This NBA season we said goodbye to Kobe. What a send off game. 60 points and a game winning shot which tops of an amazing 20 year career. I don’t think you could have a better send off than that.
So how does someone get to be a Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan? It’s true that they are one in a billion but I’ve always wondered why can’t I be the next Bryant or Jordan? Or even an average NBA player?
Recently I spoke to a young basketball player whom I’m privileged to know. Nice kid and one hell of a ball player. Recently he told me that he is giving up basketball because he knows he isn’t going pro. I was shocked! This kid has so much talent and he is better than me when I was his age. This made me ask why do so many up and coming basketball players don’t have the passion to play pro?
Kids these days are not short on confidence. I go to play basketball at my local stadium every weekend and I constantly meet youngsters running their mouth. It seems that confidence is in fashion. But when you talk to these young basketball players about going on to play basketball at a higher level, they have no idea. They give me excuses as to why they won’t or have come to the acceptance that they would never play pro.
One particular basketball player is a 6’5” swing man that can put the ball on the floor and shoot from range. Nice kid, 19 years old, quieter than the rest of his friends. I spoke to him a few weeks ago about going to Philippines and playing college basketball. His reaction was well below excitement. It was as if he didn’t want to know anything about it. If I was in his position when I was younger I wouldn’t be able to contain myself with the thought of going to play basketball overseas.
So why don’t people believe that they can go on to play pro?
Parents
In my experience parents can be the number 1 killer of dreams. On so many occasions I have spoken to great young basketball players with a bright future give up the game because the parents didn’t want them to pursue their dream. Look I understand parents want the best for their kids and it’s true the chances of playing pro basketball are slim. But not to try at all is a crime, especially if you have talent.
In my article Convince your parents to allow you to play basketball overseas I discuss common concerns parents have and how to handle them. This way you can get them onside and support your decision to further you basketball career.
I have to be the responsible adult and say. If you plan on furthering your basketball do not slack off in school. You do not want to be that dumb ass basketball player that can’t string a sentence together. Knowledge is power! There’s nothing greater than an athlete well learned. Not only will you be physically powerful, you will also be mentally powerful.
People around you
When I work with young athletes I always ask them, apart from your family members who are the 5 people you spend the most time with? I like to get an understanding of what their friends are like. What they do in their spare time? If a basketball player isn’t spending their spare time with other basketball players they are destined for failure. Statistics show this.
When I was with the Tigers playing under 20’s I hung out with a lot of NBL players. Even when I wasn’t on the training squad I ensured that I always attend NBL training and at times joined in shooting drills. I started getting invited by these guys to attend events outside of training and I broke into their circle. Eventually I became a member of the Tigers NBL training squad and my skills grew.
By hanging around other basketball players that you aspire to be, you automatically change your focus to start aiming higher. In my case these NBL players challenged me to get better and raised my level of physical performance and thinking. It’s like having a basketball mentors. All the best players in the world have had mentors. Kobe had MJ and it was a relationship widely published during Kobe’s retirement. In my article Benefits of having a basketball mentor I discuss the positives of surrounding yourself with mentors that have played in basketball leagues that you want to play in. For example, if you want to play college ball in USA find players that have done it before and be around them as much as possible. Cut out those people that go out partying and drinking every weekend. They serve you no purpose.
Cut out people that are a drain in your life and do not contribute to your dream. Life is too short to waste your time with people that are not going to uplift you. Remember, basketball comes first! If you don’t agree with this statement you are on the wrong website and a high level of basketball isn’t for you.
Too lazy to do the work
The second biggest contributor to people not going on to play pro basketball is because they are lazy. There are so many young athletes that do not have the heart to get the work done. Early morning trainings, too hard! Getting in extra work outside of training sessions, too hard! Not getting your diet correct, too hard! If you are not willing to put in the work, you are not going anywhere. Even if you are 7 foot.
I made the Melbourne Tigers under 20’s third team and I didn’t even get minutes. Yet within 3 years I was on the Tigers NBL training squad and getting ready to go play college basketball in USA. How is that possible? I busted my ass! I worked out everyday and made at least 500 shots per day. That’s 500 made shots, not shots all together.
I remember driving to basketball training at 630am every Saturday and Sunday for two years just so I can get to practice an hour early to get some shots up. On my drive I used to go through King street which is a street with a stretch of nightclubs. On most drives to basketball training I used to see some people I knew from high school and my cousin stumble outside from clubs when I was driving to training in the mornings. I made a choice that basketball came first and I needed to bust my ass. I din’t want to be apart of the popular crowd nor did I want to be like the average basketball players that came to training 10 minutes before practice started.
If you want to play pro you need to commit 100% to ensure you give it all you got. It is going to hurt and you will feel hopeless sometimes but when you get through it and you play your first pro basketball game it’ll all be worth it. There aren’t too many better feelings in this world than when you work hard for something and obtain it.
Easy to give up
It really is easy to give up on something right? I mean, all you have to do is stop. With the sense of entitlement with the youth of today, quitting is more prevalent. Don’t get upset. Consider this a reality check. There are more people quitting representative basketball clubs than I have ever seen in the 20 years I have been around basketball. Why? Because it’s cool to not give a shit. It’s cool to be ordinary and live a mundane life until you die. But is that what you really want?
If you DON’T want to play pro basketball as much as you want to breath, you are not going to make it. All pro basketball players have a firm mindset to tough out the hard times and not give up. Most basketball players give up just at the point where they are most likely to succeed. For example, when I first started playing basketball at age 17 for a domestic team; I wasn’t getting any court time. This coach just wouldn’t play me and I must admit I wanted to quit. But instead I stuck it out and worked on areas of my game that’ll benefit the team the most. One day our team was hit by a series of injuries and I was thrust into the starting line up. Because I had been practicing and didn’t give into quitting I made a huge impact. So much so that we caught fire and went on a 11 game win streak. This cemented my spot on the starting line up even when our main players came back. We went on to winning the under 18’s B grade grand final. This paved the way for me to eventually go to the Tigers and on to playing pro basketball in Europe. If I had quit I would never played overseas and had the experiences I had.
Don’t give up! Battle through these thoughts. In my article Never quit attitude with persistence and desire I discuss getting over rejection in basketball. By being persistent and playing with desire, an opportunity will present itself like it did for Jeremy Lin when he played for New York.
There’s no reason why you can’t be the next Kobe, or MJ or Lebron. Someone has to be! Someone will be. Keep working hard and do not let outside factors tell you otherwise. The NBA and professional clubs all around the world need players. Are you going to be one of them?
