For The Basketball Player, Part 2: The NBA Narrative

We love the NBA. The players are lauded as Gods, and we want to be like them. Sadly, the one in a million odds suggest that we won’ be the next Lebron James, let alone the next Brian Scalabrine. I sat down with my parents and calmly told them not to worry about my future—a bit past the age where I should have dropped the phase—because I had few doubts about my potential to make a living. An NBA salary should be sufficient, I assured them. My parents—with amazing poise, although perhaps holding back laughter and rage—suggested that I evaluate a plan B.

Why kids with boundless opportunities want to make the NBA can sometimes confound parents. It’s fantastic to have dreams, but there’s only one problem with this specific one. Unlike aspiring to be president or a professor, putting all your eggs in the NBA basket will not yield other opportunities—just watch the documentary Hoop Dreams to see how that can become a reality. Basketball is traditionally a narrow track; you have to be deliberate if you want basketball to transfer to other areas.

The problem with the NBA narrative is that it uses us. It encourages us to watch all the business transactions and high flash dunks occurring every night. How many of you are students of the game? You may know who won the scoring title the past few seasons, but how many of you know or know of the Princeton offense? How many of you know of Brian McCormick? Knowing about long-term development (I recommend highly his book Crossover for students of the game) is much more important than NBA trivia, that is, if you’re a player first and fan second. But even on the NBA side, how many of you know of Basketball Prospectus, the academic statistical analysis of the game?

The NBA also sets a culture precedent. And usually, people follow the wrong role models, emulating “the swagger” of the Iversons and the Gilberts, without seeing or appreciating the people who do great things off the court.

I’m not saying don’t’ love the NBA. Watch it. Love the Knicks if you want too. Be a kid. But also study it. Watch specific players and compare them to yourself. Watch basketball—at all levels—with adults who know basketball and study the game. Avoid the swagger philosophy (I can get into this if you want...)

The Takeaway: While the game itself is great for personal development, the surrounding culture isn’t. Be your own person and use the game for your purposes.