Great basketball captions can bring your photos, signs, or posters to life. We’ve been collecting our favorites over the years and have now put them together on one page.
Many of the captions below elevate the game of hoops to reflect life as a whole. And lessons learned on the court can indeed you through the ups and downs of life. So, have a look, and see which caption works best for you. Have some fun with it.
Best Basketball Captions
1.) Altitude is attitude.
2.) Dreams don’t work unless you do.
3.) Defend until the end.
4.) Run as One!
5.) Basketball is my favorite season.
6.) Some wish for it. We work for it.
7.) I swish you were here.
8.) Be so good they can’t ignore you.
9.) Let’s bounce.
10.) Teamwork makes the dream work.
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Good Basketball Captions
11.) Defend, destroy, and dominate.
12.) Rip City!
13.) Hustle and heart set us apart.
14.) You can’t spell awesome without me.
15.) My game is sick. Too bad it ain’t contagious.
16.) Game on.
See The Doctor is in: Julius Erving.
17.) Win the last game.
18.) Never back down.
19.) All things are difficult before they are easy.
20.) Elevate Your Game.
21.) The Time is Now.
22.) Just Us.
23.) Ball Don’t Lie.
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24.) Nobody trains to be backup.
25.) Actions speak louder than your coaches.
26.) Let the Madness begin.
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Basketball Instagram Captions
27.) Reach for the sky, or don’t even try.
28.) Get your swish on.
29.) Live. Love. Hoops.
30.) Nothing but net.
31.) Big Man, Big Dreams.
32.) Dropping Dimes.
33.) It’s not how you start but how you finish.
34.) We got next.
35.) Posterizing since 2016.
36.) Crunch-Time Master.
37.) Rainmaker.
38.) Never Stop.
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39.) You wish you could shoot like a girl.
40.) Go hard or go home.
41.) Crossover Queen (Or King).
42.) I love basketball.
43.) Play like a Champion.
44.) Sorry, you have to guard me; I hope you taped your ankles.
45.) Respect all, fear none.
46.) Never underestimate the old guy.
47.) Aim higher, dream bigger.
48.) Today’s forecast: 100% chance of winning.
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49.) Where Amazing Happens!
50.) If, at first, you don’t succeed, it’s because of me.
51.) Winners train; losers complain.
52.) May all your swishes come true.
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53.) Don’t worry. We’re still wearing our warm-ups.
54.) Victory requires payment in advance.
55.) Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.
56.) Play smart, play hard, and play together.
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Funny Basketball Captions
57.) Forget about it, princess. Not even Cinderella is getting to this ball.
58.) Intensity is not a perfume.
59.) The more we sweat, the luckier we get.
60.) There’s no elevator to success. Take the stairs.
61.) Don’t make excuses; make your shots.
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Inspirational
62.) Whatever it takes.
63.) A team above all. Above all, a team.
64.) Take it to the hoop.
65.) Championships are won at practice.
66.) No fear, no excuses, no limits.
67.) Believe and achieve.
68.) Your loss is my game.
69.) Game on!
70.) Leave nothing on the court.
71.) Be legendary!
72.) The harder you work, the harder it is to lose.
73.) Winners never stop proving it.
74.) Be the player their coach warned them about.
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75.) Whatever it takes.
76.) Grind together; shine together.
77.) Create your future.
78.) Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.
79.) You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
80.) Winner stays!
81.) If no one thinks you can, then you have to.
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Cool Basketball Captions for Instagram
82.) We Believe.
83.) Stand tall, talk small, and play ball.
84.) Rise.
85.) The court is in session.
86.) You play the way you practice.
87.) Basketball is my favorite season.
88.) We interrupt this family for the basketball season.
89.) I know I play like a girl… try to keep up.
90.) Legends are forever.
91.) My town, my team.
92.) Take the high road and go higher.
93.) The talent is to want it.
94.) Unstoppable.
95.) Play with Heart.
96.) Dedicated and Determined.
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Basketball Sayings
97.) Breaking ankles and shattering dreams.
98.) For the love of the game.
99.) Forget your fear.
100.) Stop dreaming and start working.
101.) Attack the glass.
102.) Your loss is my game.
103.) Find your greatness.
104.) Respect is earned, not given.
105.) Clutch is my middle name.
106.) Practicing is the opposite of hope.
107.) Light ‘em up!
108.) Commit to Excellence.
109.) Start unknown. Finish unforgettable.
110.) Strive for Victory.
111.) Grit n’ Grind.
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112.) Defend our Court.
113.) It Takes All You Got.
114.) No heart, no chance.
115.) All In!
116.) Our team is not responsible for your lost pride.
117.) There’s no traffic on the extra mile.
118.) The one and only.
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Hoop Phrases
These captions are great for photos you take at a basketball game.
119.) Basketball Nation.
120.) Wreak Havoc!
121.) Practice winning every day.
122.) Well done is better than well said.
123.) The Time is Now.
124.) Fast and Furious.
125.) Your Mom called and said you left your game at home.
126.) Rise Up!
127.) Unfinished Business.
128.) No blood, no foul.
129.) It never gets easier. You get better.
130.) Deeds, not Words.
131.) Basketball Kinda Day.
132.) In it to win it.
133.) In TEAM, we trust.
134.) We The North (or South, East, or West).
135.) All out, all game, all season.
136.) Strength in Numbers.
137.) Just Us.
Basketball Captions For Those Who Play
138.) I was too cute to be a cheerleader, so I play basketball.
