me more about the game, beat me up, pound me on the court. They would treat me like a rookie and I would learn from that. And as I got better and better I started to teach that to the younger kids.

In Brownsville you had just one basket and the ball had no rills, it was bald as my head right now. And I was just in there, I just loved the game. It was great. You had to come out in the snow and rain and we did that. That‘s what it was all about.

What was the New York streetball scene in general like back then?

Back then, when you lost a basketball game that was it. It was all over. You might not play again until ten at night. The court was so crowded and everybody wanted to show their stuff. There were people coming from all over. We were in Brooklyn, so people from the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Staton Island came to Browsville, to a court that we called Sixty-Six Park back then, because that‘s where legends were made. And everyone wanted to go to that park to be somebody. They had the Rucker Pros up in Harlem but we had Sixty-Six Park.

Tell us who played in that park.

We had guys like Jim McMillan, Doc played there, too. We also had guys like Connie Hawkins, Nate “Tiny“ Archibald. We had some of the best players to ever play this game.

What other tournaments were there in the city besides Rucker and Sixty Six Park?

There was a tournament at St. Johns Recreation Centre that was big. But you could basically go to every basketball court in Brooklyn at that time and find that the court was full. It‘s not the same anymore. When you drive by the parks you won‘t see that many kids out there anymore.

You are not the biggest basketball player when it comes to height. Tell us how you changed your shot to overcome that.

My thing was I had a 44‘ vertical leap and I was very strong. I used to shoot straight in front of my face when I brought the ball up. But I realized that that shot got blocked every time. So I started to put the ball up to the side of my head and combined with my vertical I could shoot over the defenders.

I heard you also started shooting over a ladder.

Yeah, I did that to create a higher arc for my shot. I actually did a lot of those things because the guys back then were pretty much jumping out of the building. So if you didn‘t want your shot to be smacked all the way to the other end of the court you better come up with something. That‘s a lesson you learned for the rest of your life.

You probably have told the story a million times but we need to hear it again. Where does “World“ come from?

That name comes from a guy by the name of Herb Smith. This is a guy who is also from Brownsville who introduces everybody who he thinks will come into the NBA, in his mind. So he will give you a nickname. He named guys like Julius “Dr. J“ Erving, Connie “The Hawk“ Hawkins, Phil “The Thrill“ Sellers. He called me “All World“ one time because I was doing 360 slam dunks in games. And I remember, it was in a league game, about two seconds on the clock and I stopped, bounced, did a whole 360 and dunked the ball. And Herb just yelled “All World“. That rang around the whole gym and ever since then I was called “All World“. And that was just in Junior High School.

What made you change your name legally as well?

“B Free“ was the name given to me by my father. So I just changed the Lloyd to “World“. I said to myself that if I should make it professionally in the league with this name that was given to me I would go ahead and wish that the world could be free one day.

But there was a lot of turmoil going on at that time after the war in Vietnam and the Cold War. Was there something philosophical about that name? Were you like a hippie?

No, no, no. I wasn‘t a hippie or any of those kinds of people. What I was was a person that wanted good for everybody. My mom and dad raised me to be kind to everyone, no matter what color or race you are. And at that time I was just hoping that the world could be free. So if people would speak about me they could keep it in their head that the world be free.

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There is one thing you have to say about Allen Iverson. The man known as The Answer never shied away from anyone or anything in his 13 years in the NBA. Iverson remained true to himself whether it was the way he lived his life or his idea of basketball. Whether or not his way was the right one is anyone’s guess – even if it’s leading him to a dead end.

Since 2001, I have spoken with Allen Iverson four times. He was always honest, speaking openly about the game, the world and his role within it. Unfortunately though, he has been unable to accomplish a number of things he had planned. In Los Angeles, I asked the then 28-year-old if he thought that he would have to change his game in the future. He was after all nearing 30 years old – an age when many guards start losing their quickness. And it’s a dangerous time, especially for shooting guards like Iverson who live off their athleticism. A.I. knew that he would one day not be able to play like he did when he was 22. He mentioned that he wanted to play like John Stockton, as smart and clever as the former Utah Jazz playmaker who was elected into the Hall of Fame this year. On June 7, Allen Iverson will turn 34 years old. And there is none of Stockton in Iverson’s game.

