Quotes about teammate (26 quotes) | Quotes of famous people

“I can’t believe how fast 20 years went by. I mean, this is crazy… To be standing here, standing on the court with my teammates behind me, and appreciate this journey that we’ve been along… I grew up a die heart—I mean it—a die heart Laker fan. Die heart. I mean, I knew everything about every players’ that had played here. So, to be drafted, and then traded to this organization, and to spend 20 years here, I mean, you can’t write something better than this… The thing that had me crackin’ me up all night long was, in fact, I go though 20 years of everybody screaming, ‘pass the ball!’ and I was like, ‘No passing!’ (laugh)… (I also have to thank) my family: my wife, Vanessa, my daughters, Natalia and Gianna. Thank you guys for your sacrifice… What can I say? Mamba Out!”

Kobe Bryant (1978–2020) American basketball player

A speech after Bryant's last game, 13 April 2016, posted on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg0mxPXIpLY&t=5s.

Family , Night , Daughters , Heart

“Wilt had to fight people's dissatisfaction that his teams didn't win. There he was, this great dominating player, and his teams didn't win championships. Well, Wilt wasn't playing for the right team. As an individual, he was in a class by himself, but his teammates--they were OK, but not the supporting cast Russell had.”

Wilt Chamberlain (1936–1999) basketball player

citation needed
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Chamberlain

People , Support , Fight

“On the trip to Russia with the Harlem Globetrotters, we were in Lenin Stadium, and they assigned a dressing room to the team. The players were getting dressed for one of their games. They were in rather close quarters. Remember, these were young kids-Wilt was 23. The others were his age. They were like kittens. You bump me, i'll bump you back. And before you know it, two of the guys set on Wilt. They started playfully pushing and shoving him. And finally one of his teammates hit Wilt a little too hard. He took these two guys, twisted each of their shirts, and lifted both of them off the ground. Each of these guys weighed over 200 pounds. It looked like he had two little crackers in his hands. I thought he was going to hit their heads together. It was an amazing demonstration of strength.”

Wilt Chamberlain (1936–1999) basketball player

Dr. Stan Lorber, team doctor on the Globetrotters' Russian trip
Strength

Age , Guy , Game

“I want to thank my teammates for being a bunch of swell guys. I want to thank Branch Rickey for giving me the opportunity of playing baseball. Most of all I want to thank the people of Pittsburgh whose encouragement helped me win this award. They deserve the best.”

Roberto Clemente (1934–1972) Puerto Rican baseball player

From the Dapper Dan Award acceptance speech given on February 4, 1962, as quoted in "CHANGE OF PACE: Clemente Holds His Own as a Speaker'" by Bill Nunn, Jr., in The New Pittsburgh Courier (February 17, 1962)
Baseball-related, <big><big>1960s</big></big>, <big>1962</big>

People , Guy , Help

“We have reached the bottom of the 9th inning, and now it is happening, what we normally experience at any ballpark when a visiting pitcher is so close to greatness, even the hometown fans come to root for him. He has come too far, he has journeyed too long to drop it.
(With 2 out) Chris Gwynn standing at the plate, Dennis Martinez delivers…Fastball hit JUST foul along the third base line. Foul by a foot, and now the crowd seems to be inspired. It's as if they take it as a sure sign that Dennis will get what he wants, and what he wants is suddenly what they want. 47,224 on their feet. One pitch away from a pitcher's absolute Nirvana. The pitcher's dream: A perfect game. Dennis Martinez ready, here's the pitch…Popped deep in the air to center field, going deep on it is Marquis Grissom, he's got it on the track!
(Crowd cheers)
Dennis Martinez getting mobbed by his teammates on this 28th of July, 1991, 3:22 pm in the afternoon. Dennis Martinez has reached the ultimate, a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nothing scratchy, nothing flukey, it was a masterpiece! And with tears pouring down his cheeks, he goes down the steps and into the Expo dugout. What a game!”

Vin Scully (1927) American sports broadcaster

Dennis Martinez's perfect game at Dodger Stadium, July 28, 1991, based off of video on mlb.com

Dreams , Angels , Game , Tear

“Nor was my attendance at the Polo Grounds limited to baseball games. I sat in the lower left field stands to watch the championship professional football game between the undefeated Chicago Bears led by Bronc Nagurski and the New York Giants. Because the field was so icy slick—the temperature dipped to four degrees above zero that Sunday afternoon—the Giants' owner Wellington Mara had a minion at halftime break into Manhattan College's gymnasium and steal the school's basketball sneakers. Clad in sneakers and suddenly able to keep from sliding all over the joint, the Giants turned a 13-3 deficit into a 30-13 victory. All this despite an advisory to his teammates from a former Chicago linebacker named George Halas, "Step on their toes! Step on their toes!"”

Arnold Hano (1922) American writer

From his Foreword https://books.google.com/books?id=jF7v30gqs_0C&pg=PA8&dq=%22Nor+was+my+attendance%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAGoVChMIr7rJg_3UxwIVRDc-Ch0APQ6M#v=onepage&q=%22Nor%20was%20my%20attendance%22&f=false to The Early Polo Grounds
Sports-related

School , Game , Victory , Football

“I'd not only be cheating myself, but I'd be cheating my teammates if I continued to make the money that I was making and wasn't producing or putting out to the level of payment that I was receiving. That's just me.”

