The 100 best quotes of the 2016-2017 season
Perhaps no professional sport is more driven by players' personalities than the NBA, which makes sense on several levels. There are only five men on the court at a time for each team, with the superstars rarely leaving the floor, and there is no equipment obscuring our view of the players' faces. It also helps that the NBA seems to be full of players with some sort of flair, and the league as a whole is just a bit more outspoken than its MLB, NFL and NHL counterparts.
It should come as no surprise, then, that NBA players are quote machines. With 82 regular-season games to get familiar with these guys every season, and many more times than that to hear from them, we're bound to be treated to some funny, smart, crazy and controversial words. Here, we share 100 of the best NBA quotes of the 2016-17 season.
LeBron James on the regular season
"I've been to six straight NBA Finals – I'm the last person to ask about a regular season game," LeBron James on a key late-season matchup against the Boston Celtics for the number one seed in the East.
Steve Kerr turns on the Worm
"I got a kick out of that because Dennis was suspended for 15 games a year, anyways. The guy got plenty of rest. He just took a night off whenever he wanted, so he can't complain," Steve Kerr on Dennis Rodman complaining about LeBron James resting.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka on Kobe
"Kobe: What Michelangelo is to art, what Beethoven is to music, what Shakespeare is to words, you are to me as a friend," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka on Kobe Bryant.
Kyrie Irving to the Sixers
"You're down 27, bruh," Kyrie Irving after Sixers center Shawn Long talked trash about an in-game dunk.
C.J. McCollum on Russell Westbrook
"Thanks Russ...you the real MVP," C.J. McCollum after Russell Westbrook hit a buzzer beater to clinch a playoff spot for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Kristaps Porzingis learning the Knick's system
"I don't know what to say it's very random," Kristaps Porzingis on the Knicks' offensive system.
This Bud's for Dirk
"I just had a Bud Light for the first time in a long time," Dirk Nowitzki after joining the 30,000 points club.
James Harden on the MVP race
"I thought winning was the most important thing," James Harden on his criteria for the Most Valuable Player race.
Bogut discovers the Cleve
"I heard it's beautiful this time of year," Andrew Bogut on why he decided to join the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Markieff Morris puts everything on the line
"I put my nuts on the line," Markieff Morris after hitting two clutch free throws late.
Willie Cauley-Stein and the big pizza pie
"I'm a pizza guy. But when you really think about it, what is pizza? It's just dough, sauce, cheese and dedication," Willie Cauley-Stein.
Tyronn 'No Drama' Lue
"I hate it," Tyronn Lue on all the drama surrounding LeBron James and the Cavs every year.
A sweet ride in Toronto
"You have a car, right? You get a new paint job you're going to feel a lot better riding around," DeMar DeRozan on Toronto's trade deadline acquisitions.
Draymond Green calls out Paul Pierce...
"You can't get no farewell tour, they don't love you like that...You thought you was Kobe?" Draymond Green to Paul Pierce.
... and Paul Pierce claps back
"73 wins and u thought u was gonna win a title that yr :) :) :) 3-1 lead oops," Paul Pierce talking trash back to Draymond Green and the Warriors on Twitter.
Lou Williams becomes a Rocket man
"Now, my mindset has to be to go into savage mode and get ready for a playoff run," Lou Williams on joining the Houston Rockets.
Mike D'Antoni grounds Williams
"Only shoot when you touch it," Mike D'Antoni's instructions to Lou Williams when he joined the Rockets.
Spotlight, DeMarcus Cousins
"There must be some good shit going on. I don't ever get this much media," DeMarcus Cousins after the All-Star game. He was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans the same evening.
Durant serves up dessert
"I like red velvet cupcakes, so next time make sure you have it," Kevin Durant after receiving "cupcake" chants in his return to Oklahoma City.
DeMarcus unplugged
"I can't be myself," DeMarcus Cousins, summing up his entire NBA experience.
Klay Thompson the Gator Hunter
"Go see the swamps or something, try to catch an alligator... I don't know," Klay Thompson on his plans before the All-Star game in New Orleans.
