Basketball Quotes - Page 62

I'm no innovator. If anything I'm a stealer, or borrower. I've stolen or borrowed from more people than you can shake a stick at.

We can't have two standards, one set for the dedicated young men who want to do something ambitious and one set for those who don't.

But there's one thing about quitters you have to guard against - they are contagious. If one boy goes, the chances are he'll take somebody with him, and you don't want that. So when they would start acting that way, I used to pack them up and get them out, or embarrass them, or do something to turn them around.

Diamonds are only lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs.

And it blew my mind when I started to get wind of the fact that they actually liked me being around. That was humbling, because Kentucky basketball is a big deal, and I am not the biggest fan - I am just the most notorious one.

Since I first started playing basketball, I have just loved it, and nothing has ever made me lose that love.

We blacks look for leadership in men and women of such youth and inexperience, as well as poverty of education and character, that it is no wonder that we sometimes seem rudderless.... We see basketball players and pop singers as possible role models, when nothing could be further, in most cases, from their capacities.

I just want to try to ignore the scrutiny and all the distractions and just play hard basketball and let the best come... Improving game by game and trying to improve my game is what I want to do.

When you get to that level, it's not a matter of talent anymore - because all the players are so talented - it's about preparation, about playing smart and making good decisions. If I don't believe it, then they don't need me on the court. I've just got to believe that in my heart.

I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.

I owe all of this to the guys I've played with and all the coaches that have helped me get to where I'm at right now. I'm honored to be here.

It's a profession in which, the longer you stay, the closer you are to being fired.

The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores.

I believe that good defense embodies seven cardinal principle: reduce the number of your opponent's shots; force your opponent into low percentage shots; control everything within 18 feet; eliminate second shots; no easy baskets; point the ball on all long shots; and prevent the ball from going into the pivot man.

No matter what...ball made my heart beat faster, made me want to jump up and down and be Superman. That's what life was about anyway, being Superman and living like life itself was important. Basketball made my life important.

[My] career was sputtering until [I] did a 360 and got headed in the right direction.

Realize that the hardest step in achieving anything is making a true commitment.

Talent is not enough. It's an important component in a successful performance, but it's really only a starting point.

You learn from everybody. You learn from the players. You learn from great coaches. You learn from great teams

Empower the people around you, from the janitor to the athletic director. You do that by being sincere, caring about others, and then putting it into practice.

We've been playing ugly. Without all of our bodies, we've been kicking it all over the shop, but fortunately we've been able to make the big buckets and rely on our defense for once.

What happened in the past is just that, the past. Champion or not.

It feels great to have my hard work pay off, especially when the fans made it hard for me.

I used to collect hockey cards. It was like Vegas at my school. You'd go to school with your box of cards, and at recess and lunchtime there were all these games we'd play.

Being a superstar means you've reached your potential, and I don't think I've reached my potential as a basketball player and as a leader yet.