Top 100 Quotes About Basketball
#1. I'm not really a big X's and O's guy, but if you want to go there, I'm more of a space-the-floor type of coach: Five out, zero in, and that's the way we play basketball, screen and roll here and there, pocket passes everywhere; it's what it's about.
Kyrie Irving
#2. I don't really want to go into my problems with the team at the time except to say that no one's ever had to pay me to play basketball.
Jerry West
#3. I used to play soccer when I was in Morocco, but I was more of a basketball player. I played high school basketball, I played AAU basketball.
French Montana
#4. 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
#5. Cooper was my road roommate, and also happened to be the first African American player drafted by a National Basketball Association team.
Bob Cousy
#6. I played baseball, and that's pretty much it. Basketball came late, this was, basketball was the sport that I tried to master, I kind of mastered baseball, so basketball was one of those things where I wanted to master this game, so that's why I probably play it the way I do.
Eric Williams
#7. As you keep shooting the ball, you become a better basketball player.
Raekwon
#8. I won at every level - all the way since I started playing the game of basketball at nine. I've won at every level, won championships at every level. And, you know, it won't be fulfilled until I win at the highest level.
LeBron James
#9. We're still getting better as a team. We're still learning how to play basketball as a team and how to win tough games.
Carmelo Anthony
#10. I call Los Angeles the city of alternatives. If you don't like mountains, we got the ocean. If you don't like Knott's Berry Farm, we've got Disneyland. If you don't like basketball, we've got the Clippers.
Arsenio Hall
#11. If you let social activities take precedence over your academic activities, then you will soon lose your basketball activities.
John Wooden
#12. Nobody cared about swimming. You could draw a crowd for basketball.
Merlin Olsen
#13. Playing basketball with my teammates was a gift! We cant play any more but we live the memories each day!
Theresa Grentz
#14. I play basketball all the time. Me and my band play every week on the road. That's something that I've never really given up since high school.
Josh Turner
#15. My childhood dream was to play basketball, actually.
Godfrey Gao
#16. I just want to try to ignore the scrutiny and all the distractions and just play hard basketball and let the best come ... Improving game by game and trying to improve my game is what I want to do.
Andrew Bogut
#18. Basketball, more than any other sport, is a team game ... about the thousands of small, unselfish acts, the sacrifices on the part of the players that result in team building.
Dean Smith
#19. Only a handful of professional football athletes have had a signature shoe, unlike in basketball where there have been a number of guys.
Keyshawn Johnson
#20. It would be very heard, for example, a basketball owner, no matter how racist he was, to try to operate without Blacks. It would be suicidal.
Thomas Sowell
#21. There have been players with Indian heritage, but there hasn't been a Native-American professional basketball player who became a regular for all sorts of social and political reasons.
Sherman Alexie
#22. I hate the gym, so I try to diversify my workouts with swimming and basketball. Indoors, it's less boring than running. I do find that diet is key. I eat lots of lean protein, no soda, no fast food or fried foods, and a lot of water. But I love food and often cook.
Mike Colter
#23. I love to cook like a mad man. If I could do it all over again? I would be a NBA basketball player.
Henry Zebrowski
#24. I would never do 'Dancing With The Stars,' because it's just not fair. I am too good of a dancer. It would be like LeBron James playing little league basketball.
Terry Crews
#25. Blacks can get into medical school with a lower grade ... If that's true, a Jew should be able to play basketball with a lower net.
Jackie Mason
#26. There are only so many hours you can sit on the bus and watch TV or play basketball or whatever we do to pass the time before we go out onstage.
Kenny Chesney
#27. The biggest thing that I felt basketball could do for me was help me get a good education.
Julius Erving
#28. The Boston Celtics are not a basketball team, they are a way of life.
Red Auerbach
#29. I want people to follow their dreams, yes ... but I'm not interested in telling young black kids how to be rappers ... I want to show them that there's so many other paths you can take, besides a rapper or basketball player.
J. Cole
#30. I wanted a NBA basketball gym at my house and that's what I worked hard for and I was able to achieve that.
Terrell Owens
#32. Yeah, I like cars and basketball. But you know what I like more? Bananas.
Frankie Muniz
#33. My daughter genuinely asked me to hand her the basketball bat. I might be failing as a father.
Greg Behrendt
#34. I played basketball to try to get my parents from working so hard.
James Worthy
#35. I grew up playing sports, football, basketball, baseball, everything, and acting was such a different environment and different world for me.
Cam Gigandet
#36. Then I'd tell him how fond I am of basketball, which isn't a total lie because I have a real appreciation for boys in shorts.
E. Van Lowe
#37. The basketball team was trailing by three points. I trail by four points - north, south, east, and west. I also trail by covered wagon.
Jarod Kintz
#38. Basketball's eras are defined by teams - Celtics, Lakers, Bulls - and baseball's epochs are defined by players - Ruth, Robinson, Mantle - but with football, it's the sideline strategists, the nutty professors and top coated Lears.
J.R. Moehringer
#39. To see a player dunk in women's college basketball is just amazing. It's great to see that the game has reached that level now.