LeBron stays humble
"Not one in a million for me... maybe for somebody else," LeBron James after John Wall said his game-tying three was a one-in-a-million shot.
Social media is never Melo
"Why don't you ask him about the tweet? You asking me about his tweet. Please, I don't know what he tweets," Carmelo Anthony on Phil Jackson's tweets.
Westbrook the homebody
"I don't know. I be at the house," Russell Westbrook on the anticipation in Oklahoma City for Kevin Durant's return.
LeBron roasts Sir Charles
"I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that. I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying," LeBron James on Charles Barkley.
Warrior owner hears a hard truth from MJ
"I was having dinner with Michael Jordan and he said '73 don't mean a thing without a ring,'" Warriors owner Joe Lacob.
Westbrook goes full 'I don't know them'
"Fashion Week has been great. Have you seen Fashion Week?" Russell Westbrook when asked about Kevin Durant at All-Star Weekend.
Stan Van Gundy speaks out against travel ban
"We're getting back to the days of putting the Japanese in relocation camps and Hitler registering the Jews," Stan Van Gundy on Donald Trump's travel ban.
Popovich reflects on Trump's temper
"It does boggle the mind how someone can be so thin skinned," Gregg Popovich on Donald Trump.
Steven Adams, M.D.
"He's alright, mate. Still alive," Steven Adams on Enes Kanter after he fractured his arm punching a chair on the bench.
Coach to coach respect from Kerr
"He's sort of just pumped steroids into the Phoenix team he had," Steve Kerr on Mike D'Antoni's Rockets.
Westbrook's anger towards Durant simmers over
"Don't say what's up to that bitch ass n----," Russell Westbrook to his teammates trying to shake hands with Kevin Durant after a loss to the Warriors.
New phone, who's this?
"Nah," Russell Westbrook when asked if he and Kevin Durant are on speaking terms.
Melo ponders a new home
"If they feel like my time in New York is over I guess that's a conversation we should have," Carmelo Anthony, still a New York Knick.
Father knows best
"Imagine me slapping the s--- out of you," Jahlil Okafor's father responding to criticism of his son on Twitter.
Antetokounmpo demands a recount
"Imagine how many votes didn't count...if they could spell my name I would have a million votes," Giannis Antetokounmpo on All-Star voting on social media.
Getting out the vote
"I always liked that guy," Michael Beasley after being told Tony Allen voting for him as an Eastern Conference All-Star.
Can't know McCollum down
"Tough times don't last. Tough people do," C.J. McCollum after the Blazers lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
There is only one Rondo
"I'm Rajon Rondo. It is what it is," Rajon Rondo on whether he feels singled out by being benched.
Anthony makes it personal with Horford
"A Dominican and a Puerto Rican," Carmelo Anthony describing his on-court run-in with Al Horford.
Jordan knows his niche
"Made first team All-NBA and Defense doing that," DeAndre Jordan on Hassan Whiteside saying all he does is catch lobs.
Iverson knows working out means too much work
"That s--- was too heavy," Allen Iverson on why he didn't lift weights when he played.
Magic on social media
"Even though Cleveland lost to the Warriors, I enjoyed watching LeBron James play Point Guard!" Magic Johnson, still the best basketball Twitter account alive.
Jennings makes it a size issue
"I play in the Garden every night with 20,000. So I'm not impressed," Brandon Jennings on Sacramento's new arena.
Even Kerr has to check on his job security after a loss
"I just checked with Bob [Myers]. I'm not fired," Steve Kerr after a 110-89 loss to Memphis dropped the Warriors to 20-4.
It's a thin line between love and hate
"I'm from the old school. It's a thin line between killing it and getting killed," Dwane Casey.
We'd rather be the pigeon
"It's a thin line. One day you are the statue, the next day you are the pigeon. Right now we are the pigeon," Dwane Casey, again.
Green's thoughts greens
"Any vegetable that comes from the Earth, they encourage you to eat that," Draymond Green on Steve Kerr's argument for using marijuana for pain.
Even Santa can't help Parsons at Christmas
"Healthy knees," Chandler Parsons on what he wants for Christmas.
