BASKETBALL QUOTES
Quotes from and about NBA players
.
"Every year, when I'm with a new team, that's one less team that doesn't know that I can't play. There are 5,000 players in America better than me that aren't in the NBA."
- Mark Pope, Denver Nuggets.
- Mark Pope, Denver Nuggets.
.
"I speak a little Spanish, so I'm able to communicate."
- Marcus Camby, on communicating with teammate Nene Hilario, who speaks Portuguese and not Spanish.
"Meet me in the parking lot, I will kick your ass."
- Scottie Pippen, to a Blazers season ticket holder.
"In Turkey, the media wait for you outside. You go down to them, in tunnel, and sometimes, people are yelling and throwing things. They throw coins. I get hit in the head. Bleeding. There is blood."
- Mehmet Okur
"We try to treat the road like it's a home game. We ain't got no fans at home, neither."
- Dion Glover, Hawks days
"The best day of my life was when I turned 25. That's the day my car insurance went down. Yeah, boy, I saved $1,200 that day."
- Stephen Jackson
"After being treated for a kidney stone, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said
"When the anesthesiologist leaned over me, he said "We named your kidney stone Kobe because it's not passing." "
"Why did you have to dunk on me so hard?"
- Maciej Lampe, Knicks rookie, to Jarvis Hayes, after Hayes windmilled on him in a summer league game.
"Myself first. But that will change. Derrick Coleman maybe. And John Starks just because, when you are in Game 7 of the championship and you can't hit from the outside, just take it to the basket, man. Come on."
- Lamar Odom, on three NBA players who haven't done enough with their talent.
"Like most American or foreign players, he understands about half of what I say."
- Jeff Van Gundy, on Yao Ming.
"Well, he's a good player for Minnesota."
- Gary Payton, when asked what he thought about Serbia.
"Can the Frenchman come in?"
- Gregg Popovich, to President George W. Bush, regarding Tony Parker, when the Spurs visited the White House.
"My thought on Rodman is this: I will keep an open mind, but I have concerns. Will a 42-year-old player be an asset or an asset without the 'e-t'?"
- Jeff Bzdelik, Denver coach.
"Not really. I'm not a fan of Chinese food"
- Bobby Simmons, asked about whether he's looking forward to playing in Japan.
"I thought LeBron James was just going to be another addition to help me score,"
- Ricky Davis
"I like that team. They have a lot of guys from New York City on their team. How come they get guys from New York and our whole team is from Utah? I don't get it."
- Spike Lee, on the differences between the Pacers and the Knicks.
"I think I am upsetting the coach."
- Yao Ming, after Jeff Van Gundy told him that on a scale of 1 to 10, a recent performance was a 1.
"Sometimes I screw up in the game, I miss a shot or I miss a rebound, and I fight myself. I am like, 'Why I miss that shot? Come on, what are you doing?' I am fighting myself."
- Mehmet Okur.
"He's keeping the fire at my back the whole time and I've got one glass of water. You have to understand, I've got one glass of water and he's got a whole lot of fire."
- Yao Ming, on Jeff Van Gundy.
"I don't care about that sucker anymore. He's a ball hog and becoming a cancer to this team. ... Just kidding. I wanted to see if you were awake."
- Darius Miles, on his friendship with LeBron.
"Those Europeans, they know how to negotiate."
- Donyell Marshall, on buying number 42 from new teammate Mengke Bateer, who is actually Mongolian.
"I wasn't impressed with the way he coached tonight, either."
- Jason Terry, after Hawks coach Terry Stotts said he wasn't impressed with the way JT had played.
"Name 12 players better than me."
- Jalen Rose, 2002, on whether or not he should make the All -Star team.
"I would compare Rod to classical music - it just flows, a steady stream of melody, real free-flowing, something mixed up with a lot of tempo. Troy's like rock and roll, or rap. He comes out energetic, keeps you on your feet. At certain times you need that, and at certain times you need the classical music."
