Matt Barnes

I just think, obviously as players, we're held to a higher standard. I've had to watch myself on that, but I think if we're held to higher standards, the owners should be held to even higher standards.

I love to be physical.

I was playing tackle football in the street at five years old. Always being physical. Always being tough, just like a man's man. It was just always about being tough.

I grew up in the '80s in an era that was tough. The Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason. It wasn't dirty. It was just men playing basketball.

Early in my career I had to be a goon to survive. I did everything I had to do and probably some things I shouldn't have.

You don't have to be a professional athlete to be heard - the most powerful tool you have is your voice.

Every one of us has the ability to raise awareness, volunteer, educate our friends and family, and give back to our communities.

My mom was my rock, my confidant and my best friend. She was an elementary school teacher who worked with students with disabilities and she lived every day giving back to her family and her community.

I like being the hated one.

I'm an aggressive player. I always have been.

I mean, this is basketball, you have a lot of different teammates and you move around a lot, to find true friends is something special.

You're never prepared to lose anybody in your family.

Being traded and moving teams, it's difficult, especially when you have families.

I was one of those guys who wasn't supposed to make it in this league.

I am very excited about playing for Mr. Ballmer.

Ever since I lost my mom, I'm really just trying to give back. At first, we were doing screenings and paying for surgeries, but now I've been fortunate enough to team with UCLA, and we're creating a scholarship program for kids who beat cancer.

In order to win a championship, you've got to be consistent.

I kind of have a bad-guy reputation.

I started Athletes vs Cancer as a way to honor my mother, but now giving back has become a part of who I am, and more importantly, this is a key value I hope to pass on to my own sons.

If you take the chance to get to know me off the court, you'll see that I'm not the bad guy that everybody wants me to be on the court.