Easy to overdo it at the Bulk Barn
"I've got so much Bulk Barn I might have a lifetime supply of it," Terrence Ross on discovering Canada's largest bulk food retailer.
Revenge of the Zeal
"I don't pay attention to Australia, mate," New Zealander Steven Adams when asked about the NBA's popularity in Australia and New Zealand.
Shoot your shot, Mr. Young
"I just felt like I wanted to take the shot, man," Nick Young after hitting a game-winning shot.
Stan Van Gundy calls out Phil Jackson
"You need to be willing to look in the mirror and call yourself out," Stan Van Gundy on Phil Jackson's negative use of the term posse.
Drake loves Doris Burke
"Not only is she a stunning, gorgeous women, she's also my inspiration for tonight with this headset on," Drake on Doris Burke on Drake Night in Toronto.
Kobe remains fearless
"I'm comfortable with it," Kobe Bryant on death.
Toronto is lovely in the winter
"I want to thank Donald Trump for making Toronto an unbelievable sports destination," Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri.
J.R. Smith dresses for the occasion
"I wasn't sure you'd make it," President Barack Obama saying thanks to J.R. Smith's shirt for showing up at the White House.
Did we mention Toronto was pleasant in the winter?
"Dual citizenship. '100,'" Raptors forward Patrick Patterson after the election.
Pop and Tim, so happy together
"We're like in love, we text all the time," Gregg Popovich on the retired Tim Duncan.
Friendship is eternal, even in emojis
"Only the ones where you blow kisses," Gregg Popovich on whether he and Duncan use emojis when they text.
Durant cannot escape his past
"You're always going to have that ghost of your past," Kevin Durant after his first matchup against the Thunder.
Westbrook proves the doubters wrong
"That's where they went wrong," Russell Westbrook on people expecting the Thunder to fall off after Durant's departure.
When basketball grudges spillover to baseball
"How's that feel, Cleveland?" Luke Walton, an assistant coach on the Warriors who blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals last season, after finding out the Cleveland Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the World Series.
Fans of the Tribe get no love from the Golden State
"Man 3-1 sucks," Draymond Green after the Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the World Series.
No one speaks for Jaylen Brown other than Jaylen Brown
"I'm doing it because Jaylen Brown feels comfortable in short shorts," Jaylen Brown on why he wears short shorts.
The earth is what now?
"This is not even a conspiracy theory. The Earth is flat," Kyrie Irving.
"I don't know them, who?"
When your game is precise down to the name on the bottle
"I got to drink more Fiji water," Hassan Whiteside on dealing with cramps during a game.
Why watch the game on your off night when there's cartoons on?
"I was watching cartoons mate, some Japanese anime. 'One Piece,' it's about pirates. 'One Punch Man' is another classic," Steven Adams when asked whether he watched Spurs vs. Warriors the night before.
Noah backhand compliments The Cleve
"Congratulations on Cleveland. Even though it's not a vacation spot, you guys got a championship. It's well deserved," Joakim Noah.
Well if Gregg Popovich says to do it...
"I hate Steve Kerr. If he asks me anything I tell him to go urinate in a bucket," Gregg Popovich on whether he still gives Steve Kerr any coaching advice.
There is bad, and then there is debatably bad
"The beginning of the game was abominable. It was a Donald Trump debate performance," Rick Carlisle.
A Greek god has joined us on Earth to play
"When you're a Greek God when you go back to Greece, how does that make you feel... you are the Greek basketball God, you are the God of Greece," foreign reporter to Giannis Antetokounmpo after he hit a game-winner against the Knicks.
Imagine Twitter in the Michael Jordan era
"There would have been so many more slights. He might have won more titles," Steve Kerr on if Michael Jordan had to deal with Twitter noise during his career.
Philly fans trust the process
"It's nice. Sixers fans, they show that they trust the process," Joel Embiid on Sixers fans chanting for him while he was shooting free throws.
'Let's take this fight from IG to the court'
"Gonna cook your ass tomorrow," Joel Embiid posting on Chandler Parsons' Instagram before the Sixers played the Grizzlies.