The 2K9 Allen Iverson plays just like the 2K1 Allen Iverson. For the Nuggets in 2008, he averaged 26.4 points, 7.1 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three-point range. In 2001 those numbers were 31.1 points, 4.6 assists, 2.5 steals, 42.0 FG% and 32.0 3P%. Oh, and Iverson was named MVP while his Sixers lost in the Finals against the ShaKobe Lakers. Last season though, Iverson and the Nuggets were bounced in the first round of the playoffs, getting swept 4-0 against Kobe’s Lakers.

Iverson was not allowed to be Iverson in Detroit. The Pistons run a system relying on quick ball movement and a team-first attitude without a real star. None of that was a good fit for A.I. His scoring average of 17.5 points was hardly a sign that the league’s four-time top scorer had suddenly lost his ability to score the ball. Detroit and Iverson was more the result of a forced marriage. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think Iverson will ever win another MVP award or be as dominating as he was nine years ago. Allen Iverson could, however, still lead the NBA in scoring in the right system.

Allen Iverson’s problem though is that he would only accept a leading man role. He would never be one of five equal starters or even a high-scoring Sixth Man. He was always the guy who was in control of things – whether that meant being a high school quarterback, the rookie who took all the shots in Philadelphia or the MVP of an NBA Finals team. Allen Iverson is unshakable in his belief that he must have the ball in his hands for his team to win. And that has made Iverson a free agent. Yeah, the guy who hasn’t averaged fewer than 26.3 points per game in a season since 1999 is worth about as much as stock in General Motors.

If you look around the 30 NBA teams, it will take a while to find a franchise where The Answer would prove to be a feasible solution. None of the playoff teams would be an option since they have a certain hierarchy already in place and at least one star who defines their team. Things are similar with the lottery teams from the Western Conference. Most of them have talented young stars and are building strong squads. The only team where Allen Iverson would make sense in the Eastern Conference are the Charlotte Bobcats – a team which would close the circle of Iverson’s career.

The Bobcats’ coach is Larry Brown, the coach with whom Iverson went to the Finals in 2001. And Brown still raves about Iverson to this day. If anybody would know how to build A.I. successfully into a team, it’s Brown. And Charlotte’s roster seems like a perfect fit for Iverson. There is nobody in Charlotte’s guard positions who can score like The Answer. In fact, the whole team seems to have limited scoring punch with Gerald Wallace the top scorer with 16.6 points. But there are three players with playmaking abilities in point guards Raymond Felton (6.7 assists) and D.J. Augustine (3.5) and power forward Boris Diaw (4.9). Defensively, there is Wallace along with shot blockers Emeka Okafor and DeSagana Diop – two big men who have little offensive game other than the dunk.

The remaining question is the financial one. Charlotte will remain under the salary cap next season so they would have room for Iverson. Robert Johnson also needs to think about how he can fill the 20,200-seat Time Warner Cable Arena. During the 2007-08 season, the Bobcats averaged 14,717 fans for their home games. This season it was only 14,526, setting a new all-time low record in their five-year history.

So, Allen Iverson would make a lot of sense for Charlotte – but really for no other team. Let’s hope that Bobcats manager Michael Jordan pulls the right strings. Iverson may have his faults but the NBA would not be the same without him. And somehow I have the feeling that A.I. and Larry Brown would love to prove themselves to the league one more time.

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Awaiting the then 21-year-old Robinson for his start in the NBA was a Knicks franchise without a leader, direction or perspective. The Phoenix Suns selected Robinson with the 21st pick of the 2005 NBA Draft and promptly sent him to New York as part of the Kurt Thomas-Quentin Richardson trade. Playing for coaches Larry Brown and then Isiah Thomas, Robinson offered regular performances which gave the suffering Knicks fans a rare ray of hope during one of the worst periods in the club’s history. Nate used his explosive nature and game perfectly in the role of energizer off the bench. “Everybody talks about my size. But as long as I play like a giant, that’s fine,” said Robinson, who clearly considered himself one of the most important players in the Knicks rotation.

Nate’s lack of size clearly creates match-up problems which make it difficult to find the ideal position in the Knicks system. As a point guard, Robinson turns the ball over too many times – his assist-turnover ratio of 2.1 is one of the lower among the league’s playmakers. And being just 5-foot-9 is much too short as a shooting guard. Robinson makes up a bit of his lack of size with his superior jumping ability and quickness. But he is helpless when tall or heavier guards bring him into the blocks. The same goes for the pick-and-roll, against which he lacks the body mass to fight off a screen. In addition, Robinson is not a strong one-on-one defender And every taller guard (and that is nearly every player in the league) knows they will have the room to shoot over Robinson. If Nate does use his leaping ability to try and block the shot, he is susceptible to fouls or drives.

