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There is no shortage of sports quotes out there.
By their very nature, sports speeches are designed to motivate and rouse spirits.
The following quotes are all taken from the mouths of some of the greatest people to play basketball.
via nba.com
They are designed to motivate and inspire.
Looking for gab from the gridiron?
Check out ourTop Football Quotes
Why Do We Find Quotes So Motivating?
It doesnt matter if you are a die-hard basketball fan to read and take some benefit from these quotes.
So, brace yourself for the biggest dose of inspiration around with these motivational basketball quotes.
Motivational Basketball Quotes from Michael Jordan
A basketball player who needs no introduction.
If intelligence wins championships, then Michael Jordan must be a sporting genius.
Throughout his career, Michael Jordan was known for his hard work and dedication.
He is number five on the all-time points leaderboard.
You get there through hard work.
Yet, amazingly, many of Michal Jordans quotes are not about triumph or accolades.
Instead, he focuses on the power of trying and pushing yourself.
He embraces failure as part of success.
Winning isnt always championships.
2.Ive missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
Ive lost almost 300 games.
26 times, Ive been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed.
Ive failed over and over and over again in my life.
And that is why I succeed.
3.I can accept failure; everyone fails at something.
But I cant accept not trying.
4.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.
5.Obstacles dont have to stop you.
If you run into a wall, dont turn around and give up.
Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
8.Some people want it to happen; some wish it would happen; others make it happen.
This usually motivates me to work again.
Get the fundamentals down, and the level of everything you do will rise.
Kobes untimely death, aged just 41 in 2020, shook the world.
He was a man who had so much to offer and was estimated to do many more great things.
He also stands second on the list for most points scored in a single NBA game.
We all have self-doubt.
You dont deny it, but you also dont capitulate to it.
The following motivational basketball quotes showcase Kobes commitment and work ethic.
13.A lot of leaders fail because they dont have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord.
14.Pain doesnt tell you when you ought to stop.
15.If you want to be great at something, theres a choice you have to make.
What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that.
16.Its the one thing you’re free to control.
You are responsible for how people remember youor dont.
So dont take it lightly.
18.Everything negative pressure, challenges is all an opportunity for me to rise.
19.Im reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward.
I reflect with a purpose.
it cannot process failure.
It will not process failure.
Because if I sit there and have to face myself and tell myself, Youre a failure.
I think thats almost worse than death.
Inspirational Basketball Quotes from John Wooden
Lets make the jump from players to coaches.
If anybody on a team needs to have a motivational quote repository, then it is the coach.
John Wooden might never have coached in the NBA, but his college record speaks for itself.
23.When the legs go, the heart soon follows.
27.Dont measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
28.Seek opportunities to show you care.
The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference.
29.If youre not making mistakes, then youre not doing anything.
Im positive that a doer makes mistakes.
As many of these quotes will attest, it is not about winning but having awinners mindset.
It is about giving your best every single time.
Mike Krzyzewski talks a lot about team successes, as you would expect any good coach to do.
His quotes are a reminder of life and all the different people we encounter on the way.
Effort is fully replenishable.
There is no need to save any of it.
Leave every bit you have on the playing field
Check out these basketball quotes from the Mike Krzyzewski playbook.
32.Everyone wants to be on a team.
They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.
They want to be in a situation where they feel that they are doing something for the greater good.
34.Everybody wants to take responsibility when you win, but when you fail, all these fingers are pointing.
35.If what you have did yesterday still looks big to you… You havent done much today.
36.Dont confuse your path with your destination.
Just because its stormy now doesnt mean you arent headed for sunshine.
37.Goals should be realistic, attainable, and shared among all members of the team.
39.Believe that the loose ball that you are chasing has your name written on it.
You give respect to somebody.
Firstly the Micheal Jordan led Chicago Bulls and then the Kobe Bryant-inspired LA Lakers.
Its also not a shock to have already seen two of his star players be equallywell armedwith inspiring words.
42.You cant force your will on people.
45.Maturity begins to grow when you might sense your concern for others outweighing your concern for yourself.
This is strengthening your mind.
48.Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable.
It has its way with you, no matter how hard you make a run at control it.
The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart.
When you do that, the game and life will take care of itself.
50.The strength of the team is each individual member.
The strength of each member is the team.
Playing a defensive position with such conviction takes a solid mindset and a robust constitution.
Its no wonder, therefore, that Bill Russell makes the list with his own inspiring basketball quotes.
The NBA doesnt name their playoff finals MVP trophy after just anybody.
52.Success is a result of consistent practice of winning skills and actions.
There is nothing miraculous about the process.
There is no luck involved.
But the second part of the equation is what are you going to do about it.
A lot of times, Im completely wrong, but all you do is back up and start over.
55.Ive been fortunate to meet and work with a lot of really smart people.
The thing that strikes me most about them is how they continue to explore and learn every day.
I have tried to apply that approach in my modest career as well.
Just touch us anything more than that would be too much for us to bear.
58.What distinguishes a great player is his presence.
When he goes on to the court, his presence dominates the atmosphere.
59.Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.
60.You got to have the killer instinct.
If you do not have it, forget about basketball and go into social psychology or something.
If you sometimes wonder if youve got it, you aint got it.
No pussycats, yo.
His legacy reads for itself.
He is one of only eight players to have their shirts retired by the Harlem Globetrotters.
Related Reading:Best Motivational Baseball Quotes
61.
Everything is habit-forming, so see to it what you do is what you want to be doing.
Enjoy these rousing basketball quotes from one of the very best men to ever take to the court.
62.It is said that good things come to those who wait.
I believe that good things come to those who work.
63.We make too much of winning.
The mere fact of winning doesnt make you great.
64.When you go out there and do the things youre supposed to do, people view you as selfish.
65.This is a team game, and one man doesnt win, and one man doesnt lose.
In the end, the best team usually wins.
67.I couldnt have come close without my teammates help because the Knicks didnt want me to make 100.
69.Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath.
Both as a player, a coach, and an executive he has risen to the occasion.
He understands that sometimes it’s crucial that you sacrifice personal glory for the good of the team.
He would play hard and play unselfish basketball to win games.
During his career, Larry Bird won three NBA titles and three consecutive MVP awards between 1984 and 1986.
73.I dont know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough.
I still wonder if somebody somewhere was practicing more than me.
74.Leadership is getting players to believe in you.
Players will see right through a phony.
And they can tell when youre not giving it all youve got.
75.When I was a player, I didnt expect my teammates to play the way I did.
I did expect them to work hard every day and get better.
And I never learned anything by losing.
76.Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved.
Its about being able to take it as well as dish it out.
Thats the only way youre going to get respect from other players.
78.Im a firm believer in that you play the way you practice.
80.I dont think that once you get to one level, it’s possible for you to relax.
Youve got to keep pushing.
Many of them have given inspiring speeches when the moment called for it.
If you dont feel you have something to prove every day, youll never improve.
83.Hard work is not punishment.
Hard work is the price of admission for the opportunity to reach sustained excellence.
If you cannot, then there is more work to be done.
Conquering Self-Doubt Can be a Players Greatest Challenge
That was it.
Quite the list of inspirational basketball quotes.
Each one is unique, yet at the same time conveys a near singular ideal.
Any players greatest challenge is to find and keep their focus.
Quotes have the uncanny ability to help us find our center and play better basketball.
Successful teams have the ability to go that extra mile when it counts.
Looking for something different?
They represent the fuel for our own personal achievement.
