From TNT’s coverage of the NBA double header last night. On the same day that Nelson Mandela passed at the age of 95.
Charles Barkley on Nelson Mandela:
“I look at Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali as three of the greatest men that ever lived. They were people that I wanted to meet and I only got to meet one of them [Ali]. I’ll regret never getting to meet Mr. Mandela. The thing that amazes me about him the most is that I can’t believe how forgiving he was. We get so mad and angry at people over silly stuff all the time. For him to have compassion for his jailers and not harbor any animosity…words don’t do it justice.”
Grant Hill on the passing of Nelson Mandela: “When you think about his life, it was a full life. He was able to transform not only South Africa but the entire world. The thing that sticks out in my mind about him is that he went to jail for 27 years and he comes out a better person and a better leader. He has compassion for his jailers and was able to make a significant difference in South Africa. He’s an example that we should all aspire to live by. It’s a sad day but a day to celebrate him.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS Catch him Tuesdays talking Illini and Northwestern for KOZN 1620 The Zone, Fridays talking Chicago Bears for WAOR 95.7 The Fan