Top 10 Quotes from NBA Stars

Looking for some inspiration from your favorite NBA stars? Check out our top 10 quotes from some of the best players in the league!

Michael Jordan

“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.”

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”

“The key to success is failure.”

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s why I’ve been successful.”

“I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.”

“If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. 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.”

“Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something, not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.”

“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”

“I’m competitive by nature. To play consistently at the highest level necessary to be successful in the NBA for as long as I did requires mental strength and competitiveness on another level entirely.”

“The Mental Toughness that’s required to consistently be successful night in and night out for 82 games plus playoffs- when your back is against the wall and everything is against you- requires a different kind of strength mentally than any other sport that I know of.”

Kobe Bryant

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. That’s why I succeed.”

“The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.”

“I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand them and they don’t understand me.”

“My brain is the key that unlocks my game.”

“There’s no gray area. You’re either green or you’re not.”

“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 ”

“When you’re shooting poorly, sometimes the key is just to keep shooting even if you miss ten times in a row. Eventually, they’ll go in.”

“I want to be remembered as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, but also as one of the best role models off the court.”

“If you see me walking down the street and you know I’m headed for an appointment with my therapists, please, feel free to run up and give me a hug.”

LeBron James

“I’m very blessed to be in this position. I know how much hard work I put into it.”

“I go out and try to be the best player I can be every night, put my team in a position to win. That’s what it’s all about.”

“You have to be able to accept failure to get better.”

“I know I’m not going to play this game forever, so every day I have an opportunity to play, I just try to take full advantage of it.”

“My motivations come from wanting to prove people wrong. People said I wouldn’t make it in college, people said I wouldn’t make it as a pro.”

“I’m doing all this for Lebron James That’s who Lebron James is playing for.”

” actions speak louder than words. ”
-LeBron James

Magic Johnson

“All kids, no matter what color they are, no matter what their race is, can achieve anything they want in this country if they’re given the appropriate education and they have high aspirations.”

-Magic Johnson

Larry Bird

“I think what separates the good players from the Great players is that great players just have a willingness to do whatever it takes to win.”

“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”

“You don’t play for the crowd; you play for yourself and your teammates.”

“If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else is going to believe in you either.”

“I’m not in this business to be popular. I’m in this business to make money ”

“The beauty of sports is that anybody can get beat on any given night.”

“There is no substitute for work.”

Bill Russell

“I never dreamed about being a basketball player I worked at it.”

“You have to give 100% all the time. Given anything less, you’ll only get 70-80% out of what you have to give.”

“I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.”

“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”

“The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.”

“Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”

Wilt Chamberlain

“I’m just glad it’s all over. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be glad to retire, but I’m pleased it’s happened. Now maybe people will start to think of me as a human being instead of a basketball machine.” -Wilt Chamberlain

“I’m not saying that I was better than anyone else, but I was the best at what I did at my height and weight. There has never been anyone like me, and there never will be.” -Wilt Chamberlain

“I’ve had some great nights in my time, but winning an NBA Championship is by far the sweetest.” -Wilt Chamberlain

“Nobody roots for Goliath.” -Wilt Chamberlain

“I don’t believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models. Parents should teach their kids good values about life.” -Wilt Chamberlain

Kareem Abdul Jabbar

“I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I knock ‘em out cold.”

“I think that what separates the good players from the great ones is that great ones elevate their teams.”

“I still have a lot of meat on my bones.”

“No matter what anybody says about me, I know who I am and I’m proud of it.”

“There is no substitute for hard work ”

Shaquille O’Neal

1. “I’m not like other people. My size, my speed, my quickness, my power – it all comes natural to me. Thats just how God made me.”
2. “My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you I the best place for the next moment.”
3. “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I have succeeded.”
4. “I’m motivated by fear. Fear of failure.”
5. “The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.”
6. “If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.”
7. “I’ve learned that something constructive comes from every defeat.”
8. “Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again.”
9. “I really believe that the only thing that keeps us from achieving our greatest heights is our own personal limitations we set for ourselves.”
10. “The only way to prove that you are a good sport is to lose gracefully.”

Tim Duncan

“I think home is where you establish yourself as a player and where your legacy kind of lives,” – Tim Duncan

“I wanted to go someplace where I would have a chance to win, a chance to compete for a championship every year,” – Tim Duncan

“The biggest thing is just having the will to win, wanting to win so bad that everybody on your team sees that look in your eye and they understand that no matter what it takes we’re going to win this game,” – Tim Duncan

“Winning has been the most important thing to me, and it will always be the most important thing,” – Tim Duncan

“‘Crazy’ is when people start acting differently around you. ‘Crazy’ is when they put expectations on you because of the way you play or how well you play or because of what people write about you. That’s crazy.” – Tim Duncan

“I’m not really worried about setting records or anything like that. I’m more concerned with winning games and championships,” – Tim Duncan

“As long as I continue to work hard and stay level-headed, good things will happen for me,” – Tim Duncan