Winning Basketball Quotes & Sayings

I dream of one day winning a college basketball scholarship — Aselin Debison

Don't worry about losing. Think about winning. — Mike Krzyzewski

When I step on that basketball court, I'm thinking about basketball, I'm thinking about winning - but there's so much that goes into thought about how I'm going to open this game up to others. It's so much more than just basketball. — Carmelo Anthony

I'm one year older, one year sexier - one more, baby. For me, it's all about the bigger picture. We want to win the whole thing. We've got to beat whoever is in our way. — Shaquille O'Neal

You can't measure success if you have never failed. My father has taught me that if you really do want to reach your goals, you can't spend any time worrying about whether you're going to win or lose. Focus only on getting better. — Steffi Graf

Coaches win practices, players win games — Pete Carril

Winning a postseason game is like winning five regular season games. There is just no feeling like it. Everything is magnified. Every free throw, turnover, shot and play. — Don Meyer

I believe you win games by what you do from your first practice until your first game — Jack Ramsay

In all my years one thing has never changed; You win with serious, tough-minded players. That never changes — Tom Thibodeau

Evaluate wins and losses objectively, focusing more on effort and execution than on the outcome of the game — Morgan Wootten

To go out there and play and have fun and hopefully win a championship. That's my goal. — Carmelo Anthony

The NBA is all about winning, but at this level (college basketball) winning doesn't make you happy. You can win, and play lousy, and in my program, feel lousy. To me it's about: How good can we be. — Geno Auriemma

When players are used to winning, they put out a little more. Basketball 3rd winningest coach (regular season and playoffs) in NBA history; won 1,037 times in 20 years; — Red Auerbach

If you play good attack, you win the game, but, if you play good defence you win championships — Zeljko Obradovic

I was always making decisions and they were easier decisions because I had control of the game, I had control of the ball. As a coach you sort of put the ball in other player's hands and let them make decisions for you. But I still get a kick out of winning basketball games and that's what I'm in this for. — Larry Bird

Do you want to choose winning over standing out? It's a choice every player on every championship team has to do — Doc Rivers

It seemed like we were losing every night for a different reason. Now we're winning a different way every time. It's a great feeling. — Blake Griffin

We win because we play together as a team. — John Havlicek

This is a team game and one man doesn't win and one man doesn't lose. In the end, the best team usually wins. — Wilt Chamberlain

Winning teams at the NBA level, the college level, and the high school level all play team basketball. Championship teams have five players on the same page at all times. — Hubie Brown

We're still getting better as a team. We're still learning how to play basketball as a team and how to win tough games. — Carmelo Anthony

That dude scored 8 points in the last 19 seconds, pulled out a miracle win at the Garden. He made me choke on a chicken bone that day. I'm serious. — Shaquille O'Neal

My motto is very simple. Win a Ring for the King. — Shaquille O'Neal

Some clubs want to win so much they'll do anything to get it. Our approach has been just the opposite. We've tried to do things the right way. And the right way is [abiding by] the rules and regulations ... I may not like all of them, but once they are [official], we play by them. — Don Shula

I was definitely out of control, but I loved the game of basketball and I played to win and I didn't understand anything less than that. That's why I have a hard time with the young men who can't play because they went to the dentist this afternoon. — Mel Daniels

I understand the NBA and the role I play on my team. I know that I have to play a leadership role and do whatever I have to do to win. — Carmelo Anthony

The ideal way to win a championship is step by step. — Phil Jackson

When I was young, I was sold on winning. I was always serious on the court. As I got older, I realized that it was just a basketball game. Just go out there and have fun. — Carmelo Anthony

Win or lose, I am programmed to do more. That's because I am the other son of Jorel - Superman. — Shaquille O'Neal

Winning is more related to good defense than good offense — Jack Ramsay

Basketball doesn't care what color your skin is. It doesn't care what language you speak or what religion you practice. It doesn't care if you're big or small, fast or slow. It just asks you to play, to complete, to lose with dignity, to win humility. — Jim Calhoun

Can't win without talent, you know. — Al McGuire

So, yeah, I'm going to try to win the national championship next year. But I'm not going to kill myself doing it. I'm not going to kill my players either. You really start to realize there's a lot more to what we're trying to do then winning games — Geno Auriemma

