The National Basketball Association is an American men’s professional basketball league. NBA is widely considered to be the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world. It teaches you about being a good team player and encourages you to follow your dream. Profoundly inspirational NBA quotes will challenge the way you think, and help guide you through any life experience.
If you’re searching for best sports quotes of all time and popular workout quotes that perfectly capture what you’d like to say or just want to feel inspired yourself, browse through an amazing collection of famous hockey quotes, top golf quotes and empowering boxing quotes.
Famous NBA Quotes
Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion. Michael Jordan
Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates. Magic Johnson
It’s not about any one person. You’ve got to get over yourself and realize that it takes a group to get this thing done. Gregg Popovich
Coaching is easy. Winning is the hard part. Elgin Baylor
You always have to be on edge. You always have to take every practice, every game, like it is your last. Kobe Bryant
I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan
Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. Michael Jordan
I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying. Michael Jordan
Everyting negative pressure, challenges is all an opportunity for me to rise. Kobe Bryant
Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. Kevin Durant
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. Michael Jordan
Technology is changing the world; it’s changing our sport. It’s changing the way people are following the NBA. Adam Silver
Anything can happen with hard work and dedication. Jerry West
I just realized that basketball and going to the NBA was a possibility, and that’s something that I want to use to better my family and possibly help the world if I can. Greg Oden
I’m hungrier than those other guys out there. Every rebound is a personal challenge. Dennis Rodman
I can dunk! I can dunk, and not just in NBA Live. Chris Paul
Everyone wants to do what the great ones do; but very few are willing to do what they did to become great. Jon Gordon
We’re not in trouble, but if we think we’re not in trouble, we’re in trouble. Mike D’Antoni
It’s not about the number of hours you practice, it’s about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice. Kobe Bryant
We got blown out in Portland. He took everybody Kobe’s and said they couldn’t wear it because we were soft. Lou Williams
Live the moment for the moment. Michael Jordan
Joe be running like he running from the police. Jaylen Brown
The key to success is failure. Michael Jordan
The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play ‘Drop the Handkerchief. James Naismith
The time when there is no one there to feel sorry for you or to cheer for you is when a player is made. Tim Duncan
If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Michael Jordan
I play every game like it’s my last game. All that matters is that you go out there and play every game as if it was your last. Allen Iverson
There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, and I don’t believe there is only one greatest player either. Michael Jordan
Everything happens for a reason. I’m used to it, I prepare for it. Like I say, at the end of the day, those in charge of their own destiny are going to do what’s right for them and their family. Shaquille O’Neal
Love never fails. The character never quits. And with patience and persistence, dreams do come true. Pete Maravich
Failure makes me work even harder. Michael Jordan
Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God’s way to say nobody’s perfect. Shaquille O’Neal
Perfection is impossibility but striving for perfection is not. Do the best you can. That is what counts. John Wooden
I don’t complain about playing time. My job is to play so well that my coach can’t sit me. Shane Battier
Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night. Michael Jordan
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. Michael Jordan
If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life. Michael Jordan
Anything can happen with hard work and dedication. Jerry West
There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself. LeBron James
When I lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player, it’s time for me to move away from the game. Michael Jordan
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan
A winner is someone who recognizes his god-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills and uses these skills to accomplish his goals. Larry Bird
I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan
If you are trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I have had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. Michael Jordan
I take everything I learned from the streets and put it in my NBA game. Allen Iverson
Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique. Jeff Van Gundy
Working hard is one thing, but working hard with purpose is what separates the good from the great. Thad Matta
Young men need more models, not critics. John Wooden
Each group and each youngster is different. As a leader or coach, you get to know what they need. Mike Krzyzewski
What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player. John Wooden
Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat. Dean Smith
You have teenagers thinking they’re going to make millions as NBA stars when that’s not realistic for even 1 percent of them. Becoming a scientist or engineer is. Dean Kamen
Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference. John Wooden
If you don’t fall how are you going to know what getting up is like? Stephen Curry
Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise. Michael Jordan
We don’t have selfish guys here, which sometimes leads to problems. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Great players and great teams want to be driven. They want to be pushed to the edge. They don’t want to be cheated. Ordinary players and average teams want it to be easy. Pat Riley
