Best 195 quotes in «nba quotes» category

[The NBA] used to be a small band of basketball groupies. Now there are a lot more corporate-type people working in the league.

There are many times when you are better off practicing than playing; but most people just don't understand that

The reality is that the NBA was in worse shape in the '70s and early '80s. People have convenient memories.

There's never been a better time to be an NBA owner

The swimming community is really small, but why can't it be as big as the NBA or the NFL?

There's a disposition great defenders have - a genuine pride that scores are a problem, people that score on me is a problem

The thing that happened in Washington -- it happened. All you can do is just grow from it. That took a toll on me. That was probably -- I think if I could've bounced mentally out of that situation faster than I did, I would probably still be in the NBA. But since I couldn't understand why they were trying to treat me like that, I basically gave up. I just didn't want to be a part of it anymore.

There is a lot of basketball beyond our control, but a player should never let anyone try harder than he does

The thing with NBA teams, a lot of times they just want to get you back on the floor to play, so as a player you've got to be very, very smart.

This is totally unexpected. I thought I'd be in the NBA or the NFL. I never thought baseball. It's kind of like a surprise. I'm happy it happened.

To be honest, the play that was drawn up, I scratched it. I just told coach, 'Give me the ball.' We're either going to go to overtime or I'm going to win it for us. It was that simple.

Truthfully, this is how I approach my workout: I want to be the best athlete I can possibly be. If I can out-perform some of the better athletes then I'm happy. When I look at the NFL or the NBA, these guys look how I want to look - it's useable, functional muscle.

Very unfairly, there's a negative image of the kid, which really stems from the greed and selfishness of the NBA and NCAA. They're forcing these kids to go to school.

Trying to make the NBA is one of the very few areas where a Harvard degree won't necessarily help.

We are unselfish and we trust each other

We cannot accept in victory what we would not accept in defeat.

We didn't see [the NBA lockout] as a victory at all. It was far from what we set it out to accomplish in bargaining, but I thought it was a fair compromise.

Today's society wants to skip the process. And I hate that

We played well all the way until, like, the second quarter.

We're a walking billboard... You want to look good to everyone who is watching.

We're building a culture of accountability, trust, and togetherness. Entitlement will not be tolerated

What a pathetic play from a pathetic human being.

We scored a season-high, yeah - albeit against a team that is somewhat tanking.

When I was about 17 I knew that I was going to be serious about music. Before that I thought, fairly certainly, that I would be a writer. Before that, I thought I would be a forward in the NBA. And before that I thought that I would own a snake farm.

Unfortunately, music is a male-dominated industry. It's not that there aren't plenty of women working in the industry, it's just, the higher up you go... it's like how women who play in the WNBA make so little, compared to men in the NBA.

What do you have when you have an agent buried up to his neck in sand? Not enough sand.

What I would say is I've only had one injury in my NBA career, that was probably was because my core wasn't strong enough, when I had a stress fracture in my back.

What type of teammates do you want to play with? Be that teammate yourself

When you win, sometimes it overshadows a poor performance.

When I leave the NBA, I don't want my legacy to be, 'He won a championship ring.' I want my legacy to say: 'He played for the people. He gave everybody in the world hope that they can be just like him.'

Wherever you go, things change you. I mean, obviously moving to Miami and becoming part of the NBA has given me a different perspective on style than I had when I lived in Chicago or Milwaukee.

You could be adding gasoline to a roaring fire. We understand that. But this is who we are.

When I was a little kid, I used to really embarrass my parents.

Where else but the NBA could people like Bill Russell, Spencer Haywood, Ricky Barry, Dennis Rodman, and Allen Iverson come in and be allowed to be who they are?

You have to lose yourself in the team and you have to lose yourself in the game

You know the world is messed up when the tallest man in the NBA is Chinese, the best golfer is black, and the best rapper is white.

You learn from everybody. You learn from the players. You learn from great coaches. You learn from great teams

You need to work as hard to be a great teammate as you do to be a great player

You can't always be the most talented person in the room. But you can be the most competitive

You need your best players to play their best when their best is needed

You never realize the value of coaching until your children play for a coach

You go from high school, to the NBA, and you're thrown in the fire.

You've got to stay humble and hungry. Just keep working and thank God you have a chance to play in the NBA.

Athletes, we were supposed to just be there, and in class I made it a point that I was prepared for every exam, that I got on that Dean's List. Because I wanted them to see that there was a black person on the Dean's List who was an athlete. I accepted the challenge, because I want you to know that we bleed just like you do. We have feelings just like you do. Let us read the same books and we'll understand it just like you do!

Young people need models, not critics.