In this post, you will find great Basketball Quotes from famous people, such as Mike Budenholzer, Ramon Rodriguez, Kris Humphries, Draymond Green, Grant Hill. You can learn and implement many lessons from these quotes.
I’m someone who always comes on the court no matter what’s going on in my life. It’s all about basketball and my teammates and my team. I don’t let any distractions in, and I bring my best every night, regardless of what’s going on or what people are talking about.
The accomplishments in college and even in the pros are more in my mind because you constantly see Duke on TV during basketball season. You constantly see the NBA.
I played a little basketball. Some football in junior high.
I grew up watching Dr. J, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this guy is the greatest basketball player I ever saw.’
I’m the basketball version of a gravedigger.
I think I’m changing the game. In that sense, I’m what Steph Curry is to basketball. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t necessarily think Steph Curry is the best basketball player, but he changed the game, so he’s going to always go down as being remembered. Now everyone wants to shoot the 3 and shoot it from deep.
Right before ‘Brian‘s Song’ there was a period when I was very despondent, broke, depressed; my first marriage was on the rocks. The role of Gale Sayers had been cast with Lou Gossett, and then he hurt himself playing basketball. I was called in to read for the role. I was their last choice, and I knew it.
People regularly practice playing a sport like golf or basketball – but few people think about ‘practicing being successful.’ I had practiced meeting the Queen of England – what I would wear, how I would stand, the handshake – so when I did meet her, I was comfortable – for I had practiced the moment for years.
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.
Magic is who I am on the basketball court. Earvin is who I am.
I was not athletically inclined. I was very quiet, introverted, non-confrontational. My three older brothers were athletes – basketball, football – but I was kind of a momma‘s boy. Then one day, my brother Roger encouraged me to go to the boxing gym with him. I tried the gloves on, and it just felt so natural.
The man that got me into collecting sneakers in the first place was the man they call Michael Jordan. He was the one who kind of exposed me to the sneaker world – he was my favorite basketball player, and he had the best shoes.
The only thing I regret in life is that I didn’t practice basketball more.
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.
Growing up, I was always into sports – basketball and volleyball – but I wasn’t really a runner.
I played basketball when I was little because it was fun for me. It still is now. I just love it. I have a passion for it.
When I was growing up, we used to play basketball in a park that was never shoveled when it snowed. The basketball rims were never fixed. And we understood then that there was a relationship between public policy and our quality of life.
I like playing many other sports, such as basketball.
OK, I’ll put it like this: I doubt if we will see another All-American basketball athlete who is a Rhodes Scholar.
I’ve accomplished everything I tried to accomplish in basketball.
As a kid, I always idolized entrepreneurs. I thought they were cool people in the way that I thought basketball players were cool people. It’s cool that some people get paid to dunk basketballs, but I’m not one of those people.
Like, I don’t do drills at all. I think that’s why a lot of people who handle the basketball, I think mine looks different. You know, ’cause I’ve never done a drill. I’ve never done ‘get to a chair and go through your legs,’ or ‘get to a spot and a cone and go through your legs or behind your back.’
Like you might love watching basketball, but that don’t mean that you’ll get on the court.
I was sporty in high school. I played tennis and hockey, and was basketball captain. Then I went to university and stopped doing sport and started eating ice cream.
I used to play sports, basketball, football.
Basketball requires discipline. So does writing. Basketball requires practice. So does writing. Basketball requires resilience. So does writing.
People are much more loose if you are having fun. I had a basketball player who was really soft-spoken, and then we played Connect Four with him, and he really opened up!
Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps.
My little brothers loved baseball. I’m not as big on that as basketball or football, but I understand the game.
I grew up playing sports, football, basketball, baseball, everything, and acting was such a different environment and different world for me.
I was a baseball player at North Central High School in Spokane, Washington even though I was all-city in basketball, even when I signed a letter of intent to play quarterback at Washington State.
I grew up watching North American sport – basketball, hockey – so I like it when it’s a little bit more energetic, rowdier, heckling either for you or against you. I think it’s fun to have that in sport.
Without my success in basketball, I’m nothing. My family, my daughter, my teammates, my foundation, my acting career – they all depend on that success.
When I grew up, I never – I wasn’t allowed to go out. I missed my prom because I went to an AAU tournament and all that stuff. For me, it was basketball, basketball, basketball.
I realize that I’m not going to be doing interviews for the cover of ‘GQ’ for the rest of my life, know what I mean? I’m on TV because I play basketball really well.
My dad told me, ‘If you’re going to go out there and play baseball, or you’re going to play basketball or football, work hard at it no matter what. I want you to have fun with your buddies, but you have to put in the time because this is your craft.’ He didn’t just want me to be good. He pushed me to that next level.
Basketball is pretty big in Latvia.
I’ve played lacrosse players, football players, basketball players. I think that’s just because of how I’m built. I look young, and I’m also a big person.
I do something that I don’t think anyone else does. I warm up before a game. Baseball and basketball players warm up, so why shouldn’t the announcer warm up?
College was a very necessary step along the way to my professional career. As I look back, I realize how much of an eye opener it was for me in terms of moving forward and developing as a basketball player.
If you’re a basketball player, you’ve got to shoot.
I have always viewed thinking about arguing, about questioning, pushing back with, joking, about sharing and discovering the world and the news as enjoyable, the same way that I view watching basketball.
I’m not really a flashy guy anywhere else – I don’t dress flashy or anything else – but I like to keep my cars nice, and I like to customize them. I can do things a little flashier and a little faster, and with a little bit more thought. This is kind of the release part of basketball.
I led the state in defensive interceptions my senior year, with seven in nine games. Then I went to Montana to play basketball and found out quickly that my college career wasn’t going to work out how I’d envisioned it.
Balance is so important. We all have to cut up our clock to find out what works for you. If you’re ineffective, you’re using bad clock management, and you have to adjust. Using a basketball reference, the team who wins is the team that can make adjustments in real time.
Faith, family, academics and then sports was the order of priorities in my family. My parents really stuck to these principles when raising me and my two brothers. As long as we took care of everything, they let us play as much basketball as we wanted.
I really have a love and passion for football. I enjoy basketball, but it’s not something I love. You have to let things go that are not for you.
Basketball and ping-pong are my two forms of exercise.
You don’t contest shots without expending energy. You don’t get deflections – unless you walk into one every now and then – without expending energy. These are the things in basketball you have to really want to do.
So much has been said about Michael Jordan as a basketball player, but when I played with him, the Michael I knew was just Michael. I guess more than anything is that I got to experience the human side of the so-called gladiators, warriors and heroes that we worship.
When it gets down to it, basketball is basketball.
If you don’t look at my skin color and we just go play basketball, you’re not going to say I’m a white kid that can just shoot.
The NBA is getting bigger. Basketball is getting better around the world. There are more players. There are better coaches around it, so that’s why there are more international players, not only Hispanic players, but from everywhere.
I’m a great sports fan, you know. I love to watch tennis and basketball and baseball and so on.
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.
You have to be wired a certain way to be a professional basketball player, and the way my body grew, something happened genetically that allowed me to become a lot more explosive.
I’m a big sports guy – golf, tennis, baseball, basketball, snowboarding – and I love games.
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.
The biggest thing is just routine. I think that’s the biggest correlation between golfers and basketball players.
It took me a while to realize that basketball wasn’t football.
I first met Jim Valvano in the 1980s when he was a frequent guest on our CNN ‘Coaches Corner’ show based in Atlanta, as he was always in the area recruiting the next North Carolina State basketball phenom.
Since young people would much rather play fast-action, rapidly advancing video games, and gambling laws for slot machines and roulette tables haven‘t changed much since the 1950s, look for casinos to build large video game tournament centers and allow people to bet on the action, similar to betting on college basketball.
