Friday, June 20, 2008 Speak out: Basketball By Rachel Garces
THE earliest memories I had of watching basketball on television were the Lakers versus the Celtics series. In this basketball crazed country I am not the only one buying the never-ending hype.
The Lakers and Celtics were rivals in the ‘80s when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird carried their rivalry from the NCAA Final Four into the NBA, back when players went to college for four years before entering the NBA as stars.
I highly appreciated how Kobe Bryant could be that guy who personifies energy out in the court; apparently he takes his game personally. However, when does a star player take control of the game and when does he defer some of the responsibilities to his teammates?
What does it take to be a winner? Winners are good leaders who act as facilitators that initiate the offense.
Last year, I found it difficult to cheer for the Lakers to win because Kobe belittled his teammates, demanded for a trade and called out his General Manager. You win as a team, you loose as a team!
Winners are proactive and not reactive. They are the people who possess the right attitude, belief and commitment and have the mindset of a victor rather than a victim. Here are the winning stories we could draw inspiration from the greatest basketball players.
l Isiah Thomas slept in closet and ate food donated by concerned church members. His older brothers succumbed to the lure of drug abuse and crime.
As an escape to poverty he was tempted to follow the lead of his brothers, realizing his skills as a basketball player he did not loose hope even when all the other coaches turned him down because at 6’1 he was too small to have any significant impact on the basketball program.
He continued to persuade St. Joseph High School to give him a sport’s scholarship. Thomas had to commute three hours each way to and from school, taking three buses and arriving home well after dark.
He struggled to acquire discipline in the classroom and on the court before he became the most coveted basketball players in the nation.
l Charles Barkley appeared in only 65 games and the Suns bowed out in the Western Conference Semifinals, losing to the Rockets in seven games. He announced that he would fight through his chronic pain and play the following season. Despite his adversities he ranked high among NBA leaders in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage for four straight seasons.
l Patrick Ewing’s fans grew impatient with the superstar because the New York Knicks didn’t make the playoffs until his third year. There was also a disconnection between Ewing and the New York fans off the court. Patrick was a shy man, self-conscious about his Jamaican accent and wasn’t comfortable in front of the camera.
His introverted nature was exacerbated by the racisms he focused while at Georgetown. Fans of opposing teams called him an ape and taunted him with bananas. However he finished third in the league in scoring, fifth in rebounding and second in block shots in 1990.
l Michael Jordan missed more than 9000 shots in his career, lost 300 games and 26 times he has been trusted to take the game’s winning shot he missed.
He has failed over and over again in his life and is why he succeeds in owning the highest career scoring average in the NBA history.
A winner, according to Larry Bird is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works hard to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals. Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.
Friends, believe that you are significant, you are a difference maker, you are destined for great things, you are winners! Learn from your mistakes, do not hesitate to take risks, and while in school EXCEL!
