When you work on getting better at something, don't do it half speed Ray Allen More Quotes by Ray Allen More Quotes From Ray Allen I tell the young kids, you have eight or nine months of the year to play basketball and the rest of the year you can relax. So, you've got to be ready. It doesn't last forever. Ray Allen eight basketball kids Whether that is me retiring, staying here or going somewhere else, it will be on my terms. I've made it to this point, and I felt great that I have the choice to make it for myself. Ray Allen choices made somewhere-else Inside the first 20 to 25 games of the season, we were losing these games, getting beat by two and three points. Over the last 10 games, it seems like we're starting to win these games and putting some good things together. Ray Allen games winning two There is an entire culture out there built around siphoning money from an athlete, and the young men and women who come through just feed the machine. Ray Allen athlete men culture Right now, we're not a team. I think we're genuinely happy for each other when we're out there on the court. We've got to find new and different ways to support each other on the floor. The comfort zone that we've been in, we've got to change it a little bit. Everybody has onus on this team. It's easy for someone to say, 'I play only 10 minutes a game, so they're not talking about me.' But that 10 minutes is just as important. Ray Allen team talking thinking When the effort is in question, the ball goes in different directions and the ball doesn't always bounce your way. When you're playing in the home of the NBA champions, it isn't going to be easy. Ray Allen nba effort home Minnesota's a great city. Ray Allen great-cities minnesota cities You don't need a corporation or a marketing company to brand you now: you can do it yourself. You can establish who you are with a social media following. Ray Allen yourself you social-media media A successful man is built of 1,000 failures. Ray Allen successful-man man built successful My mission my whole career was just to be somebody that you can look at and say, 'That's the guy I want to go into battle with.' Ray Allen mission look you battle The minimum I run each day is 2 1/2 miles. I'll get to the weekend, and sometimes I'll run 10 miles. I've gotten up to 16 miles on the weekend. Running keeps me locked in. Ray Allen day me weekend sometimes I know you want me to let you in on some big secret to success in the NBA. The secret is there is no secret. It's just boring old habits. Ray Allen me you boring success It's a war of wills out there on the court. You have to have a stronger will than your opponent, and every guy on your team has to feel that same way against the guy he's guarding. Ray Allen feel you team war Money can make people look at you in strange ways. You get phone calls from people you haven't spoken with in a long time, and they'll leave a message saying, 'Do me a favor, call me back. I have something I want to ask you.' I'm not going to answer those calls, because there's always something behind it, like a loan. Ray Allen me you money time Listen: God doesn't care whether or not you make your next jump shot. God will give you a lot of things in life, but he's not going to give you your jump shot. Only hard work will do that. Ray Allen hard-work god work life I give a lot of shoes away, but there are some shoes that sometimes I'm like, I don't think they ever even released these. Sometimes, I don't know what they've released. But sometimes, friends of mine that work for Nike will visit and say, 'They never made these, so you need to hold on to these.' Ray Allen you friends shoes work I want to run a marathon in the immediate future. In the future future, I want to do ironmans. I cycle long distances. The only thing I have to work on is the swimming. I'm a good swimmer, but I've never done long distances like that. Ray Allen good future work long What I learned in my career is to know how to take care of my body and treat it with respect. I will never forget that and never let go of that. Ray Allen treat respect never-forget care It doesn't necessarily have to be championship-or-bust for me to go back to the NBA. I want to be in a situation where I thought I could help, play a little bit, and help where they have good young talent. Ray Allen good me situation talent I've always been about progress and accomplishment. When you set your mind toward a goal, you continue to have follow-through. Ray Allen you progress accomplishment mind