You have to make shots to win basketball games and we didn't do that. You also have to get back on defense, so it was a double-whammy. — Gregg Popovich

Bill Russell is one of the great names in basketball, an all-American ... and the only athlete to ever win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic Gold Medal, and a professional championship all in the same year-1956 ... But Bill Russell had this one problem: He threw up before every game. — John Eliot

Winning is like deodorant - it comes up and a lot of things don't stink. — Doc Rivers

Everyone wants to win, but not everyone is willing to prepare to win. — Bobby Knight

To win the big games you must get to the Free Throw line, and then you must make them. — Rick Majerus

Eddie Robinson is about one word: winning and losing. — Paul Collier

You aren't going to win championships unless you make layups and free throws. — Don Meyer

Aint nobody here think we could get no win but us — Kenyon Martin

I've learned what it feels like to lose, believe me. But I think, in the end, that is just going to make winning that much better. — Kevin Durant

Rebounding wins championships, you need to emphasize it and work with kids on it. — Pat Summitt

Our titles would not have been possible without the unselfishness displayed by all our teams, the team wins, not the individuals — John Wooden

There are some concrete ways to create a winning attitude. But nothing beats practicing it. When you prepare to win, belief comes easily. — Pat Summitt

There's no reason to play in the NBA if you don't believe you can win it all. — LeBron James

The only thing on my mind right now is trying to win the whole thing. — LeBron James

Winning squads emphasize fundamentals-pick and rolls,teamwork,and defense. They play with passion and they play hard. They move the ball, and when their players don't have it, they move well without the ball. They play with sagacity by exploiting mismatches. They gauge their opponents weaknesses and then attack them relentlessly. — Walt Frazier

If my primary purpose here at Indiana is to go out and win ballgames, I can probably do that as well as anybody can. I would just cheat, get some money from a lot of people around Indianapolis who want to run the operation that way, and just go out and get the best basketball players I can. Then we'd beat everybody. — Bobby Knight

The day I stopped worrying about stats is the day I started winning — Shaquille O'Neal

I probably would have no capability of absorbing a 60-defeat season as a coach. It would be a foreign experience. My whole career, even as a player, has been on winning basketball clubs and it just seems to have been a part of the make-up of what's been given me. That's what I've been given and that's what I've had to deal with. Some people can make fun of it or some people can have a good time with it, or some people can resent it. It's just what it is. — Phil Jackson

I probably should've listened to Michael a year ago when he said that Charles will never win a championship because he doesn't show any dedication. — Scottie Pippen

A lot of people talk about the Fab Five, and they were wonderful, one of the best teams you'll ever see in college basketball. But the '89 team is the best one to ever play at Michigan in my opinion because they won the national championship. Winning a championship is winning a championship. — Trey Burke

In life, winning and losing will both happen. What is never acceptable is quitting. — Magic Johnson

Your best player has to set a tone of intolerance for anything that gets in the way of winning — Jeff Van Gundy

Hornergy' is Zen's term for the indomitable athletic edge powered by sexual restraint. The basketball, baseball and football teams haven't had a winning season in years. The table-tennis team, however, is undefeated. — Megan McCafferty

Winning takes character. Workers get the most out of themselves. When a body has limited talent, it must muster all its resources of character to overcome adversity. — Pete Carril

You can make all the excuses you want, but if you're not mentally tough and you're not prepared to play every night, you're not going to win. — Larry Bird

Who could better motivate Bill Russell than Bill Russell? — Red Auerbach

I don't let individual statistics make me a focus or more of a focus. I just tried to come out and attack early and get a big lead. We were able to take it in overtime and win. — LeBron James

I've given these guys the blueprint on how to win a premiership, now I just have to be patient until they're ready. — LeBron James

Magic is crazy. He is that crazy wild guy on the basketball court that is very intense and very serious. He is the guy who lives and eats and breathes basketball. Magic is a guy who would stand for nothing but winning and really prepared himself as well as he prepared his team. Earvin is the complete opposite. — Magic Johnson

Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, rebounding wins championships. — Pat Summitt

Winning coaches look for opportunities to praise. Anything that reflects a commitment to the team is praiseworthy — Bill Parcells

