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• 365 Basketball Quotes

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1. “I don’t know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still wonder if somebody – somewhere – was practicing more than me.” Larry Bird
2. “Make each day your masterpiece.” Coach John Wooden
3. “There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It’s up to you to decide what to do with them.” Jim Valvano
4. “If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will.” Kobe Bryant
5. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 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
6. “I always keep a ball in the car. You never know.” Hakeem Olajuwon
7. “Be a dreamer. If you don’t know how to dream, you’re dead.” Jim Valvano
8. “What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.” Coach John Wooden
9. “Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions. There is nothing miraculous about the process. There is no luck involved.” Bill Russell
10. “Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” Michael Jordan
11. “I believe you win games by what you do from your first practice until your first game.” Dr. Jack Ramsay
12. “I go to sleep every single night thinking I’m not good enough. I really do. I don’t know if that’s healthy or not. But I really do have a fear of not being good, and I don’t like that.” Diana Taurasi
13. “Everybody is responsible for their own actions. It’s easy to point the finger at somebody else, but a real man, a real woman, a real person knows when it’s time to take the blame and when to take responsibility for their own actions.” Marcus Smart
14. “I can distribute, I can lock up on defense.” Jrue Holiday
15. “You play with a pure heart and a clear conscience and a clear soul, then good things happen.” Fred VanVleet
16. Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train. Charles Barkley
17. “Bad shooters are always open.” Pete Carril
18. “You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.” Jerry West
19. “Failure isn’t so bad if it doesn’t attack the heart. Success is all right if it doesn’t go to the head.” Grantland Rice
20. “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.“ Tim “The Big Fundamental” Duncan
21. “Be led by your dreams not by your problems.” Roy Williams
22. “Basketball is a lifelong game. You continue to learn from the game day in and day out, and all along the way, you get better.” Scottie Pippen
23. “My belief is stronger than your doubt.” Dwyane Wade
24. “Some say you have to use your five best players, but I found out you win with the five that fit together best as a team.” Red Auerbach
25. “All the successful teams I’ve ever seen have three characteristics: They play unselfish, they play together, and they play hard.“ Larry Brown
26. “Teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one.” Mike Krzyzewski
27. “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
28. “Winning teams at the NBA level, the college level, and the high school level all play team basketball. Championship teams have five players on the same page at all times.“ Hubie Brown
29. “Do the little things right to reach the big goals.” Tom Izzo
30. “If you’re not talking, you’re not playing defense.” Doc Rivers
31. “My goal is to win the next game one possession at a time. That’s it. I don’t have any other goals.” Brad Stevens
32. “The more concerned we become over the things we can’t control, the less we will do with the things we can control.” John Wooden
33. “We believe in people executing their role and caring about the team more than anything individually.” Gregg Popovich
34. “It’s OK to make mistakes. That’s how we learn. When we compete, we make mistakes.” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
35. “You have a choice to make when you’re not playing. Either you’re invested and a great teammate, or you’re not.” Brad Stevens
36. “Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them.” Carmelo Anthony
37. “Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.” Scottie Pippen
38. “Everyone is born with a certain potential. You may never achieve your full potential, but how close you come depends on how much you want to pay the price.“ Red Auerbach
39. “A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness.” Jason Kidd
40. “My most prized possession was my library card from the Oakland Public Library.” Bill Russell
41. “Everything negative — pressure, challenges — are all an opportunity for me to rise.“ Kobe Bryant
42. “If I am through learning, I am through.” Coach John Wooden
43. “The key is not the ‘will to win’… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” Bob Knight
44. “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” John Wooden
45. “1. Be on time. 2. Never criticize a teammate. 3. Never use profanity.” John Wooden
46. “I do not judge success based on championships; rather, I judge it on how close we came to realizing our potential.” John Wooden
47. “When I played with Michael Jordan on the Olympic team, there was a huge gap between his ability and the ability of the other great players on that team. But what impressed me was that he was always the first one on the floor and the last one to leave.” Steve Alford
48. “Great effort springs naturally from great attitude.” Pat Riley
