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Enjoy This Amazing List Of Basketball Quotes

If you’re looking for Great Basketball Quotes – then you’ve come to the right place!

I love reading quotes from famous and successful players and coaches. It truly motivates and inspires me to read what these well-respected individuals have to say about the game of basketball – and many times about life itself!

There have been many times when I’ve been able to apply these quotes to my playing and coaching experiences, as well as life itself.

Some of the basketball quotes will be very relevant to your current playing or coaching situation, while others may not. Some might make you laugh, while others might make you think seriously for a moment.

In any case, I hope you enjoy this list of basketball quotes I have put together for you!

Great Basketball Quotes

 

  • “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” — Tim Duncan
  • “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
  • “Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.” — Wilt Chamberlain
  • “Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals.” — James Naismith
  • “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
  • “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
  • “Basketball doesn’t build character it reveals it.” — Author Unknown
  • “Basketball is like photography, if you don’t focus, all you have is the negative.” — Dan Frisby
  • “They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.” — Wilt Chamberlain
  • “There are really only two plays: Romeo and Juliet, and put the darn ball in the basket.” — Abe Lemons
  • “Any American boy can be a basketball star if he grows up, up, up.” — Bill Vaughn
  • “If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball.” — Phil Jackson
  • “We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.” — Weldon Drew
  • “Left hand, right hand, it doesn’t matter. I’m amphibious.” — Charles Shackleford
  • “Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.” — Scottie Pippen
  • “Even when I’m old and gray, I won’t be able to play it, but I’ll still love the game.” –Michael Jordan
  • “Fans never fall asleep at our games, because they’re afraid they might get hit by a pass.” –George Raveling

More Great Basketball Quotes

  • “Winning is like deodorant – it comes up and a lot of things don’t stink.” –Doc Rivers
  • “The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy.” –Jerry Tarkanian
  • “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
  • “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
  • “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.” –Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
  • “I don’t believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models…” –Charles Barkley
  • “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
  • “First master the fundamentals.” –Larry Bird
  • “We’re shooting 100 percent – 60 percent from the field and 40 percent from the free-throw line.” –Norm Stewart
  • “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
  • “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
  • “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
  • “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
  • “The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.” –Bill Russell
  • “If you think small things don’t matter, think of the last game you lost by one point.” –Author Unknown
  • “It is not how big you are, it is how big you play.” –Author Unknown
  • “On any given night, anyone can beat anyone.” –Author Unknown
  • “If you make every game a life and death proposition, you’re going to have problems. For one thing, you’ll be dead a lot.” –Dean Smith

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I hope you found these Basketball Quotes to be inspirational and motivational. These are all great basketball quotes from some of the most successful and respected coaches and players in college and professional basketball.