Simple and powerful basketball quotes from great players and coaches that will inspire you towards the game of basketball. Quotes that will keep you focused and motivate you towards great success in both the game of basketball and life.
- Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We.
Phil Jackson
- 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
- I like criticism. It makes you strong.
LeBron James
- Sometimes, adrenaline flows into momentum.
Dennis Johnson
- Basketball is the MTV of sports.
Sara Levinson
- They don’t pay you a million dollars for two-hand chest passes.
Pete Maravich
- There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you focus on yourself, all the lights fade away and you become a fleeting moment in life.
Pete Maravich
- There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you focus on yourself, all the lights fade away and you become a fleeting moment in life.
Pete Maravich
Table of Contents
Short Basketball Quotes.
- When I was losing, they called me nuts. When I was winning they called me eccentric.
Al McGuire
- Shout praise and whisper criticism.
- In practice, don’t just run basketball drills, teach the players how to play basketball.
- Successful programs consist of people working hard, working together, while never worrying about who gets the credit.
- There is nothing more important than rebounding…don’t just give it lip service.
- It is not what you teach, but what you emphasize.
- Good shooters take the shots; best shooters take most of the shots.
- You build your program from the ideas of great coaches.
- Playoff your great player… great teams have a go-to player and they play off of him.
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES ABOUT FINDING YOURSELF.
Most Inspirational Basketball Quotes.
- Prepare for every practice like you just lost your last game.
- Your program must have an overriding purpose that is clearly visible and which teaches lessons beyond winning.
- When you watch the game, be a student of the game.
- Help one kid at a time. He’ll maybe go back and help a few more.
Al McGuire.
- I don’t discuss basketball. I dictate basketball. I’m not interested in philosophy classes.
Al McGuire
- To win, you’ve got to put the ball in the macramé.
Terry McGuire
- Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.
Magic Johnson
Bob Knight Basketball Quotes
- Basketball is a full-court game, so every drill must be done full court.
- Passing is your best weapon against man to man. Dribble penetration is your best weapon against a zone.
- You don’t play against opponents. You play against the game of basketball.
Bob Knight
- The key is not the “will to win” – everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.
- My practices were not set up to be easy or enjoyed.
- The goal is to make practice more difficult, physically/mentally, than anything your players will face during a game.
- Prepare for every game like you just lost your last game.
Lon Kruger
- Believe that the loose ball that you are chasing has your name written on it.
Mike Krzyzewski.
Motivational Quotes For Basketball.
- One day of practice is like one day of clean living. It doesn’t do you any good.
Abe Lemmons
- Natural abilities are like natural plants; they need pruning by study.
Red Auerbach
- 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
- I don’t hire good coaches, I hire good people. If they turn out to be good coaches, too, that’s a plus.
Geno Auriemma
- 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 in the arena.
Charles Barkley
- The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.
Charles Barkley
- 42.) If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful!
Charles Barkley.
Basketball Quotes About Passion.
- Coaching is easy. Winning is the hard part.
Elgin Baylor
- What you specifically teach is what your players will do best.
Dick Bennett
- Practice to beat the best.
Dick Bennett
- 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
- You never make any of the shots you never take. 87% of the ones you do take, you’ll miss too. I make 110% of my shots.
Larry Bird
- Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.
Larry Bird
- 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.
Best Basketball Quotes For Motivation.
- Criticize on defense and encourage on offense.
John Brady
- If you want team play, you must stress defense. Defense makes players unselfish.
John Brady
- All the successful teams I’ve ever seen have three characteristics: They play unselfish, they play together, and they play hard.
Larry Brown
- It’s a Mental Game
The trouble with officials is they just don’t care who wins.
Tommy Canterbury
- A guy who gives you less than what he has to give is, one, telling you what he thinks of you, and two, telling you what he thinks of himself.
Pete Carill
- The two ingredients in success in basketball are playing hard and playing intelligently.
Pete Carill
- Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.
Wilt Chamberlain
- Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful in anything that you put your mind to.
Bob Cousy.
Motivational Basketball Quotes For Success.