Marshall Faulk (1973) All-American college football player, professional football player, running back, Pro Football Hall of Fame memb…

The Seattle Times 2005-09-08.

Money , Cheating

“A new concept and a new method were needed. The concept from the engineering standpoint is the evolution of the engineering scientist, i. e., the scientific generalist who maintains a broad outlook. The method is that of the team approach. On large-scale-system problems, teams of scientists and engineers, generalists as well as specialists, exert their joint efforts to find a solution and physically realize it.
We are led to the concept of the system-design team, a small group of engineers or scientists, to lead a large project and organize the system effort. Such men have been variously called engineering scientists, system engineers, system analysts, or large-scale-system designers. The technique has been variously called the systems approach or the team development method. It is toward this man and his teammates that these discussions are directed. With the realization that not enough can be learned in all the required fields to make him a specialist, enough is introduced to make him aware of the language and problems of the specialist. This generalist is a new quantity in the engineering world, and his education must be begun.”

Robert E. Machol (1917–1998) American systems engineer

Source: System Engineering (1957), p. 8

Men , World , Education , Problem

“[to a teammate, who just shot at him] "I[t]—Don't shoot me!" [chuckles] "What's wrong with you?"”

TotalBiscuit (1984–2018) British game commentator

WTF Is…? series, Insurgency (standalone) (January 29, 2014)

“He takes off his cap. He mops his brow. He looks in and gets the sign. He starts the windup. Here's the pitch and it's … A STRIKE CALLED! A NO-HITTER FOR GIBSON! Simmons roars to the mound, embraces Gibson who is engulfed by his teammates as the Cardinals win the game, 11–0!”

Jack Buck (1924–2002) American sportscaster

Calling the final out of Bob Gibson's 1971 no-hitter. Gibson struck out Willie Stargell to secure the only no-hitter of his legendary career.
1970s

Game

“As a military professional, I knew that the most important element is trust- the vision had to be built on trust. The very basis for why soldiers fight the way they do is the trust they have in their teammates, their fellow soldiers. It's usually less dramatic off the battlefield but still equally important. Without trust in each other and trust in the institution, you will not be able to realize your vision.”

Ann E. Dunwoody (1953) U.S. Army, first four-star general in U.S. military history

Source: A Higher Standard (2015), p. 191

Way , Fight

“I was with the [Quebec] Citadelles. We had four defensemen. One couldn't skate backwards. Another couldn't turn to his left. The others were slow. It was a case of me having to go and get the puck when it was shot into our end because our defense couldn't get there fast enough. The more I did it, the farther I went. It seemed to be the best thing to do, so I did it and it worked." Plante continued, "Possession of the puck is number one. That's all I'm doing—getting control until one of my teammates comes along."”

Jacques Plante (1929–1986) Canadian ice hockey player

Plante refers to his puck-handling ability.
Quoted in Kevin Shea, "One on One with Jacques Plante," http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/spot_oneononep197802.htm Legends of Hockey.net (2005-05-24)

“My coaches and teammates really trusted me and gave me a chance to improve. They would come to me after a game I didn't score and say, 'Hey, don't worry about it. Next game you'll score.' The guys were great. It's an unbelievable team. It feels like home for me.”

Alexander Ovechkin (1985) Russian ice hockey player

The Canadian Press (June 23, 2006) "Ovechkin captures Calder Trophy; Russian sniper picked over Cole Harbour's Crosby", The Chronicle Herald, p. C4.

Guy , Feeling , Home , Game

“That's a great question, Brandon, and a vice-president has a really great job because not only are they there to support the president's agenda, they're there like the team member, the teammate to the president. But also, they're in charge of the United States Senate, so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom. And it's a great job and I look forward to having that job.”

Sarah Palin (1964) American politician

Responding to a question from a Colorado 3rd grader about what the US Vice President does; October 20, 2008. http://www.thestar.com/News/USElection/article/522891
2014

Life , Family , Question , Support

“I noticed an immediate difference and so did my friends and teammates. My body composition changed — my body fat went down, my lean muscle went up, and I got stronger. I could also run faster and my recovery time improved.”

Griff Whalen (1990) American Football player

About his switch to a vegan diet. "NFL Player Griff Whalen on the Perks of Being a Plant-Powered Athlete", interview with ForksOverKnives.com (15 December 2016) https://www.forksoverknives.com/nfl-player-griff-whalen-perks-plant-powered-athlete/#gs.FZBR210.

Change , Time

“1) Never go offside on a three on two or two on one.
2) Never go backwards in your own end except on a powerplay.
3) Never throw a puck out blindly from behind your opponent's net.
4) Never pass diagonally across ice in your own end unless 100 percent certain.
5) Wings on wings in neutral zone—unless intercepting a pass.
6) Second man goes all the way in for a rebound.
7) Defense with puck at opponents' blueline—look at each teammate before shooting.
8) Wing in front of opponents' net must face puck and lean on stick.
9) Puck carrier over center with no room and no one to pass to must shoot puck in.
10) No forward must ever turn his back on the puck.
11) No player must be more than two zones away from puck.
12) Never be outnumbered in defensive zone.
13) On delayed penalty puck carrier must look for extra man.
14) Be alert to time left on opponent's penalty.”

