80+ Best Basketball Captions and NBA Quotes to Up Your Hoops Game

Being such a fast-paced sport, basketball games provide many opportunities to share incredible moments! No matter if you play or are a big fan of the game, we’ve curated more than 80 of the best basketball captions and quotes to share. Keep scrolling for captions that are perfect to use all basketball season, from college basketball to the NBA.

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Best Basketball Captions

Basketball is one of the most played sports around the world. Invented back in 1891, it’s been beloved ever since. Use these basketball captions for your Instagram posts about the game:

• Keep calm and basketball on
• 99% basketball. 1% everything else
• Nothing but swish
• Basketball is life, everything else is an interruption
• Every shot counts
• He shoots, he scores!
• Get your swerve on
• Dribble, pass, shoot
• No air, no chance!
• Touch every part of the court
• Foul shots win ball games

Cute Basketball Instagram Captions

Writer’s block on your latest basketball post? You’ll swish and score all the likes when you pair your snaps with these cute basketball captions!

• Dunk like Jordan
• Sleep. Basketball. Repeat.
• Got hoop?
• Fake left, go right
• Dribble with your head up
• Dibs on the coach
• It’s basketball o’clock
• Sorry you have to guard me, hope you taped your ankles
• Never underestimate a girl who plays basketball
• Jesus, coffee and basketball
• Stand tall, talk small, play ball
• Play ‘til the clock says 0:00

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Instagram Captions for Basketball Players

Catch your followers’ attention during your next game of hoops with these great basketball captions specifically written for members of the team:

• Play hard, play smart, play together
• Teamwork makes the dream work
• Eat, sleep, play basketball
• We don’t let anything slide
• Wish together, swish together
• Defend and dominate!
• Respect all, fear none
• You play the way you practice
• It takes a player to shoot a shot. But it takes a team to win a game.
• If you’re not hurting, you’re not playing hard enough
• Foul shots win games
• Practice like you’ve never won. Play like you’ve never lost.

Inspirational Basketball Captions

Lessons learned on the court can get you through many of the ups and downs of life! All Instagram captions are not created equal. These inspirational captions are the perfect pairing for your many snaps of the game:

• You miss 100% of the shots you never take
• Be so good they can’t ignore you
• I’ll quit competing when my heart stops beating
• Attitude is everything
• Good things happen to those who hustle
• Basketball is in our blood
• Chase greatness
• Define before you defend
• There’s no ‘I’ in team
• Live life under the rim

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Funny Basketball Captions

Showcasing your basketball skills? Or lack thereof? These funny basketball captions will have your followers laughing as they scroll through your Instagram feed:

• Make the rim shake
• The ball is mine, get your own
• When in doubt, shoot
• A day without basketball is like…just kidding, I have no idea
• My brain is 90% basketball stats
• Basketball is my girlfriend
• Let the madness begin
• Yes, I am tall. No I don’t play basketball.
• Let the madness begin
• You don’t scare me, I coach girls’ basketball
• I don’t always roll a joint, but when I do, it’s my ankle

Quotes About Basketball

Basketball is known for the great personalities of the players. Some are universally beloved (Kobe Bryant), and some are controversial (Bobby Knight). All have provided us with the best basketball quotes about the game:

• “Basketball isn’t just a sport. It is an art, one that must be mastered to succeed.” – Steph Curry
• “It is not how big you are, it’s how big you play.” – John Wooden
• “Practice like you’ve never won. Play like you’ve never lost.” – Michael Jordan
• Basketball is like photography, if you don’t focus, all you have is the negative.- Dan Frisby
• “The moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win.” – Kobe Bryant
• “Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat.” – Dean Smith
• “You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball. “- Bobby Knight
• “The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.” – Charles Barkley
• “Our offense is like the Pythagorean Theorem. There is no answer.” – Shaquille O’Neal
• “Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” – Michael Jordan
• “Don’t ever forget that you play with your soul as well as your body.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• “All the successful teams I’ve ever seen have three characteristics: They play unselfish, they play together, and they play hard.“ – Larry Brown
• “A key basketball skill is imagery. The best players “see” situations before they happen so they can be prepared” – Dr. Jack Ramsay

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More Basketball Quotes

These players put the game of basketball in simple terms that we can all relate to. We’ve gathered some of the most inspirational basketball quotes in one place to use as captions or on t-shirts:

• “If you love the game, nobody can take that from you.” – Michael Jordan
• “I always wanted to be a basketball player. Nothing more, nothing less. – Dirk Nowitzki
• “I’m not against taking shots, but I am against taking bad shots.” – Hank Iba
• “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” – Kevin Durant
• “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
• “My greatest gift that I have in life is basketball.” – Isaiah Thomas
• “Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” – Heywood Broun
• “If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.” – Kobe Bryant
• “If you think small things don’t matter, think of the last game you lost by one point.” – Anonymous
• “It’s not just about points. It’s about winning.” – Elena Delle Donne
• “You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.” – Bobby Knight
• “Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique”– Jeff Van Gundy

If you love these basketball captions, you’ll also love our best football captions and best hockey captions!