NBA Quotes: 100 Inspiring Sayings from Basketball Legends
The NBA is more than just a game; it’s a culture filled with passion, dedication, and inspiring moments. From players to coaches, many have shared their insights and experiences through memorable quotes. This blog features 100 quotes that capture the spirit of basketball, teamwork, and perseverance.
Table of Contents
NBA Quotes 1-10
| Quote |
Author |
| “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” |
Michael Jordan |
| “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” |
Michael Jordan |
| “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” |
Wayne Gretzky |
| “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” |
Tim Notke |
| “The only way to prove you are a good sport is to lose.” |
Ernie Banks |
| “Basketball is like photography. If you don’t focus, all you have is the negative.” |
Dan Frisby |
| “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” |
Vince Lombardi |
| “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” |
Vince Lombardi |
| “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” |
Michael Jordan |
| “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” |
Vince Lombardi |
NBA Quotes 11-20
| Quote |
Author |
| “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” |
Billie Jean King |
| “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” |
Pele |
| “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110% all the time.” |
Don Zimmer |
| “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” |
Abraham Lincoln |
| “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get.” |
Michael Phelps |
| “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing.” |
Pelé |
| “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.” |
Theodore Roosevelt |
| “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” |
George S. Patton |
| “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” |
Zig Ziglar |
| “Winning takes precedence over all. There’s no gray area. No almosts.” |
Kobe Bryant |
NBA Quotes 21-30
| Quote |
Author |
| “A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.” |
Jack Dempsey |
| “If you’re not first, you’re last.” |
Ricky Bobby |
| “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” |
Vince Lombardi |
| “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” |
Will Rogers |
| “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” |
Eleanor Roosevelt |
| “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.” |
Charles Kingsleigh |
| “Every time I see a shot go in, I get a little more confident.” |
Kevin Durant |
| “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” |
David Brinkley |
| “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” |
Sam Levenson |
| “The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow.” |
Anonymous |
NBA Quotes 31-40
| Quote |
Author |
| “You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.” |
Lionel Messi |
| “To be the best, you must be able to handle the worst.” |
Wilson Kanadi |
| “If you want to succeed, you have to put in the work.” |
Allen Iverson |
| “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I’ve been successful.” |
Michael Jordan |
| “I never lost a game. I just ran out of time.” |
Michael Jordan |
| “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” |
Peter Drucker |
| “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” |
Gever Tulley |
| “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” |
Albert Schweitzer |
| “Dream big and dare to fail.” |
Norman Vaughan |
| “If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.” |
Ronnie Lott |
NBA Quotes 41-50
| Quote |
Author |
| “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” |
Mark Twain |
| “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get.” |
Michael Phelps |
| “Champions are made from something they have deep inside them.” |
Mahatma Gandhi |
| “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” |
Michael Jordan |
| “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” |
Winston S. Churchill |
| “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” |
Babe Ruth |
| “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” |
Mahatma Gandhi |
| “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” |
John C. Maxwell |
| “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” |
Jim Ryun |
| “Everything is practice.” |
Pele |
NBA Quotes 51-60
| Quote |
Author |
| “You can’t always be a winner, but you can always be a good loser.” |
Anonymous |
| “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” |
Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| “Set your goals high, and don’t stop until you get there.” |
Bo Jackson |
| “I find a lot of motivation in the things I want to achieve.” |
James Harden |
| “A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.” |
Bruce Lee |
| “Success is not in what you have, but who you are.” |
Bo Bennett |
| “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” |
Albert Einstein |
| “Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder, and give more than anyone else.” |
Vince Lombardi |
| “Don’t count the days; make the days count.” |
Muhammad Ali |
| “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” |
Albert Einstein |
NBA Quotes 61-70
| Quote |
Author |
| “Your limitation—it’s only your imagination.” |
Anonymous |
| “Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.” |
Anonymous |
| “Great things never come from comfort zones.” |
Anonymous |
| “Dream it. Wish it. Do it.” |
Anonymous |
| “Success doesn’t just find you. You have to go out and get it.” |
Anonymous |
| “The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.” |
Anonymous |
| “Dream bigger. Do bigger.” |
Anonymous |
| “Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’re done.” |
Anonymous |
| “Wake up with determination. Go to bed with satisfaction.” |
Anonymous |
| “The key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles.” |
Anonymous |
NBA Quotes 71-80
| Quote |
Author |
| “Sometimes we’re tested not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths.” |
Anonymous |
| “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” |
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” |
Henry David Thoreau |
| “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” |
Chris Grosser |
| “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” |
Roy T. Bennett |
| “The future depends on what you do today.” |
Mahatma Gandhi |
| “Hustle beats talent when talent doesn’t hustle.” |
Anonymous |
| “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” |
General George Patton |
| “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” |
Steve Jobs |
| “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” |
William James |
NBA Quotes 81-90
| Quote |
Author |
| “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” |
Japanese Proverb |
| “Success is not for the lazy.” |
Anonymous |
| “If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission.” |
Anonymous |
| “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” |
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” |
C.S. Lewis |
| “Success is not the absence of failure; it’s the persistence through failure.” |
Aisha Tyler |
| “Don’t wait for opportunity. Create it.” |
Anonymous |
| “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” |
George Addair |
| “Success is not just about what you accomplish in your life. It’s about what you inspire others to do.” |
Anonymous |
| “A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.” |
Billie Jean King |
NBA Quotes 91-100
| Quote |
Author |
| “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” |
John F. Kennedy |
| “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” |
Wayne Gretzky |
| “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” |
Robert Collier |
| “I’ve learned that mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success.” |
Jack Welch |
| “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.” |
Vince Lombardi |
| “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” |
Theodore Roosevelt |
| “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” |
Steve Jobs |
| “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” |
Winston S. Churchill |
| “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” |
Booker T. Washington |
| “Success is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” |
Nelson Mandela |
Conclusion
These 100 quotes capture the essence of the NBA and the values it represents: hard work, perseverance, and teamwork. Whether you’re a player, coach, or fan, these words can inspire you to push through challenges and strive for greatness. Share these quotes with friends or reflect on what they mean to you as you continue your journey in basketball and life.