But the arrival of Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo offense not only drew rave reviews from fans, but it seemed a system built ideally for Robinson. The numerous fast break situations compensate for his below-average passing skills and give him plenty of chances to excite the fans with another of his exhilarating dunks. Still, the fan favorite’s coach and his teammates know that Robinson is a shoot-first point guard who will throw up a shot if he’s in trouble instead of looking for a teammate. And too often, Robinson relies on his jump shot in the half-court offense instead of using his tremendous quickness to penetrate the zone. “He still has a long way to go,” said D’Antoni.

Of course it’s clear that D’Antoni’s “Seven Second Or Less” system tends to inflate guards’ statistics. Without questioning his skills, Steve Nash won the 2005 and 2006 MVP titles by leading the up-tempo – and advantageous – Suns offense. And the same tendency is happening for Knicks guards Chris Duhon and Robinson.

So what does the future hold for “Nate the Great”? In the NBA, the shorter a player is, the more important traits such as specialization, fitness and mental stability become. As someone who lives a bit on the edge, the last point will be a challenge for Robinson. He is responsible – with the help of the Knicks coaching staff – for staying consistent and focused. If that doesn’t happen, the way out of the league is quick and steep. But if Robinson can maintain his athleticism and keep his emotions under control, then he has good chances of becoming one of the biggest short guys in league history. And millions of kids will dream of being like him.

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In Part 2 of this interview with FIVE, Billups talks about paying to see fellow NBA stars, Shaquille O’Neal, trade rumors, coming from Colorado and playing Wii with his daughters.

With the game on the line, who would you take of all the NBA players?

Oh man, there’s a lot of them. It’s tough to not say Kobe, the way he’s playing right now and how he’s played for a long time. But I wouldn’t mind it in my hands.

Is there one guy in the league you would pay to go see?

There’s a few of them. LeBron. Kobe. Carmelo. I love watching and playing with ‘Melo now. KG. Duncan may not be the most exciting player in the world but you can appreciate his craft. There are probably seven, eight, ten guys I would pay to see.

But if you had money for just one ticket?

Kobe James

Looking around the league, who do you see as an emerging star?

You know, one of my favorite players to watch is Brandon Roy. I love Brandon Roy. There are so many great ones. But I love Brandon Roy’s game. He’s so smooth but he competes so hard, his expressions out there. I love Brandon Roy.

You were one of the first players to get traded this season – for Allen Iverson. Are you players like the members of the media where you hear all these rumors and try to figure them out?

I listen. I don’t really pay too much attention. But I listen. You pretty much have to because you could be living in a different area code pretty soon if you’re not paying some kind of attention. There’s always a million rumors out there about this guy or that guy. And you hear them and just go on about your daily business. When you hear something so much, we’re just like everybody else: where there’s smoke, there’s fire. You just really go on about it. There’s not really anything you can control about it. You just try to be professional and do what you do.

When you hear about a rumor, do you start joking with them?

I was joking around with Amar’e (Stoudamire). I was asking him what color would he be wearing. He was like: I don’t know man. I don’t know.

Speaking of talking, who are the best and worst trash-talkers in the league?

Man, there’s not really that many good ones any more. Not really. GP (Gary Payton) was great. KG talks a lot, but a lot of times he’s talking to himself. There’s really not any bad ones.

Now that you’re out West, you see Shaquille O’Neal more often. What do you think about him this season and what he’s doing with Phoenix?

He just seems hungrier out there to prove that he’s still here. He’s dominant. You still have to double or triple team him most nights. The only nights you don’t have to is when they don’t give it to him that much. He’s still the biggest force in basketball, no matter how you look at it, cut it or slice it. He’s a force.

Talk a little bit about you coming from Colorado. How proud are you of being back in your home state – one not really known for basketball?

My whole life I’ve been going to camps and people have asked where I’m from. And I’m there by myself. I tell them where I’m from and they say Where? – like it wasn’t even in the United States. They ask me if I ride horses. Or if I ski.

And the answers of course were yes and yes, right?

Nah, I have never skied before. And I’ve never rode a horse. I tell ‘em I’m here to play ball. So, check the ball and let’s go. And that was always my attitude.

How is KG with it? You’ve known him for a long time.

