60 famous and inspirational basketball quotes and sayings

60 famous and inspirational basketball quotes and sayings

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1.
“A lot of late nights in the gym, a lot of early mornings, especially when your friends are going out, you're going to the gym, those are the sacrifices that you have to make if you want to be an NBA basketball player.” ― Jason Kidd,basketball quotes

2.
“A winner is somebody who goes out there every day and exhausts himself trying to get something accomplished.” ― Joe Torre,basketball quotes

3.
“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”― John Wooden,basketball quotes

4.
“All at once, I couldn’t figure out why I was methodically tossing a spherical object through a toroidal object. It seemed like the stupidest thing I could possibly be doing.” ― John Green,basketball quotes

5.
“Any American boy can be a basketball star if he grows up, up, up.” ― Bill Vaughn,basketball quotes

6.
“Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.” ― Magic Johnson,basketball quotes

7.
“Basketball doesn't build character it reveals it.” ― Author Unknown

8.
“Basketball is like photography, if you don't focus, all you have is the negative.” ― Dan Frisby,basketball quotes

9.
“Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up.” ― Red Auerbach

10.
“Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals.” ― James Naismith,basketball quotes

11.
“Coaching is easy. Winning is the hard part.” ― Elgin Baylor,basketball quotes

12.
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. ” ― John Wooden

13.
“Even when I'm old and grey, I won't be able to play it, but I'll still love the game. ”― Michael Jordan,basketball quotes

14.
“Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.” ― Wilt Chamberlain

15.
“Everything negative — pressure, challenges — are all an opportunity for me to rise.” ― Kobe Bryant,basketball quotes

16.
“Fans never fall asleep at our games, because they're afraid they might get hit by a pass.” ― George Raveling,basketball quotes

17.
“First master the fundamentals.” ― Larry Bird,basketball quotes

18.
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” ― Tim Duncan,basketball quotes

19.
“Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.” ― Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

20.
“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.” ― Bertie C. Forbes

21.
“I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying.” ― Michael Jordan,basketball quotes

22.
“I can teach you how to dribble, pass and shoot the right way, but I cannot make you do it the right way.”― Jeff Tufford,basketball quotes

23.
“I couldn't care less if the guy I'm guarding has HIV. I'm going to slam him anyway.” ― Dennis Rodman,basketball quotes

24.
“I don't believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models…” ― Charles Barkley,basketball quotes

25.
“I don't hate anyone, at least not for more than 48 minutes, barring overtime. ” ― Charles Barkley

26.
“I keep both eyes on my man. The basket hasn't moved on me yet. ” ― Julius Erving

27.
“I know that I'm never as good or bad as any single performance. I've never believed my critics or my worshippers, and I've always been able to leave the game at the arena. ” ― Charles Barkley

28.
“I know the Virginia players are smart because you need a 1500 SAT to get in. I have to drop bread crumbs to get our players to and from class.” ― George Raveling,basketball quotes

29.
“I think someone should explain to the child that it's ok to make mistakes. That's how we learn. When we compete, we make mistakes. ”― Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

30.
“I think that my God-given physical attributes, big hands, and big feet, the way that I'm built, proportion-wise, just made basketball the most inviting sport for me to play. ”― Julius Erving,basketball quotes

31.
“I think that the team that wins game five will win the series. Unless we lose game five.” ― Charles Barkley

32.
“I try to do the right thing at the right time. They may just be little things, but usually they make the difference between winning and losing.” ― Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

33.
“I would tell players to relax and never think about what's at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you've lost your focus.” ― Michael Jordan

34.
“If all I'm remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I've done a bad job with the rest of my life.” ― Isiah Thomas,basketball quotes

35.
“If I weren't earning $3 million a year to dunk a basketball, most people on the street would run in the other direction if they saw me coming. ” ― Charles Barkley

36.
“If you are afraid of failure you don't deserve to be successful! ”― Charles Barkley

37.
“If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end. ”― Julius Erving,basketball quotes

38.
“If you go out with a girl and they say she has a great personality, she's ugly. If they tell you a guy works hard, he's got no skills. ” ― Charles Barkley

A collection of best 60 motivational and funny basketball quotes

1.
“If you look up the definition of greatness in the dictionary, it will say Michael Jordan.” ― Elgin Baylor

2.
“If you m2ake every game a life and death proposition, you're going to have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot.” ― Dean Smith,basketball quotes

3.
“If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball.” ― Phil Jackson,basketball quotes

