Quotes

"Playing here is for friends, fans and the kids."

Lester Conner (NBA coach, former NBA player), 1986

"I know some of these kids enjoy seeing what they can do playing against guys like us, it's like I felt when I got to play against guys like Sonny Parker, Bill Reid, Kurt Rambis and John Lambert when I was a kid."

Lester Conner (NBA coach, former NBA player), 1989

"A lot of players in college aren't playing with the pros daily. That will help me learn what to do and help me want the ball at crunch time."

Jason Kidd (NBA coach, former NBA All-Star), 1992

"We come to play. Anytime I play basketball, I take it seriously."

Gary Payton (former NBA All-Star), 1995

"It's great playing here. These guys get to play against us. Normally they see us on TV and it gets them pumped up to face us and it gets us pumped too. It's a lot of fun."

Brian Shaw (NBA coach, former NBA player), 1995

"My career definitely was helped by being in the Pro-Am League because it gave me an opportunity to play against top competition in a different format than I'd been used to."

Mark Madsen (NBA coach, former NBA player), 1997

"This league builds up my confidence."

LyRyan Russell (USF), 1998

"I'm there grabbing the trophy with all the professionals looking at me. That was the highlight. That let's me know I can be right where they are with the right break. They're my measuring stick."

Edward Allen (2x MVP), 1998

"I'm trying to work on my post play. In the NBA, you just have to play a little more up-tempo."

Jason Richardson (former NBA player), 2002

"I'm just using this league to get stronger and faster."

Josh Childress (NBA player), 2002

"It's a great opportunity for me to get out on the court and experiment with some of the things I have been working on in the off-season."

Jason Richardson (former NBA player), 2003

"Players always come back. When I was a kid, I would come back and play in Pro-Am because there's always a great run."

Rex Walters (College coach, former NBA player), 2008