Quotes For Basketball: By Players, Coaches, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Lebron James For Girls and Boys
These quotes about basketball have been accumulated over years by watching the game, documentaries, and reading basketball player and coach biographies. We have included basketball quotes for girls as well as a special section for famous Kobe Bryant quotes. We have motivational basketball quotes to get ready for the big game and others that teach life lessons from the greatest players and coaches in the game.
We have divided our list of quotes into easy-to-use tables, which will be continually updated, with quotes by players and then by basketball coaches. We hope you enjoy these inspirational basketball quotes.
Quotes By Basketball Players
These are quotes by basketball players that have had some of the biggest impact on the game such as Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Lebron James and more.
| Quote | Player Name |
| “Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.“ | Magic Johnson |
| “Everything negative — pressure, challenges — are all an opportunity for me to rise.“ | Kobe Bryant |
| “Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise” | Michael Jordan |
| “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.“ | Tim Duncan |
| “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 |
| “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 |
| “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 |
| “I think, team first. It allows me to succeed, it allows my team to succeed.“ | Lebron James |
| “I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.“ | Michael Jordan |
| “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 |
| “I’ve missed more than 9000 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 |
| “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 |
| “If it turns out that my best wasn’t good enough, at least I wont look back and say that I was afraid to try” | Michael Jordan |
| “If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful!“ | Charles Barkley |
| “Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.” | Scottie Pippen |
| “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 |
| “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” | Ann Landers |
| “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 |
| “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 | Kevin Durant |
| “Remember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you’ve got him” | Bill Russell |
Quotes By Basketball Coaches
These are quotes by basketball coaches that have had a huge impact on how the game is played such as Larry Brown, Geno Auriemma, Doc Rivers, Pat Riley, and, of course, John Wooden.
| Quote | Coach Name |
|---|---|
| “The key is not the ‘will to win’… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important” | Bob Knight |
| “There is a direct correlation between the number of ball reversals and defensive breakdowns” | Kevin Eastman |
| “Those to whom defense is not important will have the best seat in the game” | Rick Majerus |
| “We believe in people executing their role and caring about the team more than anything individually” | Gregg Popovich |
| “Be led by your dreams, not by your problems.” | John Wooden |
| “When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it is ready to climb” | Pat Riley |
| “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 |
| “You can’t always be the most talented or gifted person in the room, but you can be the most competitive.” | Pat Summit |
| “You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.” | Bobby Knight |
| “Young men need more models, not critics” | John Wooden |
| “A key basketball skill is imagery. The best players “see” situations before they happen so they can be prepared” | Dr. Jack Ramsay |
| “Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you’re never wrong?” | Pat Summitt |
| “All the successful teams I’ve ever seen have three characteristics: They play unselfish, they play together, and they play hard.” | Larry Brown |
| “Bad shooters are always open” | Pete Carril |
| “Be led by your dreams not by your problems.” | Roy Williams |
| “Bottom line, you’re either a risk taker, or your not, and if you don’t take risks, you’ll never win big.” | Geno Auriemma |
| “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 |
| “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 |
| “I have a plan of action, but the game is a game of adjustments” | Mike Krzyzewski |
| “I’m still waiting for perfection. In the meantime, I’ll settle for persistence” | Bo Ryan |
| “If you’re going to have to beg them to play, it’s not going to work.” | Chuck Daly |
| “If you’re not talking, you’re not playing defense” | Doc Rivers |
| “In developing teams, I don’t believe in rules. I believe in standards. Rules don’t promote teamwork, standards do” | Mike Krzyzewski |
| “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 |
| “Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball” | Phil Jackson |
| “Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique” | Jeff Van Gundy |
| “The greatness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive. The weakness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive” | Phil Jackson |
Famous Kobe Bryant Quotes
Kobe was a great NBA basketball player and is definitely an icon of the game who left this world too early. We thought we would hold 3 of the best Kobe Bryant quotes for their own section.
The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.
Kobe Bryant
I’m extremely willful to win, and I respond to challenges. It’s not a challenge to me to win the scoring title, because I know I can.
Kobe Bryant
I’m reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.
Kobe Bryant
Michael Jordan Quotes About Basketball
We thought it was worthwhile to add an additional 3 Michael Jordan quotes about basketball since he is one the greatest basketball players of all time. We think these are some of the best Michael Jordan quotes.
Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, and others make it happen
Michael Jordan
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
Lebron James Quotes About Basketball
King James has been a dominant force in basketball and has also been quite an influencer in business as well. We thought he deserved a few more quotes in a dedicated section here.
I don’t need too much. Glamour and all that stuff don’t excite me. I am just glad I have the game of basketball in my life.
Lebron James
I treated it like every day was my last day with a basketball.
Lebron James
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
Conclusion
Whether you were looking for quotes for basketball shirts, teamwork, defense, hard work, shooting, or life we hope we have covered it in this post. We will be continually adding quotes to this list as we find more of the best basketball quotes out there. We hope it turns your good basketball team into a great one.
You can check out some of our posts on basketball rules such as carrying, traveling, or charging.
Troy Wright
I am a lifetime basketball enthusiast and loved playing basketball competitively through high school. I still try and play at least 3 times a week and explore all kinds of equipment and training to keep myself on the court and continually getting better. I am a college basketball fanatic and move onto the NBA when March Madness ends.
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