Top 100 Quotes About Playing Basketball
#1. If I would have listened to other people back in 2000 telling me I should have stopped playing basketball because of a kidney disease, I wouldn't have won a world championship.
Alonzo Mourning
#2. 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
#3. If you're getting ready to do a really emotional scene then, right before it, you're probably not going to be outside playing basketball.
Emilie De Ravin
#4. I was actually supposed to be a basketball player, not an actress. My parents had me playing basketball on competitive teams when I was in kindergarten. Even though my heart belongs to the arts, I'm a tomboy at heart, too.
Zendaya
#5. My dad taught me that you have to work hard for anything you want in life, and I wanted to be good at playing basketball.
Seimone Augustus
#6. Everyone thought I was going to die like a year later, they didn't know. So I helped educate sports, and then the world, that a man living with HIV can play basketball. He's not going to give it to anybody by playing basketball.
Magic Johnson
#7. 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
#8. 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
#9. They said playing basketball would kill me. Well, not playing basketball was killing me.
Magic Johnson
#10. I tore my ACL playing basketball.
Paul Dano
#11. We all have various ways of dropping in and getting connected to ourselves. For one person it might be playing basketball. It's a good way to get in touch with how they feel. For somebody else, it might be taking a walk.
Deborah King
#12. If you're playing basketball with someone who's better than you, you have to get better or else it's no fun.
Jason Behr
#13. Anytime you're playing basketball, and you have a coach who you have to respect, you've got to be very disciplined.
Romeo Miller
#14. When I'm done playing basketball, I want do something bigger. I'm working on my doctorate right now at Barry University in Florida.
Shaquille O'Neal
#15. I like the first-person games, but I like the two-person element in terms of playing basketball games with my friends. That's a good time; we have tournaments and things.
Kevin Weisman
#16. I grew up playing basketball and eating hot dogs on the corner.
Prince Royce
#17. Whatever pressure I feel all comes from me, from within. I always was that person who was hard on myself and challenged myself no matter what I was doing, whether it was passing third grade or playing basketball.
Kendrick Lamar
#19. I wanted to be a football player. Football is a sport that I love, but the more I started playing basketball, the more I started dreaming of playing in the NBA.
Dwyane Wade
#20. Playing basketball is definitely one of my favorite things to do.
Common
#21. Every time I was playing basketball, I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't realize that feeling was having to leave my family - having to leave my sister, who can't even communicate with me when I'm gone.
Elena Delle Donne
#22. I started playing baseball and soccer. Those were my sports on the streets and in school when I was growing up. I didn't even start playing basketball until I was 14.
Earl Monroe
#23. Music was definitely a way out. Instead of playing basketball, I was going to recording studios.
Flo Rida
#24. There was not too much to do as a kid when we arrived in Germany. Playing basketball and listening to music gave me something to do.
Shaquille O'Neal
#25. I couldn't imagine not playing basketball. To me, basketball is what life is all about.
Bill Walton
#26. Confidence allows you to progress in something you're attempting to accomplish, whether it's playing basketball or baseball or whether it's trying to succeed in business.
Michael Jordan
#27. We're just playing basketball. It's not like we're going out to have unprotected sex with Magic.
Charles Barkley
#28. Fatherhood will put a man through a lot, but it's a tremendous job, the best in the world - even better than playing basketball.
Derek Fisher
#29. 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
#30. 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
#31. When, you know, when you're playing basketball, you have to have confidence in your moves if they're gonna work.
O'Shea Jackson Jr.
#32. Yoga's hard for me, but I know you can really feel the difference when you do it consistently. I'd rather be playing basketball.
Chris Noth
#33. I like sports, and I enjoy playing basketball and lifting weights.
Joel Osteen
#34. 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
#35. 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
#36. I'm not gonna be bad at anything, and I want to actually be the best at anything I'm doing. So if I'm playing basketball, if I'm taking the SATs, like, there's a competitive spirit behind it. With production, it's the same thing.
J. Cole
#37. My days shouldn't be hard because I'm doing what I'm doing and that's playing basketball.
Derrick Rose
#38. My homies that are around me never give me that 'star pass.' I've hung out with some stars who are playing basketball and everyone let's them score all the baskets. Shooting pool, they let them make all the shots. My homies don't let me get away with that.
