Harrison Barnes

Basketball is such a good platform to be able to have a real impact on kids. We don't have all the answers, but we can tell kids the importance of asking questions and working hard. Maybe they go to their teacher and ask questions because their favorite player told them it was a good thing to do.

When I moved to Dallas, I had two big goals. The first, of course, had to do with basketball. I came here to work hard and earn the respect of the fans. The second goal was more personal. I wanted to put down roots in Dallas. That was one of the upsides of signing a four-year deal.

When I look back at the people who were most influential in my life, it wasn't Kobe Bryant, it wasn't Michael Jordan, it wasn't Muhammad Ali. It was regular people who do, like, regular jobs in Ames, Iowa, who had impact. My hero was the secretary in the department of music - my mom.

From the small town in Iowa where I grew up, to Chapel Hill where I went to college, to the Bay Area and now to Dallas, I've been lucky to get to meet a wide variety of people, each with their own beliefs, dreams, habits and ways of looking at the world.

I mean you look at apps like Uber, Postmates, Instacart, things that have revolutionized how quickly we can do stuff. I can be on a flight and schedule groceries to be delivered to my house and a car to pick me up when I land. It is nuts. And it is something that I will always be interested in.