The 25 most famous NBA quotes of all time

This MJ nugget, from a famous Nike ad, has become a go-to inspirational quote about perseverance and the necessity of failure. The full quote: "I've missed more than 9,000 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."

This one needs no introduction, so here's just a snippet of one of the most famous press conferences in NBA history: "We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're in here talking about practice. I mean, listen, we're talking about practice. Not a game! Not a game! Not a game! We're talking about practice. Not a game; not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last, not the game, we're talking about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that? We're talking about practice."

Bird is one of the all-time great trash talkers, and that even extended to All-Star Weekend. Before the 1988 three-point contest, he walked into the locker room and asked, "So who's coming in second?" Bird has since said he was joking when he made the remark, but the quote has nevertheless endured.

This is one of the best examples of trash talk ever. With nine seconds left in Game 1 of the 1997 Finals, which was played on a Sunday, Karl Malone, aka "The Mailman," was at the free-throw line. Pippen said to him, "The Mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays." Malone missed both shots, and the Bulls won the game.

More of a saying than a quote, the line is a go-to when Breen is calling a game, and there's a huge late-game moment. Sometimes, he'll even bust out a rare "double bang" when the situation is particularly dramatic. Over the years, a Breen "bang" has become one of the most iconic calls in all of sports.

Barkley is one of the most quotable NBA players, or just athletes in general, of all time. The one that perhaps resonates the most, though, comes from the "Dream Team" era. When the US Olympic basketball team was preparing to face Angola, Barkley shared his legendary summary: "I don't know anything about Angola, but Angola's in trouble."

"The Decision," the TV special where LeBron revealed his decision to leave the Cavs and join the Heat, was widely maligned. Regardless, the way he phrased the news, "I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and play for the Miami Heat," has stuck with people, and the "take my talents" phrasing is frequently referenced in the sports world.

For the record, MJ didn't actually say, "and I took that personally" in the Last Dance documentary (though one actual quote was, "It became personal with me"). But, that phrase did become a huge meme as the docuseries took over the sports landscape in 2020. Jordan has a long history of being a meme, and this was one of the biggest examples.

While accepting the MVP award in 2014, Durant got emotional while speaking about all his mother had done for him to help him achieve his success. Tearfully, he ended his speech by saying, "You the real MVP." Aside from being a beautiful and heartfelt moment, it also became a meme, with people recontextualizing the phrase to pay tribute to people who do more mundane things, like sharing their Netflix accounts or giving out full-size candy bars on Halloween.

The 1983 76ers were essentially unstoppable. Moses certainly had confidence in his crew, as he famously predicted his team would sweep the three rounds of the playoffs by saying, "Fo', Fo', Fo'." His prognostication nearly came true, as Philly only lost one game that postseason on the way to a championship.

After years in the league, years of never achieving the ultimate goal in Minnesota, Garnett left the Timberwolves to team up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen in Boston. In 2008, KG helped guide the team to a championship. Overcome with emotion, Garnett screamed his famous line during an on-court interview: "Anything is possible!"

This one isn't necessarily a Rasheed original, as the saying apparently stems from playground basketball games. 'Sheed definitely helped popularize it on a larger scale, though. It's become a part of basketball culture more generally: When a player you fouled misses a free throw, that's when you bust out a big ol' "ball don't lie."

While talking with Christian Wood on Inside The NBA, Shaq told the young player, "I owe you an apology: I wasn't really familiar with your game." The quote itself is relatively innocuous, but the internet ran with it, and it has become a massive meme. An image of Shaq and the quote is regularly used to react to instances of people and things going above expectations.

During his peak in Boston, Walker led the league in three-point attempts for three straight seasons. His reasoning for taking so many long-range shots was legendary. When asked why he shot so many threes, he replied, "Because there are no 4's."

Scalabrine was never a star in the NBA, but he did ultimately enjoy an 11-season career, which is more than the vast majority of players can say. Still, he became a bit of a punching bag, with fans speculating that they could beat Scalabrine in one-on-one. Scal came through with a great quote, though, to remind people of how big the gap is between amateurs and even the least-acclaimed NBA players: "I'm closer to LeBron than you are to me."

A modern classic: On Twitter, McCollum shared his thoughts about players joining superteams to try to win championships. One user responded, "Win a playoff game then talk." McCollum, taking note of her name, replied, "I'm trying, Jennifer."

Shaq is undeniably one of the most dominant players of his generation and of all time. There was one glaring flaw in his game, though: He wasn't a great, or even an average, shooter, especially from the free-throw line. As the ever-quotable O'Neal once put it, though, "Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God's way to say nobody's perfect."

KD popularized a slight rephrasing of a quote often attributed to high school basketball coach Tim Notke. It's a succinct way of saying that effort is more important than talent: a person who isn't as naturally skilled but works hard will have more success than a naturally talented person who is lazy.

Even Wade, one of the most successful and skilled NBA players of all time, has faced doubters. He has a mantra, though, that reminds him that it doesn't matter what others think because of his supreme confidence in himself: "My belief is stronger than your doubt."

West is one of the greatest ever. Presumably, he didn't get there by taking shortcuts or skipping the necessary steps when he didn't feel like taking them. His quote is a reminder that attaining success requires nonstop dedication.

Hearn, a long-time commentator for the Lakers, had one of the best catchphrases ever. When the game was in its final moments, but the outcome was no longer in doubt, he would solidify that by busting out a colorful bit of prose. It was some variation of, "The game's in the refrigerator, the door's closed, the light's out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard, and the jello's jigglin'."

It takes a lot of work to be successful. Most of that work happens alone, outside of the big moments. Lillard has a great perspective on that: "If you want to look good in front of thousands, you have to outwork thousands in front of nobody."

Russell was probably the winningest basketball player ever, but he was also a civil rights leader and a thoughtful guy. He had an interesting way of seeing the world, especially when it came to his perspective on winning (which, again, he did a ton of). He summed it up in a quote: "Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory."

Jackson is one of the most thoughtful coaches in NBA history, and he has long been eager to share the wisdom he has accumulated; His memoir, Eleven Rings, is often cited as a terrific book about leadership. One of Phil's nuggets: "Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the 'me' for the 'we'."

In recent years, the Celtics and 76ers have regularly been two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. When they go head-to-head, though, the Celtics tend to come away with the win. Embiid recognized this, as when asked about the rivalry between the squads, he insisted it wasn't one since the Celtics, in his words, "always kick our ass."