I’ve known him forever. He always says, man, I’ve never met anyone that was first: black that was from Colorado. And then two: that played basketball and was good at it. I’ve always carried that with me. So I do take it all a little bit more personally, being where I am from. A lot these other guys have 20 or 30 guys they know from home in the NBA. And I can’t say that. I carry a really heavy load wherever I go.

Looking around the league, do you see anybody else in the league who has traveled a similar path as you?

One guy who has been through a lot and been doing great is Mo Williams. He came in and was up and down a little bit. But Mo is already an All-Star and I’m sure he will be one for a while to come.

Looking back to winning the NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, how does it feel to exceed your dream and win the title?

Other than being there for the birth of my daughters and getting married to my wife there’s no feeling like winning a championship. There’s no better feeling than that. It’s just amazing.

Speaking of your kids, I heard you play Wii tennis with them. Who has the upper hand in that?

They do, man. Both of my daughters have the upper hand. The little one can’t beat me yet. But the older two, I can’t beat them.

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Does that responsibility make it easier for you to sleep at night or harder?

Harder. What makes it hard for me to sleep is when things are not going right – like when we lose a tough game or when I’m not the main focus in games when I think I should be. And that’s every game, especially down the stretch. Having the ball in my hand, that’s what’s so different about being in Detroit – or even when I was in Denver with ‘Melo. At the end of the game, the ball was in my hands. Mines or Melo’s. And there’s been times this year where I’ve had no control over having the ball in my hand.

In games this season with Detroit, you’ve been circling around the pick and the ball never comes to you.

Yeah, and it hurts. When I don’t have the control of the game like I had in the past, then … you know … But to hear about it bothers me, to hear about the trade bothers me. I want (Detroit President of Basketball Operations) Joe Dumars to look good for wanting to trade for me.

When the ball is not in your hands and you can’t do anything about it, does that make it easier or harder?

It’s hard because I want to help. It’s hard … it’s just different for me. I think one of the worst parts of it all is like when I know who I am and what I can do on the basketball court and then to hear that I lost a step or something like that.

Have you lost a step?

(Smiles) Watch the game. All you have to do is watch the game. Is hasn’t changed too much from last year to this year. Ain’t much change from last year to this year. As a matter of fact I’m healthier than I was last year.

Is there any chance that you played your last All-Star Game this year?

Last year they asked that question. And the year before they asked that question. And the year before they asked that question. And the year before they asked that same question. I’m 33 and next year I’ll be 34 and we’ll see where I’ll be next year. Whenever God says it’s time for me to go. Whenever I can’t do the things I’m used to doin’ on the basketball court, then it will be time. I’m not dumb. I know what’s going on. I play with the greatest athletes in the world. I know who I’m playing against night in and night out. And I know when I can do things and when I can’t. It will be easy for me to get out on the basketball court and play for 48 minutes and say, Man, I can’t do the things I used to do. I’m not gonna be naive. When I can’t get on the court and do what I usually do, then it’s time for me to go. I still do the same exact things that I did when I first got in the league. I might shoot as much (laughs). But I can still do them things.

For years you were criticized about never giving up the rock. And now you can’t even get the ball. How does that play on you?

Obama is the President now. Change! Change! Life changes, you know. It’s different. But believe me, I think in my heart that me being the focal point in the offense gives us the best opportunity to win. And I hope to finish up my career on a team where that is the case. If not, then it will be time for me to go. ‘Cause if I can’t play my style of basketball, then there’s no need for me to be playing because I can’t help the team that I am on if I can’t play the way that I play. It’s as simple as that. And people can take it however they want to take it. But that’s the truth, that’s the way that I feel. Honestly, back in the day, I felt like if I had made a comment like that then people would say that I was selfish, that I just wanted to score a bunch of points. But I feel like that’s how I can help a team. Obviously I’m not concerned about scoring a bunch of points. I’ve done all that, won scoring titles. I’m talking about doing the things to help a team win.

There have been times when you did not play in an entire quarter …

… I never sat out a whole quarter in my life, in my life, til this year. It’s never been seconds left and we’re down three and I have not been in the game. And that felt awful. Just awful.

