Best 2712 quotes in «basketball quotes» category

All this stuff is kind of surreal to me - Ididn't think I'd be in the league or none of that. It was making it to college. That's about it.

A long list. From getting cut from the high school basketball team, to getting fired from jobs, getting credit cards rejected and cut up. Rejection has only been a distraction, not a roadblock. “Every no gets me closer to a yes,” was the saying I used to use.

A lot more variables in golf. But the biggest thing is like just routine. Like I think that's the biggest correlation between golfers and basketball players, is for me I really rely on my routine every single day when I get ready for games and how I prepare.

A lot of kids just want to go play basketball, but they don't know to play and they don't have the skills to play. I think just the skill development right off and then play all you can, but don't sacrifice your skill development by just playing and not working on the specifics of the game.

A lot of guys go through their whole careers and don't win a championship, but are still great coaches.

A lot of people I meet say, 'You remind me so much of Magic Johnson.'

A lot of players know how to play the game, but they really don't know how to play the game, if you know what I mean. They can put the ball in the hoop, but I see things before they even happen. You know how a guy can make his team so much better? That's one thing I learned from watching Jordan.

A lot of people think that since I'm drunk in my stories, I must be drunk 24 hours a day. What kind of stupid logic is that? It'd be like if you saw Michael Jordan at a restaurant and were like, "Why aren't you in your basketball uniform?" I leave out way more than I put in.

A lot of times things get blown out of proportion in a negative light, especially in the NBA, ... But there are a lot of players in the NBA who really care about the community and want to use their basketball-playing ability for a good cause.

Although I grew up in Kansas City, ... I have always kept more or less au courant of Texas barbecue, like a sports fan who is almost monomaniacally obsessed with basketball but glances over at the N.H.L. standings now and then.

Although you do look at the big picture, if you're dealing with the now, it can be kind of frustrating. You're losing basketball games, things not going the way you want it to go or should go, but at the same time we've just got to stay with it. Just stay positive, just stay focused, as a team, as a unit, because the ship easily can sink early.

A lot of times I blend in a little bit easier because I'm not like a basketball player who's going to stand out because of his height.

Although I wanted my players to work to win, I tried to convince them they had always won when they had done their best.

Always acknowledge hustle plays in practice.

Always have your players go and pick-up the guy who draws the charge.

Always keep an open mind and a compassionate heart.

A man is as big as the measure of his thinking.

An acre of performance is worth a whole world of promise.

An acrobatic dunk will make it onto Sports Center. A simple, unspectacular bounce pass in the rhythm of the offense will not. System basketball has been replaced by players who want to be the system.

Analytics only goes so far. Basketball, more than baseball, for example, is really a team sport.

And from the first time I picked up a basketball at age eight - I had a lot of difficulty when I first picked up a basketball, because I was a scrub - there were things that I liked about it.

And if you see me, smile and maybe give me a hug. That's important to me too.

And I remember leaving my place in L.A. and - my father is a big fight fan - and I said, 'Dad, I got a couple of days off and I'm getting ready to go to Houston to sign to fight Muhammad Ali.

And I really believe that. Asthma is NOT a disability!

And it blew my mind when I started to get wind of the fact that they actually liked me being around. That was humbling, because Kentucky basketball is a big deal, and I am not the biggest fan - I am just the most notorious one.

And I would be the first to admit that probably, in a lot of press conferences over the time that I have been in coaching, indulging my own sense of humor at press conferences has not been greatly to my benefit.

"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.

...and that's what separates the professionals from the taxpayers

And the trouble with me is that my ego just can't accept a loss. I suppose that if I were more perfectly adjusted, I would toss off defeat, but my name is on this ball club. Thirty-six men publicly reflect me and reflect on me, and it's a matter of my pride.

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.

Any American boy can be a basketball star if he grows up, up, up.

Anybody involved in sports in Missouri knows it's a great sports state. It is a great sports state, particularly in basketball and baseball. Particularly. Not to demean football, but it's a baseball state and a basketball state.

Any old coach will say the game was meant for finesse. It's a beautiful game, especially on television.

Anything can happen with hard work and dedication

Any time Detroit scores more than 100 points and holds the other team below 100 points they almost always win.

Any time a little midget does something like this, you gotta give him a 10!.

Any time you do an Adam Sandler film, it's kind of like a boys' club, because you're hanging out and there are guitars around, and basketballs and footballs and electric bikes and scooters and different people dropping by.

Anytime you get an award as a coach, you've got to be the ultimate fool to think it wasn't your assistant coaches and all the players responsible for the award.

A particular shot or way of moving the ball can be a player's personal signature, but efficiency of performance is what wins the game for the team.

A person really doesn't become whole, until he becomes a part of something that's bigger than himself.

A player dreams of being a superstar, but he doesn't want people flocking all over him asking for an autograph.

A player's ability to rebound is inversely proportional to the distance between where he was born and the nearest railroad tracks. The greater distance you live from the poor side of the railroad tracks, the less likely that you will be a good rebounder.

A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.

A quick way for any player to make himself better is to think about what he himself doesn't like to play against

A reporter started off: "I know a lot of this is kind of speculation." Popovich interupting: "You're going to ask me anyway." Reporter: "And you're going to shoot it down." Popovich replied: "Next question.

A return to the NCAA is the expectation... I think that's a good pressure. I'd rather that pressure to the other way. ... I like a little pressure on me.

Are you any relation to your brother Marv?

As a child, I was very active. I was a gymnast, I played touch football, netball and basketball. When I was 16 years old, I started yoga. I started working out at an early age.

As a good player in the inner city, you're always hearing people saying that you're better than you really are and that you don't have to do things like everybody else.

A lot of people were saying that I was a selfish person and a selfish player. You know, it got to me.