#basketball

“I didn't see organizations playing with the flu in Utah.”

“Let me ask if you had a headache and”

“I set another goal … a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I approached everything step by step. How to be like Mike”

“Enjoy every minute of life. Never second”

“There will be a player greater than me. Michael Jordan to the Max”

“I'm retired 99.9%. Of course, there always is that .1%. Statement of 1999”

“I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game”

“I'm back for the second time. Announcing his return to the Bulls ( 1995”

“I've reached the pinnacle of my career. I just feel that I don't have anything else to prove. When I lose the sense of motivation and the sense of 'to prove something' as a basketball player, it's time for me to move away from the game of basketball. Announcing his retirement from the Bulls ( 1993”

“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying [no hard work]. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. (p. 20, 24) Jordan, Michael. I Can't Accept Not Trying : Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence . San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994. p. 129”

“I love the game. The game gives me so much joy.”

“Never underestimate the heart of a championship team.”

“Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character.”

“I don't care what people say about me. I just want to win.”

“The most important thing is to be happy with who you are.”

“Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.”

“When the game is on the line, I want the ball.”

“All I can do is be me — whoever that is.”

“Everyone thought I was going to die like a year later, they didn't know. So I helped educate sports, and then the world, that a man living with HIV can play basketball. He's not going to give it to anybody by playing basketball. Then & Now: Magic Johnson”

“Well, only gay people can get it; it's not going to happen to me”

“James predicting a dynasty for the Heat and alluding to multiple NBA championships .”

“Not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven. On Stage Interview with Wade, Bosh and James”

“James announcing his decision to leave the hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heats.”

“The King of South Beach: LeBron James will Sign with Miami Heat”

“James answering why he refuses to shake hand with Dwight Howard.”

“A Handshake Is Not Too Much to Ask, Even From a King”

“James before Game 3 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic.”

“Brown looking for alternatives to slow down Magic offense”

“James after seeing a pickup game Gage Shafer was playing in.”

“A LeBron James Team Is Never Desperate”

“He's an unbelievable player. He's God's gift, something that's going to flash before our eyes and I don't think it's ever going to happen again. The only person I can think about he's catching up with is Michael Jordan. Rashard Lewis , as quoted in seattlepi.nwsource”

“I've been quoted in the past and I will continue to be quoted; I think he's the best player in our league right now. LeBron James , as quoted in youtube.com”

“He's definitely the best player in the NBA”

“You can set the bar at seven and a half feet and tell them nobody has every jumped that before. And they say, 'I can do it.' And they'll go out and try. Phil Jackson , as quoted in youtube.com”

“To me he is the best player in the world right now. That guy doesn't know fear at all. He doesn't care. He would have won it "Obviously Kobe is an unbelievable player. He can explode for 50 points at any given time. There's nothing we can do about that, and we're just going to have to deal with that. You're never going to stop Kobe. He's just too good. You just have to make him work for what he gets. Kobe is the greatest player I have ever seen at what he does. Mike D'Antoni , as quoted in insidehoops.com/forum”

“Only God can stop Kobe Bryant. Charles Barkley , as quoted in youtube.com”

“I give him all the respect in the world. He is the No. 1 player in the league, by far. It’s like that. With a player like him, he just wants that challenge. He’s just that fierce competitor. He doesn’t want to get out”

“I can’t believe how fast 20 years went by. I mean, this is crazy… To be standing here, standing on the court with my teammates behind me, and appreciate this journey that we’ve been along… I grew up a die heart”

“Get over yourself! 'Cause it's not about you, man. Like, okay, you feel embarrassed. You are not that important! Get over yourself! Right, like you are worried about how people may perceive you, and like you are walking around and it's embarrassing because you shot five air balls... Get over yourself. interview with Patrick Bet”

“When I was young, my mindset was image, image, image . I took that approach with the media. As I became more experienced I realized: No matter what, people are going to like you or not like you. So be authentic, and let them like you or not for who you actually are. At that point, I started keeping all of my answers blunt and straightforward . I would mix in some humor and sarcasm , too. I think fans and reporters came to appreciate that, came to appreciate the real me. The Mamba Mentality : How I Play (2018), "KEEP IT REAL.”