- Kevin Garnett, comparing Rod Strickland to Troy Hudson.
"Winning is the best deodorant."
- Jason Kidd.
"Perhaps the biggest indignity for the Bulls came with 2:27 remaining when official Scott Foster whistled Latrell Sprewell and Linton Johnson for a double technical foul. Johnson, who didn't play all game, had been heckling Sprewell, who kept saying, "Who is he?" Foster didn't know either, asking for Johnson's uniform number to assess the technical. Sprewell, who had 27 points, smiled about the incident afterward: "I still don't know who he is." "
- K. C. Johnson
"Oh...and you never like to see this."
- Marv Albert, when Rodney White vomited on the court at Madison Square Garden.
"I am a rookie, so if I hit the rookie wall, I don't really know."
- Yao Ming, asked if he had hit the rookie wall
New York Knicks fan: "Hey, Damon...you can come here and live in my house."
Damon Stoudamire: "I'd live in your doghouse to get out of this shit."
"I don't bet. How about a hamburger?"
- Dick Bavetta, in response to Tim Duncan after Duncan offered to bet him money that he missed a call.
"Half Man, Half Sit-Out-The-Season."
- Charles Barkley, talking about Vince Carter.
"The last time we won here, Snoop Dogg was still a pup."
- Rudy Tomjanovic, on the Rockets playing in Orlando.
"They better not put me in the All -Star Game. I won't shoot, but I'll dominate that easy game. I'll be playing hard defense. I'll be foulin'. I'll be flagrant fouling. Everyone will be like, 'What are you doing?'"
- Ron Artest.
"Well, my translator is still here."
- Yao Ming, on how well his English is improving.
"I feel like Bill Walton - old and shitty."
- Shaq
"It wasn't a big deal, like somebody asking me to go fishing."
- Greg Ostertag, on being asked to donate a kidney to his sister.
"Sometimes when he doesn't get the ball, he starts speaking Portuguese. That's when you know he's upset."
- Marcus Camby about Nene
"Jerome James tried to jump on me and he was not successful. Both parties are usually suspended, but that didn't happen. That tells me that they give me special treatment in a negative way. It's the same reason why I'm not playing...But I'm not going to be the Sonics basher. Basically, I got suspended because I got into a fight with a 7 -foot guy who attacked me."
- Joseph Forte, on why he was given a suspension by the Sonics.
"No, they got a chance to see me."
- Steve Francis, when asked if he'd had a chance to see the Maryland players before they're NCAA Tourney game.
"That didn't bother me. I am not going to worry about a guy trying to be tough with a pink tie on."
- Ben Wallace, on the injured Marcus Fizer acting like he was going to come off the Bulls bench and fight.
"I was proud of DeShawn and I would have knocked him down harder. They can put me in jail for saying that, but that's the way it is."
- Jerry Sloan, on DeShawn Stevenson fouling Ricky Davis after he shot on the wrong goal attempting to get a triple -double.
"He's white normally, but he's really white now."
- Larry Brown, on Keith Van Horn being sick.
"Isiah Thomas: "I've got some bad news. We're trading you to Phoenix."
Antonio McDyess: "What's the bad news?"
"If it was a statement from Michael Jordan or Larry Bird, you take it seriously. But you're talking about Chucky Atkins. It doesn't carry any weight."
- Jason Kidd, after Chucky Atkins said the Nets would always be second fiddle to the Knicks.
"I think I'll get along real well with Brad. I can see us really going at it in practice every day, then going out and killing something to eat."
- Greg Ostertag on new Kings teammate Brad Miller
"I make love to pressure."
- Stephen Jackson
"Eddie Robinson is about one word: winning and losing."
- Paul Collier (his agent)
"There are two ways to argue with a woman, and neither of them work."
- Carlos Boozer after cancelling an interview with a Sports Illustrated reporter because his wife was expecting him home.
