Quote

I'd like to think that the nature of the two teams - Boston being a championship team over the years and the Lakers, same thing - was a lot bigger than Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.

Oscar Robertson

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Oscar Robertson
Age: 85
Born: 1938
Born: November 24
Basketball Coach
Basketball Player
The Big O
Oscar Palmer Robertson
Thinking
Bigger
Lakers
Like
Magic
Larry
Team
Johnson
Nature
Teams
Two
Boston
Thing
Championship
Years
Basketball
Think
Bird

More quotes by Oscar Robertson

Image
I think no one has written a history of the great coaches who were around 30 to 40 years ago who taught the fundamentals.
Oscar Robertson
Image
When I started playing, I wasn't fast, I was gangly, my jumpshot was terrible.
Oscar Robertson
Image
People say that, but I think the NBA was bigger than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
Oscar Robertson
Image
But I like to think an athlete is an athlete.
Oscar Robertson
Image
I think that everyone should be able to dribble. Everyone should be able to pass. Otherwise, why are you out there?
Oscar Robertson
Image
When you play against different people from all walks of life you can't do the same thing against every player defensively or offensively. You have to change up the way you go at a player.
Oscar Robertson
Image
But after that you don't see a lot of real good fundamental play. You see a showboat-type basketball which is almost parallel to street basketball.
Oscar Robertson
Image
I don't know hardly any of the players who have the in-between game like me, who can go to any position on the court.
Oscar Robertson
Image
You've got to learn the footwork, the positioning, how to box out, how to pass, how to shoot your free throws. All these things are necessary, not to be the No. 1 player in the world, but maybe you can play against him.
Oscar Robertson
Image
I played when I played, and played, I think, against the greatest players in the greatest time in the history of basketball.
Oscar Robertson
Image
We're all Americans trying to compete. Magic was competing for his team and Larry for his team.
Oscar Robertson
Image
When you go into a game on offense, you make a couple moves and see what the defender is going to do. Then you pretty much can figure out what he is going to do against you - whether he carries his hands low or high, whether he is bumping or pushing, those type of things.
Oscar Robertson
Image
I think that basketball players should get the job done no matter how it looks on the screen.
Oscar Robertson
Image
Look, I think you should promote the game, but I think you should make it what it ought to be. Not some kind of a side-show.
Oscar Robertson
Image
It's like all guys want to do is make a dunk, grab their shirt and yell out and scream - they could be down 30 points but that's what they do. Okay, so you made a dunk. Get back down the floor on defense!
Oscar Robertson
Image
They should have a rule: in order to be a sportswriter, you have to have played that sport, at some level high school, college, junior college, somewhere. Or, you should have had to have been around the game for a long time.
Oscar Robertson
Image
The Olympics were great, because you had to make the team, and then go to the games. Now, I don't know, these guys today don't want to do anything like that.
Oscar Robertson
Image
But when I did it (the triple-double), I didn't even know it until someone told me.
Oscar Robertson
Image
The triple-double is just a stat. It's a test of your strength and stamina and playing ability, really.
Oscar Robertson
Image
There's so many young peoople who start to play basketball and never learn the fundamentals.
Oscar Robertson