Basketball Leadership Quotes:

A lion never roars after a kill.

- Dean Smith

source: Dean Smith, Gerald D. Bell, John Kilgo (2004). “The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching”, p.42, Penguin

topic: Basketball, Lions, Basketball Leadership

Winning takes talent; to repeat takes character.

- John Wooden

source: "The Wizard's wisdom: 'Woodenisms'", www.espn.com. June 4, 2010.

topic: Basketball, Motivational Sports, Character, Sports Coaching, Sports Leadership

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.

- Michael Jordan

topic: Inspirational, Life, Basketball, Motivational Work, Famous Basketball

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

- John Wooden

source: "This Speech Was Given Before The #4Women4AllWomen Run" by Powdered Feet, womensrunning.competitor.com. January 25, 2017.

topic: Inspirational, Life, Motivational, Favorite Sports, Inspiration And Motivation

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.

- John Wooden

topic: Inspirational, Life, Change, Inspirational Athlete, Inspirational Coach

There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.

- Pat Riley

topic: Inspirational Athlete, Inspirational Coach, Inspirational Commitment, Basketball Coaching, Great Sports

The best teams have chemistry. They communicate with each other and they sacrifice personal glory for a common goal.

- Dave DeBusschere

topic: Motivational, Basketball, Team, Motivational Basketball, Basketball Leadership

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

- John Wooden

topic: Motivational, Inspiring, Graduation, Inspirational Learning, Sports Coaching

A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.

- John Wooden

topic: Sports, Motivational Sports, Team, Team Player, Motivational Basketball

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.

- Michael Jordan

source: "I Can't Accept Not Trying : Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence". Book by Michael Jordan (p. 129), 1994.

topic: Motivational, Change, Basketball, Favorite Sports, Young Entrepreneurs

When a leader takes responsibility for his own actions and mistakes, he not only sets a good example, he shows a healthy respect for people on his team

- Mike Krzyzewski

topic: Volleyball, Mistake, Team, Best Coaches, Basketball Leadership

Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.

- Vince Lombardi

topic: Inspirational, Motivational, Leadership, Inspirational Football, Individual Performance

A leader has to be positive about all things that happen to his team. Look at nothing in the past as failure.

- Mike Krzyzewski

topic: Team, Past, Leader, Basketball Leadership

Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.

- Vince Lombardi

topic: Inspirational, Motivational, Leadership, Sports Leadership, Leaders Motivational

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

- Michael Jordan

source: "Nike Culture : The Sign of the Swoosh". Book by Robert Goldman, Stephen Papson (p. 49), 1998.

topic: Inspirational, Life, Motivational, Favorite Sports, Best Success

During critical periods, a leader is not allowed to feel sorry for himself, to be down, to be angry, or to be weak. Leaders must beat back these emotions

- Mike Krzyzewski

topic: Volleyball, Sorry, Leader, Best Coaches, Basketball Leadership

If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it.

- Michael Jordan

source: Michael Jordan (1994). “I can't accept not trying: Michael Jordan on the pursuit of excellence”

topic: Running, Wall, Giving Up, Favorite Sports, Inspirational Football

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

- John Wooden

source: John Wooden, Jack Tobin, Bill Walton (2004). “They Call Me Coach”, McGraw Hill Professional

topic: Inspirational, Success, Integrity, Good Character, Best Coaches

A leader's job is to develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their followers' sense of commitment.

- Dean Smith

source: Dean Smith, Gerald D. Bell, John Kilgo (2004). “The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching”, p.33, Penguin

topic: Basketball, Jobs, Commitment, Basketball Leadership, Basketball Is Life

People want to be on a team. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to be in a situation where they feel that they are doing something for the greater good.

- Mike Krzyzewski

topic: Basketball, Volleyball, Team, Something Bigger Than Yourself, Best Coaches

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

- John Wooden

source: "The Wizard's wisdom: 'Woodenisms'", www.espn.com. June 4, 2010.

topic: Inspirational, Motivational, Positive, Best Coaches, Inspirational Attitude

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.

- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

source: Twitter post from Mar 27, 2013

topic: Teamwork, Sports, Athlete, Drills, Inspirational Athlete

The most important thing in coaching is communication. It's not what you say as much as what they absorb.