Holly Johnson
#40. I was pretty hot-tempered all through school. I remember my high school basketball coach telling me: 'Boy, if you don't learn to control that temper, you're gonna kill somebody.'
Tony Dorsett
#41. Why don't they allow professional wrestling at the Olympics? They allow pro basketball players and hockey players. Olympic pro wrestling would be awesome. The team from Mexico could wear those Mr. X masks. The French wrestler could hit his opponent with a baguette. Or perhaps just surrender.
Craig Ferguson
#42. One thing I learned in the NBA is that the No. 1 job of a general manager is to keep his job. They are only 30 positions where you make millions and hang around with basketball players all day.
Mark Cuban
#43. I'm glad I stayed in school four years. It matured me as a man and as a basketball player.
Josh Howard
#44. Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable. It has its way with you, no matter how hard you try to control it. The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart. When you do that, the game - and life - will take care of itself.
Phil Jackson
#45. I could run 200 yards at a stretch, I could duck between players, I felt free to make plays that suited me best. It wasn't like football then and basketball today, where coaches tell you what foot to put down.
Jim Brown
#46. I've always been athletic. Growing up in Puerto Rico, and being in the countryside, I was always running around. I also played volleyball, basketball, and I ran track. I was always very conscious of my body.
Joan Smalls
#47. I don't worry about playing basketball; that comes natural. I just want to have fun. David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordanthis is like spring break in the ghetto.
Charles Barkley
#48. We have a great chance to be an NCAA basketball tournament team if we take care of business night in and night out in our league. Records are deceiving. You can schedule your way into a 10-1 or 11-0 record. I have learned that you're not going to trick the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Mark Gottfried
#49. I remember one time being told I could not play in a basketball game at the College of William and Mary because I was black, even though I was playing with a United States Army team.
Walter Dean Myers
#50. I think a lot of people don't understand that when I sit out it's not because of this year. I'm thinking about long term. I'm thinking about after I'm done with basketball.
Derrick Rose
#51. Whether it's boxing, basketball, or badminton, one must be ready to succeed before entering the arena ... long before the lights come up.
Muhammad Ali
#52. If Shakespeare had been in pro basketball, he never would have had time to write his soliloquies. He would have always been on a plane between Phoenix and Kansas City.
Paul Westhead
#53. I played varsity on all of them for four years. I'm 5'9 and that's not that tall for a center so I was a forward. I loved playing volleyball and basketball and track I was good at, but it stressed me out.
Bridgette Wilson
#54. My dad was the one who really loved basketball, and he was the one that put the basketball in my hands, and my mom was 'Team Mom' of all my teams. I used to play for three or four teams at once and she would just spend her entire afternoon driving me from practice to practice to practice.
Jeremy Lin
#55. There are some rappers out there that I listen to, that I'm like: "You are really good but you could be like the Michael Jordan of rap if you applied yourself." There's a lot of people who are better at basketball than Michael Jordan, but Michael Jordan just wanted to be Michael Jordan, more.
Donald Glover
#56. I really cherish everything that basketball brings; and I think, for me, it's been a great ride and I'm not done yet.
Stephen Curry
#57. I've been an athlete that's sort of in advance; always thinking. After basketball I'd love to have my own radio show, my own TV show.
Shaquille O'Neal
#58. I was never really a model. That somehow is in my bio. The whole thing is I was tall since I was a child - you're either a model or you play basketball.
Jules Asner
#60. Oh, you know. I'm queen of the rumor mill. It seems like there's been a new rumor about me every week since I got here. Comes with being the new girl, I guess. Have you heard the one where I seduced the basketball coach? That's a personal favorite.
Cynthia Hand
#61. Sure, I like to win when I play basketball or board games or video games, but my day isn't ruined if I lose. I'm always up for a rematch. In all seriousness, that's something that's nice about maturing.
Aaron Staton
#62. I believe that if I committed to basketball, I could make an impact in the NBA. I now see football as my job and my greatest challenge.
Julius Peppers
#63. Jury verdicts, basketball games, and even music are enough to set off black rage, it seems,
Ron Paul
#64. I got on the scale and I weighed around 203. I'm only 5'7. I was about to turn 30, and I wasn't active anymore. So I started working with a nutritionist and a trainer. I played basketball twice a week. And soon it all just became a habit for me. I became addicted to something good for a change.
Jerry Ferrara
#65. Life is like a basketball game, you can shoot but miss. sometimes you even lose a game. There is always a next tournament, but never a time to give up.
David Dunham
#66. My focus is on comfort, so I tend to keep it simple and casual - both during and after the basketball season.
Tony Parker
#67. A lot of times I blend in a little bit easier because I'm not like a basketball player who's going to stand out because of his height.
Tiger Woods
#68. I don't know how tall I am or how much I weigh. Because I don't want anybody to know my identity. I'm like a superhero. Call me Basketball Man.
LeBron James
#69. Going in, you want to play a perfect season and play throughout the whole entire season, but injuries are a part of basketball.
Kyrie Irving
#70. Trying to take money out of politics is like trying to take jumping out of basketball.
