Top 74 Quotes & Sayings by Ivica Zubac

Explore popular quotes and sayings by a Croatian basketball player Ivica Zubac.

Last updated on December 24, 2024.

Ivica Zubac is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round in the 2016 NBA draft. He played for the Lakers until the 2019 trade deadline when he was traded to the Clippers. During the 2021 NBA Playoffs, he helped the Los Angeles Clippers make the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Croatian - Basketball Player | Born: March 18, 1997

Source: Wikipedia

I knew I just gotta wait for my chances in the game and I'm gonna prove what I am able to do when I get on the floor.

Ivica Zubac

People are still feeling like it's war. Croatians hate Serbians and Serbians hate Croatians. They don't want to talk to each other.

Ivica Zubac

Sometimes I go to the pool. With the pool, sometimes it's for recovery. I go with Joakim Noah because he's a big pool guy.

Ivica Zubac

In Europe, I was limited. I didn't have minutes and when I had minutes, it was just, 'Do this. Do this. You gotta listen to the coach.'

Ivica Zubac

I had to move out when I was 14 and live by myself in the capital of Croatia. That's when it got a little serious. From there, I played on the Croatian national team.

Ivica Zubac

I was really mad until the 23rd pick and I wasn't selected and my agent told me, 'If nobody selects you, you're going to the Lakers.' So I was hoping to not go in the first round of the draft.

Ivica Zubac

I gotta defend, I gotta protect the rim, I gotta rebound, I gotta set good picks for the guys, finish on offense, and I think that is not going to change much.

Ivica Zubac

I just turn on the TV and watch whatever is on, like 'Star Wars' or 'Lord of the Rings.'

Ivica Zubac

Everyone wants to play in the fourth quarter, everyone wants to close the game. It's the most important time of the game, so being out there is great.

Ivica Zubac

You know, I just feel physically that I can get a lot of offensive rebounds.

Ivica Zubac

If I continue to work hard, I can make it to the NBA.

Ivica Zubac

It's hard to fall asleep after a game. I often go to sleep at 4 A. M. because I'm thinking about the game and my mind is racing.

Ivica Zubac

I think every part of my body needs improvement.

Ivica Zubac

It's hard when you're a young player, second year, to not play for like 10 games and then they throw you in and they want you to do everything perfect.

Ivica Zubac

One of my roles is rebounding the ball and not giving up offensive boards, and I feel like I can be one of the best in the league at that.

Ivica Zubac

I would love to be trained by Kareem. That's a GOAT.

Ivica Zubac

I think that's the only way I can improve: to work hard, to listen to my coaches. Not to question anything.

Ivica Zubac

I was taught to hate the Clippers, you know, since I was with the Lakers. So, I never liked the Clippers before. But since coming over here, it's been amazing.

Ivica Zubac

Here you get to play one on one more, individual basketball. I think that fits me better than in Europe. You have harder, different double teams and everybody helps, but in the NBA they let you play one on one, so I think that will fit me better.

Ivica Zubac

I was always trying to get in the paint and get the easiest shots I can.

Ivica Zubac

But every time I make a mistake, I put some pressure on myself. That's not really good. I'm trying not to do that.

Ivica Zubac

When you're not playing you're not feeling good because this is what I'm doing my whole life. Now when I'm finally in the rotation, everything else feels much better. Life is much better.

Ivica Zubac

Of course I want to be on the floor in the fourth.

Ivica Zubac

All of my shots are dunks or are around the rim.

Ivica Zubac

It's the NBA, arenas almost always sold out. When I played back in Europe, there would be some games with 50-100 people in the crowd, so it would be pretty much empty.

Ivica Zubac

We went to SpaceX to talk to Elon Musk, that was cool. He gave us the tour. We couldn't film it or anything. There were rockets, it was impressive. It was a lot of cool stuff.

Ivica Zubac

I always have confidence in myself even though everyone doubted me.

