Basketball Court Quotes

#1. Sports formed me. I was always decently skilled but lacked size, so I had to resort to using my skill versus my power. I strategically play golf because that's all I can do. It's the same on the basketball court. I try to get open and shoot it. Or I use the open space on the soccer field.

Zach Johnson

#2. I usually just speak in English when I'm on the basketball court. For some reason, my mind never even tried to cross any other language when I'm playing basketball.

Dikembe Mutombo

#3. On a basketball court, five players were in the middle of an intense game. They wore assortment of jerseys from different American teams, and they all seemed keen to win - grunting and snarling at each other, stealing the ball and pushing.
Oh ... and the players were all baboons.

Rick Riordan

#4. When I step on that basketball court, I'm thinking about basketball, I'm thinking about winning - but there's so much that goes into thought about how I'm going to open this game up to others. It's so much more than just basketball.

Carmelo Anthony

#5. Magic is who I am on the basketball court. Earvin is who I am.

Magic Johnson

#6. If Shakespeare can compare all of life to a stage, maybe it's not odd to believe that part of the play can take place on a basketball court.

Bill Russell

#7. I'm not comfortable being preachy, but more people need to start spending as much time in the library as they do on the basketball court.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

#8. Well aren't you a prick." If a prick turns down a girl that's been pounded more times than a basketball court, then by all means, call me a prick. I

Randa Lynn

#9. Most ballerinas take their first ballet class when they are 5 or 6 years old. I was 13 when I took mine on the basketball court of the San Pedro Boys & Girls Club in California.

Misty Copeland

#10. When I really like something, I try to put my all into it. This is something thats different from when I was growing up on the basketball court, running up and down, scoring 30 points or something. This is totally something different.

Carmelo Anthony

#11. The more your players have to think on the basketball court, the slower their feet get.

Jerry Tarkanian

#12. It is easier and far more satisfying to retreat and compose yourself after every score - and execute perfectly choreographed plays - than to swarm about, arms flailing, and contest every inch of the basketball court. Underdog strategies

Malcolm Gladwell

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

Michael Jordan

#14. In my case, I played sports my whole life. I got out of college, and I didn't bother to get health care coverage because I just figured I didn't need it. But you know that if you blow out your knee on a basketball court or you get in a car accident, and you're uninsured, it can bankrupt you.

Denis McDonough

#15. I've been called worse on the basketball court.

Barack Obama

#16. We'd taken up our positions on the benches between the school hall and a newly-installed outdoor basketball court. Being hip-hoppers, we were obliged to be obsessed with basketball. None of us had a ball.

Nikesh Shukla

#17. My first ballet class was on a basketball court. I'm in my gym clothes and my socks trying to do this thing called ballet. I didn't know anything about it.

Misty Copeland

#18. The Black Mamba collection of watches is me: It is my alter ego, so to speak. As I mentioned before, it is sharp, cutting edge and sleek which are characteristics I try to apply when I'm out there on the basketball court.

Kobe Bryant

#19. When I met Michael Jordan on a basketball court at an athletic club - we hooped together in Chicago - he came to me and asked me if I wanted to do a song for his upcoming movie. I was like, 'Yeah!' I didn't even ask what it was.

R. Kelly

#20. I've always made weird sounds with my mouth. I've always been fascinated by the sound design, what you can do with your mouth. I was the kid dancing around in third grade on the basketball court. While everyone would be playing sports, I would be jumping around.

Charlie Puth

#21. I've been captivated by the idea of being on a basketball court and being surrounded by people who made me look a little bit less like a freak.

John Amaechi

#22. There's so much that I want to do. I feel like I'm the Magic Johnson of rap. You know, Magic was great on the basketball court, but he's bigger as a businessman.

Snoop Dogg

#23. I've accomplished everything a person can accomplish on a basketball court, but I never thought about the future when I was younger. I never made plans for the next stage in my life.

Sheryl Swoopes

#24. My family didn't have very much money, so ballet wasn't even on my radar; I just found it randomly when I was 13 at a Boys & Girls Club. We were practicing in a basketball court in gym clothes with some old socks on. Even though it terrified me at first, I found that I really liked it.

Misty Copeland

#25. I get scared of a lot of attention. I get scared of the spotlight. And I'm not talking about on the basketball court.

Jeremy Lin

#26. For me this was never a money issue, it was about being rich in your heart. To come home, and to be in the place where your dream first started, 15 minutes away from where my grandfather built my first basketball court, is a dream come true.

