I had played on the police athletic league, but my father had a unique thing, he always said, ‘Before you start going to basketball camp and doing all the things, you should learn about yourself first before somebody else starts telling you how to play.’
You can play pickup basketball, but you can’t really re-create football.
Growing up, I looked up to major league baseball players, and now these young women have amazing, incredible women all across the board, from swimming to gymnastics to softball to basketball.
February is always a bad month for TV sports. Football is gone, basketball is plodding along in the annual midseason doldrums, and baseball is not even mentioned.
I boxed. I did track and field; I did basketball, football, any sport I was able to sign up for.
I used to play sports, basketball, football.
Basketball is such an escape from a lot of things.
In life, and in basketball, if you lay the truth out there, people don’t have to guess.
My little brothers loved baseball. I’m not as big on that as basketball or football, but I understand the game.
I went through my entire athletic life as a basketball player with only minimal physical setbacks, the worst being a couple of brain concussions, one in a college game in 1948, the other in 1954 while playing in the Eastern League, from which I recovered without permanent damage.
I like playing many other sports, such as basketball.
Not every kid plays football, basketball. Running can be a source to vent and let things out.
Magic Johnson was in the seventh year of his Hall of Fame career when thoughts of his basketball afterlife led him to the office of uber-executive Michael Ovitz, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency, Hollywood’s most powerful agency.
In 2013, the 76ers hired Sam Hinkie as general manager and president of basketball operations.
My dream was to play for Alabama – football, basketball.
I grew up in Michigan, so I played hockey, football and basketball. I played a little bit of lacrosse, too. My brother played more lacrosse and ran track.
If I’m a guy reading a newspaper, and I hear this actor who I know gets great seats at basketball games, and he’s complaining about being typecast, I think, ‘Hey man, count your blessings.’
I learnt tennis, swimming, basketball and several others, but the sport I loved the most was golf.
The NBA? Never in my wildest dreams when I was playing in Division III basketball.
I want people to follow their dreams, yes… but I’m not interested in telling young black kids how to be rappers… I want to show them that there’s so many other paths you can take, besides a rapper or basketball player.
Most of basketball is in the mind. But it helps to have big hands.
Joy comes from places you least expect it. It’s usually the simple things, like watching my son play basketball or going through Central Park when the blossoms are blooming.
My days shouldn’t be hard because I’m doing what I’m doing and that’s playing basketball.
I’ve done a lot of basketball drills, not a whole lot of competitive stuff. I have basically been in the gym everyday working on my game, working on the time off that I’ve had from the game, just getting myself prepared mentally and physically for the season.
When, you know, when you’re playing basketball, you have to have confidence in your moves if they’re gonna work.
I played football first. I love football. I’m a die-hard Broncos fan. I loved football, but in the offseason, I started playing basketball, and I just fell in love with the game. I’ve been playing basketball ever since 5th grade.
I hope that basketball gains momentum and kids understand that you can actually make a living from it. Not just the N.B.A. You can get a scholarship, a free degree – like, no student loan you have to pay off. That’s huge in life. Once they realize that in New Zealand, I hope they get inspired.
People regularly practice playing a sport like golf or basketball – but few people think about ‘practicing being successful.’ I had practiced meeting the Queen of England – what I would wear, how I would stand, the handshake – so when I did meet her, I was comfortable – for I had practiced the moment for years.
In every game, there’s three teams out there. There’s the two basketball teams and the team of officials. If the two teams are evenly matched, it can come down to number of possessions. If one out-of-bounds call goes the wrong way, that can be the difference.
Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns.
I want to thank God, obviously for the health, for the talent He’s given me, for my family who supports me, for the things that basketball’s taught me on and off the court. For the people that I’ve been able to meet through the game of basketball.
I do something that I don’t think anyone else does. I warm up before a game. Baseball and basketball players warm up, so why shouldn’t the announcer warm up?
I don’t know how tall I am or how much I weigh. Because I don’t want anybody to know my identity. I’m like a superhero. Call me Basketball Man.
I’ve played basketball, and I’ve stood at the free-throw line with a tie game and 0.2 seconds left. But there is no feeling in the world like being in that ring when they close it up and ask, ‘Are you ready?’
I think when you’re a kid coming out of college, you’re just kinda going with the flow. You don’t really understand what’s happening around you – you’re just out there playing basketball – but now that I’m older and I see where the league has come in my 15 years, it’s pretty cool to have witnessed it.
I tried out for my basketball team every year and I never made it. You had to buy the shoes before you knew if you were on the team because it took a few weeks for them to ship. I bought the shoes every year, never once made the team, had a ton of high school basketball shoes.
I plan to coach at University of Louisville for as long as I can maintain the passion I have for the game of basketball. I don’t want to coach anywhere else. I don’t believe in anything else as much as I believe in this university and this state. I want to coach as long as they will have me.
Basketball’s eras are defined by teams – Celtics, Lakers, Bulls – and baseball’s epochs are defined by players – Ruth, Robinson, Mantle – but with football, it’s the sideline strategists, the nutty professors and top coated Lears.
So much has been said about Michael Jordan as a basketball player, but when I played with him, the Michael I knew was just Michael. I guess more than anything is that I got to experience the human side of the so-called gladiators, warriors and heroes that we worship.
Tiger had the advantage of high school, college, and a father who knew golf. I was self-taught. Blacks really won’t play golf in great numbers until some of these basketball and football stars buy some golf courses where blacks can play.
I get scared of a lot of attention. I get scared of the spotlight. And I’m not talking about on the basketball court.
I played football; I was a running back, and I took a hit, and I had a hairline fracture in my leg which no one spotted, and I was playing basketball all winter and it got worse. And then I was long jumping, about 20 feet, and I landed one time and there was this big crack, and all the bones were jutting out of my leg.
I had concussions as a kid playing football and basketball, and know what it feels like and to have someone say ‘Just rub some dirt on it, and get back in there.’
I started playing baseball and soccer. Those were my sports on the streets and in school when I was growing up. I didn’t even start playing basketball until I was 14.
I’m a basketball guy.
We tied the milk crates on each end of the fence, and we had our own milk crate basketball pickup game, and it was a good time ’cause we could jump off the fence and dunk the basketball. You had to be creative in order to play, and I wanted to play.
I look at basketball as like a storm. But it’s the eye of the storm. The calmest place of it is to be right in the eye of it. And that’s what basketball is for me; it’s my eye. And while everything else around me is going on,’ he continued, ‘the destruction and things like that, basketball keeps me calm.
The game of basketball is one thing, but the image of the game is another thing.
In my first film, I was a basketball player. Like every good actor, I lied when they asked me if I could play.
I felt like I was better at football than I am in basketball.
I watched the documentary ‘I Hate Christian Laettner,’ and I really hate Christian Laettner. It made me understand why everybody hates Christian Laettner and Duke basketball. I mean, they’re just a bunch of preppy white boys from Tobacco Road or whatever.
My dad was always at work running a business, so our mom really took care of us. She’d bring us all to our practices, and we all basically played four sports: baseball, hockey, football, and basketball.
A lot of times I blend in a little bit easier because I’m not like a basketball player who’s going to stand out because of his height.
I love basketball.
I had offers to go overseas and play basketball but I turned it down because I wanted to stay local. So I got started in Jiu Jitsu, which was something I could be competitive at.
