P. J. Tucker

Guys in this league, it depends on the stage you're at in your career, where you've played, situations you've been in - that kind of molds your idea of how you want to play, and where you want to be in this league.

Nothin' will ever jump over the Jumpman... Yeezys aren't even basketball shoes. You can play in 'em, but they're not basketball shoes.

Everybody in fashion knows of those must-have pieces where you're just like: 'I've got to have it.'

I got shoes literally all over my house.

Some nights I might wear some crazy stuff. Some nights I might be more regular. I'll wear shoes that no one knows and is a sleeper, but it might be something that I really love.

My shoes are an expression of me, how I'm feeling.

I wanted to have a chance to win a championship.

There was nothing worse you could be than a tweener. There was nothing worse you could be, and there were so many good guys that were so good that were tweeners, and they couldn't make it... And when you got that label, it was going to stick. It's like getting branded.

You can be in the league and still feel like you're not in the league. That was the point I was at when I left Toronto.

There's nobody I can't guard. There's nothing. There's no ceiling.

Being the main guy for three or four years, I understood what it took to be the leader.

I'm a competitor. I want the ball when it matters. But I came to Houston because I wanted to play with Chris Paul (a guy I've been close with since we were kids) and James Harden.

I look up on Yelp and look at what the best breakfast places are, specifically who has the best pancakes in every city.

I always believe in myself, nobody else believed in me.

I consider myself a pancake connoisseur, because of all the pancakes I've eaten around the world. I've been everywhere in Europe, I've eaten everywhere.

I'm just being P.J., that's the number one thing, I'm just being me. Like I'm not portraying something or acting or putting on something that I wouldn't put on every day in my life or doing anything that I wouldn't already be doing.

When I came out of school, being a 'tweener' and not having a natural position was my biggest knock.

I was a forward, a center my whole life.

The Yeezy 2 actually were not that bad to play in. They've got good grip; the lace locks are good. I love playing in the Yeezy 2, I'm not even going to lie.

From the beginning of time, all I've ever done is hoop, and this culture of sneakers has always been a part of it.

No one wants to be patient. No one wants to wait for anything. They want it right now - that instant gratification.

Aside from the states, Israel's my favorite country. I love it there. I still go there to visit.

I gotta be who I am now. How do you not, right?

At the end of the day, that's all that matters. Winning a championship. Everything else is failure.

It doesn't matter how tall you are if you have heart and you're a competitor.

Seeing European guys wear suits was incredible. And it wasn't all like the big fashion house expensive suits, it was like simple stuff but the way the older men dressed in Europe just absolutely amazed me. In Italy, in France the way the older men dressed was incredible.

It's easy to say, and a lot of people pay lip service, saying, 'I want to win.' But, well, everybody wants to win. What are you willing to sacrifice to be able to win? Are you going to sacrifice money? Are you going to sacrifice playing time? You gotta sacrifice something.

I like to get into people and make people uncomfortable. That's how I play and what I do.

I've always felt like I was a guy that understood my role. I thrive because I love it.

Everyday I have to get dressed. I can't just throw on something and walk out and say, 'I'm not going to see anybody today.' I see me.

My style is part of my lifestyle and part of my preparation to get ready to play in the game. It's my preparation for life, I should say.

The shoe culture in Houston is cool. There's a lot of sneakerheads and a lot of people that love shoes here - a lot more than I thought.

That Stash Kobe 1, that is probably my number 1 shoe I have ever worn on the court. To wear it against Kobe in his last game against the Suns it was real fun, and for him to say something to me about them it is crazy. He is signed them up for me and personalized it. It was pretty dope.

I know a lot of people do charity work, but I always say find something that you are interested in to be able to give back.

My first pair of shoes my mom bought me. I was born in 1985 and my mom is the biggest North Carolina/Michael Jordan fan there is, so when those first Jordan's came out those were my first shoes ever. I don't remember but I guess it started from there.

I could never just throw on a sweatsuit and go to a game. No.

I think the way you dress should be fun. Wearing stuff that people don't normally wear or wouldn't particularly think is their style, I love that. I think that's fun and I think everybody should do it.

People get so scared to try things.

I'm going to fight every play.

Yeah, I'm short. But I'm strong and I can move my feet. And I can stay in front of anybody.

I just do me, honestly, I do me. It don't matter if the cameras are there or not, I'd be doing the same thing.

Like some people just really think this is all you do, is play basketball. It's like, 'no actually there's other stuff I like doing, there's other stuff I love doing.'

My love for fashion has been natural, it's been organic and I want to keep it that way.

It's about me doing me, about me being organic. I can't wear things and put on a front and say I like something when I don't. I won't wear something I wouldn't normally wear just for people to like it or for people to look at me like this or that in fashion.

I've always stood for my people, with my people, but some guys just don't have voices like that. I don't like the pressure some people put on others. Some people are just not built for it. Some guys just play basketball, they don't talk, they don't post. Everybody in the '60s wasn't in the civil rights movement.

I'm from Raleigh, N.C. It's my home, the most beautiful place ever - but it has some racist history.

Pancakes are always good.

I like to try different restaurants in every city.

I'm looking to win, man. That's it.

Some people - which I don't understand - kind of get mad like I'm disrespecting shoes. I'm like, 'They are sneakers, they are meant to be worn, meant to be played in.' And I hate when people use them as trophies. They are sneakers. It's one of my pet peeves. I got pairs if I don't want to wear, I will get a couple pairs of them.