Jamie Foxx
#39. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I just know for sure I'm going to keep playing basketball.
Kevin Durant
#40. 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
#41. Apparently I need shoes with a 'swoosh' on the side if I'm to continue playing basketball. ~ Lucius Vladescu
Beth Fantaskey
#42. I really do miss playing basketball. I don't play a lot of pick-up games. But I do like using basketball as a form of cross training.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
#43. I'm conservative with my money. I'm the one who's got a family and I can't be playing basketball forever, so when I retire, I want to live on what I've made.
Moses Malone
#44. I really want to start playing basketball. I actually bought a new basketball.
Kim Gordon
#45. I started playing basketball when I was about three years old. After that, everything else just came naturally. I had older cousins that used to let me hang with them, so I got my toughness from them.
Brandon Jennings
#46. Celebration is big for me. From my younger days, when I used to win mementos while playing basketball, I have always believed in sharing my success. It has to be there. It lifts the energy levels of the entire side if you are positive and vocal when a wicket falls.
Suresh Raina
#47. When I was coming up in high school, if you wanted to be in the musical it was during the winter, so I had to choose between playing basketball or being in the musical. And I ended up playing basketball.
Ben Schwartz
#48. Playing basketball with my teammates was a gift! We cant play any more but we live the memories each day!
Theresa Grentz
#49. You know, I'm just 6'9 and 260. And just so happen to be very good at playing the game of basketball.
LeBron James
#50. I need to work with great directors and actors, people who are better than me, so that I am challenged. It is like playing sports - surfing, basketball, it doesn't matter what it is, if you play with people who are better than you, then you get better too. It is the same thing with acting.
Paul Walker
#51. Just because it is an All-Star Game doesn't mean that you are playing as efficiently as you should.
Oscar Robertson
#52. You have a choice to make when you're not playing. Either you're invested and a great teammate, or your not
Brad Stevens
#53. I enjoy playing at the heart of it is just a kid who really loves playing the game of basketball.
Kobe Bryant
#54. I'm playing against great players, playing against the best in the world. The competition-that's what I've always wanted.
Kobe Bryant
#55. I played Little League baseball, but I also played basketball. Basketball was my primary sport. When you play basketball seriously, a lot of times, through the summer season, you continue playing. So that replaced me playing baseball.
Chadwick Boseman
#56. Baseball players quit playing and they take up golf. Basketball players quit, take up golf. Football players quit, take up golf. What are we supposed to take up when we quit?
George Archer
#57. Physiologists, in fact, have calculated that rowing a two-thousand-meter race - the Olympic standard - takes the same physiological toll as playing two basketball games back-to-back. And it exacts that toll in about six minutes. A well-conditioned oarsman or oarswoman
Daniel James Brown
#58. I remember playing in a tournament when at home we didn't have light, because my mom spent her last money on my sneakers.
Allen Iverson
#59. There are many times when you are better off practicing than playing; but most people just don't understand that
Larry Bird
#60. I truly love the game; I wouldn't be playing if I didn't love the game. I'm not getting paid astronomical dollars; it's truly for the love of the game of basketball.
Michael Jordan
#61. I want to continue to do is to help these young women be successful.. You don't just say goodbye at the end of their playing careers and end it there.
Pat Summitt
#62. I'm playing the guys who are going to fight. If you're not into this, I'm going to someone else
John Calipari
#63. It's a different role for me, playing with the great Dwyane Wade.
Shaquille O'Neal
#64. I'm a competitive type of person, whether it's playing a game of basketball or playing business games.
Chuck Feeney
#65. Basketball teams, after the perfunctory lay-up drill, fall into the crowded isolation and personal style of 10 city kids shooting at the same basket or playing one-on-one.
Ted Solotaroff
#66. Basketball also helps you learn to move your feet by playing defense and guarding guys, and that all carries over to playing football with staying square and having good footwork.
Calvin Pryor
#67. Practice habits were crucial to my development in basketball. I didn't play against the toughest competition in high school, but one reason I was able to do well in college was that I mastered the fundamentals. You've got to have them down before you can even think about playing.