49. “Winning is overemphasized. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war.” Al McGuire
50. “Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.” Shaquille O’Neal
51. “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” Kevin Durant
52. “You can’t always be the most talented or gifted person in the room, but you can be the most competitive.“ Pat Summit
53. “Every season is a journey. Every journey is a lifetime.” Mike Krzyzewski
54. “There is a lot of basketball beyond our control, but a player should never let anyone try harder than he does.” Dean Smith
55. “If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful!“ Charles Barkley “The Round Mound of Rebound”
56. “I just hope to make a difference.” Tim Duncan
57. “Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball.” Phil Jackson
58. “In developing teams, I don’t believe in rules. I believe in standards. Rules don’t promote teamwork, standards do.” Mike Krzyzewski
59. “Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.“ Magic Johnson
60. “It is foolish to expect a young man to follow your advice and to ignore your example.” Don Meyer
61. “Young men need more models, not critics.” John Wooden (John Wooden Quotes)
62. “There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either in, or you’re out. There’s no such thing as ‘life in-between’.” Pat Riley
63. “It takes three things to be a ‘special’ player: talent, character, and competitive fire.” Kevin Eastman
64. “Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.” Bill Russell
65. “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” John Wooden
66. “A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.” Larry Bird
67. “Those to whom defense is not important will have the best seat in the game.” Rick Majerus
68. “I’ve got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.” Larry Bird “The Hick from French Lick” (Larry Bird Quotes)
69. “We want men here, not just players. Players are a dime a dozen” Tom Izzo
70. “Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.” Bill Russell (Top 6 Bill Russell Quotes)
71. “Preparation will be my separation.” Kevin Eastman
72. “I’m still waiting for perfection. In the meantime, I’ll settle for persistence.” Bo Ryan
73. “In basketball—as in life—true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.” Phil Jackson
74. “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
75. “No matter what, no matter how I feel, I always bring effort.” Draymond Green
76. “Heart is what separates the good from the great.” Michael Jordan
77. “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” Coach John Wooden
78. “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” John Wooden
79. “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” John Wooden
80. “Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique” Jeff Van Gundy Post: How to Be a Great Basketball Shooter
81. “Winners are not people who do not fail, but people who never quit.“ Anonymous
82. “The only important statistic is the final score.” Bill Russell
83. “Being a professional is doing the things you love to do, on the days you don’t feel like doing them.” Julius Erving
84. “The ‘big time’ is not a place; it’s the state of your heart. It’s not something you get; it’s something you become.” Frosty Westering
85. “I don’t believe in luck, I believe in preparation.” Bob Knight
86. “I have a plan of action, but the game is a game of adjustments.” Mike Krzyzewski
87. “Hard work breeds self-respect.” Coach Pat Summitt
88. “When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort–it is ready to climb.“ Pat Riley
89. “Winners are not born, they are self-made.” Coach Pat Summitt
90. “A key basketball skill is imagery. The best players “see” situations before they happen so they can be prepared.” Dr. Jack Ramsay
91. “The one thing I learned about myself going back and watching tapes of all the losses that we’ve had is that I’m physically capable of doing this and dominating the game, but the mental part was not there. I don’t know if it comes with age, but I had to learn to be mentally tough.” Lisa Leslie
92. “You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.” Bobby Knight (Bob Knight Quotes)
93. “Trust The Process.” Joel Embiid
94. “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” John Wooden
95. “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” Ann Landers
96. “There is a direct correlation between the number of ball reversals and defensive breakdowns.” Kevin Eastman
97. “My confidence level never varies.” Trae Young
98. “I don’t let the pressure get to me. I embrace it and use it as motivation.” – Luka Doncic
99. “If it turns out that my best wasn’t good enough, at least I won’t look back and say that I was afraid to try.” Michael Jordan
100. “Always stay true to yourself. Some people will like it, some people won’t. Life goes on.” Carmelo Anthony
101. “The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.” Charles Barkley
102. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Michael Jordan
103. “Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” Michael Jordan
104. “Bottom line, you’re either a risk taker, or you’re not, and if you don’t take risks, you’ll never win big.” Geno Auriemma
105. “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
