---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm happy that I helped basketball…"
description: "\"I'm happy that I helped basketball develop; I was trying to help basketball be the world's most popular sport, to bring people together from all over t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/vlade-divac-5860_basketball_i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-devel_2753191.jpg"
---

#  I'm happy that I helped basketball develop; I was trying…

![“I'm happy that I helped basketball develop; I was trying to help basketball be the world's most popular sport, to bring people together from all over the world, it doesn't matter the background. We are all the soldiers of basketball.” quote by Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/vlade-divac-5860_basketball_i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-devel_2753191.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/vlade-divac-5860_basketball_i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-devel_2753191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/vlade-divac-5860_basketball_i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-devel_2753191.jpg)

> “I'm happy that I helped basketball develop; I was trying to help basketball be the world's most popular sport, to bring people together from all over the world, it doesn't matter the background. We are all the soldiers of basketball.”

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Basketball aims to unite people worldwide, transcending backgrounds, and participants become its devoted advocates.

**In simple terms:** Sports unite globally.

Key Takeaway

Promote inclusive sports culture.

Themes

sports unity globalization teamwork identity

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

strategic inspirational

When to use this quote

- community events
- international leagues
- youth programs

Key Concepts

sociology marketing

Questions to Reflect On

- How can basketball reach underserved groups?
- What barriers exist to global sports unity?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone feels included by sports.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Football is a little bit different as far as lifting weights. We lifted weights every day. It's a different type of sport. So those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-knox/football-is-a-little-bit-different-as-far-as-lifting-weights-we/)

[Kevin Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-knox/)

> [He helped my career, helped me basketball-wise and every other way. I'm a big fan of Thibs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/he-helped-my-career-helped-me-basketball-wise-and-every-other-way-i-m/)

[John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/)

> [Over the years, Coach Staley has become like my second mom. And she has helped me with so much on the basketball court that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-ja-wilson/over-the-years-coach-staley-has-become-like-my-second-mom-and-she-has/)

[A'ja Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-ja-wilson/)

> [Half of the basketball world thinks I'm this hothead, dirty player who can't get anything under control and probably thinks I'm arrogant and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-allen/half-of-the-basketball-world-thinks-i-m-this-hothead-dirty-player-who/)

[Grayson Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-allen/)

> [Playing in the playoffs is the best basketball in the world, and if you can learn under that pressure, succeed under that pressure, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-parker/playing-in-the-playoffs-is-the-best-basketball-in-the-world-and-if/)

[Tony Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-parker/)

> [In the basketball world, guys like me, we tend to make bad decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-morris/in-the-basketball-world-guys-like-me-we-tend-to-make-bad-decisions/)

[Marcus Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-morris/)

> [The whole basketball world, it's a fantasy and it's short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demarcus-cousins/the-whole-basketball-world-it-s-a-fantasy-and-it-s-short-lived/)

[DeMarcus Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demarcus-cousins/)

> [This is the pinnacle of the basketball world, you know, in the NBA you're playing against the best guys in the world, and best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-conley-jr/this-is-the-pinnacle-of-the-basketball-world-you-know-in-the-nba-you/)

[Mike Conley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-conley-jr/)

> [Someone once accused me of slumming. I don't know what that means. I play basketball. And through that, I get to see a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-mcdonell/someone-once-accused-me-of-slumming-i-don-t-know-what-that-means-i/)

[Nick McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-mcdonell/)

> [That's kind of what I want to do-set my own trend in the basketball world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seimone-augustus/that-s-kind-of-what-i-want-to-do-set-my-own-trend-in-the-basketball/)

[Seimone Augustus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seimone-augustus/)

> [I want to thank the NBA and U.S.A. Basketball. Words can't describe my feeling. I was a small town kid from Hamburg, Arkansas, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scottie-pippen/i-want-to-thank-the-nba-and-u-s-a-basketball-words-can-t-describe-my/)

[Scottie Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scottie-pippen/)

> [I was aware of him as a player, but growing up I just looked at him as my dad. When I was 11 or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domantas-sabonis/i-was-aware-of-him-as-a-player-but-growing-up-i-just-looked-at-him-as/)

[Domantas Sabonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domantas-sabonis/)

> [Everybody knows the NBA is the top of basketball in the world. The game here is more hard, more physical, faster than in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/everybody-knows-the-nba-is-the-top-of-basketball-in-the-world-the/)

[Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/)

> [Experience is everything. It means so much because it enabled me to learn the game even faster. Playing in the playoffs is the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-parker/experience-is-everything-it-means-so-much-because-it-enabled-me-to/)