When I'm losing, they call me nuts. When I'm winning, they call me eccentric. — Al McGuire

They said you have to use your five best players but I found you win with the five who fit together the best. — Red Auerbach

What do you do to help us win when you're not scoring baskets? — John Calipari

You can't win without the ball. — Red Auerbach

Basketball is a pretty simple game. What wins is consistency and competitiveness. — Gregg Popovich

Why would I want to help them (the T -Wolves) win a title? They're not doing anything for me. I'm at risk. I have a lot of risk here. I got my family to feed. — Latrell Sprewell

I don't just try to score. The challenge is elevating my teammates to be able to win a championship. — Kobe Bryant

The more you lose, the more positive you have to become. When you're winning, you can ride players harder because their self-esteem is high. If you are losing and you try to be tough, you're asking for dissension. — Rick Pitino

If I don't get five [titles], I won't be happy with myself as a basketball player. I don't know how you guys will feel about me. — Shaquille O'Neal

Winning is the best deodorant. — Jason Kidd

Anyone can win a slam-dunk contest. The real Superman is dead. He was assassinated by Pat Riley. I'm the Big Cactus now and ready to roll again. — Shaquille O'Neal

We want to win it all. The only reason we play this game is to win championships. — LeBron James

The only thing even in this world is the number of hours in a day. The difference in winning or losing is what you do with those hours. — Woody Hayes

Freshman want to play. Sophomores want to start. Juniors want to score. Seniors want to win — John Beilein

Generally speaking, individual performances don't win basketball games — John Wooden

If they want to win right now, I'm all for it. That's all I said the whole time. If you want to wait five years, let me know. My legs aren't as young as they used to be. — Kobe Bryant

Winning is only important in war and surgery. — Al McGuire

I just like to win basketball games. That's what motivates me. — Chamique Holdsclaw

I would tell players to relax and never think about what's at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you've lost your focus. — Michael Jordan

I expect us to win. I expect us to get better every day. — LeBron James

You have to earn your right to win the game with effort and togetherness — Brad Stevens

If we win, I'm happy. The rest of it is just stuff. — Tim Duncan

Remember that tomorrow when you are trying to get somebody to do something. If, for example, you don't want your children to smoke, don't preach at them, and don't talk about what you want; but show them that cigarettes may keep them from making the basketball team or winning the hundred-yard dash. — Dale Carnegie

It feels good to come here and be a winning program. — Kevin Durant

I've been in Philadelphia 10 years, man. I knew it was going to be a challenge, mentally. I always thought life would come to an end if I ever left Philadelphia. And I feel like a newborn. Being in Denver it's just a better situation for me. And I'm just happy that I feel like I got an opportunity where I can win basketball games here. — Allen Iverson

Bottom line, you're either a risk taker, or your not, and if you don't take risks, you'll never win big. — Geno Auriemma

In all the research you do as a coach, studying other coaches and championship-type situations, you find that all those teams combined talent with great defense. You've got to stop other teams to win. — Pat Riley

Winning is the first priority. Individual development is important, but if each guy gets better, the team gets better — Lawrence Frank

Sometimes you learn more from losing than winning. Losing forces you to reexamine. — Pat Summitt

For me, it always goes back to something I learned in basketball. There's winning and there's losing, and in life you have to know they both will happen. But what's never been acceptable to me is quitting. — Magic Johnson

It was a weird game. There was ugly shooting and a lot of turnovers and mistakes, and we were just fortunate to get the win. I should have done better, but it was just a very ugly and weird game ... I knew the game was going to be an ugly game when I saw those three guys at the scorer's table. Ugly people call ugly games. — Shaquille O'Neal

It's always nice to start the season with a win. — Yao Ming

We win or the alumni bash in our teeth. (On the dental plan at NC State) — Jim Valvano

My goal is to win the next game one possession at a time. That's it. I don't have any other goals — Brad Stevens

If the only reason I coached was to win basketball games, my life would be pretty shallow — Mike Krzyzewski

If it wasn't for the determination and the will power we have in each other, we wouldn't have pulled through and got this win. Much respect to Spain, but the U.S. is back on top again. — LeBron James