50 Most Inspiring & Motivational Basketball Quotes
Last updated on January 3rd, 2024 at 10:34 am
“Basketball Game” by “U.S. Consulate General Chennai“, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Basketball is one of the world’s most popular and widely viewed sports. Fast-paced and adrenaline-fuelled, it is a delight to watch, and the atmosphere on the court is electric. While the most popular league for the game, the National Basketball Association (NBA), is in America, people from across the world play and follow the sport.
Basketball has produced some of the most popular athletes on earth, such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Every star was once a beginner, and even the best players have their bad days. Here are a few motivational basketball quotes to inspire you in life and boost your performance on the court.
Funny Basketball Quotes
No matter how intense and hard-core a game is, there will always be hilarious moments that make the audience crack up. Even when you’re in a rut, looking at the lighter side of things can help you improve. Read on to enjoy a few funny basketball quotes.
“Winning is like deodorant – it comes up, and a lot of things don’t stink.”
Doc Rivers
Source: Doc Rivers: The Inspiring Life and Leadership Lessons of One of Basketball’s Greatest Coaches by Clayton Geoffreys
“When I dunk, I put something on it. I want the ball to hit the floor before I do.”
Darryl Dawkins
“I always laugh when people ask me about rebounding techniques. I’ve got a technique. It’s called just go get the damn ball.”
Charles Barkley
Source: Sir Charles
“A team should be an extension of a coach’s personality. My teams are arrogant and obnoxious.”
Al McGuire
“Fans never fall asleep at our games because they’re afraid they might get hit by a pass.”
George Raveling
“I knew I was dog meat. Luckily, I’m the high-priced dog meat that everybody wants. I’m the good-quality dog meat. I’m the Alpo of the NBA.”
Shaquille O’Neal
“The invention of basketball was not an accident.It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play “Drop the Handkerchief”.”
James Naismith
“This year we plan to run and shoot. Next season we hope to run and score.”
Billy Tubbs
“This is basketball, not figure skating. You don’t get extra points for the degree of difficulty.”
Bobby Hurley
“They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.”
Wilt Chamberlain
Basketball Quotes For Girls
Basketball is a sport for everybody and there have been legends in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) whom we can look up to. We have listed some of their basketball quotes for girls.
Source: Sum It Up
“Coming in every day and walking the walk. That is what you want to do as a leader.”
Maya Moore
“It’s not all about shooting. That’s such a small part of my game, but that’s what people focus on the most. I just try to do the little things.”
Diana Taurasi
“Here’s how I’m going to beat you. I’m going to outwork you. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.”
Pat Summitt
Source: Sum It Up
“Don’t make excuses. Make your free throws.”
Elena Della Donne
“They don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care.”
Pat Summitt
Source: Sum It Up
“Everyone talks about age, but it’s not about age. It’s about work ethic. Winning never gets old.”
Lisa Leslie
“To be successful, you have to expose yourself to different situations – different styles of play, different teammates, and different coaching.”
Sue Bird
Motivational Basketball Quotes
On days when you just don’t feel like doing it and on days when you feel exhausted from doing it all, motivation can give you the spark you need. So we’ve put together some of the best motivational basketball quotes to lift you up.
“The key is not the ‘will to win’… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important”
Bob Knight
“Winners are not people who do not fail, but people who never quit.”
Anonymous
“When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort–it is ready to climb”
Pat Riley
“I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.”
Larry Bird
Source: Drive
“If you’re not talking, you’re not playing defense”
Doc Rivers
Source: Doc Rivers: The Inspiring Life and Leadership Lessons of One of Basketball’s Greatest Coaches by Clayton Geoffreys
“If it turns out that my best wasn’t good enough, at least I wont look back and say that I was afraid to try”
Michael Jordan
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
“You can’t always be the most talented or gifted person in the room, but you can be the most competitive.”
Pat Summitt
Source: Sum It Up
“I’m still waiting for perfection. In the meantime, I’ll settle for persistence.”
Bo Ryan
“Discipline is doing what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and doing it that way all the time.”
Bob Knight
“You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.”
Jerry West
“Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.”
Larry Bird
Source: Drive
“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
Michael Jordan
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
“Remember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you’ve got him.”
Bill Russell
Inspirational Basketball Quotes
We have heroes we look up to and want to learn from. Legends who have defined the game and added an extra layer of charm and meaning to the sport. Here are a few of their inspirational basketball quotes.
Source: The gold standard: building a world-class team
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Michael Jordan
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
“If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful!”
Charles Barkley
Source: Sir Charles
“We believe in people executing their role and caring about the team more than anything individually.”
Gregg Popovich
“Be led by your dreams not by your problems.”
Roy Williams
“Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise”
Michael Jordan
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
Source: The gold standard: building a world-class team
“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
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, and others make it happen”
Michael Jordan
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
“Nothing is given. Everything is earned.”
Lebron James
“Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.”
Bill Russell
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”
Michael Jordan
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
John Wooden
“I’ve never lost a game I just ran out of time.”
Michael Jordan
Source: Micahel Jordan: The Life
Hopefully, you have enjoyed these basketball quotes and picked up a few lessons and had a few laughs as you read through them. You can also check out Top 30 Fighter Quotes to Win In Life and 35 Motivating Dream Big Quotes. Do share these basketball quotes with your friends and family!
Naveen Kumar
Naveen Kumar is a writer and has a thing for collecting quotes and sharing them with people. Naveen is a space enthusiast. When he is not spreading good vibes or motivating people through quotes, you can find him sipping coffee while reading classic literature or on a long road drive.