Larry Bird
#68. But you can not compare Yao's stats to mine. You just can't compare it and I am playing everyone one-on-one.
Shaquille O'Neal
#69. Playing in the playoffs is the best basketball in the world, and if you can learn under that pressure, succeed under that pressure, it gives you more confidence the next year.
Tony Parker
#70. When I first started playing golf, I was heavily into softball and basketball.
Paula Creamer
#71. I don't think people can watch University of Texas basketball or football games with me - really, anything Texas is playing - without wanting to punch me in the face. I'm as big a Longhorn fan as you'll find.
Jordan Spieth
#72. The motivation for me is just the game itself, just playing the game the right way and trying to win, compete every time I step out there on the floor. That's motivation enough for me to go out there and play well.
Kobe Bryant
#73. My thing is, I want to play basketball, I would enjoy playing in the D-League, but at the same time I don't want to take an opportunity away from a young guy to get exposure. I'm still thinking about it.
Michael Finley
#74. Everybody talks about being a role model. But if you look up the word 'role' in a dictionary, it describes playing a part. Everything I'm into, it's real to me. There's nothing fake about it.
Shaquille O'Neal
#75. There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%
Masai Ujiri
#77. A lot of times things get blown out of proportion in a negative light, especially in the NBA, ... But there are a lot of players in the NBA who really care about the community and want to use their basketball-playing ability for a good cause.
Kobe Bryant
#78. Basketball Rule #5
When
you stop
playing
your game
you've already
lost.
Kwame Alexander
#79. The young Obama's lack of playing time on the high school basketball team was due more to his ability than the coach's preference for white players.
David Maraniss
#80. I don't complain about playing time. My job is to play so well the coach can't sit me.
Shane Battier
#81. I love sports. When I'm not playing, I'm watching, reading, or otherwise obsessing about them. This probably stems from growing up in Indiana, where if you didn't at least attempt to play basketball, you were considered of dubious moral character.
Mark Waters
#82. First off, do everything they can to give their kids the opportunities to play sports; asthma is not a deterrent to playing sports.
Dominique Wilkins
#83. When I started playing, I wasn't fast, I was gangly, my jumpshot was terrible.
Oscar Robertson
#84. On the best tactic when playing alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar- Just give him the ball.
Magic Johnson
#85. If you're not talking, you're not playing defense
Doc Rivers
#86. Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more than 2,000 then we'd be interested in playing in it.
Bob Cousy
#87. I loved basketball so much. I loved playing it. I just never thought I could make it To college, NBA, Or stand up here today in front of you guys And be an NBA MVP. It's just, It's just a surreal feeling. And, I had so much help. So many people believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.
Kevin Durant
#88. I blame Riley for my broken thumb, not Matt Geiger. That ain't defense Miami is playing. That's just chopping. I have no idea how his team gets away with it. I guess when you've been in the league 30 years you can do it. Respect, he gets it - he's like John Gotti.
Shaquille O'Neal
#89. That's the awesome part. Little girls now have a chance to look up and see women playing soccer, basketball, softball and now hockey - and know they can win a gold medal, too.
Angela Ruggiero
#90. What is there about basketball that makes Larry Bird or Lenny Wilkens want to coach after their playing careers are done?
George Vecsey
#92. Tim Duncan's foot issue, I think, is a major factor in this year's playoffs. That's not the kind of injury that gets better over time playing NBA basketball.
Bill Walton
#93. I remember playing a high school basketball game where I didn't eat anything for breakfast. I ate, you know, like a PB and J and some chips for lunch and nothing before the game. I didn't make it through the first quarter. I wish I hadn't have learned that way, but it did leave a lasting impression.
Andrew Luck
#94. The two ingredients in success in basketball are playing hard and playing intelligently.
Pete Carril
#95. Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable
Jason Kidd
#96. 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
#97. I grew up playing sports, football, basketball, baseball, everything, and acting was such a different environment and different world for me.
Cam Gigandet
#98. 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
#99. 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
#100. When we're playing a good scoring center, we tell our team that it is not our defensive man's job to stop the center. It's the responsibility of our perimeter people to stop the ball from going inside.
Bobby Knight
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