Baron Davis

#27. I can see well enough on the 28-meter basketball court.

Yao Ming

#28. There are very few sports where you can find that tranquility. Some people find that in golf, but when you're in the water it's such a difference from the golf course or the basketball court. That's what makes surfing unique over any other sport.

Troy Polamalu

#29. One thing you gotta know about Roy. The way I always saw myself, is I'm just like you. In the ring, I have a gift ... That gift ain't on the basketball court. That gift ain't at home. You understand me? That gift is in the ring.

Roy Jones Jr.

#30. The only thing I insist that everybody do is there has to be a basketball court in every game I do, and - with one exception, I let them get away with it once - you can actually shoot a ball through the basket in every game I've made.

Warren Spector

#31. I'm not paid to be a role model. I'm paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court.

Charles Barkley

#32. The basketball court for me, during a game, is the most peaceful place I can imagine. On the basketball court, I worry about nothing. When I'm out there, no one can bother me ...

Michael Jordan

#33. Sometimes on the basketball court or on the football field, you enter this place called 'The Zone.' You're not supposed to acknowledge when you're in 'The Zone,' but when you are, you simply cannot be stopped.

Victor Cruz

#34. The chances of there being transmissibility by blood to blood contact on a basketball court is so infinitesimally small that it is something that shouldn't influence a decision whether someone would come back or not.

Anthony S. Fauci

#35. If you're struggling with your shooting, then do other things on the basketball court. Get steals, get assists, get rebounds-do anything on the court to help the team win.

Allen Iverson

#36. When it comes to team dynamics - on a basketball court or in a corporate setting - maintaining a positive atmosphere is crucial.

Rick Pitino

#37. I never really called people out. It was more along the lines of teasing a person. It started for me in fifth grade on the basketball court.

Keyshawn Johnson

#38. Whatever I lack in size and strength and speed, I kind of make up for in being grittier. When it comes to something like basketball I'm definitely not the best guy on the court, but I love elbowing and pushing people out or boxing them out.

Steven Yeun

#39. I don't get it. Basketball is so supremely boring. I can't understand the point of watching ten giants running from one end of the field
court
to the other throwing an orange ball through a hoop in the air. I guess it's better than golf, but so is watching paint dry.

Carter Quinn

#40. Players must be able to carry out simple instructions from the bench to the court. If they can't, then they can't play

Bobby Knight

#41. Basketball is a full court game, so every drill must be done full court.

Bobby Knight

#42. I'm someone who always comes on the court no matter what's going on in my life. It's all about basketball and my teammates and my team. I don't let any distractions in, and I bring my best every night, regardless of what's going on or what people are talking about.

Kris Humphries

#43. No matter where they put people, no matter how they try to promote people, there aren't too many people in the game today that are on my level on and off the court.

Shaquille O'Neal

#44. Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat.

Dean Smith

#45. You've got to have fun on the court. If you ain't having fun, then basketball ain't fun.

Carmelo Anthony

#46. On the court, Jason Collins is not a huge basketball star, but he has already claimed his place in civil rights history as the first openly gay athlete to play in one of the four major U.S. sports leagues.

Nancy Gibbs

#47. Chemistry is important. If you like your teammates, it's going to be easier to play with them on the court.

Kevin Durant

#48. 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

#49. Basketball Rule #1

In this game of life
your family is the court
and the ball is your heart.
No matter how good you are,
no matter how down you get,
always leave
your heart
on the court.

Kwame Alexander

#50. I just do what I got to do and go out and be myself, on and off the court, and take care of my obligations. That's generally your own destiny-knowing what you have to take care of.

LeBron James

#51. I am, first of all, a basketball player. I've done this for so very long ... For me, it's been essential to be successful on the court.

Tony Parker

#52. The greatest sin a coach can commit is to allow kids to slide by. This goes for the classroom as well as the court

Hubie Brown

#53. I always know what's happening on the court. I see a situation occur, and I respond.

Larry Bird

#54. Every little kid that steps on the court or the field has aspirations to go pro. I think being a pro basketball player is the best job. The thing I had to realize was that I can't do every dream that I have.

Brian McKnight

#55. The more things we can get kids to do correctly off the court, the more they will do correctly on the court.

Mike Jarvis

#56. I don't know hardly any of the players who have the in-between game like me, who can go to any position on the court.

