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Tyson Chandler

I think a lot of times I’m misunderstood, the same as any young player who’s going through it and trying to find himself.

It’s pretty crazy because I’m so excited about what happened to me this year. I think it’s deservingly so because you have to wake up sometimes.

It (1) was something that I had to let go. My whole thing was I just wanted to do everything right by my team and my organization. I put some pressure I didn’t need to put on myself instead of just coming out and working hard and being the player I’ve always been. I think it took away from myself. I think I took a step back.

It was a great learning experience for me. I can move forward and know I’ll never make the same mistake again.

I was raised in a single-parent household until I was 8 or 10 or so. Then my stepfather came along. We lived in a really rough neighborhood. She walked me to school to make sure I got to school safely. Then I would watch her walk off to the bus stop. I was trying to be the man of the house. I would watch her to make sure she made it to the bus stop safely.

I remember her walking in the wind, walking uphill, the wind’s blowing, holding on to her purse, and working long hours, and I had to go to a friend’s house to wait until she was done with work–just the struggle she went through to try to provide a better life for myself, the character, and how hard she worked at her job and how loyal she was to the company, it instilled a lot in me.

My grandmother from Day One had me in church. Being around all the stuff I had, you had to have religion and you had to have prayer, or I’d have gone insane. I saw people shot next to me. I witnessed prostitutes getting beat. Crackheads, people on drugs.

We have a great preacher here at the United Center that speaks to us before every game. It helps you get through a lot of stuff. It gives you a sound mind. I can’t say I know the most, but I’m trying.

My biological father, I met him late in high school, my junior year. It is what it is. Even though it’s your father, I don’t know the man.

It definitely could be an angry thing. It started off that way. But I was raised that you’ve got to forgive and you can’t have that hatred in your heart. Hearing preachers tell me that stuck with me. I don’t have hatred in my heart against my biological father, but still, in saying that, there really wasn’t a relationship there.

Shaq. I met Shaq before I was in the NBA. I was 14. He was great to me.

My honest heroes were my grandparents. My grandparents went through so much. My grandfather in Hanford, Calif., he built the house they live in today from the ground up by hand. He wasn’t in construction. He worked in the fields on tractors. But he built the house by himself. Him and his boys. He would make some money, buy some supplies and build at night, come back in the morning, make enough money to buy supplies, and build at night. He did that for years until the house was finally finished.

I watched every single draft every year up to my draft, and then being there and seeing the countdown and seeing the teams on the board and seeing the other people sitting around me and seeing David Stern walk out to the podium, and I’m like, `I’m at the draft. I can’t believe I’m at the draft.’ When they called my name, I almost broke down. I was so happy and fortunate and blessed.

We went from Tim Floyd’s philosophy to Bill Cartwright’s philosophy to now coach Skiles’ philosophy. Because it was so chopped up so quickly–everybody only had about a year and a half on average–the players weren’t respecting the people that were here because it was like, “You’ll be gone in a year because we ain’t winning.”

Anytime you walk in here and you see these banners–Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, the history– that’s my generation.You see these guys–and I had an opportunity to spend some time with Pip–and I think it’s an inspiration. I think that’s everybody’s goal: to see themselves next to one of those guys.

I think we’re a team that’s been trying to find ourselves throughout the year. We’re growing.

1: His new contract.