[Tony Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-parker/)

> [We grew up in the basketball world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domantas-sabonis/we-grew-up-in-the-basketball-world/)

[Domantas Sabonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domantas-sabonis/)

## More by Vlade Divac

> [Well, the league is changing every year. It changed when I came. It changed before me. First of all, we have to be thankful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/well-the-league-is-changing-every-year-it-changed-when-i-came-it/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [I have to give a lot of credit to David Stern to open up the league, but also in my case, Jerry West and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-have-to-give-a-lot-of-credit-to-david-stern-to-open-up-the-league/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [Because I play in NBA, I am like ambassador of Yugoslavia. Los Angeles before, nobody hear of Yugoslavia. Now I think much people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/because-i-play-in-nba-i-am-like-ambassador-of-yugoslavia-los-angeles/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [One year I grew 15 centimeters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/one-year-i-grew-15-centimeters/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [When you do something bad, you can't sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/when-you-do-something-bad-you-can-t-sleep/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [When I came to New York for the draft in '89, they told me I should be like 10 and 15, and it didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/when-i-came-to-new-york-for-the-draft-in-89-they-told-me-i-should-be/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [Thank God there was no yellow card in basketball because I would get a red card every game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/thank-god-there-was-no-yellow-card-in-basketball-because-i-would-get/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [Jerry West really helped a lot, and so did players like Magic Johnson. That's why, at the end of my career, I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/jerry-west-really-helped-a-lot-and-so-did-players-like-magic-johnson/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [Love liberates you and gives you the power to make the impossible possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/love-liberates-you-and-gives-you-the-power-to-make-the-impossible/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [I just think positive and positive things usually happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-just-think-positive-and-positive-things-usually-happen/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [I had to earn the respect from everybody, from referees to opponents, but my teammates, they saw some European guy coming here and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-had-to-earn-the-respect-from-everybody-from-referees-to-opponents/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [The better team sometimes loses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/the-better-team-sometimes-loses/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [I play for peace and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-play-for-peace-and-love/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [I left my home, and it was the most beautiful country in the world in my eyes, and I was always happy in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-left-my-home-and-it-was-the-most-beautiful-country-in-the-world-in/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

> [I started playing in school. Lots of kids in Yugoslavia play basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-started-playing-in-school-lots-of-kids-in-yugoslavia-play-basketball/)

[Vlade Divac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

[Explore all 100 Vlade Divac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/)

## More Basketball quotes

> [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/)

[Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/)

> [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/)

[Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/)

> [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/)

[Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/)

> [I learned so much from Sue about the Xs and Os of the game of basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-summitt/i-learned-so-much-from-sue-about-the-xs-and-os-of-the-game-of/)

[Pat Summitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-summitt/)

> [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [It's not how big you are, it's how big you play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/it-s-not-how-big-you-are-it-s-how-big-you-play/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

> [Basketball isn't just a sport to me ; it's my ecstasy !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamira-robinson/basketball-isn-t-just-a-sport-to-me-it-s-my-ecstasy/)

[Jamira Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamira-robinson/)

> [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/)

[Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/)

> [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/)

[Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/)

> [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/)

[Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/)

> [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/)

[Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/)

> [I'm a competitive person. I love the game of basketball. I'm a gym rat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-m-a-competitive-person-i-love-the-game-of-basketball-i-m-a-gym-rat/)

[Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/)

> [I am both humbled and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award for women's basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/i-am-both-humbled-and-honored-to-receive-the-honda-sports-award-for/)

[Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/)

> [What I've talked about the entire series and throughout this playoffs is about intensity and effort, desire and will of our players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-laimbeer/what-i-ve-talked-about-the-entire-series-and-throughout-this-playoffs/)

[Bill Laimbeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-laimbeer/)

[Browse all 5,387 Basketball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm happy that I helped basketball develop; I was trying to help basketball be the world's most popular sport, to bring people together from all over the world, it doesn't matter the background. We are all the soldiers of basketball.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vlade Divac"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-develop-i-was-trying-to-help/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Basketball"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-develop-i-was-trying-to-help/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/vlade-divac-5860_basketball_i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-devel_2753191.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/vlade-divac-5860_basketball_i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-devel_2753191.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2a/vlade-divac-5860_basketball_i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-devel_2753191.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm happy that I helped basketball develop; I was trying to help basketball be the world's most popular…” — Vlade Divac",
                "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": "Vlade Divac",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vlade-divac/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm happy that I helped basketball...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-develop-i-was-trying-to-help/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vlade-divac/i-m-happy-that-i-helped-basketball-develop-i-was-trying-to-help/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
