Bob Pettit in 1965 reflects back on his 11-year NBA career and the league's top players: On the best player he ever saw: "Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati. The Big O has everything." On the toughest defenders he ever faced: "Mel Hutchins and Woody Sauldsberry were the toughest defensive men I ever played against." On the Boston Celtics' dominance: "The Celtics help the game... People come to see them because they ARE the Celtics. Like the New York Yankees in baseball and Arnold Palmer in golf."

In a late-1950s St. Louis Post-Dispatch profile, St. Louis Hawks star Bob Pettit spoke on his early basketball struggles and work ethic: On getting cut in high school and practicing under backyard lamps: "Basketball wasn't any better. I was cut off the team twice, by my sophomore year. So I went to a church league at the Y, and I played every night... I used to hang two study lamps in the window of my room, and I'd go out in the back yard and practice at night." On his former classmates: "Sometimes I'll see boys I went to school with, and they'll say, 'Boy, you've got it made, playing pro basketball and hauling down big money'... I'll say, 'Yeah, I'm sure lucky.' But I'm thinking, 'Yeah, and while you were going down the street to see a girl, or going to dances, I was practicing shooting baskets... but it's worth it now.'"

Kobe Bryant in 2002 after receiving a two-game suspension for fighting Reggie Miller:  "I apologized to my teammates that I can't join them on the court. But not as far as he goes, no. Reggie doesn't know me at all, and I never argue with fools, never; it's a waste of time." When asked about a scrape on his face from the fight: "It's like a little baby scratch. He got a lot more than I did."

At a Syracuse restaurant before the 1961 All-Star Game, Bill Russell signed an autograph for a fan who walked away disappointed: "Did he think you were Chamberlain?" I asked Bill. "No," Russell said, "he thought I was Robertson." Later that night, after Oscar Robertson won All-Star Game MVP as a rookie, Russell joked: "Now you understand why that man was so annoyed. That No. 18 is quite a rookie, isn't he?"

Rest in peace to the great Bob Pettit. A legend I gained so much respect for through researching his era. A story that showcases just how great he was: After a grueling Game 7 loss and physical beating from Boston in the 1957 Finals, he spent the summer weightlifting to build strength and endurance. He returned to the Finals in 1958 and dropped 50 points in Game 6 to dethrone the Celtics. • Scored 19 of the Hawks’ final 21 points • Pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds • Set the record for most points in a closeout Finals game If you've never heard the 4th quarter radio call from that game, do yourself a favor and listen to it. He was torching them with jumper after jumper. An all-time performance.

During his 1976-77 rookie season coaching the Lakers, Jerry West struggled with the stress and media scrutiny that came with being "too honest": On how the media handled his candid comments: "Some people think everything I say is derogatory. And I'm not a derogatory person. I think I'm positive." On owner Jack Kent Cooke's roster construction: "I'm not afraid to say that I think Cooke let me down when he didn't get me quality players like he said he would... It's disgraceful the burden Kareem has to carry." On the physical toll of head coaching: "I've lost 12 pounds since the season started. I take the game home with me. I always did, but now it's worse. Sometimes I may sleep only a few hours a night."

After Wilt Chamberlain scored 65 points against the Lakers in 1966, LA head coach Fred Schaus blasted officials for letting Wilt play physical: "He was like a wild bull, knocking everybody all over the place... I've been screaming for four years that when Wilt turns in against an opposing player he should be called for a charging foul." "Russell must have Chamberlain psyched out. If Chamberlain played against Russell the way he did against us and the game was officiated the same way, Wilt would have scored 50 and had Russell in foul trouble besides."

Speaking as Lakers GM in 1983, Jerry West reflected on his playing career and the greatest player he ever saw:  On his peak performance (1965 Western Division Finals): "The six-game series against the (Baltimore) Bullets, when I averaged 47 a game, was my best stretch of games." On the greatest player he ever saw:  "Oscar Robertson. He had great size, great strength. He was ahead of his time when he started in the league."

The New York Knicks reportedly passed on trading for Wilt Chamberlain in 1965, leading to his blockbuster deal to the 76ers. Asked about facing New York right after the trade, Wilt smiled with a sly grin: "Yes, I'm looking forward to it. I want 'em." Knicks coach Harry Gallatin on Wilt: "We'll stick Willis Reed on Wilt... Philadelphia talks about having Wilt and another big man in there. But that's what San Francisco had and they didn't do much. We'll do all right."

In December 2001, off a 16-1 start, Kobe Bryant targeted the 1995-96 Bulls' 72-win record: "I think we can do it. I know we can do it. It's a matter of going out and doing it. I don't think there's any question we have the talent to do so. We have the best team in the league. Put aside Shaq, put aside myself. We still have the team." "If we have the opportunity, if we get to 60-something wins with lots of games left, we'll use that as motivation. If that doesn't happen, the ultimate goal is winning the championship, regardless."

