Tertullian
Roman Christian theologian and writer (c. 155 - c. 220)
Bill Bradley was an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000. Bradley had an impressive basketball career, winning Olympic gold and NBA championships with the New York Knicks before entering politics.
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About the Bill Bradley
William Warren Bradleyis an American politician and former professional basketball player. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a United States senator from New Jersey from 1979 to 1997 and a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in the 2000 election, which he lost to Vice President Al Gore.
Bradley was born and raised in Crystal City, Missouri, a small town 45 milessouth of St. Louis. He excelled at basketball from an early age. He did well academically and was an all-county and all-state basketball player in high school. He was offered 75 college scholarships, but declined them all to attend Princeton University. He won a gold medal as a member of the 1964 Olympic basketball team and was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1965 NCAA Tournament, when Princeton finished third. After graduating in 1965, he attended Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship where he was a member of Worcester College, delaying a decision for two years on whether or not to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
While at Oxford, Bradley played one season of professional basketball in Europe and eventually decided to join the New York Knicks in the 1967-68 season, after serving six months in the Air Force Reserve. He spent his entire ten-year professional basketball career playing for the Knicks, winning NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. Retiring in 1977, he ran for a seat in the United States Senate the following year, from his adopted home state of New Jersey. He was re-elected in 1984 and 1990, left the Senate in 1997, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2000 Democratic presidential nomination.
Bradley is the author of seven non-fiction books, most recently We Can All Do Better, and hosts a weekly radio show, American Voices, on Sirius Satellite Radio. He is a corporate director of Starbucks and a partner at investment bank Allen & Company in New York City. Bradley is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. He also serves on that group’s advisory board.
Bradley is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. In 2008 Bradley was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bill Bradley was a member of the Democratic Party.
Bill Bradley served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey from 1979 to 1997.
Bill Bradley was born and raised in Crystal City, Missouri, a small town 45 miles south of St. Louis.
Bill Bradley won a gold medal as a member of the 1964 Olympic basketball team and was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1965 NCAA Tournament when Princeton finished third.
Bill Bradley spent his entire 10-year professional basketball career playing for the New York Knicks, winning NBA titles in 1970 and 1973.
After retiring from the NBA in 1977, Bill Bradley ran for and was elected to the U.S. Senate from New Jersey, serving from 1979 to 1997.
Yes, in 2008, Bill Bradley was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
15 Quotes by Bill Bradley
- 1.
For a long time, I operated under the Chinese proverb that there are four kinds of leaders: those who you laugh at, those who you hate, those who you love and those who you don’t even know that they’re leaders.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 2.
Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 3.
Al Gore clearly has the vision… it’s a much better vision than that of George W. Bush.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 4.
Sports is a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and achieving against great odds. Athletes, in times of difficulty, can be important role models.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 5.
Leaders should be collaborative, modest, and generous.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 6.
Every time I have some moment on a seashore, or in the mountains, or sometimes in a quiet forest, I think this is why the environment has to be preserved.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 7.
The taste of defeat has a richness of experience all its own.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 8.
All I have are the people.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 9.
Becoming number one is easier than remaining number one.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 10.
When you make speeches you elicit expectations against which you will be held accountable.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 11.
There has never been a great athlete who died not knowing what pain is.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 12.
Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 13.
Imagination allows us to escape the predictable. It enables us to reply to the common wisdom that we cannot soar by saying, “Just watch!”
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 14.
The only way to be true to our American tradition is to maintain absolute governmental neutrality regarding religious beliefs and practices.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)
- 15.
Trying to take money out of politics is like trying to take jumping out of basketball.
Bill BradleyAmerican basketball player and politician (born 1943)