138.) Eat, sleep, and play basketball.
140.) Winners don’t wait for chances; they take them.
141.) You can’t control the minutes you play, but you can control how you play the minutes you get.
142.) Dribble, Shoot, Rebound, and Score.
143.) Keep calm and basketball on.
144.) Being in love with basketball so much that you have a playlist just for basketball
145.) You don’t play against an opponent; you play against the game of basketball.
146.) Basketball is like photography. If you don’t focus, all you have is the negative.
147.) Basketball isn’t just a sport. It’s a lifestyle.
148.) You are your only competition.
149.) Champions play as they practice.
150.) I’ll quit competing when my heart stops beating.
151.) Coaches win practices; players win games.
152.) I dream of cutting a net.
153.) Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
154.) Keep ballin’!
155.) Don’t make excuses; make your free throws.
156.) The madness begins!
157.) Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat.
158.) Basketball isn’t just a sport; it’s a way of life.
159.) Tricks, dribble, ankle-break, good smile – basketball is life
160.) Basketball is a full-court game, so every drill must be done on a full-court
161.) Put down your phone and pick up your basketball.
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Basketball Captions For Players and Coaches
162.) Basketball is my boyfriend.
163.) Be so good they can’t ignore you.
164.) If we are not at home, check the gym.
165.) Forget about it, princess, because not even Cinderella is getting to this ball.
166.) Queen of the court. I don’t dance on a dance floor; I run on a basketball court.
167.) It is far better to shoot an airball than to not shoot at all for fear of missing.
168.) Winning is more about good defense than good offense.
169.) Scared shots don’t make shots.
170.) More bricks than at a construction site.
171.) Offense sells tickets; defense wins games; foul shots win ball games.
172.) Defend to the end. Play until the clock says 0:00.
173.) The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.
174.) Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victory.
175.) All things are difficult until they are easy.
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176.) The greatness of Michael Jordan is his competitive drive. The weakness of Michael Jordan s his competitive drive.
Phil Jackson, NBA Coach
177.) Any fellow who has a good shot has got to take it and keep taking it. So he misses – so what?
Red Auerbach, NBA Coach and GM
178.) I have a plan of action, but the game is a game of adjustments.
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke Basketball Coach
179.) A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.
Larry Bird, NBA Player
180.) What is Love? Love is playing every game like it’s your last.
Michael Jordan, One of the Greatest Players in the NBA
181.) Winning is the hard part.
Elgin Baylor, NBA Player
182.) There are only two plays: Romeo and Juliet and put the darn ball in the basket.
Abe Lemons, College Basketball Coach
183.) We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors.
Weldon Drew, College Basketball Coach
Short Basketball Captions
184.) Win the last game.
185.) You can’t spell awesome without “me.” I am a basketball beast.
186.) Be yourself, but be a team player.
187.) Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.
188.) You play the way you practice.
189.) The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play “Drop the handkerchief.” (James Naismith)
190.) Our offense is like the Pythagorean Theorem. There is no answer. (Shaq)
191.) Any American boy can be a basketball star if he grows up, up, up. (Bill Vaughn)
192.) Run as one.
193.) Let’s bounce.
Humorous Hoops Captions
194.) Yeah, Ernie, it’s called defense, I mean, I wouldn’t know anything about it personally, but I’ve heard about it through the grapevine.
Charles Barkley
195.) The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy.
Jerry Tarkanian
196.) If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.
Kobe Bryant
197.) Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.
Michael Jordan
198.) The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.
Phil Jackson
199.) Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat.
Dean Smith
200.) Some say you have to use your five best players, but I found out you win with the five that fit together best as a team.
Red Auerbach
201.) Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.
Bill Russell
202.) Basketball is not an equal-opportunity game. If you can’t shoot it well, you don’t get to shoot.
Bob Hurley
Creative Basketball Captions
203.) Stressed, blessed, and obsessed! I do it for the fans.
204.) Some wish for it; we work for it.
205.) Goals are achieved by perseverance.
206.) Winners train; losers complain.
207.) Refuse to lose.
208.) A team above all; above all, a team.
209.) Seven days without basketball makes one weak.
210.) Second place if the first loser.
211.) Make ’em believe.
212.) iHoop! Basketball courts are my domain.
213.) Get to the ball first.
214.) Anything is possible. Impossible takes a little longer.
215.) I may not be the biggest basketball player, but I have one of the biggest hearts.
216.) Victory requires payment in advance.
217.) Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.
218.) There’s no such thing as impossible, only improbable.
219.) Sometimes the coaches tell me to be selfish, but my game won’t let me be selfish. (LeBron James)
220.) Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates. (Magic Johnson)
How To Use Basketball Captions
A.) Our list of basketball captions can be used for social media posts (Instagram, Facebook, etc.), signs, locker room posters, t-shirts, and more.
B.) On social media, consider adding a #hashtag comment to personalize the photo and caption even more.
C.) Match the caption closely to the activity in the photography; e.g., if the caption expresses a team attribute, show a team photo.
D.) For a season-ending photo book, try to get individual shots of each player. Also, in addition to a posed team photo, try to get a team shot in the huddle during a time-out for a more casual look.
E.) Be creative. These options are just a starting point. Try to improve on them, or come up with completely new options of your own.
By Mike O’Halloran
Mike has coached basketball for some 15 years, written three books on basketball, and is the editor of Sports Feel Good Stories.
And One
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