4.
“If you think small things don't matter, think of the last game you lost by one point.” ― Author Unknown

5.
“If you want consistency, then you perform. This is a performance job. You get paid to perform. Your money is guaranteed, but your minutes are not.” ― Isiah Thomas

6.
“If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. ” ― Michael Jordan

7.
“I'll always remember this as the night that Michael Jordan and I combined for 70 points. Said after Michael Jordan scored a career high 69 points and Stacey King scored 1 point against the Cavaliers. ” ― Stacey King

8.
“I'm the NBA's best NFL player, and I've always been the sexiest 7-footer in the NBA – for 12 years running. ” ― Shaquille O'Neal

9.
“I'm tired of hearing about money money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok. ” ― Shaquille O'Neal,basketball quotes

10.
“It is not how big you are, it is how big you play.” ― Author Unknown

11.
“It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up.” ― Vince Lombardi

12.
“I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results.” ― Michael Jordan

13.
“I've got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.” ― Larry Bird

14.
“I've had enough success for two lifetimes, my success is talent put together with hard work and luck. ”― Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,basketball quotes

15.
“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ― Michael Jordan

16.
“I've won at every level, except college and pro. ”-Shaquille O'Neal

17.
“Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It's being able to take it as well as dish it out. That's the only way you're going to get respect from the players.” ― Larry Bird

18.
“Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious.” ― Charles Shackleford,basketball quotes

19.
“Love never fails. Character never quits. And with patience and persistence, dreams do come true.” ― Pete Maravich

20.
“Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God's way to say nobody's perfect.” ― Shaquille O'Neal

21.
“Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win. ” ― Bob Knight

22.
“My greatest gift that I have in life is basketball. ”― Isiah Thomas,basketball quotes

23.
“My responsibility is getting all my players playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back.” ― Author Unknown

24.
“Nervous means you want to play. Scared means you don't want to play.”― Sherman Alexie

25.
“No matter what you say, you can have as many receivers as you want; there are enough balls to go around.” ― Kevin Johnson

26.
“Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. ”― Michael Jordan

27.
“On any given night, anyone can beat anyone.” ― Author Unknown

28.
“Once you are labeled the best you want to stay up there, and you can't do it by loafing around. If I don't keep changing, I'm history.” ― Larry Bird

29.
“One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” ― Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,basketball quotes

30.
“Push yourself again and again. Don't give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.” ― Larry Bird

31.
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” ― Michael Jordan,basketball quotes

32.
“Sometimes a player's greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.” ― Scottie Pippen

33.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” ― Michael Jordan

34.
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination” ― Tommy Lasorda,basketball quotes

35.
“The first time I shot the hook, I was in fourth grade, and I was about five feet eight inches tall. I put the ball up and felt totally at ease with the shot. I was completely confident it would go in. I've been shooting it ever since.” ― Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

36.
“The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace.” ― Michael Jordan

37.
“The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.” ― Bill Russell

38.
“The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play "Drop the Handkerchief." ”― James Naismith

39.
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ― William A. Ward

40.
“The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not. ” ― Charles Barkley,basketball quotes

41.
“The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy.” ― Jerry Tarkanian,basketball quotes

42.
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” ― Phil Jackson

43.
“The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” ― Ann Landers

44.
“There are really only two plays: Romeo and Juliet, and put the darn ball in the basket.” ― Abe Lemons

45.
“These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it. ” ―Charles Barkley

46.
“They said playing basketball would kill me. Well, not playing basketball was killing me. ” ― Earvin ''Magic'' Johnson,basketball quotes

47.
“They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds.” ― Wilt Chamberlain

48.
“To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don't isolate.” ― Michael Jordan

49.
“We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.” ― Weldon Drew

50.
“We're shooting 100 percent – 60 percent from the field and 40 percent from the free-throw line.”― Norm Stewart,basketball quotes

51.
“What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight–it's the size of the fight in the dog.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

52.
“When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.” ― Larry Bird

53.
“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” ― Alexander Graham Bell

54.
“Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.” ― Henry Ford

55.
“Winning is like deodorant – it comes up and a lot of things don't stink.”― Doc Rivers,basketball quotes

56.
“You can run a lot of plays when your X is twice as big as the other guys' O. It makes your X's and O's pretty good.” ― Paul Westphal

57.
“You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.” ― Jerry West

58.
“You don't play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball. ” ― Bob Knight,basketball quotes

59.
“You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world & I might be right.” ― Charles Barkley

60.
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” ― Michael Jordan,basketball quotes