25 Quotes from Top Coaches & Players

Motivation for your next opponent

If you are a true competitor, chances are you won’t need bulletin board material to get ready for your next opponent. Here are some bits of wisdom that will get any competitor fired up anyway.

“It’s not up to anyone else to make me give my best” — Hakeem Olajuwon

“If what you did yesterday still looks big to you… You haven’t done much today” — Mike Krzyzewski

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

“There is a lot of basketball beyond our control, but a player should never let anyone try harder than he does” — Dean Smith

“It’s not just about working hard, it’s about working together. You have to care more about the team than you do about yourself” — John Calipari

“I don’t do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results” — Michael Jordan

“Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory” — Bill Russell

“If you are afraid of failure you don’t deserve to be successful” — Charles Barkley

“You’ve got to stay ready, especially around here. That’s what we preach, you’ll get your opportunity whether it comes at the beginning or in the middle or in the end whenever it may be. When your time comes, you need to be ready to go because you’re going to earn your minutes” — Tim Duncan

“There is no substitution for hustle, and if you don’t hustle there will be substitution” — Tex Winter

“Hard work is not punishment. Hard work is the price of admission for the opportunity to reach sustained excellence” — Jay Bilas

“You always have to be on edge. You always have to take every practice, every game, like it is your last” — Kobe Bryant

“Every time you compete, try harder to improve on your last performance. Give nothing short of your very best effort” — Elgin Baylor

“When your teammate looks you in the eye and holds you accountable, that’s the greatest kind of leadership there is” — Doug Collins

“Don’t let winning make you soft. Don’t let losing make you quit. Don’t let your teammates down in any situation” — Larry Bird

“Everybody on a championship team doesn’t get publicity, but everyone can say they are a champion” — Magic Johnson

“The true warrior understands and seizes that moment by giving an effort so intense and so intuitive that it could only be called one from the heart” — Pat Riley

“The day I stopped worrying about stats is the day I started winning” — Shaquille O’Neal

“Don’t let talent get in way of team performance. Great players do what’s outstanding for team, not what makes them stand out” — Jerry West

“Discipline is the greatest form of love you can show someone. Great players crave discipline” — Tom Izzo

“Championship teams are built on being prepared, playing unselfishly and being held accountable” — Jason Kidd

“Leadership is difficult. It is a lonely responsibility. The best leaders are servants. It is always about others” — Dale Brown

“If you are honest with yourself and can look into a mirror and believe that you have given 100 percent, you should feel proud. If you cannot, then there is more work to be done” — John Havlicek

“I’m still waiting for perfection. In the meantime, I’ll settle for persistence” — Bo Ryan

“If you don’t feel you have something to prove every day, you’ll never improve” — Billy Donovan

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