The Best Basketball Quotes for Inspiring Your Young Players

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Basketball is a sport that requires a lot of teamwork and communication. It’s also one of the most popular sports for kids. For your young players to succeed, they need inspiration and motivation.

The right quotes can do just that! They help kids understand what it takes to be great at the game while giving them something to think about when they struggle.

But what are the best basketball quotes to use? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best quotes from players and coaches. These quotes will help you inspire your young players to keep working hard.

Best Basketball Quotes

We’ll now look at some of our best basketball quotes. For each quote, we’ll explain what it means and how you can use it in your practice setting.

Quote 1

“What do you do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.” — Dean Smith.

Meaning

This quote is a great way to remind players that they shouldn’t dwell on their mistakes. Instead, they should learn from them and move on. You can use this quote in practice when you see players getting frustrated or dwelling too much on what happened during the game instead of focusing on the next play.

Quote 2

“Nothing is given. Everything is earned.” — LeBron James.

Meaning

This quote is perfect for players still learning to work hard and earn everything they get. You can use it when you see a player making excuses or acting entitled to something. It’s also a glorious reminder that everyone on the team has to earn their spot to play.

Quote 3

“There’s a great quote by Julius Irving that went, ‘Being a professional is doing the things you love to do on the days you don’t feel like doing them.’” — David Halberstam

Meaning

This statement is perfect for players having a bad day or not feeling like practicing. It shows that even the best athletes have their off days but still do what needs to be done. Use it as a reminder to practice hard even when you don’t feel like it.

Quote 4

“I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there, but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.” — Allen Iverson.

Meaning

This quote is perfect for players thinking about quitting basketball or struggling with the decision. It shows that even though you’ve given everything to something, it’s okay to move on when it no longer brings you joy. Use this quote as a reminder that if your passion fades, it might be time to move on from what you were doing.

Quote 5

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

Meaning

This quote is perfect for players who are looking to improve their game. It shows that it doesn’t matter if you have a natural talent; if you want to be great at something, work hard and do the same things repeatedly. Use this quote as a reminder that anything worth having requires hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.

Quote 6

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

Meaning

This quote is perfect for players who want to make their dreams a reality. It shows that if you want something badly enough, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. Use this quote as a reminder that nothing worth having comes easily, but anything is possible with hard work and dedication.

Quote 7

“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.” — Larry Bird.

Meaning

Larry Bird was not just another basketball player. He was a winner and knew how to use his skills to accomplish his goals. This quote is perfect for players who want to be the best at their work. It shows that if you work hard enough, there is no limit to what you can achieve. Use this quote as a reminder that you may be successful, and if you put in the work, there is nothing that can stand in your way.

Quote 8

“No matter how hard you work at your craft and no matter how successful you become, people just have to find something negative to hang on you. […] The bar is always being raised as you go. The rules are always being rewritten. There’s an aggravation that comes with that, but that’s part of what makes triumph so sweet.” — Charles Barkley.

Meaning

This quote is an excellent reminder that no matter how successful you are, there will always be people who try to bring you down. You can’t let them get you down, though—you have to keep pushing forward and working hard so that the only thing people can say about you is, “he’s a good person, and he works hard.”

Quote 9

“Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” — Kevin Durant.

Meaning

You can’t just sit back and expect results. If you want to be successful, work hard at it. Talent is only worth something if it’s used correctly. If someone has talent but doesn’t use it, they will get nowhere—no matter their skill.

Quote 10

“I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” — Michael Jordan.

Meaning

Basketball can be a challenging sport. So many things can go wrong and ruin your chances of winning a game. But if you don’t even try, then there’s nothing you can do to improve yourself or the team. You have to accept failure to move on from it and continue working towards success.

Quote 11

“Recognize and reward players who put the team first, not just the gifted ones.” — Don Meyer.

Meaning

You can’t just focus on the gifted players. There are a lot of other things that go into making an athlete great, like teamwork and dedication. If you only recognize people who are good at basketball, what about those who work hard? This quote means you should always look for ways to improve your team and yourself. Recognize the effort all players put in, no matter how big or small their role is.

Quote 12

“Good players want to be coached… Great players want to be told the truth.” — Doc Rivers.

Meaning

This quote means that when you are coaching a team, you should not be afraid to tell them the truth. No matter how much they may not want to hear what you say, they need to hear it if it is terrible news. They should know what needs improvement now rather than later down the road when mistakes could cost them games or even their season.

Conclusion:

The right quote can be an excellent basketball present for motivating your younger players to keep practicing and playing. It can help them understand the importance of teamwork and how it relates to life outside of basketball. The best quotes are those that are not just inspirational but also short enough for players to remember them easily.