Basketball Quotes · Page 132

Only praise behavior that you want to be repeated. Never use false praise.

— Dean Smith

We couldn't sustain it. And they got a lot of kids that can shoot. We just couldn't close out well enough.

— Bill Russell

I don't see us having a problem. It's going to be my job to manage the locker room, anyway, so it will…

— Shaquille O'Neal

I'm too short to play basketball and too nervous to steal.

— Melvin Van Peebles

Morale and attitude are the fundamentals to success.

— Bud Wilkinson

I'm dominant every night. I come in every night and get beat up. I never make a face when they try to…

— Shaquille O'Neal

[At nine years old] I didn't really know what that meant at the time. I thought it might be in a warm…

— Elana Meyers

Back when I played, basketball was all about fundamentals, about hustling, getting those loose balls, all those rebounds under the basket. That…

— Leslie Jones

It's very important, especially in the basketball culture. We like our fashion. Coming into the NBA, you definitely have to step it…

— Kyle Kuzma

I don't recruit players who are nasty to their parents. I look for players who realize the world doesn't revolve around them.

— Pete Carril

The tough player is the one who is difficult to play against and easy to play with

— Jay Bilas

I grew up in the '80s in an era that was tough. The Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason. It wasn't…

— Matt Barnes

If you're playing basketball, you're going to get your shot blocked.

— Lorenzen Wright

I'm just playing basketball. I just want to be a great player. That's it. That's all I'm thinking about. If the other…

— Kawhi Leonard

Nature, God, Buddha - someone has given me this health. I can break dance still; I can run; I can play basketball.…

— James Hong

I'm sorry that the young athletes in basketball will not get the chance to play (in the Olympics) anymore, and live that…

— Oscar Robertson

Even the greatest players accept coaching and value the need for discipline and the order that it brings to the team

— Jack Ramsay

We're still getting better as a team. We're still learning how to play basketball as a team and how to win tough…

— Carmelo Anthony

It's hard to put it in perspective right now. I'm starting to feel a little emotional about what's going to happen Friday…

— Scottie Pippen

I'm a basketball fan, I'm a fan of greatness and I think anybody who knows anything about basketball knows great shooters.

— Maya Moore

As basketball players, we're competitive. No matter if it's the preseason or not, I feel like players wanna win.

— Domantas Sabonis

Name 12 players better than me.

— Jalen Rose

We have the mentality of the hunter. We want to be the most enthusiastic team in the country. That's what we can…

— Shaka Smart

You don't play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.

— Bobby Knight

I'll never worry about not being successful. I'll just take it one day at a time, one season at a time. And…

— Bo Jackson

If I had not played basketball and made the millions of dollars that I had made, I would never have been able…

— Dikembe Mutombo

When we went up against teams that were better, I just hoped that we could steal the victories.

— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The more your players have to think on the basketball court, the slower their feet get.

— Jerry Tarkanian

My passion is basketball and I'm so lucky to be able to use this sport to give back to my community.

— Pascal Siakam

When you have 20,000 people yelling and screaming at you, four other guys can concentrate on the floor. So every time I…

— Reggie Miller

Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God's way to say nobody's perfect.

— Shaquille O'Neal

I am sure that no man can derive more pleasure from money or power than I do from seeing a pair of…

— James Naismith

I submit that tennis is the most beautiful sport there is, and also the most demanding....Basketball comes close, but it's a team…

— David Foster Wallace

I played football when I was a kid, it is such a fun sport to play, I fancied myself as a midfielder…

— Serge Ibaka

I've always been drawn to love stories. Growing up, I would devour films like 'Moonstruck,' 'Ghost,' 'Love and Basketball,' and 'Love, Jones,'…

— Wilson Cruz

Everybody is different. Everybody has different styles. Just do it the best way you know how.

— Vince Carter

I've just been competitive all my life. That draws from a competitive family. We're all athletes, and we're all trying to win…

— Myles Garrett

It's not about any one person. You've got to get over yourself and realize that it takes a group to get this…

— Gregg Popovich

I don't think that players learn how to play any other aspect of the game in high school or college.

— Oscar Robertson

The motivation for me is just the game itself, just playing the game the right way and trying to win, compete every…

— Kobe Bryant