I was always the kid dribbling the ball on the sidelines, hoping someone would pick me. I'd go with my older brother to the gym or park, and when I went out there, I'd pass the ball so I could get picked again.
John StocktonRead
You don't get this opportunity many times in life to compete against the best in the world every night. I certainly didn't expect to have 10 or 11 years of chances at it, so I don't want to take that for granted.
Interpretation
Seize rare opportunities to compete at the highest level and appreciate them.
This quote emphasizes the rarity of significant opportunities in life, particularly in competitive environments. John Stockton expresses gratitude for having the chance to face top competitors consistently, signifying the importance of not taking such opportunities for granted and valuing the experiences that come with them.
In practice
A coach could use this quote before a crucial game to motivate the team.
I was always the kid dribbling the ball on the sidelines, hoping someone would pick me. I'd go with my older brother to the gym or park, and when I went out there, I'd pass the ball so I could get picked again.
You can't afford to hop around and act like a kid when you have to get back on defense and worry about the other parts of the game. But at the end, when the buzzer sounds, you have the luxury of hopping around and looking foolish for a while.
Why was I able to be able to pass? What did I do right that allowed me to make a pass - any given pass? There's balance; there's vision.
I never thought I'd make it in the NBA, so everything else is gravy.
I don't think about the record, because winning games has to be our focus, and if we lost focus thinking about that record, I would really regret it. How will I feel later on? People tell me it will mean a lot after I retire, for the kids and me. But to me, it's just a stat. It's something people enjoy talking about. Me? I just enjoy playing.
People ask how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes? Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams.
Arsene Wenger asked me to have a trial with Arsenal when I was 17. I turned it down. Zlatan doesn't do auditions
If you can shrug off a loss, you can't be a winner.
Yes - en I's rich now, come to look at it. I owns myself, en I's wuth eight hund'd dollars. I wisht I had de money, I wouldn' want no mo'.
Successful men and women become successful because they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success. Get the success habit in the small circumstances you control, and soon you'll be controlling the bigger ones.
I don't think anybody can claim success at any part of our lives, private or professional, if there are others that don't enjoy the same opportunities.
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