Basketball Quotes

Over the course of its history, the game of basketball has produced some of the most prominent and recognizable personalities all around the world. These individuals often have the ability to offer unique perspectives, and do so in a way that the words they say can be applied both on the basketball court and in all areas of life. This article focuses on some of the most iconic figures of the sport, and highlights some of their most famous quotes about basketball and about life itself.

Michael Jordan

1. "To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail."

2. "Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the effort, good things will be bestowed upon you. That's truly about the game, and in some ways that's about life too."

3. "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 again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

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

5. "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."

Kobe Bryant

1. "A lot of people say they want to be great, but they're not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness."

2. "Everything negative- pressure, challenges- is all an opportunity for me to rise."

3. "The moment that you give up is the moment you let someone else win."

4. "If you're afraid to fail, you're probably going to fail."

5. "If you do not believe in yourself no one will do it for you."

Mike Kryzewski

1. "A leader is someone who puts their people in position to be successful all the time."

2. "You don't just be a team. You become a team. Through tough games you find that you need each other."

3. "Champions play as they practice. Create a consistency of excellence in all your habits."

4. "In leadership, there are no words more important than trust. In any organization, trust must be developed among every member of the team if success is going to be achieved."

5. "With accomplishments comes confidence and with confidence comes belief. It has to be in that order."

Bob Knight

1. "You don't play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball."

2. "In order to achieve positive results, one must work for them, not hope for them."

3. "Discipline is doing what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and doing it that way all the time."

4. "Coaches shouldn't have to push you to work hard, you should push yourself because you want to be a great player."

5. "The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important."

Bill Russell

1. "Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute."

2. "The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot."

3. "Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions. There is nothing miraculous about the process. There is no luck involved."

4. "The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I'd made my teammates play."

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