106. “I think, team first. It allows me to succeed, it allows my team to succeed.“ Lebron James
107. “When I walked into the gym, I fell in love with the game. I didn’t fall in love with it just because it was me playing. I fell in love with it because I’ve got guys like this – like these guys every single day that push me to be the best that I can be.” Kevin Durant
108. “I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.” Kobe Bryant
109. “Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.” Bill Russell
110. “There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.” Lebron James
111. “Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you’re never wrong?” Pat Summitt
112. “Embrace what makes you different, because being different is what makes you special.” Kevin Love
113. “The greatness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive. The weakness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive.” Phil Jackson
114. “I can’t stand a ballplayer who plays in fear. Any fellow who has a good shot has got to take it and keep taking it. So he misses – so what?” Red Auerbach
115. “Never give up. Failure and rejection are just the first steps to succeeding.” Jim Valvano
116. “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.” Jim Valvano
117. “I hate to lose more than I like to win.” Larry Bird
118. “I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.“ Michael Jordan
119. “You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
120. “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.” Michael Jordan
121. “You have to be able to accept failure to get better.” LeBron James
122. “It’s not about proving them wrong. It’s about proving myself right.” Jimmy Butler
123. “I’m not afraid of anything.” Jayson Tatum
124. “Despite the fear, finish the job.” Kobe Bryant
125. “Never let fear hold you back from pursuing your dreams.” Candace Parker
126. “It’s a collective effort.” Nikola Jokic
127. “It comes down to preparation.” Damian Lillard
128. “Be yourself. It’s the most important part of anything that you do.” Russell Westbrook
129. “I don’t play to sweat, I play to win.” Kevin Garnett
130. “The most important thing is team morale.” Dean Smith
131. “With the absence of pressure, it’s hard to do great things.” Geno Auriemma
132. “If you have a dream, chase it no matter what it takes.” James Harden
133. “Everything is habit forming, so make sure what you do is what you want to be doing.” Wilt Chamberlain
134. “I wouldn’t limit myself to nothing. I feel like I am limitless.” Devin Booker
135. “I treated it like every day was my last day with a basketball.” LeBron James
136. “I never let anybody else put limits on my game.” Ja Morant
137. “Make it happen.” Michael Jordan
138. “Most of basketball is in the mind. But it helps to have big hands.” Scottie Pippen
139. “I got the ‘sky’s the limit’ tattoo, so it’s for sure that.” Lamelo Ball
140. “Winning is motivation.” Kawhi Leonard
141. “I don’t care if I miss 100 shots in a row. I’m never gonna stop shooting the ball.” Klay Thompson
142. “When I set a goal, I work hard to achieve it.” Lisa Leslie
143. “The measure of who we are is how we react to something that doesn’t go our way.” Gregg Popovich
144. “If you’re going to have to beg them to play, it’s not going to work.” Chuck Daly
145. “I am because we are.” Doc Rivers
146. “The best teams play for each other, not with each other.” Jeff Van Gundy
147. “The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals, and you can’t let yourself be beaten because of lack of effort.” Michael Jordan
148. “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” Kobe Bryant
149. “You can’t be afraid to fail. It’s the only way you succeed—you’re not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that.” LeBron James
150. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” Phil Jackson
151. “There can only be one winner, and the rest are losers, but winners know they are winners before the results are in.” Pat Riley
152. “They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.” Wilt Chamberlain
153. “Your biggest opponent isn’t the other guy. It’s human nature.” Derek Fisher
154. “You win by effort, by commitment, by ambition, by quality, by expressing yourself individually but in the team context.” Doc Rivers
155. “Ask me to steal, block out, sacrifice, lead, dominate, anything. But it’s not what you ask of me; it’s what I ask of myself.” LeBron James
156. “A team will always appreciate a great individual if he’s willing to sacrifice for the group.” Kareem Abdul Jabbar
157. “No one plays this or any game perfectly. It’s the guy who recovers from his mistakes who wins.” Phil Jackson
158. “No one is bigger than the team. If you can’t do things our way, you’re not getting time here, and we don’t care who you are.” Gregg Popovich
159. “Coaches shouldn’t have to push you to work hard. You should push yourself because you want to be a great player.” Bob Knight
160. “Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We.” Phil Jackson
161. “Your best player has to set a tone of intolerance for anything that gets in the way of winning.” Jeff Van Gundy
162. “Hey, coach, you better get somebody else out here to guard me because I’m killing this guy.” Larry Bird.
163. “Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.“ Magic Johnson