--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once the referee throws the ball in the…" description: "\"Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either your ball or their ball and you have to just take your shot.\" — LL Cool J" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/ll-cool-j-2389_air_once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the_1075338.png" --- # Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either… ![“Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either your ball or their ball and you have to just take your shot.” quote by LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/ll-cool-j-2389_air_once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the_1075338.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/ll-cool-j-2389_air_once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the_1075338.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/ll-cool-j-2389_air_once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the_1075338.png) > “Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either your ball or their ball and you have to just take your shot.” [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In sports, the ball’s trajectory determines possession; you must act decisively when given the chance. **In simple terms:** Act quickly when opportunity arises. Key Takeaway Seize the moment. Themes sports decision‑making opportunity Mood energetic motivational Type inspirational advice When to use this quote - Team games - business pitches - personal goals - creative projects Key Concepts Strategy risk confidence Questions to Reflect On - What opportunities are you hesitating on? - How can you prepare to act decisively? A Different Perspective Pressure can cause mistakes if rushed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Air Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-ball-2701766/) [Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ball/) [Ball Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ball-ball-908507/) [Ball Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ball-just/) [Balls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balls/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Referee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/referee/) [Referee Throws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/referee-throws-2701765/) [Shots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shots/) ## Related quotes > [I feel like if they put the ball in the air, it's my ball. It's either a PI or it's my ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-hopkins/i-feel-like-if-they-put-the-ball-in-the-air-it-s-my-ball-it-s-either/) [DeAndre Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-hopkins/) > [Tis better to hit an air ball, than to force a note that don't wanna come out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-payton/tis-better-to-hit-an-air-ball-than-to-force-a-note-that-don-t-wanna/) [Nicholas Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-payton/) > [Go ball. Go ball. I'll worry about the coaching. You just get out there and ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/go-ball-go-ball-i-ll-worry-about-the-coaching-you-just-get-out-there/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [I'm the type of person where, at the end of the game, if there's 10 seconds left, and you need to get somebody the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lashley/i-m-the-type-of-person-where-at-the-end-of-the-game-if-there-s-10/) [Bobby Lashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lashley/) > [“Be on the ball! You have enough on the ball to roll in money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/be-on-the-ball-you-have-enough-on-the-ball-to-roll-in-money/) [Anyaele Sam Chiyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anyaele-sam-chiyson/) > [This is one of the challenges we have: knowing that playing without the ball is just as important as when you have the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-espirito-santo/this-is-one-of-the-challenges-we-have-knowing-that-playing-without/) [Nuno Espirito Santo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-espirito-santo/) > [I just play ball. I just get lost in the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-crawford/i-just-play-ball-i-just-get-lost-in-the-game/) [Jamal Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-crawford/) > [You can't feel your way into an Ashes series, you have to be switched on from ball one. That's just me in a nutshell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/you-can-t-feel-your-way-into-an-ashes-series-you-have-to-be-switched/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [Having the ball in my hand all the time and making plays, it was bound to come to a point where I knew where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-drummond/having-the-ball-in-my-hand-all-the-time-and-making-plays-it-was-bound/) [Andre Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-drummond/) > [The trick is this: keep your eye on the ball. Even when you can't see the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-trick-is-this-keep-your-eye-on-the-ball-even-when-you-can-t-see/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [You go ball by ball, and you try to control the controllables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasprit-bumrah/you-go-ball-by-ball-and-you-try-to-control-the-controllables/) [Jasprit Bumrah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasprit-bumrah/) > [Pires could run faster with the ball than I could without the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-adams/pires-could-run-faster-with-the-ball-than-i-could-without-the-ball/) [Tony Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-adams/) > [Money was an issue, but now that that's solved. I ball, I ball, like Kobe in the fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole/money-was-an-issue-but-now-that-that-s-solved-i-ball-i-ball-like-kobe/) [J Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole/) > [The first thing is to be patient, which is probably the hardest thing to do. Don't worry if blokes are whacking you out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-warne/the-first-thing-is-to-be-patient-which-is-probably-the-hardest-thing/) [Shane Warne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-warne/) > [Hitting the kid with the ball might get you the ball, but it won't get you anyone to throw it to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-lewis/hitting-the-kid-with-the-ball-might-get-you-the-ball-but-it-won-t-get/) [Cynthia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-lewis/) ## More by LL Cool J > [I think when you move past your fear and you go after your dreams wholeheartedly, you become free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/i-think-when-you-move-past-your-fear-and-you-go-after-your-dreams/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [You have to always continue to strive no matter how hard things get, no matter how troubled you feel. No matter how tough things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/you-have-to-always-continue-to-strive-no-matter-how-hard-things-get/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [Me and Frosted went to get a drink. But she ordered somethin' bugged, and I ain't know what to think. She ordered potassium, calcium,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/me-and-frosted-went-to-get-a-drink-but-she-ordered-somethin-bugged/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [I think when you move past your fear and you go after your dreams wholeheartedly, you become free. Know what Im saying? Move past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/i-think-when-you-move-past-your-fear-and-you-go-after-your-dreams-2/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [You've got to stay focused without being boring - because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Skinny, but dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/you-ve-got-to-stay-focused-without-being-boring-because-all-work-and/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [Like your booty don't stink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/like-your-booty-don-t-stink/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [It's hard being the king, but somebody's got to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/it-s-hard-being-the-king-but-somebody-s-got-to-do-it/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [How dare you ever in ya life walk past me without acknowledging their man as God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/how-dare-you-ever-in-ya-life-walk-past-me-without-acknowledging-their/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [Im happy to be black. I am what I am, Im doing very well in my life, and Im thankful to God for that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/im-happy-to-be-black-i-am-what-i-am-im-doing-very-well-in-my-life-and/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [I think fitness is important. I think a healthy lifestyle is important. I think putting positive energy out there is important and just staying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/i-think-fitness-is-important-i-think-a-healthy-lifestyle-is-important/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [When I’m alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall, and in the back of my mind I hear my conscience call.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/when-i-m-alone-in-my-room-sometimes-i-stare-at-the-wall-and-in-the/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [Keeping it real ain't about carrying a gun or smoking blunts. It's about being true to yourself and those around you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/keeping-it-real-ain-t-about-carrying-a-gun-or-smoking-blunts-it-s/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [“Mama said knock you out!!??!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/mama-said-knock-you-out/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [Sometimes altering your position is the right thing. Sometimes it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/sometimes-altering-your-position-is-the-right-thing-sometimes-it-s-not/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [Do something that gets you closer to your dream today!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/do-something-that-gets-you-closer-to-your-dream-today/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) [Explore all 169 LL Cool J quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either your ball or their ball and you have to just take your shot.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "LL Cool J" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the-air-it-s-either-your-ball-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the-air-it-s-either-your-ball-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/ll-cool-j-2389_air_once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the_1075338.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/ll-cool-j-2389_air_once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the_1075338.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/ll-cool-j-2389_air_once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the_1075338.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either your ball or their ball and you have to just take…” — LL Cool J", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "LL Cool J", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Once the referee throws the ball...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the-air-it-s-either-your-ball-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/once-the-referee-throws-the-ball-in-the-air-it-s-either-your-ball-or/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```