Basketball is really an incredible sport. From the excitement of the sold-out crowds, to the passion of loyalty that unites hometowns, to the final 3-point shot that ends the game, basketball is a true phenomenon that leaves us speechless from time to time. All of this, however, wouldn’t be possible without the players.
The basketball players are the backbone of the sport. They’re the reason why the sport even exists in the first place and the reason why people all across the world pay good money to watch games live. I wanted to take some time to really appreciate and recognize the level of dedication these athletes have for the sport. Sure, natural God-given talent played a role in formulating a lot of NBA players’ destinies. But, what good is talent without an extreme amount of dedication to hone your skills? Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard. Numerous basketball players have proven this time and time again.
Some people think that basketball players have it easy. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Again, yes, natural talent did play a solid role in a lot of players’ success, but there’s no shortcut to success once you’re playing at a high level like in the NBA or NCAA. It’s not like NBA players just read up on CrazyBulk reviews, take the products, and then suddenly turn into basketball savages that light up the court every night. It doesn’t work like that. It takes years and years of dedication and hard work.
Many people see the big paychecks, the fancy cars, and the luxurious shoes, but fail to see the significant amount of blood, sweat, and tears over numerous years that it took to get to that level. I truly believe that if some people saw the amount of time and energy that people like Lebron James, Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan had to go through to get to the level they’re at, they’d puke. We’re talking about hours upon hours of practice since high school. Many NBA players have been playing their entire life since they were in elementary school!
If you practice hard enough at anything, you’ll eventually reach a level of excellence. Some may argue that you may never reach NBA-level skill, but I’m sure if you’ve practiced 2 hours every single day since the age of 6, you’d get pretty close. In any case, I don’t think anyone can take away from the fact that basketball players put in a monumental amount of work to get to where they are. They’ve put in the work prior to their stardom, throughout their stardom, and will continue to put in the work to consecrate their stardom.
I’m going to leave you with this beautiful quote from the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan:
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”