Bob Knight’s impact on basketball is nearly unparalleled, but it wasn’t just his mastery of the game that kept him on the sports pages in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.
Despite his efforts to the contrary, the legendary Indiana coach had a natural affinity for sportswriters — a group he continued to malign before his death this week at age 83.
“We all learned to write in second grade,” Knight once said of newspaper reporters. “Most of us strive for greater things.”
But whenever Polarizer is around, those who haven’t moved on to “greater things” always have something to write about. With that in mind, here’s a look back at some of Knight’s most memorable quotes and his own unique brand of Cajun hospitality:
Coach Bobby Knight talks to his linebacker Michael Lewis during the 1998 Big 10 Championship game
Bob Knight attends 2020 IU reunion with perhaps his greatest player, Isiah Thomas
“The best basketball player I’ve ever seen”
Knight’s time with Michael Jordan was brief. The two won an Olympic gold medal together at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, but even after just one summer working together, the 6-foot-6 guard from North Carolina developed a notable affinity for the Indiana head coach. Influence.
“Absolutely a great kid,” Knight said of Jordan. “If I were to pick three or four of the best athletes I’ve ever seen play basketball, he would be one of them. I think he’s the best athlete I’ve ever seen play basketball, bar none. If I If I were to pick the best player I’ve ever seen, he’s one of them.
Knight then shared an opinion that is now widely accepted but had not been voiced by anyone with coaching credentials at the time.
(Left to right) Patrick Ewing, Vern Fleming, Alvin Robertson, Michael Jordan, Joe Kleine, Jon Koncak, Chris Mullin – all members of the 1984 USA Basketball gold medal-winning team
In 1984, Bobby Knight was selected to coach the U.S. Olympic team, which won a gold medal
“In terms of competitiveness, ability, skill and athleticism, he’s the best athlete, he’s one of the best competitors, he’s one of the most skilled players,” Knight said. “To me, that makes him the best basketball player I’ve ever seen.”
Of course, Jordan’s status as “the best basketball player” Knight had ever seen didn’t shield the future Chicago Bulls legend from his coach’s wrath.
Knight was said to have moved Jordan to tears after his six-turnover performance against West Germany.
According to “Michael Jordan: A Life” by Roland Lazenby, Knight screamed at Jordan, “You should be embarrassed about the way you play.”
Sam Perkins, Jordan’s Olympic and college teammate, remembers his friend shedding a few tears.
“He told Michael this was the worst game he ever played,” Perkins said in a 2016 radio interview. “Now, Michael is going to deny this, but he’s crying.”
“Mental toughness is to physical strength as four to one.”
Knight’s coaching career is littered with similar quotes, many of which were designed to train his students to avoid self-pity.
“If I were responsible I would drug test all of you, not just the athletes”
While speaking to the Indiana student body, Knight was asked about drug testing of his players.
Not only did he agree with this, he also said he would expand testing to every student in the school.
Knight later explained that his theory was to identify anyone with dependency issues who might need help.
“We will beat everyone”
Until the NCAA allows athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, any compensation for college basketball players is strictly prohibited.
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily stop bad actors from bribing players to get into specific schools.
Indiana avoided any such suspicion under Knight, who ended up making rather pointed references to his less amoral opponent.
“If my main purpose in Indiana is to go out and win games, I can probably do that as well as anybody,” he said. “I’m going to cheat, get some money from a lot of people around Indianapolis who want to run their business this way, and then go out and recruit the best basketball players I can. And then we’re going to beat everybody.
The three-time national champion still won without violating NCAA rules.
“I’ve always said if I get to the point where I can’t control myself, I’m going to give up.”
Given what we know now, Knight’s 1981 prediction to Sports Illustrated is sure to raise some eyebrows.
After years of violent behavior, Knight was caught choking player Neil Reed during a 1997 Hoosiers practice.
This proved to be the last straw. When video of the incident surfaced in 2000, Knight was eventually fired and refused to return to the Bloomington campus until February 2020, when his 1981 championship team was honored.
Asked about firing members of his administration, Knight said in 2017: “I wish they were dead.”
“When my time on earth is over and my activities here are over, I hope they bury me upside down and my critics can kiss my ass!”
In perhaps Knight’s most iconic line, the Indiana coach addressed Indiana fans at Alumni Hall when he gave pretty precise instructions on how he wanted to be buried.
“People want national championship banners. People want to talk about Indiana’s competitiveness. How do we get there? ‘We didn’t get there on milk and cookies.’
Knight was with Neil Reed, who choked him during a practice in 1997, leading to his firing
Knight’s ability to communicate relies primarily on his direct manner. He doesn’t feel uncomfortable overlooking details and refuses to paint a rosy picture for the public. Recruits and assistant coaches know they don’t come to Bloomington to have fun, and Knight delivers on that promise.
“My grandmother gave me my first glimpse of how negative thinking can lead to positive outcomes. When I was a little kid, whenever I would come to my grandmother and say I wanted this or that, she would say, “ If wishes were horses, beggars would ride them.”
Knight followed this spirit when he titled his 2013 book “The Power of Negative Thinking.”
By focusing on the negative—the things we all like to ignore—Nate felt he was insulating himself from misfortune.
“Do you remember as a kid believing that Santa Claus existed? You know, Santa Claus and I are not that different today. We were two cute, overweight guys that kids really loved”
It’s kind of ironic that Knight thinks he looks like Santa Claus, considering his aforementioned statement about milk and cookies.
“Everyone hears, but few listen”
Knight’s quotes often read like Army drill instructors, and that’s not a mistake.
Like a sergeant, Knight judged each man on his or her ability to follow instructions. Those who struggled were cast aside, while the few who made the grade remained in the Bloomington picture.