In January 1965, Wilt Chamberlain spoke out after being traded from the San Francisco Warriors to the Philadelphia 76ers: On advising against the trade: "I told Ike Richmond, who is my lawyer as well as the 76ers counsel, that it could be a bad trade. I have no agreement with Philadelphia to play next season. I might retire, which means that the 76ers may have given up a lot just to have me for three months." On Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli: "I'm a businessman and I had an inkling that something was coming. Frank never consulted me and that's the only thing I know of that's against him." On his arrival timeline in Philly: "I have a lot of girls to say goodbye to in San Francisco."

Speaking to Howard Cosell on WABC Radio in 1965, Wilt Chamberlain explained why he entertained Cus D'Amato's offer to become a professional heavyweight boxer: "In boxing, if you get knocked out, well, then it's Wilt Chamberlain, the bum, who got knocked out. In boxing, if you win, you know, then the praise goes to Wilt Chamberlain and maybe to his manager." "But in team sports you're allotted some things which don't belong to you... they say, well, Wilt scored too many points this game and the 76ers lost or Wilt didn't play defense this game and the 76ers lost and it's unfair... this sort of thing couldn't happen in boxing."

Opening night 2007: Tim Duncan received his fourth championship ring, prompting Gregg Popovich and Brent Barry to weigh in on his standing among the all-time greats: Popovich: "I think it gets down to him and Larry Bird. They are different types of forwards, but they both dominated games. I’m prejudiced, obviously, but I don’t know if I can say Tim is better than Bird. It’s pretty close." Barry: "Tim really is a throwback to Bill Russell and those type of players who didn’t concern themselves with individual accolades. In some cases, he steps up, and in the case of last year, he steps aside."

Following 21-year-old LeBron James' 32-point triple-double in his 2006 playoff debut, Hall of Famer Bob Cousy reflected on the league's pure playmakers: "LeBron James, Nash and Kidd all do it, but unfortunately it’s a declining art. Basketball is basically a child’s game, but if it’s an art form, the art resides in the pass." "Cousy wishes more playmakers mirrored Kidd’s approach, and knows New Jersey has a better shot of beating Indiana with its quarterback picking apart the Pacers’ secondary than it does with Vince Carter heaving up Hail Marys from the George Washington Bridge."

On January 3, 1965, half the lights went out five minutes into a Warriors game in Baltimore. A fan in attendance yelled at 7-foot-1 Wilt Chamberlain to reach up and change the lightbulbs. "That would cost you $5,000," Wilt replied. Under the dim, eerie lights, Wilt dropped 53 points on the Bullets in a 142-132 loss.

In November 2001, Tracy McGrady, Shaq, and Kobe were fined $5,000 by the NBA for wearing shorts below their knees. T-Mac's response to the league's fashion crackdown: "Fire the fashion police. There are other things they should be worrying more about than guy's shorts. I guess they want us looking like John Stockton. But if they want that I might have to go back and play baseball or find another sport."

When Al Attles clashed with Bob Ferry at MSG in March 1963, Wilt Chamberlain stepped in to pull his teammate out of the melee before ending the brawl himself: "San Francisco Warrior Al Attles (center) finds himself locked in teammate Wilt Chamberlain's grasp while Ray Scott (12) of Detroit Pistons yanks on arm during fracas... This was a prelude to violent fight where Wilt flattened two Pistons."  Wilt on breaking up the fight: "I shoved Howell out of the way. Then I broke up that thing between Dukes and Wayne Hightower. I had to get my boy Al before he killed Ferry."

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher in 2008 on how the Lakers' triangle offense evolved: Kobe: "With the teams we had in the past, we obviously had that big guy [O’Neal] in the middle, so a lot of stuff that we ran funneled through him... The team that we have now relies more on spacing, ball movement, everybody being a threat. It’s just more to the principles of what the triangle is." Fisher: "With Shaq, we were forced, at times out of respect and out of the fact that he got great results for us, we pounded the ball inside against anybody we played against."

Pat Riley embraces Wilt Chamberlain after the Lakers closed out the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the 1972 Western Conference Finals: "This picture tells the story of the Lakers' 104-100 victory over the Bucks as Pat Riley hugs Wilt Chamberlain. The determined Chamberlain, his face still serious, sparked the playoff win."

Midway through his 1985-86 rookie season, Patrick Ewing drew praise from around the league despite battling early injuries: • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: "He's going to be a force for a long time when he gets some seasoning. He's going to be a very fine center." • Artis Gilmore: "He runs the floor as well or better than most of the centers in the league... When things fall into place for the team, he'll be a tremendous force." • Hubie Brown: "He's lived up to what we thought. He's been a better offensive player than we expected him to be."