I love the game of basketball, and I am a firm believer that doing what you love keeps you young. I was thinking that is especially true today, my birthday. When I had the chance to join the Pistons as an assistant coach last season, I knew it was more than a job, it was a chance to get back to something I’ve been doing all my life. I missed being around the game, being around the guys in the lockerroom. But I love being here in Detroit and I love doing this, helping another team strive for another NBA title.

Guys like to have a lot of fun with birthdays in the NBA. That’s what I always tell people about the holidays and other times like birthdays, because you want to go out and play hard and have fun. I probably had a good game or two on my birthday, but I don’t recall a specific one. My best memories are trying to help my teammates have a big game on their birthdays. You always want to do that, and the other guys on the team really get excited about it. Whenever it’s that guy’s day, we try to do our part to make sure it’s a good one. I remember seven years ago when I was with the Lakers, it was Shaquille O’Neal’s birthday and we made him get like 45 points. We kept passing him the ball and saying, “Shaq, this is your day, score all the points.” (Editor’s note: March 6, 2000, was O’Neal’s 28th birthday. He scored a career-high 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in a win over the Clippers.) We made sure he scored a lot that game because it’s his day. It’s a way for the guys on the team to show the joy that they have playing the game of basketball. It’s so much fun to see one of your teammates have a big game like that on a day that is special to him and his family.

Family has always been an important part of my birthday, much more than presents. My favorite birthday memories are being around the whole family and spending time together. It’s not just about yourself; your entire family should be a part of the celebration. That hasn’t changed for me. A lot of my family that does not live near Detroit is traveling here to spend it with me after our game tonight against the Kings. They’re all going to be here, and even in my 40s, I still look forward to it. I do remember one birthday present, though, and, of course, it had to do with basketball. I was maybe a junior in high school, and I got a pair of Converse shoes. Those were my favorites shoes, and I didn’t have a pair. Everyone wants Nike or Adidas now, but I’m telling you, Converse was the hottest shoe back then by far. So I got a pair of Converses and I think cherished those more than anything.

I see young guys now like Amir Johnson, who is so talented but also so new to this game, and try to help him, because you do learn a lot over the years. But you don’t learn everything, and that’s what I tell guys like Amir all the time: You can still learn everyday. I played with the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, in Chicago for more than four years. And he came to work, every day, and he learned new things everyday. It’s a fact of life. When you walk into any job, you can still learn. We may think we may become the greatest basketball player of all time, but you can always learn more about basketball. Don’t ever think you know everything.

I also tell them to enjoy the time you have here in the NBA, because you don’t know when it’s going to be gone. Let me tell you, it’s been a long time since my rookie season in 1986-87, but it doesn’t seem that long at all. Time flies in this ballgame. I said when I first got in the league I’m going to play eight to 10 years. That’s a really long career in this league. But I got to my eighth year, and felt good enough to play eight more years. Like I said, the love of the game keeps you playing and keeps you young. I tell kids today it’s not about how much cash you can make. The thing is, when you were a kid, you played basketball for free. And that’s the way I look at it, even today.