Basketball Quotes

If you are afraid of failure, you don't deserve success.

Winning is overrated. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war.

I told them not to worry about it, since we were going to play indoors.

When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.

Discover your gift, develop your gift and then give it away every day.

A guy who gives you less than what he has to give is, one, telling you what he thinks of you, and two, telling you what he thinks of himself.

Basketballs dont hold grudges!

The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it.

The players I respected most were the toughest players, not those who talked a good game or blocked a shot and acted like a fool.

We overload in our workouts so that the game slows down in real life. It helps you become a smarter basketball player.

Kobe always tried to be a hero. But you know, as the saying goes, a hero ain't nothing but a sandwich.

If I were a painter, you'd be calling me Shaqcasso.

I don't complain about playing time. My job is to play so well the coach can't sit me.

Sport is the best means of communication between people from different religions and countries.

And when other people see me play basketball...the way I treat my teammates, the opponents, the refs, that's all a reflection of God's image and God's love so that's the stuff I try to focus on.

Basketball is just a platform for me to inspire people.

You can always tell the Catholic schools by the length of the cheerleaders' skirts.

I'm reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.

Confidence is a lot of this game or any game. If you don't think you can, you won't.

If you want it you must obtain it by great labor.

I'll never worry about not being successful. I'll just take it one day at a time, one season at a time. And play as hard as I can.

I'm a big believer in dreaming. If you don't dream it, you can't become it.

For five years I've felt like the best prostitute in a high-class whorehouse. But all the other girls get paid more than I do.

I'll be the judge of my own manliness.

What does politically correct mean? If you're fat, don't ask me if you're fat, because I'm gonna tell you the truth. You're fat.

People ask me if I could fly, I said, 'yeah....' for a little while.

Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

The only way to get people to like working hard is to motivate them. Today, people must understand why they're working hard. Every individual in an organization is motivated by something different.

Inferior guards play on the sidelines and great guards play in the middle. Isiah, Magic, Chris Paul, all get to the middle

The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.

I learned so much from Sue about the Xs and Os of the game of basketball.

You have to be able to center yourself, to let all of your emotions go... Don't ever forget that you play with your soul as well as your body.

One man cannot make a team.

If the waitress has dirty ankles, the chili is good.

It is foolish to expect a young man to follow your advice and to ignore your example.

Basketball is my refuge, my sanctuary. I go back to being a kid on the playground. When I get here, it's all good.

Remember, half the doctors in this country graduated in the bottom half of their class.

No matter how good you get, there's always something further out there.

I can get better. I haven't reached my ceiling yet on how well I can shoot the basketball.

Your defense will save you on the nights that your offense isn't working.

I had concussions as a kid playing football and basketball, and know what it feels like and to have someone say 'Just rub some dirt on it, and get back in there.'

The one thing that always bothered me when I played in the NBA was I really got irritated when they put a white guy on me.

When I was young, I had to learn the fundamentals of basketball. You can have all the physical ability in the world, but you still have to know the fundamentals.

I always wanted to be a basketball player. Nothing more, nothing less.

People think that I'm some tough renegade, black-hearted being, evil, but that ain't me.

Giving yourself permission to lose guarantees a loss.

You've got to avoid overcoaching. You've got to avoid talking too much. You've got to avoid showing players that you're the boss every time. You don't have to do that. They know you're in charge.

I know that the hard work got me here. And the day I stop working hard, this can all go away.

Look after your people.

Everybody keeps telling me how surprised they are with what I've done. But I'm telling you honestly that it doesn't surprise me. I knew I could do it.