Famous Basketball Quotes

Here are some famous, inspirational, and funny basketball quotes from personalities who made the sport what it is today:

“You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”
Michael Jordan

 

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

 

“When it's played the way is spozed to be played, basketball happens in the air; flying, floating, elevated above the floor, levitating the way oppressed peoples of this earth imagine themselves in their dreams.” 
John Edgar Wideman

 

“When I dunk, I put something on it.  I want the ball to hit the floor before I do.” 
Darryl Dawkins

 

“It’s what you get from games you lose that is extremely important.”
Pat Riley

 

“You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”
Michael Jordan

 

“Basketball is like war in that offensive weapons are developed first, and it always takes a while for the defense to catch up.”
Red Auerbach

 

“I hate it!  It looks like a stickup at 7-Eleven.  Five guys standing there with their hands in the air.” 
Norm Sloan

 

“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
Derek Jeter

 

“I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don’t do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results.”
Michael Jordan

 

“We have a great bunch of outside shooters.  Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.” 
Weldon Drew

 

“If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful!”
Charles Barkley

 

“Love never fails; Character never quits; and with patience and persistence; Dreams do come true.”
Pete Maravich

 

“Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God’s way to say nobody’s perfect.”
Shaquille O’Neal

 

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
Michael Jordan

 

“A winner is someone who recognizes his God- given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”
Larry Bird

 

“Everybody on a championship team doesn’t get publicity, but everyone can say he’s a champion.”
Magic Johnson

 

“I would tell players to relax and never think about what’s at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you’ve lost your focus.”
Michael Jordan

 

“As far as carrying the torch for the years to come, I don’t know. I just want to be the best basketball player I can be.”
Kobe Bryant

 

“Everything negative - pressure, challenges - are all an opportunity for me to rise.”
Kobe Bryant

 

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”
Michael Jordan

 

“You never make any of the shots you never take. 87% of the ones you do take, you’ll miss too. I make 110% of my shots.”
Larry Bird

 

“Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.”
Larry Bird

 

“Don’t let what other people think decide who you are.”
Dennis Rodman

 

“Everything happens for a reason. I’m used to it, I prepare for it. Like I say, at the end of the day, those in charge of their own destiny are going to do what’s right for them and their family.”
Shaquille O’Neal

 

“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

 

“Michael, if you can’t pass, you can’t play.”
Coach Dean Smith to Michael Jordan (when he was at UNC)

 

“I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot...and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why... I succeed.”
Michael Jordan