Top 70 Mike DAntoni Quotes

A lot of 3s, a lot of ball movement, a lot of quick movements. Yes, you can win that way.

Swagger’s big. We have to have confidence to go ahead and play our game in who we are and not get away from it.

I know who I am: the Forrest Gump of basketball.

You coach long enough, you’re gonna get fired.

You know what’s fun about basketball? It keeps evolving, and it keeps changing a little bit. And the older guys want to try to hold it back to how they grew up, and it’s not the same. You’ve got to change with the times, and some of the guys you’ve got to drag across the finish line.

When his football and baseball careers ended, my dad became an accomplished marbles player. Then dad got really good at pitching horseshoes. And to show you how athletic our bloodlines really were, my mom was a wonderful tennis player.

The more energy you bring to the game, the more you’re going to get the ball. That’s always been the case, and if you don’t have the energy, then you probably won’t get the ball much.

I shouldn’t have left Nash in the sense that he’s special as a player. You’ve got to nurture that. But New York was great for me.

My dad was a principal and coach. My sister was a superintendent of schools in West Virginia.

The only thing we can ask players is to play as hard as they can. Whether you’re happy or not doesn’t really matter if you are playing as hard as you can.

When you’re desperate, it’s good on defense because your hair should be on fire, but it’s bad on offense.

I don’t want to go with conventional thinking.

Some coaches get fired even after the best years they’ve ever had.

She really taught me a lot about how to believe in myself without being cocky. That’s a tough thing to do sometimes. But my mom had it down pat.

I think the bottom line, even though there are some bumps and bruises here and there, is Kobe will lead you to victories.

Things don’t always go smoothly.

Sometimes those labels that the league puts on players aren’t right.

I don’t buy it is all about the rings because there are a lot of guys that got rings that can’t play a lick. They happened to be on the bench with some great players, so I don’t buy into that totally.

I think any criticism bothers anybody. I get my back up when I hear stuff that I think the people don’t know what they’re talking about – understanding that I can improve in a lot of different areas and the team can improve.

It’s a tough league.

I think we’ll get to the point where every 5 can shoot threes. I think we’ll get to the point where a lot of people can handle the ball and fastbreak and bring it up.

Basketball has changed, and the way the game is played has changed.

Players, if you give them the freedom, then they will do remarkable things.

I don’t care who guards him. He’s still going to be Anthony Davis.

It’s hard to to make it in the NBA. Everybody’s got talent. So what’s the difference between a talented guy who makes it and the type that doesn’t? I’ve found that a lot of the time it’s mental; it’s confidence.

Well, at different points of people’s careers or lives or circumstances, things are different.

Some of the best times are training camp and getting your ideas in how you’d like them.

I think about any season, you remember your relationships.

Kobe is a unique individual and he is very headstrong.

When you open up the court, now the point guards can see, they can score, and they’re not afraid to take shots. Before it was like, ‘No, don’t take that shot. That’s a bad shot. Pound it inside. Pound it inside.’ And the philosophy has gone a little bit away from that, because it makes sense to do it the other way.

To me, a big man has to be able to guard on the perimeter.

I like the offense to flow.

You don’t have to love each other. I’ve been on a lot of championship teams in Europe where there’s edges and we don’t go out to dinner every night.

The big men aren’t going away, they’re just getting better.

You don’t get many second chances in life.

I will always be in basketball some way or another.

Why not play the most possessions you can play if you’re the best defensively and offensively? Any time possessions are cut down, then a bad call, a missed shot then you have a chance to lose.

Old coaches, I think everybody will tell you, you got to be who you are, because you try to be somebody you are not and it’ll get you. It might work for five minutes but it’s not going to work in the long run.

You don’t have to be the greatest of friends off the floor. But on the floor you have to be able to play without any kind of hesitation for all your teammates. Whether you like the guy or not, you can still do what’s right.

I like Utah, but they don’t have a Starbucks.

Some people say, with my name, they call me Antoni and no D.

I was a much better player in Europe than I was in the N.B.A., and lot of that had to do with feeling comfortable psychologically and believing in myself.

I’m going to do everything I can do to win a championship.

Every ship gets rocked sometimes.

Give me one coach in any sport that’s not always on the hot seat. You’re just as good as your last game… You’re always on a hot seat.

A champion has a heart.

When you don’t make the playoffs, or you’re not producing a product that you’re proud of, then, yeah, it’s tough on everybody… it’s tough on the fans all the way down.

Every coach is paranoid.

If the best that we have is an iso, or if my personnel on my team dictates that that is really good, then that’s what we’re going to do.

I know every coach is trying to do the best for his team and trying to win.

The big thing about coaching is, however you are, that’s how you’ve got to do it.

You talk about winning championships, well championships are won by 12 guys, the organization, being in the right spot at the right time.

Teams win championships.

We believe in public education. We think it’s important in our country to have it and for us to support it.

The three-point line changed everything and the players’ ability to be able to make three-pointers changed how you attacked the basket.

To take a team to win a championship, there’s so many things that have to happen.

I don’t know of anybody not trying on offense when they’re upset.

Being rested and playing bad is not going to be a good formula going into the playoffs. That’s not good.

I had always wanted to see Europe, and what better way to see it than to spend a year there playing basketball?

You have to play offense and defense without thinking, and react like you know what to do, but if you’re thinking of where to be and 1,000 other things you can lose focus. You’re trying to play hard, but you’re overthinking.

The only thing I try to do as a coach is just stay on message and pound the points home.

Almost everyone in the family have been schoolteachers, been in education forever.

The defense can be affected by certain guys not being comfortable in the offense, and then not just playing and reacting on the other end.

Players have to do what they think is best for them.

Nash was a purist. Steve’s a Hall of Fame point guard. He was unbelievably good.

My whole philosophy is 24 seconds or less. I don’t care if it’s seven or 10 or 20, we just have to get one good shot in those 24 seconds and that’s what we’ll do.

Kobe woks harder than anybody I’ve seen.

Every coach should be under scrutiny.

James Harden has been and is one of the top players in the league, and he’s been that way. He can defend, he’s strong, and offensively, he might be the best in the league.

I can’t just say I wanna take a Hall of Fame point guard and make him into something else.