- Red Auerbach

topic: Communication, Coaching, Important, Basketball Leadership, Absorbing

The most important thing in good leadership is truly caring.

- Dean Smith

source: Dean Smith, Gerald D. Bell, John Kilgo (2004). “The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching”, p.3, Penguin

topic: Basketball, Caring, Important, Basketball Leadership

If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them

- Michael Jordan

topic: Basketball, Trying, Achieve, Hurdling Obstacles, Inspirational Adversity

I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.

- Mike Krzyzewski

topic: Basketball, Leader, Looks, Sports Leadership, Basketball Leadership

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.

- John Wooden

topic: Life, Basketball, Teamwork, Inspirational Coach, Basketball Coaching

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

- John Wooden

topic: Beautiful, Motivation, Grateful, Inspirational Coach, Inspirational Coaching

Never mistake activity for achievement.

- John Wooden

topic: Inspirational, Basketball, Motivational Sports, Inspirational Achievement, Basketball Coaching

If you make every game a life and death proposition, you're going to have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot.

- Dean Smith

topic: Inspirational, Funny, Basketball, Best Coaches, Basketball Leadership

It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.

- John Wooden

topic: Sports, Motivational Sports, Games, Sports Leadership, Basketball Leadership

You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

- John Wooden

source: Fellowship of Christian Athletes, John Wooden (2010). “The Greatest Coach Ever: Timeless Wisdom and Insights of John Wooden”, p.101, Gospel Light Publications

topic: Inspirational, Life, Motivational, Kindness Generosity, Sports Leadership

I would spend almost as much time planning a practice as conducting it. Everything was planned out each day

- John Wooden

topic: Basketball, Practice, Each Day, Basketball Leadership

Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

- Michael Jordan

topic: Motivational, Sports, Figures, Favorite Sports, Inspirational Football

Whatever a leader does now sets up what he does later. And there's always a later.

- Mike Krzyzewski

topic: Basketball, Leader, Doe, Basketball Leadership

To have long term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way.

- Pat Riley

topic: Leadership, Basketball, Motivational Sports, Inspiring Leader, Leadership By Famous Leaders

People want to be part of something bigger than they are.

- Johnny Hunt

topic: Leadership, Christian, People, Best Coaches, Basketball Leadership

What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.

- Dean Smith

topic: Inspiring, Basketball, Sports, Inspirational Coach, Inspirational Coaching

Every leader needs to remember that a healthy respect for authority takes time to develop. It’s like building trust. You don’t instantly have trust, it has to be earned.

- Mike Krzyzewski

topic: Leader, Healthy, Best Coaches, Basketball Leadership, Building Trust

If you don't feel you have something to prove every day, you'll never improve

- Billy Donovan

topic: Basketball, Feels, Prove, Basketball Leadership, Prove Myself

Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.

- John Wooden

topic: Life, Adversity, Men, Basketball Leadership, Adversity Motivational

It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.

- John Wooden

source: John Wooden, Jack Tobin, Bill Walton (2004). “They Call Me Coach”, McGraw Hill Professional

topic: Basketball, Motivational Sports, Courage, Sports Coach, Sports Leadership

It isn't about what you do, but how you do it

- John Wooden

topic: Sports Leadership, Basketball Leadership

Basketball is a team game. But that doesn't mean all five players should have the same amount of shots.

- Dean Smith

topic: Basketball, Team, Mean, Basketball Leadership, Winning Basketball

The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.

- Mike Krzyzewski

topic: People, Decision, Making Decisions, Basketball Leadership, Famous Coach

I always mean what I say, but I don't always say what I'm thinking.

- Dean Smith

topic: Basketball, Mean, Thinking, Basketball Leadership, Basketball And Life

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

- John Wooden

topic: Life, Motivational, Positive, Sports Training, Basketball Leadership

There is no such thing as life in-between.

- Pat Riley

topic: Motivational, Sports, Inspirational Athlete, Inspirational Coaching, Inspirational Commitment

Recognize and reward players who put the team first, not just the gifted ones.

- Don Meyer

topic: Basketball, Team, Player, Basketball Leadership, Great Coach