52 Encouraging Basketball Quotes About Passion from Players and Coaches

Basketball is a sport that is not only played but also watched with great enthusiasm. Basketball takes not just quickness and strength, but also a great deal of enthusiasm to compete in a difficult setting.

The quotes from basketball players below reflect that. These quotes are highly encouraging, especially if you are a basketball enthusiast, because these basketball players have conveyed their love for the game in inspiring words.

Also See: Inspiring Confidence Quotes from Basketball Players

Image Quotes/ Quote Wallpapers

Guess the quote’s author

Let’s take a quick quiz now before reading these inspiring sports quotes. Your task in this quiz is to identify the authors of the quotes we’ve provided from this post. You’ll have three choices to choose from, so think carefully! Match the words to the person who said them!

“When you love your job, you love, you have a passion for it, you just want to continue to do it and do it and find new ways to do it. And when you have that passion and whatever challenge is thrown in front of you, the passion supersedes that. And it just becomes more and more fun every year. And that’s really the secret.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“This kid [Kobe Bryant] had passion like you never know. It’s an amazing thing about passion. If you love something, if you have a strong passion for something, you will go to the extreme to try to understand, or try to get it.” – Michael Jordan, basketball player.
“Anything can happen if you are willing to put in the work and remain open to the possibility. Dreams are realized by effort, determination, passion and staying connected to that sense of who you are.” – Michael Jordan, basketball player.
“My passion on the basketball court should have been infectious because that’s how I tried to play. I played for them. It started with hope. It started with hope. We went from a sh***y team to one of the all time best dynasties. All you needed was one little match to start that whole fire.” – Michael Jordan, basketball player.
“What am I truly passionate about, what do I enjoy doing and when you feel that way honestly I mean you feel like you have never worked a day in your life. It’s the most fun thing in the world. You get up in the morning excited about what you’re doing and you got to be really honest with yourself about it.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“If you wake up in the morning and you’re dreading going to work, dude do something else, do something else and those are hard decisions to make but when you make those decisions it’s a very liberating experience and you find out that the rewards will come.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“The [mamba] mentality means, it means every day, you’re trying to become better and it’s a constant quest, it’s an infinite quest. We talk about being passionate, being obsessive, being relentless, being resilient and being fearless. These are the five pillars of the mamba mentality.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“The passion came from the love for the game. I loved everything about it.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“The smell of brand new sneakers and the sound the ball makes when it hits the ground , sneakers in the gym, the ball going through the net. All those things I love and so the passion comes from that because once you have that love, you just want to be a part of this thing all the time.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“Just watching him [Kobe Bryant] you could see his passion for the game. His passion for wanting to learn. His thirst for knowledge was really impressive and one of the biggest things that stood out for me.” – Larry Nance, Jr., basketball player.
“For the young guys coming up as you’re going through your career it is important that you start looking for things that you were equally as passionate about because when the music stops and the game is over and just trying to figure it out after, you’re already too late.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“Passion is the fuel for success.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“You don’t want to jump into something if you’re not passionate about it.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“Everything has a purpose. And that purpose has a story that goes along with it. It just depends on what your passion is.” – Kobe Bryant, basketball player.
“I love this game, and I’m going to do whatever I can to help my team get back to where we were last year. That’s what I’m excited for. That’s why you’re seeing this passion from me.” – Kevin Durant, basketball player.
“I think we have guys that are extremely motivated, passionate about what they do, unselfish. They sacrifice, they have a lot of character.” – Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player.
“I could sit here for an hour talking about Kevin Durant. The ability, the sacrifices, the resilience, the passion for the game. That’s what you see out there: obviously someone that has gifts, but someone who has worked to master and refine those gifts endlessly.” – Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player.
“I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.” – Allen Iverson, former basketball player.
“You’ve got to be consistent with passion.” – Kevin Garnett, American basketball player.
“Doesn’t matter where you come from, what you have or don’t have… All you need to have is faith in God, an undying passion for what you do and what you choose to do in this life, and a relentless drive and the will to do whatever it takes to be successful in whatever you put your mind to.” – Stephen Curry, American basketball player.
Also See: Quotes by Basketball Player Stephen Curry About Hard Work
“Basketball has different levels. At the grassroots level, we need to see their love, passion. That is the first thing you do, see that passion, that love for the game. From there, you see the talent develop.” – Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian-American basketball player.
“It’s always been a passion of mine to come out and share some of my knowledge about basketball and the experiences I’ve had with the younger generation.” – Scottie Pippen, former basketball player.
“The passion to win games, the incredible, focused energy and also the camaraderie of the team were all things that I really loved.” – Jerry West, American basketball executive.
“I played basketball when I was little because it was fun for me. It still is now. I just love it. I have a passion for it.” – Kawhi Leonard, basketball player.
“Blessed to do what I love everyday. Respect your passion.” – James Harden, basketball player.
Also See: James Harden Inspirational Quotes
“Success is born out of faith, an undying passion, and a relentless drive.” – Stephen Curry, basketball player.
“Basketball is my first passion.” – James Harden, basketball player.
“There’s a deep-rooted love and passion for this game, so there are always nerves before every game for me. There were certainly a few more before this game.” – Jake Diebler, Basketball coach.
“No alarm clock needed. My passion wakes me up.” – Kyrie Irving, basketball player.
“If you take time to realize what your dream is and what you really want in life, no matter what it is, whether it’s sports or in other fields, you have to realize that there is always work to do, and you want to be the hardest working person in whatever you do, and you put yourself in a position to be successful. – Stephen Curry, basketball player.
You have to have a passion about what you do. Basketball was mine and that’s what’s carried me to this point.” – Stephen Curry, basketball player.
“Passion is the drive to keep pushing on, and that’s with who you’re surrounded by.” – Stephen Curry, basketball player.
“His [LeBron James] passion for the game, I think it goes — it runs through everybody. When you see a guy with that much passion, and wants to win, and he wants to win that bad, it really rubs off on the rest of the team” – Daniel Gibson, former basketball player.
“I play with a lot of heart, play with a lot of passion. And when you’re fighting for something, it means a whole lot more.” – Jamal Murray, Canadian basketball player.
“To be successful in anything, you have to have a passion for it, and that leads to being enthusiastic and demanding. I didn’t have it for history. So I wouldn’t have been a good teacher in that area. But I had it for basketball.” – Jeff Van Gundy, American basketball coach.
“Find your North Star — that thing or things you are passionate about enough that you will reach past even your wildest dreams.” – Kevin Love, basketball player.
“I play really hard. I put my body on the line every damn practice. Every day in the games. That’s my passion. That’s how I give to the game.” – Jimmy Butler, basketball player.
Also See: Top Inspirational Quotes From NBA Player Jimmy Butler
“I “try to” play with emotion, passion, effort, and a little bit of flair within the game of Basketball. That’s all I’ve ever tried to do, and that’s the only way I know how” – Trae Young, basketball player.
“I think when you have a passion for something, you can overcome obstacles, if you float through life without having anything to hold on to or get you fired up emotionally and to focus on, I think it’s really hard to overcome things.” – Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player.
“People with great passion can make anything happen.” – Pau Gasol, Spanish former basketball player.