I grew up playing basketball and baseball. I’ve always been active because my dad played professional football, so sports and working out have always been a part of my life.
The cast gets along pretty well, it’s a good work environment. I hang out a lot with Brett Claywell, he plays Tim Smith on the show. We play plenty of basketball.
I know that I love the whole game of basketball, and that’s what I’ve always believed in.
I have been able to live my dream of playing basketball surrounded by people I love and being cheered on by the best fans in the world.
I sucked. It was my first time picking up a basketball. I watched it on TV, but I never knew what to really do with it. I mean, I needed help with everything.
My particular demigod is the Sonics point guard Gary Payton, who is one of the most notorious trash-talkers in the National Basketball Association. He’s not really bad. He’s only pretend bad – I know that – but he allows me to fantasize about being bad.
My teammates at Duke – all of them, black and white – were a band of brothers who came together to play at the highest level for the best coach in basketball.
Basketball is a lifelong game. You continue to learn from the game day in and day out, and all along the way, you get better.
I like basketball, and I’ve been to three games, which is so much more fun than seeing it on TV, I think.
I really focused on three things in high school – my company, basketball and my school work.
I think when you’re a kid coming out of college, you’re just kinda going with the flow. You don’t really understand what’s happening around you – you’re just out there playing basketball – but now that I’m older and I see where the league has come in my 15 years, it’s pretty cool to have witnessed it.
I was at a ballpark as much as I was in school. I was on a basketball court or football field as much as I was in school, so I definitely was receiving mentorship when it came to coaches, my father, my grandfather, and my uncles.
I play basketball probably four to five days a week when I’m back home.
I had all the normal interests – I played basketball and I headed the school paper. But I also developed very early a great love for music and literature and the theater.
When you think about what the odds are to have four boys to not only be able to follow in the footsteps in a basketball career but to also be good in the secondary career as far as the broadcasting, it’s pretty remarkable.
Basketball in Latin America is growing a lot and it’s being seen with the quantity of players in the NBA.
You don’t ever want to be a mechanical basketball player, but as far as technique and things, I like to have certain check points in my shot, certain things that I can count on and think about. It kind of helps me to be consistent.
It’s not to hurt anyone, but basketball can be rough.
I played team sport as a kid and loved it. I played basketball and football throughout high school into college in the intramurals and I loved it. There was nothing like a team.
Tap dancing and basketball started at the same time, and when I was eight, I just kind of made the decision that entertainment was really where I wanted to be.
I have an incredible amount of basketball knowledge, and I think a lot of that is derived from having a Hall of Fame college basketball coach who was very knowledgeable of the game and I had a great high school coach who was also very knowledgeable.
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.
Basketball sneakers are for people who want to be comfortable. I rather be uncomfortable and just look nice.
Everybody knows that LeBron James is my favorite basketball player and I love the way he goes to the rack.
And my father didn’t have money for me to go to college. And at that particular time they didn’t have black quarterbacks, and I don’t think I could have made it in basketball, because I was only 5′ 11″. So I just picked baseball.
I will not feel like I’ve made it until the day I retire from basketball because there’s something that I can always get better at, and there’s always somebody better, and that’s what drives me.
I’m a better and more educated person because of basketball.
It’s one of those things where it’s not something you want to do; nobody wants to retire from basketball. You want to play basketball forever. Retirement is admitting to yourself and everybody else that, ‘I can’t do this job anymore.’ For me, that’s not a celebration.
My fondest memories were watching the Beastie Boys get prepped to come on stage. They had a lot of antics and they play a lot of basketball… then they were giving out cameras to the crowd, and performing from the bleachers. The most important thing I learned was that you control your crowd, not the other way around.
When I travel around the globe, I try as hard as I can to represent the NBA and the game of basketball to the best of my abilities. I get to go around the world and not only share the game but also my philanthropic work. Building a hospital in the Congo is one of the proudest achievements of my life.
Every now and then you have to be a little nasty, a little aggressive on the floor. That’s part of being a basketball player.
From my early days of playing 2:2 in basketball against my three older brothers to my years playing Division 1 college basketball and lacrosse, sports have played a big role in my leadership development.
We’ve got to play better basketball.
My days shouldn’t be hard because I’m doing what I’m doing and that’s playing basketball.
If you don’t like basketball and you’re from Kentucky, they’ll kick you out!
When I lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player, it’s time for me to move away from the game.
I grew up an athlete, growing up in Pittsburgh. I played basketball. I played football. I played a little bit of baseball in my earlier years.
People who understand basketball definitely appreciate what I bring to the table.
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.
Up until I was about 12, I was a ballet dancer and a basketball player.
I love sports. I’ve played basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, track and field growing up.
When I go see a basketball game, I’m always in the front row. I always have a table at a restaurant; I never have trouble getting a taxi.
Basketball is a team game. But that doesn’t mean all five players should have the same amount of shots.
I’m just here to play basketball and have fun and try to win another championship.
Basketball players aren’t always the best dressers.
I know the game well. I’m a student of basketball; I know what it takes to win.
I treated it like every day was my last day with a basketball.
There’s a lot of chatter in basketball and, rightfully, you want players to be talking to each other… But sometimes in practice, it gets too verbose… so I tried to take things out of the ordinary and make them special so they’d understand the difference.
I’m really into basketball, baseball, football and working out – but you’ll never catch me in a public sauna.
I’m meeting people I never would have met at Brown and doing things I couldn’t do because of basketball.
As you get older, stuff starts to wear down. I can’t play four basketball games a week anymore. It takes me three days to recover from one. I’m a little older, a little scrappier. So now I do yoga instead. And whatever else happens in the day, I’m set up in the best way possible. I feel great. I’m so flexible.
People see my body and ask me what I do to work out. I play a lot of basketball, so I’m constantly dribbling and running up the court. I take a basketball with me everywhere I go!
Basketball Without Borders is very important.
Tennis was always there for me, which was lucky. I would go play baseball, basketball, football, hang with my brother, do whatever, and at the end of the day I’d come back and say, ‘Hey, Mom, would you hit 15 minutes worth of balls with me?’
I’ve always been like that. I was a tomboy when I was a kid, so I was always playing baseball and basketball and football and stuff as a kid with the boys.
You need to possess more than a little nastiness to play basketball at the highest level.
We’re all about trying to teach the kids life through basketball.
I’m a basketball player. That’s what I do and what I love but that’s just not all who I am. I’m talented in a lot of different areas.
In my 20s, I could just power through stuff and be fine, but now, in your 40s? It’s kind of like Kobe Bryant. He plays basketball a little bit differently than he did when he first started out.
I’ve always loved being active, and I used to do sports – basketball, soccer, volleyball – growing up.
I played volleyball and basketball, and I did track and volleyball in college.
As I have conveyed before, ultimately I would like to lead a team’s basketball operation and be a part of a successful franchise.
I played softball and basketball growing up. I really wanted to play football but both parents said no. I was mad for a second, then got over it. Now, just because I’m tall doesn’t mean I can play basketball. I was waaaaay better at swinging a bat.
We look for opportunities to play together including basketball, tennis, swimming, riding bikes and touch football. I try to provide a loving environment where we can play. I think that’s good on so many levels – emotionally, for family interactions and, of course, physically.
I’ve got to make some decisions just like any other player that has ever played this game, that eventually the clock stops, their basketball clock stops.
I’ve decided to listen to my doctors and get the procedure I need on my knee. USA Basketball said I had to do what was best for me. They want me to be obviously as healthy as possible so I can continue to play this game at a high level.
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.
