Basketball is basketball.
Oscar Robertson

But I like to think an athlete is an athlete.
Oscar Robertson

But I think the image that's thrown out on television is a bad image. Because you see players who want to imitate hip-hop stars. And the NBA is taking advantage of the situation.
Oscar Robertson

But if people are buying the products, naturally they're gonna use them.
Oscar Robertson

I don't blame David Stern because a player gets on the court and he doesn't put out competitively. No one can make you play if you don't want to play.
Oscar Robertson

I don't think that players learn how to play any other aspect of the game in high school or college.
Oscar Robertson

I think that basketball players should get the job done no matter how it looks on the screen.
Oscar Robertson

I think that everyone should be able to dribble. Everyone should be able to pass. Otherwise, why are you out there?
Oscar Robertson

I think that teaching coaches are the norm now.
Oscar Robertson

I was taught to play that way when I was in high school and even before I got to high school.
Oscar Robertson


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

If you're a basketball player, you've got to shoot.
Oscar Robertson

It's a sad commentary when I have to say that sometimes in our country we are real sensitive to race.
Oscar Robertson

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

Now, I guess, people want stars. People are trying to invent stars.
Oscar Robertson

Some players are more physical than others, some play with more finesse. Some are just really great all-around players. So you have to change your game.
Oscar Robertson

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

The thing about it is almost everyone could pass that way, but we were kept from doing it by our coaches.
Oscar Robertson

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

This is where young players today want to land. They want to be NBA players because of the money.
Oscar Robertson