Quotes on Basketball

The true athlete should have character, not be a character

I do not judge success based on championships; rather, I judge it on how close we came to realizing our potential

We believe in people executing their role and caring about the team more than anything individually

'Play the right way' means play unselfishly, respect each other's achievements, play hard, fulfill your role

I believe you win games by what you do from your first practice until your first game

Basketball, like all sports, is predicated on the execution of fundamentals. The coach is a teacher. His subject: fundamentals

I hate casual shooting. Every shot is preceded by working to get open and catch and shoot under game like conditions

Remember that basketball is a game of habits. If you make the other guy deviate from his habits, you've got him

I thrive on challenges, and there is no more imposing challenge for someone in my profession than winning an NBA title.

Basketball is a great mystery. You can do everything right. You can have the perfect mix of talent and the best system of offense in the game. You can devise a foolproof defensive strategy and prepare your players for every possible eventuality. But if the players don’t have a sense of oneness as a group, your efforts won’t pay off. And the bond that unites a team can be so fragile, so elusive.

If you're struggling with your shooting, then do other things on the basketball court. Get steals, get assists, get rebounds-do anything on the court to help the team win.

I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.

We blacks look for leadership in men and women of such youth and inexperience, as well as poverty of education and character, that it is no wonder that we sometimes seem rudderless.... We see basketball players and pop singers as possible role models, when nothing could be further, in most cases, from their capacities.

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

In basketball - as in life - true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.

An acrobatic dunk will make it onto Sports Center. A simple, unspectacular bounce pass in the rhythm of the offense will not. System basketball has been replaced by players who want to be the system.

You have to teach now - tell a kid how to box out, tell him how to pass, teach him footwork. Players don't understand that anymore.

I think that everyone should be able to dribble. Everyone should be able to pass. Otherwise, why are you out there?

So what if you fail? At least you'll know what not to do when you try again.

The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment.

We should do three things every day of our life. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is to think, we should spend some time in thought. And, number three is you should have your emotions moved to tears.