I did everything in high school – I played tennis, I played basketball, I was in chorus, I was in the band, I even did the mascot senior year… I went to the football games, and at half-time I went across the field, met all the cheerleaders and got their numbers! The same year, I won prom king!
Basketball Without Borders is a leadership camp that takes basketball to different places around the world, to Africa, Europe, America and Asia. It’s a camp that brings players from different parts of the continent to one city that’s been assigned as the host city. We’ve been going to a different city every year.
I tried golf for a while, but I wasn’t very good at it, so I didn’t play a lot of golf. I enjoy all sports, not just football. I like basketball, baseball, and I got into the World Cup. So really, sports in general are my life, and football specifically.
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.
Throughout my journey in basketball, I always have someone to talk to in my father. I know how hard he had to work as an athlete.
I guess I enjoy my life. I’m in a very, very fortunate position and I enjoy playing basketball and I just enjoy life.
I was into basketball, but then once I found contact sports, it was over. I never played basketball again in my life.
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.
I play basketball for love and money, and they come in interchangeable order, depending on how things are going when you ask the question.
The national championship for Syracuse in 2003 will always be the high-water mark for me. That was my alma mater, my team, my players, our fans. That remains the top experience of my basketball life.
When you think about basketball, and you watch someone like Michael Jordan play basketball – even if you’re a baseball player, there’s still a lot to learn from there.
My mom wanted me to play baseball. She didn’t want me to play basketball.
I was my father’s son and my mother‘s daughter. There was never any time when I felt I wasn’t equally capable – whether it was being the only girl in the county who could hit a jump shot in basketball or playing first base in the baseball with the boys. I was always encouraged to do whatever I wanted to do.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Portland basketball fans are the best basketball fans in the world.
I have feelings, but not when it comes to basketball. I’m here to win. I’m not here to make friends.
Basketball used to be my top priority.
I’m a competitive person. I love the game of basketball. I’m a gym rat.
I grew up in a small town in Illinois, and my dad was a basketball coach. Thanks to him, I have excellent fundamentals in both basketball and baseball.
My house was filled with music. We had a piano, and my brothers and sisters played instruments. Even though I was around it, I played basketball.
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.
We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else.
Writing ‘Hoop Roots’ was a substitute or a surrogate activity. I can’t play anymore – my body won’t cooperate – so in the writing of the book, I was looking to tell a good story about my life and about basketball, but I was also looking to entertain myself the way that I entertain myself when I play.
Basketball was not my main sport in grade school, or even the first year of high school.
It’s a basketball thing, I think. I said I was just over 6’7,” and they made it 6’8″, and it’s always kind of been that way.
My shoe has been going through evolution, and we having great feedback from the 1 to the 2 and the 2.5’s, so I think just consistency. The biggest thing I wanted to accomplish was a shoe that basketball players loved and felt like they have an advantage out of.
Strong college basketball is great for the NBA.
If I had not played basketball and made the millions of dollars that I had made, I would never have been able to build a hospital in Congo. It started in 1997, and 10 years later I was able to unveil the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, named after my mother, in my hometown outside of Kinshasa. It was such a blessing.
Like basketball, fashion is hard work.
Michael Jordan changed so much in basketball, he took his power to make a difference. It’s so much going on in music right now and somebody has to make a difference.
I’m just playing basketball. I just want to be a great player. That’s it. That’s all I’m thinking about. If the other stuff comes, it comes, but I’m just fortunate to play in the NBA Finals and just to play basketball, period.
I also developed an interest in sports, and played in informal games at a nearby school yard where the neighborhood children met to play touch football, baseball, basketball and occasionally, ice hockey.
Poetry can unleash a terrible fear. I suppose it is the fear of possibilities, too many possibilities, each with its own endless set of variations… With basketball, you can correct your own mistakes, immediately and beautifully, in midair.
I’m not a troublemaker. People say, ‘You got into a lot of incidents.’ Yeah, but it was on the basketball floor.
