Top 25 Quotes from Basketball Greats
With March Madness upon us, it seems appropriate to take inspiration and wisdom from some of the most legendary basketball figures to ever step on the court. Below are my Top 25 Quotes from some of the greatest coaches and players in basketball history. No matter your level of love for the game of basketball, these nuggets of gold can provide lessons in life for everyone.
“Never give up. Failure and rejection are just the first steps to succeeding”
– Jim Valvano
"Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live
their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered”
– Bill Russell
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation,
because your character is what you really are, while your reputation
is merely what others think you are."
– John Wooden
“I have learned that peace is not the absence of trial, trouble, or torment
but the presence of calm in the midst of them”
– Don Meyer
“The greatest sin a coach can commit is to allow kids to slide by.
This goes for the classroom as well as the court”
– Hubie Brown
“Your decisions reveal your priorities”
– Jeff Van Gundy
“The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother”
– John Wooden
“It is foolish to expect a young man to follow your advice
and to ignore your example”
– Don Meyer
“Be a dreamer. If you don’t know how to dream, you’re dead”
– Jim Valvano
“The true warrior understands and seizes that moment
by giving an effort so intense and so intuitive
that it could only be called one from the heart”
– Pat Riley
“Every season is a journey. Every journey is a lifetime”
– Mike Krzyzewski
“We want men here, not just players. Players are a dime a dozen”
– Tom Izzo
“There are 86,400 seconds in a day.
It’s up to you to decide what to do with them”
– Jim Valvano
“The best teams play for each other, not with each other”
– Jeff Van Gundy
“If you want to thank me, go do something for somebody else”
– Don Meyer
“The more concerned we become over the things we can’t control,
the less we will do with the things we can control”
– John Wooden
“Failure does not come from losing, but from not trying”
– Larry Brown
“A person really doesn’t become whole, until he becomes
a part of something that’s bigger than himself”
– Jim Valvano
“Don’t confuse your path with your destination.
Just because its stormy now doesn't mean
you aren't headed for sunshine”
– Mike Krzyzewski
“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”
– Phil Jackson
“If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day.
That’s a heck of a day.
You do that seven days a week,
you’re going to have something special”
– Jim Valvano
"I've missed more than 9,000 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 all I'm remembered for is being a good basketball player,
then I've done a bad job with the rest of my life."
– Isiah Thomas
"The 'big time' is not a place; it's the state of your heart.
It's not something you get; it's something you become."
– Frosty Westering
"Talent is God given. Be humble.
Fame is man-given. Be grateful.
Conceit is self-given. Be careful."
– John Wooden
No doubt you have others. So what are some of your favorite quotes that have inspired you and provided valuable insight in your life? List them in the comments section below, so that we can all learn from them as well.