I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game winning shot. Kobe Bryant
Talent sets the floor, character sets the ceiling. Bill Belichick
We don’t quit, we don’t cower, we don’t run. We endure and conquer. Kobe Bryant
If you do things with a certain type of result and cause a certain type of reaction or effect, then you increase your market value. It’s very much a competition for the entertainment dollar, and that’s never been more clearly evident than in today’s NBA game. Julius Erving
Any time Detroit scores more than 100 points and holds the other team below 100 points, they almost always win. Doug Collins
Happiness begins where selfishness ends. John Wooden
I made a 1,600 minus 800 minus 200 on the SAT, so I’m very intelligent when I speak. Shaq
Push yourself to keep improving or you’ll stay as close to the bottom as you are to the top. John Wooden
Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best. Tim Duncan
Young people need models, not critics. John Wooden
If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful. Charles Barkley
I don’t need too much. Glamour and all that stuff don’t excite me. I am just glad I have the game of basketball in my life. LeBron James
I just wanna wrap you up and hold you in my arms for the night. You have been gone for so long, let’s celebrate that we unite. NBA YoungBoy
Everybody wants to take responsibility when you win, but when you fail, all these fingers are pointing. Mike Krzyzewski
June 2010, after winning his fifth title I just got one more than Shaq. So you can take that to the bank. Kobe Bryant
Once you are labeled the best you want to stay up there, and you can’t do it by loafing around. Larry Bird
As I sit here now when I take off my shoe and I look down at my scar, I see the beauty in it. I see all the hard work, all the sacrifices. I see the journey that it took to get back to this point of being healthy. And I see the beauty in that struggle. That’s what makes it beautiful. Kobe Bryant
The guys who take shortcuts, who aren’t ready, they fail when their opportunity comes. Tom Thibodeau
Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory. Bill Russell
You can’t always be the most talented person in the room. But you can be the most competitive. Pat Summitt
Don’t be afraid of failure. This is the way to succeed. LeBron James
In order to achieve to achieve positive results, one must work for them, not hope for them. Bobby Knight
The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. Phil Jackson
Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals. James Naismith
To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don’t isolate. Michael Jordan
If you put everything together as far as my mind, my body, my game. If you put everything in one bottle, this is probably the best I’ve been. LeBron James
I’ve always been interested in jobs in the NBA. But I’ve been in this for 20 years and it might be time to do something else. Larry Bird
Each game is an opportunity to be on a great stage and be a witness for Christ. When I step on the floor, people should know who I represent, who I believe in. Stephen Curry
I wanted to compete at the highest level again – and that’s the NBA. Larry Bird
A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist. That’s how I want you to play. Mike Krzyzewski
I know that I’m never as good or bad as any single performance. I’ve never believed my critics or my worshippers, and I’ve always been able to leave the game at the arena. Charles Barkley
The same way you slow me down You can’t. LeBron James
I always laugh when people ask me about rebounding techniques. I’ve got a technique. It’s called just go get the damn ball. Charles Barkley
The goal is to make practice more difficult, physically mentally, than anything your players will face during a game. Bobby Knight
Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. Michael Jordan
You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one. John Wooden
I’m like a tax. You’re going to pay one way or the other. Shaquille O’Neal
The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot. Bill Russell
My favorite Knicks moment was when we beat Indiana in Game 7 to reach the NBA Finals. We worked so hard as a team to reach that moment that it was very satisfying to beat Indiana and reach the Finals. John Starks
Not a game, not a game practice. Allen Iverson
I’ll let you go watch the J. Cole concert if you all get your ass back on transition. Mike Malone
Promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person you meet a smile. John Wooden
I don’t really have a favorite player to guard. I guess somebody on the bench who doesn’t play. It’s easier to guard them. Kawhi Leonard
I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result. Michael Jordan
If they took the idea that they could escape poverty through education, I think it would make a more basic and long lasting change in the way things happen. What we need are positive, realistic goals and the willingness to work. Hard work and practical goals. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
I’ve never lost a game I just ran out of time. Michael Jordan
My most memorable moment came in 1985 as we beat the Boston Celtics. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
David Stern should get with the mothers of the NBA and let the moms decide what the dress code should be. I asked my mother if I could wear a chain, and she told me yeah. So I do stuff that my parents allow me to do. Shaquille O’Neal
Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today. LeBron James
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. Michael Jordan
Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
A lot of late nights in the gym, a lot of early mornings, especially when your friends are going out, you’re going to the gym, those are the sacrifices that you have to make if you want to be an NBA basketball player. Jason Kidd
Be the best version of yourself in anything you do. You don’t have to live anybody else’s story. Stephen Curry
