quotes by Basketball Player Quotes

“One day, you might look up and see me playing the game at 50. Don't laugh. Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”

“I am free to make anything I want as long as I think it will sell.”

“I do not have a problem, I enjoy gambling, but I think people are trying to make it seem like I have a problem, because people really don't know.”

“I basically expect anything. Isn't that wild? I used to surprise myself a lot: certain moves, how I'd get out of trouble. But at some point, you accept the talent that you have, you accept your creativity.”

“There's only one Michael Jordan.”

“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.”

“There's a through line that connects all of us.”

“It doesn't matter to me what place I get traded to. If I was traded someplace - I'd play anywhere.”

“If you don't back it up with performance and hard work, talking doesn't mean a thing.”

“The greatest people that ever lived were also the greatest failures. They just didn’t let those failures affect them like they do most.”

“I had some shots that I felt like I should've made; I just didn't make them. I'm not going to shoot the ball great every night.”

“In an individual sport, yes, you have to win titles. Baseball's different. But basketball, hockey? One person can control the tempo of a game, can completely alter the momentum of a series. There's a lot of great individual talent.”

“I never feared about my skills because I put in the work. Work ethic eliminates fear. So if you put forth the work, what are you fearing? You know what you're capable of doing and what you're not.”

“Enjoy every minute of life. Never second-guess life.”

“Number 45 doesn't explode like Number 23 used to.”

“My fellow Wilmington, North Carolina native Meadowlark Lemon is a true national treasure. I watched him play for the Harlem Globetrotters when I was growing up and his skill with the basketball and dedication to the game were an inspiration not only to me, but to kids all around the world.”

“There's a much bigger world out there.”

“To be honest with you, I (would) much rather play basketball and not be famous.”

“If they want to win right now, I'm all for it. That's all I said the whole time. If you want to wait five years, let me know. My legs aren't as young as they used to be.”

“I don't have to hear that criticism, that idotic criticism anymore.”

“If I have something and move forward, it is only my weakness, which I hate and turn into my strength. You are not lost as long as you do not give up!”

“You always have to be on edge. You always have to take every practice, every game, like it is your last.”

“When I got cut from the varsity team as a sophomore in high school, I learned something. I knew I never wanted to feel that bad again. I never wanted to have that taste in my mouth, that hole in my stomach. So I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity.”

“If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear.”

“Heart is what separates the good from the great.”

“Listen to how everyone is talking about you. You have to use it as fuel for motivation.”

“We're not winning because of talent. We're just beating bad teams.”

“I missed 9000 shots in my career, lost almost 300 games and missed the shot to win the game 26 times.”

“Patience. I will become what I know I am.”

“The Kobe 8 is about enhanced performance. It's the most comfortable shoe I have worn. It's simplistic but has an edge to it.”

“Maybe it’s my own fault. Maybe I led you to believe it was easy when it wasn’t. Maybe I made you think my highlights started at the free throw line, and not in the gym. Maybe I made you think that every shot I took was a game winner. That my game was built on flash, and not fire. Maybe it’s my fault that you didn’t see that failure gave me strength; that my pain was my motivation. Maybe I led you to believe that basketball was a God given gift, and not something I worked for every single day of my life. Maybe I destroyed the game. Or maybe you’re just making excuses.”

“Each time I step on the basketball court, I never know what will happen. I live for the moment. I play for the moment.”

“So, the next time you're out working on your game and they pass you the rock, don't just take it to the hole. Take it to the next level. Don't just bend rims. Bend expectations. Let them see you and feel you and by the very virtue of your love, the truth in your game, they will hear you. Let your game speak.”

“Ultimately, if you can say that I'm a bad owner and we're winning championships, I can live with that. But if we're not making the playoffs and we're spending and losing money, then I have to look in the mirror and say maybe I'm not taking the necessary steps to doing what it takes to run an organization.”

“You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that.”

“If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.”

“This is an award I couldn't have won on my own. I can't thank these guys enough. These are my guys, these are my brothers.”

“I was an idiot when I was a kid.”

“I'm not the most patient of people...”

“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.”

“I'm patient.”

“My parents are my backbone. Still are. They're the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.”

“You're an idiot. You've screwed up every play we ever ran. You're too stupid to even remember the plays. We ought to get rid of you.”

“I know what I would do if I were coach. I'd determine our strengths and weaknesses and utilize them. And it's pretty clear what our strength is.”

“The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.”

“I don’t want to say I’ll be back at the top of my game because everybody’s gonna think I’m crazy and it’s the old player not letting go sort of thing, but that’s what it’s gonna be.”

“I can't speak for the future. I have no crystal ball.”

“As far as carrying the torch for the years to come, I don't know. I just want to be the best basketball player I can be.”

“Winners don't just learn the fundamentals, they master them. You have to monitor your fundamentals constantly because the only thing that changes will be your attention to them.”

“The only thing I'm afraid of is bees. I don't like bees. I'm allergic to them.”