Basketball quotes about passion from female athletes

“I know passion found me when, it’s all I can think about. It consumes me every single day, every single moment, every single conversation I have.” – Diana Taurasi, basketball player.
“The passion, the love, just having fun and being genuine, I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me. Everything that I do, I go 100 percent.” – Tamika Catchings, basketball player.
“I just had ‘it’. I had the drive, the passion, the determination, the focus, the attitude, the will.” – Tamika Catchings, basketball player.
“But so what if I was skinny and short and couldn’t hear much? What I did have was intensity. I had desire. I had passion and a willingness to work hard for the game like no one else.” – Tamika Catchings, basketball player.
“You have to love your sport. Your passion and dedication can’t be some-time, part-time or spare-time. It has to be all-time.” – Breanna Stewart, basketball player.
“Decide what you’re passionate about and go after it. Have the courage to try, and if you try and fail, try again.” – Lisa Leslie, American former basketball player.
“I was a late bloomer; I really started playing basketball at 15, 16 years of age. I wasn’t a high school All-American. I was just a player that had a lot of passion, and I wanted to be great.” – Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, basketball coach and former player.
“I love teaching basketball and instilling my passion in the game.” – Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, basketball coach and former player.
“It’s ok to be great, it’s ok to fight for something that you believe in, that you want, that you’re passionate about.” – Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, basketball coach and former player.
“I say it’s ok to fight and that you can do it because I did it and no one expected me to do it. But I did it and I always believed that I could.” – Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, basketball coach and former player.
“Anybody that we can connect with and show that we’re out here working hard and that ‘You can do it too. If basketball is your passion and your dream, it’s possible.” – Lindsay Whalen, women’s basketball coach.
“If you have a passion and this burning desire to be really good at it, you can get there. It’s not going to be easy. It might not happen quickly, but at least you can sleep at night. That’s what he [Kobe Bryant] gave me.” – Diana Taurasi, basketball player.
“Basketball has been an incredible gift that keeps on giving. I don’t know why, but I do work hard at this. It is my passion. It is my livelihood. It is something that brings me a great deal of joy.” – Dawn Staley, women’s basketball coach.

Conclusion

A fun quiz is a great way to summarize the lessons we can take from these inspiring quotes. This fun quiz is intended to help you remember the key ideas and takeaways from the quotes in our blog post.

How to play?

In this quiz, you must complete the quote you’ve just read from various athletes and coaches by selecting the correct option from the options provided. The aim of this quiz is to help you recall key takeaways from the quotes. You will receive one point for selecting the correct option. Are you ready? Let’s get started.

Also See:

Insightful Basketball Quotes About Shooting

Motivational Basketball Quotes About Hard Work

Tags: Basketball

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Featured image credit:
Keith Allison from Kinston, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons