--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So many great basketball players haven't…" description: "\"So many great basketball players haven't won championships before, and they're still great. But that's what people judge you by.\" — Lebron James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/lebron-james-1130_ball-player_so-many-great-basketball-players-haven-t_727130.jpg" --- # So many great basketball players haven't won championships… ![“So many great basketball players haven't won championships before, and they're still great. But that's what people judge you by.” quote by Lebron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/lebron-james-1130_ball-player_so-many-great-basketball-players-haven-t_727130.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/lebron-james-1130_ball-player_so-many-great-basketball-players-haven-t_727130.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/lebron-james-1130_ball-player_so-many-great-basketball-players-haven-t_727130.jpg) > “So many great basketball players haven't won championships before, and they're still great. But that's what people judge you by.” [Lebron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great players may lack championship titles, yet their skill and impact remain undeniable. **In simple terms:** Skill isn’t defined by trophies alone. Key Takeaway Value performance over external validation. Themes excellence achievement perception legacy Mood inspirational thoughtful Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - team building - career evaluation - talent scouting Key Concepts Meritocracy sports psychology public opinion Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure success beyond awards? - What defines greatness for you? A Different Perspective Championships often depend on team factors beyond individual control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Basketball player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-player/) [Basketball Players](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-players/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) ## Related quotes > [There were great European players that were great basketball players that did not make it in the NBA... 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Forget basketball; as a person, I cared, I cared about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/i-also-wanted-my-basketball-players-to-know-that-i-really-cared-about/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [A lot of basketball players have tendinitis. It's known as jumper's knee, and it just comes from all the pounding our knees take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/a-lot-of-basketball-players-have-tendinitis-it-s-known-as-jumper-s/) [Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/) > [Basketball players want contact to get a foul called. 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I'm here to be one of the greatest basketball players to ever play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-murray/i-m-not-just-here-to-get-a-paycheck-and-leave-i-m-here-to-be-one-of/) [Jamal Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-murray/) > [A lot of scouts and people are enamored with athleticism and youth. So they take that any day over mature, high-quality basketball players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/a-lot-of-scouts-and-people-are-enamored-with-athleticism-and-youth-so/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) ## More by Lebron James > [We were playing every game to win, we just happened to win 27 in a row. Our motto was to try and go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/we-were-playing-every-game-to-win-we-just-happened-to-win-27-in-a-row/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [It puts a smile on my face to be compared to a legend. Year by year, as you play basketball, you've got to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/it-puts-a-smile-on-my-face-to-be-compared-to-a-legend-year-by-year-as/) [Lebron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [It's a lot of talent sitting in suits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/it-s-a-lot-of-talent-sitting-in-suits/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [Being the only man in the household with my mom definitely helped me grow up fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/being-the-only-man-in-the-household-with-my-mom-definitely-helped-me/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [I love the success of my teammates more than my individual achievements. I've just always cared more about that since I started playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/i-love-the-success-of-my-teammates-more-than-my-individual/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [Volleyball, I could be pretty good. After a few practices I could be that striker, or whatever they call it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/volleyball-i-could-be-pretty-good-after-a-few-practices-i-could-be/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [The man above has given me some unbelievable abilities to play the game of basketball. 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It makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/i-like-criticism-it-makes-you-strong/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [You can't be afraid to fail. It's the only way you succeed - you're not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/you-can-t-be-afraid-to-fail-it-s-the-only-way-you-succeed-you-re-not/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [I love watching track and field - the 4x100 relay, the 100-(meter) dash, the 200-(meter) dash. To see what they're able to do, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/i-love-watching-track-and-field-the-4x100-relay-the-100-meter-dash/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [There are some teams and logos you see, no matter where you are in the world, and you know exactly who they are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/there-are-some-teams-and-logos-you-see-no-matter-where-you-are-in-the/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [Messi is the best player in the world. If he's not already, he'll be the best footballer of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/messi-is-the-best-player-in-the-world-if-he-s-not-already-he-ll-be/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) > [I spoil a lot of people with my play,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/i-spoil-a-lot-of-people-with-my-play/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) [Explore all 285 Lebron James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) ## More Ball player quotes > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. 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You've got to like competing. That's how your team gets better, when you have competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-competed-every-day-as-a-professional-football-player-you-ve-got-to/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [“I can’t wait to knock you up and have a whole team of little baseball players around this place!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/i-can-t-wait-to-knock-you-up-and-have-a-whole-team-of-little-baseball/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) > [MOST AMAZING FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD && IN REAL MADRID](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-amazing-football-player-in-the-entire-world-in-real-madrid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) > [I'm a basketball player, so I want to do whatever I've got to do to be on the floor and I'm prepared for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/i-m-a-basketball-player-so-i-want-to-do-whatever-i-ve-got-to-do-to-be/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [“Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere. While others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-yourself-in-print-is-such-an-amazing-concept-you-can-get-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People say baseball players should go out and have fun. No way. To me, baseball is pressure, I always feel it. This is work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/people-say-baseball-players-should-go-out-and-have-fun-no-way-to-me/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/canada-is-a-country-whose-main-exports-are-hockey-players-and-cold/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [“The great thing about baseball players, from the point of view of personal hygiene, is how seldom they break a sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-great-thing-about-baseball-players-from-the-point-of-view-of/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [A lot of scouts and people are enamored with athleticism and youth. So they take that any day over mature, high-quality basketball players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/a-lot-of-scouts-and-people-are-enamored-with-athleticism-and-youth-so/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [I'm a baseball player. I've done this my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/i-m-a-baseball-player-i-ve-done-this-my-whole-life/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) Browse all 1,395 Ball player quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So many great basketball players haven't won championships before, and they're still great. 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