Basketball Quotes

I look at the NBA as a football game without the helmet.

That's the awesome part. Little girls now have a chance to look up and see women playing soccer, basketball, softball and now hockey - and know they can win a gold medal, too.

You create shots for yourself by what you do without the ball more than what you do after you get it

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

Help your players to control their emotions - do this through example.

The secret of winning is working more as a team, less as individuals.

The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.

The Boston Celtics are not a basketball team, they are a way of life.

Originality consists in trying to be like everybody else and failing.

Prepare for every game like you just lost your last game.

Fans never fall asleep at our games, because they're afraid they might get hit by a pass.

Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.

I think sportsmanship is knowing that it is a game, that we are only as a good as our opponents, and whether you win or lose, to always give 100 percent.

You must have your player's heads and hearts before they will do anything for you

Players know how to dribble, shoot and pass. The challenge is to teach them why they should do it a certain way, and when they should do it.

The more things we can get kids to do correctly off the court, the more they will do correctly on the court.

Always acknowledge hustle plays in practice.

He credited his teammates, who he thanked in turn, with challenging him every day and driving him forward and making him a better player.

Your ability to communicate to your young people will determine your success.

In the end, the game comes down to one thing: man against man. May the best man win.

Every time you compete, try harder to improve on your last performance. Give nothing short of your very best effort.

How competitive can you be without losing your discipline?

Play the game with a smile.

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

The Finals are about a test of wills.

As far as playing, I didn't care who guarded me - red, yellow, black. I just didn't want a white guy guarding me, because it's disrespect to my game.

I am Superman. And the only thing that can kill Superman is Kryptonite. And Kryptonite doesn't exist.

Blending the talents of your team members is crucial to basketball success.

Fatherhood will put a man through a lot, but it's a tremendous job, the best in the world - even better than playing basketball.

Criticize on defense and encourage on offense.

If your bigs rim run at full speed it not only increases the potential for a quick layup, but opens up court for guards

Michael Jordon may have been the best basketball player in history, but he couldn't have won six NBA titles without a team.

If we all make a concerted effort and try to improve the life of someone else, then this world would be a better place to live in.

The key to any game is to use your strengths and hide your weaknesses.

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.

You can love me or you can hate me.

The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment.

I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get you're emotions going.

If you don't feel you have something to prove every day, you'll never improve

Practice gotta be harder than the games and it never is unless you want it to be as a player. The coach can't drive that

I always laugh when people ask me about rebounding techniques. I've got a technique. It's called just go get the damn ball.

Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable.

Managing is like holding a dove in your hand. Squeeze too hard and you kill it; not hard enough and it flies away.

A winner is somebody who goes out there every day and exhausts himself trying to get something accomplished.

Just celebrate the life you had, not the life you could've had.

I can never stop working hard. Each day I feel that I have to improve. Hardwork...Determination...I gotta keep pushing myself.

You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running.

The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.

Nobody should expect more of you than you expect of yourself.

I've never felt my job was to win basketball games - rather, that the essence of my job as a coach was to do everything I could to give my players the background necessary to succeed in life.