My dad was my coach in baseball and early on in basketball, so playing baseball was something we always did.
I love women’s college basketball, but I don’t want it in the NBA.
There’s so much that I want to do. I feel like I’m the Magic Johnson of rap. You know, Magic was great on the basketball court, but he’s bigger as a businessman.
The game of basketball is one thing, but the image of the game is another thing.
I probably follow all sports a little bit. I like hockey quite a bit. I like football. I like college basketball when it gets down to March Madness. I like baseball. I enjoy them all. I watch them all.
I boxed. I did track and field; I did basketball, football, any sport I was able to sign up for.
For me, coming up, the first I had ever heard of basketball? It was from my mom. She was a really good player back in her day, and even played college ball at Kentucky State. And then she went on to become a coach and an AD after that – so she always stayed real close to the game, and kept it a part of her life.
School was very important. But I needed to watch basketball.
I have a certain taste, and I might be like, ‘I like this,’ when other people are like, ‘I can’t wear that.’ And in basketball, I might be able to do things other guys might not.
In recent generations, women’s sports have been a blessing. Some of us can remember the bad old days in the ’50s, when we would discover in casual schoolyard play that a girl could outrun most of us or hold her own in basketball or hit a softball – but there were no teams, no coaches, for girls.
Not only is Rip Hamilton an outstanding basketball player, he is also known for giving back to his community.
I live in L.A., so I go to basketball games. But I love baseball.
Football has end zones and goal posts; basketball has the hoop, and hockey the goal cage. Baseball is the only game with an imaginary box: the strike zone, which the umpire determines at his own discretion.
I have certain guys who I looked up to. Jordan, Kobe, those guys. Passing that on to doing my part to kind of keep that influence of basketball where it should be is kind of why I play the game.
I either run or try to play basketball every day.
I don’t think people realize how much I love basketball. A lot of people think because of this idiotic comment I made that I love baseball and don’t like basketball. Baseball came first because if you grew up in Brooklyn in the 1940s, that was the No. 1 thing. But if you have more than one kid, you love them both.
Millions of guys play millions of basketball games every day of the week at the playground or the YMCA. But LeBron James gets $20 million a year because he can jam on all of those guys. We’re always going to want to see LeBron and Kobe go at it.
One part of being a leader on a basketball team is you have to be there for yourself and others.
I’m a basketball guy.
I’ve been in basketball a long time, and nobody is more of a competitor than I am.
I get scared of a lot of attention. I get scared of the spotlight. And I’m not talking about on the basketball court.
I look at basketball as like a storm. But it’s the eye of the storm. The calmest place of it is to be right in the eye of it. And that’s what basketball is for me; it’s my eye. And while everything else around me is going on,’ he continued, ‘the destruction and things like that, basketball keeps me calm.
I’m a huge LeBron James fan. I love The Heat. He’s an incredible basketball player.
The tradition in Serbia has always been team sports – football, basketball, handball, volleyball and water polo, individual sports are not supported.
Basketball can only go for so long.
It’s always been a passion of mine to come out and share some of my knowledge about basketball and the experiences I’ve had with the younger generation.
We are very passionate and very emotional people in Serbia. Everything we do, it is done with emotions. We are very good at sport, tennis, basketball, football ,water polo, volleyball. We always try to show this character and use it.
I grew up in Westlake Villiage, a suburb of L.A. There was a guy there who was a fighter and was like, ‘I’ll teach you to box.’ I started a little bit of boxing, then it crossed over into jiu-jitsu. I was into it for a little while, but then I started doing basketball, baseball, team sports.
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.
I realize that although I’d like to make films as a career after I’m done playing, I really love basketball; I really love my career, an opportunity to compete every day and to push myself physically, mentally and emotionally.
It takes a tremendous amount of skill to be a football player. And some of these guys have enough skills to do other sports. Soccer could be one. Basketball could be another. Things where you need incredible hand-eye coordination are always options. I think a football player would be able to adapt to a lot of sports.
