--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yeah, I always thought I'd make it to the…" description: "\"Yeah, I always thought I'd make it to the NBA.\" — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/shai-gilgeous-alexander-5690_always_yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the_2513037.jpg" --- # Yeah, I always thought I'd make it to the NBA. ![“Yeah, I always thought I'd make it to the NBA.” quote by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/shai-gilgeous-alexander-5690_always_yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the_2513037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/shai-gilgeous-alexander-5690_always_yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the_2513037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/shai-gilgeous-alexander-5690_always_yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the_2513037.jpg) > “Yeah, I always thought I'd make it to the NBA.” [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dreams of professional sports require talent, work ethic, and opportunity. **In simple terms:** NBA dreams need skill and effort. Key Takeaway Cultivate talent and seize chances. Themes ambition sports career resilience Mood determined hopeful Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - high school basketball - college recruitment - professional tryouts - training camps Key Concepts Athletics determination goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What steps are you taking toward your goal? - How do you handle setbacks? A Different Perspective Talent alone may not guarantee success without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [NBA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nba/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [I found myself in the changed man theory the other night thinking, "Yeah." I thought, "My god. If we could do this again," but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/i-found-myself-in-the-changed-man-theory-the-other-night-thinking/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [“Hey, I just thought of something." "What?" "When we're together, we make one whole Italian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-evans-welch/hey-i-just-thought-of-something-what-when-we-re-together-we-make-one/) [Jenna Evans Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-evans-welch/) > [I never had a doubt that I would make it to the NBA, even when I wasn't playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amar-e-stoudemire/i-never-had-a-doubt-that-i-would-make-it-to-the-nba-even-when-i-wasn/) [Amar'e Stoudemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amar-e-stoudemire/) > [I never thought I'd make it in the NBA, so everything else is gravy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/i-never-thought-i-d-make-it-in-the-nba-so-everything-else-is-gravy/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [It's always been my goal to make it to the NBA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-hood/it-s-always-been-my-goal-to-make-it-to-the-nba/) [Rodney Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-hood/) > [There's not too many 5-10 basketball players that make it, let alone play college and make it to the NBA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hayward/there-s-not-too-many-5-10-basketball-players-that-make-it-let-alone/) [Gordon Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hayward/) > [I thought I would make it (to the NBA). I believed that I would make it. But I had a Plan B. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avery-johnson/i-thought-i-would-make-it-to-the-nba-i-believed-that-i-would-make-it/) [Avery Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avery-johnson/) > [You hear all these stories about, 'There's one in a million guys that make it to the NBA and stay there.' To see people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/you-hear-all-these-stories-about-there-s-one-in-a-million-guys-that/) [Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/) > [The odds were against me when I arrived at Central Arkansas. I was barely 6-foot-2 and didn't have a scholarship. But I always felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scottie-pippen/the-odds-were-against-me-when-i-arrived-at-central-arkansas-i-was/) [Scottie Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scottie-pippen/) > [It's a league where guys are trying to play to the best of their ability, whether you're a superstar or trying to make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmer-fredette/it-s-a-league-where-guys-are-trying-to-play-to-the-best-of-their/) [Jimmer Fredette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmer-fredette/) > [A single thought can revolutionize your life as it did mine. A single thought can make you rich or it can land you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/a-single-thought-can-revolutionize-your-life-as-it-did-mine-a-single/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [I never thought that I'd ever make it to Hawaii.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-morgan/i-never-thought-that-i-d-ever-make-it-to-hawaii/) [Liv Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-morgan/) > [You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-mali/you-want-to-know-what-i-make-i-make-kids-work-harder-than-they-ever/) [Taylor Mali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-mali/) > [I don't know about whether I thought I would make it this big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/i-don-t-know-about-whether-i-thought-i-would-make-it-this-big/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [I never thought someone would make a film on my story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/i-never-thought-someone-would-make-a-film-on-my-story/) [Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/) ## More by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander > [I'm just trusting my work. Putting it in everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-m-just-trusting-my-work-putting-it-in-everyday/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I've noticed that throughout my experience, when you keep positive energy, positive things happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-ve-noticed-that-throughout-my-experience-when-you-keep-positive/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I don't worry about starting. I'm not worried about accolades or things like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-don-t-worry-about-starting-i-m-not-worried-about-accolades-or/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I'm just confident in my abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-m-just-confident-in-my-abilities/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [Life's about ups and downs, season's about ups and downs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/life-s-about-ups-and-downs-season-s-about-ups-and-downs/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I just think we're all high-level basketball players, best in the world. And no matter the outside circumstance, we still have to play basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-just-think-we-re-all-high-level-basketball-players-best-in-the/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I'm not playing this game just to be a good basketball player. I want to be one of the greatest to ever play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-m-not-playing-this-game-just-to-be-a-good-basketball-player-i-want/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I've always been a basketball junkie... Always watched videos, slowed them down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-ve-always-been-a-basketball-junkie-always-watched-videos-slowed/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I'm just really confident in my abilities and how hard I work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-m-just-really-confident-in-my-abilities-and-how-hard-i-work/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I'm a learner. I just soak things up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-m-a-learner-i-just-soak-things-up/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [Learning how to play on a team full of future pros, it's not as easy as everyone thinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/learning-how-to-play-on-a-team-full-of-future-pros-it-s-not-as-easy/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I just love the game. It's brought me so much joy in my life. I have no choice when I'm playing it, I'm just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-just-love-the-game-it-s-brought-me-so-much-joy-in-my-life-i-have-no/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I just work hard, keep my head down and be true to who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-just-work-hard-keep-my-head-down-and-be-true-to-who-i-am/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I just soak things up and learn as time goes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-just-soak-things-up-and-learn-as-time-goes-on/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [I want to be one of the best point guards to ever play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/i-want-to-be-one-of-the-best-point-guards-to-ever-play/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) [Explore all 100 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Yeah, I always thought I'd make it to the NBA.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shai Gilgeous-Alexander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the-nba/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the-nba/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/shai-gilgeous-alexander-5690_always_yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the_2513037.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/shai-gilgeous-alexander-5690_always_yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the_2513037.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/shai-gilgeous-alexander-5690_always_yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the_2513037.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yeah, I always thought I'd make it to the NBA.” — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander", "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": "Shai Gilgeous-Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Yeah, I always thought I'd make...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the-nba/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/yeah-i-always-thought-i-d-make-it-to-the-nba/#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 } } ] } ```