"I have never seen a fight like that in a game since I was in high school."
- Quentin Richardson on the Pacers -Pistons melee.
"It will work out, somehow. That's a hell of a duo right there, Marbury, Crawford and Houston."
- Carmelo Anthony assessing the future of the 2004 -05 Knicks
"I'm hunting for little Mexican girls."
- Karl Malone's reponse at a Lakers -Bucks game, after Kobe Bryant's wife noticed his cowboy boots and asked him, "Hey, Cowboy, what are you hunting for?"
"When I watch NBA games, I think to myself, 'How will I look in the game there?' I expect to do something there. I don't want to be a donkey."
- Darko Milicic in the June 23rd, 2003 issue of ESPN the Magazine.
"Who wants to sex Mutombo?"
- Dikembe Mutombo in college
"YOU AINT WRITING NOTHING, HOMEBOY! NOTHING!"
- Jason Williams to a reporter who had previously slated him. Only funny if you saw it.
"Shaq does it all the time...."
- Kobe Bryant to the arresting officers in his rape trial.
"Nope. Politricks is not for me. I don't believe in war. Maybe I just didn't want Bush to win. I would have voted for you (a reporter) if you were running. Can't be any worse than what we've got."
– Jalen Rose
“There’s always going to be criticism when your name is Jalen. You have to wear a bulletproof vest and be ready for it.”
– Jalen on himself
“He probably was a little tired from All -Star Weekend. While he was running up and down the court throwing it off the backboard, I was laying on the beach drinking a fruity drink with an umbrella. So I probably gave myself an unfair advantage on that one.”
– Jalen explaining why he outplayed Carter two days after the All -Star Game
"But can't nobody [mess] with me. I'm like toilet paper, Pampers and toothpaste. I'm definitely proven to be effective. I've still got a good 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 years left."
- Shaq
"Isiah Thomas is building a championship team ... too bad it's in San Antonio."
- Charles Barkley on Nazr Mohammed
"I will shoot all you Asian (bleeps) ... Do you remember the Vietnam War? I'll kill y'all just like that."
- Jason Williams to a fan of Asian descent sitting behind the Kings bench during a game at Golden State. Williams was fined $15,000 by the NBA.
"Say, Cuttino. What are those Godawful clothes you're wearing? Man, this ain't Rhode Island anymore. You're in the NBA. The girls have teeth here."
- Charles Barkley to Cuttino Mobley
"Hey AC. If God's so good, why didn't he give you a f*&^in jump shot?"
- Barkley to A.C. Green
"Why did you have to dunk on me so hard?"
- Maciej Lampe, Knicks rookie, to Jarvis Hayes, after Hayes windmilled on him in a summer league game.
"Myself first. But that will change. Derrick Coleman maybe. And John Starks just because, when you are in Game 7 of the championship and you can't hit from the outside, just take it to the basket, man. Come on."
- Lamar Odom, on three NBA players who haven't done enough with their talent.
"Like most American or foreign players, he understands about half of what I say."
- Jeff Van Gundy, on Yao Ming.
"Well, he's a good player for Minnesota."
- Gary Payton, when asked what he thought about Serbia.
"Can the Frenchman come in?"
- Gregg Popovich, to President George W. Bush, regarding Tony Parker, when the Spurs visited the White House.
"My thought on Rodman is this: I will keep an open mind, but I have concerns. Will a 42-year-old player be an asset or an asset without the 'e-t'?"
- Jeff Bzdelik, Denver coach.
"Not really. I'm not a fan of Chinese food"
- Bobby Simmons, asked about whether he's looking forward to playing in Japan.
"I thought LeBron James was just going to be another addition to help me score,"
- Ricky Davis
"I like that team. They have a lot of guys from New York City on their team. How come they get guys from New York and our whole team is from Utah? I don't get it."
- Spike Lee, on the differences between the Pacers and the Knicks.