Oscar Robertson

#57. What distinguishes a great player is his presence. When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.

Bill Russell

#58. Teenage boys fall in love with girls who have blond hair and blue eyes. Basketball coaches fall in love with players who have a cerebral court sense and a great jump shot.

John Feinstein

#59. What I know is that if you're going to play half-court, you'd better have the greatest executioners of half-court basketball. If you run, you test the stamina and willpower of the other team. That's what I learned as a player.

Tom Heinsohn

#60. And the game of basketball, I play, I play first off because I love it. I love to have fun. I love to run up and down the court.

Kevin Durant

#61. With a versatile player, there's no spot on the court you can't pass him the ball. You can do anything.

Kevin Durant

#62. If you only ever like people you don't know and who don't know you, the ball is perpetually in their court. Only they don't realize that you think they're playing basketball with you. They are not actually at the court. You think you're there. But really you're not there, either.

Katie Heaney

#63. If your bigs rim run at full speed it not only increases the potential for a quick layup, but opens up court for guards

Fred Hoiberg

#64. My opinion about basketball, the way I was taught, was when you step on the court, you play to win.

Larry Bird

#65. My mom always tells me that ... Nobody is going to remember you for the great basketball player you are but they will remember you for the character you have off the court and how many lives you're changed.

Isaiah Austin

#66. When I was young, I was sold on winning. I was always serious on the court. As I got older, I realized that it was just a basketball game. Just go out there and have fun.

Carmelo Anthony

#67. Just because I had a good game doesn't change who I am,
my identity is in Christ and not in basketball, I love playing basketball and it's my job but at the same time I recognize that I'm a sinner and that's not gonna change regardless of how well I play on the court

Jeremy Lin

#68. I love playing basketball because you could be having a rough day in your life, and while you're on the court it gives you a clear mind. I'm not worried about anything. I'm there just playing freely and I go out there all and I have fun.

Derrick Rose

#69. Bob Brannum was my body guard on the court. He was 6'-6 and built like a bulldog.

Bob Cousy

#70. A team is a group of players who support one another on court and who think of the group before they think of themselves

K. C. Jones

#71. Standing on the court and holding up that trophy - it's so great you want to keep doing it over and over again.

Tim Duncan

#72. What am I most proud of? That, as a man, I've made my mom proud. Not just in basketball, but away from the court, too.

Michael Finley

#73. You need a teaching coach who understands the game of basketball, not just some guy coming on the court talking about Xs and Os.

Oscar Robertson

#74. People see my body and ask me what I do to work out. I play a lot of basketball, so I'm constantly dribbling and running up the court. I take a basketball with me everywhere I go!

Romeo Miller

#75. I expect us to be good; very good. I expect us to first and foremost be better than we were last year and get back to having this franchise as one of the premier franchises on and off the court, and I think we have the opportunity to do that this upcoming season. I really believe that.

Grant Hill

#76. Not only do I admire Jordan's accomplishments and his phenomenal basketball ability, but also the way he has conducted himself on and off the court. I don't think there will ever be another player to have the same impact on the game of basketball as Michael Jordan.

Elgin Baylor

#77. Stand up for your players. Show them you care on and off the court.

Red Auerbach

#78. A big market is something that doesn't really concern me too much. It's cool to think about, it's good for off-the-court deals. But I'm more of a basketball player. That's what I want to be known as. And this is the best place for me to play basketball. I'm glad I'm here.

Kevin Durant

#79. Just fundamental things - I played guard and I played forward, so you get into a position where you are pivoting out on the court.

Oscar Robertson

#80. I will have no problem coming to practice on time. The locker room is great, but we have to prove ourselves on the court.

LeBron James

#81. I have to tell you, I'm proudest of my life off the court. There will always be great basketball players who bounce that little round ball, but my proudest moments are affecting people's lives, effecting change, being a role model in the community.

Magic Johnson

#82. In football they measure forty-yard sprints. Nobody runs forty yards in basketball. Maybe you run the ninety-four feet of the court; then you stop, not on a dime, but on Miss Liberty's torch. In football you run over somebody's face.

Donald Hall

#83. I love to play basketball, but I haven't played in awhile. But if I could get back on the court and play, I definitely would.

Curtis Granderson

#84. I dont want to be a point guard, or a two-guard, I want people to think of me as "creative", I just want to create on the court.

Allen Iverson