Fred Shero (1925–1990) Former ice hockey player and coach

Shero's "bible"
Flyers Hall of Fame Profile, Flyers History, 2012-07-26 http://www.flyershistory.net/cgi-bin/hofprof.cgi?007,

Penalty , Way , Time

“You do have your teammates behind you: your fullback and your halfback, and that’s only because they have to be.”

Shannon Sharpe (1968) Player of American football

On quarterback Kyle Boller, Scout.com: More Sharpe criticism for Boller http://ravens.scout.com/2/469290.html?refid=3638

“When thou was a player, I didn't expect my teammates to play the way I did. I did expect them to work hard hard every day and get better. And I never learned anything by losing.”

Larry Bird (1956) basketball player and coach

Don Wade (October 18, 1997) "A Bird on the Bench is Worth 12,252 In Roberts Stadium Seats", The Evansville Courier, p. C1.

Way , Learning

“The importance of teammates is the thing I appreciate the most from those years. I was a lucky guy. There is nothing better than good teammates. I don't care what anybody says, you can't do it alone. It takes a good team for you to be a good player, and the same goes for playing on a bad team.”

Phil Esposito (1942) Canadian ice hockey player

I see Vincent Lecavalier play all the time. He gives it his all, but it comes down to your teammates,
Quoted in Andrew Podnieks, "One on One with Phil Esposito," http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/spot_oneononep198401.htm Legends of Hockey.net (2002-02-18).
Esposito refers to his playing years.

Guy

“Commitment is a big part of what I am and what I believe. How committed are you to winning? How committed are you to being a good friend? To being trustworthy? To being successful? How committed are you to being a good father, a good teammate, a good role model? There's that moment every morning when you look in the mirror: Are you committed, or are you not?”

LeBron James (1984) American basketball player

Parting , Success

“His real talent lay above his shoulders. His was easily the hockey brain of the century. He could see a field the way a chess player sees the board. He knew where his teammates were, and more importantly where his opponents were - without looking. It was almost psychic.”

Dhyan Chand (1905–1979) Indian field hockey player

Dhyan Chand (a biographical sketch)

Way , Hockey

“Javon Ringer is a special player and a special young man. He has incredible heart and courage. After suffering what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury, Javon willed himself back onto the playing field. He worked his tail off, so he could go to the field and compete with his teammates.”

Javon Ringer (1987) All-American college football player, professional football player, running back

Former MSU coach John L. Smith, quoted here http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112106aaa.html

Courage , Suffering , Season , Heart

“Let’s say he scored a goal a la Baggio, a la Maradona. He took the ball in midfield, dribbled 3-4 teammates of mine. He’s good, what can I say?”

Alessandro Del Piero (1974) Italian former professional footballer

Giuseppe Taglialatela, the former SSC Napoli keeper recalls a goal conceded from Del Piero, DepositFiles.com http://depositfiles.com/en/files/1234/%5BSFIDE%5D-Speciale+Alessandro+Del+Piero_sampy14.avi.html

“I grew up in Kentucky so that's the land of casseroles and barbecue and meat. So when I transitioned over to an entirely plant-based diet, I wasn't sure if I was gonna survive. And I actually became like a machine. […] I just immediately started feeling like I could go kick ass and not need the recovery in between. It was mind-blowing to my teammates. […] I was about ready to retire, as I should've been, because I'm like 35 at that time. But I just kept getting better, and so they had to take me to the Olympics. We were complete underdogs as Team USA. In our semi-final ride against Australia, we were down by 1.7 seconds. No one's ever come back in team pursuit from a deficit that large. And we beat them on the line by eight one-hundredths of a second. I was 39 and a half years old when I stood on the Olympic podium. I'm still the oldest person, male or female, to even go to the Olympic Games in my event. My diet was the most powerful aspect to me being able to perform and produce for the US team at the Olympic Games.”

Dotsie Bausch (1973) cyclist

Interview in the documentary-film The Game Changers by Louie Psihoyos (2018).

Personality , Game , Time , Feeling

“Why do I continue getting daily pliability? Because I want to play football for as long as possible. I love my sport. I love my teammates. I love what i do... to me, sustained peak performance means doing what i want to do, and what I love to do, for as long as I can.”

Tom Brady (1977) American football quarterback

The TB12 Method (2017) p. 73

Sport , Love , Football

“Don’t be scared to live your faith. When I was young and went on my first trip I was hesitant to speak up and say that I wanted to go to Mass. When I stuck to it and showed that I lived my faith I got respect from my teammates.”

Rebecca Dussault (1980) American cross-country skier

Faith, Family and the Slopes: An Interview with Rebecca Dussault https://catholicexchange.com/faith-family-and-the-slopes-an-interview-with-rebecca-dussault (4 May 2016)

Faith