"I think I am upsetting the coach."
- Yao Ming, after Jeff Van Gundy told him that on a scale of 1 to 10, a recent performance was a 1.
"Sometimes I screw up in the game, I miss a shot or I miss a rebound, and I fight myself. I am like, 'Why I miss that shot? Come on, what are you doing?' I am fighting myself."
- Mehmet Okur.
"He's keeping the fire at my back the whole time and I've got one glass of water. You have to understand, I've got one glass of water and he's got a whole lot of fire."
- Yao Ming, on Jeff Van Gundy.
"I don't care about that sucker anymore. He's a ball hog and becoming a cancer to this team. ... Just kidding. I wanted to see if you were awake."
- Darius Miles, on his friendship with LeBron.
"Those Europeans, they know how to negotiate."
- Donyell Marshall, on buying number 42 from new teammate Mengke Bateer, who is actually Mongolian.
"I wasn't impressed with the way he coached tonight, either."
- Jason Terry, after Hawks coach Terry Stotts said he wasn't impressed with the way JT had played.
"Name 12 players better than me."
- Jalen Rose, 2002, on whether or not he should make the All -Star team.
"I would compare Rod to classical music - it just flows, a steady stream of melody, real free-flowing, something mixed up with a lot of tempo. Troy's like rock and roll, or rap. He comes out energetic, keeps you on your feet. At certain times you need that, and at certain times you need the classical music."
- Kevin Garnett, comparing Rod Strickland to Troy Hudson.
"Winning is the best deodorant."
- Jason Kidd.
"Perhaps the biggest indignity for the Bulls came with 2:27 remaining when official Scott Foster whistled Latrell Sprewell and Linton Johnson for a double technical foul. Johnson, who didn't play all game, had been heckling Sprewell, who kept saying, "Who is he?" Foster didn't know either, asking for Johnson's uniform number to assess the technical. Sprewell, who had 27 points, smiled about the incident afterward: "I still don't know who he is." "
- K. C. Johnson
"Oh...and you never like to see this."
- Marv Albert, when Rodney White vomited on the court at Madison Square Garden.
"I am a rookie, so if I hit the rookie wall, I don't really know."
- Yao Ming, asked if he had hit the rookie wall
New York Knicks fan: "Hey, Damon...you can come here and live in my house."
Damon Stoudamire: "I'd live in your doghouse to get out of this shit."
"I don't bet. How about a hamburger?"
- Dick Bavetta, in response to Tim Duncan after Duncan offered to bet him money that he missed a call.
"Half Man, Half Sit-Out-The-Season."
- Charles Barkley, talking about Vince Carter.
"The last time we won here, Snoop Dogg was still a pup."
- Rudy Tomjanovic, on the Rockets playing in Orlando.
"They better not put me in the All -Star Game. I won't shoot, but I'll dominate that easy game. I'll be playing hard defense. I'll be foulin'. I'll be flagrant fouling. Everyone will be like, 'What are you doing?'"
- Ron Artest.
"Well, my translator is still here."
- Yao Ming, on how well his English is improving.
"I feel like Bill Walton - old and shitty."
- Shaq
"It wasn't a big deal, like somebody asking me to go fishing."
- Greg Ostertag, on being asked to donate a kidney to his sister.
"Sometimes when he doesn't get the ball, he starts speaking Portuguese. That's when you know he's upset."
- Marcus Camby about Nene
"Jerome James tried to jump on me and he was not successful. Both parties are usually suspended, but that didn't happen. That tells me that they give me special treatment in a negative way. It's the same reason why I'm not playing...But I'm not going to be the Sonics basher. Basically, I got suspended because I got into a fight with a 7 -foot guy who attacked me."
- Joseph Forte, on why he was given a suspension by the Sonics.
"No, they got a chance to see me."
- Steve Francis, when asked if he'd had a chance to see the Maryland players before they're NCAA Tourney game.
