If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to be a great basketball player, LeBron James is here to explain.
On the first episode of the Mind the Game podcast (which begins at 9:30), James discussed the three characteristics that distinguish a great player on the court beyond natural talent and skill set.
The first attribute James mentioned is knowing and comprehending the “history of the game” and the sport’s superstars who “paved the way” for contemporary players to have “the ability to actually live out your dream.”
James notably mentioned Bill Russell as someone who was dominant on the court while being actively participating in the Civil Rights movement.
The second trait James emphasized is discipline, which he described as a word that is “loosely” bandied around:
“But you must be disciplined enough to sometimes sacrifice loved ones in order to be great because they do not understand. And that’s fine; they don’t realize what it means to, like, I’m getting up every single day at 5 or 6 a.m., and when I get home after everyone goes,
I’m going to the gym, and then I’m going to take a nap, so you’re sacrificing your loved ones by not spending time with them. And when I wake up, I’ll probably train again, have dinner, and then go to bed. And I intend to do it every day for an extended length of time.”
According to James, the final trait required to become a great basketball player is to have a passion for the game that extends beyond what happens on the court.
“I’m not just talking about wins and losses,” he told reporters. “I’m talking about do you really love the process of the game, and everything that happens before the referee” tosses the ball in the air for the opening
tipoff.
James described playing games as “the easy part” of the process, but “who has the love of the game when nobody is there” is responsible for all the pomp and circumstance.
All of these characteristics have clearly suited James well throughout his NBA career. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is the league’s all-time leading scorer and the only player who has been named to the All-Star team 20 times.
Of all, it takes a lot of talent to make it to the NBA. Being able to stick in the league for as long as James has, let alone play as well as he This far into his profession demonstrates his commitment to the skills he mentioned, which he almost certainly learned over the last 21 years.
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