Bill Bradley
#71. I wake at 5 or 5:30 most mornings, make myself a latte and grab a cookie, write until 10 or 11, go have my favorite meal, 'second breakfast,' or grab coffee with friends, or play basketball. Then, around noon, I begin apologizing via email for the manuscripts I can't get to.
Jess Walter
#72. We want to show how hip-hop, which kind of fuels today's basketball stars, is directly related to jazz.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#73. As failures go, attempting to recall the past is like trying to grasp the meaning of existence. Both make one feel like a baby clutching at a basketball: one's palms keep sliding off.
Joseph Brodsky
#74. When I was really young, the women's national team wasn't on a grand media stage, so my role models were male basketball and male American football players.
Abby Wambach
#75. And from the first time I picked up a basketball at age eight - I had a lot of difficulty when I first picked up a basketball, because I was a scrub - there were things that I liked about it.
Julius Erving
#76. I wasn't going to let Jerry Sloan embarrass me, because basketball had a proper role in my life. I suspected my basketball philosophy wasn't the bottom line anyway.
John Amaechi
#77. Frankie Muniz is amazing at everything he does. Many people don't know that he can play the piano like you wouldn't believe, and he can bowl and play basketball like you wouldn't believe.
Samaire Armstrong
#78. After I made it to the NBA, I said that I didn't want to be the last player from Africa. After my rookie year, I went to the league and talked about this, and they embraced my idea and started conducting basketball clinics in Africa, and that's when I knew I wouldn't be the last African.
Dikembe Mutombo
#79. And it blew my mind when I started to get wind of the fact that they actually liked me being around. That was humbling, because Kentucky basketball is a big deal, and I am not the biggest fan - I am just the most notorious one.
Ashley Judd
#80. My overall point is that 'one and dones' are not healthy for college basketball. I should not have made it personal to Kentucky and its players and I apologize.
Bobby Knight
#81. But at the same time, my parents always encouraged my brother and me to be happy with what we were doing. My parents were athletes in high school; my mom and my dad were the stars of the basketball team, but they never pushed my brother and me to be anything we didn't want to be.
Jonathan Groff
#82. A lot of late nights in the gym, a lot of early mornings, especially when your friends are going out, you're going to the gym, those are the sacrifices that you have to make if you want to be an NBA basketball player.
Jason Kidd
#83. I can score the basketball, but I think I can pass pretty well or I can make the correct pass. I'm not the type of guy who's just going to throw the ball inbounds to a guy who's wide open. I can make the right pass.
Kevin Durant
#84. Sports were a big part of my life. I was the captain of the basketball team in high school, and captain of the basketball team at Princeton.
John W. Rogers Jr.
#85. I am a basketball player, and I would like to focus my energy on basketball. The other things, I would rather not do. It is not something I am greatly interested in, but I know it is my responsibility.
Yao Ming
#86. I went to an ACC school, Wake Forest, I'm a big college basketball fan, and it was just a natural interest for me.
Lee Norris
#87. My kids have played soccer and baseball and basketball, and the parents who come to games are always saying and doing things that are just wildly inappropriate.
Jeff Garlin
#88. Basketball is a business. Pure and simple. If you want to have fun, go to the YMCA.
Pat Riley
#89. Growing up, I played about every sport imaginable except soccer and hockey. I've always had a passion for basketball. I remember actually playing basketball when I was two or three years old. The time I knew that I could really take my game to the next level.
Dwight Howard
#90. The hand check has always been a part of pro basketball.
Stu Jackson
#91. Racing is not football or baseball or basketball where you can do it yourself. If you're good in high school, you just shine. (But in racing) you have to have a family behind you.
Trevor Bayne
#92. After spending more than 17 years playing for the NBA, in the summertime, I always came back to community service and different basketball clinics.
Dikembe Mutombo
#93. There are people in this life for whom even the best of things don't work out. They could wear cashmere suits and still look like tramps; be very rich but badly in debt; be tall but lousy at basketball.
Martin Page
#94. In sixth grade, my basketball team made it to the league championships. In double overtime, with three seconds left, I rebounded the ball and passed it - to the wrong team! They scored at the buzzer and we lost the game. To this day, I still have nightmares!
Zac Efron
#95. I like sports, and I enjoy playing basketball and lifting weights.
Joel Osteen
#96. I think the greatest all-around athlete ever was Jim Brown. He played lacrosse, basketball and ran track at Syracuse. He played professional football for the Browns.
Will McDonough
#97. What I learned playing basketball at Ole Miss," he said, "was what not to do: beat up a kid. It's easy to beat up a kid. The hard thing is to build him up.
Michael Lewis
#98. First off, I'd like to thank God for changing my life. He let me really realize what life is all about. Basketball is just a platform, In order for me to inspire people. And I realize that.
Kevin Durant
#99. I like playing basketball and going to the gym. I don't box, but I'll ride my bike and go jogging or running in the park. Sometimes my lady and I go hiking.
Kevin Hart
#100. Then I went to UCLA - so of course I became a huge Bruin basketball fan ... and later came to football.
Leigh Steinberg
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