Inspirational Basketball Quotes to Motivate Players and Fans

1. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke

2. “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

3. “Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.” – Shaquille O’Neal

4. “You can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.” – Jerry West

5. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King

6. “The key is not the will to win… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” – Bobby Knight

7. “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden

8. “Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.” – Larry Bird

9. “I play to win, whether during practice or a real game.” – Michael Jordan

10. “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan

11. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky

12. “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” – Tim Duncan

13. “I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant.” – Kobe Bryant

14. “Everything negative, pressure, challenges, is all an opportunity for me to rise.” – Kobe Bryant

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

16. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson

17. “Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.” – John Wooden

18. “Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

19. “The best teams have chemistry. They communicate with each other and they sacrifice personal glory for the common goal.” – Dave DeBusschere

20. “You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

21. “Defense is what wins championships.” – Paul Pierce

22. “The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace.” – Michael Jordan

23. “Basketball is not just about the hoop; it’s about the hustle.” – Anonymous

24. “Work hard in silence, let your success make the noise.” – Frank Ocean

25. “I’ve always felt that the most important part of the game was practice.” – Bill Russell

26. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” – Michael Jordan

27. “Basketball doesn’t build character. It reveals it.” – Unknown

28. “Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” – Michael Jordan

29. “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan

30. “I want to be remembered as a player who didn’t waste a minute, who never took a play off.” – Allen Iverson

31. “There’s no ‘I’ in team, but there is in win.” – Michael Jordan

32. “The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.” – Ernie Banks

33. “Basketball isn’t just a sport, it’s an art, one that must be mastered.” – Steph Curry

34. “You can’t be afraid to fail. It’s the only way you succeed.” – LeBron James

35. “Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.” – Magic Johnson

36. “The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.” – Unknown

37. “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one said I worked hard every day.” – Larry Bird

38. “I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I love to play.” – Reggie Miller

39. “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything.” – John Wooden

40. “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” – LeBron James