- I don’t try to get players emotionally up for a game; it creates too many peaks and valleys… I strive for even keel; they will get up for the big games.
Denny Crum
- Success doesn’t stop when you get there.
Michael Jordan
- The difference in winning and losing is most often… not quitting.
Walt Disney
- Systems win! Believe in your system, and then sell it to your players.
Billy Donovan
- We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.
Weldon Drew
- Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.
Tim Duncan
- To be a great teacher of the game you must study the game; know your craft & be proud of your knowledge, but never be satisfied with your knowledge.
Kevin Eastman.
Inspiring Basketball Quotes for Success.
- To be great we need to win games we aren’t supposed to win.
Julius Erving
- I keep both eyes on my man. The basket hasn’t moved on me yet.
Julius Erving
- 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
You have to be able to center yourself, to let all of your emotions go. Don’t ever forget that you play with your soul as well as your body.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- We try to stress the little things because little things lead to big things.
Steve Alford
- Basketball is like a war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up.
Red Auerbach
Famous Basketball Quotes.
- The best way to forget one’s self is to look at the world with attention and love.
Red Auerbach
- Just do what you do best.
Red Auerbach
- Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievements for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.
Kareem Abdul-Jabaar
- The reason we win games is not typical of a top 5 team. We’re winning on execution and heart and guts and playing smart.
Mark Few
- Discover your gift, develop your gift, and then give it away every day.
Don Meyer
- Love is the force that ignites the spirit and binds teams together.
Phil Jackson
- People who create 20 percent of the results will begin believing they deserve 80 percent of the rewards.
Pat Riley
- There can only be one state of mind as you approach any profound test; total concentration, a spirit of togetherness, and strength.
- Pat Riley
- Everybody’s talking trash these days, so why not keep quiet?
Dennis Rodman.
Motivational Quotes About Basketball.
- Do you know how I learned to shoot? I watched white people. Just regular white people. They really put their elbow in and finish up top. You can find videos of them online.
Joel Embiid
- If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the short end.
Julius Erving
- Sometimes this thing becomes bigger than life itself. It isn’t.
Mark Few
- When I dunk, I put something on it. I want the ball to hit the floor before I do.
Darryl Dawkins.
Funny Basketball Quotes
- The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy.
Jerry Tarkanian
- When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team.
George Raveling.
- Fans never fall asleep at our games, because they’re afraid they might get hit by a pass.
George Raveling
- I know the Virginia players are smart because you need 1,500 SAT scores to get in. I have to drop bread crumbs to get our players to and from class.
- George Raveling
- Any American boy can be a basketball star if he grows up, up, up.
Bill Vaughn
- This year we plan to run and shoot. Next season we hope to run and score.
Billy Tubbs
- If you are going to take it to the bank, then you better cash it in.
Shannon Fish
- Basketball is like photography, if you don’t focus, all you have is the negative.
Dan Frisby
- We win because we play together as a team.
John Havlicek.
Simple Powerful Quotes About Basketball.
- I keep both eyes on my man. The basket hasn’t moved on me yet.
Julius Erving
- Not only is there more to life than basketball, but there’s also a lot more to basketball than basketball.
Phil Jackson
- You always have to give 100%, because if you don’t someone, somewhere will give 100% and they will beat you when you meet.
Ed Macauley
- I never thought I’d lead the NBA in rebounding, but I got a lot of help from my team-mates – they did a lot of missing.
Moses Malone.
- Here’s how I’m going to beat you. I’m going to outwork you. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.
Pat Summitt
- When I was a young playing basketball, WNBA was a dream.
Nia Jax
- Empower the people around you, from the janitor to the athletic director. You do that by being sincere, caring about others, and then putting it into practice.
Sue Gunter
- Don’t make excuses. Make your free throws.
Elena Della Donne
- Coaches shouldn’t have to push you to work hard, you should push yourself to work hard because you want to be a great player.
Bob Knight
I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get your emotions going.
Jimmy Valvano.
Conclusion.
Simple quotes from famous players to inspire you towards your game and craft.Quotes that will inspire you to be better at the game of basketball.
Sincerely Yours.