My dad was always at work running a business, so our mom really took care of us. She’d bring us all to our practices, and we all basically played four sports: baseball, hockey, football, and basketball.
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.
I still regret that I never played soccer in high school. I chose basketball over soccer.
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.
I was pretty much seen as a basketball player coming out of high school. Football was my second love, but luckily, I turned out to be pretty good. Something just drew me to football; besides, I ended up being too short for my position in basketball.
LeBron James has proven he can lead by example. My wish for LeBron is to understand the following: He’s an exceptional leader because he leads by example. The next step on the road to Legend, which he’s already on, is to trust he’s the best player in the best system anywhere in basketball.
I can play basketball, run track, and play volleyball, so yeah, I’ve always been an athlete at heart.
I love basketball, but I miss football every time I watch it.
I originally was more into baseball and football, but being in Los Angeles, you just couldn’t help but to fall in love with the game of basketball because they had such a winning tradition.
I would say I was into two sports as a kid: basketball and baseball.
I want to play basketball so bad.
I’m a huge, huge sports fan, and Marquette basketball is my No. 1 thing.
I’ve always felt that, you know, the Almighty has a lot of things to do other than help my basketball team.
I went to the University of San Francisco on an athletic scholarship. I didn’t study in high school. I was just there to get by and to play basketball. But a funny thing happened to me when I got to college. I got challenged by the work and the professors.
I was very fortunate when I was little – I played basketball. You really absolutely learn how to be a team player, how to win a game, to accomplish things, not just for yourself.
If you want to make films, you’ll watch Kurosawa. If you want to play a violin, you listen to Seghetti. Same with somebody who has the ambition to play in the NBA. I watch a basketball game; I enjoy it. Somebody who really wants to learn to play is studying whatever is most magnificent that’s going on out there.
When you’re picking a basketball team, you’ll take the brother over the guy with the yarmulke. Why? Because you’re playing the odds.
My mother was a champion high-jumper. My three brothers are basketball players. We’ve all been very athletic.
There’s no equal amount of training or conditioning individually you can do to simulate a 5-on-5 basketball game. It’s such a different type of staying in shape.
I could maybe coach kids’ basketball. I know enough about basketball where I feel like I could coach 12-year-olds pretty effectively.
Most of basketball is in the mind. But it helps to have big hands.
Michael Jordan was like basketball Jesus.
There was the misconception out there that I retired after the 2008 season, but that was never the case. I wasn’t done with basketball yet, and I’m still not done.
If you’re a basketball player and you don’t stop and take pictures with your fans, you can have an amazing game and everyone still loves you.
I’m pretty athletic and I play basketball a lot.
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.
I’m just god-gifted: I have a talent. Even when I played basketball, no one ever taught me the game. I just played it. And with football, I just converted basketball to football and just played.
My whole life, people have doubted me. My mom did. People told me in high school I’m too short and not fast enough to play basketball. They didn’t know my story. Because if they did, they’d know that anything is possible.
Whether you’re tall and you play a basketball player, or overweight and you play somebody who is dealing with the issues behind the weight, we all have to pull from real life to make those performances authentic.
It’s very warm there, so we were outdoors all the time. The local people had programs for us year-round, where as kids we had the opportunity to play football, basketball, baseball, track and field – we just went from one sport to the next, year-round.
It’s crazy, I almost quit basketball when I was younger.
When people asked me back then what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said a basketball player, and I meant it. But I loved going to the movies.
I was part of a writers‘ collective with 21 writers and filmmakers called the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. We had our own office space in this old converted dog and cat hospital, and we had a basketball hoop outside. I’d bring my dog to work every day and write.
I can shoot a three pointer in basketball, and I can kick a soccer ball.
