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Let me go back quickly to a comfortable analogy for me and that’s sports. Basketball! And I use it because you are naïve if you don’t see a full court press from the national level picking away right now. A … good point guard here’s what she does: she drives through a full court press pro … tecting the ball, keeping her head … up because she needs to keep her eye on the basket and she knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can win and that is what I’m doing – keeping our eye on the ball that represents sound priorities remember they include energy independence and smaller government and national security and freedom and I know when it's time to pass the ball … for victory. Sarah Palin, on her resignation 3rd July 2009
I’m not comfortable being preachy, but more people need to start spending as much time in the library as they do on the basketball court. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
I tell kids to pursue their basketball dreams, but I tell them to not let that be their only dream. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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. Michael Jordan
The game of basketball has been everything to me. My place of refuge, place I’ve always gone where I needed comfort and peace. It’s been the site of intense pain and the most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. It’s a relationship that has evolved over time, given me the greatest respect and love for the game. Michael Jordan
It’s a heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody. My job was to go out there and play the game of basketball as best I can and provide entertainment for everyone who wanted to watch basketball. Obviously, people may not agree with that; again, I can’t live with what everyone’s impression of what I should or what I shouldn’t do. Michael Jordan
There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, and I don’t believe there is only one greatest player either. Michael Jordan
When I was young, I had to learn the fundamentals of basketball. You can have all the physical ability in the world, but you still have to know the fundamentals. Michael Jordan
To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don’t isolate. Michael Jordan
I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don’t do things halfheartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect halfhearted results. Micheal Jordan
The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can’t let yourself be beat because of lack of effort. Michael Jordan
‘And now I want to play in the NBA like anybody would want to be.’ Steve James, Hoop Dreams, 14 year old William Gates, 1994
‘He dreams about it.’ ibid. Arthur’s mother
Several days later Earl takes Arthur and his family on a recruiting visit. ibid.
‘I could have been a good college player. Most likely I’d have made it to the pros, you know.’ ibid. Arthur Bo Agee
Like Isiah Thomas before them, both Arthur and William make a three-hour round trip each day between the city and St Joseph’s. ibid.
Arthur wins the starting point-guard position on the freshmen team. ibid.
William beings his freshmen season on St Joe’s varsity, the top-ranked squad in the state. ibid.
Arthur also entered St Joe’s on a fourth or fifth grade level. ibid.
Despite the loss William’s gutty performance bodes well for next year. ibid.
Finally, with the Agees owing $1,500 in back payments, St Joe’s forced Arthur to leave the school. ibid.
After twenty years of marriage Arthur’s dad leaves the family. ibid.
‘Just a regular guy on the streets now.’ ibid. Curtis Gates
Arthur’s season finished well, and he has high hopes to play for the varsity next year. ibid.
Junior year – Arthur makes varsity for the Marshall Commandos. Back home the family’s troubles have worsened. ibid.
Arthur’s dad Bo rejoins the family. ibid.
At the prestigious Nike camp William hopes to prove the injuries are behind him and he belongs among the nation’s best. ibid.
Two months after his eighteenth birthday Arthur is cut off public aid. ibid.
Only Arthur seems un-intimidated by the Jaguars. ibid.
MVP 1990/91 season: William Gates. ibid.
After five attempts William’s composite score of 17.5 is rounded up to 18 and he can finally accept a scholarship to play at Marquette. ibid.
One week before his graduation Arthur is robbed at gunpoint. ibid.
‘I want to do other things with my life too.’ ibid. William
‘I should have said to them, If I don’t make it, well don’t you forget about me.’ ibid.
I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow. I just know for sure I’m going to keep playing basketball. Kevin Durant
I treated it like every day was my last day with a basketball. LeBron James
March is a month without mercy for rabid basketball fans. There is no such thing as a ‘gentleman gambler’ when the Big Dance rolls around. All sheep will be fleeced, all fools will be punished severely ... There are no Rules when the deal goes down in the final weeks of March. Even your good friends will turn into monsters. Hunter S Thompson
I am more than just a serious basketball fan. I am a life-long addict. I was addicted from birth, in fact, because I was born in Kentucky and I learned, early on, that Habitual Domination was a natural way of life. Hunter S Thompson
I have to tell you, I’m proudest of my life off the court. There will always be great basketball players who bounce that little round ball, but my proudest moments are affecting people’s lives, effecting change, being a role model in the community. Magic Johnson
My father made me who I am. He gave me a basketball and told me to play with the ball, sleep with the ball, dream with the ball. Just don’t take it to school. I used it as a pillow, and it never gave me a stiff neck. Shaquille O’Neal
Basketball is one of those rare opportunities where you can make a difference, not only for yourself, but for other people as well. Bill Walton
If you’re a basketball player and you don’t stop and take pictures with your fans, you can have an amazing game and everyone still loves you. Kim Kardashian
All at once, I couldn’t figure out why I was methodically tossing a spherical object through a toroidal object. It seemed like the stupidest thing I could possibly be doing. John Green
Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team. Scottie Pippen
The game of basketball is a game of accepting failure; of accepting imperfection; of realizing that the perfect game has never been played, never will be played, or ever could be played. Tony Alfonso
In the late 80s … they used to call it European Dream Team. Once Brothers, Vlade, ESPN 2010
Overnight the friendship we had disappeared. ibid.
Yugoslavia World Champions 1990 in Argentina. ibid. caption
My generation had only seen peace. ibid. Vlade
There was a generation of young stars from all over Yugoslavia. ibid.
Drazen Petrovic: he was our idol. ibid.
The Mafia fixing college basketball games. Playing for the Mob, ESPN 2014
Henry Hill, who answered to this guy, Jimmy Burke … a cold blooded killer; so imagine getting mixed up with these wise guys: that’s just what happened to some college kids playing basketball in Boston. ibid.