quotations about basketball
There is nothing better than being out there when the game is on the line.
LARRY BIRD
The Sacramento Bee, February 3, 1998
More games are lost by dumb than are won by smart.
BOB KNIGHT
"33 Basketball Coaching Points from Bob Knight", The Coaching Toolbox
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.
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR
attributed, You Vs You: Sports Psychology for Life
Failure is good. It's fertilizer. Everything I've learned about coaching, I've learned from making mistakes.
RICK PITINO
attributed, Teamthink
The best basketball announcer is one who allows you to close your eyes.
LARRY BIRD
Esquire, Sep. 2008
I only want to play basketball, and play it well and be happy about it. But I realize that with being famous comes a lot of demands.
YAO MING
interview, Sep. 3, 2002
The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy.
JERRY TARKANIAN
attributed, Winning Words
The goal is to make practice more difficult, physically and mentally, than anything your players will face during a game.
BOB KNIGHT
"33 Basketball Coaching Points from Bob Knight", The Coaching Toolbox
We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.
WELDON DREW
The Michigan Journal, 1987
Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball.
PHIL JACKSON
Sacred Hoops
Most important ingredient to winning: no personal agendas. The commitment has to be 'us' driven not 'me' driven.
KEVIN EASTMAN
attributed, "501 Awesome Baketball Quotes", Basketball for Coaches
The single most important aspect of coaching is running effective practices.
BOB KNIGHT
"33 Basketball Coaching Points from Bob Knight", The Coaching Toolbox
When playing vs. man to man, the defense decides who guards who. When playing against zone, the offense decides who guards who.
BOB KNIGHT
"33 Basketball Coaching Points from Bob Knight", The Coaching Toolbox
Basketball is a team game. But that doesn't mean all five players should take the same amount of shots.
DEAN SMITH
attributed, "501 Awesome Basketball Quotes", Basketball for Coaches
We have a practical rule in our game: when you stop the basketball, when it resides in your presence and you hold it for longer than two counts, you've destroyed our rhythm. When the ball is in your hands, you become the focal point. And when you become the focus, our system breaks down. It's that simple. Suddenly the defense can catch up, and the spacing is destroyed. So it's the unselfish players--players who are more interested in reading what's happening and keeping the flow going on the floor--who are the most valuable players that you have.
PHIL JACKSON
attributed, Team Work: Rediscovering the Essence of Basketball
I was always driven on the basketball court. I always wanted to win every game I played in, sometimes too much. When you're out on the playground just playing, and you're scraping, fighting, and do whatever you can to win the game. When it's all over with, you're friends, and I'd think, 'Why did I get like that?' That's the way I've always been.
LARRY BIRD
interview, The Undefeated, October 9, 2019
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
attributed, It's How You Play the Game
In basketball -- as in life -- true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.
PHIL JACKSON
Sacred Hoops
Don't let winning make you soft. Don't let losing make you quit.
LARRY BIRD
attributed, 1001 Motivational Messages and Quotations for Athletes and Coaches
My thoughts were always that that night was the most important game in the world. Everybody in the world was watching that one game. And I had to be the best player on the court and win that game that night. That was my mentality, and it stuck with me all the way through my career.
LARRY BIRD
interview, ESPN, December 6, 2016