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Lithuanian basketball legend arydas sabonis and european basketball brand k1x have joined forces. “sabo”, who retired from active play in 2005 after being named to the euroleague first team and winning mvp honors for zalgiris kaunas, will be freelancing for k1x as a creative advisor. “arvydas is a trendsetter and always keeps his ear to the streets”, commented k1x c.e.o christian grosse. “his outstanding career made him one of the most amazing centers ever to play the game, we are extremely proud to have him join our squad. and of course, we look forward to benefit from his expertise in issues of style.” sabonis has “always wanted to do something in fashion” and will start his new job by tackling the reinvention of protective gear. “i don’t want to give away too much now, but i think tie-dye knee pads have huge potential for growth, said arvydas from his office in kaunas, where he will remain for now due to his management duties for zalgiris.

arvydas sabonis is an olympic gold medalist (1988) and bronze medalist (1992) as well as euro bronze medalist (1995). he won two spanish league championships (1993/94) and the european club championship with real madrid in 1995. sabonis then moved on to the nba, playing 470 regular season gams and 51 playoff gams in 7 seasons for the portland trailblazers. he is considered one of the most talented big men ever to play the game, and was a bona fide passer/shooter considering his size and position. in terms of pure game, possibly the most talented center ever.

Sabonis is thrilled about his new adventure in fashion.

This is great news – I can’t wait to see his first tribute collection – something regarding the Blazers maybe? We will keep you updated.

Arvydas Sabonis

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Looking at how much negativity there is around in this world, how do you cope with all the negativity?

I have kids and people who love me and people that I love. And I know that there’s a lot of love in this world too. It’s an awful thing to say … but I think that hate is overrulin’ love now – in this day of age. It’s a bad thing, but I gotta be honest with how I view the world and how I look at things. And that’s just the way it is. Nobody wants to hear about anything positive. People want to hear something negative. People want to hear about somebody gettin’ killed or somethin’ bad happenin’. That’s what catches somebody’s eye.

Looking at athletes being role models, the baseball player Alex Rodriguez said he felt the pressure to take performance enhancing drugs. Do you understand at all where he’s coming from?

I just want to choose my words right because that’s a touchy situation because I love Alex Rodriguez as a player. Um … I don’t know. I don’t know how you get … I don’t understand how somebody can do that to themselves and to the game in general and to the fans. I mean, if God didn’t give it to you, you don’t need it.

And this coming from you – a guy who has been criticized for a lot of things over the years. You have always been known as 100 percent natural – what you see is what you get.

And then … a lot of it can be immaturity, being young. Basically that was my problem. Probably 99 percent of my problem was just being young and not knowing and not being mature enough to do it the right way. I just didn’t know. Being young, you always think your way is the right way. But your way is not always the right way.

Let’s look at some of the NBA awards, who do you think is the forerunner for the MVP?

I don’t know. Anybody can get it. You look at all the rosters and the guys on these squads, anybody can get it. I have no idea. I couldn’t even begin to guess who could be the MVP.

One of the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year award is Bulls guard Derrick Rose. What do you think about him?

Instant impact, he’s doing a great job handling everything he has to go through as far as having that spotlight on him. I think he’s doing a beautiful job and he’s only gonna get better. I always say with young guys the most important thing is for people to let them grow. Don’t rush him into being some superstar. Let him come into his own. Help him, coach him. Tell him when he’s right, tell him when he’s wrong. Definitely pat him on the back when he’s right and kick him in the ass when he does wrong. But believe in him, trust in him, and everything will be fine.

What is your advice to some of the younger player in dealing with the ball?

Take care of it. Don’t do what I did. Young guys are always trying to make something happen. That was my thing. I’m always trying to make something happen – trying to make something happen for myself, my teammates and my team. But you can get in trouble.

My whole thing was when I was younger I was at one pace all the time. I was fast, fast, fast all the time. That was the only thing I knew, to be faster than everybody else. Then I started watching John Stockton. You don’t have to be the fastest guy in the world. You just need to know when to be fast and when to pull it back, know when to go, when to stop. He was just A+ at thinking about the basketball game.

That’s what young players don’t know because they rely on their athletic ability so much. Once they get to this level they think that they can. But there are guys who are so much slower than you but know so much more about the basketball game. And that’s what I try to concentrate on every day now. I find myself just watching games and watching tape and trying to be a smarter basketball player instead of being more athletic than everybody else.

In Philadelphia you carried the team for so long. In Denver you had Carmelo Anthony. And now in Detroit the main thing is seeing how you fit in there. After all these years, are you past the idea of It’s on me for this team to be better?

No. Because I’m me. That’s the person that I know. That’s the player I am. That’s the responsibility I have from the person who gave me the talent. I just rather have the pressure on me than anybody else. I think I’m gifted enough to handle that responsibility. That’s just the way that I am.

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