The Best Quotes from Professional Basketball Players

Basketball is a sport that inspires passion and determination in players and fans alike. From the hardwood courts of the NBA to the local playgrounds, basketball players have always been known for their skills and their words. This article explores the best quotes from professional basketball players, who throughout the years have shared their wisdom, insight, and motivation with the world.

The quotes featured in this article range from the early days of basketball legends like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson to the modern era of LeBron James and Steph Curry. These players have shared their thoughts on everything from the importance of hard work and perseverance to the mental game and the power of a strong team.

Michael Jordan is known for his iconic statement “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed” shows us the determination and the mindset of a winner. Magic Johnson’s quote “All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them” reveals how encouraging words can change a life.

These quotes not only provide insight into the strategies and mindset of some of the greatest players in the game, but they also serve as a source of inspiration for players at all levels. Whether you’re an aspiring pro or just someone who loves to play pickup games, these quotes remind us that with the right attitude and approach, anything is possible on the basketball court.

From the bright lights of Madison Square Garden to the local rec center, the words of these basketball greats have left an indelible mark on the sport and will continue to inspire players for years to come. This article is a must-read for any basketball fan looking for a dose of inspiration and motivation.

I really get motivated when I have doubters.

~ Shaquille O’Neal

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.

~ Michael Jordan

I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.

~ Larry Bird

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

~ Michael Jordan

When you think you have done enough, do a little more, because someone out there is working harder than you.

~ Larry Bird

When you’re not practicing, someone else is getting better.

~ Allen Iverson

You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.

~ Jerry West

Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.

~ Bill Russell

Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.

~ Kevin Durant

Keep practicing. Never let anyone tell you’re too small or too slow.

~ Chris Paul

Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.

~ Tim Duncan

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

Remember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate Slide7from his habits, you’ve got him.

~ Bill Russell

The key is not the ‘will to win’… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important

~ Bob Knight

Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique

~ Jeff Van Gundy

Young men need more models, not critics

~ John Wooden

What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.

~ John Wooden

I don’t know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still Slide6wonder if somebody – somewhere – was practicing more than me.

~ Larry Bird

If all I’m remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I’ve done a bad job with the rest of my life.

~ Isiah Thomas

I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.

~ Michael Jordan

Teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one.

~ Mike Krzyzewski

When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort–it is ready to climb.

~ Pat Riley

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

~ Michael Jordan

All the successful teams I’ve ever seen have three characteristics: They play unselfish, they play together, and they play hard.

~ Larry Brown

Everyone is born with a certain potential. You may never achieve your full potential, but how close you come depends on how much you want to pay the price.

~ Red Auerbach

Winning teams at the NBA level, the college level, and the high school level all play Slide2team basketball. Championship teams have five players on the same page at all times.

~ Hubie Brown

Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.

~ Magic Johnson

Everything negative — pressure, challenges — are all an opportunity for me to rise.

~ Kobe Bryant

If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful!

~ Charles Barkley

I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.

~ Larry Bird

We believe in people executing their role and caring about the team more than anything individually.

~ Gregg Popovich

A key basketball skill is imagery. The best players “see” situations before they happen so they can be prepared.

~ Dr. Jack Ramsay

The one thing I learned about myself going back and watching tapes of all the losses that we’ve had is that I’m physically capable of doing this and dominating the game, but the mental part was not there. I don’t know if it comes with age, but I had to learn to be mentally tough.

~ Lisa Leslie

Be led by your dreams not by your problems.

~ Roy Williams

You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.

~ Bobby Knight

Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.

~ Scottie Pippen

If you’re not talking, you’re not playing defense.

~ Doc Rivers

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.

~ Ann Landers

Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.

~ Tim Duncan

My goal is to win the next game one possession at a time. That’s it. I don’t have any other goals.

~ Brad Stevens

I have a plan of action, but the game is a game of adjustments.

~ Mike Krzyzewski

There is a direct correlation between the number of ball reversals and defensive breakdowns.

~ Kevin Eastman

If it turns out that my best wasn’t good enough, at least I wont look back and say that I was afraid to try.

~ Michael Jordan

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

Bottom line, you’re either a risk taker, or your not, and if you don’t take risks, you’ll never win big.

~ Geno Auriemma

If you’re going to have to beg them to play, it’s not going to work.

~ Chuck Daly

I think, team first. It allows me to succeed, it allows my team to succeed.

~ Lebron James

Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.

~ Michael Jordan

When I walked into the gym, I fell in love with the game. I didn’t fall in love with it just because it was me playing. I fell in love with it because I’ve got guys like this – like these guys every single day that push me to be the best that I can be.

~ Kevin Durant

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.

~ Kobe Bryant

There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.

~ Lebron James

In developing teams, I don’t believe in rules. I believe in standards. Rules don’t promote teamwork, standards do.

~ Mike Krzyzewski

Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you’re never wrong?

~ Pat Summitt

Bad shooters are always open.

~ Pete Carril

Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball.

~ Phil Jackson

You can’t always be the most talented or gifted person in the room, but you can be the most competitive.

~ Pat Summit

The greatness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive. The weakness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive.

~ Phil Jackson

I can’t stand a ballplayer who plays in fear. Any fellow who has a good shot has got to take it and keep taking it. So he misses – so what?

~ Red Auerbach

Those to whom defense is not important will have the best seat in the game.

~ Rick Majerus

I’m still waiting for perfection. In the meantime, I’ll settle for persistence.

~ Bo Ryan

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 at the arena.