"That didn't bother me. I am not going to worry about a guy trying to be tough with a pink tie on."
- Ben Wallace, on the injured Marcus Fizer acting like he was going to come off the Bulls bench and fight.
"I was proud of DeShawn and I would have knocked him down harder. They can put me in jail for saying that, but that's the way it is."
- Jerry Sloan, on DeShawn Stevenson fouling Ricky Davis after he shot on the wrong goal attempting to get a triple -double.
"He's white normally, but he's really white now."
- Larry Brown, on Keith Van Horn being sick.
"Isiah Thomas: "I've got some bad news. We're trading you to Phoenix."
Antonio McDyess: "What's the bad news?"
"If it was a statement from Michael Jordan or Larry Bird, you take it seriously. But you're talking about Chucky Atkins. It doesn't carry any weight."
- Jason Kidd, after Chucky Atkins said the Nets would always be second fiddle to the Knicks.
"I think I'll get along real well with Brad. I can see us really going at it in practice every day, then going out and killing something to eat."
- Greg Ostertag on new Kings teammate Brad Miller
"I make love to pressure."
- Stephen Jackson
"Eddie Robinson is about one word: winning and losing."
- Paul Collier (his agent)
"There are two ways to argue with a woman, and neither of them work."
- Carlos Boozer after cancelling an interview with a Sports Illustrated reporter because his wife was expecting him home.
"I have never seen a fight like that in a game since I was in high school."
- Quentin Richardson on the Pacers -Pistons melee.
"It will work out, somehow. That's a hell of a duo right there, Marbury, Crawford and Houston."
- Carmelo Anthony assessing the future of the 2004 -05 Knicks
"I'm hunting for little Mexican girls."
- Karl Malone's reponse at a Lakers -Bucks game, after Kobe Bryant's wife noticed his cowboy boots and asked him, "Hey, Cowboy, what are you hunting for?"
"When I watch NBA games, I think to myself, 'How will I look in the game there?' I expect to do something there. I don't want to be a donkey."
- Darko Milicic in the June 23rd, 2003 issue of ESPN the Magazine.
"Who wants to sex Mutombo?"
- Dikembe Mutombo in college
"YOU AINT WRITING NOTHING, HOMEBOY! NOTHING!"
- Jason Williams to a reporter who had previously slated him. Only funny if you saw it.
"Shaq does it all the time...."
- Kobe Bryant to the arresting officers in his rape trial.
"Nope. Politricks is not for me. I don't believe in war. Maybe I just didn't want Bush to win. I would have voted for you (a reporter) if you were running. Can't be any worse than what we've got."
– Jalen Rose
“There’s always going to be criticism when your name is Jalen. You have to wear a bulletproof vest and be ready for it.”
– Jalen on himself
“He probably was a little tired from All -Star Weekend. While he was running up and down the court throwing it off the backboard, I was laying on the beach drinking a fruity drink with an umbrella. So I probably gave myself an unfair advantage on that one.”
– Jalen explaining why he outplayed Carter two days after the All -Star Game
"But can't nobody [mess] with me. I'm like toilet paper, Pampers and toothpaste. I'm definitely proven to be effective. I've still got a good 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 years left."
- Shaq
"Isiah Thomas is building a championship team ... too bad it's in San Antonio."
- Charles Barkley on Nazr Mohammed
"I will shoot all you Asian (bleeps) ... Do you remember the Vietnam War? I'll kill y'all just like that."
- Jason Williams to a fan of Asian descent sitting behind the Kings bench during a game at Golden State. Williams was fined $15,000 by the NBA.
"Say, Cuttino. What are those Godawful clothes you're wearing? Man, this ain't Rhode Island anymore. You're in the NBA. The girls have teeth here."
- Charles Barkley to Cuttino Mobley
"Hey AC. If God's so good, why didn't he give you a f*&^in jump shot?"
- Barkley to A.C. Green
.
======================