In every game, there’s three teams out there. There’s the two basketball teams and the team of officials. If the two teams are evenly matched, it can come down to number of possessions. If one out-of-bounds call goes the wrong way, that can be the difference.
You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.
You look at a guy like Michael Jordan: I can’t believe there will be other basketball players like him.
I love the gym; I love basketball. I’m really passionate about it.
I had a lot of wonderful accomplishments in the game of basketball. Of course, to win a gold medal for your country – it doesn’t get any better than that.
Growing up, I always thought of Detroit as a basketball town because of the Pistons, but everyone says it’s really, at its core, a football town.
I love to cook like a mad man. If I could do it all over again? I would be a NBA basketball player.
You need a teaching coach who understands the game of basketball, not just some guy coming on the court talking about Xs and Os.
There’re a lot of rules to basketball.
The game of basketball is full of runs.
I feel like a coach when I’m on the court. I just see basketball as a team sport.
I wanted a NBA basketball gym at my house and that’s what I worked hard for and I was able to achieve that.
My personal life is the same. At the end of the day, this is just a job. I love what I do, and it’s a great job. But it’s like my alter ego. There’s Chris Brown the singer. And there’s Christopher Brown, the down-home Tappahannock boy that plays video games and basketball and hangs out.
The height of my athletic achievement was in 8th grade when I was the point guard for my Jewish day school basketball team. We played in a public school league and, amazingly, went undefeated. I say ‘amazingly’ because our power forward was 5 ft. 6 in.
Basketball was always my sport. It just took me until my second year of college for me to realize that I was a better baseball player than a basketball player. But basketball was always my number one love. Finally found out I was better at baseball and chose to pursue that route.
I always speak my mind. Whether it be something that’s going on in the world, something on the basketball court, or just something I saw with somebody else that’s not right.
I was a better basketball player growing up in high school than I was a swimmer. Basketball to this day is my favorite sport.
I know how hard it is to shoot the basketball, so I’ve got great appreciation for it.
What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.
I knew I wasn’t going to play professional basketball.
Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns.
Highbridge – everybody rap in Highbridge; everyone grew up rappin’ or playing basketball.
I think basketball IQ, work ethic, competitiveness are probably the most important things in a basketball player.
It’s funny, there’s all these slogans like ‘you’re never too old to keep dreaming.’ You know it’s funny how in the basketball world, and in the business world where you’re just supposed to stop. In the sports world, I feel like at 35 you’re just supposed to stop. If you do, that’s great.
My dream was to play for Alabama – football, basketball.
Basketball is booming, and it’s not just an Under Armour standpoint: it’s about the game itself. Kids going out and playing and being inspired by what we do on the court.
Whether it’s this year or next year, I don’t want to leave basketball limping out of basketball. At the end of the day, we’re all men and we all look at ourselves every morning and you have to ask yourself, Did I leave the way I wanted? Did I do everything I possibly could do to leave the way I want?’
Basketball was always my game.
Kids who I grew up with, who I played ball with, basketball, baseball, and went to parties with – for whatever reason – they ended up in a fundamentally different place than I did. I’m the attorney general of the United States and they are ex-felons.
My good friend Yao Ming was the first big player in the NBA to come from China. He gave himself to the game and was successful. That inspired the NBA to invest more and do more for the game of basketball. We’re building academies not just in China, but in India, Africa, Europe and South America as well.
I love basketball because it’s social, and you’re not even thinking about working out – you’re just playing a game and getting great exercise at the same time.
I played football; I was a running back, and I took a hit, and I had a hairline fracture in my leg which no one spotted, and I was playing basketball all winter and it got worse. And then I was long jumping, about 20 feet, and I landed one time and there was this big crack, and all the bones were jutting out of my leg.
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.
I’ve been playing basketball since forever. The highlight of my high school career was scoring 51 points with 13 threes in a game.
We need everybody to contribute as one and do what we’ve got to do to win. Football is not an individual game. In basketball, LeBron James can take over a game by himself.