Ivica Zubac

I can do the Sky Hook, but I'm not confident with it.

Ivica Zubac

I was hoping to workout with Kareem on a daily basis. After that first workout, I never got a chance.

Ivica Zubac

We switched everything in G League so I had a lot of time to work on my switching.

Ivica Zubac

What really pushed me into chasing basketball even more was my cousin making the NBA too, in 2003.

Ivica Zubac

I first started playing when we moved from my first house to a house that had a hoop out in front. Every day, I was in front of the basket shooting balls. The basket was regular height, and I was about 5 years old.

Ivica Zubac

I want to get stronger. I want to get slimmer. I'm already slimmer, but I want to get some muscles so I can fight all these guys in the post.

Ivica Zubac

It was even hard to imagine I was going to play in the NBA, because so many guys playing in Europe are not even getting to the Euroleague and everything. But everybody wants to play in the NBA. So when draft night came, it was a dream come true.

Ivica Zubac

You start learning English in fifth grade. I was 12. But even before then I was listening to American music. My neighbor was a really big hip-hop fan, so he taught me everything around hip-hop.

Ivica Zubac

I have good mid-range shot and I can shoot threes, but in Europe coaches didn't want me to shoot outside because I was tall and big.

Ivica Zubac

My first year everyone loved me. I was not getting that kind of love in my second year.

Ivica Zubac

I learned how to cook, how to iron clothes. That really helped me be more mature than guys who are my age.

Ivica Zubac

When you meet Croatians somewhere abroad that's great. It feels like you are best friends.

Ivica Zubac

I got to prepare more for the games. I got to be ready for better players and starting lineups, just get a bit more focused, more prepared and got to be in better shape.

Ivica Zubac

My agent called me when we were talking before I came to the States. He told me we are going to select only three or four teams who are most interested, who are calling the most, asking for you, who are watching me the most in Europe and scouting me.

Ivica Zubac

The only thing I can do is work hard and hope that they're gonna call my name.

Ivica Zubac

I think I want to come straight to the NBA, but if the team who drafts me, they want me to stay in Europe and develop my game, I will stay.

Ivica Zubac

I'm feeling like I can stay on the floor for a while. I can run the floor. I can fight in the post with guys. I can rebound.

Ivica Zubac

Houses with courts and gyms are super expensive. Not a lot of players can afford that. I know it sounds crazy to say an NBA player can't afford that, but that's how it is in L.A.

Ivica Zubac

I work out at least six days a week.

Ivica Zubac

I always was a fan of the Lakers.

Ivica Zubac

I never doubted in me. I always knew what I can do. I always had the same skill-set.

Ivica Zubac

People got this bad image about Clippers, like Clippers did something bad. But the thing is, the Clippers never did something bad, they're just another team in L.A.

Ivica Zubac

When you're not getting minutes, you're doubting every shot you take.

Ivica Zubac

In my two and a half years with the Lakers, I didn't win much games.

Ivica Zubac

We're going to work hard on my body, put on some muscles. That's going to help me a lot to run faster, to move quicker, to jump higher.

Ivica Zubac

It's good to have someone who speaks your own language just to get your mind off of basketball.

Ivica Zubac

It was always my dream to play in the NBA, especially for the Lakers because they're the greatest franchise ever.

Ivica Zubac

I don't care about personal stats or whatever. Winning is the most important thing.

Ivica Zubac

A bunch of fans have come up to me and they say, 'Why did we trade you? The Lakers front office did the biggest mistake.' Everyone's like, 'We miss you.'

Ivica Zubac

Wherever I go, I have to speak English, which is my second language. So whenever you get a chance to speak in your own language? It feels good.

Ivica Zubac

When I was like 19 1/2, people were like, 'He should go back to Europe.' People are impatient.

Ivica Zubac

I live in the part of Bosnia-Herzegovina where we are the only Croatians, and we are the proudest in the world.

Ivica Zubac

I am living a great life.

Ivica Zubac