Boogie doesn't dig the Beatles
"I don't even know who that is," DeMarcus Cousins on whether he attended Paul McCartney's concert in Sacramento.
Randolph shows his colors
"I'm like an iguana I adapt," Zach Randolph on shooting more threes this season.
Can we just give Philly a hug? All of Philly?
"I feel like the city, they deserve a hug too and they're going to get one with him," Brett Brown on Joel Embiid returning after being out two years due to injury.
James does make all of the rules in Cleveland
"Who am I to say who can or can't get a ring," LeBron James on the Cavs giving David Blatt a championship ring after he was fired in the middle of the 2015-16 season.
Always look for the best bargain while traveling
"It gives us a lot of opportunity to buy a lot of nice suits for cheap," Alvin Gentry on his team's trip to China during the preseason.
'Trust the process' Part II
"There is nobody, sadly, that has more experience dealing with injured draft picks than we do," Brett Brown after Ben Simmons' injury.
Riley remembers where the money comes from
"You've got to remember the integrity. You have to be impeccable with your word to the game, and that you can't really let anything else distract you from the platform in which 30 owners allow you to play, to win, to make a lot of money, to have a great future," Pat Riley on social media use from players.
Love ignores the hate
"I don't think it will ever leave but frankly, I don't give a s---," Kevin Love on people continuing to talk about his fit with the Cavaliers.
McRoberts is his own worst critic
"I'm a big white guy who gets hurt all the time. I wouldn't like me either," Josh McRoberts on criticism from fans.
Missing a friend in Tim Duncan
"His personality isn't here, jokes that he makes during practice, that's the things I'm missing right now," Kawhi Leonard on Tim Duncan.
Built to be bulletproof according to Iguodala
"There were some holes on our team, and we got a monster who fills them all," Andre Iguodala on the addition of Kevin Durant.
Tattoo what inspires you
"I know people looking at me weird having two men tattooed on my body, but that's two men who've inspired me," Kevin Durant on his Rick James and Tupac tattoos.
Historic news in a historical comfortable location
"I was in bed," Dion Waiters on where he was when Kevin Durant announced he was joining the Thunder.
There's always time for snow angels, Hill
"I'm here to play ball, not go outside and make snow angels," Jordan Hill on joining the Timberwolves.
Metta World Peace looks to Siri for answers
"Can somebody pull out their phone? Everybody has their phone out. Can somebody pull out their second phone? Whoever's not working. Let's see what Siri says. I'll answer your question in a moment. Siri is pretty unintelligent. Apple needs to upgrade. Success. I can spell it for you. For this team? Obviously you can to come out on top, and, actually, I changed the definition, to come out on top," Metta World Peace on the definition of success.
'You know what's cool? A billion wins'
"Quite frankly, I don't want to win 74 games, 75 games. It's brutal," Draymond Green.
The NBA vs. Silicon Valley
"Nobody complain when somebody leave Apple and go to Google," Draymond Green on people criticizing Kevin Durant for leaving the Thunder.
Rivers knows a winner when he sees one
"On another note... Russ might go Oscar next year. In this era that would be crazy," Austin Rivers predicting Russell Westbrook's historic season last summer.
Marcin Gortat takes the offseason seriously
"No, no I didn't study. I didn't study. I definitely didn't study in my five months off. Trust me. I ain't gonna bulls--- you here. I will study different things in the summer. The beach and the pool," Marcin Gortat on whether he studied new head coach Scott Brooks during the offseason.
Ask Hill a smart question and you'll get a smart answer
"Clothes," George Hill on what he can't travel without.
When you're gone, you're gone
"I haven't talked to him," Russell Westbrook at training camp on whether he and Kevin Durant are still cool.
Phil sets the bar (too) high for the Knicks
"Championship," Phil Jackson on what would constitute a successful season for the Knicks.
Steven Adams takes on an apprentice
"I kind of feel like a father. So, congratulations to me," Steven Adams on being a teacher to rookie Domantas Sabonis.
That's what friends are for
"Some days at night I can't sleep, and I just call him, and he sings me to sleep," Victor Oladipo on Russell Westbrook.
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